With My Body

by Jo Briggs

  "Ha, I could have done with that offer a half-hour ago," He laughed. "I hope you are hungry."

  "I am." She smiled.

  He made a simple, soft dough pizza, laden with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil.

  They discussed the costume designs she had put forward for the upcoming film, and how that would mean she would be away, on and off, for a couple of months, once the film went into pre-production in a few months.

  Although he knew the absence would not be for some time yet, he was made nervous by how the news was affecting him already. Had he really allowed himself to fall for her again so quickly! He knew he wanted to re-establish himself in her life and that he found her so god damn beautiful, but he had wanted to be realistic about how he went about it. Also, could he raise a child she had with someone else? He was not sure.

  “Do you know whether they have finalised all their location shoots taking place here?”

  “I am not entirely sure. I have only met the location manager a couple of times, before when attending the early introduction meetings.”

  “I could always offer Pemberley as a location. It would be perfect in my eyes for a Regency era based film.”

  Elle was initially surprised at this offer, as she thought William would undoubtedly detest the idea of having tons of people traipsing through the grounds and rooms of such an important family building. She knew that he was in the final throes of having it redecorated, after he closed the hotel side of it six months before, with the intention of moving all the operating headquarters of Dexter Holdings, and it subsidiaries of the hotel chain, Dexter Media, and Charlie’s internet enterprise to Pemberley, rather than having them scattered throughout Europe.

  “Who is the name of the director?” William continued, when Elle remained silent.

  “Philip Elton.”

  William had met Philip Elton before, on many occasions. As a director of several well-received films in the past, he had approached Dexter Media to partially fund a film he had been trying to get off the ground. William had been interested in the project, but it didn’t go into production, due to other problems.

  “I have met him before; I will discuss the idea with him, and his location manager.”

  “Are you really sure you would want all those people filming on your property for weeks on end?”

  “I would not mind if it meant you would be nearby, and would not involve being away for so long.”

  “Will, please don’t just offer it just for me. If you truly want to do it, then let it be for your own interest, rather than mine.”

  “Elle, it would be for my own interest in many ways, yes, it would mean you would be closer, but it would also bring in funds to renovate the house much quicker than I would otherwise plan.”

  “Ok, well if you are sure, I can give you the contact details if yours are out of date.”

  “Great, that will be helpful.”

  After the meal, they moved through to the media room. They had just begun snuggling on the sofa, watching a movie, when William's mobile started ringing. Shifting slightly to view the phone screen, and Richard's name flashing, he sighed, but took the call. "Richard, what can I do for you?" He tried not to sound too irritated by the interruption.

  "Are you alone?"

  "Umm - no, not quite but I can go into the office, hold on." He frowned slightly, wondering what Richard needed to say. Shooting Elle a quick apologetic glance, he moved into the office shutting the door gently behind. "What the hell is wrong?" He finally demanded when he was alone in his office.

  "In one word, Charlotte…," Richard shot back in an unusually exasperated tone; he was probably as sick of hearing that woman's name as William was.

  "What on earth has she been up to now?" William's hand began to clench hard against the desktop he was leaning up against. More than anything, he did not want that woman's antics to destroy any long-term chances of a full reconciliation with Elle, he may have.

  Richard Williams, as well as being William's cousin, was also his right-hand man. Titled Head of PR, but he was much more than that when it came to the day-to-day responsibilities of William's company, and personal life. He also got rid of problems for William.

  "She is threatening to release a video of you two, during a rather intimate bedroom moment, to a rival newspaper group, unless you increase her monthly allowance." Richard said quietly, holding the phone receiver away from his ear, as he knew the explosion that would be coming down the phone.

  "She what!" William shouted, raising his voice to a higher volume than he had meant to. He hoped Elle did not notice above the movie volume.

  "Could there even be a video in existence?"

  William stayed quiet. There were so many hazy moments from his drink binge phases, that he did not know for sure what she might have on him.

  "To be honest, I honestly do not know. But I thought you went over all her electronic devices last time she tried to pull this stunt?" William said, at a quieter level. "But I am truly going to make this woman pay. She has attempted to blackmail me for the last time."

  "We did go over everything we found in her apartment, but I guess she could have hidden a USB stick. Anyway, Will, you concentrate on Elle. I know you wanted this discreetly handled last time, but I insist that we discuss this with our legal team now. You need to warn Elle about everything. I can give you a couple of day's grace before we start playing hardball with her.

  William sighed. "OK." He knew there was no turning back. His overwhelming urge of wanting to have a connection with Elle, no matter how small, during those seven years, had driven him to make the biggest mistake of his life: getting involved with Charlotte in the first place. Now it was all about to blow up in his face publicly, and god knows what Elle was going to think of him then!

  "Will, just be honest with her, and she will understand." Richard knew what torn emotions William was experiencing.

  "Let me know when it’s done, but I will not be contactable tomorrow." William said slowly.

  Ending the conversation there, he took a deep breath, and tried best to regain his composure before reopening the door, and stepping into the media room. Elle smiled as he came back out, and they resettled on the couch together, to watch the rest of the film.

