“Force that down, it’ll soak up the fluids.” Dom advises as he pushes a fried bacon and egg sandwich in front of me. I take it through to the living room with another coffee.
“Thanks.” I try to smile as I bring the sandwich to my mouth. I take a bite and notice I can see the floor. I swallow my mouthful of food. “You cleaned up?”
Dom shrugs. “More like tidied up. I'm gonna take your bag out to the car while you finish eating. We need to leave ASAP, sweetheart.” He drops an affectionate kiss on my head and I smile up at him.
“Dom?” I call after him and he turns at the door. “Thanks, for everything. Being patient this last week and.., everything.”
Dom offers me a full toothed smile that makes my heart tighten in my chest. “You’re welcome. Happy birthday, midget.”
We make the flight with minutes to spare and quickly take our seats. My tummy has settled somewhat but as I buckle up I check I have a spew bag handy just in case I need to rop up. Thankfully I make it through take off and unfasten my belt. “You still won't tell me where we are going?” I give him pleading eyes but he smirks.
“Well, I think you guessed at Luton we’re headed for East Midlands airport.” He hints.
“Are we going to Birmingham?”
Dom shakes his head. “Nope. Somewhere much nicer. To be honest I couldn’t give a damn if this plane drops us off in the middle of nowhere, as long as we get away from the city and everyone in it. I’ve been desperate to get you alone,” he says quietly before trailing his thumb down my cheek. His eyes survey me like I’m some magical being. I smile warmly, struggling to put the man in front of me with the man in my mind that slagged about and forgot to mention he’d banged my arch rival. That man, I want to slap him, but the Dominic sat looking at me like I’m a prized jewel just exudes caring and compassion. How can the two sides of the same coin be so contradictory?
He puts his arm around me and pulls me to him. I can’t resist the comfort of his arms. I’ve craved it so much all week and I rest my face against his firm chest. He drops a kiss on my head and I close my eyes, inhaling his familiar scent and letting the warmth and security overcome me. At that moment it doesn’t matter where we are going, we could fly through Bermuda triangle and disappear off the face of the earth, with Dominic holding me close I know I’ll be safe, no matter where we ended up.
Less than two hours later we have landed at East Midlands Airport and collected the hire car. We set off on the M1 and after the little extra sleep on the plane I’m feeling semi human. The radio is playing quietly and Dominic is tapping his thumb on the steering wheel. I can’t bear it any longer and I bounce in my seat. “Come on now, Dom, spill. Where are we headed? Is it going to be a long drive?”
Dom chuckles at my new found enthusiasm. “Less than thirty minutes now. Patience, midget.”
“I’ve used up all my patience, Goliath. I wanna know.” I pout and he laughs, quickly running his finger over my plumped bottom lip before returning his attention back to the monotonous motorway driving.
“Aww, poor baby. Okay, I’ll tell you.” He relents and I grin smugly. “My parent’s might have lived in Birmingham but most summers I stayed with my Dad’s parent’s in Matlock. My Dad inherited their cottage when they passed away. He refuses to move there because he doesn’t love the seclusion of the place, he prefers the city, unlike me.”
“Matlock? Like, countryside and Emmerdale style living? I thought you loved city life?”
“I do, it’s where the people I love are.” He smiles at me. “As well as music, work, clubbing. I just miss the peace and tranquillity of Matlock sometimes. It’s nice to wake to the church bells rather than car alarms sometimes, don’t you think?”
I shrug. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never woken to church bells,” I chuckle. “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.”
“We’ll see, sweetheart.” He winks and get a frizzle of excitement run through me.
“I can’t imagine you growing up in the countryside,” I admit.
“Oh, I was a proper farmer’s boy,” he jokes. “Dirty dungarees and muddy wellies.”
“Liar?” I call his bluff and he laughs, a deep throaty sound that makes my insides quiver.
