Page 38 of Resisting Mr Black
“I said I wasn’t going to drink again after last night,” I admit, but take the glass from her anyway.
“Yeah, but by the sounds of your evening you need it.”
On cue, my mobile begins vibrating on the bed. It’s him. Again. Calling for the tenth time in an hour.
Lucy casts a knowing look at the phone. “Are you sure you’re not going to answer it? I don’t think he’s going to disappear, Soph.”
“I don’t want to speak to him. I don’t want to see him either.” I take a fortifying sip of wine.
“That’s why I’ve come here because he’ll go straight to mine and I can’t think straight when he’s around me.” It’s as if he casts a spell on me whenever I’m with him, forcing all sensible thoughts out of my brain, leaving room only for him.
Lucy shifts onto the bed and sits cross-legged facing me with a puzzled look on her face. “So, which bit EXACTLY are you most fucked off about?”
I can tell by her questioning tone that she thinks I’m being a tad unreasonable. “I know I told him to answer the door even though we were in the middle of… things, but she wasn’t going away. I didn’t expect him to invite her into the bloody apartment and leave me waiting in the bedroom. And Tara…” I take a long drink of wine as I pinpoint exactly what I dislike about her the most. “The way she is with him makes me think there’s more to it than he’s told me. He says she works at one of his gyms, but I’m not sure.”
“You think they’ve got history?”
The thought has gnawed away at me from the first time I clapped eyes on her. “Yes. Let’s face it, he’s not bothered about getting involved with his staff.”
“Maybe they do have history, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything going on between them now,” Lucy reasons, pulling at her cerise pink pyjama top.
“Maybe. All I know is I’m not getting hurt again.”
My mobile starts to vibrate again, and I swiftly end the call.
Lucy runs a hand through her waves and fixes me a look. “He’s got the hots for you bad, and he’s clearly worried about you.”
“Worried he’s not getting a shag tonight,” I shoot back.
“Ask yourself this, if he just wants to get inside your knickers, why would he be trying to contact you? If it’s just sex he’s after, then I’m pretty sure he’s not short of offers.” The sound of the front door slamming closed echoes up the stairs.
I frown and cast a glance at my watch. “Mark’s home late from work.”
Lucy rolls her eyes. “He barely spends any time here anymore. He’s always at the office or the pub.” She knocks back a large swig of wine.
She and Mark have always bickered like an old married couple, even when they first started dating, but there’s a bitterness to her tone that I haven’t heard before. I immediately feel guilty for having burdened her with my problems this evening when there’s clearly trouble in paradise.
“Is everything okay? What did you want to talk to me about this afternoon?”
She glances at the closed bedroom door and shakes her head dismissively. “Nothing. It was nothing.”
“You’re getting married soon, you’re bound to get a bit tetchy with one another. There’s a lot of pressure.”
“I know, I know. Everything’s fine,” she says hurriedly, sipping her wine. I don’t believe her, but she clearly doesn’t want to be pushed on the matter any further.
“So, what are you going to do tomorrow?” she asks, changing the subject.
“About what?”
“You’ve got to see him again, what are you going to say?”
I haven’t thought that far ahead. “I have no idea,” I admit glumly. I feared he’d be too good to be true, and I was right.
Lucy gives my hand a reassuring pat. “Don’t be too hard on him. Sleep on it.” She gets to her feet. “Oh, and don’t fret about that Tara woman either. I saw her leaving the hotel this afternoon and you’re far prettier. The guy she was with was a bit of a beefcake though.” She smirks. “See you in the morning.”
“Night mate, and thanks for tonight.”
“No worries, I’m sure I probably owe you one from over the years.”