“I meant that we shouldn’t fly via Vegas, not yet. I do have a couple of days filming for a sketch show next week after you leave, so I can’t fly out with you, but I may be able to bring it forward from three weeks. Leave it with me.”
He nodded as his hand disappeared under the black chemise she was wearing, the same one she’d briefly worn last night. He rubbed his hand across her cheeks gently.
“So cold, Tasha. I think today could be the day for you to be spanked. Would you like that?” he whispered against her ear.
She actually had no idea whether she would like it or not, but the idea of it turned her on, like everything about Jim did. “I think so,” she replied breathlessly. “Maybe.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked getting to his feet.
“Mmm.”
“What would you like?”
“You.” She pushed her hands beneath the waistband of his pyjama bottoms.
He grinned down at her. “So very greedy.”
“Hardly, I barely touched you last night and I missed it.” She held him tightly and squeezed.
“How do you feel?” His hand moved forward of her bottom. “Other than hot, wet and welcoming?”
“A little sore and sensitive, but I can walk and everything.” She laughed as she recalled doubting that the previous night.
“For now, baby. For now.”
“Please.” She pleaded in a single word as she freed him from his pyjamas and got down onto her knees and consumed him greedily.
He had just helped her back to her feet when her phone rang.
“Hi Angie. What? No. I don’t know what to say, have you spoken to the P.R. people?” she asked as Jim appeared in front of her.
“What’s going on?” he asked concerned. “Put it on speaker.” he ordered, and suddenly corporate Jim was here, and in control.
“Hold on Angie, I’m putting you on speaker so Jim can hear too.”
“Hi Angie. What’s happening?”
“I’ve just told Tash that one of the Sunday tabloids have contacted me about a story they are printing tomorrow. That fucking idiot of a father of hers has sold them a story about the family breakdown. He is crying that Tasha has driven them all apart and estranged him from his other children. You know how it goes; poor him, such a victim. Such a dick!” spat Angie.
“What have you said?” asked Jim.
“Just that whilst there has been a family dispute it is a private matter and Tasha has no comment to make as she doesn’t want to cause anyone any further distress by talking about it,” replied Angie.
“Good. What have P.R. said?” asked Jim.
Tasha sat on a stool at the bar and suddenly felt incidental to this whole thing.
“They’ve said we should issue a response confirming the family dispute and that the sibling has been put into the care of grandparents by the courts following an assault within the family home, but without confirming the victim of the assault,” explained Angie.
“Okay, that sounds like the best option at this stage. Can you sort that?” he asked as Tasha left the room to get into the shower. He watched her leave. Would a life with Tasha always be like this? Would every good episode be the calm before the storm that was her fucked-up parents? He had no clue but knew if it was then that was the life he wanted. He turned his attention from the closed bedroom door back to Angie, “Can you get all the details sorted in the next hour and maybe we could meet before it’s issued so we can go over it?”
“Yes, no problem, where?”
“Can you come here? We can do it over lunch, get P.R. here too. I need Tasha to be okay with it,” he said, seriously concerned for her emotional wellbeing.
“Is she still there?” asked Angie.
“No. So, two o’clock?”
“She really doesn’t deserve any of this shit. Yes, I can do two o’clock, see you then,” replied Angie and hung up.
Jim looked down at Tasha’s phone and thought he liked Angie. She was straight to the point and as direct as he was, plus, she genuinely seemed to care about Tasha beyond the fact that she brought in revenue for her.
“Right,” he said aloud to himself, “Tasha!” he called as he strode across the suite through the bedroom and into the bathroom.
Tasha was standing underneath the hot water hoping it would wash away all of the crap in her life. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jim walking in. She hadn’t seen him, but heard, or sensed his presence.
She had her back to him, but he was certain that she knew he was there. He discarded his trousers before walking into the shower behind her and as he placed his hands on her hips she relaxed and fell back against him.
“Are you okay?” He wrapped his arms around her and thought it was quite clear that she was anything but. He needed her to tell him how she was feeling and what ridiculous thoughts were swimming around in her head. By ridiculous he meant the idea that this, any of it was in any way her fault or of her doing, because it wasn’t, she was innocent in it all.
“I suppose. I just wish it would all go away. It’s not fair for him to benefit from what he’s done, but short of me revealing the whole, sorry, sordid story, the paper will run with it. And if I do reveal all it will just fuel the fire. A definite no win situation,” she said as she turned around and nuzzled his chest.
“Let Angie and Bradley sort it out. They’re coming here for lunch at two to make sure you’re happy with what they have planned,” he said and then thought that this could be the opportunity he was looking for, to keep her safe and close.
“Come to L.A.” he said as he brushed her hair back and tilted her head up to look at him.
“I’ve told you I will,” she said. “But not until after next week.”
He kissed her gently on the lips. “No, come to L.A. permanently, to live with me.” He backed her against the cold tiled wall making her jump and tense.
“I can’t.”
“You can, if you want to,” he argued. “Leave all of the stuff with your dad and Liam behind. Pippa and Dan are safe and your friend Mr Stewart is on the case with maintaining their safety.”
