Roman's Having Sex Again

by Nikki Ashton

  Roman turned to me, and gently grabbed my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  ‘If you want out now, I totally understand. I’ll fucking miss you, but I’ll respect your decision. Alternatively, we could fake our own deaths and run away to Australia.’

  The sincerity in his tone and the sadness in his eyes made me burst out laughing: he actually meant every word. Okay, so a party to congratulate someone on having sex again wasn’t on my bucket list of things to do before I was thirty, but it wasn’t totally heinous.

  ‘This is not funny, Summer,’ Roman groaned.

  ‘Oh it is,’ I replied slapping at his chest. ‘She’s happy for you.’

  I really did think it was funny and sweet. This was his parents’ crazy way of showing him that they loved him.

  ‘Come on then, Romy, give us a speech.’

  Twinkle tugged at Roman’s arm and he swung around to face her.

  ‘You want a speech?’

  ‘Yes … speech … go on Roman,’ various voices called while John Travolta gave out a breathy ‘Oh.’

  Roman took a deep breath and looked up to the ceiling. I could see his lips moving, and wondered whether he was cursing or praying. Finally, he looked at Twinkle with a forced smile on his face.

  ‘Thank you for the party. It’s really very kind of you, but—’

  ‘Oh no “buts”, Romy, your mother went to a lot of trouble,’ Pete called from behind his video camera. ‘She’s spent all damn day cooking and baking, never mind creating a phone bill that I’m probably going to have to sell my body to be able to afford to pay.’

  ‘I only rang immediate family,’ Twinkle protested. ‘Tiffy did the rest with her Twatter.’

  ‘It’s Twitter, Mum, and I did it under protest.’ Tiffany glanced at her brother, and then back to Twinkle.

  ‘Well, whatever,’ Roman sighed. ‘Thank you, but I have not just started having sex again.’ He waggled a finger towards the banner that was stretched across the archway between the dining and living area.

  ‘You’re not having sex with her?’ a male voice shouted.

  ‘Well, yes, Uncle Charlie, but …’

  Roman looked at me and then back towards the crowd of people in front of us, all of whom appeared to waiting with bated breath. To see big, confident Roman lost for words doubled my affection for him. I wanted to take him in my arms and stroke his head until he felt better.

  ‘We are, it’s just …’ Roman faltered, evidently worried that he was going to embarrass me. I, however, was the middle James child, who had been born in between two of the most indiscreet people I knew: Dylan and Pippa. Plus, I didn’t have much of a filter or get embarrassed easily.

  ‘What Roman is trying to say,’ I said, pushing forward to stand by his side, ‘is that, yes, we are having sex, but he never stopped.’

  ‘Really?’ a short, red-haired woman commented. ‘We all thought that you’d become a bit of a monk. Gone all … what’s the word I’m looking for, Gloria?’

  ‘Impotent?’ Gloria suggested.

  ‘No way,’ Pete cried, finally lowering his video camera. ‘My lad isn’t impotent. You’re not are you, son?’

  ‘No, Dad,’ Roman sighed his grip on my hand tightening.

  ‘Ooh what is that word?’ the red-haired woman asked again. ‘You know, when someone stops having sex on purpose.’

  There were a few muttered musings while people scratched their heads. Tiffany let out a withering groan, Roman repeated the word ‘fuck’ quickly and numerous times, while in the depths of the room someone else let out a loud fart. Me, well, I held a hand to my mouth to mask the laughter.

  ‘Ooh I know,’ the red-head cried. ‘Celibate … that’s it! We thought you might be celibate.’

  ‘Fucking shoot me now,’ Roman groaned.

  ‘I swear to you,’ Tiffany pleaded. ‘I begged her not to do it, but you know what Mum is like, she wouldn’t listen.’

  We’d been at the party for a couple of hours now, and the thaw had finally started between Tiff and Roman. Conversation had been stilted at first, but after a few glasses of wine, she’d finally ventured over to talk to us.

  Roman shook his head and took a long swig of beer from the bottle that he was gripping onto for dear life.

  ‘I’ll let you have that one,’ he groaned. ‘Let’s call it payback for you-know-who.’

