Broken Truth
Authors: Beth Ashworth
Broken Truth
By Beth Ashworth
Broken Truth
Copyright © 2013 Beth Ashworth
Cover design © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and settings are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, names, locales, organisations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. With the exception of the original material written by the author, all songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Contents
Please enjoy an excerpt from
In The Firelight
by
Sibylla Matilde at the end of this book.
Thank you to everyone that believed in me.
You helped me start my dream...
Prologue
Charlie used the front of her apron to wipe away the prickling moisture across the skin on her forehead. She always hated working the late shift on a Saturday night, but she knew that she didn’t have a choice. The dream apprenticeship she had landed almost two years ago in one of the upmarket boutiques in Manchester didn’t pay well, so the waitressing job was the only thing keeping her afloat and on top of her crippling credit card bills.
“Table thirteen, Charlie,” her boss called as he gestured towards a large circular booth where six well dressed gentlemen were seated. “They are expecting one more shortly, so go and get some drink orders would you?”
Charlie flicked her eyes towards the clock and sighed. She still had hours to go until tonight’s shift ended and she could finally get home. After already spending the day being worked to the bone at her apprenticeship, the last thing she needed was a long and painful shift at the restaurant.
“Think of the money,” she mumbled to herself as she picked up her order pad and pencil. She was hopeful that the long and arduous shifts at the restaurant would come to a close soon. Her boss at the boutique had been continuously dropping hints lately of her being offered a fully paid position. It was this little glimmer of hope that kept her going through the pain of waiting tables for minimum wage at the age of twenty six.
Approaching the table of gentlemen, Charlie plastered the false smile to her face that she had grown so accustom to using since working at the restaurant. “Good evening, my name is Charlie and I will be your server for this evening. Can I get you gentlemen any drinks?” she asked cocking an eyebrow at the six pairs of eyes that had turned to watch her.
“Thank you, but we are waiting for one more so we will wait until he has arrived,” one of the men replied curtly with a nod.
“No problem, I will come back shortl-” Charlie was cut off mid sentence when a gentleman seated on the far side of the booth stood and gestured towards the doorway with his hands.
“Finally, Ellis! What in the devil took you so long?” he laughed.
Charlie turned her head towards the door so that she could inspect the late comer to the party. “Oh my,” she mumbled as her grasp tightened painfully around the pencil in her hand.
Dressed formally in a light charcoal suit and black shirt, she watched as his impressive form strode casually towards the booth. Her pulse fluctuated in speed as she allowed her eyes to drink in every part of his impressive frame.
Putting him easily around the six foot three mark, she couldn’t help but notice how he had commanded the attention from every person within the confines of the restaurant. His onyx coloured hair was the perfect shade of black mixed with the slightest hint of silver, which complemented against the unusual shade of glacier blue she could see within his eyes. His look was striking and completely overwhelming.
“I’m sorry for my lateness, gentlemen. I had some important matters to take care of with my business partner,” he apologised as he stood beside her.
Charlie registered his discreet glance in her direction along with the cocky grin that touched his lips for a few seconds. Immediately she turned her attention back towards the waiting table as a flush of embarrassment crept over her cheeks.
“Are we ready to order drinks, gentlemen?” she asked trying to maintain the small sliver of cool she had remaining within her.
Returning back to her station, Charlie clutched at the various drink orders she had collected. As she passed the order to her colleague running the bar area for the night, she couldn’t help but risk a glance back at his table. There was something about him that had just captivated and enchanted her completely.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
Spotting him in the centre of the booth, she watched him closely as he joked and conversed easily with the other men around him. His voice was loud and it had a smooth and sensual edginess to it that carried effortlessly around the room.
She heard him laugh at another joke before his eyes looked across to meet her stare. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she realised she had been spotted. She should have turned away at that moment, but his stare continued to hold her captive and rooted in place. She could feel the muscles in her legs quivering as they fought to keep her body in an upright position.
“Charlie, your drinks are up.”
Snapping her gaze away from the table, she turned towards the tray of drinks on the bar. Taking a few deep breaths to steady her nerves, Charlie picked up the tray and headed over to the booth.
