“Simone Turner, Jim Maybury, my boyfriend. Jim, Simone, Gerry’s agent and friend.”
They shook hands and then Tasha asked cautiously, “Is Kara here?”
Simone nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“Kara?” asked Jim.
“Gerry’s girlfriend, they have the child,” explained Tasha,
“Huh,” muttered Simone. “No offence, Jim, I know Tasha is with you now, but Kara is the bitch that screwed her best friend’s boyfriend and deliberately got pregnant because she couldn’t stand to see anybody else happy when she was fucking up her own life.”
Tasha stared at her wide-eyed as Jim replied, “I getcha.”
They were both relieved when Simone was called away.
“You know some very odd people, Miss Winters.” He smiled.
“You haven’t seen the half of it yet.” She laughed as they wandered through the exhibits hand in hand.
“Have you seen anything you like?” asked Jim as they were almost at Gerry’s work.
She turned to face him and straightening his tie smiled up at him, “Well now you come to mention it.”
“You are insatiable,” he chided, placing a hand on her bottom making her wince slightly.
“I am not insatiable. I am just very frustrated.” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Not for much longer.” He rubbed his hand across her bottom. “How is your ass?” he whispered.
“Warm and sore, like the rest of me.” She grinned.
“Do you think anyone would notice if I pinned you against the wall and made love to you right her, right now or would they think it was art?”
She laughed loudly at his suggestion but offered him a shrug of her shoulders that suggested he should try and see.
“Well in that case.” He walked her back against a wall and pressed against her gently.
“James,” she gasped and then saw the image over his shoulder. “What the…?” She managed to side step Jim and went to stand in front of the painting she just stared at.
Jim joined her. “What’s wrong?”
“That!” She pointed at the piece in front of them.
Jim looked from it to her and shook his head. “I am obviously missing something here,” he said and they both cringed at the sound of another voice
“Tash, Princess, you came. And looking as foxy as ever.”
They turned and came to face to face with him. Jim viewed Gerry suspiciously but thought that at six feet, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, bright blue eyes and bleached blond hair, he and Tasha would have made a very striking couple, especially within the art world. He decided that he may have to access some online images of them, just out of curiosity. As if reading his mind, Gerry hugged Tasha tightly and stood at her side with an arm around her waist giving him an instant image of how attractive a couple they made. He kissed Tasha on the cheek and she seemed at ease with his familiarity, Jim, however, was not. He stretched out a hand to Gerry, the one that would force him to unhand his girlfriend and as Gerry accepted Jim’s hand, Jim’s free hand was around Tasha and resting on her hip.
“Jim, Gerry, Gerry, Jim,” she said abruptly before looking at Gerry then pointed at the piece beside them. “What is that doing here?”
“Being exhibited,” said Gerry with a grin.
“I hate it.” Tasha’s voice was filled with venom, shocking Jim more than Gerry. “And I would really like you to take it down.”
“Tash, please, don’t be that way, it’s beautiful,” he protested.
“Beautiful? It signifies my misery, hurt and humiliation at your hands,” she spat at him.
“I can’t take it down, it’s part of the exhibition and it has been really popular, a few people have expressed an interest in it, and nobody knows the back story,” he said defensively.
“I do!” Tasha almost screeched as she stared at him with a shake of her head, but it was the firmness of her tone that startled Jim most because he had never been witness to a truly angry Natasha and there was no doubting how pissed off she currently was.
Jim watched on, confused as Gerry said, “Your American friend, Lenny, has asked for first refusal on it.”
“No! For fuck’s sake Gerry, how could you? Please don’t sell it and don’t exhibit it again, burn it, but don’t show it,” she pleaded and then angrily punched at Gerry’s chest. “You owe me that at least.”
“Sorry, but what is going on here?” asked Jim as he pulled Tasha back towards him.
“This is a piece inspired by Tash and she doesn’t approve of it.” Gerry simplified the details.