“Yeah, I’m kidding. I did love the freedom the countryside gave you though. Imagine an adventurous twelve year old with nothing before him but miles and miles of green fields, an old castle to explore and a village of locals to terrorise. Me and Joe, who lived about half a mile down the lane, were always finding some local myth or legend to investigate,” he chuckles, watching the road and I laugh.
“You sound like you must have given your Grandparents a hard time keeping you out of trouble,” I tease. I can just picture him now, a cheeky chappy with shining eyes the colour of the fields and a smile that could have gotten him away with murder.
“Maybe, but they loved having me and I loved going to stay with them.”
We chat about some of the local tales and some of his adventures and we are soon pulling onto a narrow country road that seems to go on forever until he turns into a driveway on the left. There is a small stone wall around the front and I’m taken back by the age of the cottage. The beautiful garden leads up the side of the house and I can already picture it in spring and summer, bursting with blooms and shrubbery. I’m stood back admiring the size of the place when Dominic gets our bags and stands beside me, looking up at the place.
“What do you think? Will it do for the night?”
“Dom, it’s beautiful. Do you know how old the place is?”
“It was built in 1667. The dates in the stone above the door, come, I’ll show you.” He smiles and starts up the path rounding the side of the house. The path opens onto a beautiful garden that looks immaculately kept to say the house stands empty. Dominic unlocks the door and indicates the stone, which is indeed marked 1667. “When this cottage was built there were only three other stone built properties in the area. Apparently, the dude who built it had a sister married into riches over at Riber castle.” He shrugs before guiding me into a small lobby. It’s quaint and surprisingly spacious. I had a mental image of a tiny shoebox of a house.
I follow Dominic through to the drawing room which has all the typical features of a listed building of this age with beamed ceilings, stone mullioned windows and a stone fireplace with open fire. The furnishings are tastefully modern but stay with the cottage theme and just scream comfortable living. “This place is beautiful, Dom,” I mumble, still gawping and I go to the south facing windows that overlook a paddock and the endless miles of green pastures beyond. It’s breath taking. “I can’t believe your dad doesn’t want to live here.”
“Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the place.” Dom nods and I follow him through to a beautiful kitchen with Smallbone units and granite worktops, it’s still quaint but has modern appliances. You can just envisage this place decades ago. “I had the maintenance lady dad pays stock us up with everything we’ll need. I just have to build a fire.” Dom smiles before taking my hand and leading me out onto a beautiful terrace that I can imagine sitting out on during a warm summer night. Right now though it’s cold and I’m glad I wore my warmest coat, the wind just bites through you. Dom must notice this and pulls my back to his chest, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight.
“I think this is the perfect place for us to talk, Dominic.” I can see my breath in the cold and Dom kisses the top of my head.
“That’s what I was aiming for, sweetheart. There will be no distractions, you’ll have my undivided attention and I’ll have yours. If we wanted privacy we’ll get that in abundance here. Nobody could find us if they tried.”
I smile, loving the idea, but it soon wavers when I think about us discussing our problems. We both fall into silence, probably thinking about the same thing, looking out at the miles of undisturbed landscape in front of us. I feel like I’ve escaped the whole human race, except for the one person I would
never want to escape from. The man I want to escape with.
“I imagine the pace of life here is so slow and leisurely?” I sigh, letting the calm tranquillity soothe me.
“I imagine I sped it up somewhat when I visited.” I can hear the smirk in his voice. “But on the whole it’s the complete opposite of London. Come on, want to see my old room?” He pulls me back inside and grabs our bags. I follow him up to the second floor and we pass by an open door which is an office that doubles as a makeshift library. One wall is full of book shelves from floor to ceiling and the view from the windows is even better than the drawing room.
I catch up to Dominic and as he puts our bags on a large bed against a bare stone wall. It’s a small and cosy room with more low beamed ceilings and small windows on two walls. The floors are stained wood and the drapes and bedding are all cream lace. There’s a lack of natural light so he turns on a lamp.
