by Alice Raine
Thank God I had dressed up, because this room, not to mention the hotel lobby that we’d just walked through, were incredible. And I mean jaw-droppingly opulent. The salon was in the centre of the hotel and dripping with elegant style, history, and of course the occasional gilded statue. As its name suggested it also had large palm trees dotted around its perimeter which were somehow greener and healthier than any I’d ever seen on an actual beach.
The food and drink we consumed far exceeded any image of ‘afternoon tea’ I’d ever had before; caraway bread sandwiches with the most sumptuous fillings, freshly baked scones dripping with cream and jam, and the most mind-boggling array of teas I’d ever seen – I’d literally never heard of half of them. Not that we were drinking tea for most of the meal; chilled champagne arrived shortly after we did, and with me and my five closest friends all in rather high spirits it certainly didn’t go to waste.
By the time we emerged from the arched doorways of The Ritz it was gone six o’clock in the evening and we were all well on the way to being rather tipsy. Magically our limousine was waiting for us by the curb and we all piled in to head back to Stella’s house to change for an evening of dancing and merriment. That’s literally all I’d been told, I didn’t know venues or details, I’d merely been given a card that said to pack a change of clothes for dancing in. So I had – my favourite little black dress and the same plum coloured high heels I had on already. I got them in the Coast sale last month and I totally loved them; they were amazingly both comfortable and beautiful, and definitely my new favourites.
As it turned out, we’d ended up at Nathan’s swanky Docklands apartment to change, much to the excitement of my old schoolfriends who ran around exploring like over excited children let loose at Disney World, and exclaimed they’d never seen such a beautiful home. Nathan was out, apparently entertaining Nicholas for the evening, which was just as well because after well and truly giving his apartment the once over we changed and then made rather good use of his balcony and mini bar.
We’d had a drink at a great little cocktail bar in Covent Garden – best Cosmo ever – and now it was half past ten and we were making our way into a nightclub called Project just behind Oxford Street. I’d heard of the place, it was a swanky, members-only club making all the headlines for its exclusivity and celebrity members, but I never dreamed in a million years that I’d ever be going inside it. ‘How the hell did you manage to get us in here? I thought it was members only?’ I whispered to Stella as the bouncers checked our ID and waved us inside without even a blink of concern.
Turning to me Stella gave a casual shrug, ‘Nathan sorted it,’ she said in way of explanation. Which immediately made sense; Nathan was probably even richer and more influential in London circles than Nicholas, so if anyone was going to blag entrance tickets to a swanky nightclub, he’d be the guy to manage it.
I might listen to Wham! on occasions as a guilty treat, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t shake it on the dance floor like the best of them back in my student days, and as we made our way further inside, the heavy, hot air and thumping beat of ‘Animals’ by Martin Garrix surrounded me and I felt almost like I was stepping back in time. Let me correct myself – the deep pulsing beat of the music and its addictive rhythm was like stepping back in time, but the club itself couldn’t have been more modern. Project London was certainly no student dive bar, there were no sticky floors or seedy lighting, no, everything around us reeked of glamour, wealth, and high class style. Neon lights of purple and red lit the large space, a bar ran the length of one wall, and the remainder of the floor was given over to either dance space or ultra-sleek leather booths.
Seeing beautiful dresses and chic three-piece suits everywhere I was just thinking that the calibre of the guests matched the classy surroundings when Louise grabbed my arm and shook me so violently that I staggered forwards several steps. ‘Holy shit! Isn’t that the woman out of that Tarantino film?’’ she shrieked in my ear. Thankfully the music was loud enough to cover her outburst, but she was bloody well right, out on the dance floor swaying and rolling her leather clad body like it was made of water was a genuine A-list celeb. Not that I could actually remember her name, but still!
Quite simply, I was having the best day ever. Apart from the day Nicholas had proposed, of course, that had been totally unexpected and had made for a pretty amazing day too. The music tonight was out of this world, I was tipsy and carefree, and I was surrounded by my five closest friends in the world as we giggled and lost ourselves in the beat. With my clumsy tendencies I wasn’t the best dancer by any means, but when I let my inhibitions down like I had tonight I could really enjoy myself. Even Stella was dancing with gusto, and I knew she usually hated it. I couldn’t help grinning with happiness, it had to be said that as hen dos go, Stella had done a pretty amazing job.
