You Got It Wrong Part Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight

 

                “I want this sorted Tony, I can’t have her dropping in on my life making demands. What can I do?”

Tony leaned forward across the dining table, “I’ve told her to jeep her distance, we’re waiting on her agreeing to supervised contacts with Melody. All we can do is slap a restraining order on her. If you want it to get that messy.”

Theo ran his hand through his hair, “I don’t want to start that, but she was bloody horrible to Nina, I’m just glad that she stayed after Sadie left, gave me a chance to explain.”

                “So things are going well there? You’re getting back on it?”

Theo hated that his friend could cheapen what was so special between him and Nina, but then Tony was a player, love ‘em and leave ‘ em type, and he thought staying with a woman till the morning quantified a serious affair. What they had was so much more special he thought wistfully.

                “Wow, it MUST be good, you look like you’re having a wet dream just sat there, like a teenager.”

HE gave him a scowl, then stood to retrieve a couple of beers from the fridge, he DID feel like a teenager when she was around, that was for sure, but Tony didn’t need to know that, even if he was both his best friend and his brief.

                “It’s cool, ok. She’s cool, and I don’t want that psycho ruining things for me, isn’t it enough that she took so much from me?”

Despite having a good lawyer, Sadie and rinsed him in the divorce, getting their home and a more than generous amount of money monthly for their daughter. Tony was in the process of renegotiating that at the moment, as now that Theo had Melody, he didn’t have the same obligation to his ex wife. Financially or otherwise.

                “Once a week in a contact centre, maybe a Saturday morning? You drop Melody there and she’s supervised for a couple of hours with Sadie, one screw up and she’s gone. Does that sound ok?”  Tony pushed his plate away, no remnants of the lasagne he’d enjoyed earlier left, and opened up his briefcase, pulling out some papers.

Theo reached for the plate, and handed Tony a beer as he loaded the dishwasher.

                “Food was good mate; you’re a great chef you know.”

Theo rolled his eyes, “if it’s more than toast of baked beans you’re useless. So you’re easy to impress!”

Instead he dropped his eyes to the paperwork Tony had handed him.

                “Can you agree to that?”

Theo shrugged, “none of it is overly convenient, not really. I mean Saturdays I go see my grandfather; I don’t want to scupper that. Can’t she be made to meet my demands?”

Tony nodded, “but you’ve got to get her to the contact centre...hang around.”

                “I’ll deal with it. Try and sort it for maybe five on a Wednesday. Nothing happens then. But it can’t be for long as Melody needs her bed by half past seven.”

Sighing Tony leaned back in the chair and reached for his beer, “I’ll do what I can, but you will have to meet her halfway. If you block things the courts will start favouring her, ok?”

Theo wanted to punch a wall, his hatred of his ex-wife was insurmountable, he wanted to hurt her for the way she’d hurt him, and Melody, and now Nina. She was a bitch.

                “Go with the restraining order. I can’t see her again; I’m scared of what I might do.”

Nina walked into the cliff top rehabilitation centre that Mansell had been in for the last week. It was a step towards the home, but he was a long way from regaining his mojo. As Nina sat beside him, smiled at him, she suddenly wondered if he ever would. He looked...terrified, and defeated. She hated that.

                “Hey old man! How is it?”

he mustered a smile, “fed up Nina, want to go home.”

His speech was still a little slurred, and everything looked like an effort, so she took his hand and gave it a squeeze, “and they all want you back. ALL the ladies are asking after you.”

That made him roll his eyes, “sorry.”

She shook her head, “I’m not criticising, I think you’re coping brilliantly with being stuck in here.”

They settled into a comfortable conversation, about football, the weather, to what was guest beers were at his favourite pub. But when it came time to leave she was shocked to see Mansell look so upset.

                “I want to go home...wherever that is.” Was all he’d say when she expressed her concern.

Out on the street she felt sick with concern, so she pulled out her phone and called Theo. He answered after a few rings, the noise of a busy building site making it hard to hear him. So she dropped on to a bench.

                “Hey Theo?”

                “Sorry babe, it’s SO noisy here...hang on.” After a few seconds the background noise eased a little, and Theo’s voice sounded a little more relaxed too. “You ok? It’s not like you to call. Is something wrong?”

She sighed, “I’ve just been to see Mansell. He’s ok.” She added quickly, suddenly aware she might make him worry needlessly. “It’s just he’s low. He doesn’t think he’s ever going to get out of the hospital.”

Theo sighed, “he’s not been himself, but we hoped it was just the residual him actually accepting having a stroke. You think it’s more?”

She sighed, “he mentioned Hélène. Wants to see her again, after all that’s happened it seems he hoped he’d spend a lot more time with her.”

                “Ah,” Theo sounded frustrated. “I wondered when this would happen. Before his stroke he Skyped her every day. Maybe I’ll call her, see if she’ll visit.”

                “Is there no way you or Daniel could look after him? I mean he found being alone difficult.”

