by TJ Hamilton
“Cheeky devil.” I giggle and slide my hand away. “I need to get some clothes on. Where have you put my bag?” I look around for my suitcase.
“Here put this on,” Nick says as he throws me his shirt from the armchair.
It hangs around me like an oversized painter’s smock. Nick takes my hand and leads me out of his bedroom and towards the spare room. He gives me a quick glance and smiles just before he opens the door.
“See? No need to go to your apartment now. You have all your clothes here,” he says as he proudly waves his hand around in front of him.
The whole room has been transformed into a massive closet. I hold my hands to my mouth with absolute astonishment. Did he do this for me? Or has it always been like this? It looks like something Carrie Bradshaw would own in Sex and the City. It’s pretty and feminine in all white. Downlights sit at the top of each separate space to highlight the clothes hanging, perfectly colour-coordinated, in the space below. A gorgeous round pink buttoned ottoman sits next to a large square island of drawers in the middle of the room.
“I didn’t realise I had so many clothes,” I manage to say.
I feel Nick staring at me, waiting for my response. I actually want to jump up and squeal with delight, but I’m shocked by it all. Finally, my body slowly evolves into the girly reaction needed at this moment and I clap my hands together and laugh. Nick scoops me up in his arms and spins me around as I kiss him. His arms are a little too tight and I let out a whimper of pain.
“Oh shit! I’m so sorry, beautiful. I’m just so glad you like it.” Nick kisses my forehead.
“Did you really do this for me?” I look up into his eyes.
“While you were in recovery. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to show you until now. I thought I was going to be back sooner than I was when I left to go out in the field.”
“What do you do exactly when you’re out in the field?”
“Watch Tench.”
“Oh.” Stupid question, Mia! I think to myself.
“But you don’t have to worry about him for a few days because he’s heading over to Russia tonight. You can relax a little knowing he’s out of the country.”
I do feel myself naturally loosen at the thought of Tench not being in the same city. It definitely makes it easier for me to hang out with Charlie for a few days.
“How long is he gone for?” I’m planning where to go with Charlie already. The thought of having complete freedom is exciting.
“Not sure exactly. All of our intel indicates that it will be a week or two.”
I look around my new closet and feel like my life couldn’t get much better right now. I just can’t wait for Charlie to meet Nick.
“So Mia. Your operational directions are as follows.” Nick leans one hand across the steering wheel of his Mercedes as he drives and his other hand rests on my thigh. “You found out that Charlie was coming home through his work and that’s why you have come to meet him at the airport gate. You’ve been hiding over in Spain for the past few months because you’re pretty sure Tench was involved in Sally’s murder, so you ran away and that’s where you met me.” Nick doesn’t take his eyes from the road as he speaks.
Fluorescent lights catch his angled jawline with a strobing flash of white as we drive through the tunnelled motorways underneath the city. I look down at my legs and stretch my left one out to admire how good it feels to not have the cast on anymore. I just wish my ribs were back to normal now.
The injection in my butt from the medic will have me healed by the end of the day apparently, so I’m not far off now. I can’t wait to feel complete again. We finally pop out on the southern end of the Eastern Distributor and head straight for the airport.
“Why Spain?” I’m curious to know.
“Because you said it was your favourite country once,” Nick says as coolly as always.
I grin and nod. So it is. How very observant!
“There’s no other place on earth for escapism like there is on the island of Ibiza.” I smile through my words. “I’ve always believed my unique past would be accepted there.”
Ibiza’s diverse inhabitants have seemed like the perfect blend of people to disguise my less-than-accepted history in prostitution. From burnt-out hippies who have called the island home since the hippy movement began in the seventies to the pill-popping sex-crazed youth of modern society. Everyone and everything seems to be accepted and embraced on the island of dance.
“Where’s your favourite place on the island where we met then?”