  Although she never mentioned the call, she had noticed William's loud outburst, and his tense posture when he came out. She knew something was bothering him, but thinking it was just a business problem, she did not enquire about it at that point.

  After the film, Elle yawned, saying she was ready for bed. William knew he would not be able to sleep, as he was still anxious about how he was going to break the news running around in his head to her. He was so confused. Kissing her lips, he said he needed to attend to some work, and he would see her in the morning.

  Frowning slightly, Elle said nothing, and just went up to bed. She laid awake for quite a while, wondering if she should have asked him what was troubling him, but she didn't want to invade his privacy too much. Drifting off to sleep, she decided it was best to see if his mood had improved in the morning, before reassessing if she should raise the subject.

  The next thing Elle was aware of was turning over, and noticing that the hall light was still shining through the slight gap at the bottom of her bedroom door. Otherwise, it was pitched black in the room, so no more than a few hours could have passed. Knowing it was his habit to turn all the lights off upstairs once he came to bed, she wondered if he was still working. Feeling concerned for his earlier mood after the phone call, she headed downstairs, wearing just a strappy long negligee. Some of the lights were still on. After searching a couple of rooms, she noticed the library door was ajar, she tentatively pushed the door wider, and the room was dark, except for one desk lamp dimly shining in a corner. "Will?"

  "Why are you awake, are you ok?" His voice came from the same corner as the dim light; she could just make out his outline on the sofa.

  "Yes, I am fine; I was concerned you hadn't come to bed." She
walked over to him, her eyes taking in his tired expression.

  "Richard's call earlier troubled me, and I couldn't unwind."

  She sat down beside him, and took his hand in hers, placing it to her lips. "Will, what is troubling you?"

  His eyes met hers, and he sighed. "I am not sure where to start. What I have to say is not pleasant, and I fear how this will affect us." His voice quivered with emotion.

  "Will, just start at the beginning, and we can go from there. As to how it will affect us, I will not let outside influences come between us again, now that we are beginning to unravel our misunderstandings." Her tone was firm, concern written over her face, but anxiety was in the pit of her stomach.

  He took a deep breath. "Well, it’s to do with Charlotte again," he blurted out. He felt Elle tense against him, but she encouraged him to continue.

  He slowly explained that, despite not being officially in a relationship with Charlotte, he provided her with a monthly allowance. He had not set out to keep providing for her, but she kept making threats to publicise some photos of him in compromising situations.

  Elle gasps at this, shocked that her ex-friend had truly sunk so low.

  “What do you mean exactly by compromising situations?” She thought she knew what he was implying, but that thought left her feeling sick, and she hoped it might not seem so terrible, if she heard him put it into words.

  “Umm – it’s not something I am proud of, but after one particularly appalling night of drinking, I was passed out on the bed, and it seems Charlotte took photos of me naked, in various poses.”

  Elle closed her eyes as he said the words. Hearing him say it did not make it sound any better. She felt sick. It was horrible enough knowing that he had a baby with her, but to know there was going to be pictures lurking on the internet at any moment was devastating. “Oh god, how bad are they?”

  William grimaced, “Really bad. I was passed out on the bed, and Charlotte took advantage by handcuffing me to the bed, and you know the result."

  Elle remained silent, as she mulled over what he said. As angry, as she felt, that he was stupid for getting himself in such a situation, there was nothing she could honestly say, since she was the cause for his drinking in the first place.

  “Say something. I know you must feel disgusted that I allowed this to happen.”

  “Well, I cannot say I am not disappointed, but I do feel indirectly responsible.”

  His eyes flashed in confusion, as he ran a hand through his hair, “How are you in any way responsible for this?”

  “Well, I am the reason for your drinking yourself into a stupor, aren’t I?”

  “Well, it’s not like you stood there, and poured all those glasses down my throat forcibly. It’s my fault, and I need to take responsibility for my poor decisions of getting caught with such a cunning woman in the first place.”

  Elle sighed, “Do you know how many photos she has? Was it just a one-off occurrence that you know of?”

  “Yes, this was the only time I ever totally passed out with her there. The next morning, when I couldn’t remember what happened, I realised I needed to clean up my act; otherwise I would end up damaging my liver irreparably.”

  “So, I presume you got all the photos and copies when you agreed to this monthly allowance?”

  “Richard convinced her to hand over her computer, and other storage devices, to be wiped of anything incriminating.”

  “Ok, so if Richard dealt with that side of things. Why are you still uneasy?"

  “It would seem she kept something back.” “You didn’t get everything? Surely, you got your solicitor involved last time, so there could not be any further repercussions?”

  “I was too embarrassed to get them involved; I admit I dropped the ball on a lot of things, while I was in Chile. “

  “So, what is the latest problem?”

  "Her latest threat is a video of her and me in the bedroom. I can promise you now, no such video was ever made with my knowledge."

  Elle stifled a nervous laugh at this revelation. "Surely you do not plan to let her get away with it this time?"