“Jerome’s not my friend,” protested Tasha as he pressed himself against her.
“That would be Mr Stewart to you if he’s not your friend,” he said and added, “spanking is on today.”
“Mr Stewart is not my friend.”
“Good because you are mine, all of you,” he said as his hand made soft circular movements from her lips, across her cheek, jaw, shoulder and chest. “Come to L.A.” he repeated as his fingers rubbed across her lips.
“I can’t,” she insisted.
“Do you want to? Because if you want to,” he added, feeling bad that he was trying to make her feel guilty, but needs must and whether she realised it or not they both needed her to be safe with him and he would be in L.A.
“Of course I want to,” Tasha protested, but refused to be moved on this now. She couldn’t just up and leave. Dan and Pippa might be living with her grandparents but they were still her responsibility and as for the ever unfolding mess of her parents and Liam, well that just kept getting worse and worse.
“So, you’ll come?” His hand skimmed lower, past her breasts and belly before coming to rest just above her pelvis. “To L.A.?”
“I don’t know. The timing—”
“Okay,” he replied curtly. He pulled himself away from her and stretched past her to pick up his shower gel and proceeded to shower.
She had no idea what to say or do now. He wanted her to agree to his demand and she couldn’t so this was a stalemate, no compromise. “James, I—”
“Natasha, it’s fine, you should do what you think is right and don’t worry about what I want. We should get washed and dressed before Angie arrives. I need to phone down to make a lunch reservation.” He rinsed off and wrapped a very small towel around his waist. He had just reached the door when he turned back to face her. “We should go back to yours tomorrow until Tuesday and we will go to the première fr
om here.”
Then he was gone, leaving her lonely and confused; last night she had acknowledged that they were meant to be together and today she was being obstructive about going to L.A. moving to L.A. to be precise, but why? She knew he wouldn’t move to be with her so she would have to go to him eventually and there was very little standing in her way, not really. He was upset with her, although she didn’t think his handling of it, his attempts to manipulate her put him in the best light either.
She decided to discuss it again, later, when she was dressed. He could be very persuasive, but even more so when she was naked. If he had asked her just once more in the shower she was sure she would have been splayed on the bed right now screaming his name before booking her flight to L.A. in first class. Maybe she should just march outside and book a flight now, she could go as soon as next Wednesday if she really had to. Jim had been right when he said she had no more work lined up and Jerome Stewart and her grandparents wouldn’t allow anything untoward to happen to Pippa, so what was stopping her? She was the only thing standing in their way, but this was all so new and she was just so confused about everything and everyone right now.
Jim reappeared. “I’ve booked a table for lunch. Come on,” he ordered and left again.
She finished showering and wrapped a towel around her hair and slipped on one of the complimentary robes before returning to the bedroom where Jim was dressing in black jeans and a white t-shirt.
He looked across at her. “We will sort this Tasha. One way or another I will make this okay, baby.”
She knew he was referring to the situation with stories from her parents breaking in the tabloids and keeping Dan and Pippa safe rather than simply achieving his wish to have her based in L.A. with him.
“You know if it wasn’t for Pippa and Dan, and the thought that the whole world might find out about me and Liam I wouldn’t care about the story. They could run it every day for the next year, but Pippa and Dan need to stay anonymous in this and I can’t be viewed as the whore who shagged around at almost fifteen and miraculously found fame and fortune via an up and coming artist and a series of good choices between the sheets. That would be professional suicide. Then if they start digging they could find out about the abortion I had. Oh God, this is getting worse.” She looked scared and close to tears.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, desperate for her not cry. He hated her to cry because she was frightened and sad.
She nodded. “Absolutely, in everything.”
“Good. Then believe that this will be resolved, to your satisfaction.” He pulled her to him and removed the towel from her head.
“I’m sorry about L.A. Can we talk about it later?”
“Don’t worry about L.A. You have to do what you’re comfortable with. I don’t want you to do anything that you are not one hundred percent sure of. It was unfair of me to open the subject with you when this story is hanging over you, forgive me?”
She was even more confused now. He had gone from being angry and revoking his affection for her refusal to commit to L.A. and now he was dismissing it. He didn’t mind that she’d not said yes. In fact, he was encouraging her not to make a decision. Had he changed his mind? No, she knew he hadn’t. She was being unfair to him, she needed to make a decision and commit to it completely and soon.
He stroked her hair and kissed her head gently. “Tasha, you really need to get dressed for lunch,” he said as she slipped her hands beneath his t-shirt.
“I don’t want to, I want you,” she said lowly.
He laughed. He needed to stop being a dick and trying to manipulate her unduly, although it was all for her own benefit and safety. However, she was not like his previous wives or girlfriends. She was better than them and too good for him because she was far more receptive to reasonable and understanding Jim than hard faced dick Jim and would never dream of taking advantage of his better side.
“So eager, baby. Get dressed and we will pick this up later, okay? And talk about L.A.”
She pulled her best sulky face.
