“Tasha, hi. I thought it was you. You haven’t called me.” He now sat at the table and grinned.
What the hell was he doing, here, sitting down, making conversation when she was with loose lipped Lizzie? Shit, this would go downhill fast if she didn’t get rid of him soon.
“Hello again.” She offered a short and curt smile but was already standing up and preparing to leave.
“You’re going?” He frowned in confusion.
“I am. Nice to see you again though.” She hoped to be aloof but polite, already turning away before he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Did I do something to offend you yesterday? I thought we got along great, and then you didn’t call.”
Clearly this guy wasn’t taking the hint that she was in no way interested.
“We did as far as passengers on the same flight do and I did tell you not to wait in for my call, but I have to go now.” She sent a silent prayer to the heavens, hoping he’d leave her to walk away which is what she was doing, but the sense of panic and possibly bile rising seemed to indicate she wasn’t convinced he would.
“It was more…” His words caused Tasha’s heart to sink as she felt him closing in behind her. “You know when I went to the men’s room it was because I couldn’t sit with you a second longer without touching you.”
Why was he saying this? Why would anyone say this to a stranger? She decided it was a very good job he hadn’t touched her as James would have flipped out completely.
He grabbed her wrist again, a little more tightly. “And once I got to the men’s room it was you I was thinking about; those legs and ass and it was real good.” He groaned.
Tasha stood absolutely dumbfounded as she thought those were James’ legs and ass, nobody else’s. She cursed, hopefully in her head at the realisation that Jim had been right. She needed to get out of there before Lizzie saw her with Parker because if she told Jim this then James would be on the warpath. Whilst a bit of playful spanking was hot and indeed left her ass hot, she couldn’t consider just how hot her ass would be if he thought she was here with Parker now.
“I really have to go.” She pulled away once more, resisting the temptation to run, just.
“Oh, hi.”
She felt sick to the pit of her stomach at the sound of Lizzie’s voice and then Lizzie herself joined them.
“Hi,” replied Parker turning face the young woman.
“Right let’s go Lizzie,” said Tasha with panic in her voice, panic even she could hear.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” asked Parker, attempting to play Tasha or at least piss her off.
“Lizzie, this is Dr Parker Mathews. I sat next to him on the plane from New York. Parker this is Lizzie, my, erm, step-daughter,” she said, not quite knowing what else to say to get them out of there and away from him quickly. Plus, she was hoping the words might register on a deeper level with the persistent man she was faced with.
Without looking back Tasha led Lizzie out of the restaurant and watched her like a hawk to ensure she didn’t text Jim before she did.
Lizzie was like a whirlwind as she collected her books and as they walked back to meet Mike at the car she asked, “Didn’t you and Daddy travel back together?”
“No, yes. I booked my flight late so we couldn’t sit together.”
“What a coincidence? The guy off your flight being in the restaurant too,” said Lizzie innocently.
“Yeah, wasn’t it?” Tasha hoped she was giving off a calm and guiltless aura. “Once we are in the car I will text your dad about us bumping into Parker.”
“You called me your step-daughter.”
“I did, didn’t I? But I didn’t think, this is the daughter of the man I like was very respectful to you or your dad,” she explained, thinking quickly.
“I guess, but it sounded nice.”
Tasha laughed. “You are just like your dad.”
Lizzie laughed back. “That’s what Mom says.”
Mike was waiting for them and as soon as the car door closed behind them she text James.
It was cryptic, but it was short and quick as was his reply.
<??????? What have you done? Jx>
She wondered how long the kiss would stay on his messages once she explained, but truthfully she thought it might be easier to explain face to face and was already regretting beginning this conversation via text.
Another almost instant reply appeared and her stomach dropped to her feet.
The kiss was still there for now. She was in no doubt it was definitely James replying, not Jim. She took a deep breath and smiled at Lizzie as she replied with a direct and concise response.
Still a kiss. She smiled again, although she was unsure how the meeting in the restaurant was in any way her fault. She replied hoped for concise and direct again.