“I like it,” said Jim as Tasha glared at him. “How much is it?”
Gerry stared at him and shrugged.
Jim frowned. “Don’t be coy, Gerry. Is it for sale or not?”
Gerry shrugged again, making Jim sigh with annoyance.
“Tasha,” said Jim. “Could you get me a drink please, baby?” he asked, smiling at her.
She knew exactly what he was doing and went off to find the bar before she ended up punching Gerry or trashing his exhibition, maybe both.
As she left, Jim fixed Gerry with a steely glare. “Gerry, let me put my cards on the table; I don’t know what the story is with...” he stared at the title of the piece and nodded, “or maybe I do. Tasha doesn’t want ‘Betrayal’ exhibiting or selling on to strangers, especially not Lenny. He is my ex-wife’s husband and my children partially reside in their house and she was mortified to find that other piece adorning their wall so would be very upset if this one found its way there. I am assured that despite what happened between you and Tasha that you still care for her and I know you were on hand when that animal of a father flexed his muscles last week. So, if you don’t want to keep this piece for your personal collection, then sell it to me. Name your price.”
“I could fleece you,” said Gerry seriously.
“Yes you could, but I don’t really care about that, what I care about is Tasha and if it makes her happy to know that this piece is not available for general viewing it will be worth every penny and I won’t consider myself fleeced.”
“Maybe I should start a bidding war with your mate Lenny,” suggested Gerry to an increasingly irked Jim.
“To what end? I will win that war so save your energy and name your price,” he repeated as Simone appeared.
“Doesn’t Tasha look fantastic?” she asked Gerry who nodded. “So happy and young, carefree. You are obviously very good for her, Jim,” said Simone honestly and without malice.
“I hope so.” Jim smiled at Simone.
“Simone,” said Gerry. “Jim is buying ‘Betrayal’, would you like to relieve him of his cash,” he added.
Jim cocked his head at Gerry. “Thank you.”
As he went to follow Simone to pay, Gerry called to him. “Tash does look carefree. Like Simone said, you are good for her. I’m sure you know I was stupid and through my own doing I lost her, but she is the loveliest person I have ever known and she has put up with some serious shit and she deserves to be happy. I won’t fleece you. Simone will charge you the last catalogue price, in fact,” he removed the picture from the wall. “Have it. Your payment can be to keep my princess smiling like she is tonight.”
Jim stared at him in disbelief as Simone swung around and frowned. Jim resisted the temptation to tell Gerry that Tasha was not his anything, least of all his princess. He just nodded at him and seeing Simone’s face said, “Look, let me do you a favour in return for this very kind gesture. What is your most expensive piece?”
Gerry pointed to a small framed collage of foil called ‘Recycled.’
“How much?” Jim asked.
“Two hundred and fifty thousand,” Gerry replied.
Jim raised his eyebrows in surprise and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Watch.”
With his phone on speaker, Simone and Gerry watched on.
Jim spoke, “Hi Lenny, is this a bad time? Oh, good. Look I’ll cut to the chase, I’m at this damned exhi
bition with Tasha and as you know I’m not into this kind of stuff, but there is a real buzz about one piece here tonight.”
“Which piece? I have already bought a couple. Simone emailed me the confirmation earlier,” Lenny said.
“Yeah, she’s here tonight and I think she is about to close the deal on this collage piece, it’s called ‘Recycled’ with a guide price of two hundred and fifty thousand but I think they are about to shake on two hundred and seventy five thousand. I just thought you might be interested.” He winked at Simone, making her blush as Tasha returned with a drink for him.
“Hold on Lenny, Simone is here so ask her yourself if three hundred thousand would seal the deal.” He passed his phone to Simone who rushed off to secure the sale.
“Do you not get on with Lenny then?” asked Gerry curiously.
