It had been nearly a year since I’d had sex. I was a born-again virgin. Archaeologists would be in awe if they discovered my vagina had been untouched for so long. It was unheard of for an attractive thirty-year-old woman in my industry to be single, let alone to not be having sex. It would be the greatest find of the millennium. Desperate as I was to have sex again, I wanted it to be perfect. This time, I was not ending up in a neck brace, or being cheated on. We hadn’t talked about sex, or formally diarised a date to do the deed, but I’d already decided this weekend wasn’t the time. I didn’t want my first time with him to be when I was drunk and woke with no recollection of the event, or worse, found out I’d puked all over him mid act. Tomorrow I was headed home to Shropshire to spend my actual birthday with my parents, and I wasn’t coming back until late Sunday night. I didn’t want to take him with me to meet them in case it didn’t work out. So the following weekend was when I’d mentally pencilled it in. I couldn’t wait.
‘What has you smiling so much today?’ asked Jean-Claude as he observed me with a curious look on his face.
‘My best friend is getting married, in what’s going to be the most amazing dress,’ I nodded, flicking my head over to where she stood on a pedestal, with Giorgio pinning up the bottom of it. ‘It’s my special birthday weekend, I get to have fun with you all tonight, see my parents tomorrow, and I think I actually have a boyfriend that might go the distance.’
‘I thought you weren’t dating again after that toothless, and spineless, poor excuse for a Matador?’ he frowned.
‘I wasn’t going to, but Poppie insisted her friend was just my type and it’s been going really well.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?!’ he demanded, standing up and plonking down his champagne on the table.
‘I wanted to be sure he was right for me before I started letting people know. And I really think he might be. I was going to introduce you to him at the club tonight. Why are you so cross with me?’
‘Honestly, Paige, this is getting ridiculous,’ he snapped, gesturing emphatically. ‘First I have you losing your curves that made me fall in love with you in the first place and Vivian has to work wonders on concealing the bags under your eyes from all of your tears as you got over that … imbecile, Spencer. I think things are finally getting back to normal and you go on a date with King Kong, then turn up needing more concealer on your bottom for scars that will never fade from the last encounter. I ask you, what next?’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise it was in my contract that I had to ask your permission to date,’ I snapped in response. What was this?
‘You are ruining all of my plans,’ he muttered, storming out of the room, French expletives leaving his mouth as he slammed the door.
‘What was that all about?’ called Poppie.
‘I have absolutely no idea,’ I replied earnestly, with a shake of my head. ‘If he wasn’t gay, I’d think he was upset that I was seeing someone else instead of him.’
‘Do you want me to go and have a word?’
‘No, leaving him alone when he gets in a mood is the best thing. He’ll be over whatever riled him up in a while. Honestly, it’s not like I cause a load of problems at work with my … lack of a love life, is it?’
‘Maybe he had another model lined up for you.’
‘No more models,’ I replied, shaking my head firmly. ‘Been there, done that.’
‘And got a crick in the neck to prove it,’ Poppie giggled, earning herself a stern Italian glare as her body moved while Giorgio was working.
‘Designers,’ I mouthed with a roll of my eyes.
I was sitting in one of the booths of the VIP area of the club, feeling incredibly merry. Two glasses of champagne at ModOne, then three cocktails before we came here, despite having an amazing pasta lunch, had my head spinning. Dom was making us all laugh with stories about his best friend Coco, who it seemed had as much luck dating men as I did. Until now, that was. I sighed happily as I spotted Flash talking to one of the bouncers and pointing over the private dance floor at me. He was dressed in his navy suit, fresh from a late night at work in the financial district, and was looking really dapper with a pair of braces. I bolted out of the booth and ran across the busy dance floor as he headed over, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.
‘Wow, that’s some greeting,’ he grinned, slipping his arms around my waist, his brown eyes sparkling.
‘Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a little drunk and I’ve actually missed you, though I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that after only five weeks of dating,’ I whispered, putting my finger over my lips.
‘I’d encourage you to say it as I’ve missed you too, and wasn’t sure if I was going to be pressuring you by saying it first. Happy birthday.’
