Until I Met You

by Jaimie Roberts

  “No, you’ll do.”

  “Shelly!” I shouted. “That was rude. Excuse the lovely Miss McIntyre here, Anthony. She obviously left her manners at home.”

  “Oh come on, Angelina. If Brad wants to check out the ladies, I won’t be offended. Check away my man. Indulge yourself. Talk about breasts and fannies, I don’t care.”

  Brad handed me my second Vodka Tonic and I gladly took it from him. I was about to take a sip when Shelly was tugging on my arm. “What?”

  “Sexy beast is heading our way, Angelina, and he’s certainly zeroing in on you my friend.”

  I looked around and my breath caught instantly. His stare was intense, almost hypnotic. I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off him.

  “Angel, how lovely to see you again. Not following me now, are you?”

  Oh great, not only was he the sexiest man I had ever seen, he was a wiseass as well. “Yeah, and wouldn’t you like that?” His eyebrow raised and I almost melted.

  “Yes, I would actually. It’s very rare to find an angel fall at your feet—or in this case—collide into my chest when I’m out taking a stroll.”

  Oh and what a chest it was. I looked briefly, but didn’t want him to see that he affected me.

  “Can I buy you all a drink?” He looked at everyone and I saw Shelly looking like all those other drooling women he had waiting for his return. She was about to say something when I stepped on her foot.

  “We’re fine,” I said, stubbornly.

  Shelly glared as she bent over and started rubbing her toe. She wasn’t pleased. I knew she was going to say yes to the guy and I didn’t want him here. Even though I did. God, I hate him.

  “You’re still wet I see. I don’t know what you normally look like dry, but…”

  I had to stop him talking for my sake. I really couldn’t hear anymore. “Are you always like this?”

  “Like what, Angel?”

  “Don’t call me Angel. I only let one person call me that. My name is Angelina.” He studied me a moment with those fucking come-to-bed eyes of his. I had never in this world reacted so instantly to someone in my life. It was quite frankly pissing me off—but most of all—it scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want him here. I wanted him far away, so I could go back to my normal life I was in control of. When I looked at this man, my control wavered. I didn’t like it.

  “So who’s the lucky man who gets to call you that?” He stood there looking all sexy, but I didn’t answer him. He patiently waited for an answer, but all I did was look indignant. Shelly saw my reaction and rolled her eyes at me.

  “I think it must be her dad or something. She hasn’t got a boyfriend, I can tell you that.”

  “Shelly!” I couldn’t believe she just told him that I was single. She had no right to tell this sexy stranger my personal life.

  “Don’t be mad at Shelly, my angel. She’s just trying to help.”

  “I. Am. Not. Your. Angel.” I think a little smoke was coming out of my ears.

  Sexy arsehole looked over at Shelly and Brad. “Is she always like this?”

  “No,” they both said in unison.

  “So, it’s just me then.”

  It wasn’t a question, it was an observation. He was smiling now, but I didn’t know what was so amusing.

  “Well, as you already know my name’s Shelly—this is Brad by the way—is it not too much to ask yours?”

  He puffed out his wonderfully formed chest and smiled. “Seth,” he announced.

  Oh God, even his name sounded sexy.

  “Nice to meet you, Seth.” They all shook hands, but I didn’t offer mine. Seth just stood there smiling like the sexy prick he is.

  “You know you look rather sexy when you’re angry. And you’re wet, too. You could drive a guy mental with that kind of image in his mind.” His eyes slanted as he looked me over. If my belly could dance, it would be doing every conceivable move known in the history of dance moves.

  As I felt this, an unwanted memory quickly surfaced of my mum and I in the kitchen on Julia’s wedding night. Men don’t make my stomach dance. They never have. The thought scared me that much that I was actually contemplating going back to Cornwall. Just that split second, an insane notion had me packing up my bags and going home.

  Who on earth was this guy, and why in the hell am I letting myself be affected by him so much? That split second thought of running home was stupid. I don’t know this guy and the chances of bumping into him again so soon, was remote… so why am I so frightened?

