Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 49: Rude Awakening

Chapter 49: Rude Awakening

Derek was floating, maybe he was a piece of paper floating high above the clouds, carried by the wind. Or maybe he was the clouds, weightless simply because he existed. Or perhaps he was neither paper, and nor was he a cloud, maybe he was the wind itself. Going wherever his heart desired.

It was a wonderful way to feel, and Derek leaned into that feeling, smiling in his sleep. And to make it all even better, he still had the spring and sunshine in his hands.

That bit of goodness adding to all that was right with the world and making his first real sleep in years that much sweeter. It was a lot of complex thoughts for someone sleeping to have, and Derek was not really having them, just impressions of them.

As far as he was concerned in his slumbering state. There were only two universal truths in the world. Sleep was good, and the piece of sunshine and spring that he held in his hands was just divine.

How people existed without their own little piece of sunshine and spring, he did not know. And how he had gone so long without it was a true mystery to him. Now that he had it, he was never, ever letting it go.

But no sooner had he had the thought, the decision was taken out of his hands. His sunshine left him, Derek’s sleep drunk body unable to do anything but just lay there, not even able to lift a single finger or to cling tighter, to hold on so that his sunshine did not leave him.

He lay were he was, caught between sleep and waking. Derek no longer had sunshine in his arms, but the smell of spring was still there, it surrounded him. And that was enough to settle him somewhat. The only reason he did not wake up the moment his sunshine left was because he could still smell the scent of spring in the air, and that made the sense of loss a bit better. But then things fell into place, his stars realigning again, his sunshine came back! And feeling that sweet yellow bathing him in its rays once more Derek drew deep within himself and forced his body to move.

He managed to get an arm up and around the sunshine, and the moment he did, he pulled it close. This time, he was not letting go for real. He would hold his sunshine close and spend the rest of his days feeling as wonderful as he did in that moment.

But it seemed that it was not meant to be, that there was something out there in the universe that was totally against him getting some sleep while holding on to his sunshine and enjoying himself for the longest time in years.

And whatever that something was, it most definitely had banshee blood flowing through its veins. There was absolutely no way that any human being could be that loud. It was just impossible.

That was all that Derek could think as the wonderful calmness of his sleep was mercilessly torn away by the banshee’s cries. Before he could fully process, there was movement at his side, followed by what felt like something hitting the ground. But Derek could not be too sure, since he was still fighting off the clutches of sleep. He tried to form a sound of annoyance but his body would not cooperate.

And then the screaming banshee took a backseat when the room he was in finally registered. He had never seen such a place in his life.

There were what appeared to be watermarks on the ceiling. As well as something that looked suspiciously like a cigarette butt.

Why would a cigarette butt be on the ceiling? How on earth had it gotten up there? And who’d had the bright idea to put it there in the first place? Where was he anyway? Had he gone to a party that had gotten out of hand? Impossible, he no longer did such things, plus, if he had, he would not have gone to a house or hotel with such rough sheets. But all of his questions still stood, and he could not think of an answer for a single one.

But all of them felt like very important questions. And since Derek’s mind was struggling, he turned to the only other being that might be able to help him...the banshee.

Except, it turned out to not be a banshee at all. Just his PA, Emily, screaming at the top of her lungs. Smacking his lips and blinking slow, Derek watched her for a bit. She was not looking at him, but she was still screaming. Her focus on the bed covers wrapped around her legs. She was screaming, while at the same time pulling at the material like it was the world’s most complex puzzle and she would never be able to solve it. At least not with the way her hands were clumsily moving over the thing.

But again Derek’s mind went back to the sound that had shattered his wonderful sleep. She was still making it. This time he managed to get his throat in working order and when he opened his mouth, he was able to create sounds.

"Why are you screaming?" He asked, and the sound instantly cut off, as she stared back at him...finally, peace and quiet.

With the noise finally gone, he lay back down and blinked up at the ceiling, the events of the night before gently washing over him, memories pulling themselves from his foggy brain.

Ahh.

He remembered now.

The strike, the talk with the workers. Having to find a place to stay last minute. Well, that certainly explained the water stained ceiling and its cigarette butt. Glad to know that his standards had not fallen to the point that he would willingly sleep in such a place, Derek went back to staring at the ceiling.

He felt so... so...the word was right there on the tip of his tongue, but then it vanished, disappearing when Emily grabbed his foot and shook it.

What was the matter now?