“When I first got off the plane and tried to find a taxi to my villa. That’s where we’d meet if we were in a romance novel!” I smile. “Like a quirky independent French film, I’d be waiting for a cab on a stormy day and we’d have to share one because there are hardly any arriving due to the storm.”
Nick pulls his eyes from the road and looks into mine. His eyes smile first. They gleam in the morning sun just before those dimples outline his panty-dropping smile.
“Love at first sight,” he teases.
I try not to blush and glance outside the car’s window to hide my embarrassment. Nick’s chuckle soon erupts into full-blown laughter as he parks. He squeezes my thigh and says, “You are just too cute sometimes.”
My excitement begins to peak as I shut the car door and prepare to go to meet Charlie for the first time in months. I look back down at Nick’s sports car and frown.
“How are we all supposed to fit in your car, Nick?”
He smiles and raises his right eyebrow with delight. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out another set of keys. He holds them out in front of him and the white BMW X5 SUV next to us flashes its lights in reply. I smile and nod my head. Why do I ever doubt him?
“And what do you do for work again?” I inquire.
Nick shrugs his shoulders like our conversation is no big deal. “An accountant. No one ever asks about accountants. It’s not the most interesting of professions.”
“I’ll have you know, Nick Davis, that my father was an accountant, and a very successful one.” I smile bitterly.
Nick’s smile is cheeky and apologetic all at the same time. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me into him as we walk towards the airport entrance. My excitement is turning nervously into doubt about getting my story straight with Charlie. I am a fine actress with any other person, but Charlie knows me so well that this is going to be the hardest test of all. I look up at Nick, who takes only seconds to look back at me. He smiles and kisses my forehead.
“Excited?”
“Nervous.”
“You’ll be fine. He’ll just be glad to see you.” Nick squeezes me again.
I blow out a puff of air and try to calm my excited nerves. Nick looks down at his iPhone and flicks the screen and a page lights up. He smiles and looks back over at me.
“He’s about to be passed through immigration. They won’t be stopping him at Customs. He’ll be sent straight through so we’ll make it just in time.”
We walk into the international arrivals hall of the Sydney Airport and make our way to the busy waist-height glass divider that’s lined with people, all looking anxious to meet their loved ones as they arrive. Nick takes my hand and leads me to the end of the walkway where new arrivals come straight from Customs. Under the Welcome to Sydney sign, we stand hand in hand and wait.
The frosted glass doors slide open and an unfamiliar man walks through as he wheels a single suitcase behind him. The glass doors shut and slide open again within minutes as a European female in a red velour tracksuit pushes out a trolley piled with suitcases.
Every time the doors slide open I find myself standing on my tippy toes to get a better look, squeezing Nick’s hand just a little bit tighter with each unknown person that rolls through. Finally, the unmistakable Charlie rolls a trolley that is stacked high with suitcases. The anticipation is too much and I jump and squeal at the sight of him. I instantaneously let go of Nick’s hand and run as fast as I can into
Charlie and wrap my arms tightly around him. Charlie wriggles out of my grip and stands back. For once, my opinionated little friend is lost for words as he stands with his mouth open, aghast and frozen in utter shock.
“You make a fucking terrible blonde, love.” Charlie snaps straight back into his old self.
I laugh and hug him again. I hold a bewildered Charlie back out in front of me again to see him properly. His olive skin is darker than usual from his time spent in the European sun and his face is no longer hairy.
“No more bear cub?” I laugh as I rub the soft skin on his hairless face.
“And have beard tan lines? Are you stupid, girl? Anyway … enough of the small talk … what the fuck are you doing here and where the fuck have you been?”
I suddenly realise that I have left Nick standing alone.
“I’ll tell you everything I promise. Here … I’ve got someone for you to meet.” I take the trolley from Charlie and push it over towards Nick at the end of the walkway. As we approach Nick, he gives a big broad smile. Charlie focuses on Nick and glances at me in awe.
“If you tell me you’re married, I will actually pass out!” Charlie says, perplexed.
I giggle and shake my head. “Charlie, I’m not married. You would be there if I was!”
