Idol

by Carrie Duffy

  With barely focused eyes, Sadie watched her go. Her brain was foggy, her body exhausted through a combination of jet lag and alcohol. Yet she couldn’t shake the weirdest feeling that her life was about to change forever.

  15

  Jenna was woken by the glorious sun streaming through her curtains, and for a moment her sleep-fogged brain couldn’t place where she was. But as she opened her eyes and saw the heavenly room, it all came flooding back.

  Despite being tired after the flight, Jenna had stayed up talking late into the night with Nick and consequently she had woken late this morning. It was the first time they had spent so much time alone together and they were both acutely aware of the fact. Nick had been courteous and attentive, tactile without overstepping the boundaries. Almost too courteous, Jenna thought with disappointment. They’d shared a bottle of wine or two last night, and in the relaxed, heady atmosphere she had been certain that he would kiss her. Her body had been on fire for him, literally aching as she longed for him to reach across and take her in his arms. But he’d held off.

  Was it possible she’d misread the signs? No, that was ridiculous, she assured herself. He was probably playing it cool out of respect for her. Not rushing into anything. Jenna Jonsson wasn’t just some one-night stand and they both knew it.

  Stifling a yawn, she got out of bed. It was so high off the ground she practically had to climb down. Wrapping herself in a sheet, Jenna padded across the room to the window, the floor tiles feeling deliciously cold on her warm feet. Pulling back the white voile curtains, she felt the same rush of excitement she had experienced yesterday as she looked out across Nick’s extensive gardens, stretching all the way down to the tranquil sea.

  It was going to be a scorching day; the sky was almost pure blue, with only the occasional fluffy white cloud drifting lazily across it. The Mediterranean was a dazzling turquoise colour, with the sunlight reflecting off it so brightly that if Jenna screwed up her eyes it appeared almost silver. Nick’s boat, Nightfinch, bobbed regally in the distance. White and gleaming, it was the perfect millionaire’s plaything.

  Realizing that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday evening and it was now almost lunchtime, Jenna showered quickly then pulled on a vest top and a pair of knickers before padding downstairs to see what she could find.

  ‘Oh!’ she exclaimed, letting out a cry of surprise as she rounded the bottom of the staircase and crashed into a complete stranger. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she apologized breathlessly, painfully aware of how exposed she felt in what amounted to little more than her underwear.

  Her cheeks began to colour as the man looked her up and down, his heavily lined face creasing into an expression of disapproval. He looked quite old – in his sixties at least, Jenna thought – and he was wearing a T-shirt and a light pair of trousers. He was extremely tanned, and looked as though he spent much of his time outdoors.

  ‘Senõr Taylor está en la cocina,’ the old man told her sourly.

  ‘Gracias,’ Jenna told him, mustering her dignity, and hoping her Spanish hadn’t let her down as she headed in the direction of the kitchen.

  ‘Hey!’ Nick greeted her. ‘You’ve spoilt my surprise.’

  Jenna barely registered the food he was preparing as she burst out, ‘Nick, who the hell was that old guy out there?’

  Nick threw back his head and roared with laughter. ‘I see you’ve met Carlos,’ he observed. ‘I’m amazed you didn’t give the poor old guy a heart attack. You’ve practically given me one,’ he told her, eyeing the skimpy panties and tight-fitting vest.

  ‘But who is he?’ Jenna pressed, determined not to get distracted. Nick was wearing a pair of loose-fitting khaki shorts, and nothing else. His bare chest was tanned, with just a smattering of curly blond hair, and it was obvious that he worked out a lot.

  Nick smiled lazily, knowing he was looking good. ‘Carlos? I guess you could say he’s my handyman. He’s been here forever from what I hear, and kinda came with the house. He looks after the joint when I’m not here and does what needs doing – repairs things, gardens, whatever. He’s completely unimpressed by this place. And by its guests,’ he added, correctly guessing that Jenna was a little surprised by the lack of recognition Carlos had shown her.

  ‘He’s not the most … talkative of guys though,’ Nick continued. ‘But we seem to get on okay. I think he disapproves of semi-naked pop stars, though,’ added Nick wickedly, as Jenna glared at him.

