by L.H. Cosway
“There, perfect,” he whispered before turning to climb on the bike.
I got on behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. The air rushed past my ears as Cal overtook several cars and then we were zooming along the Thames. He chose a small, mostly empty café for lunch. A woman working behind the counter did a double take when she saw us, looking a little starstruck. Cal leaned an elbow on the counter and flashed her his most charming, underwear eviscerating smile.
“Hey, what’s your name, babe?”
She blinked then cleared her throat. “Amy.”
Cal leaned closer and for once I watched him work his charm on someone else. “Well, Amy, I’d be forever in your debt if you could wait until after we’re gone to post about this online. In fact, I’ll even take a selfie with you after we finish eating, but you gotta wait until we leave.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” she breathed.
Cal winked. “I knew you’d be cool.”
Huh. I wished I could use the same tactic when I didn’t want people posting online that they’d spotted me out and about, but I didn’t have Cal’s magic charm. In fact, charm was something that was completely absent from my DNA. I remembered something Cal said to me back in Johannesburg and grinned.
My perfect woman is short, cranky, and sexy as fuck.
With every year that passed, I was learning to accept myself for who I was. I wouldn’t fight against my instincts anymore, because that had only ever made me miserable. I thought staying away from Cal would help me avoid pain, but ironically, in doing so, I’d suffered worse.
We sat in a private nook at the back of the cafe. Cal ordered a pastrami on rye and I ordered the basil tortellini. A minute or two of companionable silence went by before Cal’s attention wandered from my top all the way up to my face. “You look pretty today.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you charming me like you just charmed the waitress?”
He flashed a playful grin. “You think I’m lying?”
I looked down at the ripped jeans and plaid shirt I wore. “My outfit doesn’t exactly scream ‘pretty,’” I said. Okay, maybe I was fishing for a compliment. Just a little.
“The outfit doesn’t matter. You look pretty no matter what you wear.” He paused, a certain gleam in his eye. “Though now that you mention it. I do have this fantasy about you in a skirt.”
My eyes widened. “Oh?”
Cal shook his head, teasing. “Nah, never mind.”
I swallowed, heart hammering at the idea of him fantasising about me. “Tell me.”
He looked back, his lips shaping into a sexy smirk. “I had a dream about us once.” He waggled his eyebrows and my pulse raced. “You were wearing a skirt and came to sit on my lap. I ran my hand up your thigh and—”
“Okay, I get it. No need to elaborate further,” I flushed.
His deep chuckle set my arousal on a low simmer while Amy arrived with our food. “Enjoy,” she said as she glanced at Cal, then at me. I plastered on a bland expression, and she hovered awkwardly before finally leaving us.
“Looks like you made a new fan. Better be careful or we might have another Olive on our hands.”
He scoffed. “I already have at least fifteen Olives. They send messages daily.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Really? What do they say?”
Cal shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Mostly I have Neil reply.”
“You have Neil reply?” I asked, incredulous. “What does he say to them?”
“Just polite stuff. If they get too flirty, he steers the conversation to more neutral ground.”
“Do you read the conversations?”
“Not all of them.”
“Seems like you’re putting a lot of trust in a guy you don’t have the best relationship with. He could be writing them all kinds of messages and you wouldn’t even know.”
“Neil values his job too much to do something like that. Speaking of, I haven’t seen him giving you puppy-dog eyes lately.”
I sat up straight, not liking being reminded of how I treated Neil. “Yeah, we talked. He knows nothing can happen between us.”
Cal eyed me a long moment, his expression serious. “Good. It’s about time he found out who you belong to.”
I reached out to swipe him on the arm, all the while heat travelled from my chest all the way up my neck. “Hey! I don’t ‘belong’ to anyone. This isn’t the Victorian era.”
Cal’s only response was a cocky, possessive smirk and I rolled my eyes. He might’ve learned to control his temper, to stop and think before resorting to a fight, but I liked that there was still a hint of the old him, the confident, tattooed, wild boy I’d first fallen for.
He’d always be there under the surface, but now he’d matured. Gone was the boy, replaced with a man I knew I couldn’t live without.
When we finished eating, he gave me a ride back to my building. I was a little disappointed when he didn’t even try to kiss me, but I reminded myself that technically this was only our first date. People didn’t kiss until the second or third date, right?
Man, these rules were confusing.
Twenty-Four
Leanne
The following morning, I was surprised when I got a call from Cal’s mum inviting me over for tea. Judy and I had always gotten along really well. So much so that it made me sad when Cal and I stopped seeing each other because it meant I had to stop seeing her too.
I told her I’d be over in an hour or so, then I donned sunglasses and a hoodie before heading out. Instead of leaving through the front door, I took the stairs up to the roof, jumped to the next building, then climbed down the fire escape. This had been my go-to way of leaving my apartment ever since I got back since there was still a bunch of reporters holding a vigil outside my place.
Too bad for them that I knew parkour and was an excellent escape artist.
Cal’s mum lived in a small two-bedroom period house just outside the city. His ambition had always been to make enough money to give her a good life and he’d definitely succeeded.
