Marbella Truth

by Shel Stone

  Chapter 61

  THE TIME CAME AROUND FOR their weekly tennis get-together and Samara didn’t know what to do. Clearly Persephone wasn’t welcome, but Samara wasn’t entirely sure the woman knew that.

  Her phone rang and for a moment she feared it was Persephone asking if they were on like normal, but it was Cheyenne, who was about to ask the same question.

  “We should absolutely play,” Cheyenne said. “I’m not willing to give up my tennis whenever we meet a treacherous cow. I can handle myself against both Viola and you. And we really need to fill that spot with someone solid. No more of these flaky bitches.”

  Cheyenne’s tirade made her smile.

  “I could bring Klaus,” Cheyenne followed more quietly.

  “He does love to play,” Samara said, but she could hear the uncertainty in Cheyenne.

  “There are just some things I want to keep to myself, you know?”

  It was taking effort for Cheyenne to readjust to being a twosome, rather than just being Cheyenne and what Cheyenne wanted.

  “I’m sure we can manage just the three of us. We could ask Alice Capshaw. I understand she’s not a bad player.”

  “Who?” Samara had never heard of the woman.

  “She travels in Alexi Sumnneroff’s set. Not the kind to steal anyone’s husband. She’s lovely, everyone says, but now that I think about it, she might just be too lovely to hang with us. I’m not about to swap recipes just because some bitches have betrayed us. We need to find a better class of bitch. So I will call Viola and we’ll meet you at the club in half an hour.”

  “Alright,” Samara conceded. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to chase them away from their tennis matches, and she’d had enough of it. This was her thing and she needed to stop caring if people were trying to mess with it. As with Hassan, they needed to cut the chaff and stick to what they did so well.

  They would find someone good for their fourth, and Persephone’s inclusion had been a trial. She’d failed. Maybe after the game, they could have a chat about potentials.

  After dressing, she drove to the Athletics Club. It felt good to be there, good to not divert from their schedules. There had been too much bending to other people’s attempts to mess with them.

  The noise of racquets hitting balls reached her ears before she got to the tennis court, but she saw Cheyenne and Viola standing in their tennis whites, arms crossed. If not them, then who was playing?

  Fucking Persephone, and Hassan’s new girlfriend, Julia and some bitch Samara didn’t recognize.

  “Oh, no,” Persephone said, dropping her racquet hand down. “It seems we’re overbooked. How could they make such an oversight?”

  Persephone came closer, and so did the others. Hassan’s tall and slim girlfriend with her lush, chocolate brown locks and perfect face. She was no wilting beauty—she was here for a fight. “I’m fairly sure it wasn’t an oversight,” Samara said with a tight smile. “Someone had to bribe themselves in.”

  “No need to be nasty. Speaking of bribing themselves in, how’s sleeping with my brother working out?”

  “Bribe into what?” Cheyenne cornered. “Unfortunately boyfriends often come with unwanted baggage. Julia, so lovely to see you. Hanging out with your ex’s new girl.”

  The new girlfriend didn’t flinch, but Julia’s mouth drew tight. This new girl was a hardened player in the game of bitchiness. She either knew that Julia had made a play for Hassan, or she didn’t care. Why care for the vanquished?

  The saddest part was that she recognised completely what these girls were doing. This was a girl-fight. She’d participated in quite a few in her time, but she just couldn’t muster the energy to be offended. She was just bored.

  “This is our slot, so you just have to leave,” Viola said in her haughtiest voice. “We might have to call over management.” She looked around to see if they could send someone. “As we’ve had this slot for years, I’m sure they’ll find one for you.”

  “We’re done here anyway,” the new girlfriend said. This confrontation was what they’d come for.

  “Clear off then,” Cheyenne said, warding them off with her racquet. “Off you go. Go have a sleepover. I’m sure you’re all such good friends.”

  The new girlfriend snorted and looked Cheyenne up and down before slinking off with modelesque steps.

  “Nobody knows your name, honey,” Cheyenne said tartly.

  “They will.”

  “Not on the catwalk, they won’t,” Cheyenne said and turned her back. The girl didn’t like the rebuke one bit. Gorgeous beyond a doubt, but she didn’t have the edginess of a catwalk model. Maybe that was a burn in the model world.

  Viola watched as the intruders slinked off. “How does Julia know them anyway?”

  “She doesn’t,” Samara said. “Hassan organised this little getup.”

  “That’s what they are, little bitches taking direction from a man.” In Cheyenne’s book, with her deep-seated need for independence, that was as big an indictment as they came. It was true. Persephone might think she was using Hassan for her purposes, but Julia’s involvement showed that Hassan was in the driving seat.

  “I’m bored,” Samara said honestly. And she wasn’t really in the mood for playing, but she was not going to allow herself to be put off. They were going to play this fucking game whether they wanted to or not, but hopefully it would be as enjoyable as normal in a few minutes.

  And really, being henchwomen for a man, that came out in the wash. True power was being the wicked witch, not one of the flying monkeys. “So bored,” she repeated as she took her place on the court.

