Nobody Knows

by Rebecca Barber

  Chapter Three

  Despite the icy cold wind that had kicked up, I didn’t feel a thing. I was completely intoxicated by the man in front of me. As we rounded the corner, he pushed me up against the side of the building and kissed me passionately, his warm, strong hands cupping my face, lifting it up to his. I didn’t even feel the bricks scraping at my skin through the flimsy material of my dress.

  When I eventually pulled back, I sucked in long cold breaths. I watched hypnotized as puffs of condensation lifted up between us. “What was that about?” I asked, not really sure whether I was asking Joel for an answer, or myself. Joel shrugged, annoyed, which just made me want him even more. “So, where’s this car?” I said, finally remembering why we had come out in the cold.

  Joel began to walk away, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his head down, trying to keep out of the wind. I just stood there, frozen hopelessly to the spot. As anger began to bubble up inside of me, I watched as Joel spun around. “Are you coming or not?” He grinned cheekily.

  I wanted to run to him, but forced my feet to take slow, steady steps. He stood at the corner, hands buried deep inside his jean pockets, his beaming smile lighting up the night. I was completely smitten, and I hoped that his kiss was an indication that he was as well.

  When I reached his side, he took my hand and stepped onto the road and led me towards a car park. “Which one?” I asked nervously. I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful cars I had ever seen. Ferraris, BMWs, Porsches and even a Maserati.

  “Over there,” he said, heading in the direction he indicated. He pulled the keys from his pocket and pressed the button. The lights flashed, and it became obvious which car was his, a sparkling, metallic black, Audi TT convertible. I heard myself gasp. How could someone his age have such an imposing car?

  “Is that all?” I teased, trying my best not to appear impressed. Slapping my bum playfully, he began kissing my neck feverishly. I couldn’t tell whose arms were going where as I ravished his body.

  “Not here,” I panted.

  “Okay,” he murmured in my ear, still kissing my neck.

  I pushed him away with all the force I could. We needed to get out of there. No way was I going to finish what we had started in a dirty, very public car park that had the strong stench of urine. As much as I wanted him, more than I had ever wanted anyone or anything before in my life, I wasn’t going to be that trashy. Picking up some guy in a bar was one thing, but having it on with him in the local car park was quite another.

  He slid across the bonnet like he was some kind of movie star. I was just afraid he would scratch the paint and blame me for it. If it was my car I wouldn’t be sliding over it, even if I was dressed head to toe in lamb’s wool. I jumped into the passenger seat and when we took off, gravel was sent flying about haphazardly as we fishtailed out of the car park.

  Without thinking, I turned in my seat to face him. I didn’t say a word as my hand came to rest on his thigh. I stared at his face as he tried to concentrate. I knew I was making it harder for him, but I didn’t really care. Up close he was even more perfect than I remembered from his office. He was handsome in a stylish, sophisticated playboy way.

  He pulled the car to a halt at a set of deserted traffic lights. “Hurry the fuck up,” he swore under his breath, looking over at me, my eyes still firmly fixed on his jaw line. I leant over as far as I could and kissed his cheek, then whispered in his ear. I was becoming as impatient as he was. The light turned green, and with a screech of the tires, and black smoke billowing out behind us, Joel took off.

  I had no idea where he was taking me, and the fact that my car was parked back near the bar wasn’t even an issue. Although I had a couple of drinks, I was by no means drunk—tipsy, yes. Confident, absolutely. Horny, definitely.

  When the car came to a halt in front of an immaculate cement rendered house, I was shaken back to reality. Joel had already jumped out of the car and was opening my door when I realized I still had my seatbelt on.

  “Wow,” I exclaimed, stepping from the car. “You live here?” I asked. Joel didn’t answer, he just began kissing the back of my neck and nuzzling my earlobes.

  “Have a look at this place,” I said in shock. It was the most beautiful home I had ever seen. The front yard, even the view from the driveway, was inspiring. I could hear running water somewhere close by, and a million tiny lights illuminated the front garden, showing off an immaculately landscaped yard.

