He continues with his delicious assault of beautiful kisses, and he lightly parts my lips with his tongue and slowly slips it into my welcoming mouth and when I reciprocate he picks up the speed and his kisses become more powerful. I have no choice but to kiss him back with such a passion that I’m left a little breathless and now I’m desperate for his touch everywhere. Would it be rude if I started dry-humping his leg like a savage dog or a woman driven insane from thrush, because that’s how desperately I need to ease the tension that he’s building.
Jesus Christ, something has to give here, it’s just not fair and bloody Matthew here clearly knows what he’s doing. He confirms it when I feel the edge of his mouth curve up into a wicked grin. As if reading my mind, I hear the loud thud and rustle of his carrier bags hitting the ground. Why does he still have hold of them, anyway?
“Shit,” I say aloud. The bloody carrier bags. “Oh no you don’t, Mister,” I warn as I pull my head back to look at him. “I know your game and I’m not playing.” How dare he use his seduction skills to distract me and then have the audacity to work my body up like that.
“You’re so getting it later, Parker.” He promises and I shudder at the thought of him having his wicked way with me. My need to have him only intensifies when I see the look of heated lust burning in his eyes.
“Too fucking right, I am, sunshine.” I’m going to store this moment away and remember it forever and I cannot wait to return the favour and leave him hanging. Possibly tomorrow morning when he wakes up with a right stonker of morning glory. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Rachel and Doug both arrive at mine bang on seven.
Be still my beating heart, everything’s going to be okay. I open the door and beam happily at my guests, thankful that they both could make it at such short notice, but for some strange reason I’ve got a niggling feeling in my stomach that something isn’t right and I can’t seem to shift it.
“Well, look at you,” Rachel says, taking me in and stepping through the door. Never bloody mind me, she looks breath-taking in her long, figure-hugging red dress. It definitely defines her curves and no doubt the thigh high split will keep Doug on the edge of his seat all night.
“I won’t lie, I feel slightly under dressed right now.” I admit as I look down at my newly purchased floral jumpsuit. You know I really loved it too a couple of seconds ago, now not so much.
“Give over. What the hell are you talking about? You look beautiful. Come on, you and I both know you’d look shit hot in nothing but a bin bag.” I smile back at her, she has to say that, it’s rule number one in the friend code, plus her opinion doesn’t count for all that much really, because it’s one hundred percent biased and always will be. “Tell her, Doug,” she sing songs at her significant other.
“She speaks the truth. Honestly, if I weren’t with Rach, I’d definitely be up for giving you one.” Doug winks at me, Rachel laughs and I shrug his comment off as I know it’s all in jest, but Matt moves closer towards me.
“Easy now, mate,” he warns and I can’t help but laugh at him. That’s my man, trying his best to act all alpha, God love him.
“I’m only messing about, pal,” Doug looks at Matt and then turns to me, “you do look good though.”
Doug never fails to surprise me. I never, ever imagined that he would be the person to steal my best friends heart. Yes, she was shagging him on and off for ages, but that was how she liked it. No strings and uncomplicated. She was pretty happy that way. But then everything changed. It would seem that over the course of time, my Rachel only went and fell completely head over heels for this guy who’s now stood before me and in all honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happier than she is when she’s with him. I guess it’s true what they say — opposites attract, because I mean these two, they couldn’t be any different. You’ve got Rachel, all super girly and a right little miss prim and proper on the outside, and then you’ve got Doug. Sure, he’s super sweet, but he’s not the manly alpha man that Rachel always looked for. Though he’s got a heart of gold. He’s one of those gamer types through and through. He loves to wear battered branded t-shirts and he’s always got the latest inside scoop on everything when it comes to technology. So long as he’s good to my Rach and keeps her happy, then I’ve got no reason to be anything but good to him.
“Doug, allow me to introduce you to Matt, my extremely protective bodyguard.”
“Very funny,” Matt whines from behind me like a naughty little school boy. “We have met before you know.”