“This was my room. I thought it was great that I had a double bed like my parents when I visited,” he chuckles. “The bathroom is just across the hall and there’s fresh towels. I’m just going to make a fire if you want to explore a little more.”
I smile and nod, unzipping the coat I haven’t removed because the house is chilly. “Okay, I’ll be down in just a minute.”
Dom kisses me on the cheek before disappearing back downstairs. I throw my coat on the bed and head to the window, taking in the beauty of the view. Dominic is right, seeing so much seemingly untouched land around you it does give you the urge to explore and adventure. It looks like there is nothing out there except for the odd flock of sheep but when I look out of the other window in the distance I see a small church and I check my watch for the time. Only a few minutes to the hour. I daren’t open the window as they look as old as the house but I decide to wait and see if the church bells mark the hour. I make my way through to the library and scour the shelves, noting an eclectic taste in reading. There seems to be everything from cookery and gardening books to literature about the second world war and even some classic British literature.
I startle when I hear the church bell toll, marking 1pm. I giggle at my own jumpiness because I knew to expect it but the quiet of the cottage just makes peace seep into your bones. It seems to soothe your mind and bring calm to your soul. Which exactly what I’m going to need when Dominic and I get around to having the talk I’ve been dreading.
Chapter 15
I head off downstairs and find Dominic in the kitchen making ham salad sandwiches. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
“I am. Do you need a hand?” I ask from the doorway.
“No, I’m fine. Go through and I’ll bring it to you in a few minutes.”
I do as I’m told. The drawing room is so cosy now there is a fire burning and rather than take a seat on the sofa I sit on the hearth rug and put my hands out to the heat. The smell of burning wood and the crackling sound is strange to witness indoors to me and it reminds me of bonfire night. I watch as the flames flick and I’m entranced by their dance. I seem to fade off deep into thought about what it would have been like if my parents and I had lived here when I was growing up.
“Here you go, sweetheart. I’ve put some beef on to simmer for a stew later but this will tide us over for a while.” He hands me my plate before sitting beside me and putting our coffees on a low table.
“Thanks, babe.” I smile and he hits the remote for the iPod secretly nestled in the corner. Ed Sheeran, Thinking Out Loud, starts to play quietly. “So, how come you never moved in here?” I tuck into my sandwich and Dominic’s eyes seem to glaze a little when he considers his answers. He swallows his bite of sandwich before replying.
“My parents divorced when I was fifteen. My dad moved in here for a while so mum and I could stay in Birmingham. The plan was that I would visit here at the weekends. I resented my dad though and started making excuses not to visit. I think what he did kind of tainted my memories of the place.”
“Oh, so you blamed your dad for your parents’ divorce?” I ask before taking a bite of my sandwich.
“He was the one who had an affair. I think mum tried to forgive him, move past it, for my sake but the resentment just ripped them apart.” Dom takes a sip of his coffee. “I hated him for it. I was at an age where I really needed male guidance but I’d never ask for his advice. I mean, what could he teach me? He couldn’t even keep a marriage together. Seeing mum hurting so much just fed my anger towards him and I wrongfully punished his parents the same way. I’d dodge visits, even at Christmas. I didn’t even call to check in with them. I regret that now. When dad moved back to Birmingham he tried to be a part of my life but I kept him at arms length.”
“I can understand that. Your formative years aren’t easy without your parents,” I agree.
“You must think I’m a proper dick, shunning parents and grandparents when you would have given anything to have yours around you as a teen?”
“No, I can see why you would want to distance yourself from someone you didn’t seem a worthy role model. But I also know anyone can make a mistake and sometimes you just have to forgive or you’re going to lose someone important in your life.”
“Am I important in your life, Tara?” Dom quietly asks and I pause, my sandwich midway to my mouth. Dom’s eyes are full of pleading again and I swallow hard.
“Of course you are,” I practically whisper.
“Important enough to forgive?” He whispers back and he moves to sit in front of me. I put my sandwich down and take his hand. I hate that he looks so scared of my answer.