He groaned, “there’s no room in the flat with me and Melody...but Daniel’s house...”

There was silence for a moment, he was obviously thinking, so she added, “I was thinking that maybe if you got him some care...you know someone helping out, then they could look after Melody a little too...it might make your life a little easier?”

He didn’t sound enthralled by that idea, but for Nina, her heart broke at how sad Mansell was.

                “Well I’ve got to go, Lilah’s home and I have to collect her at the station, call me, let me know what you do about Hélène.”

                “I...er...”

She smiled, “you don’t owe me answers, explanations or agreements, honestly. I’m just concerned...about Mansell...and you.” She added and it was met by an emotional groan.

                “How do you do it? Unwind me with a couple of words?” He gave a self deprecating laugh, “I’ll speak to Daniel, ok?”

Two hours later Lilah emerged from the station in a bluster of colour, she looked refreshed, radiant, and like ‘old’ Lilah for a change. They hugged in the station car park, and Nina couldn’t believe how much she’d missed her friend. Once they’d driven home and sat with pizza and a bottle of wine, Lilah smiled.

                “God I’ve missed you, here...everything...”

Nina chuckled, “mutual. This house is like a morgue without you.”

                “It’s been like a morgue WITH me the last few weeks.”

Nina shook her head vehemently, “no, don’t say that.”

Lilah reached out a hand and covered hers with it, “I’ve been a selfish cow...” As Nina made to protest again she shook her head, “I told my parents, what happened, and we talked...a lot. I have two choices, go to the police, and make a case against him.  OR, just get on with things. The last thing I want is to be hauled through court, everyone knowing my business. I believe in karma. He’ll get justice in some way...just not that way. Do you understand that?”

                “I hate the thought that he’s walking around scot-free, but I’m more concerned with you, I want to see you get back into things, I don’t want him to take Lilah away.”

Lilah grinned, “I hate him, I hate what happened, but I’m going to get counselling, I’m going to get on with. I don’t want to lose Lilah either.”

She raised her glass, “I’ve got a modelling shoot in Cyprus in a week, I’ve got parents who accept EVERYTHING I throw at them, the GREATEST friend a girl could ask for, and I live in a really cool house in a really cool town. What have I got to be sad about? Honestly.”

There was no immediate answer to that, but Nina knew that nothing was ever that straight forward.

A week later, Nina drove her to the airport and they had a tearful goodbye, over the last week, they’d done very little but watch movies, eat popcorn, drink wine, and talk...lots and lots of that. If there had been a chink in their friendship before there was no chance now, as they had been more honest, more open than ever before. Lilah had started to talk about what happened with Mark. Not the graphic details, but the time frame, where they were...Nina had reluctantly at first shared with her friend the safer details of her times with Theo. Lilah in typical fashion gushed enthusiastically about that her happiness for Nina total.

                “Now don’t have TOO much fun in the sun, young lady!” Nina held her tightly.

Lilah laughed, “and don’t you overdose on sex, you hear ME?”

That made Nina chuckle, it had been a week since she’d seen Theo, and whilst they talked ALL the time on the phone, she was missing his physical presence in a lot of ways.

Theo caught Melody mid sprint and scooped her up into his arms. This was the second supervised visit between her and her mother, he’d succumbed, after negotiations with his lawyer Tony and hers, and now she saw Melody for an hour at a time, AFTER passing a drugs test. It cost a lot of money, which she didn’t have, but he didn’t care. He was using the old adage give her enough rope and she’ll hang herself. Knowing that Sadie was never going to commit to any time frame, but if he had enough evidence there was no way he’d lose his daughter again.

                “Shall we go to McDonald’s for tea?” he asked as she lifted her head from his neck, and nodded enthusiastically.

                “Happy Meal!”

He nodded, “of course!”

They were sat in the window, him drinking coffee, her eating her fries, watching the darkening evening world go by when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen to see Daniel’s name and smiled, “hi Dan.”

                “Hi Uncle Yaniel!” Melody mispronounced from beside him, which caused Daniel to giggle.

                “Some sounds chirpy, she have a good visit?”

                “Seems that Sadie can be amazing in small portions. That’s no surprise.”

Daniel sighed, “still finding it hard?”

                “Can just do without it, that’s all. What happened with Mansell?”

His brother had gone down to the coast to try to deal with the issues there. Theo was grateful for that; he had SO much on at the moment.

                “He is up for moving to London. He wants to move into my house. His face...it lit up Theo, like you wouldn’t believe.”

                “But if we swap homes are you going to be ok?”

Daniel laughed, “you’re apartment is on the bloody doorstep for all my work, and I get to visit you all in one hit...probably the greatest idea you had young brother.”

Theo leaned back, Daniel lived in Mansell’s other London home, a small town house in Chelsea, when Mansell had moved to the home in Brighton he’d bequeathed them both the properties, the recently divorced Theo wasn’t enjoying life and he took the smaller apartment with no fuss, but now they were about to swap so that they could organise care for both their grandfather and Melody. Nina was right, it made sense, and with a bit of luck would see Theo have some spare time to spend with her, because he was yearning for her, heart, body and soul.