“Oh, so you have. I guess you just weren’t acting all weird last time.” I shake my head and laugh, while Matt looks at me, totally confused. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately, but the last thing I need right now is him getting all dominating around me, especially towards Doug of all people. One, he’s not my type and two, even if he was, he’s with Rachel. Hello, friend code. He’s got absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
“Okay gang, are we ready to party?” I ask, desperate to be on our way. I’m beginning to feel really anxious and I don’t know why. Something just feels off and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t shake it off. I suppose it could be because I didn’t really leave myself with enough time to plan for this, or then again it could be because we’re all meeting up in a completely new environment to what I’m used to. Whatever the reason, I just wish this feeling would bloody do one because I don’t like it one bit.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Rachel asks as we make our way towards Matt’s car and I can’t help but feel a little offended.
“What the hell do you take me for? Of course, I don’t, but Little Miss Google does.”
After what feels like forever driving down long and winding roads, listening to the Best of Power Ballads with Doug and Matt both squealing their hearts out, we finally pull up at the address Lyndsey gave me and shitting hell. My mouth hangs open in utter disbelief. It’s fucking huge. Never in all of my living days have I ever seen anything quite like it. There’s no denying that this must be how the other half lives.
“Are you sure we’ve got the right place?” Rachel asks and her eyes are so wide, they look like they could pop out of their sockets at any given moment. I look towards Matt and Doug and see their expressions also resemble the same look as Rachel and I — shell-shocked and overly jealous.
“Yep, look,” I point to the message that Lyndsey sent me as I pull it up on my phone. I definitely feel like I’m under-dressed for tonight. “This has to be the right place.”
“What is it that she does for a living because I sure as hell could do with a cut of this.” Doug sighs next to me.
“Um, do you know what, I can’t even remember if we’ve even had that conversation yet.” Wow, what a great planner I am, how have we not even had that conversation? I feel a little bad for automatically assuming that she was just a happy housewife. Maybe she is and there’s nothing wrong if that’s the case, but considering I’m supposed to be the mastermind behind her wedding, I feel like I’ve missed out on a great opportunity to get a real feel for the person that she is. Question number one should have been around her work commitments.
“Are we going to knock on the door or stand here gawping and freezing our tits off all night?” Rachel huffs, clearly making her lack of patience known.
“Bloody hell, love,” I laugh, “I’d tell you to keep your knickers on but judging from that whopping slit up your thigh, I doubt you’d be able to wear any.”
“Don’t you start,” Rachel hisses playfully at me. Oh, someone’s a little touchy. Maybe she’s gone commando to keep Dougy boy on edge all night. Personally, I like to feel comfortable when I’m out and about, but each to their own I guess.
“Ladies,” Matt falls in line behind me and places his hand firmly at the base of my spine and it raises goose bumps all over my bare skin. “Let’s not start arguing, the night’s still young.”
God love him, he’s still trying to work out mine and R
achel’s banter. He wouldn’t know what to do if the two of us broke out into an argument. We’re like two bloody bulls in a china shop when we get going.
“Let’s do this, then.” I hastily put one foot forward and I’m overwhelmed by the sudden flood of anxiety that ripples unexpectedly through my body. What the hell’s happening to me? I can’t remember the last time I felt like this.
“Hey, are you okay?” Rachel asks, and she looks very concerned. Great, so I’m guessing not only do I feel like shit, but I’ll take a wild guess and say that I look like shit too.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I lie quickly. I really don’t want tonight to be about me. I feel anxious enough without having three extra sets of eyes on me all night. “Hopefully I’ll feel a bit better once we’ve had something to eat.” If not, I’ll have to find some kind of and excuse so that I can head home and bask in my own self-pity for a while.
“Are you sure? Emily, you’re all pale and clammy.”
Am I? Fucking brilliant, that’s just what I need right now. Trust me to turn up to Lyndsey’s dinner date at her super-duper big posh house only to end up looking like something that should have been dead a long time ago.
