This Man Part 11

Perfect? Perfect wouldn't be a word I would use. I look thoroughly f.u.c.ked! He tugs me to the door, unlocks it and strides out, devoid of wariness, while I'm more cautious. What if our visitors where still hanging around? I see his jacket still sprawled on the floor, and he scoops it up as we pa.s.s.

When we hit the curving staircase, I suddenly register my hand still in his. I try to ease it from his grasp, but he squeezes it tighter, flashing me a scowl. s.h.i.t! He has to let go. My boss and colleagues are down here. I can't go prancing through them holding hands with this strange man. Well, he's not very strange to me now, but that's beside the point. I attempt to free my hand again, but he refuses to let it go.

'Jesse, let go of my hand.'

'No.' he shoots back, short and firm, and without even looking at me.

I stop, abruptly, half way down the stairs and scan the room below. No one is looking at us, thank G.o.d, but it won't be long before someone clocks us. Jesse turns, looking up at me from a few steps below.

'Jesse, you can't expect me to parade through here holding your hand. That's not fair. Please, let me go.'

He looks at our hands locked together, suspended between our bodies. 'I'm not letting you go,' he murmurs sullenly. 'If I let you go, you might forget how it feels. You might change your mind.'

There is absolutely no chance of me forgetting how we feel flesh on flesh, but that's not the part of his statement that's bothering me. 'Change my mind about what?' I ask, totally perplexed.

'Me.' he says simply.

What about him? My mind hasn't been made up on anything, so there's nothing to change. I need to focus my attention on persuading him to release my hand before someone spots us. I'll file that comment, just like I've filed the other strange comments he made upstairs.

Holy s.h.i.t! I nearly fall down the stairs when I see Sarah breezing across the terrace. Reality has just come crashing down around me. Surely when he sees her he'll stop being such an unreasonable fool. She's heading back inside. I don't have time to f.u.c.k about. I narrow my eyes on him and use brute force to yank my hand from his, nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process, but it works. He scowls at me, but I don't hang around long enough to take much notice. I take the stairs fast, down to the vast openness of the penthouse. Even if she spots us together, she'll be suspect. The woman has made it obvious that she dislikes me. I can hardly blame her. She saw me as a threat and as it turns out, her fear was warranted.

I hit the bottom of the stairs and see Tom come running through the crowd of people, waving his arms about frantically.

'There you are! Where have you been? Patrick has been looking for you everywhere.' He clasps my shoulders, checking me up and down, ever the drama queen. Noting my disheveled state, he eyes me suspiciously. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

'I was giving Mr Ward a tour.' I offer, rather unconvincingly, while waving my hand over my shoulder in the general direction of Jesse. I know he's close behind me; I can still feel him brooding. And I can smell him too. Mind you, that could be his scent all over me. I feel like I've been marked...or claimed, even.

With his hands still clasped on my shoulders, Tom looks past me. He gasps, yanking me closer, so his mouth is at my ear. 'Darling, who is that divine being growling at me?' he asks, sniffing me.

I struggle out of his hands and turn to see Jesse drilling holes into Tom. I roll my eyes at his pathetic behavior. Tom's the gayest gay man in London. He can't possibly be threatened by him. Not that he should be feeling threatened by anyone.

'Tom, this is Mr Ward. Mr Ward, Tom. He's a colleague. He's also gay.' I add the last bit sarcastically. Tom won't care a not that it isn't b.l.o.o.d.y obvious anyway.

I look at Tom, who's grinning widely, then cast my eyes over to Jesse, who's stopped growling but doesn't look any less p.i.s.sed. Tom prances forward, grabs Jesse's shoulders and air kisses him. I stifle a laugh, watching as Jesse's eyes bulge and his shoulder tense.

'It really is a pleasure,' Tom sings in Jesse's face while stroking down his biceps. 'Tell me, do you work out?'

A burst of laughter falls from my mouth and, rather immaturely, I decide to leave Jesse to cope with Tom's outrageous flirting on his own. I catch his eyes as I turn to leave, seeing I'm being thrown daggers. I couldn't care less. He's being stupidly unreasonable.