  “I’ve seen it,” Joel murmur into my ear. “Let’s go inside.” He basically dragged me through the front door as I tried to take in as much beauty as I could, but my feet barely touched the ground as he led me through an oversized oak door.

  Inside was even more amazing. The high ceilings featured built in lights which had been switched on and then dimmed. Everything was pristine and perfect—white leather lounge, the biggest flat screen television I had ever seen hanging on the wall, the glass coffee table with no sign of magazines or even a coffee ring. It was one of those living areas that you saw only in the home decorating magazines. Everything was simple, stylish, modern, and all in its place. Beyond the lounge room I could see into the kitchen, where the granite bench tops had nothing on them, not even a toaster or a kettle. Everything was put away, and no trace of dust or even living.

  “Are you sure you live here?” I asked, trying to look around the rooms. I was secretly dying for the grand tour, I wanted to see more. I could only imagine what the bathroom would look like.

  In the midst of that thought Joel kicked off his shoes and ripped his shirt up over his head. I completely forgot about the house. If I thought his house was in perfect condition, his body was something else entirely. Everything that I guessed was under the suit when I first met him was there, and an even bigger surprise packet.

  Running my fingers softly over his flawless washboard six pack, I was completely and utterly gone. In that moment I forgot about everything else. Joel dropped to his knees and undid the zipper on my boots. It was the most erotic and sensual thing anyone had ever done to me. I knew I was melting and by the time he stood up again, and I stepped out of my boots, I wanted him. More than I had ever wanted anything before in my life.

  “Bedroom?” I panted desperately in his ear, the only chance I had of coming up for breath.

  As he tugged down the zipper on the back of my dress, I could feel my heart pounding and my pulse racing. I could feel the wet warmth of his breath on my quivering shoulders and my entire body was covered in tiny goose bumps. My dress fell to the floor, and for the first time I felt self-conscious. Before that moment I hadn’t thought of it, but standing in the middle of his perfect, oversize living room in only my black bra and underpants, I felt exposed and vulnerable—ashamed, even.

  But Joel didn’t give me a chance to think. Taking my hands in his, he led me towards the back of the house. Pushing open the bedroom door, I was surprised to see that even that was kept immaculate. The cynical part of me wondered if it was kept so perfect because tonight he was expecting to bring someone home, or if this was the way he actually lived.

  His jeans fell to the floor, and with the only free hand I had, I pushed the bedroom door closed.

  Chapter Four

  The night before had been a whirlwind. I awoke in a sun-filled bedroom, in the most luxurious sheets my body had ever known. They smelt of jasmine and something else, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I was transported to heaven. Lying there, breathing in the beautiful smells, I heard the shower turn off and realized where I was. This wasn’t some hotel room and room service wasn’t coming. I was in my real estate agent’s house. And someone, I hoped it was him, was about to finish in the shower.

  I knew Joel was older than me, and I was just hoping that this immaculate house he had brought me back to didn’t actually belong to someone else, someone with the same last name as him. “Please, don’t live with your parents,” I begged quietly.

  Scouring the room desperately for
my clothes, but not moving from the bed, I spotted them on the other side of the room. They were neatly folded on a leather chair in the corner, my boots on the floor, standing side by side. Sighing heavily, I heard the sound of the water running in the basin. Suddenly a lack of self-confidence and supreme embarrassment consumed me and I found myself darting across the room and pulling my clothes on as quickly as I could before I was spotted.

  As I was pulling on my last boot, Joel strutted back into the bedroom, looking like he had just stepped out of a fashion catalogue. His hair was styled, his face cleanly shaven, and he was dressed impeccably in a charcoal suit and tie. His crisp, clean white shirt was starched within an inch of its life.

  “Morning.” He smiled, bending down to kiss my cheek as if it was the most natural thing to do. It was quick, easy, like it was an old habit.

