Текст книги "Beneath This Man"

Автор книги: Jodi Ellen Malpas

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 33 страниц)

My eyes land briefly on Mikael. He’s watching me carefully. I feel so uncomfortable.

‘Mr Ward, if I had an Ava, I’ve no doubt I would do exactly the same.’ He flashes me a smile, and I feel my face burning up further. ‘Perhaps Monday would be more suitable?’

I find my voice. ‘Of course, Monday will be fine.’ I try to subtly wriggle free of Jesse, but he has a firm hold of me, and I know that even the whole British army would struggle to prize me from his arms.

Mikael puts his hand out to me. ‘I’ll call you to arrange a time once I’ve checked my diary.’

I take his offering. I’m ending an important business meeting with a very important client and I’m completely coated in my neurotic, possessive control freak. I’m mortified. ‘I look forward to it.’ I say enthusiastically, earning myself a sharp little nudge in my back.

Is he winding me up?

Mikael exits the snug, and I notice him glancing over his shoulder as he leaves. I just about capture the thoughtful look on his pale face, and I can’t help but think that Jesse has just set a challenge for him.  I could collapse with exasperation. I’m glad Jesse is behind me because he is the only thing holding me up.

I relax against him on a long sigh. ‘I can’t believe you just did that,’ I say quietly as I stare at nothing in particular. ‘You’ve just trampled my most important client.’

I’m swung around in his arms to find his face level with mine as he bends to accommodate the height difference between us. ‘Who is your most important client?’ he asks on a heavy furrowed brow.

I roll my eyes. ‘You’re my lover, who happens to be a client.’

‘I am more than your lover!’

Yes, okay. That was a little bit of an understatement. He is most certainly more than my lover. I look at the panicked face close to mine and curse myself for wanting to head straight to the hotel bar and down a large glass of wine. No, actually, make that a bottle.

I exhale in complete despair. ‘I need to get back to work.’ I turn away, but feel his hand clamp around my wrist, the usual heat his touch instigates ever present.

He walks around me so he is in front of me. He keeps hold of my wrist. ‘You did that on purpose.’ he says accusingly.

Yes, I did! Just like he rocked up to The Royal Park on purpose to hijack my meeting and for what purpose? I look up at him through the fog of tears glazing my eyes. ‘Why?’ I ask. It’s a simple question.

He looks down at the floor. ‘Because I love you.’ he says quietly.

‘That’s not a reason.’ My tone suggests I’m completely defeated. I am.

His head snaps up in shock, and he pins me in place with his appalled glare. ‘Yes, it is. And anyway, he’s a known womaniser.’

Okay, now he’s just making up excuses to justify his unreasonable behaviour. If he loves me, then he should support me in my work, not try to sabotage it. I know I’m being a bit dramatic, but this whole situation could have a massive impact on my flourishing career and all because he thinks Mikael is a womaniser? What grounds does he base this opinion on, anyway?

‘You can’t hijack every meeting I have with a male client.’ I say tiredly. I have absolutely no faith in my attempt to reason with him.

‘I won’t, just him. And any other man who may be a threat.’ he says candidly.

I want to throw my head back and scream at the heavens. Does that mean I should expect him at The Life Building on Monday? Jesse sees every man as a threat. ‘I have to go.’ I try and regain possession of my body, but he refuses to release me.

‘I’ll take you,’ he informs me, releasing my wrist. ‘Collect your things.’ He walks over to the table and starts scooping up my mood boards. ‘These are really very good.’ he says zealously.

I can’t join him in his enthusiasm. I feel despondent and flat. I can see my dream career flushing down the pan before my very eyes and worst of all, there is the little niggling fear that I will push him to get steaming drunk if I don’t comply with his unreasonableness. I feel helpless and hopeless. How can I go from being so immensely elated to so incredibly defeated, all in such a short space of time?

Jesse drops me at the corner of Berkeley Square under my request so I’m not spotted by Patrick getting out of Mr Ward’s car nearly four hours after I went for a breakfast meeting with him. I have no doubt that my days are numbered with regards to Patrick’s enlightenment on mine and Jesse’s involvement. I would like to delay it for as long as possible, though. I need to think about how I’m going to break this to Patrick, and I pray on all things holy that Mikael doesn’t bombard him first. This needs to be handled with care.

I give Jesse a chaste kiss on the cheek and leave him watching me, his bottom lip getting a grueling chew as I drag myself from his car. I say nothing, and neither does he.