“Dominic, I think me just being here proves I want to forgive you. The thing is, I’m still so angry with you. Not for what happened between you and Lucy but for the fact everyone knew but me. Don’t you think I deserved to know? Did you think you could hide it forever?”
Dom looks at the fire before he screws his eyes closed and looks annoyed. “Tara, I wanted to tell you. I knew you should know, but how the hell was I supposed to bring it up? You don’t just drop into conversation that you’ve laid your girlfriends vocational rival.” Dom looks pained. “I know ignoring the issue wouldn’t make it go away but I was so swept up in you Lucy was the last thing on my mind.”
“At first I was hurt that you were omitting the fact but I was also humiliated, Dominic. Everyone knew but me. I need to know nothing else is going come out that to make me look ridiculous. No ex fuck buddies going to turn up with a baby claiming you’re the daddy?”
Dom splutters and his eyes widen. “No, Tara! Of course not! Listen, I may have got around a bit…” I roll my eyes at the understatement, flicking him an unimpressed look. “Okay, maybe more than most, but I have always been careful. Every single time.”
“But what if you’ve not got this lust to shag about out of your system, Dominic? What if another woman throws herself at you? How the hell am I supposed to trust you when you yourself admit you were nothing more than a whore?”
“You can trust me! I know I can do nothing to prove this unless you give me a chance, but believe me, Tara, I saw myself for what I was in Birmingham. If anything it was Lucy that made me realise this.” He looks to be desperately trying to think of a way to convince me and I hate that he looks so panic stricken.
“How did Lucy do that?” I’m confused now.
“I already told you that I… God, there’s no nice way to word this, Tara, and I hate that you even have to hear this…” He looks slightly sickened and I see he is hesitant to continue.
“I can’t understand if you don’t explain though. I’ve got my big girl pants on, hit me with it and don’t try to glitter coat the shit. Let’s call a turd a turd and just tell it how it is.” I demand.
“How it was. It’s not like that anymore.” He is sure to emphasise this before squaring me with a look, ready to level with me. “Firstly, I was a twat. A grade A prick even. I grew up finding it stupidly easy to convince girls to sleep with me, even older girls. My mates thought I was some sort of tutor and asked me to he
lp them get laid. I wouldn’t think twice about fucking a girl I’d known less than an hour and walking away with a pat on the back from my mates and still no idea of her name.” He grimaces at his teenage attitude to sex. “The older I got the more I mastered the ability to fuck and walk away without any guilt or regret. Even the memorable lays were still nameless or one time events. I never took any numbers or gave mine out. If one of them got hold of my number I would change it rather than go back for a repeat performance or answer any questions. My actions were ruthlessly selfish and my attitude worse still. Emotions never came into play in my sex life.”
“So what was so different about Lucy that made you go back for another go?” My stomach audibly rolls and I move my half eaten sandwich away, now positively sickened by the thought that I may well be up there in the hundreds if Dom tried to count the amount of women he’d bedded.
“I was a shallow, greedy bastard, Tara. You have to understand that. I lived for the weekends and the guys all urged me on, often betting on how many woman I could pull if I tried. When you refused to play at our hard house event the obvious answer to everyone was to book Lucy Hart. She was your arch rival and we had promised the guys a female headliner. That meant either you or Lucy. I wanted you. I knew your reputation and the guys said if there was anyone I wouldn’t be able to.., lure in…” His eyes flick to mine and I see his shame. “Then it would be you.”
“So I was a fucking bet?” I grind out and Dom grabs my hand, shaking his head vehemently.
“No, no, no. Please, let me explain.” His eyes beg and I feel my heart pounding in my chest, my temper flaring. “When you refused to play we had to book Lucy. The punters wanted a female DJ, but one the best. So you left us with no choice. The night Lucy played she was all over me. It kinda goes without saying I wasn’t one to turn down a quick shag, the fact that it was Lucy Hart just gave me more bragging rights.”
Disrespectful Diva (DJ #2) Page 19