Tell That to My Heart

by Eliza J Scott

  Caspar followed her down the path and into the cottage. The door had hardly had the chance to click shut before his lips were on hers, his hands roving hungrily over her body. And, much as she was desperate to pull away and suggest they take things to the comfort of the bedroom, she bit her tongue; she knew he wouldn’t be interested in that, besides, at this very moment, she wanted him as badly as he appeared to want her.

  ‘You’re so hot.’ He dropped a trail of kisses down towards her breasts, the pupils of his eyes so dilated his dark eyes looked almost black.

  Mim felt her face flush with desire as Caspar worked his magic. She pushed away the voice telling her she was being used, and focused on what was happening in that moment; how he was making her feel. She shrugged off her coat as he pushed up her flimsy cotton skirt.

  ‘You do realise that working with you is absolute torture, don’t you?’ he said when they’d finished.

  Mim’s heart sank. ‘It is?’ Oh, shit! This is it, he’s going to dump me. She hardly dared breathe as she anticipated his answer.

  ‘Well, when I’m there, all I can think about is how you’re working just a couple of rooms away from me in your naughty little tops displaying your rather fabulous cleavage, and your tiny little skirts with your divine legs that go on forever. It really is very distracting when I’m trying to get on with my work, and my mind wanders on to how much I’d like to get my hands on you.’ He kissed her hard. ‘Mmm. You’re delicious.’

  Mim’s heart picked itself up off the floor and soared. ‘Stop teasing me,’ she said with a giggle. ‘I know you don’t think anything of the sort. And Catherine would be after you if she thought you weren’t concentrating on your work. Then she’d be after me if she thought I was the reason for it.’

  ‘Let’s not worry about her. But I do know that I’m going to have to do my best to get a fix of you at some point at work tomorrow; I don’t think I’ll be able to last till the evening again.’ He looked at her and smiled, tucking his shirt back into his trousers.

  ‘Ah, well, Anna will be bringing me home tomorrow night.’ Why did Mim feel like she was doing something wrong?

  ‘Oh? And why’s that?’ His eyes took on a cool expression which unnerved her slightly.

  ‘Because she’s staying over. It’s the monthly get-together with our group of friends in the village; Anna always comes to them.’

  ‘But she doesn’t live in the village.’

  If Mim didn’t know better, she could have sworn he seemed a little huffy about it. ‘I know, but with her coming over to see me as much as she does, she’s got to know everyone here and fits in really well; they’re her friends as much as mine now.’ She could see he was mulling this over. ‘What’s the matter? Have I said something?’ And there was her infamous boyfriend paranoia, creeping in.

  As if suddenly remembering himself, Caspar’s expression changed, the dark cloud lifting from his face. ‘No, not at all, darling. It’s just that I was looking forward to spending a romantic evening with you, and I’d planned on picking up a takeaway for us to share from my favourite Indian restaurant, as well as another bottle of fine wine from my parents’ cellar. And then, you know…’ He lifted a strand of her hair and started to twirl it around his finger. ‘I was hoping we could have a little repeat of last Friday night.’

  Oh. My. Days! Mim’s mind was thrown into turmoil. She’d been so looking forward to tomorrow night with her friends and the fun time she knew she’d have with them, her worries temporarily chased away by their hilarious stories and the face-ache-inducing belly-laughs they always had. But the idea of spending the evening with Caspar and his hint at a repeat of the previous Friday had triggered a powerful desire to be with him. She found her resolve slipping away as her heart went into battle with her head. It was a feeling she’d had so many times before with previous boyfriends, and she didn’t like the fight one little bit. And it was one in which her heart was always victorious.

  ‘And I have an important question I’d like to ask you.’ He ran his finger along her bottom lip before dropping a tantalising kiss on it.

  Her mind was all over the place, the heat of his kiss sending lust swirling around inside her once more. What could be so important that it would have to wait until tomorrow night for him to ask her? Surely it wasn’t…? No! Don’t be so bloody ridiculous girl; you’ve only known him a fortnight! Why on earth would he be about to ask you that? Get a grip! ‘I don’t suppose you could ask me it now?’

  ‘Not really; I’d prefer to ask it when we’re both feeling a little more relaxed with the weekend ahead of us.’

  What could that mean? Once again, myriad thoughts were racing around Mim’s mind and she was making sense of none of them. She looked into the dark eyes that were looking down at her so intently, hoping to see a clue lurking in the deep, black pools. But that only served to turn her heart and legs to mush. Before she knew it, a little voice was telling her to scrap her plans with her friends. Surely they’d understand that she’d want to spend time with him when she had the chance; after all, they were always saying they wanted the best for her. Wouldn’t spending time with Caspar be the best for her tomorrow night, especially when he had an important question for her? Her pulse surged as images of their heady love-making the previous Friday filled her mind. She was just about to speak when her mobile phone started ringing from her bag.

  ‘Shit! Who the hell is that?’ The impatience in Caspar’s voice snapped her back to reality.