You Got It Wrong - Part Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven

It wasn’t so much that Nina stepped back to let the woman in, she was barged out of the way, falling awkwardly against the wall heavily.

                “THEO? THEO? Why is some slapper opening the door to me?”

When Nina regained her composure, she looked up in time to see Theo appear eyes blazing with anger. “What the hell are you doing barging in here? Sadie, you need to leave.”

Sadie placed her hands on her hips, and Nina could see the scowl on the other woman’s face. Which was a shame as she was probably the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen, and the scowl took away from that. Theo’s ex wife, Melody’s mother. She’d never felt so inadequate. The woman who brushed past her wore a designer suit, heels, hair immaculate. Nina glanced at the mirror across the hallway, her hair had the ‘thoroughly fucked’, fresh from bed look, and she literally only wore a shirt...that barely covered her backside.

Taking a deep breath she headed for the lounge where the raised voices of Sadie and Theo were emanating from.

Theo was stood in the centre of the room, hands on hips, so obviously struggling to contain his anger, his emotions. Sadie was facing up to him equally angry, and suddenly Nina had a vision of how awful the end of their marriage had been. She felt awkward, an intruder to the whole personal nature of the moment.

                “All I want is to see my daughter. MY daughter.”

Theo was shaking his head, “no. She’s OUR daughter, and when you decided to get stoned off your head in front of her, regardless of her needs...well sorry Sadie, but you blew it. You are not seeing her, not like this.”

Sadie looked devastated for a moment, and Nina hated that she was witnessing this, but soon her attitude changed.

                “Where is Melody? You are screwing that slut...” she gestured in Nina’s direction with a thumb, “whilst my daughter is sleeping. Is that any better than what I did?”

Theo stepped towards her and Nina almost flinched at the intent in his eyes, “she is having a sleep over with her uncle. I would NEVER mix my life and hers. Not on a whim.”

Nina gulped awkwardly, everything he said was right, and made sense, but she couldn’t deny that she hated being referred to as a whim. As they started a new round of shouts and accusations, Nina sidestepped into the bedroom. She needed distance, personally, but also for Theo’s sake, this was far too intimate a moment.

Theo noticed Nina disappear, but then his eyes seemed to have a tracking device on her, he hated the worried expression on her face, but then he was also glad that she wasn’t there. He couldn’t deal with Sadie and do right by her at the same time.

Striding across the room, he grabbed her arm forcibly, “get out. You have no control over my life, and you no longer have control over Melody’s. You are a mess, and this is another in a long line of ridiculous scenarios you’ve created.”

                “Get your hands off me, you bastard!”

She wriggled, and he let go, but he pushed her towards the front door, “you have no right to come in here making demands, shouting your mouth off. You’re NOTHING to me.”

That caused her to cackle, “you reckon? No judge in the land is going to take my daughter off me, not with your history of violence and ‘her’...” she pointed towards the bedroom as she spat the word out. “She has nothing on me, you are settling for some short fat woman. Why? She won’t get her hands on my daughter; I’ll hurt her if I have to.” She waved a camera at him, “got photos of you pair snogging in the street, like the CHEAP WHORE she is. NO judge will side with you. YOU HEAR ME FAT BITCH?”

Theo felt sick; she was delusional, uncontrollable, and quite obviously stoned. He needed her out of there before she did any more damage. As he opened the door and threw her out rather unceremoniously, a poor delivery guy stood in front of them his arms filled with their food.

Theo had to curb his emotions in front of the stranger, “don’t come causing trouble here again Sadie. This will all go against you in court.”

He pushed her gently but firmly, then turned to the bewildered delivery guy and took the food from him.

Nina was pulling on her shoes when the bedroom door swung open, when she looked up it was to see Theo looking at her in a pained way.

                “I really should get going.”

He shook his head, “don’t. The food’s here...she’s unstable...”

Nina held up a hand to silence him, “it’s nothing to do with me...”

Was she annoyed that he hadn’t defended her? Or was she just sickened by the whole episode? She wasn’t sure, but either way she wanted to escape. Whatever he said or did, from this point onwards, Nina knew she’d always measure...and find herself coming short, literally, in comparison to his ex wife. How could she compete with a woman who had so much presence, so much more than she had? If she had insecurities about her weight, her height or any other part, then they had just been exposed to the harshness of reality. Saying that even Lilah would struggle to beat the perfection of the woman who’d been caterwauling to her ex husband in the next door room. EX. She had to keep reminding her of that.

                “Maybe I should have explained...”

Nina shook her head, “your marriage, your daughter...that’s nothing to do with me.”

                “Don’t Nina; don’t let this get between us.”

                “I’m not.”

