by West, Jade
“Whichever you like,” he whispered, before I headed onto the train. “Choose whichever you like, your call. I’m more than happy to make an offer and get it secured.”
“I have no idea where to even start choosing…” I told him. “They were all incredible… absolutely stunning…”
“Absolutely stunning properties for the stunning woman who’ll be moving into one of them,” he said, and it was one of those amazing compliments again. One I couldn’t really believe, not when my skin was blotchy under my foundation due to PMS and my hair was flyaway and my armpits were clammy. Not when his ex-wife had stared down her nose and laughed at me, proving to be every bit the ridiculously gorgeous woman the Much Arlock populous had been gossiping about for years.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” I said. “I hope the next week goes by quick.”
“I’ll be glad when this separation routine reaches its end,” he told me, and smoothed a stray tail of hair behind my ear. “I want Naomi and Sean out of the company as soon as possible,” he said. “I have so many ideas I want to push forward with. Having you alongside me is going to give me so much extra focus to channel forward.”
“You really flatter me,” I said, and my smile was genuine. “Seriously, you flatter me so much. Like I’m some knight’s dame and I’m set to bestow some lady’s favour on my dashing jouster.”
“Been managing to keep up with the romance novels then,” he laughed, and I tipped my head.
“I’m being serious,” I told him. “You really seem to think I’m something fabulous that’s going to be like fairy dust on your life down here.”
“Because you are fabulous,” he said, then shot a look behind me to the train firing into life. “Just trust me, I’m going to make sure the fairy dust lands on you down here too. You and your little lad.”
“I love you.” My heart did a lurch at the goodbye. “Please get back over to me next weekend, Mr Kent. I’ll be waiting.”
“I love you too, my Maisie Moore,” he said. “Let me know you’re home safe.”
I’d never been so split into pieces as I was on that journey back across country. Excited. Loved up to a whole new level. Missing him as soon as he was out of sight.
Petrified. Churning. Nervous.
Wanting to be right there with him, and terrified of leaving my sweet little universe behind.
I went straight over to Mum and Dad’s to pick Freddie up, and Mum’s eyes were bursting with curiosity the moment I stepped through their door.
“Well?” she asked, when it was safe to whisper, and I shrugged, genuinely lost as to what I should say. What I should feel. What I should be pushing forward with.
“I’ve got some serious things to be thinking about,” I told her, and she pulled me in for a hug.
“That’s Oliver Kent for you,” she said. “He always did want to charge ahead in life.”
“That’s the Oliver Kent effect for you,” I laughed. “I’ve been caught up in it headstrong since the moment he turned up at the reunion.”
“I imagine he’s caught up in the Maisie Moore effect right back.” Her laugh was so kind. Her expression so warm.
And I needed this. Needed them. Needed her.
Always so much on my side, no matter what was happening. Both Mum and Dad, there on my team, with routines for Freddie, and crap with Rob, and anything else this world threw up at me.
“Maybe you could come with me down to the big smoke, you and Dad?” I said. “Me and Fred would miss you so much.”
She shook her head. “And leave your uncle Steve, and aunt Betty and nanny Joan to fend for themselves? I don’t think so, sweetheart. At least you’d have Ollie on your arm to look out for you. You could still visit plenty.”
She had a point.
“It’s such early days to be caught up in these plans,” I said, and she shrugged again.
“The Oliver Kent effect, like you said. You know he doesn’t do anything in half gestures.”
Freddie came charging over with a fresh whizz sticks creation and stopped our flow.
“Grandad helped me,” he said. “It’s a boat. Can’t go in the bath though, it’ll break.”
I held the creation up and checked it out with a smile.
“Well done,” I said. “It’s a great one.”
“Can’t wait to show Ollie,” he grinned. “He’ll think it’s great too.”
“I’m sure he will,” I agreed. “He thinks you’re a smart little superstar. Just like I do.”
I pulled him in for a hug. A huge one. One that calmed my soul right down and let my heart open wide.
“I love you, little guy,” I told him, and he hugged me right back.
“Love you too, Mum,” he said.
I felt strangely tearful as I ruffled his hair and let him go to rush back across to his grandad in the living room.
My heart was thumping as I pulled out my phone and whizzed a message down to London.
Home safe, I said. Thank you for an amazing weekend. The houses are incredible. So are you.
Just give me your thumbs-up, he pinged back. I’ll be right here ready whenever you are.
I just hoped I didn’t disappoint him.
Hell, I just hoped I didn’t disappoint anyone with any of my decisions to come.
Fat chance of that though.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Oliver
I knew I was a forward pushing asshole. I’d been one all my life.
I knew Maisie was likely spinning senseless back in Much Arlock, trying to work out a new path through this crazy new world of ours.
But I wanted it. Needed it. Craved it so fucking bad that I could barely shake it out of my thoughts as I pushed on with the final stages of the upgrade at Hadley and Mason’s that Monday.