“Gentlemen,” she spoke softly as she placed the various drinks on the table. She tried to keep her visit as brief as possible and without making eye contact. She knew that she couldn’t look at him. His eyes had a beguiling power that held and consumed her.
“Miss?”
A pounding force ricocheted throughout the centre of her brain at the sound of his voice. “Y-Y-Yes?” she stammered, keeping her eyes trained firmly on the final glass she had to place down.
“That’s mine,” he replied.
She saw his hand reach across the table to take the glass from her, his fingertips gently brushing against her skin. She gasped at their sudden contact and lifted her head to look at him. His eyes were warm and glinting with a slight touch of humour.
“Right, Ellis, shall we get down to business then?” A voice from the opposite side of the table caught his attention. She saw an instant change in his expression as he turned towards them with a businesslike manner.
Charlie chose that moment to make herself scarce.
Heading into the back of the restaurant she quickly spoke with one of the other girls working and asked if they would switch tables with her. She couldn’t continue waitressing for that particular group.
As Charlie continued to work her shift on the opposite side of the room, she made sure to keep her gaze away from the table of loud gentlemen who had noisily taken the centre of attention as the night grew to a close.
Standing behind the bar with thirty minutes left on her shift, Charlie continued to casually polish tomorrow night’s silverware. Virtually all of the customers had left for the night apart from the gentlemen in the booth.
As time ticked nearer to closing, she finally caught sight of them standing out of the corner of her eye. She watched on discreetly as the group made their way through the exit.
“I can cover up closing, Charlie. You can take off,” her boss said from behind. He took the polishing cloth from her hand and shooed her towards the door.
Stepping out into the evening air, Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. It was another shift down and another step closer towards paying off her debts.
“Hey...”
Charlie froze immediately as she caught sight of the man from earlier leaning casually against a sleek black car.
“Ummm... Hi,” she replied.
She watched as he pushed off from the car and strode towards her. “So tell me,” he started. “Why is a beautiful girl such as yourself busting her arse waiting tables, hey?”
Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again with a shake of her head. She couldn’t understand why a clearly rich and attractive looking man such as him was giving her the time of day.
“I’m Callum,” he grinned, holding out his hand towards her.
She stared at his outstretched hand before accepting. “Charlie,” she mumbled, feeling her cheeks suddenly bloom with colour.
“Well, Charlie,” he replied, closing the remaining distance between their bodies. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you,” she whispered as he raised her hand to his lips. She gasped as he placed a sweet and gentle kiss against her knuckles.
“Apologies for being so forward, but would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” he asked with a charming smile.
She blinked her eyes rapidly before she finally gave him her answer.
“Yes,” she replied.
One
Thirteen months later
The early morning sunshine streamed gloriously through the large floor to ceiling windows, illuminating almost everything within its path. Feeling the warming haze against her skin, Charlie’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Pausing for a few moments, she took her time in allowing her eyes to adjust from their sleep deprived state. As a yawn escaped her lips, her right hand reached out to fumble for her mobile phone on the bedside table.
Locating the device, Charlie pulled it close to her face and squinted at the small screen in confusion. After a couple of minutes perseverance, she finally succumbed and reached for her glasses. Pushing them onto her face, she watched as the fuzzy Manchester skyline began to focus before her eyes. Turning her attention back to her mobile phone, she cursed under her breath when she noticed the time. Having spent the best part of last night being royally fucked in every way imaginable, it was safe to say that Charlie was not in the mood for early wakeup calls today.
Pushing the covers away and rolling onto her side, she paused as her eyes caught sight of the fine piece of arse that lay in the bed beside her. With the blanket lying tangled across his waist, Charlie stared transfixed at his broad and toned chest that rose and fell peacefully as he slept. Unable to resist, she snaked her hand across the covers and began to trace lazy patterns across his taut abdomen.
Watching as his body twitched at the contact of her fingers, she cast her eyes up to his face. He was still sound asleep with his mouth slightly open and his breathing deep and even. Relishing moments like this, Charlie took the opportunity to just lie happily watching her man sleep.