by Moore, Nikki
'You know I wasn't talking about that stuff.' Issy paused. 'I meant you should try taking a few risks in your personal life. You don't really date. There’s been no serious relationship in two years. You’re twenty-three and in danger of turning into a lonely old cat-lady.’
‘Hardly, I have loads of friends, and-,’
‘You're in the city for the weekend,’ Issy talked over her sister’s protestations, ‘and you've met a guy you want to do things to, so why not go for it?'
‘Issy-,’
'No-one need ever know, other than you and him. As long as you're careful-'
'Isobel, stop. You might be my older sister, but please,' she dropped her voice to a whisper, 'please don't give me the safe sex talk.'
'Fine. But just think about it. You might really enjoy it.'
'Okay, that's it,' Sofia said, 'now I’m putting the phone down. Take care, Sis.'
'Scaredy-cat.’ Issy laughed, ‘Fine. Love you, have fun.'
'Love you more. Bye.' Sofia answered automatically, but was frowning as she ended the call and wrapped her arms around herself. The April evening was getting chilly.
Was Issy right? Was she playing it safe, not giving men any time in her life? She was so used to being slotted neatly into the friend-zone by her male friends that maybe she’d stopped trying, because it was easier. After all, rejection wasn’t a possibility if you didn’t put yourself out there. The truth was, Rob had made her feel crap as a woman, and her last relationship had been a disappointment. Six months with the same guy and they’d had no fun together and nothing to talk about. He’d been shitty about her hobbies and didn’t rate her career much either, so she’d packed it in when he suggested they take a break (translation: he’d started seeing someone else). She hadn’t been sorry and there hadn’t been anyone since.
What her sister said was true. Sofia had never been into casual sex. However, the thought of pinning a guy she could hardly take her eyes off - aka Nathan - up against a wall and doing naughty things to him was incredibly appealing.
But she wasn't confident or experienced enough, not when it came to guys, to do something like that. Traipsing back into the bar and feeling a little sad at the thought, she slung her purse on the table. 'Sorry I took so long.'
Tori looked up, cheeks flushed, ‘That’s all right. I ordered another Cosmo.’
Christie wasn’t as gracious. ‘You took forever. What were you doing, trying to resolve world peace?'
‘That would be pretty much impossible with you around,’ Sofia replied sweetly, before swinging away, ‘I’ll be back in a minute, I’m going to the Ladies.’
Leaving Christie gaping open-mouthed behind her, Sofia stalked across the room and down the corridor. She shouldn’t have made that comment to Christie, but the girl was relentless. Careening off one wall, Sofia came to a halt. Nathan was sitting on a couple of stacked crates staring out of the open fire door a few feet away.
The look on his face was fierce and no doubt she should leave him to his own thoughts, but the words erupted anyway. 'Taking a break?' The sentence came out breathless as she stepped toward him. Which was how he left her as he swung his gaze to her and frowned, big dark eyes intense.
'Something like that,' he muttered.
'Okay.' Obviously not in the mood for chat then. Brushing past him, she tripped slightly, surprised at the intensity of the hot lust that scorched through her, along with the heat coming off his body. 'Sorry,' she mumbled, rushing to the toilets. Staring at her reflection in the round, bulb-lit mirror, she was shocked by her pink cheeks and sparkling eyes. God, if her work colleagues could see her now… Good old Sofia in the sexy, tight outfit, looking excited and on an adrenalin-high like she'd just surfed out of the biggest tube imaginable. They'd either wet themselves laughing and take the piss out of her, or ask who the heck she was.
She had to be careful around Nathan, it could lead to epic embarrassment otherwise.
Expecting him to be gone when she came out, her heart bump-bumped against her ribs when he was still sat in the same position, though this time with his head resting against the wall. Clicking toward him on the stilettos, her nose twitched at the gorgeous aftershave drifting off him. She moved closer, eyes fixed on the stubble under his jaw. She wasn’t the type of girl to swoon, but he had her pretty close.
When he rolled his head forward and looked at her through slitted eyes, she realised she'd stopped right beside him.
'Can I help you with something?' he asked.
'No. I mean, yes, what time do you close tonight?' She really was getting the hang of this upper class accent. Except posh girls were probably subtle enough not to drool over guys, and her gaze had dropped to the open neck of his shirt, tracking the shadow of his perfect collarbone. She swallowed.
'Four in the morning.' His voice was iced-over Thames cold.
'I see. Thank you.'
'Anything else? Only I've got another five minutes of my break left.' He put his head back against the wall and shut his eyes again.
'No. Thank you.'
'Good.'
Go, now. Her brain ordered, but her feet refused to budge.
‘I can feel you watching me.’ A tiny smile tugged at his mouth.
‘I’m going.’ But still she didn’t move. Her mouth fell open as she took in his broad shoulders, and the muscles of his long thighs in the fitted black trousers. Her breathing got quicker and sharper and she gulped, swaying closer. He smelled so good, looked so good.