  “Hi,” I murmured, trying to be as casual as possible. Even as I mumbled, I could feel my face flush in embarrassment.

  Without looking inept or even humiliated on any level, Joel checked that his tie was straight in the mirror hanging above the bed. I stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, not entirely sure what to do or say next. This was completely foreign to me. I had never picked up a stranger and ended up in a weird house, albeit a very nice house, wearing last night’s clothes, about to complete the dreaded walk of shame.

  “Would you like some juice? There’s freshly squeezed orange and mango in the fridge,” Joel offered, smiling yet again.

  I wanted to curl up and die. Actually, what I really wanted was to rip the suit from his body and fall back between the beautiful sheets and surface a week later. Last night had been lustful, needy, and desperate, and I was curious if round two would be any different.

  “Sounds great,” I accepted. I hated orange juice; it gave me an itchy rash all over my body, tiny little pimples that itched and irritated for days. “Mind if I use your bathroom for a minute?”

  “No problem. There are fresh towels on the shelf and a spare toothbrush in the second drawer,” Joel offered.

  I watched him walk out of the room. There was a confident swagger about him, and the way his hips swiveled side to side made me remember the night before even more vividly. Feeling my temperature sky rocketing, I chastised myself. I needed to behave myself and get out of there as quickly as possible, before I did or said something that would only lead to regret.

  The en suite bathroom was more than I could have imagined. It had sparkling clean, white tiles the entire height of the wall, a large square mirror, and thick, luxurious chocolate towels. Nothing out of place. Not even a stray hair on the floor. Splashing some cold water over my inflamed face I forced my breathing back under control, but nothing could control my curiosity.

  I started in the second drawer, finding the spare pink toothbrush, still in its wrapper. Secretly I wondered how long it had been there, and how often it got replaced, but I quickly pushed that thought from my mind. The top drawer contained the usual—deodorant, razors, shaving cream, hair gel, and three different aftershaves. I took my time sniffing each of them. With each one, my heart raced a bit faster. They were all alluring. The third drawer had a spare tube of toothpaste, another bottle of shampoo, and some moisturizer. “No wonder you look so good,” I said to myself. It made sense, really. A man who looked as immaculate as Joel did every time I saw him needed something to make him look like that. I was just relieved to know he didn’t roll out of bed each day looking like a model.

  The fourth drawer was a mystery. Every guy that I had ever known had only needed one drawer. Joel was more into appearances and I guess part of looking good came from his job, but what could he possibly be stashing in the fourth drawer?

  A knock at the door made me almost collapse. I felt like a child being caught searching for Christmas presents a week before Santa came. “Did you find everything you need?” he called out.

  Stuffing the toothbrush in my mouth, “Yes, thanks,” I said, garbled, hoping that I had pulled it off. I stood there for a few moments, my heart racing, waiting until I heard his footsteps walk away from the door.

  Turning back to the fourth drawer, I pulled it open quickly, knowing my snooping time was quickly running out. Inside was only one box—condoms. Joel had his birth control stashed in the bathroom. No big deal. Everyone had them somewhere in their house.

  Quickly rinsing the dry toothbrush, I laid it on the sink next to his. I wandered out into the kitchen only to find Joel gulping down a juice and swallowing a handful of pills.

  “Big night?” I laughed, trying to break the eerie silence.

  Shaking his head, he replied, “Nah, just some vitamins.”

  “What time did you get up? I didn’t hear you.”

  “I was up at five. I went for a run, did my work out, and jumped in the shower. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “You went for a run?”

  “Yeah, but it was only seven kilometers this morning. I was still pretty wiped out. For some reason I didn’t get much sleep last night.” He winked and my stomach lurched.

  I didn’t know what to say. He was obviously a fitness freak and I, well, if I even thought about running to the letter box at the top of his driveway I would pass out. “Can I borrow your car keys for a minute?” I asked, desperate to get away from his piercing stare. He raised a quizzical eyebrow. “I’m not going to steal it.” I managed to laugh and actually mean it. “I just need to grab my handbag. I left it there last night.”