I knocked on the door and she threw it open, arms outstretched. “Leanne, come here and give me a hug. It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I said, stepping into her hug.
Judy was a warm, friendly woman, very non-judgemental and very easy to talk to. She’d had a rough go of it in life being a single mum and I got the sense she channelled all her love into Cal. She treated him like her little prince growing up and this was probably where some of his cockiness came from. On the positive side, it’s also where he got his loyalty and his ability to love so completely it could feel overwhelming.
When we first started sleeping together, Cal’s appetite for sex and his need to be around me all the time felt like an obsession. Now I understood him better and knew that was how he showed he cared.
Callum Davidson was definitely an all-or-nothing sort of bloke.
“How are you holding up?” Judy asked as we sat down at her kitchen table and she poured us some tea. She’d also set out a plate of biscuits. I picked one up and dunked it in my tea.
“I’m doing good, all things considered. Been having a bit of a social media detox until people find something new to talk about.”
“I wish my son could take a leaf out of your book. He’s been driving himself mad trying to figure out who took those pictures. Even hired a private investigator.”
I grew a touch uncomfortable at her mentioning the pictures. My parents and sister had refused to look at them, but I wondered if Judy had seen. The idea of her seeing Cal and I like that made me cringe to the very core of my being. She must’ve noticed my discomfort because she reached out to pat my hand.
“Don’t worry, pet. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Though it’s not exactly something a mother expects when she opens her morning paper.”
Oh my God. She had seen them, or well, whatever censored version was printed in the paper. At least she hadn’t gone out of her
way to look them up. That definitely would’ve been weird.
“I’m still getting used to the idea of people seeing us like that. It’s not a nice feeling,” I said quietly.
“You shouldn’t have to get used to it. It infuriates me.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah, it’s hard to imagine that someone would invade our privacy like that.”
A moment of quiet passed. I sipped some tea and felt Judy studying me. When I looked at her, her expression was serious. “My son loves you, you know.”
I almost choked on my sip of tea. It wasn’t that I didn’t already know Cal loved me, it just felt strange to hear someone else say it. But in a good way. Warmth spread through me, my cheeks colouring as I stared at my teacup and spoke quietly, “I love him too.”
Judy’s gaze sharpened now, a warning in her voice. “I know you do, and don’t take this the wrong way, but I just have to say it. If you ever break his heart again, you’ll have me to deal with.”
I blinked in surprise. Who knew Judy had a tough centre underneath that kind, unassuming exterior? So this was why she’d invited me over for tea. It was a ballsy move and I was kind of impressed.
“I’d rather cut off my own hand than hurt him again,” I said and she nodded. It appeared that was the right answer.
A second later, the front door opened, Cal calling out, “Mum, we’re back. Fluffy took three shits on his walk today. Three! How can one tiny dog hold so much…”
His words died when he entered the kitchen and saw me sitting there. Cal had his mum’s Pomeranian on a leash, and he looked, well, oddly sexy. It was cute that he walked his mum’s dog for her. Cal met my gaze then cleared his throat, bending down to let Fluffy off his leash. The dog went bounding up to Judy and hopped on her lap to lick her face.
“I need to give him his monthly bath,” Judy said, lifting the dog as she stood, “but you two sit and catch up. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”
She left the room and amusement played on Cal’s lips. “Seems Mum’s decided to do some meddling.”
“Actually,” I said. “I think she invited me over to tell me I’ll be facing her wrath if I ever hurt you again.
Cal’s eyed widened. “She did what?”
I laughed. “Don’t worry about it. If I were in her position, I’d do exactly the same thing.”
Cal shook his head, running a hand down his face. “She’s nuts.”
“She just loves you.”
He stared out the window a moment before tilting his head to me. “So assuming my mum’s craziness hasn’t put you off, are you up for going out tomorrow night?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Sure, I’d love to.”
My answer appeared to please him, his eyes heating. “Good. I’ll pick you up at six.”
On my way home, I took a walk, in a mood to wander. I stopped at the window of a women’s boutique and saw an amazing black dress. It came to just above the knee, but what really made it risqué was the see-through black panel that dipped low at the neck. I’d never been one for dresses, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that dream Cal had. Every time it popped into my head, I grew flushed, and well, turned on.
On a whim, I went inside and tried it on. Then, I bought it. What? It wasn’t like I planned on wearing it for our date. But maybe someday I would wear it. On Cal’s birthday. As a treat.
The following night, Cal took me to the Sky Garden restaurant. The food was incredible and I couldn’t believe how perfectly the date went. Cal was a gentleman and we didn’t have a single argument. Actually, a part of me was disappointed in the ‘gentleman’ bit, but I went along with it. It was hard getting used to him actively trying to not have sex with me.
A week later he took me to a fancy cinema near Notting Hill to see the latest superhero movie. I rested my head on his shoulder and he draped his arm around me. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife, but he didn’t so much as try to kiss my cheek.
I might’ve been getting a little paranoid.
Which brought us to now, our fourth date. I stood in front of the mirror wearing the dress. I knew it was a sly move, but I was feeling a little neglected. I missed his touch, his lips.