“Oh my God… are you pregnant? You are, aren’t you?”
“What?” I squeal back albeit a little too loudly and then my world stops. It crashes and then burns until it’s nothing but ash. Am I pregnant? Is she for real? “Are you insane?” I reply, trying my best to convince her that she’s definitely lost her shit this time. However, with my mind clouded by a sudden fog, I wouldn’t be able to say for definite whether I could be or not.
“Are you?”
I spin around, my head moving so fast that I’m sure I look possessed. I focus my eyes, trying to find Matt and when I do I really wish that I hadn’t. He’s staring at me with such an empty expression and I don’t know how to feel about it. I know that it hurts to see him like this and it’s even worse because he’s looking at me. “Do you not want any kids?” I ask, not even meaning to ask that question. I wait patiently for a couple more seconds in the hope that he’ll answer me but he doesn’t, and it crushes my heart that little bit further. Hearing Doug mutter the words awkward to Rachel really isn’t helping matters, either.
When Matt still doesn’t say anything, I decide to swallow down my emotions and say, “No, Matthew, I’m not pregnant,” and surprisingly I say it with a hell of a lot more conviction than I feel. “Don’t be daft,” I continue trying to lighten the mood. It’s not physically possible. I mean I’m on the pill and I swallow those bad boys religiously. My Pill, not Matt’s sperm.
Yes, I would love the idea of a bunch of mini Emily and Matt’s running around, but we’ve got all the time in the world to think about starting a family, and right now I really want to concentrate on my business, which brings me right back to the task at hand — Lyndsey.
I reach out for Matt’s hand and thankfully he takes it. Phew, I’d hate for shit to get really awkward between us because of an off-the-cuff comment from Rachel. I don’t know why but it seems that suddenly the whole universe is against us and we’re constantly fighting what seems to be a losing battle. “Okay guys,” I sigh, desperately wanting to go home, and seek comfort in my safe place but I know that I can’t for at least another couple of hours. “It’s time.”
Slowly, all of us head up the narrow cobblestone path towards the monstrous Victorian style building before us, none of us knowing what lies ahead waiting to greet us. With this in mind, I keep Matt’s hand locked firmly in mine and I give it a little squeeze just to make sure that he’s still there.
“It comes to something when a bloody butler answers the door for you, doesn’t it?” Matt whispers softly against my ear as we step inside. “I feel like we’ve been thrown right into the middle of Downton Abbey.”
I turn my head to the side so that I can look at him face on, my whole body is in complete awe and shock. “Well, I never knew you used to watch Downton Abbey, Matthew?” I question accusingly.
“Everyone and their mother watched bloody Downton, Emily.” Matt says very matter of fact as if it’s not a big deal. Too flaming right it’s a big deal and one that I’m not about to let him forget, either.
“Everyone but you.” I add, “You used to take the living piss out of me when it was on. Actually, if I remember correctly, you used to rip me to shreds every Monday morning after it had been on.”
“Only because you never stopped harping on about it. It was funny to see you so passionate and how easily I could wind you up with it.”
“That’s because it was immense and you clearly thought so too.” What a sly dog he is. Oh, now he’s let this little titbit of need to know info out the bag it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. We can even watch re-runs of Downton together during the build up to Christmas, after X Factor, of course. Oh, it sounds so romantic, all snuggled up on the couch with his and hers hot chocolate and marshmallows.
I feel Matt chuckle next to me and the feeling pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the here and now as we’re led down a mahoosive hallway, the walls lined with what I am sure are first edition paintings. They must have cost an absolute arm and a leg to start with. I swear, Mr Jones’ surround system has got shit on this. This place is a robber’s bloody dream.
The beauty doesn’t end there though. Oh no, this beautiful hallway opens up into an exquisite and vintage looking foyer, complete with a double staircase in the centre which spirals up on both sides to the next floor.
