‘And exactly what is this?’
‘It’s us, Abigail, you and me and the future.’ He looked at me, his eyes pleading with me to agree. I had no answers, I didn’t dare think that far ahead, so I leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth. He returned my kiss with so much passion that within seconds everything we’d been talking about was forgotten. In that moment, we had only this, this fire, this passion that could be ignited by even the smallest touch. He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the door.
‘Bedroom…’ I murmured into his mouth’ … that way.’ I gestured towards the end of the hallway and he carried me towards my room. He kicked open the door and went inside, lowering me to the floor so we were standing face to face. I didn’t know what to do next; he looked so out of place in my tatty bedroom, with his sharp suit and expensive watch making it obvious that he didn’t belong there. What was I thinking? I felt awkward and shy. I wasn’t totally inexperienced but I wondered if there were new things I should have learned? Perhaps I should have done some research – looked up ‘New sex moves for the perpetually frigid’ online – that might have helped. Or not. I decided to just power through and pray that I didn’t do anything embarrassing. I pushed his jacket off his shoulders but then I didn’t know what to do with it. I couldn’t throw it on the floor; it was bloody Armani, I noticed. I lobbed it over onto the chair in the corner of my room and Jack laughed. God, I loved that sound!
‘I don’t care about the suit, Abigail. Tear it off me with your teeth if you want.’
I shook my head.
‘I mean it. Now turn around.’ I did as I was told; he lifted my shirt up and over my head and then began to drop kisses down my back until he was kneeling on the floor behind me. He grasped my hips and turned me back to face him. This was it, I told myself; this was the moment he would be confronted with my stretch marks and suddenly realise that this was all a dreadful mistake. He undid the buttons on my jeans and pulled them slowly down my legs. My knees were shaking as I stood there in my underwear, in front of a man who was so gorgeous it made my brain hurt. He was kneeling in front of me as if I were a goddess to be worshipped and, most startlingly, he hadn’t fled from the room at the sight of my body! He began to nip and kiss my skin as he stood back up, his hands travelling slowly over my hips, until they came to rest on my breasts. I swallowed nervously as he reached around to unclasp my bra. In one swift move, he took it off and dropped it to the floor before cupping both my breasts greedily in his hands and kissing them gently.
‘This isn’t fair,’ I moaned as he began to suck gently on one of my nipples. Oh, God, it felt so amazing. ‘I’m practically naked and you’re still almost completely dressed.’ He raised his head from my breasts and just shrugged.
‘What should we do about that, then?’ he asked, coyly. I knew exactly what to do about that. Slowly, with my fingers slightly trembling, I unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. Christ on a bike! I was confronted with the most beautiful chest I’d ever seen and a set of abs most blokes could only dream of. A faint line of dark hair disappeared down into his waistband; he was like something out of a magazine and I couldn’t stop smiling.
‘Are you laughing at me?’ he asked.
‘Good God, no,’ I cried, ‘but, I mean, look at you. And then look at me. It’s ridiculous. You can’t really want to—’
‘Stop!’ he exclaimed, grabbing both my hands. ‘Just stop, okay?’
‘What? I’m just being honest.’
He held my palms against his chest and I could feel his heart was thudding as much as mine. ‘You are maddening, Abigail. How many times do I have to tell you how beautiful and sexy and strong you are before you believe it?’
I leant my forehead on his chest and tried to remember how to breathe.
‘You are wonderful. You raised a child practically single-handed, a child who has grown into a beautiful and smart young woman. You did that, no one else. You don’t know how strong you are. I am in awe of you, Abigail.’
I could feel tears pricking the backs of my eyes and my throat was choked with emotion. Wordlessly I pushed him back towards my bed and he sat down; I made short work of removing the rest of his clothes.
‘Impressive,’ he smirked. ‘Your turn.’
I hooked my thumbs inside my underwear and slid them slowly down my legs.