The kissed remained, but felt she was hanging onto it by the skin of her teeth and her next message could cost her the kiss. She was in too deep to back out now and she was a rubbish liar anyway. She allowed herself another deep breath as she replied and hoped for the best.
And there it was, the x, conspicuous by its absence.
She pressed send before rereading it and suddenly realised she may have intimated that his jacking off instinct was also true, which Howser had confirmed for her. Add the fact Lizzie was there… ‘Fuck’, she muttered internally. This was going to be bad, had to be.
As the car door sprung open with Mike holding it, she jumped. “Home sweet home, ladies.”
Tasha managed a small smile as she climbed out and thought this place may not be sweet for much longer and it was not her home.
Lizzie was answering a call on her phone. “No way! No way! Oh my God! No way!”
Tasha looked at her and began to laugh in spite of the situation with Jim.
“Hold on a minute. Tasha, if I get Mike to take me, can I
go to the mall and meet my friends and go home to Mom’s from there?”
Tasha felt seriously out of her depth now. How the fuck did she know? She couldn’t make these decisions. “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “Let me call your dad.”
She selected Jim’s phone. It went straight to voice mail. He was avoiding her, she could feel it. Shit, this had to be bad. She selected the entry for his office and took a deep breath as it rang.
“Good afternoon, Mr Maybury’s office.”
“Can I speak to Mr Maybury, please?”
“He’s in a meeting at the moment, may I take a message?”
“No. Can you just tell him the call relates to his daughter and I have already tried his mobile number?”
“One moment. Natasha?” the woman at the end of the line asked, throwing Tasha slightly that anyone knew who she was. Discretion really was becoming a lost cause.
“Yes.” There was a short pause before she was connected.
Jim almost snarled, “Hello.” The single word confirmed his annoyance or maybe it was because she’d interrupted his meeting.
“It’s Tasha. Lizzie wants to know if she can go to the mall and meet her friends then go home from there.”
“Yes. But tell her to call Sara and make sure it’s okay with her,” he said sharply.
“You haven’t replied to my last message,” she replied, feeling very brave, or maybe stupid.
“Because I’m very busy, but I will respond, believe me. I have to go.”
She looked at the phone and felt shocked by just how annoyed he sounded.
“Well?” asked Lizzie.
“Sorry, yes. He said yes as long as you call your mom and she’s okay with it.”
Chapter 12
Lizzie left immediately after Sara had expressed no objections leaving Tasha alone in the house, well except for Sandra who still appeared to be a little mistrusting of her motives for being there judging by the brief discussion they’d had on how she’d spent her time out.
Sandra was pottering in the kitchen when she received a text message. It seemed to cause her to announce her departure. “Right, I’m done for today. I’ll see you at breakfast I assume.”
“I guess so,” replied Tasha for as uncomfortable as Sandra’s slightly suspicious thoughts about her made her feel it was quite nice that she was fond enough of Jim to be suspicious.
With the house completely empty at only three o’clock Tasha decided she’d put on her incredibly expensive bikini and lie by the pool and wait for Jim to make contact.
She looked at her reflection and decided it was worth more than a tenner from the supermarket but not seven hundred and fifty dollars. Surely no bikini was worth so much? She grabbed the bottle of sun lotion from Jim’s bathroom and threw on yesterday’s offending shoes. She’d been right, she didn’t need new shoes to go with the bikini, those worked just fine.
She applied her cream and lay back on the lounger. She’d been there a short time when her phone pinged. She looked to find a message from Lizzie.
Tasha smiled weakly as she replied, wondering if Lizzie’s I hope to see you soon meant she might be on the next flight back to London. She really, really hoped not.
She lay back down and smiled at how very sweet Lizzie was. The phone pinged again and the number was unknown this time.
She had the approval of number one, which was something she supposed, but it was Jim’s approval or at least favour she was really in need of.
She sent the message and then saved Sara’s number as a new contact and entered her name as ‘Number 1’ and smiled to herself. Seeing it was just after half past four Tasha felt a little sick as she thought about Jim’s return. He was likely to blame her for Doogie Howser, but maybe he was right. Bad things had a habit of happening to her and she really was the only common denominator. Her phoned pinged again, with a message from Jim this time.