  “You’re a jerk, do you know that?” I’m desperately trying to stand my ground with this guy. If I had to have any kind of an emotion for him, it had to be anger. Judging by the group of girls waiting for him, he is obviously a playboy. That was a red danger sign right there.

  “Keep that up, Angel, I may have to take you home with me and never let you leave.”

  My eyes bugged right out of my head. My mind screamed “Asshole,” but my body screamed, “Yes, take me now!” He was making me weak.

  “I am not your angel. Look, you obviously have company waiting for you and I’m here with my colleagues for a quiet drink. Why don’t you just toodle off and make with your bunnies over there.”

  “Toodle off?” he asked, amused. His smile was infectious, but I couldn’t let him see me back down.

  “Okay, Angel. I’ll ‘toodle off’, but I want you to know that this thing… ” With a flick of his hand he pointed his finger between him and I. “Isn’t over yet. I’ll see you again, and when I do I will ask you out—and you will say yes.”

  I tried to see a hint of a smile, anything just to let me know he was joking—but he was deadly serious. “In your dreams, pal.” I sneered at him and that made him smile.

  “I’m sure you will be.” He turned, revealing the most perfectly rounded, pert ass I had ever seen. It was just there and ripe for the touch. All I had to do was reach out and squeeze it. Just that little bit. Just a tiny squeeze.

  I had to snap myself out of this. I looked to all the squealing girls and that was all it took to realise how silly my thinking was. He was a player. One to avoid at all costs. “Can you believe that arsehole?” I asked Shelly and Brad.

  “Oh yeah, sexy beast lurves ya. What a fucking bummer that must be.” She rolled her eyes again at me and took a swig of her drink, hand on hip.

  “Well, I don’t lurrrrrve him. Who does he think he is coming over here being all, ‘I’m going to ask you out and you’ll say yes’, crap?”

  “He was a bit forward,” Brad interjected.

  “Thank you, Brad.”

  “Wow, he really does wind you up, doesn’t he?” Shelly winked at me and I looked over to where Seth the Asshole was. His play bunnies were doing their giggly, drooly thing and it made me feel sick. His eyes still burned a hole in my insides and it made the hairs stick up at the back of my neck. I tingled when he looked at me and I loved it and hated it, all in one mushy, messed up ball of sexual energy. He oozed sex appeal like a prowling lion. I needed to get away from him and fast.

  “Hey, I got an idea. I have a bottle of rum at home with our name on it. Instead of staying here and paying for our drinks, why don’t we just go to mine and get it for free?” Shelly looked at me like she wasn’t buying what I was selling. Brad just swigged the remainder of his drink back down and nodded his head. “I’m up for that. Lead the way, Miss Bradshaw.”

  We drank what was left of our drinks and I grabbed my bag and coat. I didn’t want to look at Seth on my way out, but I couldn’t help it. The cheeky smile said it all. And then he had the gall to wave his fingers goodbye at me—all the while, he had women clinging from every limb.

  Bastard!

  Once we were outside, I took a welcome lungful of air. I was glad to be getting away from that man. It was almost as though we had a surge of electricity running from him into me. I could feel it the whole time I was there. The pins and needles at the ends of my fingers. The strange tingly sensation you get when someone to
uches you ever so lightly—but this felt somehow magnified.

  By the time we all reached the apartment—that I’ve quickly called my home—I was still feeling the slight hum from the charge. It was better though. Much more manageable now that he wasn’t around me anymore.

  “I didn’t know you had a pet.” Both Shelly and Brad were bending down to take a closer look at Jerry.

  “This is Jerry, my main man. He’s a cockatiel.”

  “How sweet. Can he talk?” Shelly asked.

  “He can a little bit, but he also likes to sing.” Shelly’s face was a picture of excitement. She almost looked like a child at times.

  “Can we hear him?” Her eyes darted from me to Jerry and I had to laugh.

  I retrieved three glasses from the cabinet and placed them down with my unopened bottle of rum.