  Chapter 62

  INNS DROVE THEM BACK HOME, he was withdrawn and distant, barely answering her. No doubt he was dying to be away from her. But she also knew that wasn’t true. He was hurt because she’d told him she couldn’t afford to have him around. It felt awful saying it, but it was true. She just didn’t have the strength, and they both knew that they needed to be apart.

  “I’ll drop you off and I’ll go,” he said as they got closer to her house.

  “Where will you go?” It couldn’t be that comfortable going back to Aggie’s house, with his parents there, trying to get him to make everything right again with Annabel. The right kind of girl, Esme thought bitterly.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get a room somewhere for a bit.”

  An urge clasped in her gut, wanting her to say that wasn’t necessary, that he could stay with her, but they would just fall back into the same thing again, and nothing would change. “What about your stuff?”

  He didn’t really have anything, but they’d gotten him some shirts and toiletries, after having come with nothing but the clothes on his back. But he remained silent. As he pulled into her house, she still didn’t know what he was about to do.

  “Come in, we’ll get your stuff. We can talk over what your options are.”

  “I don’t need you to organise things for me. I can go to any hotel.”

  “That isn’t going to solve anything,” Esme said and stepped out of the car. For a moment, she thought he might just drive away, but he cut the engine.

  “I’ll get my stuff,” he said as he stepped out of the car. “I might actually drive north.”

  “North?”

  “Aggie might get a bit shitty that I take her car back to England, but it will give me a few days to think about what I want to do. Driving is always good for thinking. Maybe I should rent a car.”

  It felt bad thinking of him leaving, but it kind of had to happen. He’d been right all along, they didn’t belong together and the more time they spent together, the harder it was to separate.

  Following him into her bedroom, she stood by the door as he gathered his things from the bathroom, and then his shirts. Her room was a bit of a mess, because they’d spent so much time there.

  Esme winced. “I don’t want you to leave,” she finally admitted. “I like having you here.”

  “So h
ow long should we do this?” he asked, giving her a hopeless look. “Another week? A month? Until it really hurts?”

  “It already hurts.” Even thinking of not having him near felt awful. Her fingers ached to touch him. How could she bare not having him around, having him in her bed, inside her when she needed him the most?

  Inns froze where he was and closed his eyes. “Neither of us can say we didn’t know this was coming, but we did this anyway. Eventually the price would come.”

  “It doesn’t have to be now,” she pleaded.

  Dropping the shirt he had in his hand, he came over to her. “Look, I’m not the only person who will love you. You will meet someone fantastic, who will be everything you should have. Who’s all the things that I’m not, because those things will grate on you in time.”

  Unable to do anything else, she shook her head, feeling her eyes tear up.

  “Don’t cry,” he said quietly. “This is a little episode you’ll forget.”

  “Will you forget?”

  He closed his eyes again as if he didn’t want to answer. “Esme,” he said quietly. “It’s time.”

  All she wanted was to say no. Instead, she kissed him. How could they not do this again when it felt so wonderful?

  The taste of him filled her mind, the press of his lips. It felt like this was exactly what she needed. Her arms wrapped around his neck and drew him closer, closer still when she broke the kiss, holding him as close as she could. “I don’t want to be sensible. Nothing about us has ever been sensible. And I don’t think you want that either. Don’t leave.”

  Inns sighed, and she felt it through her front, but she refused to let go, relaxing as he placed his chin on her shoulder. “Why do you want me?”

  In a sense, the question broke her heart, because he questioned why anyone would. “Because when it’s just you and me, we’re perfect.”

  “The point is that it never really is just you and me. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “It’s what matters,” she said, drawing back to look at him. “Maybe this is what’s worth fighting for. What else would be?”

  He was so gorgeous like this? The scowl was back, but it was there because he didn’t know what to do right then. “I missed you so much,” she said, “and I know you’re lying if you say you didn’t miss me.”

  He was avoiding her eyes.

  “And when you’re in trouble,” she continued, “this is where you come. That means something—something important.”

  Leaning over, she kissed him again, softer this time, the merest brush. Pleasure soaked her mind, and desire. Again she pressed her lips to his, feeling the softness meld to hers. The pleasure drawing her deeper. She just couldn’t stop kissing him. Not now. The idea that she never would again was harrowing.

  The tip of her tongue gently stroked along his top lip, and she felt the hum of his groan through her lips, before deepening the kiss. His mouth opened for her and she took it. Her tongue stroked his, feeling the response to the intimate touch much deeper in her belly.

  Her body came alive, her nipples pressed to him. Energy flowed through every part of her, making her hands shake slightly.

  The kiss didn’t stop, it evolved and circled back, just the two of them doing the only thing that mattered in the world. It felt as if the energy was connecting straight into her heart. She had no defences with him, and she trusted him with it. Yes, he hurt her, but it was never malicious. She trusted him, even as it hurt.

  “I love you,” she said, drawing herself out of the kiss for a moment, then delving back into the sheer sweetness. Her whole body felt it, felt the tension. Moisture was building and she felt it start to seep into her panties.

  The kiss turned more demanding, that little bit of frantic edge to it. Her hand reached down between them, feeling the hardness she knew was there. He groaned as she stroked along the length of him. The heat in her flared, now soaking her panties. She needed him inside her, and she nudged her dress up and drew her panties down. It was as clear a message as she could send.