  ‘If I were you, Mr Taylor, I’d shut up and start pouring me some juice.’

  ‘Well, if you hadn’t been so desperate to parade yourself in front of old Carlos there, I’d have brought this to you in bed,’ Nick told her, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

  ‘It’s a good job you didn’t,’ Jenna teased. ‘I sleep naked.’

  ‘Really? Hey, tomorrow morning – I’m there!’ Nick joked, as Jenna began to laugh. He picked up a tray of fantastic-looking food – fresh bread rolls, creamy yellow butter, locally made jams and ensaïmadas, the traditional island pastry. ‘Don’t even think about the calories,’ Nick warned her, ‘otherwise you’ll miss out on one of the most delicious things you’ve ever eaten.’

  ‘Mmm, they smell fabulous,’ Jenna told him, breathing in the mouthwatering scent. ‘And don’t worry, I’m planning to take it easy on myself for a few days. I don’t want any punishing exercise regime, just a lot of lounging around, stuffing myself full of ensaïmadas.’

  ‘That’s my girl,’ Nick told her, as he picked up the food. ‘C’mon, let’s take all this stuff and eat outside.’

  ‘This is heavenly,’ sighed Jenna contentedly, as she lounged in one of the easy chairs on the terrace, shaded from the fiercest of the midday sun by a large white parasol. ‘I’ve eaten so much I don’t think I can move,’ she groaned.

  ‘Well, you don’t have to, princess. Nothing to do all day but lie here and chill,’ Nick told her, pouring them both another glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

  ‘But shouldn’t we work on some material or something?’ Jenna protested feebly.

  ‘No need,’ Nick replied easily. ‘Zac’s flying out today and won’t be here until later. You’ve got all afternoon to relax and settle in.’

  ‘Okay, you’ve convinced me,’ Jenna told him, lazily batting away a bright blue dragonfly that buzzed around the trailing bougainvillea. The heat was heavy, but not oppressive, and Jenna was grateful for the gentle breeze blowing off the sea, which kept the temperature bearable.

  She stretched luxuriously in her seat, and Nick watched her and smiled.

  ‘I think I might get changed and go for a swim,’ Jenna told him. ‘Then just spend a couple of hours by the pool.’

  ‘Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it,’ Nick warned. ‘When the others get out here I’m gonna start cracking the whip.’

  ‘Really?’ Jenna raised an eyebrow. ‘Sounds fun.’

  ‘Oh it is. But I’d better warn you – I’m merciless.’

  Jenna smiled. ‘I’ll see you back here in ten minutes, Nick,’ she told him firmly.

  ‘It’s a date,’ he winked, as Jenna headed back to the house. She felt ridiculously happy as she walked back to her room, unable to stop herself from smiling.

  It must be the hot weather, she told herself, as she began to gather the things she needed into a large canvas beach bag; sun cream, sunglasses, a thick, glossy novel, iPod, a selection of magazines and a large Gucci beach towel.

  Yeah, either that or the gorgeous guy waiting for you by the pool, she realized with a giggle. Still smiling, she undressed and slipped into a Missoni print bikini, checking out her reflection in the mirror.

  Perfect.

  If this didn’t hook Nick Taylor, nothing would.

  When Jenna returned to the pool she found Nick wasn’t there. Unconcerned, she dumped her bag on a sun lounger and impulsively dived into the pool. After the hot sun on her body, the water felt freezing cold, but Jenna welcomed the shock to her system. She gasped as she broke the surface, smooth
ing back her long golden hair.

  Jenna began to swim a few laps of the pool, basking in the deliciously refreshing water, which made her skin tingle and invigorated her whole body. She rolled over and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift as she floated on the surface, basking in the sun’s warmth.

  As a shadow fell across her face, she opened her eyes to see Nick standing by the side of the pool, his muscular body directly in the sun’s path. She wondered how long he’d been watching her.

  ‘Hey,’ he said softly.

  ‘Hey.’

  ‘No need to get out on my account,’ Nick told her, his voice low and husky, as Jenna swam to the edge.

  ‘I’ve been in too long anyway,’ she replied, easing herself out of the pool.

