Beneath This Man

‘Oh dear.’ Kate gives me a sympathetic face. ‘History, Ava.’

‘I know.’ I shake my head disgustedly. ‘Kate, I’ve got so much to tell you. Can we go out tomorrow night? I need to let off some steam.’

She nods and then lets out a small yelp as she’s lifted from her feet and placed to the side by Jesse, giving him access to me. She slaps him on the shoulder playfully and giggles.

‘Drink.’ He thrusts a glass of water under my nose, and I take it without complaint. I watch him smile as I down the glass of water, before I hand him the empty glass. He nods in surprised approval, then replaces the empty with a glass of Mario’s Most Marvelous stuff. ‘See how easier things are when you do as you’re told?’ he says thoughtfully.

I narrow playful eyes on him and shake my head at his impertinence. Yes, it is, but his demands are not always as simple as drinking a glass of water. He turns away to catch up with Drew and Sam, but keeps a firm hand on my knee.

‘Oh look.’ Kate whispers.

I follow her gaze and see Sarah with a group of men, laughing, stroking, touching and generally feeling every single one of them up at every opportunity. Her beady eyes land on me, and she stares with a smug, satisfied look on her face – until I feel Jesse’s lips on my cheek. I leave her seething in the knowledge that her little plan hasn’t worked and turn my attention to Jesse. He winks at me and standing me up, he collects my arms and drapes them over his shoulders before sweeping his hands around my back and pulling me close, his forehead resting on mine. It’s a gesture of reassurance. I’m grateful.

‘You okay?’ he asks.

I smile, pulling back to get an eyeful of his beautiful face. ‘Perfect.’

‘Good.’

We both jump at a flash of light and turn to see Kate with a camera pointing at us. Jesse grabs me and suspends me in his arms, my head flying back on a laugh as I register the continuous clicks and flashes of the camera.

His mouth rests on my throat. ‘Smile for me, baby.’

I pull my head back up and find his green eyes shimmering with contentment…with happiness. I make him happy. I make him determined to live. I make him want to leave this lifestyle behind. I smile, lacing my fingers through his hair and pulling his lips down to mine.

‘Okay,’ Kate shouts. ‘That’s enough!’

Jesse has me, taking exactly what he wants, with no regard for our audience or any concern for our location. I’m returned to standing position and placed back on the stool, my drink handed to me before he returns to the male conversation, like he hasn’t just silenced the room with his over-the-top, obviously out of character display of love. But I’m not blushing; I’m not concerned or embarrassed – not in the slightest.

I glance across the bar, finding Sarah spitting nails. ‘She really doesn’t like me, Kate.’

‘Oh, f**k her!’ Kate spits nastily. ‘Do you care?’

‘No, I don’t. But I’m pissed that I have no choice but to suck up the fact that Jesse will be coming here daily and she’ll be here.’ Would he sack her if I asked him to?

Kate disappears from in front of me when Sam makes a grab for her and hauls her out of the bar. I sit up straight and wait with baited breath to see if she is yanked to the left towards the stairs, or to the right towards the summer room. They go to the right. I exhale, immensely relieved. I can’t even think about that.

‘Ava, dance!’ she shouts, as she disappears from view. I’ll find her in a minute.

I’m distracted by a man approaching Jesse with his hand outstretched. I recognise him. Jesse takes it, shaking it mildly as he shifts and flicks his eyes to me. I’ve noticed that as more drink flows, more people are approaching Jesse to converse – women mainly. They chat briefly and the guy tips his drink in my direction. Jesse glances towards me and then steps forward with him. He’s probably mid-forties and his jacket is removed. He looks a little tipsy.

‘Ava, this is Chris,’ Jesse’s tone suggests he would rather not be introducing me to Chris. ‘He was the acting estate agent of Lusso.’

Of course. I knew I recognised him. He smiles a slimy smile, and I immediately dislike him. My aversion to estate agents is not lessened, even by this exclusive property agent. They are all the same, whether selling dumps or penthouses.

‘Hi.’ I put my hand out reluctantly, and he takes it. His palm is sweaty. I want to escape to the toilets to wash my hands immediately. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’ I fake a sincere smile and notice Jesse smiling mildly, looking at my fingers in my hair.

‘It’s an absolute pleasure.’ he drawls. He won’t release my hand, and I flick nervous eyes to Jesse when Chris moves in closer, keeping a firm hold of my hand. ‘I love this dress.’ He runs his eyes down my front, prompting me to lean back slightly.

This is one brave man – either that or extremely stupid. Jesse is stood at his side in a nanosecond, jaw muscles going into overdrive. He’s physically twitching. Honestly, it’s always estate agents. Chris is soon removed from my personal space by a short, sharp yank of his shoulder. He stands back, where Jesse has put him, and watches as Jesse moves in, picking me up and taking my seat before resting me back down on his thighs.

‘Chris, you’ll do well to keep your hands and your eyes to yourself. Do that and I might not break your f**king legs, understand?’ Jesse says it so calmly, but there is no denying the cutting edge to his tone.

I watch as Chris backs off with a justified worried look on his face. ‘Jesse, I apologise. I assumed she was fair game.’ he splutters.