He walked up to her took her hands, “but you are. Half an hour you were lounging just in my shirt waiting for the take away that we’d eat together. Now you’re about to leave. That’s due to her...” He dropped his head for a moment, when he looked up he was more emotional than she’d ever seen him, “she’s on drugs...amongst other things. I’m trying to not let it become common knowledge, as much to protect Melody as anything else.” He sighed, “she needs help, but she’s in denial. It’s a mess. And I can’t have Melody seeing that, being exposed to that.”

Nina could feel his pain could see the anguish on his face, “she wants to hurt me, and I’m sorry about what she said. Don’t listen to her, nothing she said is true, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You’re perfect, don’t ever doubt that.”

                “I AM short thought...” she offered with a half smile.

His head fell to the side for a moment and he sighed, “you are petite. Not being six foot tall isn’t a negative thing. I swear. You do believe me?”

She was starting to rationalise things, none of this was his fault, “so I’m not a cheap whore?”

He shook his head sensing that her mood was changing, “definitely not, one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, pursuing you!”

That made her chuckle, “and you can tolerate me being short, and fat?”

He stepped towards her and reached for the strap of her dress, loosening it so that it started to fall away from her body. “You are neither, though you ARE curvy, and let me tell you...” he shrugged the dress from her shoulders, and ran his fingers over her shoulders, “let me tell you,” his voice was hoarse, “that you occupy my every waking moment, as much for you wit, your humour, your sassiness, as those delicious curves that I constantly want to bury my face in.” He pushed the dress over her hips, then pulled her into his arms, her body flush against his warm bare chest, “I don’t think I’ll EVER get bored of you, don’t think I could EVER get enough of you. You excite me, you tease me, you push me, you pull me...you stimulate me in a way NO one ever has, you hear me?”

Words were intoxicating, more than actions in this situation, they were music to her ears, and it wasn’t until he said those words that she realised how much she was holding back, how much fear she’d had over this situation. Letting someone in to her life, into her heart wasn’t easy, but this man was making huge steps in that direction.

                “Don’t ever let ANYONE tell you that you aren’t perfect, ok?”

His lips were on her ear causing chaos with her libido, and her head dropping to one side, exposing her throat wasn’t a conscious thing. Neither were her moans, her gasps and the goose bumps that erupted on her flesh.

                “Theo...” she tried to restore some sanity to the situation, but she was being engulfed by him. Overwhelmed. And for once she was more than happy to lose her control on life.

                “The food’ll be cold.” Nina breathed against Theo’s neck. Her body felt limp, she ached and tingled in equal measure, but somewhere in the last two hours Theo had made love to her. This was no longer sex, exciting, invigorating sex; this was something that transcended that.

The rise and fall of Theo’s chest was the only think that proved he was alive, as he remained silent for a while, when he did speak his voice was hoarse, “I can warm that...just not sure my body can function well enough to get me to the kitchen.”

She lifted her head and looked down at his serene face, eyes closed, features relaxed, the fact that he felt the same way that she did, that he was as boneless and out of body as she was. So she dropped her head back onto his warm flesh and closed her eyes.

It seemed like a lifetime later when Theo opened his eyes. It was still dark, so they hadn’t slept through the night. Reaching for the side table and his trusted Audemars Piguet watch, he saw it was three am.  As he wriggled he felt Nina’s luscious body plastered against him and sighed, unbelievable, her, them...what had happened. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so...connected to someone else, so complete. Slumping back against the pillows he smiled as she wriggled into him, seeming to wrap her arms even tighter around him.

Rolling to face her, he rubbed his nose on the end of hers, and was rewarded with her wrinkling it, then her eyes slowly opening.

                “Hey.”

She gave a half smile, “hey you too.”

                “You hungry?”

Nina nodded, even though she’d just been fast asleep, she had opened her eyes to hunger, “surprisingly so.”

Reluctantly he sat up, “I’ll warm the food.”

                “What time is it?”

                “Three.”

She gave a slow nod, “so we can finish off that champagne and still sleep it off in the morning?”

Chuckling he shook his head, “you can, but I’ve got to drive to get Melody by eight.”

                “Daniel won’t take her to nursery? Just this one time?”

How would he ever resist her charms?

They ate the reheated Chinese food, finished the bottle of champagne, then before they returned to bed, to sleep...really sleep, Theo sent his brother a text asking him to help him out. He could only ask...and pray.

You Got It Wrong - Part Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Six

The Slate was an amazing pub, with an equally amazing menu. Not that either of them could quantify that as there wasn’t a table free for them to eat. They stood at the bar instead and had a bottle of beer, watching amazingly delicious food appearing from the kitchen and delivered to the various full tables.

                “I had no idea I’d need to book. I’m not very organised.”

She laughed, “we’ll know for next time, hey?”

Grinning he took her hand and lifted it to his lips, “as long as there is a next time I can live with that.” When she gave a coy smile he rolled his eyes in exasperation, “what shall we do? Try another place?”

She shrugged, “we could get a take away, at yours?”

He waggled an eyebrow, “is this you getting your wicked way with me?”

She chuckled, “in YOUR dreams.”            