“So who’s the dream boat?” he says quietly as we approach.
Nick strides over to me like an elite catwalk model. Wrapping his arm around me, he holds his other hand out for Charlie to shake.
“Charlie. Meet my boyfriend, Nick Davis. Nick, this is my Charlie.”
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Nick says with his silky deep voice.
Charlie bends his hand out like a lady towards Nick and holds his other hand to his mouth. He giggles as Nick’s strong hand grips around his floppy wet-fish handshake.
“And where did you find him?” Charlie says to me.
“Spain,” Nick and I say in perfect unison, sounding a little too well rehearsed.
I look at Nick and smile, fighting the rising heat from my cheeks.
“Come on, let’s get you to the car and we’ll take you to your place. I’ll tell you everything on the way.” I smile.
Nick takes over the trolley and Charlie and I follow behind him hand in hand. We study Nick’s taut ass as he walks in front of us. I look at Charlie and nudge him as I giggle. Life is right about perfect now.
Nick attentively puts Charlie’s bags into the rear of the new BMW while I escort Charlie around to take a seat.
“Nice wheels. So what’s he do?” Charlie whispers as I open the rear door for him.
“He’s an accountant,” I whisper back with fake enthusiasm.
Charlie frowns. “You’re fucking kidding me?” He sniggers. “Hottest accountant I’ve ever seen! He can crunch my numbers anytime.”
I laugh along with Charlie and catch a glimpse of Nick’s real car parked next to us and laugh even more at the situation.
“What’s so funny?” Nick slides into the driver’s seat.
“Girl stuff.” Charlie winks back.
I laugh again. I love having my friend home. I just wish I could tell him everything. Nick swiftly drives out of the airport car park and weaves through the city traffic to take Charlie home. Hopefully Charlie doesn’t notice Nick’s defensive driving skills. To me they’re totally obvious and I pray Charlie doesn’t pick up on it. Maybe this is going to be harder than I thought. I look over at Nick and overtly frown. He looks back and winks, oblivious to my suggestion to just drive normal. I hear Charlie giggle and I turn around and roll my eyes.
“Don’t worry, doll. It’s a guy thing. Give them a big engine and they want to drive it like it’s stolen.” He laughs.
Nick finally realises what the issue was and starts to relax into the driver’s seat. I see a hint of nervousness under his tough surface and can’t help but smile. I sometimes forget that he has the same vulnerabilities as I do. He is human after all!
NINETEEN
“Do you like me better as a blonde … or a brunette?” I subtly shake my hair towards Nick as I climb into his bed.
I feel mentally exhausted from the constant lie that I’ve had to uphold with Charlie all day. I’m glad he was jet-lagged while I went over the fake story and he got to know Nick. It still felt like the toughest test to get through.
“Why do you ask that?” Nick frowns back.
“Charlie doesn’t seem to like me blonde at all. I haven’t loved it either, but I’ve really just kept it out of necessity.”
“Then go back to brunette. I have to agree with Charlie, I do like you better brunette … Charlie definitely has his opinions, doesn’t he?” Nick laughs. “I like him a lot. He’s everything I imagined him to be. Do you think he bought the story of how we met though? He didn’t seem very convinced.”
My heart sinks a little as Nick confirms exactly what I was thinking. “Charlie knows me so well. I don’t think you understand—I’ve never lied to him before so I don’t think I can pull this off.”
I roll into the nook of Nick’s arm and lean my head against his round chest.
“You should be an old hack at this by now … All this double life stuff. Once a pro, always a pro.” Nick laughs obnoxiously.
My wandering thoughts stop suddenly as Nick’s words hit me like a sledgehammer.
“What do you mean?” I don’t like where this is going.
“Mia. You’re going to have to be a little less sensitive about being a whore. I accept it. Now you should too.” He relaxes back into the pillow and closes his eyes.
“You mean I was a whore,” I say a little stern.