I tousled my hair with some product, put on some foundation and eye makeup and stared at my reflection. I looked hot. Maybe a little too hot. I wasn’t sure what Cal was going to do with all this hotness, but we’d soon find out.
When Cal texted that he was outside I buzzed him up, palms sweaty, pulse pounding. I was excited to see him. Or more accurately, I was excited for him to see me. He’d never seen me so dressed up before.
There was a knock on the door and I hurried to open it. When I did, I felt a tad embarrassed because Cal was dressed casually in jeans, a T-shirt, and a navy jacket. On our last two dates, he’d worn shirts and trousers that I suspected were tailor-made, which left me feeling underdressed. Now I had the opposite problem.
He gave me a slow perusal from head to toe, heat simmering behind his eyes, and I knew the dress had worked. Cal’s expression darkened, and I wondered if maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew.
“That looks new,” he said, pulling his lower lip between his teeth, still standing in my doorway.
I swallowed thickly. “It is.”
Cal tilted his head, like a wild animal gauging its prey. He took one step inside my apartment, then two. Gazing down at me, he murmured, “Are you trying to tempt me, Leanne?”
Summoning my courage, I stared at the floor then glanced up at him from beneath my lashes, my voice sultry. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Callum.”
He smiled, showing teeth. Somehow, that felt like a threat. Shivers trickled down my spine, every part of me aware of him.
“We better get going,” he said and held out his hand. I grabbed my jacket then laced my fingers with his. As soon as our palms met electric shocks travelled up my arm. A few photographers were still hanging around outside. They leapt into action when they spotted us, snapping pictures and calling out questions.
“Where are you off to, Callum?”
“Leanne, you look amazing. Give us a smile for the camera.”
“Are you two back together then?”
We ignored them and I realised my error when we arrived at Cal’s Ducati. Riding on the back of a motorbike in a dress this short was asking for trouble.
“What’s wrong?” Cal said, holding out my helmet. It still warmed my heart that he’d had it custom made for me.
I bit my lip, gesturing to my skirt and then to the bike. His eyebrows jumped and he rubbed his jaw when realisation sank in. He pulled me closer to whisper in my ear, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you flash anyone.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
His deep chuckle vibrated through my chest. “Come on. You’ll be fine.”
I reluctantly climbed aboard, my bare thighs pressing flush to his jeans. His hand came down, clasping my thigh. His thumb brushed lightly over my knee before it returned to the handlebar. I hoped he didn’t notice how his touch made me tremble. The skirt of my dress hitched up, just barely covering my underwear. I futilely prayed the paps didn’t get any pictures. Then again, it wasn’t like the entire country hadn’t already seen a whole lot more.
Being exposed like that left scars on the inside, but those scars were slowly healing, leaving behind tougher skin. I was stronger now. And if people thought they could break me with a few embarrassing photographs they had another thing coming.
I would never be that fragile again. Life had toughened me, and I was glad for all the rough seas. Now my skin was Kevlar and no cruel online comments, leaked photos, or unflattering articles could breach it.
The photographers tried to follow us in their cars, but Cal did some fancy manoeuvring on his bike and we managed to lose them. He pulled into Regent’s Park and we walked to a spot on Primrose Hill that had great views over the city. My chest thrummed when I saw he’d made us a picnic. He laid a blanket out on the grass.
; “Makes sense that the one time I wear a dress our date is outdoors.”
He shot me a hot look. “You’ll just have to keep close to me for warmth.”
I shook my head, a smile pulling at my lips and watched as he set out the food. The view up here really was beautiful. The sky was starting to darken, and you could see the city skyline all lit up in the distance. Cal had gone out of his way to pick a romantic spot and my heart didn’t know what to do with itself.
We ate sandwiches and sipped on wine, talking about this and that. Toward the end of the date, Cal levelled me with a serious look.
“So there’s something important I need to do, and I wanted you to be here to witness it.”
“Okay,” I said, my curiosity piqued as he pulled out his phone to make a call. He put it on loudspeaker and it started to ring.
“Who are you calling?” I questioned, brow furrowed.
He reached out to place a hand on my knee, his face stern. “Just listen.”
What was going on? A voice answered “Callum?” and it took me a second to realise it was our producer, Linda.
“Hi, Linda. I was just calling to discuss possible locations for the next season.”
“Oh,” she replied, her tone relaxing. “Right, well, we’ve been considering Hong Kong, though New York is an option too.”
“Hong Kong would be amazing,” Cal replied. “Have you ever been?”
“No, actually,” she gushed. “I’ve been pushing for it hard. I think the visuals there will be incredible.”
“Well,” Cal responded casually. “It’s too bad you won’t get to go.”
There was a pause on the other end, then, “What do you mean?”
Cal lifted the phone closer to his mouth, seeming to take great pleasure when he said, “What I’m talking about is you’re fucking fired.”
“Excuse me?” she questioned, voice rising.
I stared at Cal, wide-eyed, still no clue what was going on and why he thought he could fire Linda. The only people we really had authority to fire was our assistants.