I find Patrick in the kitchen, chatting with the developer. He waves me over and hands me a gla.s.s of champagne. It looks like the car will be staying here tonight.

'Here she is,' Patrick announces, draping his arm around my shoulder and hugging me against his big body. 'This girl has transformed my company. I'm so proud of you, flower. Where have you been?' he asks, his blue eyes twinkling brightly and his cheeks bright red a a clear sign that he's had too much to drink.

'I've been giving a few tours.' I lie, smiling sweetly as I'm squeezed against him.

'I've just been talking about you. Your ears must have been burning,' Patrick says. No, not my ears! 'I was just saying to Mr Van Der Haus, you'll be more than happy to a.s.sist on their new venture.'

Mr Van Der Haus? Oh, he's the other partner. I've not met him.

'My partner insisted on it.' Van Der Haus says, smiling broadly. He's very cla.s.sy a all tall and white blonde, with a bespoke suit and dress shoes. He's quite handsome...for a mid-forties man a Another older man.

I blush. 'I would be delighted, Mr Van Der Haus. What have you got in mind for the next project?' I ask eagerly.

'Please, call me Mikael. The building is nearly complete,' He broadens his smile. 'We have settled on traditional Scandinavian. We're going back to our roots.' His mild Danish accent is really s.e.xy.

Traditional Scandinavian? Okay, this most definitely panics me. Does this mean I'll be hijacking Ikea? Shouldn't they employ someone Scandinavian for this? 'It sounds exciting.' I say, turning to place my gla.s.s on the worktop, spotting Jesse across the room with Sarah as I do.

Oh G.o.d. He's drilling holes into me, and Sarah's stood right b.l.o.o.d.y there. I swivel back to face my audience. The panic must be clear on my burning face.

'I think so,' Mikael agrees. 'Once I've discussed a favourable fee with Patrick,' He points his champagne gla.s.s at my boss. 'We can start building a specification, then you can get started on some designs.'

'I look forward to it.' I shift on the spot. I can still feel Jesse's eyes burning into my back.

'She won't disappoint you, Mikael.' Patrick chirps.

He smiles. 'I know she won't. You're an exceptionally talented young woman, Ava. Your vision is impeccable. Now, if you'll excuse me,' I feel the colour deepening in my face as he shakes Patrick's hand and then mine. 'I will be in touch.' he says, holding my hand in his, a little longer than necessary, before releasing it, strolling off and greeting an Arab man.

I'm still tucked tightly under Patrick's arm as Victoria approaches us and leans against the worktop on a huff.

'My feet are killing me.' she exclaims.

In unison, Patrick and I look down at her six inch leopard print platforms with blood red piping. They're ridiculous.

Patrick looks at me, shaking his head, before releasing his hold and declaring his departure. 'Irene will be waiting for me downstairs. I've got all the photographs,' He waves his camera at me. 'I'll see you on Monday morning.' He kisses each of us. 'You've both worked hard tonight. Well done.' He takes his big body out of the kitchen, staggering slightly as he does.

Worked hard? I cringe.

'Oh, I nearly forgot,' Victoria drags my eyes away from Patrick's swaying body, back to her. 'Kate said she couldn't wait around for you anymore, something about ice cream.' She shrugs. 'She said that she hopes you've had fun and she'll see you at home.'

Hopes I've had fun? Sardonic cow!

'Thanks, Victoria. Listen, I think we're done here.' I pick up one more gla.s.s of champagne as the waiter pa.s.ses. I can't drive, so I may as well make the most of it. And d.a.m.n, I need it. 'I'm heading home. Go when you're ready. I'll see you on Monday.' I kiss her cheek.

'I'm going to hang around for a bit with Tom. He wants to go to Route Sixty for a dance.' She shakes her b.u.m.

'Be prepared for a late one.' I warn. Once Tom's on the dance floor you need a bulldozer to get him off.

'No! I told him, I can't stay late. I've got too much to do tomorrow. And I can hardly walk in these stupid shoes.'