‘You’ve been a while, flower.’ Patrick says, as I settle at my desk.

‘Mikael and I had a lot to go through. It’s looking good. ’ I offer by way of an explanation.

It seems to do the trick. He smiles instantly. ‘Ah! He is still happy?’

‘Very.’ I confirm, and that broadens Patrick’s smile by a few more inches.

‘Wonderful!’ he exclaims, retreating to his office looking delighted.

I open my email and hear the office door open. Looking up, I see a massive bunch of calla lilies floating towards me. Really? I left him five minutes ago.

They land on my desk, and the young girl sighs. ‘I don’t know why he doesn’t just buy you the shop. Sign here, please.’ She thrusts the clipboard under my nose, and I scribble my name.

‘Thanks.’ I hand her back the clipboard and find the card.

I’m sorry-ish

Jx

I fall back in my chair. What he means is…he’s sorry because he knows that he has upset me, but he is not at all sorry for trampling Mikael or my day. Maybe I should stay at Kate’s tonight. I could do with some time, a big bottle of wine, my own thoughts and no distractions.

The office door swings open and I look up to see Ruth Quinn beaming at me. Why is she here? I only spoke to her this morning. Her blonde hair is shining and bouncing as she struts to my desk, waving excitedly.

‘Ava!’ she sings.

‘Ruth,’ I frown, but she doesn’t seem to notice my confusion.

‘I was just in the area and I thought I’d drop by.’ She places her neat, slender body on a chair in front of my desk.

‘Oh?’ I say, looking at her to continue.

‘Yes,’ she smiles, but doesn’t elaborate.

I glance at the clock. It’s not even three o’clock. I’ve got another three hours to get her designs over by email. ‘Was there something that you wanted to add to the specification?’ I ask.

‘No. Not at all. I’m sure I’ll love the designs.’

I’m not sure what to say. She’s dropped by for nothing? No reason?

‘Are you okay, Ava?’ Her smile fades a little.

I shake myself up. ‘Yes, I’m fine.’ I force a happy face. I’m not fine, but I want to mood over it in peace, not make pointless conversation with a client. ‘I’ve prepped everything, Ruth. I’ll get it across to you before that day’s out.’ I know I’ve already told her this on the telephone, but what else can I say. Should I offer her a coffee?

‘Lovely.’ She strokes her hair, and then flicks it over her shoulder. ‘Are you doing anything nice this weekend?’

Now I really am frowning. She’s not a clinger on, is she? ‘I’m not sure.’ I’m really not. I don’t know what I’m doing, where I’m going, not in any element of my life at the moment.

‘We should have drinks!’

I inwardly groan. She wants to be friends. Never mix business with pleasure – my new rule applies to female clients too. What should I say? ‘Sure.’ The word slips past my lips and stuns me. I don’t want to have drinks with Ruth. I want to crawl into my bed and sulk.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ she presses.

‘Yes, fine.’ I try to smile. I’m struggling.

‘Man trouble?’ Her fair, precisely plucked eyebrow rises.

‘No.’ I shake my head. Oh God, she’s getting personal.

‘Ava, I know a woman in turmoil when I see one.’ She laughs. ‘Been there, done that.’

‘Honestly, Ruth. There is no man.’ I can’t believe I just said that. No man? There most certainly is a man, and he most certainly is causing me turmoil. But I need Kate for this line of conversation, not a client. Wine and Kate.

She gives me a knowing smile and stands. ‘They’re not worth the trouble.’

I return her smile, but only because I’m pleased that she appears to be leaving. ‘I’ll get your designs over soon, Ruth.’ I’m repeating again.

‘Can’t wait! We’ll talk soon…about drinks.’ She breezes out of the office, leaving me sat in the turmoil she knows I’m in.

I immediately email her. I don’t want her returning and offering more drinks. My head’s going to explode. I need Kate, and I need wine.

I don’t go to Kate’s, though. I leave the office and I’m pulled towards St Katherine Docks by the magnet that is The Lord of the Sex Manor. I said I wouldn’t leave him, and I need these mounting questions answered, like this mystery woman.

‘Evening, Ava.’

‘Hello, Clive. Can I speak to security, please?’

‘They are all off site at the moment.’ He diverts his attention to his computer, his way of halting this conversation from going any further – his way of dodging me.

‘Right.’ I sigh, leaving Clive and carrying on my way to the elevator. I board and lean back against the mirrored wall after I’ve punched in the code that Jesse still hasn’t got changed.