‘It’s not actually until tomorrow, I’m still only twenty-nine. I don’t want to be thirty, it will make me a cougar dating a twenty-something,’ I pouted.
‘I’m twenty-eight, Paige, it’s not like you’re in your forties or fifties. Besides, I kind of like having a hot older model as a girlfriend.’
‘You think I look hot?’ I batted my eyelashes at him, feeling a little flirtatious and adventurous with a few drinks in me.
‘Crazily hot,’ he growled, cocking his head to run his eyes down my body. I had a designer black mini dress on, which had a high neck front, long sleeves, and a sequin mini skirt, with a plunging back that exposed my spine all the way down to the arch of my back. It was a good thing my girls were still pert and buoyant as I couldn’t get away with a bra in this. I’d teamed it with a pair of peep-toe, laser-cut knee-high boots that made me over six foot tall. ‘But then, I always thought so.’ He grabbed my hand and led me to the middle of the dance floor, then tugged me back towards him, crushing me against his chest as his hands slid to my bottom and he started to move to the pounding music. And he could move. His stock was rising rapidly by the minute, not to mention something else I could feel rising as we gyrated sexily to the beat. ‘Stay with me tonight,’ he whispered throatily in my ear.
‘You’ve no idea how much I want to, but I’m drunk and I want to remember our first time,’ I replied, weaving my fingers into his blond hair as his lips moved up and down my neck, completely melting me. ‘I don’t have a great track record when it comes to dating, I don’t want to mess this up. I really like you.’
‘I really like you too, Paige. Excuse me for a minute, I need to pop to the gents, then I’ll go and order a bottle of champagne.’
‘Kiss me first,’ I ordered. He did and I squealed with laughter as he lifted me off the floor and spun me around while he did. ‘Stop, stop, you’ll make me sick, I’m already giddy.’ I grinned as I watched him walk away, cocking my head to check out his toned backside as he disappeared. I spun around a little too fast for someone in my state wearing a pair of ridiculously high boots and felt someone quickly clasp my elbow to steady me as I fell against them.
‘Ok, lady?’ the older guy asked.
‘Perfect,’ I beamed. ‘Thanks for that.’
‘Anytime, babe,’ he grinned. I yanked my arm out of his grasp as I saw him eyeing up my backside. I was about to head back over to our booth when I did a double take at the entrance to the VIP section, sure I’d just seen Alec standing there. My stomach fluttered and my heart started racing as I scanned the area looking for him. I could see the back of a tall, broad blond heading towards the stairs down to the ground floor where the regular clubbers were. I started pushing my way through the crowds trying to catch up with him. What was he doing here? Why wouldn’t he come and say hello? I hadn’t seen him since he walked out on me in Rome, nearly a year ago. I ran down the stairs, clinging to the banister tightly. Alcohol, stairs, heels, and Paige Taylor weren’t a great combination.
‘Alec?’ I yelled, still not totally convinced it was him as I watched the blond hair heading towards the VIP club entrance. I shrugged off another lecherous guy in the corridor, who mumbled something about my dres
s looking better on his bedroom floor. Did guys really think chat up lines like that worked? I burst out of the double doors to the surprise of the bouncers, not to mention the queues of people lined up waiting to get in. I ignored some of the flashbulbs going off as some of the press who hung out here waiting for celebrities started taking my picture, and looked left and right. If it was Alec, he was heading up the street, away from the club. I started running after him, narrowing the gap before I started calling his name. When he looked around, and I saw that it was in fact him, it was as if I’d just run into a brick wall. I heard a crack as the heel of my boot snapped and I landed with a bump, right on my backside on the rough pavement below me.
‘Paige, are you ok?’ he called, running back towards me.
‘No,’ I moaned as everything around me spun like I was on a carousel. ‘I’m drunk, I’ve broken my boot, my bottom hurts, and I’m nearly thirty!’
‘Yet you still manage to look amazing,’ he breathed as he crouched in front of me and held my chin, sweeping his thumb over my lower lip. ‘Happy birthday, drunk Paige.’
