Page 87 of Worth Every Game
We’re going to have sex, right here on the doorstep.
“Well, this is just lovely.”
Jack’s body goes rigid, and my heart seizes, panic raging through me. Someone else is here.Close. Far too close.
“Shit, Mum. What the hell?” Jack blurts as he releases me and I totter a moment, unsteady on my feet. I smooth out my dress, my heart racing as I studiously avoid looking at Mrs Lansen, standing on the garden path only a few feet away.
Jack turns away to rearrange himself, and his breath fogs out into the cold night air. I hadn’t noticed how cold it was when Jack’s body was pressed against me…
Finally, Jack turns back to his mother. “You can’t show up here like this.”
“Well, here I am.” Mrs Lansen spreads her hands like her appearance is a party trick. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“No. Fuck. No. Not right now.” Jack rubs the heel of his hand over his forehead. His eyes are darting all over the place. “We’ve had a long day—”
“You don’t appear to be lacking energy,” Mrs Lansen says, her voice all clipped and displeased.
Jack glares at his mother, but there’s something shifty in the way he’s standing. The way his gaze is so unanchored, and the sight of him unnerved like this strikes fear into a deep part of me. “Whatever you’re here to say, please come back tomorrow. Or we can talk on the phone.”
“No.” Mrs Lansen steps closer, wagging a finger at Jack. “Your behaviour is unacceptable. We have to talk about this now. I heard a rumour that you were having sex in the bathroom at your father’s charity fundraiser, so I came to find out if it was true. And now that I’m here, I see it is.”
Jack grits his teeth, but makes no objection. And I can see why. What we did, repeated in Mrs Lansen’s clipped voice, sounds awful.
“Do you realise the damage that does to our reputation? Our family name? Clearly, Eleanor is leading you astray.”
I suck in a sharp breath, her words sweeping away my ability to speak. But then a voice in my head pipes up that maybe she’s right.It was my idea to have sex at the memorial event. I wanted it. And now, here on the doorstep… that was my idea too.Shame curdles my insides, and bile burns the back of my throat.
“She isn’t. I can make my own decisions,” Jack snaps.
But Mrs Lansen isn’t looking at him. Her angry gaze is fixed on me. “I know what you’re doing, trying to ensnare my son. Are you trying to get pregnant? So he’ll have to support you? So you can live off his money—”
“Mum. Fuck,” Jack yells. “Shut up.”
Mrs Lansen turns to him. “Tell me you’re using condoms. Tell me she’s not going to be the accidental mother of my grandchildren.”
I can’t move. I can’t process.Accidental mother? Grandchildren?“You think I want his money?” I ask, even though it’s not the most pressing question I have, but I can’t get my head straight to work out exactly what is.
Mrs Lansen’s lips pucker, and she eyes me like I’m nothing but dirt. “It’s not as if you have any of your own, or are capable of making any. I won’t let you exploit him.”
I’m freezing up, unsure what to do in the face of this attack. My brain is swirling with thoughts, trying to make this situation make sense. Does she know about the game? Does she know Jack was going to pay me? “I haven’t touched the money.”
Mrs Lansen draws herself up tall. “What money?”
Jack storms down the steps and yanks his mother’s arm. “Go home. You shouldn’t be here.”
She tugs out of his grip. “What money is she talking about? Are you paying her? Are you? Is she a whore?”
“Jesus, no.” Jack’s furious voice cracks through the night air. “Please, leave.”
His mother’s face becomes determined. “You mark my words. She’ll get herself pregnant, and you’ll be saddled with her for the rest of your life. Anchored to a little slut. If you’re not paying her now, you’ll be paying her a fortune then.”
That’s it. That’s enough.My frozen shell shatters and I trip down the steps after Jack, calling to his mother. “How can you be so vicious? We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. This is all wrong.” Her finger wags again, waving between me and Jack like a windshield wiper. “I will not let you lure my son into your trap. He’ll never take you seriously. Never.”
My stomach drops.Is that true?I knew this woman hated me, but I’d never been on the receiving end of her vitriol this way before.
“Mum, stop,” Jack orders.