She grinned down at the screen. He was still talking about them in a long term way, the kiss was back and it made her ridiculously happy.
She picked up her phone and sun cream and put her shoes on to go back into the house when she looked up and saw Jim standing by the open sliding doors with his phone in his hand suggesting that’s where he’d text her from. She felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation as his eyes met hers, but his weren’t angry. They were happy, excited and as his eyes raked over her, up and down, she headed towards him where he smiled broadly. She attempted to enter the house, walking past him, but before she’d got her second foot over the threshold Jim pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her gently on the cheek.
“You’re early.” Her random words revealed her nervousness.
“I am. I was in such a foul mood this afternoon all of my meetings ended much sooner than expected.”
“Because they couldn’t wait to get out?” Her nerves rose a little more and she wondered if his mood was still as dark.
“Yes. I like your bikini. Lizzie was right, I am blown away, metaphorically speaking anyway. I seem to recall you made a certain offer about me really being blown away.” He wore a small smile and a darkening expression. Cupping the cheeks of her bottom, he squeezed them gently. “They are positively cold, baby.”
“Are you still pissed at me?”
“Maybe, but not as pissed as I was and I think your ass and my hand still have a date after your teasing at breakfast, don’t you?”
“I think so.” She reached up to kiss him on the lips whispering into his mouth, “James.”
Without any obvious movement or pause she found herself hanging over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs two at a time, not stopping until they reached the bedroom where he threw her onto the bed.
Lying in the middle of the bed, sprawled where he’d deposited her, Tasha watched as he began stripping off. With a sly grin she decided he really was gorgeous, although a little crazy. Earlier in the afternoon he was ready to spank her red and torture her with his sexiness and now he was all friendly. Unless he had something up his sleeve as a means of punishment and whilst that concerned her slightly, it excited her more. Maybe his craziness was part of the attraction. Whatever it was, she told herself to simply ride the storm for however long it might last. The idea of it, of them ending, made her suddenly sad but she had no time to dwell because in a blur she missed, he was there, over her and possessing her mouth with his so roughly it almost hurt, but not quite and it was sexy as hell.
Pulling back, Jim glanced down as far as her chest before shifting so he was resting back on his legs, already pulling her shoes off. “I love this bikini. It was worth every cent, baby.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew how much it cost?” she said laughing.
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars I believe. Worth every cent, as are you.” He pulled her up to undo the bikini top.
Lizzie had clearly struck again she thought as her bikini top flew across the room.
“Lift yo
ur ass honey because I love the bikini, but I love what’s underneath it more.”
She did as she was told, allowing him to remove the bikini bottoms that were thrown too before lying down next to her.
“Climb over me.”
She stretched across him, straddling his groin where she began to moan lowly as she felt him rubbing against her.
“You appear to be at the wrong end, baby. We were going to blow each other away, remember?” His tongue ran across his lips, leaving them glistening with moisture and promise.
Her stomach somersaulted multiple times. Maybe Vegas wasn’t such a bad idea. Surely anything that felt so good, so right, couldn’t be wrong. She reminded herself of his other wives and was sure they must have felt the same way too. Felt exactly how she felt now and look how all of those marriages had ended, in divorce. With a stern word for herself she refocused on enjoying what they had but with a renewed determination not to become unlucky and divorced number seven. She jumped as she felt the warm, familiar sting in her ass meaning she had clearly missed a cue of some sort.
“Turn around,” Jim ordered, clearly a repetition, but his face softened as she continued to hesitate. “Hey, are you still with me, honey? You okay?” He pushed her falling hair back from her face.
“Yes, sorry.” Tasha stammered as she attempted to turn around but her movement was thwarted by Jim taking a gentle grip on her wrist.
“Tasha, if you don’t want to do this, if something is on your mind?” His question made her smile; big, scary James Maybury had the potential to be a real pussy cat.
“No, I do. I was just thinking. This, us, it confuses me but I want us to do this,” she confirmed as Jim’s hands settled on her hips.
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