Jim shrugged. “We get on okay, but sometimes he forgets that whilst he may be married to a woman who was once my wife he is not my children’s father and his opinion is not one that allows him to forbid, threaten or ridicule my daughter’s dreams, but I reckon he got off lightly at £300,000 for committing that particular offence,” he said seriously, darkly.
“You are a scary guy,” said Gerry as he laughed nervously.
“So I am told,” replied Jim dryly. “Nice to do business with you, Gerry.” He extended a hand that Gerry took willingly.
Gerry then stretched across to Tasha and kissed her on the cheek. “I should mingle.”
As Tasha and Jim turned away a red head almost walked into Jim. She apologised and then stared at Tasha. Jim thought that she was probably similar in age to Tasha, but shorter and with a fuller figure, pretty enough in a plain way, not beautiful like Tasha was, but pretty. She wore a green halter-neck blouse with black trousers.
“Tash!” she said with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety.
“Kara,” replied Tasha curtly.
“You look great,” said Kara.
“Thanks,” replied Tasha. “We were just leaving.”
Jim really had never seen this side of Tasha before; the stony faced, abrupt, hard assed bitch, but as this was the former best friend who had screwed her boyfriend, her saviour as she saw him at the time, it was understandable.
“Not because of me,” said Kara meekly.
“No, not this time, that was before when I found you screwing my boyfriend in our bed. Then I left because of you.”
She turned on her heels and was heading for the exit followed by Jim who quickly caught up with her.
“Can you wait until I get my phone back off Simone before you finish storming out?” He laughed at her.
She laughed back, realising that she was storming out and then some. “She winds me up.”
“I noticed,” Jim said as he spotted Simone and his phone.
Chapter 41
They were sitting in the back of another cab on their way back to the hotel when Tasha, looking down at ‘Betrayal’ asked, “How much did that cost you?”
“Nothing in the end. I thought Gerry was going to play hard ball, but I told him to name his price and then he gave it to me, for you. Do whatever you want to do with it.” He handed it to her.
She looked down at it sadly and he thought she might actually cry.
“Do you want to talk?”
“No. Not about this. Tell me about Lizzie and Lenny,” she said as the cab pulled up outside the hotel.
They made their way across the lobby again where Tasha looked across at reception where a night porter sat smiling at her. She returned his smile and followed Jim to the lift.
“Lizzie told Lenny about her plans to come over here and see your shoot and that you are going to give her some help and advice on modelling.”
“And?”
“He started by telling her that it was a ridiculous ambition to have and whilst she wasn’t as bright as Rosa, she did have some potential to contribute to society.”
Tasha looked up at him as they entered the lift to find him looking really cross and upset, too. “What an arse.” She shook her head and hoped Lizzie hadn’t taken his comments to heart.
Jim continued as she wrapped her arms around his waist and tucked her shoulder under his arm. “Then he told her that he was forbidding her to do it in any way and if she insisted on coming to London and pursuing modelling then she’d need to find somewhere else to live, because he wasn’t prepared to have someone with such questionable morals and a lack of true ambition, someone willing to show themselves off to the world, living in his house. In fact, he reckons modelling is just one step away from prostitution. Sara assured her that he was just angry because Lizzie had been goading him about other stuff and that he wasn’t really mad at her dreams and he didn’t mean it, which he didn’t, but Lizzie was still upset. Sara also assures me that there’s more to Lenny’s current mood and she has spoken to him and he has apologised to Lizzie and begrudgingly said that he won’t stand in her way, but has made it clear that he still disapproves. So, like I said, he got off lightly at £300,000.”
“Poor Lizzie. I can’t believe Sara would allow him to speak to her that way.”
The lift stopped at their floor. Tasha was genuinely surprised by Lenny’s thoughts and Sara’s reaction to them. Although, if she considered what her mother had allowed to happen to her at her father’s hands…
“Lenny is so used to being in charge at work that he treats everyone at home as if they are his interns. She was his nurse for years so is used to him bossing her around and if Sara is happy to be treated that way, fine, but Philip wasn’t and Lizzie shouldn’t be either.”