I let myself in with my pink key and head straight for the kitchen, kicking my shoes off and looking for wine that I know won’t be there before finding a vase to put my flowers in. I remember the bunch upstairs that I hastily dumped on the chest in favour of prepping myself to deliver one truth fuck, so I take the stairs tiredly and enter the master-suite to retrieve them.

Oh…dear.

My new diamante embellished vibrator is in a million pieces all over the far end of the bedroom floor and there’s a hole in the wall opposite the bed. The bedroom is vast, so he must have lobbed it with some force. I’m suddenly thinking that leaving before he got free was a decision well made.

I look across the room to the bed and see the handcuffs still dangling from the headboard, mental images of Jesse flying into a rage instantly starting to assault my brain. This man has issues – big, unreasonable, bloody issues…with control…with me.

I kneel and collect up all of the pieces, taking them to the bathroom and depositing them in the bin before I start running a bath. Picking up the calla lilies that are in desperate need of some water, I make my way back downstairs.

I get halfway down and hear the front door shut quietly, and I’m halted in my tracks as I watch Jesse come into view. He stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks up at me, his handsome face expressionless and his usually bright eyes a little glazed. He removes his suit jacket and reaches up, undoing his shirt buttons slowly as he watches me. His shirt gets removed and dropped to the floor to join his jacket, as does his shoes, socks, trousers and boxers. My eyes are pulled to the red marks around his wrists when he removes his Rolex. He throws it on top of his pile of clothes. I’m never handcuffing him again.

‘You’re not laying a finger on me until you tell me who that woman was.’ This might take all of strength, especially if he starts the countdown or hits me with a Jesse style fuck, but I’m not backing down here.

‘I don’t know.’ His face is completely expressionless.

‘So you’ve not asked Clive to stop me from looking at the CCTV?’

He almost smiles, but he must know because Clive would most certainly have mentioned me prying. ‘My beautiful girl is ruthless.’

‘My God is evasive.’ I retort quietly.

‘Ava, if I didn’t need you all over me right now, I’d be challenging you.’

‘But you do so you’ll tell me.’

‘I slept with her.’

I’m not looking surprised because I had already figured that much out. ‘So why was she here?’

‘Because she heard I was missing.’ He doesn’t hesitate.

‘That’s it. She was worried?’

He shrugs. ‘Yes. That’s it. Now I get you all over me.’

Oh. Okay. What do I say? I asked, he told. ‘Why didn’t you just tell me this before?’

He shrugs. ‘Because it was no big deal until you made it one.’

He starts up the stairs slowly, completely naked and stunningly spectacular, and scoops me up without stopping, prompting me to drop the flowers and wrap myself around his body. ‘You made it a big deal by evading my questions.’

He doesn’t reply. I also want to rip strips off him for trampling my day. I want to stamp and scream in a temper, but I can’t seem to find the strength or the inclination to do it. He talked, and now I just want him all over me. My mind is fuzzy, but my body is fizzing…for him.

He places me on my feet and starts slowly undressing me, watching his hands work over my clothes as I stand quietly and let him do his thing. Why is he so forlorn? It’s me who has endured his challenging ways all day. He’s like a lucky bag of emotions and moods. I would have put my money on a retribution fuck after my performance this morning, but instead, I’m confronted with gentle, soft Jesse. I don’t mind. I need soft and loving right now.

My bra is removed and my ankles tapped in the usual fashion so he can remove my knickers. Once we’re both naked, he takes me down to the thick, cream carpet and swaths me in his body, burying his face deep in my neck and breathing me into him. I mirror him and take my own hit of minty fresh water loveliness, wrapping my arms firmly around his back to pull him closer, eradicating any space that may have been between us.

We lie on the floor in the middle of the bedroom and hold each other for the longest time. I stare up at the ceiling and stroke his hair, taking all of my comfort from his strong heartbeat thudding against my chest.

‘I’ve missed you.’ he mumbles into my neck.

I shudder when I feel his hot tongue running circles around the delicate flesh under my ear. We’ve been apart for less than five hours. I would say he was unreasonable, but I have missed him too. Even though I was mad at him, I still found myself back here instead of Kate’s.

‘I missed you too. Thank you for the flowers.’

‘You’re welcome.’ He kisses up to my lips and scatters light pecks all over me before brushing my hair from my face. He gazes down at me. ‘I want to drag you to a desert island and have you all to myself forever.’

