Recovery

by JC Harroway

  My mind rebelled at the tame words—there’d been no ‘just’ about it. I’d never been kissed like that before and, even more depressing, I doubted I would again. I fully understood his appeal as the rom-com hero—who wouldn’t want to be treated to a Nathan Banks special? But there had been nothing staged or rehearsed about his performance. He’d pressed me to the wall with angry possession. There was no finesse, no camera angles or lighting checks. And, my wayward body had revelled in it, loving every second until intellect intruded, dousing the whole electrifying event in the ice-cold common sense I usually perfected.

  Jess’s eyes assumed saucer proportions, growing admiration in her stare. ‘Sophia King, I want all the details. Now.’ She topped up our glasses with sake and clinked them together before knocking hers back in one swallow. Jess pressed my glass into my hand and I followed suit, the burn in my throat stealing my breath.

  ‘It was nothing.’ The lie rolled from my tongue, even as the heat from the memory flooded my girly parts.

  ‘Bollocks! Snogging Nathan Banks is not “nothing”.’

  I flushed, remembering the way I’d clung to him. I didn’t need to close my eyes to relive it—his scent, the firm swipe of his lips on mine and the needy whimper I couldn’t hold in were all indelibly etched into my long-term memory.

  ‘It was an angry kiss. He’d accused me of selling the story and said if I’d wanted a sample all I had to do was ask. Arrogant tosser.’ My heated blood surged through me, delivering sake to my brain, adding increased arousal to the memories.

  ‘Bloody hell. Who’d say no to that? I’d happily sample the goods.’ She sniggered.

  Through the alcohol fog, I recognised the need to stop talking, but my mouth was slow to receive the signals from my brain. ‘He didn’t give me chance to say no. Before I knew it I was pinned to the wall.’

  ‘Wow, Soph.’ She flapped her hand in front of her face as she exhaled a prolonged breath. ‘How could you keep this from me?’

  I shrugged, rubbing at a stain on the tablecloth with my thumb and avoiding her accusing glower. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments. I’d gone to the lodge to lay into him, not get under him, and the willingness with which my body had responded to his terrified me.

  When the silence had stretched beyond comfort, I looked up. Jess was staring over my shoulder, her mouth agape. ‘Oh fuck,’ she muttered, inspecting her lap.

  I leaned closer, trying to catch her eye. She reached for my hand and squeezed my fingers, her blue eyes conveying alarm and excitement in equal measure.

  ‘What?’ I swivelled my head to where she’d been staring to see Nathan, Claudia and an older man I didn’t recognise make their way to a table in the corner.

  My head swam and the sake swirled in my stomach with a sickening lurch. I snapped my head back to Jess, shrinking lower into my seat. But it was too late. He’d already seen us, his glance faltering on me before he controlled his surprise and focused on his party.

  I swallowed, certain the Sake was going to make a reappearance. ‘Time to go I think.’

  Jess nodded, picking up her cell phone from the table and feeling the seat behind her for her coat. Then I remembered we’d driven here. We were both over the limit, but we only lived a short walk away. ‘You pay the bill.’ I opened my bag and thrust a handful of notes at her across the table. ‘I’ll wait for you outside.’

  As I made for the exit, I had to pass Nathan’s table, but I clutched my coat to my chest like a shield and held my head high. I almost made it, but he called my name, rising and catching up with me to touch my elbow.

  ‘Dr King. Can we talk?’ He wore a dark shirt and worn jeans, and I was instantly hit with a blast of his tantalising scent. Forcing air out through my nose so I wouldn’t be distracted, I schooled my features into neutrality and glanced at the table he’d vacated. I’d forgotten all about Claudia. What a prick. Even if he had been teaching me a lesson, she deserved better than a boyfriend who’d revenge-kissed me.

  She barely glanced over, engrossed in her conversation with the older man.

  I battled the buzz of alcohol and deployed my frostiest tone. ‘I’m not sure this is the place.’

  The hard emerald chips of his gaze brooked no argument as he ushered me through the door leading to the restrooms and into a small corridor.

  I tugged my elbow free of his warm hand. ‘What do you want?’ I glanced to the closed bathroom doors wondering how long we had. The last thing we needed was another scene.