'Good luck with that. Say bye to Tom for me.'

'I will when I find him.' She limps off in her ridiculous heels, leaving me to finish my last gla.s.s of champagne.

I glance around the kitchen, but I don't see Jesse or Sarah. I'm relieved. I don't think I could look Sarah in the eye. I need to go and kick my loser a.r.s.e around the house for being so weak and easy.

I reach the penthouse elevator and punch in the code. It'll be changed tomorrow for the new owner. I huff a little burst of laughter. Of course, Jesse Ward is the new owner. It's been one h.e.l.l of a day. And now that I'm alone, I can feel the foreseeable guilt begin to tumble over me. Oh, what a foolish, desperate woman I am.

'Leaving so soon?'

My shoulders raise and I wince at the cold, unfriendly voice of Sarah. Straightening my expression, I turn to face her. 'It's been a long and tiring day.' I offer, inwardly cringing at my own double meaning statement. If only she knew how long and tiring.

She sips her champagne while eyeing me suspiciously. 'You're quite a surprise.' she purrs.

She seems genuine. Is that a compliment? Oh G.o.d, don't be nice to me. I've just screwed her boyfriend in his new bathroom, and now she's being nice? Or is it her bathroom as well? Oh heck! I want to crawl inside myself and die. I'm deplorable.

I really don't know what to say. 'Thank you.' I utter, turning back to the elevator when it opens. I need to get out of this place.

'It wasn't a compliment,' she says categorically.

'I didn't think it was.' I retort, without looking at her. Obviously, I was mistaken.

'You know Jesse owns this place, right?'

I want to ask her if she'll be living here too, but, of course, I don't. 'He mentioned it.' I say casually, stepping into the lift and punching the code in. 'It was nice to see you.' I smile. I don't know why I said that, it wasn't nice at all. I still don't like her, and she's made it perfectly clear how she feels about me. I can't blame her.

The doors close and I fall back against the mirrored wall.

s.h.i.t!

Chapter 10.

What ever happened to the simple, single life for me? I'm such a f.u.c.k up.

After collecting my things from the changing rooms of the spa, I dump them in my car and wander down to the docks, sitting myself on a bench. The hustle and bustle of the docks is in full swing as people come and go, all looking happy and content. The flowers are in bloom on the elaborate lampposts, spilling over the baskets and cascading down the ornate iron, and the lights from the building all flicker and glow across the docks, dancing off of the rippling waves.

I sigh and close my eyes, listening to the sound of the water lightly lapping at the sides of the boats. It's rhythmic and relaxing, but I don't think anything will make me feel better at the moment. I get my phone out of my bag to call Kate. After letting it ring off, I leave a message.

'Hey, it's me,' I know I sound forlorn, but I can't feign chirpiness when I really don't feel it. I groan. 'Oh, Kate... I've made a monumental f.u.c.k up. I'll be home soon.' I drop my hand to the bench and resolve to the fact that I'm pretty d.a.m.n stupid. What was I thinking?

My phone jumps to life in my hand, and I connect the call without looking at the display, a.s.suming it will be Kate. 'Hey.'

'Where are you?' He speaks softly down the phone.

I don't know whether my heart sinks because it's not Kate, or just because it is Jesse. I don't know anything. My life was resuming rather well, man free and commitment free, and now this is going to play on my conscience. I'm a firm believer in Karma, in which case, I'm in big trouble.

'I'm at home.' I lie again. It's coming naturally these days. I'm twiddling my hair, a sure sign of my Pinocchio behavior.

'Okay.' he whispers and hangs up.

Oh? Well, that was easier than I contemplated. After I didn't comply with hand holding orders and abandoned him with the gayest of the gay mauling him, I had expected p.i.s.sed off. So, he's got what he wanted and that's it. I'm not sure why I feel so neglected. It's what I had expected, and it's no less than I actually deserve. His persistence had worn me down, but now it's out of my system. Now, I can get back to me and my life. And if I'm lucky, Sarah won't ever find out about this mild indiscretion.

Mild? It was far from mild.

