by S M Mala
Starter and main course finished, she felt a little nauseous putting that down to nerves, and what the evening would produce. Then she felt Jonah squeeze her thigh, snapping her out of deep thought.
‘Shall we begin?’ Harry asked, emptying his glass and refilling it. ‘Why aren’t you drinking, Sophie?’
‘I need to keep a clear head and I’m with Milly tomorrow. The worse thing in the world is dealing with a child when you have a hangover.’ Sophie swallowed hard. ‘Harry, why aren’t you signing the papers?’
‘Because I don’t want to. I gave you my reasons,’ he replied, sitting back and looking at her challengingly. ‘The child’s disappearance a few weeks ago summed it up.’
‘How?’
‘You both had your eye off the ball, and that makes me think you’re not exactly doting parents, are you?’
‘That’s unfair,’ she replied, letting out a massive sigh of annoyance, before feeling a sick burp in her throat. ‘You haven’t been around for her, so you can’t say things like that.’
‘And you’re too focussed looking into your misfit women! Who knows what sort of influence they’ll have.’
‘That’s a disgusting thing to say.’ Sophie sipped her water, knowing Harry was spooling for a fight. ‘They’ve been beaten and abused by people they love. That’s something you should know about.’
‘It was a one-off and you keep going on and on about it.’ Harry laughed and moved closer to her. ‘It happens. It’s life.’
‘You weren’t only physically cruel but mentally.’
‘You got over it, didn’t you?’
Sophie figured Harry wasn’t going to be pleasant, after all.
‘You’re being obstructive for the sake of it!’
Jonah could see Sophie looked like she was going to scream when she spoke. ‘It’s obvious that this isn’t going to work out if you’re trying to make waves.’
He was ignoring the way Harry was looking at his wife. As if he could undress her with his eyes. The other times he caught him looking at Sophie, he knew Harry was thinking more lustful thoughts. Jonah felt sick but realised Sophie wanted them to behave like adults, and come to an agreement.
It was the agreement Jonah was more fearful about. How they would compromise to get Amelia legally adopted, and severe all contact with Harry, both personally and professionally.
‘You want it all, don’t you?’ sighed Harry, knocking back his drink and staring at Jonah.
‘Why can’t you just let him adopt Milly?’ Sophie groaned.
‘Because,’ he replied, looking at his empty glass. ‘Can we get something a little stronger?’
‘Two large single malts,’ Jonah asked and glanced at Sophie, who seemed agitated. ‘Soph, do you want something?’
‘A tea would be good.’
‘Nothing for dessert, or shall we leave that until later?’ grinned Harry, tilting his head and looking at Jonah.
He knew exactly what the man meant and noticed Sophie frown.
‘I need to go to the ladies. Excuse me,’ she said, getting up and walked quickly out of the door.
‘Stop playing these games. Sophie wants to sort things out properly. Don’t do this to wind her up, okay? She has been through enough in the past few weeks,’ hissed Jonah.
‘I always hated her work. Thought it was all too raw. I used to see her get really upset, and wondered why she put herself through it.’
‘Because she has a good heart and cares.’
‘Do you think she cares about the man whose brains had been splattered by his wife?’
‘And do you know that woman was trying to protect someone from getting badly hurt as well as her children?’ Jonah replied, leaning forward. ‘I think what Sophie does is amazing and I’m proud of her. Pity you couldn’t appreciate her at the time.’
‘I appreciate you.’ He grinned at Jonah. ‘Have you told her?’
‘No, and I’m not going to.’
‘Does that mean you’re considering it?’ Harry laughed and touched Jonah’s hand. ‘I think you might be.’
‘I’m not.’ He pulled his hand away and watched the waiter walk in with two large glasses of scotch. ‘Stop pissing about.’
‘I’m not pissing about. You know what I want, and I think you’re going to have to play along.’
‘Play along with what?’ Sophie asked, walking back into the room and stopping. Jonah stared at her as she looked a little confused. ‘What do you want from Jonah?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Jonah replied, hoping Harry wouldn’t be an arse and open his mouth.