  Tiffany stiffened slightly before letting her shoulders sag. ‘Okay, we’ll call it quits. I hate fighting with you, much as you deserve it. So, sorry you’ve been subjected to this misery.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Tiffany,’ I replied, surreptitiously digging Roman in the ribs with my elbow. ‘It’s fine. If it makes your mum happy.’

  ‘It’s making a bigger deal of it than it actually is,’ Roman retorted.

  ‘Oh thanks,’ I muttered.

  Roman looked at me horrified, and then his hand went behind my neck. He pulled me closer to him and kissed my forehead.

  ‘I didn’t mean you. I meant me having a girlfriend isn’t a big deal.’

  ‘She’s just happy that you’re back living here,’ Tiff said. ‘And that you finally appear to be happy after … well, you know why.’

  I held my breath momentarily at the subject of Michael raising its head again, but Roman didn’t react. His eyes softened, as he glanced over at his mum. ‘She’s just so batty,’ he said, turning back to me and Tiffany.

  I leaned into him and snaked an arm around his waist, hugging him to my side. He was right: she was crazy, but her happiness made me feel warm and welcome, and I, for one, wouldn’t want her any other way.

  Roman shook his head and grinned. ‘We may as well enjoy it, now we’re here. Either of you want another drink?’ he asked us.

  I glanced at my empty glass and thrust it into his hand.

  ‘Tiff?’

  She nodded and passed her glass over too. As soon as he disappeared into the kitchen, I turned to Tiffany.

  ‘How are you doing?’

  Colour rose up from Tiffany’s neck to her cheeks. She glanced in the direction that Roman had gone, then quickly back at me, before finally settling on watching her feet.

  ‘I’m fine, I just feel like a spoiled princess, storming in like that. But he knows how much I hate her. He did grovel a lot, and I did have the most expensive meal on the menu, seeing as he was paying.’

  ‘You had every right, Tiff.’ I gave her back a comforting rub. ‘She hurt you, and Roman understands how hard it is for you to think of her in his house. He’s asked her to find somewhere else, you know.’

  ‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘I feel for her little girl, I really do, but if she needs help, then she should go and ask Jack. He’s the one that threw her out. She knew that Roman wouldn’t say no. I just think she plays on his guilt.’

  I nodded, totally agreeing with her. There was something about Caroline that made me distrust her. Even though Maisie wasn’t Jack’s child, he’d been the only dad she’d known for three years, so I couldn’t imagine how he could make her homeless, whether he loved her mother or not. However, I didn’t know anything about their break-up, and I barely knew Jack these days, so maybe I was totally wrong. What I did know was that I would only feel comfortable once Caroline had moved out.

  ‘Roman did suggest she ask Jack for help, if only for Maisie’s sake,’ I sighed, ‘but she said she wouldn’t ask him for anything. He’s already moved on, apparently. I have to be honest, I was talking to him at Ziggy’s a few weeks ago, and he gave no indication whatsoever that he had a partner, never mind one who had a child.’

  Tiffany grimaced. ‘That sounds like Jack; if he doesn’t talk about something, then it doesn’t exist.’

  ‘Well, it’s a good job you didn’t get married.’

  Sadness swept over Tiffany’s face before she quickly plastered on a smile. ‘I know, better off without him, most definitely.’

  We fell into silence as Roman returned with our drinks, passing one to each of us. As I took mine,
he gave me a dazzling smile and leaned in for a quick kiss.

  ‘You sure you’re okay with all this madness?’ he asked.

  I looked around at all the people having fun, laughing, drinking and eating, and I was.

  ‘Have you ever brought a girl home before?’ I asked as a matter of interest.

  Tiffany snorted and almost spat out her drink. ‘No chance,’ she coughed. ‘And, on that note, I’m going to talk to Auntie Anne about her new boyfriend—he’s half her age apparently.’

  Roman rolled his eyes and turned back to me. ‘No, baby, I haven’t. Never wanted to.’

  My heart jumped in my chest and the butterflies fluttered awake.

  ‘Really?’ I whispered.

  Roman shook his head, and pulled me to him. ‘No, and not because I was scared of them meeting my parents, although they are pretty scary to meet, right?’

  I giggled and waved a hand at him. ‘Nah, I can handle them. They’re not scary at all.’

  ‘And that,’ he said, kissing me, ‘is why I brought you home. That, and because you’re so fucking amazing.’

