Tear Down These Walls (17 page)

There is noise from the kitchen, so she follows it. Music is playing from
speakers hidden somewhere. Trent is at the counter, making sandwiches. He looks
up and smiles.  “I think you should eat before you go to sleep.”

“I’m a vegetarian,” Teagan quips, as she watches him put slices of meat
on a sandwich.

“Seriously?” Trent stammers. “Sorry about that.”

Teagan bursts out giggling, “I’m only kidding; remember I eat bacon! I
love meat, just not turkey or ham.”

“Well, this is roast beef, so that should be fine,” Trent states, putting
the sandwich together. He puts it on a plate and slides it to her. “Eat that.”

“Yes sir!” Teagan exclaims, snagging the sandwich. She takes a bite and
grins. “It tastes good.”

“I’m glad,” Trent laughs, as he eats his.

As she chews, she falters a little bit. Teagan drops the sandwich on the
plate and grabs the counter to steady herself. Trent quickly comes around and
grabs a hold of her. “I can’t feel my legs,” Teagan giggles.

“Let’s take your sandwich into your room and get you to bed,” Trent
suggests.

She turns and tries to stand but can’t. Trent keeps his grip on her. “I
don’t think I can get there,” Teagan gulps.

“Can you hold your sandwich?” Trent asks. Teagan grabs it and nods. No
more than a second passes before she finds herself swept up in his arms. She
titters nervously as he tightens his grip on her.

Teagan squeals, “Don’t drop me!”

“I won’t drop you,” Trent replies, rolling his eyes. He carries her down
the hall and into the spare bedroom. Bending over, he gently places her on the
bed. “Eat your sandwich.”

Grinning, Teagan complies. Licking her finger, she exclaims, “Done!”

“Now lay down,” Trent laughs.

She crawls over by the pillows and throws back the covers. She plops her
head down not so gracefully. Her hair splays out behind her. Teagan mumbles,
“So tired.”

Trent pulls the blanket over her, tucks in the sides a bit, and says, “Go
to sleep.”

“Mmmhmmmm,” Teagan hums. When she senses Trent walk away, she barely
whispers, “Trent.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

With that Teagan passes out.

Teagan moans and pulls the covers over her head. When she realizes that
she won’t be able to sleep anymore, she throws back the blanket. Sunlight bleeds
through the slats of the blinds. “I feel like death,” she mumbles.

 It takes Teagan’s head a minute to stop throbbing when she sits up.
She runs her fingers through her hair and realizes that it is all knotted from
being wet in the whirlpool.  Teagan grimaces. “Great. Trent is going to
laugh his ass off.”

A minute later, she is standing at the door, holding the doorknob. Her
plan is to run to the bathroom and try to at least halfway fix her hair if she
can’t fully pull herself together before running into Trent. The hallway is
silent when she opens the door. Teagan quickly darts down it to the bathroom.
When she gets there, she stops dead in her tracks. There are a bunch of
amenities sitting on the counter. A note is taped to the mirror.

Pulling it off, she reads aloud, “Teagan, I had to go to work today. I
have meetings that I couldn’t cancel. Please, make yourself at home. I brought
everything you will need for a shower. The toothbrush is new, don’t worry. Your
phone is charging on the dock in the kitchen. It’s in the cupboard over the
pantry. I will come back later today. Call me if you need anything. Text me and
let me know you didn’t puke all over the spare bedroom.  Thanks, Trent.”

“Nice,” Teagan laughs. She looks down at the counter. There is shampoo
and conditioner, a toothbrush with toothpaste and a hairbrush. 
Aw,
that’s sweet
, she thinks. Turning around, she sees her bra and panties
hanging on the shower. “I really don’t want to put that back on,” she mumbles.
“Dirty underwear, nasty.” An idea sparks in her head. Teagan grabs her
undergarments and heads back out into the hallway.

When she comes to the laundry room door, she opens it. It is as spacious
as the rest of the house. There is a top-of-the-line washer and dryer on the
one wall and a closet is nestled in the wall across from the appliances. The
door to the closet is half-opened, and she can see inside. There are a few of
Trent’s dress shirts hanging on hangers. Teagan walks over and pulls one down.
She holds it up to herself; it comes down to her thighs. “This will work,” she
says. Closing the door, Teagan strips off all her clothes. She pulls on Trent’s
dress shirt and smiles and then throws all her clothes into the washer. Teagan
sets the button for the gentle cycle and dumps a little soap into the drum.
When it starts to wash, she turns and leaves the room, heading back to the
bathroom.

After a very long shower, Teagan brushes her teeth thoroughly. When her
hair is finally tamed, she grins. “At least I look halfway human now.” Her stomach
growls, and she mumbles, “I need food.”

The kitchen is massive. The dark cabinets contrast with the shiny,
stainless steel appliances and the light walls. Teagan walks over to the pantry
and opens the top cabinet.  Her iPhone is on the dock. She presses the
button and sees she has no missed calls or texts.  Hitting the music
button, Teagan presses shuffle. Dance music starts to play through the hidden
speakers in the walls. She closes the cabinet and starts to dance. With a grin
on her face, Teagan shuffles her way to the refrigerator. It is stocked with
food. Teagan pulls out the eggs, bacon, and bread. 