Half way through the following track I noticed that Stella’s attention had become distracted by something over my shoulder as a frown settled on her brows. Wondering why she had suddenly stopped dancing and looked so pissed off I turned and followed her gaze to a low balcony area just a few steps above the main dancefloor. It was difficult to make out because of the dim lighting, but as the strobes swung across the floor I saw Nicholas and Nathan leaning on the railing, staring at us with matching frowns on their faces like a pair of moody gargoyles.
What the heck? What were Nicholas and Nathan doing here? I spun back to Stella in confusion. ‘What are they doing here?’ I watched as Stella shook her head and downed the rest of her cocktail.
‘I have no idea, but this is just like Nathan to do something so bloody overprotective. Sorry, Becks, when I asked him to get us tickets I never thought he’d turn up here too,’ she said apologetically.
‘Well, they know this is supposed to be a girl’s night so let’s just leave them to their brooding,’ I declared boldly, grabbing Stella and Fiona’s hands and leading our group a little further away from our unplanned audience.
‘Who do you think is worse?’ Stella asked with a nod of her head towards the balcony where our pair of domineering men stood. Briefly turning my head again I saw both Nathan and Nicholas watching us intently and completely ignoring the music.
Now that I’d had more than my fill of alcohol I actually found this all quite amusingly sweet. ‘I think they are probably just as bad as each other, although I have to say Nathan’s got the Jackson death stare down to a fine art. I swear to God if any man comes near you he’s going to fry him on the spot.’ We both started giggling, but as the DJ switched the track to a remixed version of Prodigy our hands were grabbed by the rest of the girls and we got swept along with a high-energy dance which had the dance floor full within seconds.
Needing a break I left Stella and the girls dancing and grabbed a bottle of water from the bar. After downing the whole thing in one very unladylike display I scanned the club and sought out Nicholas’ indiscreet hiding place. Finally my eyes landed on him and I saw he was still in almost the same position as last time, and once again his eyes were on me and his face was decidedly unimpressed. I decided in my drunken state that it would be a good idea to go and see him and find out what he was playing at, but really if I’m honest, my tipsiness was making me quite horny and I also quite fancied sneaking a quick make out session in the dark confines of the club.
Sauntering up the four steps to where Nicholas was leaning I tried to look haughty and disapproving, and was immensely glad that my drunkenness didn’t cause me to visibly stagger. ‘Fancy yourself as an honorary hen, do you?’ I murmured. It was dark, but even without direct light I saw Nicholas’ cheeks flush with embarrassment at being so obviously caught out.
Sliding an arm around my waist he shrugged mildly and then tugged me against him firmly so our hips were now squashed together. Deciding to wind him up a little more I pretended to be annoyed with his presence and kept my eyebrow raised questioningly. It took all my restraint not to reciprocate his touch, but I left my hands dangling by my sides an
d my facial expression as blank as I could. Looking slightly panicked by my cold shoulder he chewed on his lip and then spoke quickly. ‘It was Nathan’s idea really. He mentioned where you were going and then when we were out for drinks we found ourselves in the neighbourhood.’ He gave another shrug and took a sip of his beer while watching me carefully over the rim of his bottle. I could tell Nicholas was trying to decide if I was angry with him or not, but to be honest, I was so tipsy that I didn’t really mind him being here. In fact, with his hips still pressing against mine and the first stirrings of an erection making themselves felt against my stomach my earlier pretence at anger was rapidly fading and a cuddle was starting to sound quite tempting.
Just as I was about to make good on my idea Nathan swore loudly behind me, causing Nicholas and I to briefly break apart as we spun to look at him. My eyebrows nearly flew to my scalp as I watched as Nathan literally vaulted over the railing to the dance floor below before storming across the space and making a beeline for Stella and my friends. Crikey, talk about athletic. People were scattered by his progress through the crowd until he stopped beside Stella and glared at a man now quivering next to her.
Nathan’s growl was so loud I heard it from all the way over here, ‘Get your fucking hands off her.’