  His handsome features formed a harsh mask of determination. My insides quivered and I straightened, forcing my body to its full height.

  ‘I hear your position at the clinic has become insupportable? I wanted to apologise.’

  I gasped, my humiliation complete. ‘Who told you that?’ Indignation propelled me back half a step, until I hit the wall. He followed me, his bulk closing the space between us as he filled my vision.

  ‘I spoke to Dr Sargent, to apologise for the disruption caused.’ His gaze dipped to my mouth before settling once more on my eyes. ‘I understand you’re leaving for the UK earlier than you’d planned?’

  Shame turned to anger. I wanted to take him down with me, to ensure the mess he’d created hurt him as much as it hurt me. To punish him for kissing me and giving me a taste of what I could never have nor ever wanted. ‘My, how very well informed you are. Do you know what colour underwear I’m wearing too?’ My face flamed and I covered my mouth, hoping to stuff the stupid words back inside. With all the venom expanding inside me, that was the best I could come up with?

  His lips twitched. ‘My intelligence doesn’t stretch quite that far.’ The amusement cleared from his eyes as he continued with what he wanted to say. ‘Look, I’m leaving for London myself the day after tomorrow. It’s the least I can do for my part in all this, to offer you a ride home.’

  I doubted my hearing, certain the sake had pickled my brain. ‘Are you insane? Why would I do that? My travelling with you on your private jet is likely to add fuel to the fire, and I’ve already been burned, thanks.’ I moved to bypass him, intent on the door back into the restaurant.

  ‘Sophia.’ His hand gripped my arm, staying me. His jaw was rigid as he drew in a breath, no doubt gathering his patience. ‘I don’t want you to be hounded by paparazzi at the airport, and it may be a lot worse once you get to Heathrow. My way, you can leave and arrive inconspicuously.’ His hand left my arm, finding its way into the front pocket of his jeans. The hint of amusement was back, twisting his mouth and flashing his dimple. ‘And the plane isn’t mine. It belongs to the studio.’

  I scoffed, hurling his generosity back in his face. ‘You’ve helped enough, Mr Banks. Thanks to you, I have no job and a family to console and protect from gossip. I don’t need your charity.’ I reached for the door handle.

  ‘Sophia.’ He sighed, but I was too drunk and too belligerent to register the flash of regret in his eyes.

  I grabbed for another weapon to hurl at him, spinning back to hiss, ‘Does Claudia know you kissed me?’

  He didn’t budge, didn’t even flinch. ‘It’s nothing to do with her.’ His voice was low and his eyes hard with a warning I chose to ignore. He invaded my personal space until the door handle dug into my back and my arm twisted behind me, still clutching at my means of escape. ‘As I recall, you kissed me back.’ He lowered his head, his heated stare settling on my parted lips as I fought for oxygen.

  My instinct to breathe kicked in and my breasts brushed against the hardness of his chest. My anger was dissipating, my voice wavering. ‘Maybe I did.’ Who was I kidding? The imprint of his mouth was etched onto mine and my fingers itched for another chance to tangle in his hair. I was pinned again, an insect on a display board, at his mercy.

  His face lowered closer still and I stopped breathing altogether. When he spoke, his voice a husky growl, his breath fluttered over my tingling lips. ‘I can still taste you—still feel you.’

  My eyes were riveted to his tongue as it s
wiped across his bottom lip. He lifted his hand, bracing it on the door above my head. I clung to my sanity, clawing at the last of my rational thoughts. ‘But I was free to kiss you. I’m not in a relationship.’

  His smirk neither confirmed nor denied my accusation. I waited, my breath trapped in my lungs as his features hardened to stone. ‘So, you think I’m the clichéd bad boy? And yet, you kissed me back anyway?’

  I had no explanation for my enthusiastic part in the madness that had passed between us and the flush that spread up my neck was a neon sign advertising the fact.

  The push of the door at my back saved me, shoving me off balance so I stumbled into him with a whoosh of air from my bursting lungs. His hands clasped my upper arms, holding me steady while I righted my feet.

  Jess’s red curls popped into view, her gape widening at the sight of me chest to chest with Nathan. ‘Umm. I thought you must have passed out? Sorry.’ She began to retreat.

