Heller’s Decision Read Online Free Page B

squeezing my butt cheeks so hard
they were pushed up and out. Warren slipped safely down the ladder
by holding on to its sides, avoiding the need to tread on any other
rung.
    Twisting up high, I swung from one side of the studio to
the other like an overgrown Peter Pan on steroids. I curved through
the air past Trent’s desk, everyone in the room, including Pei Pei,
tracking my trajectory, their heads moving in synchronicity. Though
I’d ended up facing the opposite direction and couldn’t see where I
was going, I could tell it was probably straight towards one of the
cameras. Of
course , I thought with
resignation, because it would be too much to expect Lady Fate to
allow me to land without causing maximum drama and cost.
    The impact wasn’t good for either the camera or me, but I
felt pretty sure I’d escaped without causing any damage to the
expensive piece of equipment. What I hadn’t expected though, was
for the impact to create a bounce-effect, causing me to swing back
in the other direction. Brady clearly hadn’t expected it either,
because he was in my way and I bowled him over with my feet from
the momentum of my arc.
    “ Sorry,” I said over my shoulder, only
half-regretful – he was a bit of a
jerk.
    Wondering if I’d stop swinging one day or if I’d now become
a perpetual motion machine, I realised that when and if I ever did
stop, I faced an intractable problem. The length of the harness’
supporting wire still meant that I’d be dangling well above the
ground.
    Warren and Chase came to my rescue for a
second time. On my third
pass across the room, Warren reached up and grabbed me by the
ankle, jerking me to a halt. They hovered beneath me, linking
hands. My toes brushed their shoulders.
    “ Unhook the harness from the wire and fall
forward. We’ll catch you.”
    “Are you crazy? I’ll fall flat on my face.
I’ll break something.”
    “Trust us,” said Chase.
    What choice did I have? I debated with myself. Unless I
wanted to spend the rest of my life literally hanging around this
studio, I had no choice but to trust them. And besides, who could
possibly say no to Mr October?
    My hands shaking, I unhooked my harness. I
fell towards the ground, my arms out in apprehension as I did.
Between them they caught me, but as I fell, I accidently slung an
arm around each of their necks. The force of me doing that caused
them to stagger clumsily in Trent’s direction, propelling me
forward until I slammed into him, toppling his chair backwards to
the ground. I finally came to a stop straddling Trent’s neck, my
skirt still hiked up well above my thighs.
    He raised a well-groomed eyebrow, his
nostrils crusty with dried blood. He held my eyes with a steady
gaze. “This will certainly be a show to remember.”
    Scrambling up, red-faced, I slumped against his desk,
rather traumatised from the whole situation and fumbling with the
harness. Warren and Chase assisted Trent to his feet, while the
cameraman did the same for Brady. Eventually freed from the
strangling straps, I pulled my skirt down to a more decorous
length, ignoring its crumpled state. I rubbed my temples, feeling a
major headache pressing in. This hadn’t been my finest moment
working for the network. In fact, judging by the thunderstorms
crossing Brady’s face as he glared over at me, I’d be lucky to be
working here tomorrow.
    A screeching above us reminded us that there
was still wildlife on the loose in the studio.
    “ Get down here now, monkey,” ordered Warren
in a big, booming voice.
Pei Pei climbed down in a blink, jumped over to Julian to snatch
the melon from his hand before settling herself on Warren’s
shoulder, alternating between nibbling on the melon and nuzzling
his neck.
    “She’s never done that before with anyone,”
said Julian, hurt in his eyes.
    “ Must be love at first sight,” said Trent.
He glanced over to where Brady stood, glowering at me still and
rubbing the back of his head where I’d crashed into