After riffling through the cabinets, she finds the frying pans. Pondering
to herself, Teagan goes back to the dock. She finds the volume button and presses
it a few times to turn it up. When the music is rather loud, she goes to turn
on the stove. While the bacon is frying, Teagan dances back and forth to the
music. She knows that can really dance when she puts her mind to it. When a
Rhianna song comes on, she starts dancing seductively. Teagan slides her arms
up and over her head while she swivels her hips from side to side.

Suddenly she hears, “Dear Penthouse, one day I came home…….”

Teagan spins around to find Trent leaning against the doorframe. “Oh my
god!” She screams, tugging down on the dress shirt. “You scared the crap out of
me!”

“Well, I was afraid of what you were going to do next,” Trent replies
with a grin. “I wanted to stop you before you took the shirt off.”

“I wasn’t going to do that!” Teagan snaps. She pulls the shirt down
again. “I have nothing on underneath this.”

“Really?” Trent retorts, sauntering over to her. “I shouldn’t have said
anything then.”

“Shut up!” Teagan laughs.

“Nice choice,” Trent says, flicking the collar of the shirt. “This is my
favorite.”

“Oh!” Teagan exclaims. “I’m sorry. I wanted to wash my clothes.”

Trent smiles, “It’s all right. It looks much better on you.”

“Do you want some breakfast?” Teagan asks quickly. “I am making bacon and
eggs.”

“No, I ate already,” Trent replies, going to the coffee maker.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Teagan asks, turning the bacon over,
while still holding the bottom of the shirt down. “I thought you had meetings.”

“I did,” Trent answers.  “They just went a lot faster than I thought
they were going to. I figured I would see what kind of mischief you were up
to.”

Blushing, Teagan walks over and reaches up to turn down the music. When
the shirt rides up, she drops back down. Turning, she looks at Trent. “Can you
turn it down?”

“Why?” Trent shouts. “It’s not loud or anything.” With a glare, Teagan
turns around, reaches up and cranks the music. Trent quickly comes over,
reaches over her, and turns down the music. “I like the free show of your ass
that you just gave me,” he whispers in her ear.

“Yeah, well, that is the only show you will be getting,” Teagan jokes.
“Move, I don’t want to burn my bacon.”

“Dear lord, the world would end if the bacon burned!” Trent teases.

Teagan goes back over to the frying pan. “I’m not going to cook for you
ever
if you are mouthy.”

“I’ll stop,” Trent laughs. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you,” she politely replies. Trent starts to fill the carafe
with water. “So, what are the plans for today?”

“I have to go back to work soon.”

“When can I go to my apartment? Can you take me over there?” Teagan asks.
“I need to get a handle on everything. It’s going to take me a few days to
clean it all up.”

Trent doesn’t say anything as he puts the coffee in the filter. “My
people are over there right now.”

“Doing what?”

“They are investigating the scene themselves and putting in new locks,”
Trent states, as he turns to her. “I won’t have you go back in there without
knowing you will be safe.”

“Well, can you take me over there after work?” Teagan asks. “I have to
have somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“Sure,” Trent replies. “You are more than welcome to get some stuff and
stay here until everything is done.”

Blushing a little bit, Teagan whispers, “That’s okay. I want to clean up
my place.”

“Well, we will see what we can do later,” Trent says. “I am going to take
you out to eat beforehand though, since your apartment is in disarray.”

“I can make something there,” she replies softly. “I doubt they trashed
my freezer.”

“Your microwave is gone,” Trent exhales.

“What!?” Teagan exclaims. “I can’t afford a new microwave!”

“I have an extra one you can have,” he assures her. “Relax, we will
figure it out.”

Feeling the frustration rising up again, Teagan throws the spatula on the
counter. She grabs her head and bends over. “Everything I have….is gone. What
in the hell am I going to do?”

She feels Trent walk up next to her. He rubs her back. “I promise you, we
will figure it out. We need to take it one step at a time. Eat breakfast. Get
your clothes clean. I will take you out to eat, and we will tackle your
apartment together.”

“You’re going to help me?”

Trent chuckles and says, “Of course I am.”

“I bet Victoria and Emily will come and help; Isaac, Michael and Blake
will come by, too.”

“Well, let’s go see what needs to be done first. Too many cooks in the
kitchen can make things more complicated. We can get everything ready and then
assign duties,” Trent suggests.

“Okay,” Teagan exhales.

“Is there anything you need right now?” Trent asks, as he gets out the
creamer.

She shakes her head. “Having clean clothes is enough at the moment.”

“Do you want to come into work with me? I could probably have you do some
stuff and give you a bit of money.”

Teagan blows air out and runs her fingers through her hair. “I was
supposed to work on my paper today, but
hell
, all that is gone. I have
to do all the research again.”

“You can use my computer,” Trent offers. “I have one here and at the
office.”