My mind automatically goes to Nathaniel and Lawrence. Now this place is exactly what they’re looking for. It doesn’t only tick all the boxes, but it screams their names as if it was made for the two of them. They would love to get married here, that I’m sure. It’s perfect.
However, that being said, it kind of strikes me as odd that Lyndsey doesn’t want to get married here. I mean she’s got the whole get up right at her fingertips. This place is absolutely stunning. I’ve fallen head over heels for it and I’ve only seen two areas so far.
Forget bloody Downton, this place looks like it’s fresh out of Housewives of Beverly Hills. They must be earning an absolute mint and this has got to be a listed building too. Not that I’m envious at all. Yeah right, I’m going to be weeping into my coffee for all eternity.
“Ms Lyndsey will be with you shortly,” the small bald man before us says, and he displays no form of emotion on his face at all. I wonder if I were to flash him, would that make him flinch or even break a smile? If I knew Lyndsey better than I did, I’d definitely put it to the test, but I don’t and I’d hate for her to think badly of me. Hopefully she’ll invite me back and I can try it out another time. “Please,” he continues, “this way while I accompany you to the dining room.”
I hear low, hushed murmurs behind me from Rachel and Doug and I have to fight the urge to stop and turn around. I’m glad to hear they’re just as affected by all this as I am. It’s truly mesmerising.
“Here we are,” Lyndsey’s butler says as he opens a large set of heavy oak doors and revealing a large candlelit room. I step closer, eager to see what’s behind the doors and on further inspection I see a large antique dining table in the middle of the room that could easily seat around 25 people, but there only seems to be six chairs placed around it. One at the head of the table, one at the bottom and two on either side.
“I sure hope they’re bringing Tannoys to this dinner,” Matt chuckles next to me and I have to admit that he has a very valid point. How the hell are we going to hear one another? My anxiety pangs again and I can’t help but think that this whole dinner is a bad idea.
“Wow. This is some next level shit,” Rachel gasps, and she claps her hands together excitedly and her claps echo around the room.
“Where did you even find this chick?” Matt asks while also standing open-mouthed as he takes in his current surroundings and he looks so cute.
“It’s nothing to do with me, really. Rachel found her so God only knows.” I
admit. In the short time I have known her, she’s definitely kept her private life just that — private. To be fair, I’d probably be inclined to do the same too. No wonder she wants to reach out and find her family again. God, I bet living in a place as large as this can sure get lonely sometimes. I really hope she manages to sort things out with them as from what I’ve learnt so far, she cares a lot about them and she’s a really sweet girl.
I tug Matt’s hand trying to pull him out of his amazement. It’s no good us just standing around all night, we may as well make ourselves comfortable. By the looks of it Rachel and Doug already have, I can make them out pulling out the chairs just before they sit down.
“What would you do with a place like this?” Matt asks, but I don’t have time to answer him as my words get completely and utterly drowned out from someone else.
“Matt?” Lyndsey questions as she walks cautiously towards the table. “Is that you?”
My eyes shoot up to meet hers and I watch her closely. A look of total surprise, mixed with horror is etched onto her face as she takes the sight of my boyfriend in. How does she even know who he is? And why is she looking at him like that? I then look to Matt to try to gauge his reaction, but the look on his face does nothing to settle my stomach at all. He looks just as shocked as she does.
“Sorry,” I manage on a squeak after struggling to clear my throat. My mouth’s so fucking dry and my head begins to spin. “Do you two know each other?”
My heart is pounding at an accelerated speed and my chest rises and falls heavily as I wait for one of them to answer me, or even acknowledge me.
What is this? What the hell have I walked into here? I look to Rachel hoping that she can help, but she shrugs back at me, clearly as baffled as I am.
“Matt?” I demand, more affirmative this time when neither of them answer me. Please don’t tell me that I have been arranging a wedding for someone that Matt’s shagged, or even worse, is currently shagging.
Love, Lies and Louboutins (Heartbreak Book 2) Page 12