“We can talk about your new role at work then too.”
“New role?” she asks.
“Yes, but I’m not discussing it now. I will speak to you about it on Thursday. In the meantime, you are off work with full pay.” I don’t want her to worry about her finances at a time like this. The last thing that she needs is to be stressing about money.
“But––”
“No buts, Lydia. As your boss, I order you to take time off and relax.”
“Uh, if you’re sure?” she sounds a little hesitant, but I think that it is best for her to have some time off.
“Of course I’m sure.” I can hear Paul speaking in the background and I presume that he is bringing her her breakfast. “Now, you enjoy your breakfast and get some rest.”
“Thanks, Stace. I’ll give you a text later.”
“Love ya, Lyd.”
“Love you too, babes.” The phone goes dead and I place it on the kitchen island and pick up my now cooled down coffee. I finish my drink quickly and decide to get cracking on the housework, so that I can get it done and out of the way.
I go to the hallway and open the cleaning cupboard, taking the hoover out and through to the lounge. I pop a CD into the stereo, turning the volume up full when “Formation” by Beyoncé starts playing. I plug the hoover in and begin to clean, singing and dancing to the music at the same time.
The time passes quickly, and before I know it, I have cleaned the whole lounge. With the hoovering, polishing, and the fluffing of cushions done, I move into the kitchen. I start cleaning the worktops and “Try Me” by Jason Derulo starts playing. I flick the coffee machine on and make myself another cup whilst I dance to the beat of the music. Of course, when Jennifer Lopez starts to sing on the track, I think that I have morphed into her. I sing and dance around the kitchen as if my life depends on it, shimmying the cloth along the worktops, lost in my own little world.
When the song winds down and I stop shaking my hips, the sound of someone clapping behind me makes me scream. As I am screaming, I whirl around and see that Brad is stood in the kitchen doorway. He’s grinning at me, but I am too shocked at seeing him standing there to register any words that he might be saying. My heart literally jumped into my throat when I heard him clapping behind me. I try to calm my erratic breathing, feeling irritation build up within me, and I feel my face form into a scowl as my mind wonders what the hell he is doing here.
“Brad,” I say breathlessly, once I have managed to get my mouth to form words. “What the hell is wrong with you? You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He doesn’t look too apologetic though if the smirk on his face is anything to go by.
“How did you get in here?” I ask.
“Through the front door, funnily enough,” he responds sarcastically.
I didn’t unlock the front door. How in the hell did he open it? Maybe Jake left it unlocked?
“Haven’t you heard of knocking?” I say loudly as another song starts to play, making it impossible to talk at a normal level.
“I did knock, but clearly you couldn’t hear me. Do you even have eardrums, Stace?” he shouts, chuckling at the same time. I huff and walk past him, going to the lounge to turn the music off. I walk back to the kitchen and see that Brad has made himself comfy on one of the stools at the kitchen island.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I ask, my tone a little bit harsher than intended.
“Well, I just wanted to see if you fancied grabbing some breakfast.” He says it so innocently, as if we do this kind of thing on a regular basis. Thoughts of how he got in here fly from my head at his suggestion.
“Me?”
“Yes, Stace, you.”
“But, why?” I am more than a little confused as to why he would want to get breakfast with me.
“I just thought that, with Jake deciding to give me a chance to make things up to him, that it would be a good idea to get to know you better. You are the most important person in his life after all.”
“Um…” I have no idea what to say. I don’t want to offend him, but I know that Jake wouldn’t be comfortable knowing that I was out with Brad. I feel awkward, something that Brad obviously picks up on.
“Don’t worry, Stace. I get it,” he says, looking a little downcast as he speaks. “I guess Jake wouldn’t be happy with me taking you out. I’m sorry, it was stupid of me to ask you.”
I rack my brains for something to say, but there is nothing. If Brad had been in Jake’s life when I first met him, then I am sure that this wouldn’t even be an issue. But Brad wasn’t here back then.
“Hey,” I say quietly to get Brad’s attention. He looks up at me from under his lashes. “It’s a nice thought and all, but I think that you need to give Jake more time to get used to you being around before you suggest anything like this. You just need to be patient. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it in the end.” I smile and hope that my words have softened the blow of me not taking him up on his offer. “Maybe we could all go out for drinks this weekend?” In a neutral setting with plenty of other people around, I add silently in my head.
“Will Martin be there?” He looks a little scared at the thought, and I laugh out loud. Martin really did put his personality on full display for Brad. It was hilarious to witness.
“I’m sure that he will be if he knows that you’re going to be there. He has taken a shine to you,” I say with a wink. He seems to relax at my comment and he starts to smile.
“Yes, he told me as much.”
“I’m sure he did,” I say, barely containing my laughter.
“Listen, Stace,” he says, his tone turning serious. “I just wanted to say thank you to you.”
“What for?” I ask, truly perplexed as to why he would be thanking me.
“For trying to help me. I know that you are the reason that Jake is tolerating having me around.” I have no answer for him. I just nod my head and smile at him. “Anyway, I guess I should be going. I don’t want Jake to have any reason to cut me out, and I guess by being here, that is a possibility.”