  Handing both Shelly and Brad their glasses, I shook my head. “He’s a cockatiel Shelly, not a wind-up toy. I can’t make him sing. He sings when he wants to. I can certainly try for you though. He may or may not be in the mood.”

  Brad looked up to me, as intrigued as Shelly was. “How long have you had him?”

  “About a year now. I raised him since he was a baby. I had to hand feed him milk. He used to screech like a banshee every time he saw me, and he wouldn’t stop until I put that syringe down his gob. And then the noise—blimey—you’d think a bike with a loose wheel was riding around the room.”

  Walking over to his cage, I cooed at him. He responded with a full belter of a wolf whistle. “I think he’s happy. Let me try playing his favourite song.”

  I swiftly made my way over to my CD player and pressed play—the sound of, “I see you Baby,” swiftly coming through the speakers.

  Jerry reacted to it quite quickly, bopping his head to the sound, and moving up and down his perch. All of us laughed and had a little boogie ourselves—shouting, “Go Jerry… go Jerry… go Jerry!”

  When the song ended I switched it off, but Jerry obviously thought it was still playing in his little world. He carried on singing, “I see you baby, shaking that ass… shaking that ass… shaking that ass.”

  Both Shelly and Brad were in hysterics. They thought it was the funniest, adorable thing they had ever seen.

  Brad asked if he could hold him, so I undid the cage and Jerry was straight there—standing to attention—desperate to get out. He climbed aboard my hand and right up to my shoulder where he sat contently perched up high. Things were going well—right up to the point Brad stuck his hand out towards Jerry. He screeched, flew at Brad’s face, causing him to fall head over, flat on his arse.

  Jerry was flapping his wings at his face and Brad was screaming like a little girl. Both Shelly and I tried to help, but as soon as we did that, Jerry flew up and landed, flapping his wings on Shelly’s hair. Shelly screamed the place down—running around in circles. She was flapping her hands out, almost as if she was trying to take off herself. Jerry just sat on her head, perched up high, ignoring the whole spectacle. He was probably enjoying the ride from up there.

  Eventually I managed to get Shelly to hold still so I could get Jerry off her head. I offered him my hand and he immediately shifted, climbing onto my finger. I grabbed him so that he couldn’t fly off anymore, and immediately put him back in his cage.

  We all breathed a sigh of relief and heard Jerry shout, “Julia Gulia!” This ran a chorus of laughter around the room and it just wouldn’t stop. After about five minutes of continued roaring, I made sure both Shelly and Brad were okay—before we all sat down to relax.

  “He can be a bit over protective.”

  “Now she tells me,” Brad bellowed. The laughter quickly followed again and soon the drinks and conversation were flowing.

  It got to around one in the morning when we all started drooping a little from tiredness and alcohol consumption. I held up an empty bottle and said, “Where has the rum gone?”

  The giggles were soon back and it was hard to stop. “Well—Captain Jack—we must be off,” Shelly sighed.

  “Now that all my rum’s gone, you’re both off. How treacherous you arrr.”

  “Well, you know me, Angelina; it’s all about the rum.” Brad winked at me and Shelly reluctantly stood up.

  “You want to grab a cab, Brad? Your place is near to me anyway, isn’t it?”

  We all stood, stretching our drunken bones and yawned.

  “Yeah sure. That’d be great.”

  After they both thanked me for the rum, Shelly and Brad headed out to hail a cab. I walked back into my kitchen/living area and wondered what to do next. I decided it was best to let Jerry out for a bit—seeing as he didn’t get a chance to fly around much earlier—and proceeded with my nightly—getting ready for bed—rituals.

  Once I was in a tank top and boxers, I thought it best for a pre-emptive strike on my hangover tomorrow. I went into the kitchen to get myself a gallon of water and downed two Paracetamol. I made sure Jerry was nicely tucked up in his cage with a blanket over to help him sleep, and I proceeded to my bedroom, where I could not—would not—dream of Seth the sexy asshole.

  CHAPTER 5

  I wasn’t feeling too bad this morning. Everything seemed to smooth out quite well. I woke up with no headache, or nausea. I was actually feeling rather good about myself. I took a long, hot shower—I made sure Jerry’s cage was clean and freshened with food—and I even managed to read a little before my working day had even started.

