Beneath This Man

‘Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, lady.’ He gives me a very scornful look, but I don’t care. That woman is a deceitful tramp. Oh, I feel full of determination all of a sudden, but slightly sympathetic for Jesse. He actually thinks she’s a friend? Should I share my verdict? ‘What would you like to do today?’ he asks.

Oh shit! I’ve got to see Dan today and I can’t take Jesse with me. What would that look like? I can hardly introduce Jesse to Dan. That’s a disaster waiting to happen, what with Dan’s older brother protectiveness and Jesse’s trampling tendencies. How am I going to play this?

‘Well, there’s just one thing I have…’ Jesse’s phone starts ringing, halting my announcement.

‘For f**k sake,’ he curses, lifting me from his lap and placing me on the bed. He gets up and answers his phone before walking out of the bedroom. ‘John?’ He sounds a little impatient.

I lay on the bed, running through all of the ways I can break it to him that I really must go and meet Dan. He’ll understand.

‘I’ve got to go to The Manor.’ he says sharply, stalking back into the room and heading for the bathroom.

Again? I haven’t even asked him what dragged him there last night, and I notice Kate hasn’t called me back. ‘Is everything okay?’ I ask. He looks pissed.

‘It will be, get ready.’

What?

Oh no! I am not going to that place! I’ve still got to wrap my head around it all. He can’t make me go.

I hear the shower turn on and I jump up to go and explain my reluctance, walking into the bathroom and finding him in the shower already. He smiles knowingly and gestures for me to join him. I walk in and grab the sponge and shower gel, but he takes them from me and loads up the sponge himself before turning me around and beginning to wash me down. I stand quietly, searching my brain for a way to approach this, as he works the sponge slowly across my body. Surely he won’t have a hissy fit over my unwillingness.

‘Jesse?’

He kisses my shoulder blade. ‘Ava?’

‘I really don’t want to come.’ I blurt, and then scold myself for not being a little more tactful.

He pauses with his swirling circles for a few moments before he continues. ‘Can I ask why?’

He can’t be so thick-skinned he has to ask that question. It should be perfectly obvious why I don’t want to go. And anyway, I never really wanted to go before I knew what went on there, but that was because of a certain acid tongued, pouty lipped beast. Now, she doesn’t bother me so much, although we still haven’t discussed her little involvement in Jesse’s life. It’s yet another subject up for discussion.

‘Can you just give me some time to get used to it?’ I ask apprehensively, while mentally begging for him to understand and be reasonable.

He sighs and wraps his forearm around the tops of my shoulders, pulling me back to him. ‘I understand,’

He does?

He kisses my temple. ‘You’re not going to avoid it forever, are you? I still want my new bedroom designs.’

I’m in shock at his reasonableness. No questions, no trampling or sense f**k – just an okay? Have we turned a corner? This is good, and as for the new extension? I hadn’t given it a thought, but he’s right. I can’t avoid the place forever. ‘No. Anyway, I’ll have to come to oversee the works once we finalise the designs.’

‘Good,’

‘What’s going on at The Manor?’

He releases my shoulders and starts washing my hair with his men’s shampoo. ‘The police turned up last night.’ he says, totally detached.

I tense all over. ‘Why?’

‘It’s just some idiot playing games. The police rang John this morning to arrange a few interviews. I can’t get out of it.’ He turns me around and places me under the spray to rinse my hair. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s fine,’ I assure him. I won’t tell him why it’s fine. I can meet Dan without worrying about a Jesse style trample. ‘Kate was at The Manor last night.’ The concern in my voice is obvious.

‘I know,’ His eyebrows rise. ‘It was quite a surprise.’

‘Was she okay?’

‘Yes, she was fine,’ He kisses my nose and slaps my bum. ‘Out you get.’

I jump out of the shower, set about drying myself and use Jesse’s toothbrush after he’s finished with it, being too lazy to cross the landing and retrieve my own. I walk into the bedroom to find him ready, looking delicious in some worn jeans and a simple white t-shirt. He’s still quite overgrown, though.

‘I’m going,’ He smothers my face with kisses. ‘Have lace on when I get home.’ He winks and leaves.

I waste no time. I grab my phone immediately to call Dan, and we arrange to meet at Almundo’s, a little coffee house in Covent Garden. I run across the landing and dress in record time, calling down to Clive to order me a cab between drying my hair and pinning it up. I’m super excited.

Chapter 6

When I walk into Almundo’s, I scan my eyes across the masses of people having their Sunday morning brunch and spot him sat in the corner with his face in the Sunday paper. He looks so well, all tanned and dazzling. I fly across the café and all but dive on him.

‘Whoa!’ he laughs. ‘Pleased to see me, kid?’ He wraps his arms around me, and I fall apart all over him. I’m so happy to see him and all of the built up stress and emotion of the last few weeks just spills out of me…again. ‘Hey, stop that.’ he scolds me.