Once he had dispatched with the unwanted groper I watched Nathan bristling with anger until Stella pulled him into an embrace and started dancing with him, probably to distract him from wanting to go after the guy and punch him.
‘I think my brother is a little over-protective,’ Nicholas observed beside me as he resumed our closer position by sliding his arm around my waist again, but I only just managed to hold in a full blown laugh – talk about pot calling kettle black! ‘Must be a family trait.’ I muttered with a smirk, but luckily Nicholas didn’t hear my sarcasm over the music.
Ten – Stella
I couldn’t frigging believe it when I saw Nathan leap from the balcony like some enraged version of Superman and begin his charge in my direction, but I did at least know the cause of his over-the-top and unnecessary hurdling. About two seconds ago a fairly attractive guy with a cute, shy smile had shimmied his way into our group and made the fatal mistake of putting a hand on my shoulder as he leaned in to speak to me. I was quite prepared to politely decline his tentative approach, but no, that wouldn’t be enough for Nathan, would it? He clearly felt the need to charge in like a bull in a china shop and make a massive scene. Taking a deep breath I prepared for impact, and then a second later winced as Nathan arrived at my side, leaned into the guys face, and yelled so loudly that we both leant back to avoid the fallout. ‘Get your fucking hands off her!’ The poor guy had only been trying his luck, and he’d actually been very sweet about it, but now he was practically shaking in his boots as he stuttered an apology and began to back away.
Bristling with anger, Nathan took a step to follow the man and was no doubt set on continuing his rant, but I quickly intervened, grabbing him and pulling him back by sliding both my arms around his neck. ‘Stella,’ he growled in warning, trying to pry me off him so he could carry on his hunt, but there was no way I was letting him pound out his jealousy on a relatively innocent man. Tangling one hand in his hair I tugged on it until he winced and relented, allowing me to lower his head towards mine.
‘Why would you want to follow him when I’m right here?’ As I said my last four words I lowered my spare hand to his groin and cupped him through his trousers, giving him a squeeze. A hard squeeze.
Even above the music I heard the hiss that escaped his lips as his eyes widened. ‘Christ, Stella, easy, woman,’ he stuttered on a choked gasp and seemed to instantly forget all ideas of chasing after the man, clutching at my shoulders instead. Grinning up at him I felt him hardening in my grasp almost immediately and was quite content to play, but he gripped my wrist and gave me a warning look accompanied by a dirty smirk. ‘Time and place, Stella, time and place. Save it for later, baby.’
I nearly laughed out loud at his remark, because it always seemed fine for Nathan to attack me in public when he felt like it; my orgasms in Club Twist, London backstreets, and the back of his car were evidence of that.
Deciding not to push it I reluctantly released Nathan’s twitching groin and slipped my arms around his neck for a dance instead. ‘If you take your brother and head home now, then I’m happy to ignore the fact that you came here during Rebecca’s hen-do when you know you shouldn’t have,’ I murmured mildly, wanting him to know that regardless of what had just occurred, he had stepped over some serious boundaries tonight.
Making a dismissive noise in his throat Nathan jerked his head back and looked at me as if I was crazy. ‘You expect me to leave after that fucker just tried it on with you?’ Giving him an even firmer look I began to pull my hands from around his neck. Nathan held onto my waist to stop me moving further away, but I’d had enough of his overbearing behaviour for one night and twisted from his loose grip. Raising my chin I nodded definitely, ‘Yes I do, Nathan, if you’d given me a few more seconds before you’d done your raging Hulk impression you would have seen me knocking back his advances.’ Crossing my arms I drew in a deep breath before stating one final truth. ‘If our relationship stands any chance of surviving then I need to know that you trust me, Nathan. Me. I would never have let anything happen with that guy, and if you had any faith in my commitment to you you’d know that.’ I was close to shouting volume now and I could see Fiona and Louise watching from the side-lines and looking like they were debating whether to join in and help me, but I flashed them a quick reassuring glance then looked back to Nathan. ‘What’s it to be, Nathan?’ I asked, amazing myself with how calm and authoritative I sounded.