He laughed again. “I love you, honey, but that whole sulking thing does nothing for me. Before we pick this up I think I will be putting you across my knee.” He clapped his hands together loudly leaving her to get dressed.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before adding her trainers. She wasn’t dressing for the gym or fucking. She pulled her hair into a ponytail before joining Jim in the lounge.
He frowned as he looked at her. “Are you going to the gym?” he asked with a wry smile.
“Nope!” she replied bluntly making him laugh.
He picked up the room key and held the door open for her. “Ah, I see. You have gone past sulky and straight to defiant. Bring it on, Natasha.”
Chapter 44
As lunch ended, Angie and Bradley agreed the press release. Angie was going to issue it that day. Tasha had agreed to the original details Angie had suggested on the phone and as the final details were agreed Tasha smiled as she realised that Angie was another one to add to Jim’s fan list and would probably snatch his hand off for the offer of being lucky seven. Bradley left first and once out of the restaurant Angie turned her attention to Tasha and work.
“What are you doing work wise, Tash? Is there any point in me looking for work over here or would you be better looking at an L.A. agent?”
Tasha stared at her stunned. She hadn’t even thought about Angie in her future plans.
“I don’t know. It’s probably best to put everything on hold for now. I have work until Christmas, but I don’t imagine I will be looking for any long term work over here.”
She turned to Jim. “Do I have to have an L.A. agent?”
He shook his head. “It’s not compulsory. You can just have a U.K. agent or both, whatever you want, honey. There’s no hurry for you to decide,” he said reassuringly.
“Will you just put everything on hold then? But you’ve updated my details anyway if anything comes in and I will think about everything else when things are a bit more settled.”
Angie nodded. “Of course it is. Look I have to go, but I will be in touch.” Angie leapt up, kissed Tasha, then Jim before dashing off.
Tasha slumped back in her seat. “I will move to L.A. if you still want me to, but can we forget about getting married for a while?”
“No.”
She was shocked he hadn’t readily agreed to her suggestion.
“No, we can’t forget about getting married, but we can postpone the discussion until you’re in L.A.”
“You still want me to come out then?” She felt nervous and unsure again.
He looked at her across the table and with a small, loving smile replied. “How could you think that I wouldn’t? I didn’t want you to leave in the first place. I want to share everything with you, baby, including my home.”
A thought suddenly sprang to her mind. “Have you ever lived with anyone other than your wives?”
“No,” he replied. “And you? Just Gerry?”
She nodded. “Just Gerry. I had stuff I left at Jake’s and vice versa, but we never lived together.”
“At your flat now? Is that where Jake used to leave stuff?” He physically bristled at the possible reply.
“Yes,” she almost whispered and was already regretting opening this particular conversation.
He tensed his shoulders and then relaxed.
“Did any of your wives live in your house?”
“No. Not this house. In fact, I don’t think I’ve had anybody even sleep over there, except you,” he said candidly.
“Why?” Tasha was genuinely curios as to why he wouldn’t have had a woman spend the night with him at his house.
“Because I don’t want every girl I just fuck to know where I live and I certainly don’t want them to meet my kids.”
“You took me there and I was the girl you were just fucking.”
“You were never the girl I was just fucking. You are more than that and you were more tha
n that from the first night in New York. You will be the wife I am fucking though. And your ass is going to be sore enough without you keep saying fuck.” He arched a brow that somehow contradicted his serious tone.
“Can I ask you about Lizzie?” she asked changing subject slightly.
He frowned, but nodded.
“I said she was sweet, and Marcia said something about your exes disagreeing,” she explained.
“Did she now?”
“She wasn’t being unkind, and I think it just came out and she really did speak fondly of her,” explained Tasha, hoping she hadn’t got Marcia into trouble.
“Number two liked Lizzie and Philip, but when she wasn’t able to have her own child she found it difficult to have them around and Lizzie was very young. Number three was not really into kids. She tried in the beginning, but Lizzie hated her. She thought Maddie was trying to take me away from her, which with hindsight she probably was and then she made the kids lie and stuff.”
Tasha figured that made sense and tied in with what Philip had said about her.
“Number four was a very nice lady, but made the same mistake as Amanda and tried to make the kids like her by giving in on everything they asked for. Then I would say no or Sara would and they would throw step-mommy under the bus, Lizzie more than Philip. So the pattern was set and the more they tried to win her over the more of a bitch Lizzie became.”
With a short nod, Tasha wondered if anyone else would or could get away with referring to Lizzie as a bitch and knew they couldn’t and with the exception of Philip she doubted anyone else would even try.
“Then we have number six who loved Philip and hated Lizzie because she had tried to play me and her off against one another but Esther had pre-empted it and avoided the situation so Lizzie waited for Esther to fall asleep and then called me to say she had woken up from a bad dream and couldn’t wake Esther so called me at some business dinner. I, of course, dashed home and had a huge row with Esther about being neglectful of Lizzie and assumed she had been drunk, which she always denied, but Lizzie said she’d seen her drinking. Lizzie doesn’t like to share me, but she likes you and is older now and I hope she wants me to be happy and you make me happy, Tasha.”
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