‘Thanks,’ I smiled, trying to focus on his divine blue eyes. ‘What are you doing here? Why didn’t you come and say hello?’
‘I was in London and Jean-Claude mentioned you were coming here to celebrate. I thought I’d come and wish you a happy birthday.’
‘But you didn’t. You were in the club and you walked away.’
‘I didn’t want to intrude, you were with your boyfriend and looked like you were having a good time.’
‘I was, I am, no, I was, I mean I am having a good time, until I just fell over and now I’m not, except it’s really nice to see you, so I guess I am.’
‘I’m so confused with that statement,’ he laughed. ‘But it’s really nice to see you too. Come on, let’s get you up, people are starting to look.’
‘Broken boot,’ I pointed.
‘So, let’s take them off and get you upright. Where’s your boyfriend?’
‘He went to the toilet. O no,’ I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
‘It’s bad for him to go to the toilet?’ Alec asked as he unzipped my one boot and carefully pulled it off.
‘No, but talking of toilets, I can smell poo. Is it you?’
‘Do I smell of poo? I sincerely hope not, or I’m never buying this aftershave in duty free again,’ he chuckled, unzipping my other boot as I stared at him. Every single time I thought I was over him, I saw him again and it just reminded me how much I wasn’t. I wondered if it was possible to have two great loves of your life. If Alec could be my one unrequited love and Flash, or someone else, would be my second. I sincerely hoped so, because living for another twelve years without anyone to love but a man who was in love with someone else wasn’t living at all. ‘Ok, up you get, take both of my hands.’
‘I’m sure I can smell poo.’
‘How drunk are you?’ he asked as he hauled me up.
‘Two glasses of champagne and three whole cocktails,’ I nodded, reaching out to grasp his jacket lapels as the floor felt like it was moving under my feet.
‘That’s a lot for you,’ he confirmed, his fingers holding my upper arms and his thumbs rubbing up and down them as we held each other’s gaze. ‘Does anything hurt?’
‘My bottom’s a bit sore. I had to have stitches after being chased by a bull.’
‘Never a dull moment with you, Paige Taylor,’ he advised with an adorably sexy half smile that showed me one of his gorgeous dimples. ‘Are you really ok? Happy, I mean. You looked happy before, but now I see you close up, your eyes look sad.’
‘They were expensive boots,’ I replied, not willing to admit that every time I saw him, I was filled with equal measures of happiness and despair.
‘I was being serious, Paige. I worry about you. I told you that all I ever wanted was for you to be happy.’
‘I am,’ I nodded. There was no point telling him how I really felt, not now that he’d set a date with Tiffany. You didn’t set dates unless you were madly in love. It seemed he’d finally got over me. He was obviously happy in his new life now, I somehow had to leave him behind and be happy in mine. ‘Really happy. He’s a nice, genuine guy. He has his own teeth, which is a step up from my last date, and he doesn’t live with a horny gorilla.’
‘Wow, a real catch indeed then,’ Alec laughed.
‘Are you happy too?’
‘Me?’ he frowned as he looked at me. ‘Of course I am, Paige. Why wouldn’t I be?’ he asked.
‘You look kind of sad, too.’ I reached up to touch his face, then thought better of it and pulled my hand away. He bit his lower lip, then opened his mouth to say something.
‘Paige?’ Flash’s voice called from behind me. ‘Is everything ok?’
‘Your boyfriend’s coming, I’d better go. I hope you have a great day tomorrow.’
‘Don’t go, come and join us. Jean-Claude and Pascal are there, Poppie and Justin and a whole load of others you know.’
‘I really ought to be going,’ he repeated, kissing me on the cheek. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. I had no idea when I was going to see him again. But maybe it was better if I didn’t. How was I ever going to move on if he kept dipping into my life, reminding me of what I’d lost.
‘Hi, Gordon Keller, Paige’s boyfriend, and you are?’ Flash asked as he slipped a hand around my waist in a territorial, staking-his-claim kind of way and extended his other hand.
