‘I suppose so,’ he says reluctantly, looking around the market one last time before we push out the door back onto the grey street. ‘I liked it in there. It reminded me of you.’
‘Loud and full of food?’
‘No. Colourful and fun.’ He runs a hand through the lengths of my hair.
‘Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘It’s meant to be.’
He’s being too nice. It’s going to make telling him the truth so incredibly hard. Biting my lip, I dash off ahead of him, turning around to walk backwards. ‘Last one to the hotel … ’ I trail off, searching for a suitable insult.
‘Has to flash the other?’ he suggests, eyes twinkling and intent.
‘Again?’ I exclaim, instantly understanding that his thoughts are centred around me and him naked on a bed.
‘Is that okay?’
‘Uh, yes!’ Whirling around, I start jogging back down to the marina. To the hotel and the nearest bed.
One more time. I just need to be with him one more time before I say goodbye.
As we approach the hotel, he takes my hand, yanking me down behind a large palm tree in a Mediterranean-style pot.
‘What are you doing?’ I demand.
‘Shhh,’ he turns to me. ‘Hiding.’
‘Um, why?’
‘I don’t want them,’ he points out a couple of shady-looking men hanging around outside the hotel with cameras, ‘to see us.’
‘Oh, right.’ The privacy thing again.
‘Before you know it, we’ll be all over the tabloids. I can’t let that happen.’
‘What about the women you get pictured with who appear in the celeb mags?’
‘That’s different.’ He wipes his forehead with the back of one hand. He’s actually sweating. ‘They’re my dates for public events. She knows that.’
‘Who knows that?’ I ask dangerously.
‘Louise.’
‘And that matters because?’
‘Our divorce is being finalised and she’s not happy about it. If she thinks I’m involved with someone, she’ll drag it out even more.’
‘Are you lying to me about the divorce, Alex? Is it really happening?’ Kettle and pot and black for accusing him of being the one who’s dishonest.
His intense blue eyes clash with mine. ‘No.’ He emphasises the word, ‘Absolutely not.’ Squeezing my arm to underline the point: ‘It’s happening. I’m telling the truth.’
I can tell he’s being sincere. ‘Then, for God’s sake!’ I snap, starting to rise.
‘What?’ He grabs my knees to pull me back to the floor.
‘If that’s what the whole not telling anyone and being discreet and no PDA thing was all about why didn’t you just tell me? I would have understood.’
‘I wasn’t sure of you, didn’t know you, and those other reasons still count. The clause thing and the wanting privacy.’
‘Right.’ Hmm. I want to tell him that’s unfair and unreasonable, but he’s got a point. I was a stranger. And in a lot of ways I still am.
I watch as the men start chatting, and one of them lights a cigarette. ‘Alex?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Those women you get pictured with. You’re not with any of them? None are friends with benefits?’
‘Not all of them,’ he answers absently, craning his neck to watch the men.
‘What?’ I ask darkly.
‘Only a few,’ he says quickly, catching sight of my outraged expression. ‘No one special,’ he adds. ‘And not for a few months.’
‘Oh,’ I answer, mollified.
‘Charley, will you do me a favour?’ His warm breath puffs across my hair.
‘What?’
‘Can you go in first? I’ll follow in a few minutes.’
‘If it’s that important to you.’
He gazes down into my eyes and I feel the powerful connection that keeps tugging me in. ‘It is,’ he whispers, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
‘See you up in your room then. Don’t take too long.’
‘I won’t.’
A delicious forty minutes later I’m standing in the massive shower conditioning my hair. As much as staying in Alex’s bed is very tempting, I’ve insisted on returning to my own room. I need space and time to brace myself for what I’m doing straight after lunch.
Telling him. Everything.
When he joined me in the suite it felt as though something had changed between us, maybe because we spent the morning together. Neither of us said anything; we didn’t need to. He just took my hand and led me to his bedroom and we undressed each other, the rustling of our clothes and the humming of the air-con the only sounds.