  He tossed me the keys and it took all my concentration to catch them. The last thing I wanted to do was look like a klutz in front of him. I jumped off the bar stool and headed out the door. Out on the drive I was almost blinded by the sun. I had no idea what time it was, but the sun was high in the sky and the throbbing in my head wasn’t helping anything.

  I grabbed my bag and headed back inside. As I reached out to hand him back the keys our fingers brushed slightly and I felt the now all too familiar tingling sensation run rampant through my entire body. There was something about this guy that made me want him so badly I could taste him. He was just so damn sexy.

  “So, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I have to get to work…” He trailed off.

  “No, oh god, no. Don’t even worry about it. I’ll just call a taxi and get out of here,” I offered, before remembering I didn’t know exactly where I was. “You might just have to give me the exact address…” As I said the words, my heart sank. I had never felt so cheap and so much like a whore in my entire life. Admitting out loud that I had no idea where I was the ultimate degradation.

  “It’s fine, Gillian.” When he added my name, I felt slightly better. At least he knew my name. That wasn’t something that cheap street walkers did, give out their real name. “I’ll drive you. Just tell me where you want to go.” He chuckled, grabbing a protein shake from the stainless steel fridge.

  I told him to take me back to my car, which was all I could manage. All I wanted to say was “Take me back to bed,” but thankfully I restrained myself. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. In the morning sunlight the front yard was even more beautiful than it had been the night before. Trees had shed their leaves and the whole yard had been turned a mosaic of autumn color, fiery reds, glistening golds, and burnt browns. The leaves cracked and broke apart under my feet, then I melted into the front seat of the car.

  Joel joined me only moments later, sliding silently behind the wheel, and reversed hastily down the drive. “I have to ask, is that your place?” I asked nervously, still unsure that I really wanted the answer.

  “Why is that?” he avoided.

  “Just curious,” I played back, mentally congratulating myself for being so nonchalant.

  “Who else’s would it be?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Your parents’? A client’s? Your boss’s?”

  “What makes you think it’s not mine?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Honestly.”

  “Okay, it’s immaculate. I m
ean, the gardens are near perfect, the house doesn’t have a speck of dust anywhere that I could see. It’s stylish without being over the top. It’s simplistic and it looks like something straight from a magazine. Besides, you’re a single, young guy. No single guys I know have a house like that.” I knew I was babbling, “You are single, aren’t you?” I asked, taking another look at his left hand for any sign of a ring.

  Laughing, Joel’s face lit up. I could tell he wasn’t laughing at me but rather enjoying the easygoing banter. “Okay, in order. No, the house isn’t my parents’. Nor is it a client’s or my boss’s; I’m not that tacky. I have a gardener who comes once a week to keep my yard looking like that. And the cleaner comes twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. Her name is Marie. Yes, it looks like something out of a magazine, because it has been in a couple. I spend barely any time at home, so it never really gets the chance to become messy and a typical guy’s house. Satisfied?” he asked with a smirk.

  “You missed one thing.”

  “What was that?”

  “Don’t worry.”

  “You can’t just do that. Say I missed something, but not tell me what it was?” Joel teased. He knew exactly which part of the question I was referring to; his eyes were alive and mocking. His avoidance was infuriating.

  “Don’t play dumb,” I scolded.

  “I have no idea what you mean.” He chuckled, turning into the car park we had left merely hours earlier. Across the road I saw cafés filled with Saturday morning patrons enjoying their scrambled eggs and lattes. In that moment I despised the happy, smug couples, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes while she pretended to pick at her fruit cup and he stuffed down bacon, sausages, and hash browns. It was all so fake, or at least that’s what I hoped.

  The sound of Joel’s deep voice broke my fixation and brought me out of my hate-filled gaze. “Which car is it?”