I think he is hoping that I won’t tell Jake that he showed up here unannounced, but I can’t promise him that. I have no intention of hiding this from Jake.
“Jake will be fine,” I tell him, not believing my words for one minute. “I will get him to call you about drinks at the weekend,” I say as I walk him to the front door.
“Thanks, Stace. Take care,” he says as he leaves, and I shut the front door behind him.
I let out a long breath of air and lock the front door before I go upstairs to get washed and changed, needing to go and see Jake straight away. I take a quick shower and pick out some clothes to wear. I put on my black, bootcut trousers, a purple fitted top and my shoe boots. I redo my hair and put it back into a ponytail, and I apply a light touch of make-up.
I am not looking forward to telling Jake about Brad, but I know that it has to be done, and there is no way that I want to tell him what just happened over the phone.
With adrenaline pumping through me, I make my way out of the house and to my car to drive to Jake’s office.
Jake
“Mr Waters, Miss Paris is here to see you,” Valerie tells me through the intercom on my desk.
“Send her through, Valerie.” I sit back in my office chair and watch the doors to my office. Stacey walks in a few seconds later, looking as delicious as ever. My cock starts to twitch, something it does every time I lay my eyes on this woman. She walks around my desk and I turn my chair around, so that she can sit on my lap.
“Hi, handsome,” she purrs before giving me a quick kiss on the lips. Even the sound of her voice gets my juices flowing.
I put my arms around her and hold her against my body. I pull her head down to me, the first kiss not being long enough. She opens her mouth, allowing my tongue to massage with hers. I hold the nape of her neck in place, and only when I feel that I have had my fill of her, do
I loosen my grip.
She pulls back slightly and smiles. “I hope that you don’t greet all of your visitors in that way, Waters,” she says in a teasing tone.
“Of course not. I only reserve this type of treatment for special guests.” She chuckles, and I love that we can have a bit of banter without her becoming needy or offended by my comments. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?” An unexpected visit that I most definitely welcome.
“Well, I, uh… I have something to tell you,” she says looking downwards, instantly putting me on edge. I know this woman’s body language better than she does, and I know that she doesn’t feel comfortable with whatever it is that she needs to tell me.
“What’s wrong, Stace?”
“Why would there be anything wrong?”
“I know you, and I know that something is bothering you.” I can see the worry in her eyes as she places her hands on my chest and takes a deep breath.
“You have to promise me that you won’t get mad at what I am about to tell you.”
“That’s not exactly a great way to start the conversation, babe.”
“Well, I’m not telling you until you promise,” she says stubbornly. I study her face and I know that she is not willing to budge on this condition. If I want to know what is bothering her, then I need to keep my cool.
“I promise,” I tell her. “Now what is it?”
“Brad came to the house just now.” My body tenses at her words, but I remain silent, so that she can continue to speak. “He came by to ask me to go out to breakfast with him.” My jaw clenches with each word that she speaks.
What the fuck is he playing at?
“I told him no, obviously,” she says hurriedly. “He figured that by taking me out, he could thank me.”
“Thank you for what?” I interrupt.
“He seems to think that the only reason that you are giving him a chance is because of me. He really does seem like he wants to build bridges with you, Jake.”
“There’s building bridges though, Stace, and then there is just going one step too fucking far.” I can’t help but be pissed off that he even suggested the idea of taking her out.
“That’s why I said no. Obviously, I think that it would be good for you two to be on good terms again, but I would never jeopardise us by doing something that I know would upset you.”
God, this woman is incredible.
She gets me.
She understands what makes me tick.
I lean forward and place a gentle, tender kiss on her lips.
“What was that for?” she asks, her eyes sparkling, the tension visibly leaving her body.
“Just because.” I really didn’t think that I could love her any more than I already do, but I guess that I can. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome. I must say though, you are a lot calmer about this than I was expecting.”
“I promised you that I wouldn’t get mad, so I’m not.” Not on the outside anyway.
“I said to him that we could go for drinks at the weekend, if you wanted to. He then looked a little scared about the fact that Martin could possibly be invited along.” She laughs at the last bit and a smile crosses my lips.
“I think that Martin should definitely be invited.”
“I thought that you might say that. Is Martin in today?” she asks me.
“Yeah. He was out this morning scouting out a possible location for the summer ball, but he should be back by now.”
“Great. I’ll stop by his office before I leave.” She places a quick kiss on my cheek and then jumps off of my lap. “Don’t forget that I am working tonight, so I will be home late again.”
“I know,” I say, giving her a playful pout in response. She rolls her eyes at me and starts to make her way to the office door. She stops before opening it and turns back to me. “Hey, Jake?”
“Mmm?”
“Did you lock the front door this morning when you left for work?”
“Of course I did. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. I’ll see you tonight, if you’re awake.”
“Oh, I will be awake, don’t you worry about that.” She gives me her radiant smile and then closes the office door behind her.