  He shook his head. "No, Richard will discuss things with our legal team, and let me know the options, but I want to make sure the police, and social services, are aware of her blackmailing tactics."

  “I know this might be a painful thing to consider, but with all this endless trouble, she has caused you are you even sure Lily is definitely yours?”

  “The thought did occur to me in the beginning, but once I saw her on the scan machine, when she was just still a tiny cluster of cells, I decided she would stay mine, no matter what. She needed to have someone take responsibility for her care, since Charlotte would be precarious about it, at best. I was not involved with anyone, so I did not need to worry about hurting anyone's feelings, and thought getting tested held no meaning at that point. I would still need to provide for her, even if she was not mine.”

  Elle understood the need he felt, to make sure of the child's welfare. William had always wanted to care for others before himself. Her heart softened to that idea. She just hoped he would be just as accepting of the situation when her confession about Christian finally came.

  Lessons still to learn

  18 April 2010

  The vibrating noise of a mobile phone moving upon the surface of the dressing table brought Elle into the world of the living. Stirring slowly, Elle slid from the bed to grab her smartphone, which was still buzzing in a distressed state, signalling that the caller had left a voicemail.

  The voicemail was from her interior designer. Her house was finally ready! Elle was excited at the prospect of being able to go straight to her house, once they returned from the surprise William had planned

  She slipped back into the bed, just as William brought a cup of morning coffee into her room, as had become their routine over her brief stay.

  “Happy Birthday,” he greeted, his bedroom hair giving him a sexy tousled look that caused her heart to flutter, as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly, before sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

  “Thank you,” She blushed, as he gazed downwards to the low neckline of her sleep attire.

  "I didn’t interrupt a call on the phone, did I?" He asked, as he tried to distract his eyes from wandering further over her luscious curves.

  "No, I was just checking the voicemail, my interior designer said that my house is finally finished." She could not keep the excitement contained from her voice, even though it meant that her staying with him was now ending.

  "Oh…" was all William managed to say. The pleasure he experienced from seeing her each morning shattered by the same realisation, that her stay would soon end. He knew she could not have stayed forever in his house, but he had expected to have her to himself for another day, at least.

  She sensed his body tense up. "Will?"

  "Just sad that the bubble we have been living in for the past few days is burst," he explained, in a matter of fact way.

  Elle instinctively lifted her hand up to his cheek, to caress it. "I may not be living in your house, but that does not mean things will change. We will see each other." Her voice gentle, "Maybe even manage some proper dates, and let you woo me in a more traditional manner."

  "Have I not been wooing you in a traditional manner then?" He smiled, feeling slight less melancholy.

  "Well, ignoring our previous history, staying in a man's house, after knowing him less than a week, is not the usual for me."

  "Mmm, true,” His fingertips traced the outline of her collarbone thoughtfully.

  "So, anyway, I have no plans to abandon you, as soon as we arrive back from my surprise, if that is what you are worried about. I was hoping that maybe you would stay there for a night or two. We still have more things to talk about, and at the same time, we have to see Charlie and Jess at some point, now that she is being discharged." Elle also felt more comfortable with the idea of finally telling him about Christian on her own territ
ory, rather than on his, in case everything came crashing down around her.

  He was secretly pleased that she wanted to him to join her for a brief stay at her new home. "Sounds like a plan." His voice light hearted. He was determined to savour every moment.

  ~~~

  After eating the scrambled eggs and bacon, that William had prepared, Elle disappeared back upstairs to pack her bag for the surprise trip. William was just clearing up, and placing items in the dishwasher, when the doorbell rang. Puzzled as to whom it would be, since Edward was not due to pick them up for at least another hour, he went off to answer it.

  Opening the door, he was surprised to discover his cousin on the doorstep, looking rather anxious.

  Richard was four years older than William making him thirty-six. Besides being first cousins, they were as close as brothers were.

  “Richard, what are you doing here?” William asked, feeling slightly peeved that his plans for a quiet moment before they headed off were being ruined. “Another hour, and you would have missed us totally.”

  “I realise I have spoiled your plans to head off with Elle this morning, but I don’t think this could not wait. Charlotte will not listen to reason, about not publishing the video, unless you agree to meet her personally, and she is claiming to have some secret about Elle that you might not want publicised either. What she had to say surprised even me.” Richard responded, as he lingered in the hallway, wanting their conversation to continue out of earshot of anyone else in the house.

  “Come through to the kitchen, and we can continue talking privately, as I clear up.” William said, noticing that Richard held back from moving further into the house. “Elle is upstairs, so we will not be disturbed for a few minutes.”

  As they settled in the kitchen, William looked expectantly at Richard to explain his presence, as he continued filling the dishwasher.

  Richard poured himself an espresso from the elaborate coffee machine that William had had shipped over from Italy recently. "So, how have things seemed between you and Elle?"

  "Surprisingly relaxed; she obviously was not best pleased about the on-going problems with Charlotte, but we seem to have come to an initial understanding."