‘Okay. With the absence of other people, there will be no need for any trampling like behaviour.’

His lips twitch at the corners and his eyes regain a bit of twinkle. He drops a kiss on my lips and rolls us over so I’m straddling his hips. I can feel the evidence of his mood wedged between our bodies and it triggers all of the usual desperate needs for him. My nipples pucker under his watchful eye and his grin widens into his signature, melt worthy smile, reserved only for women. I want it to be reserved only for me. An unreasonable pang of possessiveness assaults me.

‘I fucking love you.’ he sighs.

‘I know you do.’ I circle my palms over his chest and pinch his nipple. ‘I love you, too.’

‘Even after today?’

Oh good. Is he acknowledging that he was a challenge today?  This is progress. ‘You mean after you stalked me all day?’

He pouts playfully and shifts his arms under his head to elevate it slightly. I dribble as his muscles bunch and flex. ‘I was worried about you.’ he protests, and I raise a mocking eyebrow at him. ‘I was.’ he argues.

He wasn’t worried about me at all. He had an unreasonable and unwarranted attack of possessiveness. ‘You were over-the-top and stupidly possessive. My challenging man needs to relax.’

He scoffs. ‘I’m not challenging.’

‘You’re challenging and in denial.’

His brow furrows. ‘What am I in denial about?’

‘Being challenging and unreasonable. Your performance today was way off the scales of unreasonableness.’ I need to know he won’t hijack every business meeting I have with a male client. He said it would be only Mikael, but then followed it up with and all other male threats. His idea of a threat is a million miles away from my idea of a threat. He’s going to trample all of my male clients, I know it. My work diary is going to be padlocked and so is my mouth. I’m not telling him anything.

He looks at me with a little scowl. ‘He would have made a move on you and then I’d really have to trample him.’

I laugh lightly. Like he didn’t make a good enough job of that already? He doesn’t need to know that Mikael has already made his move. I will be keeping that snippet of information to myself. ‘Well, I think you made your point pretty clear. It was embarrassing.’ I grumble.

‘It was necessary.’ he mutters, and I roll my eyes, making a dramatic display of my exasperation.

‘You should run more.’ I say. ‘Oh, the bath!’ I jump up and run into the bathroom.

‘No, I need you more.’ he calls to my back.

‘Don’t you have me enough?’ I flip the tap off. He’s had me here all week. He calls me, texts me, sends me flowers and gets John to drive me to work. It’s all some form of contact or control. I bet he couldn’t go a whole day without some form of trample or intrusion on my working day. Would I want him to not interfere? I like the flowers and the messages; it’s the tramples I have an issue with. Would he be tempted to have a drink to try and get through the day?  Could I risk it? My relaxed brain begins to ache…again.

I make my way back into the bedroom, finding him still sprawled on the floor. He is just too delicious. I walk over and settle myself back on his hips.

‘Have you enough?’ he asks. ‘No, I don’t. I need you every second of the day, just like you need me.’ He reaches up and pinches my nipple, and I jerk on top of him, catching a full on rub from his erection. He gives me his roguish grin.

‘What if you couldn’t have me all day?’ I ask. There will be times in the future when he might actually be on a real business trip. Or, perhaps, I will.

His grin disappears instantly and is replaced with a glare pointed straight at me. ‘Are you going to try and stop me?’

‘No, but there may be situations when you can’t have instant access to me. I might be unobtainable.’

A fleeting look of panic flies across his face and his bottom lip disappears between his teeth. He’s considering what I’ve suggested, and it’s now I realise that he absolutely meant it when he said he’ll have me wherever and whenever he wants. Now that really is unreasonable. I’ve seen the result of a few missed calls on my part – he was frantic.

‘Would you make a grab for the vodka?’ There, I’ve said it.

He laughs, and I frown. What’s so funny?

‘I promised you I will never have another drink. I meant it,’ he says surely. He sits up and rests his hands on my hips. I jerk, and he smiles. ‘Bath, I want your wet slippery skin all over mine.’

‘Your confidence is commendable.’ I mumble sarcastically as I ease myself up and put my hand out to him.

He looks at me with narrowed eyes and reaches up to take my hand, yanking me forward and spinning me onto my back. He rests his big body all over me and drops his lips to mine in a long, lingering kiss. ‘It is all very easy because I have you. Unravel your knickers, lady.’