He touched me like I was a rare shell discovered on a faraway beach, fragile, worn away by the sea over time, and ready to break. The incredible passion was still there, but it took second place to something else. Our bodies fit together perfectly and he held my face and kissed me with sexy tenderness. I skimmed my fingers down his spine and held him close when he was inside me. When I came, I felt more at peace than I have in a long time, tingles running through me, tears clogging my throat. And when he held me afterwards we sighed at the same time and laughed about it and I thought, I want to stay here forever.
That was when I knew I had to get away. Disengaging, I slid out of bed and mumbled an excuse about needing to get ready, unable to look him in the eye.
I feel sad and horrible. What’s he going to say? He’s so smart and confident and has such a mega-amount of pride. He’ll hate me. I take a deep breath, and release it slowly. I’m a big girl. I will deal with whatever happens.
Looking down, I realise I’ve written I’m sorry in four-inch-high letters on the steamy cubicle door. Losing the plot. Still, I might as well carry on as I started.
Stepping from the shower, I wrap a fluffy towel around my body and traipse into the bedroom, door open so I can see into the lounge. There’s no sign of Alex so he’s probably on his way down to bag us a table for lunch in the restaurant.
An impatient knock sounds on the main suite door. Perfect. A towel is hardly the best outfit for receiving guests, but what if Alex has forgotten his key card? Another knock. Or could it be room service? Has Alex changed his mind? A third round of thumping. Better to answer before whoever it is decides I’m dead or incapacitated and feels duty-bound to kick the door down. Which could be pretty humiliating in my current outfit.
‘Coming,’ I call. Hurrying through the rooms, I swing the door open, a polite greeting freezing on my lips. ‘Tony,’ I grind out. ‘Alex said he’d sent you home.’
‘You wish.’
‘What do you want?’ I fold my arms across my body, hating the way he’s looking at me. I’m in a towel, alone in a hotel room with him. It reminds me of the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts’ character gets a visit from Richard Gere’s slimy friend and ends up getting clocked. But this is real life, not a film.
‘Just a quick chat with the big boss,’ he answers, looking round me.
‘He’s not here,’ I bite.
‘But he is usually, right?’ He shoves his way into the room and I jump back. ‘Interesting that you share a suite,’ he muses, ‘but with separate bedrooms. Maybe you’re not as a close to him as you might have led me to believe yesterday.’
I should set him right. Not that I can deny I’ve slept with Alex, but I could tell Tony my motivation has nothing to do with the claim. But the worried glint is still in his eye and right now I’m more worried about my personal safety than anything else. If him thinking I have Alex on side protects me, I’ll keep the pretence going for now.
Pulling my spine straight, I ignore the towel rising up my thighs. ‘Tony, this is getting tired.’ I force a bored tone, ‘Just leave.’
‘You’re sleeping with him.’
‘You’re right,’ I admit with a genuine smile, thinking how earth-shattering the sex is. ‘I am.’
He deflates, obviously expecting a different
response. ‘You are?’
‘Yes.’ I watch with glee as his normally pink skin goes white. A wild, reckless feeling uncurls inside me. After what he did, I want to see him squirm. ‘And let me tell you, it’s certainly not a big ask when it’s with someone as gorgeous as Alex.’
Tony takes a threatening step towards me and although I flinch internally, on the outside I project bravado, imagining I’m the star of a TV soap. ‘He’s very easily persuaded with the right currency,’ I cross my arms under my boobs and hike them up to make my point. ‘What can I say? I’ve got him hooked.’ I stare him down, hoping he won’t lose his temper and punch me. ‘I don’t think we’ll be going to tribunal now. They’ll give me a vast settlement and, in return, I’ll forget all about what you did.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ he spits.
‘Well here’s the proof you need.’ Crossing the room, I thrust Alex’s bedroom door open to reveal the messy bed and the heaps of clothes on the floor I’m now grateful neither of us tidied away. It’s a crude demonstration and inside I’m cringing, but a girl has to do what’s necessary.
‘Oh.’ Tony staggers back, heading for the main door.
‘Oh.’ The echo comes from the open doorway, where Alex stands glowering, all trace of our time together wiped off his face, looking like the cynical, stern CEO from Friday.
Oh, fuck.