‘Gorgeous,’ he said, his eyes raking over every inch of my naked body. I didn’t feel self-conscious, I felt strong and desirable. I wanted this, I’d chosen to make this happen and, for once, I wasn’t going to hold back. He pulled me onto the bed and we lay there, face to face. And yes, I was aware that this was not the best ‘breast angle’ for a woman of my age but I didn’t care.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked. I’m sure he was just waiting for me to freak out and change my mind. To be fair, I had done that plenty of times to him recently, but he needn’t have worried.
‘I’m good, great, actually. I haven’t felt this way for a long time. It’s a nice feeling.’ I leaned closer and kissed him, gently at first but then it grew. The kiss deepened into something more passionate. My hands were in his hair, grabbing fistfuls and pulling him closer, as he slid his hand between my thighs and I gasped.
‘I want you, Jack. Now. I don’t want to wait any more.’ My voice was thick with desire.
‘You are my beautiful girl, Abigail. It’s always been you.’
Chapter 23
I woke with a start and my heart sank as I realised I was alone; no sign of Jack. Perhaps I really had been that bad in bed and rather than face me he’d done a runner while I slept? I looked at my clock; it was 8.30 a.m. What the hell? Jack and I had spent most of yesterday in bed. He hadn’t been joking when he’d said he wanted to spend hours making me come. I thought I’d managed to hold my own, as it were, but maybe not. I needed to get up. I couldn’t lie there all day, obsessing over my obvious lack of skills in the boudoir.
I pulled on my pyjamas, but I couldn’t find my dressing gown; I figured Lucy had borrowed it again. I kept telling her to get her own; she said she preferred mine because it smelled like me and, after years of wear, it was very soft, if a little bit ratty. I grabbed a sweatshirt instead and made my way to the kitchen; I needed a bucket of tea before I could even contemplate facing this day.
As I came down the hall I could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Pushing open the door, I was greeted by the sight of Jack, wearing my missing dressing gown and not much else. He was pouring hot water into the teapot and he’d laid my little kitchen table ready for breakfast for two. Relief flooded through me; he hadn’t left. He was still there, in my kitchen making me breakfast and looking ridiculous. I practically sprinted across the kitchen and threw my arms around his neck.
‘Hey, what’s all this? Good morning to you too.’
‘I woke up and you weren’t there,’ I rambled. ‘I thought you’d gone.’ I could feel traitorous tears forming. Jack held me at arm’s length and looked deep into my eyes.
‘Oh, baby, how could you think that? After yesterday, after everything I said, everything we did—’ he gave me a knowing look ‘—there’s no way I’m going anywhere. You have to believe that.’ He looked at me imploringly; I couldn’t answer, I just wiped away the tears and nodded. He pulled me close and kissed me tenderly.
‘That’s better. Now, how do you like your eggs?’ He moved around my kitchen, making himself very at home, but he did look ridiculous in my fluffy pink dressing gown. It barely covered his very fine arse and only just met at the front; if anyone had walked in they would have been treated to a real eyeful. What about Lucy? I panicked; where was she? I was ashamed to say that I didn’t even know if she’d come home last night. I was hoping that she hadn’t since there was currently a half-naked man in the kitchen, bending over to look for eggs in the fridge.
‘Have you seen Lucy?’
‘Not this morning. I heard her come home late last night, but I think she left again soon after. You were very vocal, I seem to recall.
Maybe she couldn’t handle the noise.’ He gave me a wink.
‘Oh, God, no. Please don’t say she heard us. That would be so embarrassing, for her and for me!’ I put my head in my hands and then I heard Jack chuckling.
‘You’re lying, aren’t you? That’s not funny, Jack.’
‘I couldn’t resist. You look beautiful when you’re embarrassed.’ He turned his attention back to scrambling eggs and I felt little fireworks exploding in my heart at his compliment.
I spotted my phone, on the side by the sink, and went to fetch it. As if by magic a message from Lucy popped up.
Morning Mum. Don’t know if you’re still having your little sleepover party but just to say I won’t be home until this afternoon. Going out shopping with Becca, be back about 4!
I let out a sigh of relief and sat down at the kitchen table as Jack placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of me.