                “Nina Willoughby, you have NO idea just where you figure in my dreams.”

There was no way that they could stay in the pub and carry on mundane conversations when sexual tension crackled between them like electricity. As Theo led her out into the now dark night by the hand, she was glad of the lack of light to hide her flushed cheeks. When she was around him she didn’t know herself, she was never so sexually confident, so extroverted, but with him, she KNEW what she wanted and was desperate to get it. And tonight that was him, on her, over her, around her.

As they reached the junction at the end of the road he slowed waiting for the traffic to stop, and turned to her with a smile. Before she could speak, he’d swept his lips down to cover hers. She melted into his kiss and for a moment forgot that they were in the street. Until someone shouted, “get a room!”

Theo lifted his head, “no need for that. You sure about this?”

She nodded, “yup.”

Taking his hand again, she jogged across the road with him and was relieved to see the doorway to his apartment block in the distance. They had barely made it through the front door, and he was on her like a ravenous animal. Dragging the dress from her neck, his lips fastened onto the soft flesh beneath her ear as she slid her hands under his sweater, moving her hands gratefully over the warm skin of his body. His moan in response was swallowed by her lips and she loved feeling how desperate he was for her too. The hard unyielding door was pressed into her spine, but in front of her, Theo was equally as unforgiving, his erection pressed into her, his chest firm against her breasts.

                “Jeez Nina,” she knew he wanted to day more, but he couldn’t keep his lips off her skin long enough. Her kicking off her shoes, she started on the waist band of his trousers.

                “As expensive as this hall floor was, it is not comfortable,” scooping her into his arms he marched in to the bedroom, theatrically tossing her down to the mattress.

It was hunger that dragged them both from bed. Nina showered whilst Theo ordered food from the nearby Thai restaurant, and when she emerged, dressed in a shirt that she’d found on the back of the bathroom door, Theo looked up and smiled, his eyes widening as he took in her attire.

He was in the open plan kitchen wrestling with a bottle of champagne wearing just a pair of jeans, “suddenly I’m all fingers and thumbs.”

Eventually he popped the cork and filled two glasses. Nina accepted her glass then moved to the patio doors that led to the balcony, the lights of Westminster and the London Eye on the horizon.

                “I bet you never get tired of this view.”

He moved behind her and sipped his champagne, “you’re right. You ever thought about coming back to London?”

She shrugged, “I hated what it stood for, and for so long that I couldn’t ever see myself back here.”

                “And now?”

Again she shrugged, “let’s just say I’m seeing it in a better light.”

                “So why Brighton?”

Lowering herself into a seat she toyed with the stem of her glass for a moment, “my mother died when I was a baby, she contracted cervical cancer when she was pregnant and never told my dad, the hormones and stuff meant it grew really quick. She was told to abort me, to concentrate on beating it, but she’d have had to have a hysterectomy, chemotherapy...if she got rid of me she’d never have another child. I suppose that was her decision to have me for the seven months she had. Her mother, my Mémé, my grandmother moved to Brighton, she felt it was in the middle of her family and her daughter. When my mother died, she’d settled in Brighton. I live in her house now, and it’s the place I remember with the greatest memories from when I was a kid.” She sipped her drink for a moment, then glancing up saw his eyes were on her, he was listening, waiting.

                “When I fell out with my family,” she still couldn’t admit to finding Imelda having sex with her boyfriend, it was still raw, still painful. “Well, I went to see her; she encouraged me to go travelling, to see the world. It was her who called me to say my father had died. The irony was that she outlived him, though in all honesty she died a year later at seventy three, he was seventy.” She shrugged her eyebrows for a moment, “scandalous age gap. My mother was the trophy wife, and he was a sugar daddy.”

                “But they were happy?”

She thought about that for a moment, “I think so. I don’t remember...obviously, and they were only together two years before I came along. But in his letter...part of it said that he found me hard to deal with because I reminded him of my mother...and she was the love of his life. Those were his words. She unfortunately can’t tell me.  Mémé didn’t like him, hated the age...but she said my mother, Beatrice, she was besotted by him. He never hit her; he always treated her well...who knows.”

It was Theo’s turn to be quiet, contemplative. “So this step mother was a shock to the system?”

She nodded, “can you imagine me? Just hitting puberty and this Russian model enters the house. But it was just a few moments later that she practically told me to piss off, ‘I’m not here to look after you, I’m not your mother’.” She gave an ironic laugh, “what a bitch. I left when I found her in bed with my then boyfriend.”

                “What?” Theo’s mouth had dropped open.

Nina nodded, “yup, I came home from school an hour early as a teacher was sick, I heard a noise when I walked into the house, and there wasn’t supposed to be anyone there...so I rushed towards the noise. Not the most sensible thing for an unarmed woman to do, but I was just eighteen, I had no grasp of reality.

