by Nicola Jane
“Excuse me, would you spot me on the bench?” a blond is standing in front of me, blocking my view of Liv. I look around her with a frustrated sigh.
“I’m already lifting, isn’t someone else free?” I ask in an annoyed tone. I freeze, what the hell am I saying. Why am I watching Liv and getting pissed over her chatting to another guy. This doesn’t happen to me and I certainly never turn my attention away from a wanting female.
Before I can apologise to the blond Liv is approaching and she’s walked off to ask another guy to spot her. “Want to go on the bikes together?” asks Liv and I nod, following her to the two free bikes.
“You pushed pretty hard on the runner, you feeling better now?” I ask.
Liv shrugs, “It was just a shock seeing him like that. I haven’t been to the gym for a while. Maybe I should change to another,” she sighs.
“Well you shouldn’t have to but I know a really good gym near The Luxe. I can get you free membership,” I say with a wink. When she looks at me confused I tell her about the gym owners being members of the club, they offered me free membership because more people would join up knowing I was a member, ridiculous really but it actually worked.
“Don’t you get sick of the constant attention and being recognised?” she asks.
“Sometimes. It pisses me off when the newspapers print lies about me. I never speak to them so they make shit up, like the story of me and Clarisse being an item.”
“I saw some of the gossip columns online, they certainly like to talk about you.”
“Who’s Betty?” I ask. The question causes that sad look to reappear on her face and I regret asking.
“She’s my dog,” she sighs, “Silly really but I couldn’t take her when I left because creepy Keith wouldn’t take pets, not many landlords will. I had to leave her with Daniel.”
“You called your dog Betty?” I say.
She laughs, “Yeah I love the old names, they’re the best.”
“God help your future kids!”
We take a steady walk back to her apartment, I tell her about Alex, mainly because she asked but also because I find myself chatting so easily with her that everything just flows out of my mouth. She’d make a great therapist. We stop outside and she turns to me, “Well thanks for making me go to the gym even though I just wanted to slob out on my sofa.”
She watches as I open the back door of the SUV and pull out my bag. “The night is still young,” I say with a grin, “Let’s shower and change and grab some food.” Alivia begins to stutter a protest but I playfully push her towards the steps, “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Alivia
Keith opens the door before I have a chance to put my key in, his leering face creeping me out. He spots Vass behind me and loses the grin. “Is this your boyfriend?” he asks.
“What the hells that got to do with you?” asks Vass clearly irritated by the bumbling old fool, “And do you wait by the door every time she’s out so you can open it when she arrives home?”
“Of course not and I am entitled to ask who my tenants bring home. You can’t live here you know, she only pays rent for one person.”
“Keith it’s fine, Vass is my boss and he isn’t moving in here,” I reassure him.
Vass follows me up the stairs to my apartment. “Man that guy is a pain in the ass and creepy. I’m sure I can find you somewhere better than here,” says Vass. When I left Daniel I was in a rush to find a place. Getting somewhere in London that’s affordable is hard and then having to furnish it about broke the bank.
“I tried to find a place Vass, it’s hard in London. Everyone wants references from previous landlords or a hefty deposit. This will do until I’m back on my feet. I’ll show you where the bathroom is,” I say, leading him through to my bedroom. I point to the door that leads to my én-suit.
“Nice room,” he says with a grin. I am proud of my cottage style bedroom. Daniel hated anything cream in colour especially if it had flowers or anything girly on. When I went shopping for my bedroom I chose a solid Oak bed and a pretty cream cover with a tiny pink flowery pattern. I have soft pink flowery bunting hanging neatly above the bed with fairy lights entwined in it.
“I’m a girly girl,” I say and he laughs.
“You are that Liv, you are that.”
I don’t correct him this time, he’s worn me down and besides, I kind of like it coming from him. He goes in to the bathroom and closes the door. I decide to choose something casual to wear, I don’t want to dress up like it’s a date or he might think I’m crazy. Casual equals friends having some dinner together. I’m still staring in to my wardrobe when the door opens followed by billowing steam. Vass appears wrapped in just a towel and I almost gasp. Water droplets run down his tanned chest muscles and his hair is mussed up like he’s ran his fingers through it, oh how I want to be those fingers.
“Are you okay?” he asks and I nod, not trusting myself to talk. I grab my clothes and a towel and rush past him to the bathroom.
I spend extra time in the shower trying to cool myself off. I need to get a grip. Vass is my boss, I am still getting over Daniel and Vass is not the boyfriend type and again Vass is my boss. I repeat it over and over whilst I dry myself and dress. When I step in to the kitchen I regret the casual clothes. Vass is in a light pink shirt, that does wonders for his deep blue eyes, and black jeans. He looks really smart and I opted for light blue jeans and a cropped jumper that shows off my stomach with the slogan ‘winging it’ across the front. “Ready?” he asks.
I glance down at my casual wear, “I should get changed, I thought we were just grabbing a burger or something.”
He shrugs, “Why, you look great and we can eat where ever you like.”
“But you’re dressed smart and I look like a slob,” I say turning to go and get changed.