  ‘No. Mr Banks and I are done.’ I shook his hands from me and pulled the door open to follow my friend.

  His words halted my retreat. ‘Sophia. Think about my offer. I think you’ll find it’s the most convenient way to travel with the minimal amount of fuss.’

  Mortified at the speed and ease with which I’d almost slipped under his spell once more, I deployed my coldest glare. ‘I’d rather swim the whole way there. And I’d be less likely to fall victim to a shark attack.’

  I stalked back through the restaurant, an impressed-looking Jess in my wake.

  Chapter Five

  MY victory was short-lived. As the restaurant door closed behind us, the flash of what seemed like a hundred cameras blinded me and the questions came thick and fast.

  ‘Dr King. Is Nathan aware of your connection to Paul King?’

  ‘Can you tell us when the wedding date is?’

  ‘Sophia, will you honeymoon in New Zealand?’

  ‘Did he ask for your father’s permission?’

  I shielded my eyes from the glare with my arm and stumbled backwards into Jess. With her arm looped through mine, she tugged me back inside the restaurant and closed the door.

  ‘Bloody hell! That was mental.’ Jess and I faced each other, our chests panting and our eyes wide. ‘Are you okay?’ She gripped my shoulders, drawing me farther into the restaurant, away from the doors and away from the madness that had once again become my life. I nodded, my head spinning and my mouth too dry for speech.

  ‘What happened? Is she okay?’

  Nathan.

  Jess squeezed my hand and whirled on him. She was shorter than me, but she placed her petite form between us, bracing her free hand on her hip. I loved her for that.

  ‘There are paps outside. They ambushed us. Of course she’s not okay.’ Her Welsh accent grew with her chagrin.

  ‘Fuck.’ He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled, pinning me with his intense scrutiny. ‘Tama. Get in here, now. The rear entrance.’ His gaze flicked to Jess before settling on me again. ‘I’ll take you home.’ He focused on his phone, firing off a rapid text.

  I found my voice. ‘We’re not going anywhere with you.’ I stepped out from behind Jess and turned my back on him. ‘Jess, let’s get a taxi.’

  The adrenaline that kept me upright dwindled fast. Trembles began in my hands and threatened to infect my whole body. I battled the steel band confining my chest to suck sufficient air into my screaming lungs.

  Jess chewed her lip and glanced at the door. ‘Okay.’ She nodded, her brows pinched together.

  We’d created enough of a scene to disrupt the meals of the few other diners, who whispered and craned their necks to keep abreast of the drama. One woman was blatantly filming the spectacle on her phone. Even Claudia raised a curious brow in our direction before turning back to her dinner companion.

  A staff member approached, together with a tall Maori man who wore a dark suit and a menacing expression. Ignoring Jess and I, they drew Nathan aside and spoke to him in hushed tones. I couldn’t make out what they said, but it was clear the bigger man was a bodyguard. He must have been waiting in the car park.

  Jess’s bewildered glance flicked around the room from group to group, settling on the woman filming us. The fierce fight of moments ago had deserted her, leaving her deathly pale.

  ‘It’s okay, Jess.’ Sobering quickly, I turned my back on the amateur filmmaker, swallowing my own shame, and positioned myself in front of my friend, blocking her from view. Pulling my phone from the back pocket of my jeans, I searched my contacts for a taxi company.

  Before I could place the call, Nathan was back. ‘We’re leaving. Now.’ He grabbed my phone, dropping it into my pocket, and grasped the top of my arm.

  I was a writhing, spitting mass of humiliation, frustration and self-preservation again. ‘I told you—we’re not leaving with you. We’ll get a taxi.’

  He didn’t flinch, ignoring me and reaching for Jess’s arm. ‘Don’t be stubborn. The place is surrounded. They’re at the back entrance too.’ Inserting himself between Jess and I, he ushered her forward with a hand between her shoulder blades and tugged me after him.

  ‘We can take care of ourselves.’ My voice rose. A few of the wait staff were lined up in front of the bar, their curious stares following our progress. Jess lowered her head, her cheeks glowing as she shuffled past.

  Turning his head without slowing his pace, Nathan said, ‘Think about your friend. You’re escalating this scene right now.’