                “And there they were, Josh Samuels...the love of my life, the boy I’d been dating for six months NOT five minutes I hasten to add, was lying on the bed, naked Imelda writhing over him, her fake tits bouncing in time with her thrusts. Josh had his hands all over her, a look of...” Nina sighed. “I didn’t care about him, not really, and he was never remorseful or understanding of what he’d done. But neither was she. I told my Dad, what I’d seen. And he came at me with a diatribe of what a vindictive cow I was. So I left.”

He shook his head, “so your father learned the hard way. That you were right.”

She nodded, “that’s what his letter said, he’d always known, suspected that Imelda was like that, but he was too old and too jaded to attack it head on, instead he buried his head in the sand.”

                “And lost you along the way too, double loss.”

Nina hated that tears prickled at her eyes, unable to speak for a moment, she nodded a reply.

Theo reached out, placed a hand on her arm, wanting her to know that he was there, that he understood, but also knowing that she had revisited a place she hadn’t been for a long time.

They drank in silence for a moment, then Theo spoke, “I first learned the identity of my father when I was about twelve. My mother loves me, but she is always searching for the next thrill, the next party and the next man. When I met Henry Gershwin, I realised they were peas in a pod really. Though he has taken irresponsible and party to the nth degree. Daniel was born to the only woman he cared about, but she died when he was still in school. Step in Mansell. When I came on the scene all teenage angst and feisty, hating the world at sixteen, seeking the dad I’d spend my life fantasising about, it was Mansell who gave me time, he and Daniel made me feel a part of things, part of a family. You know? My mother was relieved, she buggered off to Australia for a while, with one man, and then later the Cayman Islands. Her life is a map of the men she’s chased.”

                “Do you see much of her?”

His eyes had dropped at some point during the last comment, and he lifted them at that question, smiling at her. “She came to my wedding...I’ve had a few exotic holidays visiting her. Me and Daniel went out to the Caribbean eighteen months ago. She comes to Britain periodically, to shop. And I will humour her then, meet her for lunch...but we don’t have a devoted relationship.”

It was her turn to lay a supportive hand on him, “so we’re kind of two peas in a pod ourselves.” The comment was greeted with a hmph, then she chuckled, “I can see why you’re SO devoted a Dad.”

That made him smile, “the irony that I married a self obsessed woman with less maternal instinct than my own mother.”

It was Nina’s turn to smile, “they say that we subconsciously look to right wronged relationships...I mean me...why do you think I volunteer at Oakdale? Being company for the elderly who have no one else. Just a pity that it doesn’t even begin to assuage my own guilt.”

                “Look at us...both sitting here accepting out weaknesses...”

Nina turned to look at Theo, “that’s what people do...share things. Reckon this is a first for both of us.”

He nodded, “it is.”

He refilled her glass, and they both drank in silence...silence other than the stereo playing some Otis Redding, the smooth voice seemed to penetrate the moment.

                “So how’s Melody coping? Living here?”

Theo smiled at Nina, but had no intention of really getting into the details of that situation. He had solicitors pushing him to share his daughter, but the memory of his ex wife comatose at death’s door whilst his daughter played beside her haunted his every dream. He couldn’t share that, not because he wanted to protect Sadie, and not because he wanted to keep the elements of his life separate. No, he couldn’t actually voice the words. He couldn’t actually acknowledge what could have happened that day. Instead he carried on with a fake smile.

                “Yeah, she loves the place, but I am all princessed out.  I mean EVERYTHING is pink, I am seeing and learning about characters that no man should really know well!”

Nina chuckled, “of course you should! It’s brilliant I love it.”

                “There’s nothing nicer than sitting down to watch a Barbie movie or her ultimate fave Frozen for the fourteenth time in one day, I swear.”

Nina stood, stretching her legs then walked to the window again, staring out, “they are memories you’ll always have.” Turning she smiled at him, “maybe memories we never had, either of us.”

Theo leaned back and watched her, she had a natural elegance as she moved, reminding him of a cat. She was a devilishly sexy woman, but really had no idea of the effects she had on him, both physically and emotionally. She turned him inside out, making him challenge everything that he knew in every aspect of his life. Standing he stalked towards her, needing to kiss her, feel her again.

As his lips found hers, his hands pulled her against his body, he sighed, this felt so right. His fingers slid down over her hips to cup her buttocks through the cotton of his shirt and he was rewarded with her sigh against his lips. As the kiss increased in its intensity the doorbell behind them rang.

                “Damn...too long talking, it’s eaten into our kissing time.”

Nina laughed, “yup, we did a hell of a lot of kissing earlier. That must be the food...and I am STARVING!”

As he laughed she turned to him, “I’ll get the door, you get the plates...and some more champagne?”

Nina fought to keep the skip out of her stride as she made for the door and the repeatedly ringing bell. Pulling open the door she offered, “you have perfect timing!”

But there wasn’t a delivery man with bags of hot food on the doorstep; instead her eyes encountered one of the most beautiful women she’d ever encountered. Almost six foot, slim, blonde, pretty beyond belief. Nina’s mouth dropped open in shock just as the woman barged past her shouting, “who the hell are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my husband’s house?”