“Well, I won’t dry my bra or top in the dryer. So I would have to wear your
shirt with my jeans,” Teagan says, looking down.

“Sexy,” Trent rubs his chin while his eyes graze her body. “But totally
inappropriate for work.”

“I figured as much,” Teagan laughs. “So, your computer here, where is
it?”

“Upstairs in my office,” Trent replies.

Raising her eyebrows, Teagan reminds him, “I thought I wasn’t allowed
upstairs.”

“Well, just don’t go into any rooms with closed doors. The rest of the
house is yours to roam.”

“I still say you have a sex room,” Teagan teases, as she takes the bacon
out of the pan.

“Yeah, you caught me,” Trent groans.

A huge grin passes over Teagan’s face. “Can I see it!?”

“Only if you use it with me,” Trent mocks back.

“You wish.”

“I do,” Trent sighs, as he walks away.

“Liar!” Teagan yells. “Hey, where are you going?”

“To close the doors upstairs,” Trent replies. “Make your eggs before your
bacon gets cold. I will be right back.”

Teagan scowls at him but turns around. She cracks two eggs into the pan
and shakes her head. As they are cooking, Teagan hums to herself, oblivious to
what is going on around her.

“DEAR LORD GRAYSON, what are you doing?” she hears from behind her. She
spins around to see Kyle standing there. Teagan screams and covers herself.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Kyle shouts. “Calm down!!”

“TRENT!”

There are footsteps and then, “What?”

Kyle turns to the doorway and puts his hands up. “I didn’t realize you
had company.”

Her cheeks light on fire from embarrassment, and she pulls down the
bottom of the shirt. Trent comes into the kitchen and grabs Kyle by the back of
his collar. “Did you get asked into the house?”

“No! You told me to meet you here. I figured you were the only one home!”

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Teagan whines.

“She stayed in the guest room,” Trent asserts. “Her apartment is the one
that got broken in to.”

“Oh,” Kyle murmurs. “Sorry.”

Trent lets go of Kyle. “Why don’t you go wait outside?”

“Yes sir,” Kyle mumbles.

“You are also a half an hour early,” Trent adds on. “You’ll be waiting a
while.”

“You like it when we are early for things!” Kyle exclaims.

“Outside….” Trent orders. “Wait there.”

Kyle nods and turns to leave. Teagan steps forward. “Stop! He can’t wait
outside by himself for that long.”

“Why not?” Trent scowls. “He has to do it all the time.”

“Not when he is at your house,” Teagan snaps. “Kyle, stay in here. Are
you hungry?”

“Whoa!” Trent interjects. “First, you think it’s okay to tell my staff
what to do, and second, you think it’s okay to cook him breakfast?”

“It’s rude to eat in front of people and not offer them something,”
Teagan declares playfully.

Kyle rubs his hands together. “This is excellent. Breakfast served by a
hot chick.”

“Kyle!” Trent growls. “Show her respect, like you would any other
client.”

“Since when do you take clients home and let them prance around in your
dress shirts?” Kyle retorts.

“We did not have sex!” Teagan exclaims. “My clothes are merely in the
washer. I needed something to put on.”

“No judgment calls here!” Kyle replies.

Pointing toward the door, Trent says, “You….out.”

“Trent,” Teagan sighs, throwing her hands in the air. “Come on.”

He looks at Teagan, and she crosses her arms. Trent narrows his eyes. “He
is on the clock, and he’s my employee. He doesn’t listen to you and neither do
I when it comes to business. He will wait outside.”

“Fine,” Teagan states. She turns to Kyle. “I will make you some food and
then come outside and sit with you.”

“Sweet!” Kyle shouts.

“No, you will not,” Trent snaps. “All you are wearing is a dress shirt.
You will not go outside.”

“That’s all that you are wearing?” Kyle says as his eyes drift down.

Teagan looks at Trent. “Thanks for telling him that.”

“Fine, we will leave now,” Trent exhales. “The office is open, and the
computer is on.  You will go on under guest. That doesn’t need a password.”

“Okay,” Teagan replies, pouting a little.

“Eat your breakfast, call or text me if you need anything,” Trent says
sternly.

Copping a little bit of attitude, Teagan retorts, “Aye, aye, captain
bossy pants.”

“Captain bossy pants,” Kyle laughs. Trent shoots him a look, and he shuts
up.

He turns to Teagan. “If you need anything let me know.”

“Okay,” Teagan exhales, shaking her head at him.

Trent looks at Kyle. “Go outside. I will be there in a minute.”

“Yes sir,” Kyle retorts. “It was nice seeing you Miss Murphy.”

“You can call me Teagan,” she sighs.

“I will stick with Miss Murphy,” Kyle states, stealing a glance at Trent.
“Trent, I will meet you outside.”

When he is gone, Trent sighs, “I know you are sweet and didn’t mean anything,
but my staff is my staff. I have to handle them a certain way, especially in
the field that we are in.  They need to do exactly what I say. So, next
time, please do not try and undermine what I say. I know you were only being
nice.”