‘Tell me?’ she asked sitting back down and he watched Harry knock back half his drink.
‘You want to know?’ he asked, smiling brightly at Sophie as Jonah dreaded what he was going to say.
‘Harry, don’t do this,’ Jonah whispered, shaking his head. ‘Let’s try and sort this out another way.’
‘You know what I want, Sophie. I told you,’ Harry said, which confused Jonah as she started to look furious. ‘But there’s something else I forgot to add.’
‘What was that?’ she replied, quickly glancing at Jonah then back at Harry.
‘I want to fuck you then I want to fuck your husband. For that, you can have Milly and I won’t interfere with your lives again.’ He laughed. ‘That’s not much to ask, is it? All for the sake of a happy family.’
‘You pig!’
That’s all she could say. When she looked at Jonah, his skin had turned ashen and he looked mortified by Harry’s comment. ‘You want to fuck me and then him?’ Sophie was going to laugh. Then she realised it made perfect sense why Jonah was acting the way he was. ‘I hope you’re joking.’
‘No, I’m not,’ Harry replied, getting up and ordering two more drinks before closing the door, and sitting back down. ‘I’ll watch while you screw each other, then I’ll fuck you, then him. Or the other way around. All very modern and incredibly simple.’
‘You want to fuck Jonah?’ she asked again, shaking her head in total disbelief. ‘My husband?’
‘Sophie, I know it’s difficult to comprehend for some, but I have an open mind regarding sex and with whom. I find him attractive, I always have.’ He smiled as she grimaced. ‘It’s perfectly natural.’
‘Is it?’ Jonah asked, looking horrified. ‘You think I want to suck your dick?’
‘I’d like to suck on yours.’
Sophie’s mouth dropped open.
It wasn’t the shock of what he was saying; it was the fact she was right about Harry fancying Jonah. On the tip of her tongue, she wanted to tell her current husband she told him so. But based on his expression, he wouldn’t appreciate the comment.
Then she noticed Jonah do a double take and leant towards Harry.
‘You asked Sophie to sleep with you?’ he gasped, and she could see he was starting to get angry.
‘No harm in asking,’ Harry replied as there was a knock on the door and the drinks arrived. ‘I take it you’re paying for dinner.’
‘I am,’ Sophie said, as Jonah glared
Right then, she wished she could tell her husband not to worry. But it seemed nothing would alleviate the sheer anger etched across his face. She put out her hand and touched Jonah, who was still staring at Harry.
‘If Jonah and I agree, then all is well?’ she asked as Jonah turned his head sharply to look at her. ‘You sign over Milly and give him his freedom?’
‘Certainly.’
‘You know, full well, that it will cause all amount of problems for us. Firstly, we both don’t want to cheat. We took vows.’
‘So did I,’ Harry replied, looking agitated with the response. ‘Some things are out of your control.’
‘And I certainly don’t want to sleep with you again.’ Sophie paused. ‘I know you never really enjoyed it unless you were pissed.’ She was met with a slight shrug. ‘And I don’t want you to stick your dick up my husband’s arse, or his in yours. You lay a finger on him, and I will chop your cock off in
an instant.’ She clicked her fingers as if to demonstrate the point.
Jonah choked as he sipped his whisky while she gently tapped his back and handed over a napkin.
‘Soph?’ he said, in between coughing fits. ‘I was never going to do it.’
‘I know you like my bits better than his wizened old ones.’
‘Now you’re being rude,’ Harry said, getting pissed off. ‘Sex is a simple thing. We do it. Have some fun and move on.’
‘And you say I’m a bad example of a parent?’
‘You might get knocked up, Sophie, because it seems your husband isn’t delivering the goods on that front.’
‘What the fuck did you say?’ shouted Jonah, getting quickly to his feet.
‘Don’t rise to his bait,’ Sophie gently said, grabbing his arm.
‘Are you implying I can’t get her pregnant?’
‘It has been a year and I see no sign of the pitter patter of tiny feet.’