  Nick groaned inwardly. Man, this was torture! Halle Berry had nothing on Jenna Jonsson, he thought to himself as he watched Jenna emerge, dripping wet. Her skin was shiny, her muscles toned, and droplets of water streamed down her arms, down her thighs, between her breasts …

  Nick swallowed as Jenna ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back from her face. It was like being in some clichéd soft-focus movie scene, Nick thought, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

  Jenna began to towel her hair, then searched through her bag for her sun cream – anything to take her eyes off Nick. She couldn’t stop checking him out, and desperately hoped he hadn’t noticed. She needed to play this one cool, not throw herself at him like some love-struck teenager.

  But could any woman help herself, she reasoned? Dressed in just black swimming trunks and dark Gucci sunglasses, there was so much perfectly honed body on show. His shoulders were muscular, his chest toned and broad. And his thighs … With a sudden burst of lust, Jenna found herself imagining what it would be like to make love to him, crushed beneath his powerful frame, their bodies matted with perspiration as they writhed together. Unable to stop, she began wondering how he would make love to her – would he be slow and gentle, with a confident, teasing touch, or would he be urgent and thrusting, unable to hold back in his desire for her?

  ‘I brought you some water.’ Nick’s voice broke into her thoughts as he held out the chilled bottle of San Pellegrino.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Jenna, hardly daring to look at him as she took the bottle. She felt as though she must be blushing furiously and desperately hoped Nick wouldn’t be able to detect the way she was squirming with lust beside him. Get a grip, she warned herself, as she began to get slick between the legs. ‘I think I’m just going to chill here for a while now,’ she told him, trying to keep her voice even.

  ‘Sure,’ he replied easily, in that sexy Southern drawl.

  Jenna began to apply lotion as Nick stretched out on his sun lounger, folding his hands behind his head. There was a long silence.

  ‘So, d’you like it here?’ Nick asked finally.

  ‘I love it! It’s like paradise,’ Jenna gushed, overcompensating madly as she spread lotion across her stomach and chest.

  ‘So it wasn’t a bad decision then, staying here?’ Nick couldn’t resist asking.

  ‘Nick,’ began Jenna warningly. ‘I’d quit while I’m ahead if I were you,’ she joked, threatening him with the tube of sun cream.

  Nick reached over and plucked it out of her hand.

  ‘Don’t take that tone with me, Jonsson,’ he said sternly. ‘Now turn over while I do your back.’

  Meekly, Jenna obliged, rolling over onto her stomach. Nick moved to sit on the edge of the wooden lounger and clicked the cap off the cream, squeezing it gently onto Jenna’s flawless skin.

  Jenna inhaled sharply. ‘It’s cold!’

  ‘Is that better?’ Nick asked softly. He began to smear the cream smoothly, his hands slipping over her shoulder blades, over the toned muscles and all the way down to her lower back. He rubbed gently, his palms making a circular motion in the hollow at the base of her spine as his fingertips gripped her waist.

  ‘Mmmmm,’ she murmured.

  Not letting go of her waist, he swung his leg across her body and straddled her, his feet either side of the sun lounger. Gently, he rested himself on her back. ‘Does that hurt?’ he asked her worriedly.

  ‘A little,’ Jenna told him truthfully. He was a big guy.

  Nick raised himself off her, and Jenna spread her legs a little wider, giving him more room to sit down. ‘Is that better?’ he asked, lowering himself back down.

  ‘Mmm hmmm …’ she replied, not trusting herself to say anything more.

  Nick continued to slide his hands up and down her body, gradually applying more pressure. He was unbelievably hard; his cock was so swollen it hurt, as he slid his hands under the string that fastened her bikini.

  ‘You’re gonna get tan lines,’ he whispered hoarsely.

  Jenna didn’t speak, but simply reached round to her back with one hand and pulled the tie gently, letting her top fall away to the side. She was acting purely on instinct now, too horny to think straight.

  Nick shifted position, feeling his erection straining against his shorts, and applied more lotion, making Jenna’s body slippery underneath his hands. He massaged her shoulders, his fingertips reaching far over her collarbone and down towards her breasts. Jenna felt her nipples tighten almost painfully, and hardly dared move, she was so turned on. She felt sure that if she so much as rubbed against the fabric of the sun lounger she would come. Then Nick’s fingers withdrew, sliding back over her shoulder blades, down towards her butt, and out to the sides as he began to caress her waist, his hands steadily moving along her body until they were cupping the sides of her breasts. The rest of her chest was hidden from him, crushed into the soft material of the sun lounger.