Oh double, triple fuck.
Chapter Twenty Three
‘A–Alex. Did you hear—?’
‘All the important things,’ he grinds out, looking murderous. ‘How shall I summarise? How about sex, tribunal and a pay-off?’
I can’t breathe, feeling like I’m going to be sick on my own feet. In the middle of taking a shaky step away from Tony towards Alex, I stop, feeling like a Jurassic insect frozen in amber. Spots twirl and spin in front of my eyes. I screw them shut, wishing it would make the scene disappear.
Alex shakes his head so hard when I open my mouth, a vein starts pounding in his forehead. ‘Don’t.’ The word is so full of contempt I flinch. He whirls to Tony. ‘You know each other already? Before yesterday?’
‘Yes, sir,’ bastard-face confirms, stepping away from me, a smug smile curling his mouth.
The fury rolls off Alex in waves, his eyes narrow, jaw tight. ‘What’s her name? And how do you know her?’
‘Charlotte Wright.’ Tony’s eyes gleam with triumph. ‘She was my manager at the casino. She was proven to have sexually harassed and bullied me in a disciplinary hearing. She lost her job.’
‘I bloody did not! That’s a lie. It was the other way around! He was after my jo—’
‘Shut up!’ Alex rounds on me, breathing hard.
I’m so stunned I obey, clamping my teeth shut. It’s not an argument I want to have in front of Tony anyway.
‘Mr Ferrier.’ Alex stares at him, hard and cold. ‘You can leave now. But you don’t tell anyone about any of this. Do you understand me?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Tony swaggers to the door and gives me a self-satisfied smirk over Alex’s shoulder.
As soon as he shuts the door behind him, I rush over to Alex, grabbing his arm. ‘He’s talking rubbish. I didn’t—’
‘Is it true?’ Alex asks in an icy voice, shaking me off. ‘Is your name Charlotte Wright?’
‘Yes,’ I cry anxiously, ‘but—’
He looks like he wants to kill someone, probably me. ‘And were you dismissed at a disciplinary?’
‘Yes! But I didn’t do it. Tony—’
‘And do you have an ongoing tribunal claim against Ionian Casinos?’
I want to latch onto him physically, beg him to listen, but when I move forward, his disgusted expression scrubs the idea. ‘Yes, but I’m dropping it.’
‘If I called the court office now they’d confirm that, would they?’
‘No. I haven’t done it yet, but I’d decided to.’ As I say it, I really feel it. I can’t let it consume my life any more. Tony’s done enough damage. It’s time to move on.
‘That’s convenient,’ he says sarcastically, face going hard, sliding forward to get in my space.
Lifting my chin, I stare him right in the eye. I may be in the wrong but I won’t be intimidated. ‘Firstly,’ I state in a clear voice, holding a hand between us, gripping the towel with the other, ‘back off. Secondly, just hold on. Don’t jump to any conclusions.’
He breathes in and out, circling away to put a sofa between us. ‘I respect the first. As for the second, don’t give me orders. I’ll do what the hell I want.’
‘I’m not trying to order you around, I’m just asking you to listen. You don’t have the right—’
‘The right? Cheats and liars and fraudsters don’t have any rights in my eyes.’ His laugh is bitter and makes me want to cry. I’ve hurt him, just like Louise did. I’ve made him think I don’t want him for who he is, only what he can do for me. He is so, so wrong. He needs to understand that. He needs to hear me.
‘You cold bitch—’
‘Alex—’
‘You’re nothing but a—’
Striding forward, I don’t try and hide how bloody incandescent he’s making me, slapping my palm on the sofa. ‘Stop it!’ I shout. ‘Now! It’s not how it sounds. I was going to tell you! Will you just listen?’
‘No,’ he yells back. ‘You lied to me, deliberately hid that you were an ex-employee, told me in the car on Friday you knew nothing about the company.’ His mouth curls. ‘I should have followed my instincts. Women aren’t to be trusted. And it all makes sense now. You said yourself you’re broke – win a claim of sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal at tribunal and get, what, fifty, sixty thousand – but blackmail the CEO and get even more. What a conniving bitch. You’re even worse than Louise.’