We were almost done, and I was glad of it, desperate to leave this system implementation behind and dive into a whole new world of product development, but we weren’t quite there yet.
“We’re doing a bit of a Saturday evening celebration on site here in a few weeks’ time,” Devon Hadley announced at the end of another afternoon meeting. “I hope you can join us. I might well have another proposition to discuss with you, the European purchasing department have been making some enquiries.” He tapped his nose. “But that’s not for me to say just yet.”
Under usual circumstances I’d be over the moon at the thought of it, but not this week. I was barely over the moon with the high performance of the office support team, or the sales orders jackass Sean was bringing to the table, either.
Naomi sidled up to me as work drew to a close for the day.
“Heard about their office party?” she asked, and I graced her with a nod.
“Heard about how I really don’t want you along to it? Not considering how much you went out of your way to trash our last business appearance together.”
Her scowl was vile, arms folded as she moved closer. “Do you have any idea how much of a supermodel I expected her to be, given how much you used to damn well gush at her memory?”
“Don’t even think about insulting Maisie,” I snapped. “You’ve no fucking place to criticise. She’s an amazing woman, inside as well as out.”
Her eyes burned me. “I never, ever felt good enough to compare to her. Not once over the years. I used to think I was some kind of rebound she’ll do, no matter how much I helped in the business. No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much time I spent putting my makeup on and making sure I gave you my ass for fucking stretching.”
I snarled a hiss. “Not in here,” I snapped. “Not with ears around.”
I scanned the office we were in, but luckily there was nobody close enough to hear her.
Her eyes looked weirdly teary when mine landed back on them. “I told her you’d grow bored of her,” she said. “Like you did with me.”
“Like you had any fucking right to say anything to her,” I snapped. “You always were a snipey little bitch with an attitude.”
&nbs
p; “It’s always all on your terms, isn’t it?” she said. “Always you grabbing hold of whatever you’re going after. You want me out of this business, even though I spent years building it up along with you. You want Sean out of this business, even though he’s given himself over to it for years too.”
“Sean hasn’t given himself to anything but getting himself in your knickers.” I summoned my smirk up. “I want Maisie to enjoy this world with me, and fully intend that she will do. I’m not expecting to find her in bed with my technical sales director anytime this lifetime somehow.”
“Maybe she won’t need to seek her attention elsewhere just yet,” she said. “Maybe you’ll keep her feeling good about herself for longer than it takes you to get her settled into London life and shift right back onto twenty-hour work days. Maybe she’ll be slightly luckier than I was, you never know.”
My gut tightened. “You really do know how to push the vile bitchy buttons, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’m hurting. Maybe I always was.”
I stared past her to the huddle of engineers gathering around Devon Hadley and his laptop.
“I’ve got no time for this,” I said. “I’ll be at the office party in a few weeks. Please don’t be there.”
She actually dabbed her eyes as I walked on by, and I felt like a cunt. An actual cunt.
Like more of a cunt than I’d felt in years as far as she was concerned, because maybe there was a strand of truth to her bull crap. Maybe I had really been a fucking terrible husband on the work-life balance score.
One thing was certain, I’d have to be sure not to do the same thing over again for my Maisie. There wouldn’t be a hope in hell I’d disappoint her. Not her or her smart little boy.
Nor the other beautiful little kids I was hoping we’d be bringing up together.
Seeing her here, in London, had confirmed everything I was already sure about to a whole new level.
I was more in love with her now than I’d ever been. Her sweet soul, her honesty and kindness. Her cute little laugh. That filthy little sparkle in her eyes.
The filthy little whimpers she gushed for me.
Her pretty face. Her glorious flesh, so ripe and ready.
The way she was so modest. So humble. So unaware of her own perfection.
Because she was perfect.
Maisie Moore was perfect to me.
I joined the latest Hadley engineering meeting, but my mind was still wandering hard.
I wanted her next to me so badly. Always so badly. I wanted to be able to hold her tight and ask her how her day was every single evening. I wanted to help her with Freddie’s bedtime stories and listen to the way she made monster roars so damn sweetly.
I wanted her.
Always wanted her.
Just like I always had.
Only now I’d had a taster. So many tasters at just how close and fucking perfect life could be.
Please give London a second weekend shot on the business front, I sent off on text message as soon as I was back in my car for the evening. I have another event here in a couple of weeks, but this time I’ll make sure there’s no Naomi here. Just you and me. A proper taster on proper ground, and I won’t let anyone make you feel like shit. Not for a second.
I was back in the hotel room by the time her reply sounded out. I was hoping this would be my next shot. My chance to show her that she really was cut out for city life in this business world of mine.
But no.
The fates weren’t lined up for us this time.
A week on Saturday? she asked and I sent a yes right back.
I can’t do it, she said. I’ve been meaning to tell you, it’s Mum and Dad’s pearl wedding anniversary at the community centre. I was really hoping you could be there, with me and Freddie. They’d love to see you.
Shit, I typed out. No can do. Hadleys are about to drop another European project potentially. I’ve got to be here for the handshakes.