  ‘Jenna …’ breathed Nick. He couldn’t hold on any longer, he was going to have to kiss her, he—

  ‘How’s it going guys?’

  Jenna and Nick looked up sharply to see a stony-faced Zac standing a few feet away. Dressed casually in combats and a sleeveless white top, he cut a strikingly handsome figure in the glamorous surroundings of Nick’s villa.

  ‘I can leave if you’re busy,’ he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

  ‘No need to do that,’ replied Nick smoothly, climbing off Jenna’s back. His erection was still clearly visible and, although Nick didn’t seem to find this a problem, Jenna felt decidedly uncomfortable. She knew exactly what the scene must have looked like to Zac, and this was not the way she would have wanted him to find them. The move to Ibiza was supposed to herald a new start for the Phoenix project; fooling around with Nick didn’t exactly signal a committed attitude to her work.

  ‘Hey,’ she greeted him awkwardly, not daring to move in case she exposed her breasts to them both.

  ‘Hey,’ replied Zac neutrally.

  Jenna sat up carefully, holding her top in place as she retied it at the back.

  ‘Carlos let me in,’ Zac told them, by way of explanation. His voice sounded stilted and carefully controlled. ‘I arrived a couple of hours ago and thought I’d come round and see how you both were. But I see you’re settling in just fine,’ he said pointedly.

  Jenna felt herself redden, hating Zac for the way he was making her feel. Mutinously, she looked up at him from underneath her long lashes, her green eyes defiant. ‘Yeah,’ she said brightly, deliberately not picking up on his inference. ‘Nick’s been the perfect host, and the house is just gorgeous.’

  ‘Gorgeous,’ Zac echoed tonelessly. ‘Anyway, I’m gonna head off. Like I said, I just thought I’d drop in.’

  ‘You don’t have to leave. We weren’t doing anything that won’t wait until later,’ Nick grinned, and Jenna felt an unexpected stab of annoyance at his cavalier attitude.

  ‘Look, why don’t you stay?’ she said warmly to Zac. ‘It’s so nice just sitting out in the sun and chilling. We can talk about our plans for the music.’

  Zac considered her for a moment, but Jenna couldn’t quite read his expression as his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses.

  ‘How abo
ut if I leave you two out here to catch up while I head back inside and get us some drinks,’ she offered. ‘Maybe make a spot of lunch or something?’

  ‘Jenna Jonsson cooks?’ remarked Zac cynically, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘Well I can manage pasta and salad,’ she told him defensively, feeling her guard come up the way it always did when Zac teased her.

  ‘Then I guess pasta and salad it’ll have to be then,’ he said lightly.

  ‘You’re staying?’ she burst out, unable to hide her surprise.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said neutrally. ‘I’ll stay.’

  ‘Cool,’ said Jenna, trying to subdue the emotions churning through her. She suddenly felt desperate to escape. There was a trace of a smile on Zac’s face and she couldn’t help but feel he was laughing at her, that once again she was the butt of some private joke.

  ‘You don’t have to do that,’ Nick told her, as Zac settled himself on a chair beside the pool. ‘I’ll ask Carlos to bring something out here.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Jenna snapped, the words coming out more harshly than she’d intended in her haste to leave. She felt inexplicably annoyed with Nick, as though she was blaming him for Zac discovering the two of them like that. Pulling a light silk kaftan over her bikini, she turned on her heel, walking towards the house as fast as she dared.

  16

  The telephone rang loudly and insistently. Sadie felt as though the noise was right inside her head, hammering into her brain. With a groan, she rolled over and pulled the pillow over her ears in a futile attempt to block out the sound.

  ‘Phone,’ she croaked pathetically. Her throat was parched and her mouth tasted as though she’d been licking out Usain Bolt’s running shoes. ‘Phone’s ringing,’ she tried again. ‘Carla, can you get it?’ Sadie pleaded. She didn’t seem to be able to open her eyes; the light was painful.