Vass strides towards me and wraps his arm around my waist, lifting me effortlessly off the ground and walking me towards the door. “You look fine woman now lets go and eat I’m starving,” he says, carrying me out of the apartment. Vass drives us to another of his favourite restaurants. He tells me they do the best steak here and after our workout we should eat steak.
A waiter greets Vass in much the same way as the Italian owner at lunch time. He seats us towards the back of the restaurant and hands us menus. “Usual to drink Vass?” he asks and Vass nods before turning to me.
“What would you like to drink Liv?”
“The same as you is fine,” I say not wanting to be awkward but then praying he didn’t order whisky.
The waiter returns with a bottle of water and two glasses with a slice of lemon in each. It’s the same as what we had at lunch. “Water?” I query. Vass nods and pours it into the two glasses. “Are you a fitness freak?” I ask.
“No, I don’t drink alcohol,” he says with a shrug.
“A man that owns a sex club and doesn’t drink alcohol?” I say with a smile and he nods again but doesn’t comment further and I feel like I shouldn’t push him even though there is a story to tell.
“So your idea to open up the bar in Luxe at lunchtime is a hit with Clarisse, she thinks business men will love the exclusivity of it,” he says.
“I thought Clarisse was the office manager, does she have a say in how The Luxe is run?” I query.
“No,” he says, “But I like to run things by her. She has a good head on her shoulders and she’s always steered me right in life so far.”
“Are you two together?” I ask, “The papers seem to think you are.”
Vass shakes his head, he looks annoyed, “No. I grew up with Rissa, she’s like a best friend.”
“One that you have sex with?” I push and he frowns at me.
“Does that bother you?” he asks.
I shake my head, my eyes wide like I’m trying to convince him that’s not the case, “God no, why would it?” I ask, “No, I just wondered. There’s a spark between you both.”
“Well we
love each other, just not in that way.”
“Don’t you have male friends?” he asks.
“Yeah of course but most of my friends live Hackney way where I lived before here.”
“With Daniel?” he asks.
The waiter appears and Vass orders steak for both of us. It sends a thrill through me; he’s taking control and I’ve never had that in a man before. When the waiter has gone we return to our conversation. I tell Vass how I first met Daniel in school. We hung around in the same circles but then met up again years later at a reunion. I’m originally from Brighton and Daniel moved after he left school to Cambridge. It made sense to move to London for both of us. It was kind of half way for us both to go back to see friends and family and there were plenty of jobs going in the area.
“And you’re not tempted to go back home now you’ve split up?” he asks.
“Yes, very but I’ve made a home here. I like London. I have a few friends close by although most are married or settling down. Plus my parents don’t know about Daniel and I’m not ready to tell them.”
“Aww yes, the master plan to get up and running before they realise everything has broken,” he says with a smile.
“You might laugh but my parents are old fashioned. They believe in marriage and staying faithful. They thought that’s where me and Daniel were heading. Mum was convinced that he was going to propose this Christmas. Now I have to tell her he’s fucking the understudy.”
Vass laughs loud, “Understudy?” he repeats.
“I trained that bitch up to be amazing and now she’s replaced me, in my job and in his bed.”
“Ouch, what a kick in the teeth,” he sighs.
“You have no idea. I spent months moaning to her as a friend about how Dan was never home and always late or staying out. To think she sat there consoling me when all the time she was with him behind my back.”
“What a bitch,” he agrees with a wink.
“Yeah well she is. No one likes a sneaky cheat. They are welcome to each other.”
The waiter brings out our steak and vegetables. Vass is right, the steak is amazing and I’m too wrapped up in my food orgasm to talk so we eat in silence, Vass occasionally looking at me and smiling.
We get back to the apartment and Vass follows me out of the SUV, insisting on walking me up the steps. As I get to the top I freeze, “My key,” I say turning to Vass.
“What about it?” he asks.
“Well you carried me out of the apartment and didn’t pick up my keys. I can’t get in.”
“Tap on the door, that creepy old bastard is probably watching us right now.”
I gently tap on the door but it doesn’t open. The downstairs lights where Keith’s apartment is are all off. “I think he’s out or in bed,” I wince. The realisation that I am stuck out here for the night hits me and I begin to chew on my lower lip. Keith will be so pissed if I wake him and he already gives me a hard-enough time.
“Well let’s go back to The Luxe, you can have one of the rooms for tonight,” suggests Vass and I literally want to kiss him. Not only have I been dying to stay in those luxurious rooms since he showed me around but it also means I don’t have to wake up Keith and cause myself unnecessary misery.
“Are you sure, you’re doing way too much for me and I’ve only known you a couple of days.”
Vass smiles and heads back down the steps to the SUV, “It was my fault for not picking your keys up so it’s the least I can do and actually, not having you stay there with creepy Keith makes me feel better.”
We get back to The Luxe and I’m surprised how busy it is in the evenings. It’s almost ten o clock and there are lots of shiny expensive cars parked neatly outside. “Is it always this busy?” I ask following him inside.
“Yes, most of the time. You should see the weekends.”