Her next message sounded in a flash, and I wasn’t expecting her suggestion. Not anytime this lifetime.
Can’t Naomi go instead? She runs the business as well, right?
No, I sent. Not once I fuck her off out of it, she won’t. I’m working on it.
Her emoji was a sad face. Then I guess we’ll be in different parts of the country that weekend. Such a shame we’ll miss out on each other’s events.
And it was.
It was a damn fucking shame we’d miss out.
Her smile was absolutely beautiful when she answered the video call later that night. We stared at each other for long seconds in silence, soaking each other right in.
“I wish I could reach right through the screen and grab you,” she laughed, and I nodded right back at her.
“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”
She told me about Freddie’s school day and about how her supermarket colleague Emily had been arguing with her boyfriend through the weekend, and how they’d had a problem with their weekly delivery that morning.
She told me about Freddie’s new whizz sticks boat he’d made with her dad, and how excited he was to show it to me. And I wanted to be there. Jesus Christ, how I wanted to be there.
But there was no way I could be.
“I love you so much, Maisie,” I said, once she’d let out a sweet little giggle and told me how naughty she’d felt that day passing the red climbing frame on the recreation ground.
I loved how she let out a sweet little giggle telling me how naughty she felt passing the red climbing frame on the recreation ground every day.
“I love you so much too, Ollie,” she said. “I wish you were here.”
“I wish you were here,” I said. “Hopefully one day really soon, hey? Any thoughts on an emerging favourite on the house front?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. I keep thinking about them though.”
“Good,” I told her. “That’s what I like to hear.”
I got her to flash me a view of her sweet little tits before she signed off for sleep time that night. I told her I’d be thinking of her all night long, working my cock into a frenzy at the thought of her pinned in my hotel room window.
“I’ve got to go…” she whispered. “Early start tomorrow…”
And I knew it was.
We were settling back into routine life, with its limitations at the end of long, busy days.
I needed more than this. We both did.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” I said, and she blew me a kiss.
“Goodnight, gorgeous,” she said, and pressed the call end button.
It took me a fucking age to shoot my load that night. Nothing was fucking good enough. No fetish or fantasy or memory of her in the window.
She was the only thing I wanted.
Her in the flesh. In real life. Her mouth on mine and her cunt milking me dry.
Life really was getting desperate without her.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Maisie
“Well?” Kate asked, on our Wednesday night coffee session. “Are you going to show us the potentials?”
She was leaning in tight with Amy across my kitchen table, and I bit my lip as I nodded, finally giving in to their requests to look at the stash of property details I had saved on my phone.
“This isn’t a definite,” I said as they made a whole load of impressed noises. “I haven’t made any decisions yet whatsoever about what’s ahead.”
Amy raised an eyebrow as she flicked through the apartment photos. “Please tell me you aren’t being crazy? There’s no way you’re turning this stuff down is there?” She raised her hand with a smile. “I volunteer instead!”
I bet anyone in the world would volunteer instead as far as Oliver Kent was concerned.
“Honestly,” Kate said. “He’s got that mega serious business going on down there and wants you to be a part of it. What’s there to think twice about? He adores you! That much is obvious!”
“So’s the fact that Freddie is totally at
home here,” I told them. “So’s the fact that Mum and Dad are down the road, and so is the whole local population I know like the back of my hand. So’s Freddie’s new football league he’s trying his best to be selected for.”
Both of them stared at me like I was mad.
“Yes, and I’m sure there are plenty of football leagues down in London,” Kate said. “I’m sure Oliver Kent has the funds available to set up his own if he wanted to.”
But I didn’t want Oliver Kent to set up his own if he wanted to. I didn’t want any of this to be about the money Oliver Kent had to splash around at a posh new life for us.
“I love him,” I said. “My decision about moving or not is about that, not about how nice a house or routine I could have with him.”
Amy let out a giggle. “It’s a good little side bonus though, no?”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyone would say it’s a good little side bonus, but I’ve been doing alright here. Enough food on the table. A nice selection of toys in Freddie’s bedroom. A decent enough kitted out charity shop in town if I need to grab a crappy ballgown at short notice.”
“You should have just asked him,” Kate said. “I’m sure he’d have bought you some one-off creation from a designer somewhere.”
I shrugged. “It fit well enough,” I lied.
“Think he wants to knock you up with a mini Kent prodigy?” Amy asked, and I nearly choked on my coffee.
Both girls were staring at me, looking thoroughly excited by the prospect, and I was still struggling to digest all this, the maybes slamming in so damn fast.
“I’m still on the pill,” I said. “Neither of us have mentioned it. We’re still in very early days.”
They both swatted my words away as though I was talking rubbish.
“It’s hardly early days,” Kate said. “You were in love as teens, chasing each other around the school playground. You’re adults now, just picking up where Cupid let you down.”
Or where our own differences let us down.
I couldn’t ignore the thought. It spat its snipey little way into my brain and stayed there.