“Mia, once a whore, always a whore.” Nick’s words smack across my face as if Harry the giant has rained down upon me again. I feel my body start to tremble with pounding anger. I fling the bedcovers back and swing my legs around to the edge of the bed. Pulling my clothes on roughly, I get up to leave. Nick watches me as I quickly grab my things.
“Oh come on, Mia. You know what I meant by that. It doesn’t matter. Come back to bed.”
I snort out the heat trapped within my nostrils and turn back to Nick once I’m in the doorway, ready to leave.
“Yes, Nick. I know exactly what you meant by that! Please don’t follow me now. I will disappear forever if you do!”
I slam the door behind me and leave Nick’s apartment as quickly as possible before I finally burst into tears at the elevator. The elevator’s doors spring open and my brother looks up from within it.
“Hi … Hey, what’s the matter?” he asks as he grips onto my sinking shoulders.
I shake my head and wipe the tears away. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I just need some space. This is all too much, too soon.”
I step into the elevator and avoid eye contact with my twin. I know if he sees the lie within my eyes he will only push for the truth. I don’t want to repeat what Nick just said to me. The thought of it alone springs me into another spurt of tears as the elevator’s doors close.
I walk all the way to my apartment building and realise that I don’t have my access card once I finally get there. I stop at the front desk where I’m greeted by a short chubby Asian girl with beautiful dark eyes and a perfect porcelain complexion.
“Hi. I live on level seventy-two but I’ve forgotten my swipe card. Is there a spare here by any chance? I have my driver’s licence but not my access card,” I say as I rifle through my bag, looking for my wallet.
“That’s fine, Miss Thyme. I will get you an access card.”
I stop what I’m doing and look up at the girl as she makes her way into the room at the rear of the reception desk. Why am I even surprised that she knows me? I am so over this. There’s no escaping the agency.
The girl smiles genuinely and hands me the card. I snatch it and make my way straight to the elevators. My eyes feel like wobbling water balloons as I walk and tears are still threatening to burst out of them at any given moment. I step out at level seventy-two and immediately notice the
cracked mirror next to my door from where Nick and I smacked into it when I was in his arms. I inhale as deep as possible but blubbering tears splutter out instead. Flossy comes running up to me as soon as the door opens. I haven’t seen her for days and I can’t believe I’d forgotten about her while I was at Nick’s apartment. I bend down and scoop her up into my arms. She rubs her little pink nose against me over and over as a sequence of purrs rattle through her body. My faithful little companion never disappoints. I feel so guilty for not reciprocating her loyalty towards me by getting her to Nick’s like he suggested. I walk into the kitchen to find Flossy’s food bowl still full. Maybe there is the odd perk to living in this apartment?
I make my way towards my bedroom and drop Flossy onto my bed as I sink into the covers. I try and interpret what Nick said, to ensure that I haven’t just taken it the wrong way. But I don’t know how else I can interpret that he thinks I’ll always be a whore. I still can’t believe it’s true. It’s what I’ve always known he would think, but I allowed him to convince me otherwise. I actually thought he might be different, but all men are the same. Prostitution is like a marital death sentence. I will never be just a normal girl. As Sally always told me … and now Nick has confirmed … I am forever to be a whore.
Two hours later I’m still lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling with Nick’s words stuck on repeat. I find my apartment sound system’s remote on my bedside table and press the play button. India Arie begins to sing “Ready For Love”. I slide down into the comfort of my bed as her lyrics hit my heart with an aching sorrow. I gave Nick my freedom and my heart became his captive. Now it’s shattered into tiny fragmented pieces. No longer can I hold back the sobs and I finally give in to my heart breaking with harsh jerking tears. Never before have I let someone hurt me like this and I regret ever letting myself fall in love with him. I should have known better.
“Shut the fuck up!” My voice cracks as I scream at the lyrics, throwing the remote as hard as I can into the wall. I launch back into my pillow, smothering myself from the outside world. Okay, I have officially hit crazy town.