  ‘I don’t know; it doesn’t matter, I’ll call them back later.’ It was probably Anna-Lisa or Aidey, but Mim had the feeling it would annoy Caspar if she mentioned either of their names, so she kept quiet. And, for some reason, she wasn’t keen to speak to either of them while he was there to overhear the conversation. Her happy thoughts silently slipped away. They were immediately replaced by the voice of common sense. Mim hadn’t heard much from that one over the years but right now it was telling her she should stick with her plans to meet her friends and not bow down to Caspar’s wishes, regardless of his intriguing question. She was surprised to find it had a strangely bolstering effect upon her.

  ‘As lovely as a repeat of last Friday night sounds, I really can’t let my friends down by not going tomorrow night; it’s been arranged for weeks and it’d be particularly unfair on Anna if I don’t go. We’re best mates, and best mates don’t do that kind of thing to each other.’ For the second time that day, her head had defeated her heart and Mim didn’t know what to make of it. One part of her felt proud and strong, while the other part felt like screaming, “No! Don’t say that! You don’t mean it! You want to spend tomorrow with Caspar, have hot and furious sex with him, eat the delicious Indian takeaway with him, drink the sophisticated wine with him. And, more importantly, hear the question he wants to ask you!”

  He stood looking at her, his eyes almost boring into hers; he clearly hadn’t been expecting that for an answer. ‘Are you sure?’ He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, knocking her thoughts right off balance, just as he obviously intended.

  She pulled back. ‘I am.’ Am I? Oh, those eyes, oh those lips… ‘I’m free on Saturday, though.’

  He paused for a moment. ‘I’m afraid that’s no good for me, plans and all that.’

  ‘Oh, okay. Working late for your parents?’

  ‘Amongst other things. Anyway, I won’t keep you any longer. See you in the morning.’ His mood reverted to the cool one she was learning he adopted when he didn’t get his own way. He strode off into the dark of the night leaving her standing on the doorstop watching after him.

  ‘Bye, thanks for the lift.’ Mim closed the door, her mind and heart in conflict. His sudden change in mood had left her feeling uncomfortable, as did his evasive answer when she’d asked him what he was doing on Saturday. And what on earth did he want to ask her? He’d made it sound so intriguing. Maybe he was planning a romantic break, just the two of them, somewhere where no one would recognise them. That would be lovely! That t
hought was quickly followed by another: he clearly wasn’t happy about her seeing her friends, though he’d tried to hide it. Another thought was hot on the heels of that one: would he always want to keep them a secret? She hoped not, it was beginning to feel like there was another reason for keeping their relationship under wraps. Was he embarrassed by her? Did he already have a girlfriend? Neither thought made her feel particularly good about herself. ‘Get a grip, woman!’ she said out loud. ‘Caspar’s a busy man and is being a dutiful son by helping his parents out. And he’s keeping quiet about your relationship to save you from a load of crap from the bosses. That’s all! You should be glad of that. End of!’

  She puffed out her cheeks and released a noisy sigh. Feeling this way was exhausting; she should be thankful someone like Caspar had even looked at her when he could have someone as gorgeous and sophisticated as Clarissa. She needed to stop over-analysing everything he said or did. She picked her coat up from the floor and shrugged it on; it was time to go and get Herbert from Carly’s. The thought of seeing the pair of them sent a wave of happiness washing over her.

  She was about to leave the house when she remembered the missed call that had niggled Caspar; she fished her phone out of her bag to see it had been from Anna-Lisa, no doubt she’d have asked Caleb about the missing money. The reminder sent a spike of anxiety through her. Mim was sure he hadn’t taken it, and she hoped it hadn’t caused any unnecessary tension between the pair. She’d call her back as soon as she’d collected Herbert.

  ‘Hi Anna, sorry I didn’t pick up before, I was just getting Herbert from Carly’s.’

  ‘Hey no worries, chick. I just wanted to let you know that Caleb didn’t know anything about the money, not that I thought he did, but I just had to rule it out before we go accusing people.’

  Mim’s heart sank. ‘And there’s no point asking if you’re sure you had it in your purse this morning because we all know how organised you are.’

  ‘I’m absolutely positive. Like I said before, I can remember specifically checking and seeing a twenty pound note just before I left the house.’

  ‘The question is, where’s it gone?’

  ‘I know where I’d point the finger, but it’s difficult when we have no proof, a suspicion isn’t enough. And I know twenty pounds isn’t a huge sum of money, but the thought that someone’s been in my bag and in my purse makes me feel really uneasy.’

  ‘I can imagine, and it’s not like we can blame it on the ghost, is it? Blaming it for moving things around is one thing, but it’s hardly going to go rifling through people’s bags.’

  ‘Ughh! I’m getting seriously brassed off with that bloody place. The atmosphere’s getting worse, and what with Honey, I don’t know how much longer I can stick it there.’

  ‘Same here, and that’s what Aidey said, too, not so much about Honey, more the way he’s been treated.’

  ‘Can’t say I blame him.’

  Sensing they were venturing onto a sensitive area, namely Caspar, Mim thought it best to change the subject. ‘At least we’ve got tomorrow night to look forward to; it’ll be good to have a laugh with the lasses and let our hair down.’