You Got It Wrong - Part Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Five

Thanks for the feedback, I think everyone is right, this story may be lacking a little enthusiasm from me, and is slow coming. Will try for a few more chapters, hopefully get it back on track. I don't take constructive things personally, I rely on you guys to give me feedback. 

I think that I'm trying to make this story too big, and am struggling to keep all the story lines patent, if that makes sense? Over ambitious? Moi?!!! :)

                “Let’s go have fun.”

Nina opened her eyes and was relieved that he’d ended the kiss before it got out of hand. “Fun?”

He nodded, “all I really want is to drag you upstairs to any room and do unmentionable things to you...but the night is young. I have a babysitter I trust, I want us to go out. Dancing?”

She laughed, “dancing?”

Theo nodded, then shrugged, “or the movies...but I’d rather dance than make out in the back row...come on, let’s do it.”

With a nod of consent, she took the hand he offered and allowed him to drag her out into the night.

And an hour later she had no regrets. They were in a basement club, a dark room that buzzed from the thuds of the music to the glamorous and fairly exclusive clientele.

                “I had no idea this place existed,” she reached her mouth up to his ear and was rewarded with a smile.

                “Daniel likes places where he’s not recognised...or rather anonymous. And tonight it’s perfect.”

She glanced around, a lot of faces were familiar, but with the dark lighting it was hard to be sure. It was busy, busy enough that they were pressed against each other as they moved to the music but not that they couldn’t breathe.

                “I never saw you as a dancer Theo.”

Theo loved the sound of his name on her lips; she made it sound like a breath. A sigh...a moan. His libido was trying to dominate the evening, constantly reminding him that he had the most desirable woman draped in his arms, plastered against his body, and in the taxi on the way to the club she’d told him all the details of the room she had waiting at the hotel. But he wanted to do this, to show her that there was more to him than a sex depraved animal, he’d treated her so badly, judged her...he wanted to make her smile again. And she was as he swung her around.

                “I LOVE dancing, but it’s not overly PC for a man to say that these days.”

She smiled, “I think it’s incredibly sexy for a man to say that actually.”

It was his turn to smile, “god you are testing my every resolve today young lady.”

Was that an intentional deliberate rub of her pelvis into his? He couldn’t be sure, but he was never more tempted to swing her over his shoulder caveman style and march her out of the building. When he stared down into her eyes he knew that she was wanting that too, that she was pushing his every button.

He gave a little shake of his head before leading her to the bar and buying them both a drink.

Nina watched him as he got their drinks, he was confident, funny, everything about him was almost perfect, he’d hurt her more than anyone else had in years, but as he turned to smile at her, she realised that he’d given her so much too. She was happy with him, and was starting to look to the future. And that was good; being optimistic was a great thing.

                “What’s going on in that head of yours? Because THAT smile could undress a man at two hundred feet!”

She giggled, “but not the one at two foot?”

He groaned then lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, “do you have any idea of how you are torturing me?”

She waited until his eyes met her again, then she reached out and ran a finger down his chest, abdomen to settle on the bulge below his waist, “I have a pretty good idea!” She stepped back and he gasped at her retreat, taking the vodka he’d just bought, she knocked it back in one go, then smiled, “I’m heading back to the hotel, not sure about you?”

He beat her to the door.

Nina stretched. The bed was SO comfy, but she didn’t know whether that was due to the bed, or the warm arms that surrounded her. She lifted her head from the pillow and looked down at the sleeping beside her. His eyes were closed, eyelashes fanning his cheeks, his full lips parted slightly and his chest rising and falling as he breathed. His body was perfection, she wanted to kiss and touch every inch of him. Unable to resist she flicked out her tongue and licked his nipple, it puckered under her touch and she could sense his breathing rate change. When she glanced up towards his face, his hooded eyes were watching her intently.

                “Don’t stop,” he breathed softly, “you were just getting started.”

She nodded, “I don’t intend to stop, not for a long time.”

But his baby sitter was only booked until nine am, and at half past eight he had to leave the hotel room. Nina dressed in just a robe saw him to the door.

                “When can I see you again?” she asked as he pulled on his suit jacket.

He rolled his eyes, not exposing Melody to his relationship with Nina was important, if it became serious...then that was different. “I want to say tonight, tomorrow...”

Nina smiled, “I know it’s difficult with your daughter.”

                “Daniel promised to take her to the cinema, it means odd hours here and there, but Sunday afternoon, I’ve got a couple of hours. Let me take you on the London Eye?”

Lifting an eyebrow she looked questioningly, “the. London. Eye.”

He laughed, “there’s more to me than sex! We could go to my home, or a hotel...but don’t you want to go have fun, do normal things? How about the theatre? I’ll get us tickets for Miss Saigon?”

She wanted to be with Theo, that much was obvious, but outside of the bedroom they seemed to spend more time arguing than anything else.

She reached for his tie and straightened it, “we get into trouble when we try and socialise, we don’t fight here...” She nodded towards the bed and gave her best seductive look.