‘Alec, Alec Wright, old friend and fashion photographer. Nice to meet you, Gordon. Paige was just catching up on a job we have coming up, when she broke her boot. I was about to escort her back inside, but now I know she’s in safe hands, I’ll leave you to it. Take care of her, will you, she’s had too much to drink,’ he advised, slightly stretching the truth to avoid me getting the third degree.
‘I will, don’t worry.’
‘Bye, Paige.’ Alec gave me one of his gorgeous dimpled smiles, making my heart ache.
‘Bye, Alec.’ I forced one in return as he turned and strode off. We were never going to collide. It was a stupid dream by two young kids who didn’t know that life didn’t always work out the way they wanted it to.
‘Are you ok? Do I need to be chivalrous and offer to carry you back inside as you have no shoes on?’
‘No,’ I smiled, picking up my boots from the floor. ‘I’ll be fine, but it was really sweet of you to offer.’
‘We’d better get back, everyone was wondering where you’d run off to.’
He held my hand as we headed back, the bouncers gesturing us past the queue and in through the VIP entrance, and we went to join our group who were all laughing and joking. I smiled, I was lucky really. I had a great job, an amazing group of friends, and a new boyfriend. Life wasn’t all bad.
‘What happened?’ Poppie asked, eyeing up the boots dangling from my hand.
‘You know me, why stay standing when you can fall over on a regular basis.’
‘What’s that smell?’ Dom frowned, sniffing the air. ‘It smells like … dog shit.’
‘I could smell it before, too. Have I trodden in it?’ I asked, lifting up my feet for him to check and looking up surprised as everyone started laughing. ‘I have, haven’t I? I’ve trodden in dog poo.’
‘No, but you sat in it,’ Poppie giggled. ‘It’s all matted in your sequins. That will never come out.’
‘No,’ I moaned, cranking my neck to see. Yet more humiliation, my boots and dress ruined in one night, and I was going to be thirty in a few minutes. This was a new low, even by my standards. ‘I’m going to have to go home to get changed.’
‘No you don’t,’ Flash advised, shrugging off his suit jacket and slipping down his braces.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked as he started to unbutton his shirt.
‘You can wear this, it’s probably longer than your dress and I can button up my jacket. That way the night’s not ruined.’
‘Well hello, Flash Gordon,’ Dom chuckled. ‘Have you
thought of getting into modelling? That’s a pretty toned body you have there.’
‘Mine’s not good enough for you?’ Calvin tutted, with a scowl at him.
‘Happy doing what I do,’ Flash replied, handing his discarded black shirt to me as Poppie slipped out of the booth and took my hand.
‘Come on, let’s go and get you changed. You’re not safe to be left on your own. Especially not at your age. Is thirty middle aged?’ she asked our friends behind us.
‘Thin ice,’ warned Jean-Claude as he sipped on his champagne.
‘Thank you.’ I kissed Flash as he pulled his braces up. ‘You saved the day.’
‘It’s what superheroes do,’ he grinned.
Jean-Claude’s driver dropped Poppie, Justin, and me off outside our building, and waited while Flash got out to kiss me goodbye.
‘I’ll call you tomorrow, birthday girl,’ he murmured against my lips.
‘Great, maybe we could arrange a sleep over soon,’ I suggested, holding my breath as I waited for his response.
‘How about next Friday? Come to stay at mine, we can order takeout.’
‘Great, give me the address and I’ll be there.’
‘69 Beatrice Street, Fulham. You know how my job is. To save you sitting waiting, I have a spare key under the second flower pot on the right. Turn up, let yourself in, help yourself to wine or whatever, but hopefully we can meet up before then.’
‘Hopefully,’ I confirmed, kissing him again.
‘For goodness sake, put him down, I’d like to get home,’ Jean-Claude moaned out of the limo window. He really was in a mood today, I had no idea what had got into him.
‘Thanks for the loan of the shirt.’
‘It looks better on you,’ Flash grinned.
‘And you look better without it,’ I winked over my shoulder as I headed inside, still clutching my broken boots. They were too expensive to throw away, someone somewhere would be able to fix them.
Until We Collide Page 19