Beneath This Man(5)

I'm stunned at Clive's sudden turnabout in concierge etiquette. If only he had been this professional and stubborn when I came to see Jesse on Sunday, then we might never have had the altercation we did. But then I would still be blissfully unaware of Jesse's little problem.

I feel Sam press up against my back. 'Let us up, for f*ck sake!' he yells over my shoulder.

I flinch slightly, but I can't blame him for being frustrated. I'm feeling pretty frustrated myself. I just want to get them past Clive and go. I can feel the walls closing in on all sides of me. I can see Jesse carrying me across the marble floor in his arms. All of the images swamping my brain are now all the more clearer for being here.

I turn and see John with a face like thunder and his hand on Sam's shoulder, his way of telling Sam to calm down. I didn't want to do this, but tempers are fraying. 'Clive, I would hate to resort to blackmail.' I say tightly, turning back to face him. He looks at me in confusion, and I can see his brain ticking over, trying to think of what I could possibly blackmail him with. 'I would hate for anyone to find out about Mr Gomez's regular visitors, or Mr Holland's aversion to a Thai girl or two.' I watch as Clive's face screws up into a contortion of defeatism.

'Ava, you play nasty, my girl.'

'You leave me no other choice, Clive.' I spit.

He shakes his head and motions us on to the elevator while muttering insults under his breath.

'Brilliant!' Sam chants as they make their way over to the penthouse lift.

I don't have any idea how it happens, but I find my feet lifting and taking small steps behind them, following them to the elevator. 'Jesse might have changed the code.' I say to their backs.

Sam swings around, looking alarmed.

I shrug. 'If he has, then there is no way of getting up there.'

All of a sudden, I'm stood in front of the elevator, taking a deep breath and punching in the developer code. There's a chorus of exhales as the doors open and they all get in. I stand on the outside and look up at Sam, and he smiles, jerking his head mildly, encouraging me to board with them.

I do.

I get in the elevator, Sam and Drew flanking me on one side, John on the other. I enter the code again. We travel up in an uncomfortable silence, and as the lift doors open, we're faced with the double doors that lead into Jesse's penthouse.

Sam is the first to exit the lift, striding towards the doors and jiggling the handle calmly before he starts hammering on the door like a madman. 'Jesse! Open the f*cking door!'

Drew and John approach and pull him away, and then John tries the door himself, but it doesn't budge. I can't help but think I might have been the last person to exit the penthouse. I remember making a point of slamming the door as hard as I could.

'Sam, mate, he might not even be here.' Drew soothes.

'Where the hell is he then?' Sam yells.

'Oh, he's in there,' John rumbles. 'And the mother f*cker has been drowning in his sorrows for too long now. He's got a business to run.'

I'm still stood in the elevator when the doors start to shut, snapping me out of my dazed state. My natural reflex has my arm flinging up to stop them closing before I step out into the penthouse foyer. I know I said that I would get them up here and leave, I know I should just go, but seeing Sam in such a state has me even more worried, and John's words are prickling me. Drowning in his sorrows or drowning in vodka? If I stay, am I going to be faced with drunken, raging Jesse again?

Drew knocks on the door calmly. It's laughable. If Sam's relentless hammering doesn't get a response, then I doubt Drew's gentlemanly tapping will.

He steps away from the door and drags Sam over to me. 'Ava, have you tried calling him?' Drew asks.

'No!' I blurt. Why would I do that? I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want to talk to me.

'Can you try?' Sam asks pleadingly.

I shake my head. 'He wouldn't answer, Sam.'

'Ava, will you just try?' Drew pushes.

I reluctantly get my phone from my bag and pull up my contact list, dialing Jesse and holding my phone to my ear while Sam and Drew watch nervously. I'm not sure what on earth I'm going to say if he answers.

Drew's head snaps towards the door. 'I can hear it ringing.' He returns to me, obviously waiting for me to speak down the line, but it goes to voicemail. My heart constricts. He doesn't want to talk to me. I go to re-board the elevator, the hurt enflamed by his rejection of my call, but then an almighty crash sounds out around the foyer.