Nothing else he could say would hurt as much because after last night I know how much he detests his ex. His voice is so full of venom that for the first time I feel tangible fear, a dip in my stomach. ‘Alex, that’s not what I was after. I just wanted a fair hearing. Tony made it up and I knew I didn’t have much of a chance of winning at tribunal, so I came along to just … ’ I flounder.
‘Just?’ Alex asks softly, and somehow it’s worse than any shouting.
‘Get to know you, explain who I was, tell you my side of the story, and see if you might help. Or something. I didn’t have a proper plan. It was short notice, I had a friend at the agency, we thought it might help and – it was crazy, stupid. But I had to do something! You don’t know what I’ve been through because of him.’
He sweeps a hand through the air. ‘I’m not interested in your little sob story,’ he snarls. ‘And even if I believed any of what you just said, you slept with me.’ His voice is deep and precise, like sharp steel cutting into my bruised flesh. ‘You’re just like those WAGs,’ he condemns, ‘willing to prostitute yourself in return for cash and possessions.’
‘I am not the same as Louise,’ I bellow, throwing both hands up in the air like they can actually stop the toxic words erupting from his mouth. I rub my temples. I need a moment to clear my head, start again, help him understand. ‘Let’s take a break,’ I whisper, ‘I’ll go and put some clothes on and make a hot drink and we can talk this through.’
He laughs harshly. ‘You’re delusional. You really think I’m going to stick around and have a cosy pot of tea with you? There’s nothing more to say, other than I won’t be settling your claim and I’ll make sure we fight you with everything we have.’
‘I told you, there’ll be no tribunal.’
‘Why not?’ He holds onto the back of the sofa with both hands, knuckles white. ‘You’re in the perfect place to blackmail me now we’ve slept together.’
I look down, feeling ashamed. ‘Alex, I know you’re angry and hurt but—’
‘Don’t be cocky,’ he throws my teasing words back at me in a rigid voice. ‘I’m angry because you’ve abused my trust. I’m not hurt. I have no reason to be. If I was hurt, it would mean that I cared.’ His gaze is violent a
s he comes round the sofa to tower over me, ‘And don’t fool yourself.’ His breath brushes my cheekbone as he enunciates the next few words, staring straight at me so that I get the message. ‘I. Don’t. Care.’
The sentence sends shredding pain running through me, strands of darkness twisting around it.
‘Wait!’ My clenched hands are shaking with adrenalin and prickly anger. Edgy frustration makes me shudder as he storms towards the door. The gorgeous guy who takes his responsibilities so seriously, who is compassionate and good, the one who has a secretly playful side, who I’m attracted to, and who is such an angel in bed, is gone.
I have to try and get him back.
Stumbling across the room, I block his exit, squeezing myself between his body and the door, leaning back against it.
‘I didn’t plan to sleep with you. It just happened. I tried to tell you the truth last night, but we ended up in bed.’ Reaching out my hands, I lay them on his chest, hoping he’ll feel my sincerity, praying he’ll look past the lies and see the real person, and the truth.
But his livid look screams don’t touch me and he grabs my upper arms and moves me out of the way.
He yanks open the door with a loud click, ‘You had the time to tell me whenever we were alone together. Including this morning.’ Something tries to settle on his face but he blanks his features.
‘It was never the right time. And then when it was … I didn’t want it to end. I enjoyed spending time with you. You get me,’ I keep babbling as he opens his mouth with no doubt another less-than-flattering comment. ‘I lied about my name, and my last job and the tribunal, yes. But that’s all I lied about. Everything else I said was the truth. I swear it,’ I bang my fist on my chest, ‘I swear I’m real, and being honest now. And I promise I never assumed because we slept together you would—’
‘I’ve heard enough. It’s good you never assumed anything,’ he says coolly over his shoulder as he steps into the corridor, ‘so you won’t be disappointed you won’t be getting paid.’
‘For the assignment?’
‘If that’s how you want to take it.’
I crumple against the door frame, unable to believe his words. He means the sex.
The Little Shop of Afternoon Delights Page 45