‘Everything okay?’
‘Yes, fine. Lucy isn’t coming home until later so…’
‘So…?’ His face lit up with a wolfish grin.
‘Sit down and eat your eggs, you pervert. They look very nice. It would be a shame to waste all your hard work.’ I picked up a forkful and put them in my mouth. I swallowed and made deliberately sexy moaning noises while he stood beside me watching.
‘Fuck the eggs!’ Jack pulled me from my chair and crushed his mouth against mine. I returned the kiss, as Jack reached past me and swept everything off the table. The crash of plates and cutlery didn’t distract either of us from our goal.
‘Arms up,’ he ordered. I happily complied as he removed my sweatshirt and pyjama top in one easy motion. He made equally light work of my pyjama bottoms and suddenly I was lying naked on my kitchen table. It was surreal: I was naked in my kitchen, about to have yet more mind-bending sex with the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on, and he was looking at me as if I were the sexiest woman on the planet; things like that just didn’t happen to me. It made me feel brave; I sat up and untied the belt on the dressing gown he was wearing. He shrugged it off and I gazed at his amazing body one more time.
‘Oh, my goodness, you truly are a sight to behold.’ It was his turn to look a little sheepish at my overt admiration.
‘I like to work out, Abigail. It helps me focus. It’s no big deal.’ His dark eyes raked up and down my body and the look he gave me made my pulse jump in anticipation. ‘Now, that’s enough about me. Let’s talk about what I’m going to do with you and this delicious body of yours.’ He leaned over me and began kissing a trail down my stomach. It felt so good and I was more than happy to lie back and let him continue with his mission. His hand gently traced a path along my thigh and then up between my legs. I raised my head to watch him and he met my gaze, giving me a wicked grin.
‘Lie back, baby, just relax.’
Relax? How could I be expected to relax when every nerve in my body was standing to attention? I closed my eyes and murmured my pleasure, but my contented mood was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing; it was coming from my bedroom. It wasn’t mine; it had to be Jack’s.
‘Jack, wait, your phone, it’s your phone.’
‘I’m busy. They’ll call back if it’s important,’ he muttered into my stomach and carried on kissing his way down.
‘Oh, God, that feels so good,’ I murmured. The phone had stopped ringing, thankfully. I returned my focus to Jack’s mouth and its ultimate destination, but I was disturbed again by the sound of his phone.
‘They really want you, whoever it is,’ I said. At least that was what I thought I said; I was finding it hard to get my mouth to form actual words at that moment.
‘Damn it!’ Jack muttered. He stood and took my hands to pull me back up into a sitting position on the table.
‘It’s fine, don’t worry. You go and answer it while I deal with all this.’ I gestured to the discarded breakfast mess that was all over my floor. The phone had stopped ringing but within seconds it started again.
‘I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.’
‘I’m naked in my kitchen – where am I likely to go?’
He took my face in his hands and gave me a lingering kiss, before he walked away. He hadn’t bothered to put my robe back on and I was a tiny bit ashamed to admit that I watched his gorgeous butt all the way down the hall until it disappeared into my room.
Naked cleaning was not a pastime I was comfortable with, so I pulled on my discarded pyjamas before fetching a dustpan and brush from under the sink. I scooped up eggs and broken plates and dropped the whole lot into the bin. I was on my knees wiping the floor with a cloth when Jack came back. I was surprised, and more than a little bit disappointed, to see he was dressed.
‘Everything all right?’
‘Yeah, well, no. Look, I hate to do this to you, but I have to go.’ He couldn’t look me in the eye.
‘Oh, right. Of course, that’s fine.’ I didn’t know what else to say.
‘It’s nothing… just a work thing. I’ll call you. Okay?’ He turned to walk away but then stopped by the door and looked back to me. ‘I’m sorry, Abigail.’ He looked so sad and my heart sank to my feet.
‘It’s fine. Don’t worry. We’ll talk later.’ I was aiming for bright and breezy, but I think I fell short. Something had changed but I didn’t know what. Jack didn’t answer me, he just turned and walked out. I heard the door close softly behind him and I was left holding my dustpan and brush and wondering what the fuck had just had happened.