‘Why you-.’
Jumping up she tugged her husband back. Sophie stood in front of him.
‘He’s name calling. Ignore him.’ She touched his face and could see Harry’s comment had gravely wounded him. Her heart melted knowing it was unfair. ‘You’re better than that and don’t let him have something to hang over our heads.’ All Jonah did was shake his head on the verge of tears. ‘Go and get some fresh air. I’ll be fine.’
‘I’m not leaving you with him!’
‘Trust me, Jonah. I’m perfectly safe.’
‘Piece of shit.’
That’s all Jonah mumbled when he walked out of the restaurant and took a deep breath. His mind was spinning on how he was going to kick the living shit out of Harry. This time, he didn’t care what the consequences were. He wasn’t going to let him interfere in his life.
Calling Ross, he waited for an answer.
‘Hey there,’ his friend said, sounding cheerful. ‘How’s dinner going with-.’
‘I fucking hate him!’
‘What happened?’
‘And he just broke the news to Sophie about what he wanted to do to me!’ Jonah heard Ross start to laugh loudly. ‘It’s not funny. And you know what else he did? He propositioned Sophie to sleep with him.’
‘That’s bad,’ said Ross, sounding outraged. ‘What a sleaze ball! And Sophie said no?’
‘Of course, she did! I’m not having Harry butt fuck my wife then me.’
‘He’s got some balls.’
‘Well, they’re not going in my mouth!’
Standing and saying it out loud for the first time, made him realise the stupidity of the situation.
Jonah started to laugh as did Ross.
‘You didn’t see it coming, Jonah?’ asked Ross, sighing loudly. ‘Come on. It was obvious.’
‘I must be the only person who didn’t see it coming, and he’s certainly not coming anywhere near my wife or me!’
‘I hated the way he looked at you.’
Harry was quite drunk as Sophie sat opposite. ‘I could tell that you liked him, but I thought he was polite. Not once did I realise you would end up with Jonah.’
‘You’ve hatched up this plan because it’s the only way you could lay your hands on him, isn’t it?’ As she said it, he looked angry.
‘You see, Sophie darling, I knew as soon as I saw him he was special.’
‘Special?’
She sat back in her chair and it started to dawn slowly on her what he was saying.
Half of her wanted to know more; the other half didn’t want to hear.
Harry had been married to her when he met Jonah. It was all too confusing and horrible for words, but she needed to find out.
The thing is, they had fallen for the same man, unbeknown to each other.
‘Harry, are you telling me that you fell in love with Jonah?’ she asked in a whisper. ‘When we were together?’ It was how Harry looked at her; semi-surprised by the comment. ‘If you’re into being open and honest, you need to tell me.’
‘When I met him, I knew it. I could tell,’ her ex-husband began and she bit her lip, not sure on how to respond. ‘His smile could light up any room, and those big, brown eyes, not to mention his body. The whole package was fantastic along with his talent.’
Sophie sipped her water and felt sick again. Regardless of whether she was with Harry or not, there was a huge sense of betrayal in her heart.
‘Why to push him to look after me?’ she asked, watching him sip his drink.
‘I could see you were getting on at the party. He seemed to find you interesting. I knew he had nieces and nephews, so I thought it might be a good thing. You both get to know each other, and I get close to him.’
‘You were screwing who knows when you let him babysit me.’
‘I was screwing someone who was screwing him. I knew that was as far as I could take it.’
The sharp stab of his shocking statement hit hard in her chest. The bile was starting to rise in her throat.
‘Are you angry with him for being with me?’ she eventually asked, controlling her breathing.
‘Yes, Sophie. I’m very angry.’ Harry moved his chair closer, and she smelt the fumes on his breath and skin. ‘I don’t know if you did it to spite me.’
‘Why would I do that?’
‘Because I think you knew all along I liked him a lot more than I was letting on.’ Harry then glanced guiltily away. ‘That’s why I hit out at you. I didn’t want anyone to know, other than me.’