Inside, the bar is crowded. I imagined that in the evenings the bar would have people half naked and having sex but its nothing like that. The customers are fully dressed in smart wear such as suits and evening dresses. Champagne is flowing and waitresses walk around the room with trays full of the bubbly liquid. It’s almost like a posh charity event, you wouldn’t even know these people were here for anything other than a social gathering.
“Shall we get a drink?” asks Vass and I nod.
People turn and greet him as we make our way to the bar. Women eye me with distain, clearly unhappy to see their bachelor with an unknown woman. Various men shake Vass’s hand and women reach up and kiss his cheek. No wonder he doesn’t want to give up this lifestyle, they treat him like the king.
He’s handed a water automatically when we reach the bar. “What would you like?” asks Carlos.
“I would love a glass of white wine if it’s no trouble,” I say with a smile and he goes off to pour me a glass.
Vass is already chatting to a man and woman and so once I’ve got my drink I wander through the room. I don’t want to appear like a cling on and follow Vass around. The double doors to the main room are propped open and as I approach I am faced with a man and woman on stage dancing erotically together. I stop and watch mesmerised by the music, it’s haunting yet alluring. The tables are full inside, everyone staring intently ahead at the show. I take a step inside, keeping to the back of the room. Nearest to me is a larger man in a tight-fitting suit. Beside him, kneeling at his feet is a youngish looking girl in a thong and nothing else. She wears a collar and it’s connected to a silk tie which he holds. Occasionally he strokes her hair and she rubs her head against his leg similar to a puppy dog trying to get its owners attention.
To the left of me is a booth and there’s moaning coming from that area, I can only imagine what’s going on there but the lights have been turned off above the table and so it makes it difficult to see.
My attention is brought back to the stage when a loud moan fills the room. Another male has joined the pair on stage and he has his face buried in between her legs. I’m drawn to it, unable to look away as she grips his hair between her fingers and throws her head back.
“It’s hot isn’t it,” comes Vass’s voice and I let out a squeal. A few heads turn towards us but then go back to watching when they realise there’s nothing exciting to see.
“I was being nosy,” I mutter.
Vass leans against the wall, his arm brushes against my own and my skin prickle’s. “Have you ever watched anything like this?” he asks and I shake my head. “Liar,” he whispers close to my ear. The women is screaming in pleasure as she shakes violently through an orgasm. “You were watching me and Bianca.” I stare at him in shock, how does he know that. “I saw you,” he adds with a smirk. My face flushes with embarrassment and I’m glad its darker in here so that he can’t see. “How does it make you feel?” he asks, I bite on my lower lip, “If you knew how fucking sexy that was you wouldn’t do it around me,” he adds, pressing his thumb to my chin and gently tugging to release my lip. It feels like an electric current run through his finger and races through my skin straight down towards my pussy, I press my legs together to ease the ache.
“Vass where the hell were you?” A woman appears next to Vass, breaking the moment. “I have been waiting for you for over an hour,” she hisses.
“Apologies Annalise, I got caught up.” She kisses him gently on the mouth, it’s not a lingering kiss but he still gives me an awkward glance as she pulls away.
“And you are?” she asks turning to me.
“Alivia Caldwell,” I say with a forced smile. I don’t like her tone or the way she looks me up and down.
“You realise there’s a dress code in The Luxe?” she asks cocking her eyebrow at my cropped jumper. I glimpse at the black fitted evening dress that she has on, coupled with Louis Vuitton black stilettos. Her makeup gives her a flawless tone and there’s no denying that she is beautiful.
“Alivia is my guest this evening, I’ve okayed it,” snaps Vass, “Lets go and talk,” he adds taking her by the elbow, “Don’t move, I’ll be back shortl
y,” he says to me and then guides Annalise away and out of the room.
Vass
I keep hold of Annalise’s elbow all the way to the first floor and into my office. She wretches it away once inside and slaps me hard across the face. I take a deep breath to calm myself. “I fucking waited like an idiot, sat on my own in a busy restaurant and then I come here to find you with some tart that looks half your age!” she rages.
I guess comparing the two Liv does look younger than Annalise, although there is only six years between them. “She’s twenty-three,” I sigh, “And she isn’t a tart but my new employee.”
“And you are thirty, don’t you think that’s a little old for her? And really, an employee, is there a difference in your mind because you fuck anything and anyone whether they work for you or not.”
“I forgot about the reservation. I apologise but I’m not going to get into an argument over my new Marketing girl. We had a meeting that ran over.”
“And we have an agreement. I have given you my time, some men would be grateful, yet you act like you’re doing me the favour. Maybe I won’t show up on Saturday, let’s see how your dear grandmother feels when her little black sheep of the family lets her down again!”
I bite my cheek to stop me saying something I’ll later regret. “What can I do to make it up to you?” I ask patiently and her frown eases to a slight smile.
“First you can get me a drink. The rest will flow naturally,” she says with a wink.
Annalise takes a step closer and places a well-manicured hand to my cheek, gently rubbing where she slapped me. “Sorry baby, you make me crazy,” she whispers pressing a kiss to the red mark. I remove her hand and take it in my own to appease her and then lead her back down to the bar.