  I had no appointments scheduled until my first one with Mr Jacobs, which was great considering I had some admin to catch up on. I was at my desk with a cup of coffee and a smile on my face when Shelly and Brad walked in. They both looked like they’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. “Oh dear, did I help do that to you two?” They both glared at me, nausea written all over their faces.

  “Yes, I feel bloody awful,” Brad moaned. “How come you look as fresh as a daisy?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just naturally gifted like that.”

  “More like a natural bitch. I hate you. How can you not look sick?” They both flopped down in the chairs, looking like they were ready to die any second.

  “I believe I didn’t drink as much as you two did last night. Besides, what happened after you left? Did you carry on the party without me?”

  “No!” they both shouted. I couldn’t help but jump.

  Looking over at them both, I noticed something straight away. They were nervous around each other. I had to chuckle. I think Shelly and I need to talk about that at some point.

  Getting ready for my twelve o’clock appointment—I got my desk tidied up a little and grabbed my bag—just as Jonathan stood tall and lean above my desk.

  “Your twelve o’clock is here,” he beamed.

  “Okay, thanks Jona… oh hell no!” I screamed, making Jonathan jump. It was him, Seth the Asshole.

  “I’m sorry, am I missing something here, Angelina?” Jonathan asked.

  “Angel,” Mr Asshole chimed smirking at me. That damn sexy, bastard smirk!

  “My name is not Angel, it’s Angelina. Please tell me this isn’t him, Jonathan? He’s Mr Jacobs?” I huffed, not once trying to hide my annoyance at his presence.

  “I get the feeling you two know each other?” he asked, frowning.

  “I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely angel yesterday, Jonathan. She really is rather rude though. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such vicious treatment.” He beamed, winking at me.

  The fucker winked at me!

  “Angelina, care to explain?” Jonathan asked.

  “I went out last night with Brad and Shelly, she’ll tell you,” I said pointing towards her.

  Everyone looked at Shelly and she put her hands up. “Don’t get me involved in this,” she said waving her arms.

  Shit, this wasn’t going well.

  “Angel, Angel, Angel, me thinks thou doth protest too much,” Asshole said—purring the words.

  I gave him a frustr
ated sigh. “Oh great, first we think we’re a comedian and then we think we’re Shakespeare now?”

  “Angelina, I think we’ve said enough. Mr Jacobs, I apologise for Angelina’s behaviour. If you would like another person to show you the penthouse, I would quite understand.”

  I looked at Jonathan, a little annoyed. I know Seth’s a big client, and one that makes Jonathan lots of money, but there would be a reason for my outburst. I would never normally treat people this way, and he should know that.

  “No, that’s fine Jonathan. I’m quite looking forward to Miss…?”

  “Bradshaw,” Jonathan blurted.

  “Miss Bradshaw showing me around the place.”

  “Are you a masochist?” I asked defiantly.

  “Angelina!” Jonathan shouted.

  I quickly realised my mistake when Seth’s smile grew wider. He was really enjoying this and I was playing right into the fucker’s hands.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” Seth purred.

  Oh great, now he’s flirting, and I’ve made the biggest cock-up by encouraging it in the first place.

  Jonathan looked at Seth and then looked at me. He was about to say something, but quickly shut up. He shook his head and that was my queue to grab my bag. If he still wanted me to show him around, I would, but I wanted it over and done with as soon as possible.

  “Shall we go?” I asked reluctantly.

  “Of course,” Seth said, clearing a way for me to pass.

  My feet somehow managed to find movement as I stepped forward. Grabbing my arm, Jonathan held me back a second and looked at me.

  “When you get back, I think we need to talk.”

  Oh boy, not only was I having to spend some of my company with this asshole for the next half an hour or so, I’m in big trouble with the boss. Can this day get any better?!

  I looked up at Seth and his intent stare was on Jonathan’s hand around my arm. Jonathan noticed and let go, releasing me quickly.