  That was it. They were the words that did it—I was most definitely in love with Roman Hepburn Holliday.

  As we kissed against each other’s smiles, my mobile rang in my pocket. I ignored it, simply relishing having Roman’s arms around me. Then it went again.

  ‘I better get it,’ I said, pulling out of Roman’s arms. I looked down and saw that it was my mum.

  ‘Hey, Mum,’ I said breezily, grinning at Roman as he linked his fingers with mine.

  ‘Oh Summer, I’m so sorry to bother you, love, but you need to come home.’

  As Mum started to cry quietly on the other end of the line, dread hit me. My phone shook against my ear and my breathing started to get shallow.

  ‘Mum, what is it? What’s happened?’

  Roman looked at me enquiringly, and putting his beer down, he took a step closer.

  ‘It’s Pippa, Summer. She’s left.’

  ‘What do you mean “she’s left”?’ I asked, calming down a little.

  Pippa was always getting fancy ideas about things like going travelling, or getting a flat with her friends. But she never did any of those things once she realised Mum wouldn’t be there to cook and clean for her.

  ‘She’s left, and says she’s going to live with some man she’s met,’ Mum replied, sounding desperate.

  ‘Mum, you know she’ll be back.’

  ‘No, she won’t,’ she cried. ‘She’s packed her stuff and gone, but what’s worse is that she’s withdrawn three thousand pounds from Dad’s and my bank account.’

  I gasped and looked around for a chair. Roman put his arm around my waist, instinctively knowing that I needed to his support.

  ‘H-how?’

  ‘It’s my fault, I gave her the online banking details because she owed me some money and was going to pay it back in …’

  ‘But she didn’t,’ I whispered.

  ‘No. We argued about her going, but she was adamant and said we couldn’t stop her. When she said they might move to London, your dad asked her what she was going to do for money, because she obviously can’t stay at her job if she goes to live down South. She just said she’d got money and stormed out and got in a car with him and drove off.’ Mum blurted out everything without taking a breath. ‘I just knew somehow. So Dad checked and he saw the money was gone.’

  ‘Oh Mum,’ I whimpered, my heart dropping with a thud. ‘I’m so sorry. What do you want me to do?’

  ‘I was hoping you’d come over, Dylan is on his way. You two know people around town, you might be able to find out where this man lives and try and talk some sense into her. It’s not just that she’s taken the money, love. It’s the fact that she obviously hasn’t got any, and neither has he, or she wouldn’t have taken ours. She can’t go to London,’ Mum cried. ‘Not with a man who has nothing.’

  Pippa could be flighty and demanding, but taking money from our parents wasn’t like her. This felt like a hammer blow to the guts for me, so God knows how Mum and Dad must feel.

  ‘Do you know anything about him?’ I asked.

  Mum sniffed. ‘Just his name, love—Jack Abbott.’

  When we got to my parents’ house, Dylan was already there with his phone to his ear, pacing the lounge.

  ‘Hey, Mum,’ I said, rushing over and pulling her into a hug. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘Dylan is ringing someone he knows that might know where this Jack person lives.’

  ‘It’s okay, Mrs. James,’ Roman’s deep voice broke in. ‘I can tell you that.’

  Mum’s eyes startled as she looked over at Roman.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I should have called on the way. Roman knows Jack, he knows where he lives.’

  ‘You do?’ my dad cried. ‘Come on then, let’s go. Dylan!’

  Dad made a cutting action across his throat to indicate to Dylan to cut the call.

  ‘No worries, thanks anyway,’ Dylan said to whoever was on the other end of the phone. ‘What’s up?’ he asked, pocketing his mobile.

  ‘Roman knows where we can find Jack Abbott,’ Mum said.

  Dylan looked at Roman, and then walked towards him with his hand out.

  ‘Hi Roman, I’m Dylan, Summer’s big brother.’

  Roman took his hand and shook it.

  ‘Nice to meet you, although not under these circumstances.’

  I chewed at my nail and looked at my poor mum clutching at a screwed-up tissue. At twenty-three, it shouldn’t be such a major trauma that my sister had left home: she was an adult after all. I knew that the main issue was that she’d stolen from Mum and Dad, but also she would have no idea how to look after herself, or anyone else for that matter. She was the baby of the family, and had always been treated as such.