Ha! Easy for him to say. I’m dealing with a neurotic madcap. ‘So, tomorrow I’ll be undisturbed all day?’ I ask. He will never be able to leave me alone all day, I know it.

He pulls his head back to look at me, the cogs starting to spin wildly as he chews his lip again. ‘Lunch?’

I knew it. He can’t do it. ‘I’m meeting Kate for lunch.’ I dismiss his request.

He pouts. ‘Can’t I come?’

No, he can’t come because I need time with Kate to talk about him and his challenging ways. ‘No.’ I state firmly.

‘I think you’re being unreasonable.’ he complains.

I throw my head back on a laugh. He really is thick skinned, but then I jerk and buck as his grabs my hipbone and squeezes. ‘Stop!’ I screech.

‘No!’

‘Please!’ Tears jump into my eyes as I try to fight him off. I can’t bear it.

‘Lunch?’ he says calmly, as he continues tickling me.

‘Absolutely not!’ I cry through my uncontrollable laughter. This isn’t fair. I’m not submitting. No way!

‘Maybe a sense fuck will do it.’ He releases my hip and I relax, trying to get my erratic breathing under control.

‘Jesse, I can’t be with you every second of the day.’ I try to reason.

‘If you give up work you could be.’ He’s deadly serious.

My eyes widen in disgust. Never! I love my job. ‘Now who is being unreason… Ohhhhh!’ I lose my trail as he plunges deep into me. Oh God, here comes the sense fuck, but what is he trying to get me to submit to? Lunch or retiring? At twenty six? How ridiculous!

He wastes no time breaking me in. He powers into me like a madman. My legs fall open and he pins my wrists on either side of my head. ‘Lunch?’ he asks as he thrusts hard.

My brain has just turned to mush, but it still registers that this is a lunch sense fuck. I’m relieved. Lunch will be easier to relent to, rather than retiring, but I still don’t plan on going down easily. Mr Challenging has a challenge on his hands.

‘No!’ I shout defiantly.

He growls and surges forward, his firmness stroking me hard and fast as he drives in and out like a wild animal. ‘You are so receptive to me.’

I am! He lays one finger on me and I’m all over the place. ‘Jesse, please.’

He hits me hard with his hips and grinds firmly. ‘Baby, let me have lunch with you.’

I shake my head, holding my breath.

‘Do I feel good?’

‘Yes!’ I shout on a rushed exhale. The crest of a booming orgasm descends on me and his grip tightens around my wrists.

‘Say yes.’ he insists harshly, and I know he’s on his way to explosion too.

What if I don’t say yes? What if I hold out on him? ‘No!’ I’m not giving in. He can’t fuck sense into me every time I don’t agree to something.

He hammers on, my thighs tensing, my mind knotted. ‘Ava, give me what I want.’

‘Jesse!’

‘You’re going to come.’

‘Yes!’ I cry. All of the pent up stress of the day is going to come rushing out at any moment.

‘Oh, fuck, baby, you do serious things to me.’ He hits me with another powerful, thundering of his hips.

My mind goes blank, and I’m about to detonate when he stops dead in his tracks, subsequently stopping my imminent orgasm dead in its tracks. ‘What are you doing?’ I scream, completely stunned. I tilt my hips to try and get the friction I need to tip me over the edge, but he pulls his own hips back until he is only just inside me. ‘You bastard!’ I spit.

‘Watch your fucking mouth! Say yes, Ava.’ he pants, but his words are controlled. How is he doing this? I know he’s ready to come.

‘No.’ I affirm.

He shakes his head and then locks eyes with me as he plunges, oh so slowly, and swivels his hips.

‘Ohhh.’ I groan. ‘Faster.’

‘Say the word, Ava.’ He repeats the teasing move. ‘Say it, and you’ll get what you want.’

‘You don’t play fair.’ I complain.

‘You want me to stop?’

‘No!’ I shout in frustration. This is torture at its worst.

He flexes his hold on my wrists. ‘I’ll ask you one more time, baby. Lunch?’ He flicks his hips forward as he asks, and I lose any determination I had to defy him.

‘Fuck me.’ I cry as he looks down at me, amusement plaguing his expression.

‘Watch your mouth.’ He’s grinning. ‘Was that a yes?’

‘YES!’ I scream.

‘Good girl.’ he praises, and then powers forward, hammering into me and tossing me straight back into a fast build-up to release. I stiffen from head to toe as sizzling hotness travels through my blood stream and my skin heats from the friction of being pushed across the carpet by his manic momentum.