Nevertheless, Jesse can continue with his serial seductions and move on to the next lucky woman, for all I care. I'm sure Sarah will find out soon enough, just not now. A woman scorned and after my blood is the last thing I need.

After sitting and musing for a while, I reluctantly get up to go and hail a cab. There's only so long you can sit feeling sorry for yourself. I need to put tonight behind me fast. I need to forget about it, eradicate it from my memory and put it down to experience. He's hazardous. I know it.

As I turn and look up, Jesse is stood a few feet away, quietly watching me. How the h.e.l.l am I going to achieve any of my objectives if he stalks me?

Where's Sarah?

We face each other, still and silent, his face impa.s.sive as he studies me. And then I burst into tears. I don't know why, but I put my face in my hands and I sob. G.o.d only knows what he must be thinking. But then I feel his warm body swathe me and my head rests in the creva.s.se of his neck, my arms, on reflex, reaching under his to cling onto him. We say nothing for a long time. We just stand there in each other's arms, silent while he ma.s.sages the back of my head with the palm of his big hand, keeping me tucked tightly against his body. There is only a small part of me wondering where Sarah is, but I don't dwell on it. I feel sheltered and safe, and I'm only mildly alert to the fact that I should be running away from these arms, not into them. I should be treating them with caution, not accepting the comfort they're giving me. Why can't I run?

'How long have you been stood here?' I ask when my sobs have finally abated.

'Long enough,' he murmurs. 'What's all this about a monumental f.u.c.k up?' He squeezes me tighter. 'I hope to G.o.d you weren't referring to me.'

'I was.' I don't beat around the bush. It would be pointless.

'You were?' he sounds surprised and a little p.i.s.sed, but then a few moments later he follows it up with, 'Will you come home with me?' I feel him tense slightly.

I've just told him that he's my monumental f.u.c.k up, and he wants to take me home? What about Sarah? They obviously don't live together then. 'No.' I answer. What I've done already is bad enough.

'Please, Ava.'

'Why?' I ask. I need to know what his fascination is with me, because if I spend any more time with this man, I may be in even more trouble. I can't be getting caught up in sordid affairs with older, unavailable men. Although, exactly how old is still to be determined. There is something about this man, and it's screaming bad news.

He pulls back to look down at me, his beautiful brow furrowed. 'It feels right. You belong with me.' He says it like it's the most natural thing in the world.

'So, who does Sarah belong with?'

'Sarah? What's she got to do with anything?' He looks really confused now.

'Girlfriend,' I remind him. He really has no regard for the poor woman.

His eyes bulge. 'Oh, please don't tell me you've been ignoring my calls and running away because you thought...' He releases me. 'You thought me and Sarah were...' He steps back. 'Oh, f.u.c.king h.e.l.l, no!'

'Yes!' I exclaim. 'She's not?' Oh, now I'm really confused. The woman couldn't have made her claim any clearer if she'd have p.i.s.sed all over him. Who the h.e.l.l is she then? Oh, I really don't like her now.

His hands delve into his hair. 'Ava, whatever made you think that?'

Is he winding me up? 'Oh, let me see,' I smile sweetly. 'Maybe it was the kiss in the hallway of The Manor. Or when she came looking for you in the bedroom. Or it could be her frosty reception to me,' I draw breath. 'Or, perhaps, it's the fact that she's with you every time I see you.' I can't believe this. I've been beating myself up about this, and over a woman that I really don't like. What a waste of conscience! 'Who is she?' I ask, completely riled.

He holds my hands, leaning down so his eyes are level with mine. 'Ava, she's a little friendly.'

'Friendly?' I scoff. 'That woman is not friendly!'

'She's a friend.' he says soothingly. I don't want soothing. No, I want to pop some pouty red lips! She knew exactly what she was doing. She, clearly, wants to be more than friends.

He brushes his palm down my cheek. 'Now we've clarified Sarah's position in my life, can we talk about yours?'

What? I recoil. 'What do you mean?' His previous comments suddenly embed themselves into my mind. All of the, you're mine, I'll keep you and you'll change your mind.