Nathan looked so torn that in any other circumstances I might have felt sorry for him, but not tonight. Finally he threw his hands up in exasperation and ran them through his hair. ‘Fine. Fine. I’ll take Nicholas home.’ Using his thumb he tilted my chin up and stared deep into my eyes, clearly not happy leaving me. ‘I do trust you, Stella, more than you know,’ he suddenly muttered softly, then without any warning he crushed his lips to mine in a kiss so possessive I almost felt branded from the searing intensity of it as I sagged against him and surrendered my mouth along with the last of my anger. ‘Come home to my house when you’re done with the girls then,’ Nathan demanded against my lips, making me giggle at his continued desperation to be the one in charge.
In reality I knew the only reason he wanted me to go to his house was so he could feel like he’d won a small victory and claimed his prize – me. Not that I minded really, and if I hadn’t promised Rebecca that I’d get her home safely then I probably would have caved in to his demand. ‘I can’t, Nathan, I promised Rebecca I’d stay fairly sober and make sure she gets home tonight. It’ll be late by the time we leave, and your apartment is another half an hour from Nicholas’ house so I’d have to get a taxi on my own, which I don’t want to do. I’ll take them up on their offer to stay over, and I’ll head to yours tomorrow after breakfast.’
Watching carefully, I saw Nathan’s entire body tense again as his earlier irritation resurfaced – even his legs seemed to straighten out a little more and his hands definitely formed into fists at his sides. ‘You’re spending the night at my brother’s house?’ he demanded on nothing short of a low snarl.
Rolling my eyes at my man and his stupid possessiveness I shook my head, ‘Nathan, I’m spending the night at my best friend’s house. Yes, she happens to be marrying your brother, and yes, they live together, but that does not give you cause for any more stupid jealousy. I’ll be in the spare room for God’s sake.’
Seeing Nathan still struggling with how to deal with this information I tried to reign in my annoyance and remember that his unnecessary jealousy was really just insecurity because of his inexperience with real relationships. ‘Seeing as you’re out with Nicholas you could head home with him and stay over too, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,’ I suggested. ‘That way I’d see you when I
get in. You could have the bed all warmed up and ready for me.’
I’d added my last remark suggestively in the hope that it might loosen him up, but Nathan looked far too stressed out by all this to lighten up and instead turned to me, chewing frantically on his lower lip. ‘I’m a fully grown man, Stella, I don’t do fucking sleepovers,’ he huffed petulantly. Raising my eyebrows I smirked at him, my troubled man might not do sleepovers, but quite apparently he did do full-blown toddler temper tantrums.
In the end it took me another ten minutes to actually get both of the Jackson brothers out of the club before I returned to Rebecca with a rueful smile as we resumed our dancing. Leaning over she was grinning from ear to ear. ‘I fully expected Nathan to go into caveman mode and drag you away over his shoulder,’ she joked, but to be honest, I had kind of been expecting the same thing and was still slightly shocked that Nathan had left. Grabbing my hand with relish, Rebecca twirled herself under my arm and dragged me back to the group of girls so we could carry on celebrating in style.
When we finally got back to her Primrose Hill home later that night – technically the following morning – I made Rebecca drink a full pint of water and then gently pushed her through the door to her bedroom before retreating to the spare room. To my surprise, as I stripped off and crawled into bed I found Nathan’s warmth under the covers waiting for me. So apparently he wasn’t too grown up for sleepovers after all. I’d honestly believed that he was too stubborn to give in and sleep here tonight, but I was so glad he’d changed his mind. Thinking he was asleep I snuggled up to his back carefully, loving the scent of him on the pillow and his warm skin touching mine, but he moved, rolling over and feeling about to find me. ‘About time,’ he muttered thickly. Finding its target his arm snaked around my stomach and I couldn’t help but grin as he tugged me against him so we were spooning.
Nuzzling in my hair Nathan let out a long contented breath. ‘I have hated every single fucking second of my evening since I left you in that bloody meat market.’ I was expecting him to lecture me or have a moan about the events of the night, but to my surprise Nathan just cuddled me closer and fell silent as he almost immediately began to fall back asleep. Pondering my complex man for a few more seconds I gave up trying to work him out and instead let my dance weary body follow him into slumber.