Chapter 24
‘So, he just left?’ Liz refilled my wine glass. I’d been sitting at her breakfast bar for the last half an hour, trying to make some sense out of what had happened. Liz frowned as she stirred pasta sauce on her hob.
‘Yes, he just left.’ I took a sip of my wine. ‘He left the room to take a call, when he came back he was dressed and then he left.’
‘And he hasn’t called?’
‘Nope.’
‘And it’s now seven thirty and you haven’t called him?’
‘No, I bloody well haven’t! And why should I? He walked out on me without a word. I’m not calling him.’
‘All right, all right. Sorry I mentioned it. For what it’s worth, I think you’re right. He should be the one to call you.’
‘Thank you.’
Liz went back to stirring her sauce and sipping her wine for a few minutes. Then she said, ‘Just tell me again how good the sex was, though.’
‘Liz!’
‘Oh, go on. Humour this old married lady. How many times did he make you come?’ She sniggered behind her wine glass and I couldn’t help smiling.
‘I’m not talking about it anymore. It was nice but now it’s over. And I’m all right.’
‘Are you sure? You do look all right but with you I can never tell. You’re very good at hiding things.’
‘A skill I must have learned from my mother. Cheers, Mum!’ I raised my glass to her. Her lies, about my dad and my brother, were something I was coming to terms with; I might not have agreed with how she’d gone about things, but I thought I was starting to understand her reasons why. Maybe.
‘Any more word from that horrible Egan man?’ asked Liz.
‘No, nothing. He’s probably buggered off back to Spain. I do wonder, though…’
‘Wonder what?’
‘Well, if there is a million pounds that’s still unaccounted for, and me and Matt don’t have it, then where did it go?’
Liz didn’t reply; she switched off the gas under the sauce and went over to the bureau in the corner of her kitchen. She picked up her laptop and brought it over to me, placing it down without saying a word. When the screen sprang to life, I saw the results of a search Liz had been doing; stories about Jack and his business.
‘What’s all this?’ I asked, putting down my glass and scrolling through the pages.
‘I did a bit of research. It was something Hector said to me at the party. You remember Hector?’
I cast my mind back to the laun
ch party, to the night Jack had re-entered my life.
‘Hector the company lawyer? The old boy who kept staring at my boobs?’
‘Yes, that’s him. He made some remark about Jack’s family and their money. About not being sure where it all came from.’
‘Jack’s a businessman. He develops computer stuff – he told me so.’
‘I know, but how much do you know about him really? He’s been out of your life for so many years. I mean, who knows what he’s been up to over in America?’
‘He’s been working, building up his business. I don’t see what you’re getting at.’
‘Just look, here, this article says that Jack’s business grew up from nowhere. He’s got some very influential clients – they wouldn’t just take a punt on a nobody with no backing. Where did he get the kind of money he’d need to start that kind of business in the first place?’
I opened my mouth to answer but realised I couldn’t – the truth was, I didn’t know. I’d just taken his word for it, about the business, about a lot of things. ‘Are you saying that Jack’s family have had the missing money all these years?’
‘You did say that they disappeared not long after your dad did. It seems a bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?’
‘Jack knows all about Egan and his threats – if he had the money he would have told me. He wouldn’t put me in danger like that.’ Would he?
‘You’re probably right. Forget I mentioned it.’ Liz closed the laptop and went back to preparing dinner. ‘Do you want linguine or tagliatelle with this sauce?’
‘Anything is fine.’
Liz nodded and carried on cooking.
‘There’s just no way that Jack or his family could have the money. Jack’s mum married a really rich bloke – she wouldn’t need to keep stolen money.’ I took a large mouthful of my wine. My head was spinning – not from the wine, more from everything that had happened. I felt as if I was about to faint.
‘Are you all right? You’ve gone very pale.’
‘Could I have some water?’ I croaked.
Secrets and Tea at Rosie Lee's Page 26