Tasha smiled. “Maybe people who are in charge at work don’t see that they can’t have the same degree of control over the people at home.”
“What? Like me?” he asked as they reached the door to their suite.
Resting against the wall next to the door, Tasha shrugged as Jim continued to speak.
“I bet your friend the receptionist bitch would get where Lenny is coming from, all judgemental and snobby,” he teased.
“Mmm, probably,” she agreed as he flung the door open.
He stared at her now, changing the subject. “You really are very beautiful and if we don’t go in soon I will be removing that dress right here in the hallway.”
Tasha smiled coyly as she teased, “And if we do go in?”
“Then I will still be removing it, but not on CCTV,” he replied, pointing to a camera.
Tasha walking through the door with an exaggerated swing of her hips. She had barely crossed the threshold when Jim slammed the door shut and pinned her against the wall where his mouth found hers in the darkness and his hand disappeared beneath her dress to stroke the flesh between her stocking top and pants.
He pulled his lips from hers. “This reminds me of New York.”
She laughed and confessed, “I thought I’d offended you so much that you were throwing me out.”
He laughed too. “That’s what I was hoping for. I knew I wanted you, but I wasn’t entirely sure that you felt the same. I thought you did, but your face when I led you to the door told me that you really did and by the time I got you to the bedroom there was no doubt at all.” He laughed. “I couldn’t believe you, so eager, so responsive,” he added.
“I couldn’t believe me. That is not my usual style, but you were different, you made me different, you still do,” she almost whispered. “We could recreate it,” she suggested.
He shook his head, “No, I have other plans for tonight.”
“Like what?” she asked, panting, feeling full of anticipation.
“I am going to take you into the bedroom and then I am going to slowly undress you and after I have kissed and stroked every inch of your very beautiful body I am going to make very gentle love to you all night,” he said seductively, gently pulling her lip with his teeth.
Tasha could sense his smile in the dark.
“You like my plan?”
“I love your plan.”
As he move
d back towards her, his lips barely a hairs breadth from hers she leaned in and pulled his face to hers to kiss him hard, plunging her tongue into his mouth to fully appreciate just how good Jim tasted before he pulled back.
“I thought I said slow and gentle, honey.”
“Take me to bed, James. Make love to me,” she said, her voice full of need and desire.
He took her hand, just as he had in New York when he’d awakened things in her that even she hadn’t realised were there.
****
Lying in bed, Tasha watched Jim sleep and smiled a truly contented smile. She didn’t think she could feel any happier than she did right now. The light was shining through the voile covered window and she had still not been to sleep, but didn’t feel tired. She stretched across Jim and found his watch that told her it was half past six. She really should try to sleep or she may collapse before the end of the day, but try as she might, sleep still escaped her.
She sat in the lounge wearing only Jim’s discarded shirt looking at ‘Betrayal’ and wondered what she should do with it. The image was another faceless one; an obviously female body sitting on the edge of a bed, naked with knees together and feet spread on the floor. She held her face in her hands, her chin resting there as her fingers spread across each cheek. She stared at it and remembered sitting like that and felt how she’d felt then. She had never considered that he’d choose to preserve it in this way.
She jumped when Jim asked, “What are you doing up so soon? Have you been to sleep at all?”
“I couldn’t.”
“You really hate that picture, don’t you?”
“Yup,” she admitted with sadness.
Jim sat down next to her wearing only his boxers and placed a hand on her knee. “You are looking mighty fine in my shirt.”
“Sorry, it was the first thing I found,” she explained.
“That’s okay, I told you that you should wear my clothes whenever you want and then I can rip them off.” He smiled at her, but didn’t seem to be suggesting anything sexual, something his next comment confirmed. “Although, I really think you should sleep. Come back to bed, even if you’re not going to sleep then we could lie together. I like to hold you and feel you next to me.”
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