Questions run through my head about what the hell Brad thinks he is playing at by going to my house and asking Stacey to go out with him.
But there is one question that is burning at the front of mind more than any others.
Why in the world would she ask me about locking the front door?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Stacey
I manage to sneak out of work early as it is pretty quiet tonight. I leave Darren, Susie and Stephanie to it and drive myself back home. I haven’t told Jake that I am coming home as I want to surprise him.
I pull onto the driveway to see that the house is in darkness and there is no sign of Jake’s car. I exit the car and go to the front door, unlocking it. As I enter, I put the hallway light on and lock the door behind me, straining my ears for any indication that Jake may have decided to get Eric to drive him home.
The house is completely silent, so I shrug my shoulders, take my shoes off and make my way to the kitchen. I proceed to pour myself a glass of white wine which I then take upstairs with me. I enter our bedroom and take my wine through to the ensuite. A nice relaxing bath sounds like heaven right now, seeing as Jake isn’t here to occupy my time.
I begin to run the bath and put the wine on the side so that I can undress. I put in an obscene amount of bubbles and inhale the lavender scent as the water continues to fill the bath tub. I leave the ensuite door slightly ajar, so that I can hear when Jake gets home. I strip off my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor and I finish running the bath.
As I get into the tub, goose-bumps rise on my skin from the welcoming heat. I sit back and take a sip of my wine as I try to relax, but it has been bugging me all day about how Brad got in here this morning. I believe Jake when he says that he locked the door, but that doesn’t explain how Brad got in here.
With a weary sigh, I slide further down the bath tub, so that the bubbles are touching my chin. I could mention my concerns to Jake, but I don’t want to give him even more doubts over Brad than he already has. Then again, I don’t want to piss him off by not telling him seeing as I promised myself that I would never keep anything from him again after the abortion leaflets misunderstanding.
I close my eyes and will my brain to switch off for a while.
I need to stop obsessing over something so trivial.
Jake
By the time I return to my house, it is just gone half past nine. I decided that it was time that I just went round to Paul’s and spoke to him, face to face. We have been friends for a long time, and I think of him as more of a brother than I do Brad. I caught him just before he was about to leave to go and see Lydia. I may have spoken to him on the phone when Lydia had to go to hospital but speaking on a phone is different to speaking in person.
To start with, I thought he was going to tell me to fuck off, but he didn’t. He invited me inside and offered me a beer, which I declined due to driving. I didn’t want to keep him from Lydia, so I got straight to the point.
Once I asked him what was wrong, he let me have it. He shouted at me about how I handled the whole abortion situation, and I let him rant and rave at me. He was pissed that I had made Lydia feel as though she had to speak up and tell him the truth in front of others. He was pissed at how I had treated Stacey, knowing that it had made Lydia worry about her. I apologised to him, told him that he could hit me if that made him feel better, but he decided against that.
Once he was done shouting at me, he seemed to relax more. I think that he needed to tell me what an asshole I had been, and I completely agreed with him. He needed to rant at me, face to face, in order to feel better. He then told me that Lydia had invited Stacey and I over to her place on Thursday night for dinner, and that he hoped that we would both be th
ere.
We shook hands before I left, and now I presume that it will all go back to normal again.
As I pull onto the drive, I see Stacey’s car parked there and the lights on in the house.
Huh? She must have been able to get off of work early.
I waste no time in getting out of the car and making my way inside the house. I make sure the front door is locked behind me, Stacey’s question from earlier about locking the front door bugging me, and I race upstairs to see where she is.
As I enter our bedroom, I see that the ensuite door has been left ajar. I quietly walk over and peek inside to see that Stacey is led in the bath, her head facing away from me. I push the door open some more and quietly step into the room.
I watch her as she lies there peacefully. I can’t see any of her body, other than her head, as she has a ridiculous amount of bubbles filling the bathtub. I tip toe across the room, so that I am just behind her, and am about to lean down and place a kiss on her lips, when she startles me by speaking.
“I know that you’re there, Waters,” she says as she opens her eyes and stares up at me with those captivating blue pools of hers. “Why are you creeping about the place?” she says with a cheeky smile.
“I wasn’t creeping,” I reply.
“You so were.”
“Would you prefer it if I were to creep somewhere else?” I ask, enjoying the easy flow of banter between the two of us.
“No. I would prefer it if you could undress yourself quickly and creep into this bath tub with me.” She raises one eyebrow and her tongue runs along her bottom lip.
I don’t need to be asked twice.
I strip my clothes off, leaving them on top of hers on the floor, and I jump into the bath tub, making some of the water and bubbles splash onto the floor.
“Jake!” she shrieks as water splashes her face and bubbles fly into the air. I laugh and pull her against me, angling her face and moving her closer, so that I can feel her lips on mine. She straddles me as her legs go either side of my hips, her sex hovering just above my, now hard, cock. My hands roam up and down her back, sliding against her smooth skin. I can feel her nipples harden against my chest, and I love how I have the power to turn her on so much.
The Complete Perfect Series Page 57