  ‘I honestly can’t wait. I’m practically counting down the hours. It’ll be nice to have some company in the evening for a change. Surprise, surprise, Caleb’s disappeared into his computer room to slay more dragons with his buddies. I might as well live on my own.’

  ‘Oh, chick, I’m sorry to hear that, but I suppose it’s all the more reason to enjoy tomorrow night then.’

  ‘Too true. And, while I remember, we need to find a moment over the weekend to have a chat with Aidey about Honey’s campaign of terror at Yorkshire Portions; work out what we should do about it,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Well, you’re welcome to stay an extra night here, and we could see if Aidey would like to come over on Saturday afternoon, once we’ve shaken off our hangovers; he could stay over, too,’ said Mim.

  ‘Sounds like a plan, we can run it by him tomorrow.’

  The friends finished their call and Mim turned to Herbert. ‘Right, Herbs, it’s time to flex my culinary skills again.’ She opened a tin of tomato soup, tipped it into a pan and set it on the hob while the Labrador looked on intently, his ears twitching as she spoke to him. ‘See how I did that? The skill involved in using a tin opener is seriously underestimated.’ She fished a tub of cream out of the fridge. ‘And a dollop of this will elevate that humble tin of soup to a whole new gastronomic level. Don’t let anyone ever tell you I’m not a culinary genius.’

  26

  That night, when Mim had gone to bed, she closed her eyes and felt herself giving Caspar’s words free rein to gallop through her mind, which they did with utter abandon. Her imagination chased wild ideas and scenarios, scattering them everywhere – she even allowed herself to indulge in the crazy thought of a marriage proposal. That had made her heart thump and she quickly shooed it away as being ridiculous, making herself blush that she’d even thought of it.

  It didn’t take long for her thoughts to venture onto Clarissa and where she fitted into Caspar’s feelings. A comment Honey had thrown at her earlier in the day sprang to mind. ‘Clarissa seems to be spending a lot of time in Caspar’s room, I reckon they’re having a fling.’ At the time, Mim had brushed it off as just another of Honey’s spiteful barbs. But now, in the depths of night, when she had time to analyse it, it added fuel to her suspicion that the pair were more than work colleagues.

  She lay awake for hours. Only when the early glimmer of daybreak sneaked in through the gap in the curtains and the dawn chorus kicked in could she feel her eyelids getting heavy and the soothing warmth of slumber throw itself over her.

  It felt like she’d been asleep for a matter of minutes when her alarm clock cruelly invaded her dreams at seven o’clock the following morning. Rain was hammering against the window and the wind was howling angrily around the house. With a groan, Mim reached for the clock and flicked it on to slumber mode. She was tired, it sounded horrible outside and her bed was so lovely and cosy; just five more precious minutes would make all the difference. And another five, and another five until: ‘Oh, shit a brick!’ The last time Mim had set the alarm for five more minutes’ slumber, she’d accidentally turned it off, only to be woken with a start by Herbert barking from the kitchen. She checked the time, it was five to eight. ‘Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!’ She jumped up and pulled her dressing gown on before racing downstairs to let Herbert out for a quick toilet trip. She could wave goodbye to breakfast and a shower, she barely had enough time to get dressed and get Herbert to Carly’s. Ughh! Mim hated mornings like these; in her experience they set you up badly for the whole day; that horrible feeling of having to race around to get ready, heart galloping, and adrenalin coursing through your veins. It was the last thing she needed for today; the day she’d been looking forward to all week.

  Despite getting up late, Mim somehow managed to get herself ready in time for when Caspar arrived to take her to work. In an ideal world, she’d have washed her hair but with time being in short supply, she’d improvised and pinned it up in a makeshift, messy up-do.

  ‘You’re looking very sexy this morning. I like your hair like that, looks like you’ve been up all night doing naughty things, if you know what I mean. Reminds me of how it looked last Saturday morning.’ Caspar leaned across and kissed her. ‘Mmm-hmm. Don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about tonight, have you?’

  Mim’s heart somersaulted. She wished he didn’t make her feel so torn like this. ‘Erm, no, I can’t, it’s too late, and wouldn’t be fair. I’m pleased you like my hair, though, it’s actually a case of desperate measures.’ She went on to explain about how she’d slept in and had no time to shower, never mind wash and dry her thick mane of hair.

  ‘Well, can I just say, for the record, I prefer you dirty.’ He flashed her a wicked grin, showing the snaggle tooth that Mim found so appealing.

  ‘Mimbo, I think you’re going to have to tidy so
me of the clutter off your desk, it’s starting to migrate over to me.’ Anna-Lisa nudged an empty Dolly Mixtures packet with her pen. ‘Your scruff gene is getting a little carried away with itself again.’

  Mim looked at her desk; she couldn’t argue, there were remnants of her old to-do lists and a variety of pens scattered over it keeping company with a half-drunk cup of tea that had been there for a couple of days; it had developed an unappetising-looking film on its surface. ‘Mmm, you have a point, sorry, Anna.’ She picked up the jug of wilting gerberas that Aidey had bought her the previous week and threw the flowers in the bin, scrunching up her nose at the foul smelling, stagnant water. ‘Ughh! That stinks like rotten eggs.’