It was if he put in the last fatal stab at her heart, to severe all feelings she once had for Harry James.
‘I think that’s disgusting!’
Jonah was stood by the door, listening. His first reaction was to hit Harry. ‘For the life of me, I would never have considered doing anything with you!’
Harry started to laugh and ran his fingers through his hair.
Then he noticed Sophie seemed upset.
‘It’s not just sex,’ the man said, standing up. ‘It’s more than that.’
‘More?’ He was confused by the comment and looked at Sophie, who was forcing a smile. ‘What more is there?’
‘Jonah, don’t you get it?’ she whispered, her hand shaking as she sipped some water. ‘It’s pretty obvious.’
‘Not to me. And you hurt her because she realised. What sort of person are you?’
‘Someone who fell out of love with me,’ Sophie whispered. ‘Because he fell in love with you.’
There was a heavy silence in the room.
All Jonah could do was stare at his wife, avoiding eye contact with Harry.
He felt so out of his depth, not knowing what to say or do.
Slowly, he walked to the table and sat down, reaching out to touch Sophie’s arm.
‘It’s hard to get your head around it, isn’t it?’ she quietly said, then looked at Harry. ‘I must have made it so perfect for you when I walked away. A double eviction because I took Milly with me.’
‘That’s not how I wanted to end it,’ Harry replied, leaning forward. ‘Sophie, I still love you, you know that.’
‘Don’t you dare tell me that shit!’ she suddenly snapped, startling both men. ‘You don’t treat someone the way you did to me if you love them. Don’t you get it?’
‘No, I don’t get it,’ Harry replied, starting to get angry. ‘I don’t get how you could walk away and land up with the man I love.’
‘Don’t,’ Jonah added, not wanting to hear. Still he couldn’t look Harry in the eye. ‘It’s not reciprocated.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m very-.’
‘You bastard!’ the voice bellowed, then he realised Onya had walked in. ‘You were in love with Jonah?’
Now things were getting confusing.
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you I invited her,’ said Sophie, with a half forced smile.
‘I didn’t come on my own accord. Some of your feral friends made me,’ hissed Onya angrily at them. Jonah noticed Madison was standing behind her, the
n waved before shutting the door. ‘I should report them to the police.’
‘Well, before you do that before I do,’ Sophie said, standing up slowly. ‘All four of us need to have a frank chat.’
‘What’s going on?’
Harry looked at Sophie before frowning. ‘What’s she doing here?’
‘I wanted her to come,’ replied Sophie, seeing the confusion on everyone’s face. ‘I need to ask her something. And no-one will be allowed to leave until I get the truth.’
‘You’re in love with Jonah?’ said Onya, horrified by the comment. ‘Harry?’
He got to his feet, taking the glass of scotch and walked towards the window. It was the quick glance over to her that made Sophie realise he suspected she was up to something.
‘I think this is the time for honesty, don’t you?’ announced Harry, now taking command of the room. ‘It seems my ex-wife has something on her mind.’
‘Shit!’ Jonah said, putting his head in his hands before looking at up at her.
She knew he didn’t have a clue what was going on.
‘How dare you bring me here!’ snapped Onya. Sophie noticed the way she looked pleadingly at Jonah. ‘Can you explain this to me?’
‘I arranged for you to come here, as I wanted to clear the air,’ Sophie replied, watching Onya’s confused expression. ‘Please help yourself to a drink. You’re going to need one.’
The thin woman walked towards the table and grabbed a glass, then poured out some wine. She took a massive gulp before taking a seat.
‘I don’t want to hear stupid comments about us all swapping one thing or another,’ Sophie began, watching Harry smile. ‘But Jonah and I aren’t going to be forced to do things against our will just to give you, Harry, a kick.’
‘Like what?’ asked Onya, frowning at Harry.
Sophie knew he was staring straight at her, trying his hardest to figure out what she was up to.
‘He wants to sleep with both Jonah and I. If we agree, he will sign the adoption papers and let Jonah happily find another agent. Personally, Jonah doesn’t need his permission.’