  The kiss broke and they stared at each other for a moment, and they both knew he wasn’t going to leave without giving her what she wanted. She wasn’t like this with anyone else. He brought this out in her, and she loved how it felt.

  Slowly, she drew the side zipper down on her dress, his eyes following every movement. And how she loved being naked in front of him. It made her feel wonderful. “Only you do this to me,” she said, her voice breathy. “I need you to kiss me right here,” she said, pointing to her pussy.

  Without a pause, he sunk down on his knees, his warm tongue heavenly on her aching clit. Pleasure flowed throughout her body—she needed more. It was utterly wonderful, but his kisses didn’t have the fullness she wanted, so she pushed him back and straddled him.

  “I need more,” she said and waited for him to free himself for her. He complied.

  “It’s disturbing how much I love it when you’re like this,” he said, his breath ragged. And she loved it too. More so as she positioned herself over him, and sank down, claiming her pleasure. Every inch of him was delightful, rewarding her with the fullness of his cock inside her.

  She took all of him, nestled perfectly on his hips. They both groaned as she rolled her hips, pleasure soaring inside her. Energy flowed so strongly she felt it seeping out of every part of her.

  Rising, she sank down on him again. Again and again, the tension building harshly inside her. And she loved grinding down on him as she had all of him deep inside her. It was all so glorious, but she couldn’t maintain it, her orgasm came, a surge so strong it shook over every part of her. Submerged in exquisiteness. He arched beneath her, coming with her in a moment of frozen ecstasy.

  “Nobody does that to me other than you,” she said breathily as her thoughts reordered again. “You can’t leave. I won’t let you. I need you.”

  Without saying anything, he accepted her into his arms as she sank down, his cock growing soft inside her. This was loveliness too, sated, together, nothing more to say, just to hold each other.

  This had to mean something. This was worth fighting for. Come what may.

  Chapter 63

  ESME LAY WITH HER HEAD ON his chest and Inns stayed as still as he could, breathing in the lovely scent of her. How was it that she smelled so wonderfully? She lay with her eyes closed and he wasn’t sure whether she was awake or not. It didn’t matter. Neither of them were in a rush. Rush for what?

  They were like magnets, drawn together whenever they were near each other. For that reason, it was imperative to leave, but he couldn’t say he wanted to. Eventually that would happen, was supposed to happen. It was all unpleasant to think about. Just do, don’t think, he told himself.

  A ping from her phone woke her and she reached for it, then sat up abruptly, staring at the phone.

  “What?” Inns asked.

  “Hassan Azmer is back in town,” she said. “Aggie just texted. He was at the Philford party with his new girlfriend.”

  Just the mention of Azmer had his gut drawing tight. It obviously concerned her, because there was a tenseness in her that hadn’t been there a moment before. Hassan Azmer was Darius’ father and she had to be worried that with the father back, the son would likely follow.

  “I thought they were gone,” she said with a frown. “The lot of them. Why the hell is he back?”

  Inns didn’t know what to say, especially as Esme’s features drew together as she started to cry. The breakup had been bad, he knew this, but the mere threat of him showing up made her cry.

  “It’s alright. That, whatever it was, is in the past. You don’t have to have anything to do with him.”

  Drawing her to him, he held her. The guilt that he’d left her to deal with such a monster reasserted itself. Intellectually, he knew it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t as easy to convince the part of him that was irrational—the part of him that felt responsible.

  Esme wasn’t alone, she had people protecting her, but it
still felt as if he’d let her down, and now he was about to leave.

  He couldn’t leave right now, that was the whole of it. This was the moment she needed him, and right now, she was the only one who did.

  Staying in Marbella had never been his intention, not for a single minute since he’d been there. But if he stayed, it couldn’t simply be for that piece of shit, there had to be more than that to it.

  She loved it here, this was her home, and any way he cut it, his home was Bennington Hall. Not yet, but at some point. His future was in England and that was something he’d always known. It was the reason he’d left, and the reason he should leave now, but how could he?

  The wetness from her tears were warm on his skin. “It’s alright. He won’t come near you.”

  Esme didn’t say anything, remained quiet.

  “Do you want me to stay a while?” he asked.

  “You don’t have to, if you want to go. You should go,” she said, drawing herself out of his arms and wiping her tears. ‘It was just a shock.” A smile graced her lips, but it was tight. “I’ll be alright. Are you hungry? I’m hungry. Maria can make us something.”

  Esme was busying herself, avoiding his eyes. Before she said anything else, she walked out of the room. It felt a little as though the enchantment had been broken and all their problems came crashing back. That was how it was with her, this period of absolute bliss when they were together, then the harsh reality returning.

  Getting dressed, Inns followed, finding her in the kitchen, standing by the espresso machine. “Want one?”

  “Alright,” he said, taking a seat on one of the barstools.

  “I think my dad might have been here last night,” she said. “One of the few nights he doesn’t spend with his girlfriend. Essentially I have two little brothers now. But honestly, I don’t see them that often.”