  Hot fingers of shame clawed at my throat. I glanced up at the bodyguard who stood sentry at the door leading to the kitchens, his body tense and his eyes alert. Behind the door, the chefs had abandoned their stations to peer through the circle of glass.

  Once again I found myself at the centre of a spectacle of someone else’s making. I’d learned long ago to ignore the stares, but that didn’t mean I’d been vaccinated for the humiliation they evoked.

  Jess remained silent, her gaze trained on the floor in front of her feet.

  ‘Tama?’ Nathan urged us towards the intimidating bodyguard who swung open the door to the kitchens, scattering the chefs and ushering us inside.

  Nathan paused at his table to speak to Claudia and the other man. Their faces, wreathed in questions, glanced our way.

  ‘Please, Soph. Let’s just get out of here?’ Jess’s voice was small. She stood close to Tama, her eyes imploring.

  I nodded. ‘Okay.’ Poor Jess—what a mess.

  Nathan was back, his spine rigid and his expression commanding. This was his world. ‘Tama goes first; I’ll be behind you. Walk quickly, keep your head down and don’t say anything.’ His voice rang with authority, daring us to contradict him. ‘Ready?’

  I was tempted to defy him, but Jess was docile, her curls bobbing with the nod of her head. She looked as if she’d follow him into the fires of hell.

  He took my silence for acquiescence and pushed us towards the back exit.

  It happened with the speed and skill of a SWAT mission. Within a few adrenaline-filled seconds, we were inside the SUV, concealed behind the tinted glass and roaring away from the restaurant, leaving the crowd of photographers behind.

  ***

  The pounding on the door matched the tempo of the pounding in my head. I stumbled out of bed and was halfway across the apartment before I remembered last night and the paparazzi. They were up early. Or perhaps they hadn’t gone home?

  I fumbled to open my phone, which I’d tossed on the hall table after Tama had escorted us to the door. Jess was so relieved to be safe, she’d actually hugged the giant of a man, her tiny frame perched on tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his massive chest.

  There were ten texts in my inbox and six missed calls from a number I didn’t recognise. The texts claimed to be from the door pounder, who was a courier and had a package to hand-deliver. I moved to the window, cracking open the curtains enough to see a man on our doorstep. Wearing a courier company shirt, he carried an envelope in his hand.

  T
he security chain slid into the groove with a rattle and I opened the door a crack, my forehead pressed to the cool wood so I stayed out of sight. ‘What do you want?’ Now the pounding had stopped, I became aware of the throbbing at my temples. I pressed my eyes closed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

  ‘Parcel for Sophia King.’ A slip of paper and pen appeared in the opening and I took both, scrawling a quick version of my signature across the bottom. I swapped the paper and pen for the envelope and thanked the courier before closing and locking the door.

  Jess was in the kitchen making tea when I returned. I pulled out a stool at the bench sinking into it and tore open the letter.

  ‘What an infuriating arsehole.’ I tossed the contents of the envelope down onto the bench and reached for the mug Jess set before me. I closed my eyes, savouring the first delicious mouthful of tea. ‘Thanks, Jess. That’s just what I needed.’

  The silence stretched from typical morning hangover levels to brittle-with-unspoken-resentment levels. Jess leaned against the sink with downcast eyes.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  She lifted her bloodshot eyes to mine, her face blank. ‘What’s in the envelope?’

  ‘Ughh, Nathan Banks. He has a sick sense of humour.’ I wasn’t making sense, and Jess waited for an explanation. ‘An itinerary for my flight tomorrow on the studio jet. The guy’s delusional.’

  I scrolled through the e-mails on my phone, noting he’d sent the same itinerary to me electronically, too.

  Jess broke the silence. ‘I think you should go with him.’

  ‘What?’ My startled gaze flew to hers across the kitchen. ‘It’ll just make things worse.’ Nathan Banks had created this mess and the last thing I needed was to be alone with him, trapped at thirty-five thousand feet for twenty-four hours.

  ‘How much worse could they be, Soph? You’re being hounded and followed, and now they’ve discovered who you are.’

  I winced, my brain sluggish with the aftereffects of last night. I dropped my head into my hands, recalling the comments about my father. I was spread out for the world to see, like a rat on a dissection board. ‘We don’t know they were following me last night. They could have been following Nathan.’