  ‘Listen, at risk of being shot down in flames, she is twenty-three. Aren’t we being a bit over-dramatic?’ Dylan said, echoing my own thoughts.

  ‘She stole from us!’ Dad exclaimed. ‘All she had to do was ask for it.’

  He was right, all any of us ever had to do was ask, and Mum and Dad would help us out.

  ‘I know that, Dad,’ Dylan replied, ‘and I could kill her because of that alone. But now we know where she is, do we really need to go storming around there?’

  ‘Maybe Dylan has a point,’ Mum sniffed. ‘Perhaps if we just tell her we know about the money and want to talk to her about it.’

  Dad sighed heavily, and I felt Roman stiffen beside me. I kind of agreed with Dylan, but knowing what I knew about Jack Abbott, I did not want my little sister to end up like Tiffany and Caroline.

  ‘Jack Abbott isn’t someone we would want Pip to be with,’ I told Dylan. ‘He went out with Roman’s sister for a while, and dumped her in a pretty hurtful way, and he’s recently dumped a friend of Roman’s. She’s currently staying at Roman’s because Jack kicked her and her young daughter out without anywhere to go.’

  Dad growled and moved towards the door.

  ‘That’s it, she’s definitely coming home.’

  ‘I didn’t realise. Shit.’ Dylan caught hold of Dad’s arm. ‘Just wait, Dad, I really don’t think storming around there will help.’

  ‘But she needs to come home, son.’ Dad’s eyes were dark, and my stomach clenched at the look of distress on his face.

  ‘Can I suggest something?’ Roman said, clearing his throat. ‘How about Summer, Dylan and myself go? Maybe Summer and Dylan can talk to her, and I might be able to get her to see that he’s not the right man for her. I’ve seen first-hand with my sister what a piece of work he is.’

  Dad looked at Mum, who shrugged.

  ‘I suppose it can’t hurt.’

  Dad thought for a minute and then nodded. ‘Okay, but if you see any sign whatsoever that she’s in danger, you just drag her out of there.’

  ‘He’s not dangerous, Mr. James,’ Roman assured him. ‘He’s just a shit.’

  Dad managed a little smile. ‘Okay, and it’s
Ray, not Mr. James.’

  Roman nodded and turned to Dylan. ‘We can go in my truck.’

  Dylan stooped to give Mum a kiss on the cheek, and then followed Roman and I out of the room.

  Jack Abbott’s house was not at all what I’d expected. As a builder, I’d thought that it would be smart and tidy, but it was far from it.

  It was on an estate, with an on open-plan lawn at the front and a paved driveway to the side, leading to a garage. The grass was overgrown, as were the flower beds; there were weeds sticking out between the paving stones of the drive, and the black paint of the garage door was chipped and scuffed. The curtains were closed in all the windows, and those in one of the bedrooms were actually hanging off the rail.

  The rest of the houses in the estate weren’t much better: one even had a cooker and old sofa on the lawn, while the one next door to Jack’s had two of the three windows at the front boarded up. Even in the growing darkness, the area looked awful.

  ‘You’re kidding,’ Dylan muttered. ‘She left home to live in this shithole?’

  I took Dylan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked as desolate as I felt. Pippa may be a princess, but she was still our baby sister, and my stomach was churning wondering what on earth she’d got herself involved in.

  ‘Are you sure this is the right address?’ I asked, turning to Roman.

  He nodded. ‘Yeah, this is where I always sent Maisie’s birthday cards. I never visited before, but always got the impression they lived in a really nice area. Caroline said they had some land attached to it.’ He looked up at the bedroom windows and shook his head. ‘She was obviously embarrassed living in a place like this. Christ, I can’t believe Maisie was living here.’

  Roman blew out a breath, and I knew the guilt about Michael was threatening to rear its head again. I took a step closer to him, placing my hand on the small of his back. He flashed me a quick smile and said, ‘Abbot must have thought all his Christmases came at once when he got the Cromwell job.’

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘If he’s so down on his luck,’ Dylan muttered, ‘what the hell is he doing with Pippa? She’s not exactly got the money to bail him out. The three grand she’s nicked from Mum and Dad won’t go far.’