Theo thought about that as he headed across London, she had a point; he kept putting his foot in things, kept hurting her. His distrust of everyone was always simmering under the surface, a mother who wasn’t overly maternal, a drunken father, his...wife, or rather ex. Everyone selfish and no one trustworthy. Daniel...Mansell...Tony...there were people out there, people who were looking out for him, but it was still new...and none of them were female.

She’d not done anything but give, nothing but support his family. Taking her out was meant to be his way of proving that he was worthy of her, attempts to be normal, his desire to show her that for the first time in years he was serious about her, that he WANTED this more than anything. Well, almost everything.

He thought about Melody, he’d do anything for her, and she had to be first, but if he put everything on hold then he’d never have a life himself. He sighed, standing as the tube reached Pimlico station. As he emerged back up onto the street into the early morning sunshine, he knew that a compromise was going to be difficult. But what in life wasn’t worth fighting for?

As he walked up to his apartment black he called Daniel, who answered almost immediately.

                “How was the party?”

Theo chuckled, “wilder than even you could imagine. You will never guess who James Willoughby’s sister is.”

That made Daniel laugh, “he’s got a sister? I don’t ever remember Jack having a daughter, is she as much of a drain on society as her brother?”

                “No. It’s Nina.”

Daniel was silent for a moment and Theo could only imagine his shocked face, “YOUR Nina? How the hell did you not know that? There aren’t thousands of Willoughby’s, didn’t you know?”

It was Theo’s turn to blush; he could describe every inch of her delectable body, knew his way around her house, but didn’t know her surname.

                “We didn’t make it as far as surnames and family links. Jeez, we’ve had less than a dozen dates.” A lot less. But he didn’t want to think about that.  Instead he was more interested in when he could next spend some time with the lady, and for that he needed Daniel’s help.

An hour later, he was back at his home with Melody, and she turned on Frozen...again, and insisted that they had milkshakes in a makeshift den on the sofa in the lounge, and who was he to not indulge her?

Nina had disappeared into the basement workshop once she’d got back to the house. And her pleasure, her fulfilment meant that she worked like a Trojan. Several designs complete for perusal by the clients, and some detail work on an almost complete ring. Theo Peterson seemed to be good for her work ethic whether being nasty to her or worshipping her. When she came out of her almost obsessive work state she spotted several messages on her phone, Theo couldn’t make it the following day as Daniel had been called to Manchester on some political thing. But he wanted to speak to her, make plans.

She needed something to drink, she’d been stuck in the hot basement for ages, heading for the fridge she grabbed a can of diet coke and popped it open, then downed half of it as she called Theo’s mobile phone.

                “Hey Nina!” He sounded pleased to hear her. And it was at that moment that she regretted guzzling her drink, she couldn’t fight the long and loud burp that broke free of her lips. Mortified all she could hear in the aftermath of that event was him laughing at her, chuckling uncontrollably.

                “Sorry,” she mumbled but he was too bust laughing to hear her properly. “You wanted to speak to me?”

                “Yes. Of course...sorry, but that was so funny.” She groaned so he continued, “I’ve managed to get Wednesday night free. Daniel is having Melody for the whole night. Will you come here for dinner?”

                “Not the theatre? Or the London Eye?”

He chuckled, “if you like. But I quite fancy a take away, a bottle of wine and a movie. Or we could go out?”

                “I’m just teasing; the first sounds perfect, what time?”

So three days later, after a long phone call to a surprisingly upbeat and positive Lilah, Nina got the train to London. She’d arranged to meet Theo in a pub near his house. They’d planned to have food there, then head back to his with said bottle of wine a little later. She knew that she would stay at his, Melody was spending the night with Daniel, so she’d thrown a tooth brush and clean undies in her bag. She was travelling light rather than bringing an obvious overnight bag. How embarrassing if they argued and she had a huge bag at her feet whilst she stormed off.

She was wearing a dress, she’d never worn as many as she had since she’d met Theo, but it was one that would be passable in the day when she made her way home. Nina felt herself blush; she was planning everything so that she could have a night with this man. So sordid...but so exciting.

She emerged from the tube station and smiled as she saw Theo striding towards her.

                “I thought you were meeting me at the pub?” She said as he pulled her into his arms and his lips descended on hers. And she melted, loving this direct approach, the intention in his actions.

                “Got here earlier than I thought,” he finally replied when he put her down...at some point he’d lifted her five foot two frame clean off the floor.

                “I’m glad!”

He stared down into her eyes and Nina’s legs felt like jelly. She never believed a man could make her feel like this, so desired, so special, and so excited. She’d never been so desperate to get her hands on someone as she was with him.

                “Pub,” he gave a firm nod of the head, “the Slate does THE greatest food. Come on.”

Taking her hand he led her through the crowds and she had to skip to keep up with him. But he was right, food, socialise, be normal and NOT argue. That was the agenda for the next hour. They could do that, couldn’t they?