Before she knew it she'd stepped between his legs, bent down and planted a kiss on him. Hooking her hands into his thick messy hair, she gently bit his bottom lip. For a brief, delicious moment he returned the kiss, head tilting further back, hands sliding around her hips. Then he pushed her away.
'What the hell are you doing?' Shooting up, he shoved his hands in his pockets.
'I- I'm sorry.' Oh shit, mortification 101. Why had she done that?
'You can't just kiss someone without their permission. I could have a wife, a girlfriend, anything.'
'Bloody hell, have you?' she gasped, abandoning the posh accent.
'No as it happens, but that's not the point.' He said sharply, 'You think that because you're some rich Chelsea Princess you're entitled to do what you want?'
'Of course not.' She flung back, all traces of upper crust girl completely gone. This was so bad. 'Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, honestly. And I'm not one of those rich girls, I'm just a normal girl from Bournemouth who’s up here for the weekend. I'm nothing special at all.'
Why had she said that last bit? Talk about revealing.
Nathan looked confused. ‘You what? You’re not even from London? You lied?’ he asked quietly. ‘Put on the accent, and talked the talk?’
‘I- I wasn’t lying, I just wanted to fit in.’ But that wasn’t the whole truth was it? She’d wanted to be someone else, a girl who men looked at and wanted. ‘Anyway,’ she said defensively, ‘what does it matter to you? Why do you care?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘I’m only bothered because I don’t like dishonesty. Or people pretending to be something they’re not. And it’s a bit weird. You must be in your twenties at least; you’re not a little kid.’
She flinched. When it came to some things, like men, she may as well be a child. ‘Well it must be nice to be so perfect,’ a blush swept up over her face, tears scorching her eyes, ‘you’ll have to let me in on your secret one day. Until then, I’m sorry again for kissing you. It was a big mistake, obviously.’
His face softened, ‘Sofia, wait-,’
Swinging around, she bolted, not even registering that he’d called her by name. She’d made a total arse of herself and embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover it.
Pleading a headache with Tori and Christie, she insisted on leaving and they were too polite as hostesses not to accompany her back home, chatting about some summer ball while Sofia stared silently out of the cab window, unable to believe what a mess she’d made
of things.
Her face was still burning with humiliation as she curled up in bed half an hour later, but not as much as her mouth was burning from that unbearably sexy moment when Nathan’s tongue had met hers. She'd never been kissed like that before.
Saturday
Despite how the previous night had ended, Sofia had an amazing Saturday. After a late lie-in, Christie had departed the house, immaculately dressed for a prior commitment, leaving Tori and Sofia alone. Sofia, missing her daily swim in the sea, did twenty laps in the luxurious basement pool and went looking for Tori. She needed a distraction from last night’s disastrous run-in with Nathan.
‘Hi.’ Sofia peeked around the side of Tori’s bedroom door, expecting her to still be languishing in bed, but her friend was fully dressed in a tasteful white dress, frowning at the mirror while trying to clip her hair up.
‘Morning Sof, did you sleep well?’ she turned on the padded stool to look at her. ‘Has your headache gone?’
‘Headache? Oh,’ Sofia blushed at the lie, ‘um, yes thanks. I think I was just a bit knackered. I was wondering,’ she mooched over to the bed and sat down on the edge, ‘if you’d be up for a little adventure?’
Tori’s eyes widened. ‘What did you have in mind?’
‘I kind of wanted to do the touristy thing; wander around Westminster, see Big Ben, take a ride on the London Eye, have lunch, maybe go to Borough Market.’ There was nothing for it, the last bit of available credit on her Visa card was going to get hammered. ‘What do you think? Are you up for it? I know it’s not your usual style, but-,’
‘I’m in,’ Tori interrupted, eyes lighting up.
‘Really?’
‘Yes, absolutely. Let me just finish doing my hair.’
‘I think you should let it down.’
‘All right,’ Tori looked doubtful. ‘Christie always says-,’
‘It’ll suit you better loose,’ Sofia said firmly, ‘Anyway, Christie’s not here. You’re getting changed too. That’s way too dressy, have you got anything more casual?’
Tori shot up from her seat, shaking her hair out so that it fell in soft waves around her face. ‘I’ve got a pair of somewhere,’ she chewed her lip thoughtfully, ‘and a cashmere sweater and some leather riding boots. Will that do?’
Sofia sighed, thinking of her own battered skinny jeans, comfy purple jumper and Converse trainers. ‘Yes, that’ll do.’
Their day went to plan and Sofia took more photos on her phone than she knew it could hold, laughing with Tori as the wind whipped their hair around their faces on the bank of the grey Thames and gasping at the astounding views of the city from a capsule at the top of the iconic London Eye. Cajoling Tori into sharing a mid-afternoon cream cake in a cafe near Borough Market, it also took pleasingly little effort to talk her into watching the Premiership game in a high-street pub. It was too late to get match tickets but they got a spot near the flat-screen TV, which was good enough for Sofia.
The atmosphere in the pub was good-natured and other customers threw comments at the screen when a player missed a goal, or moaned when Stoke City got a corner. Tori was a big hit with a group of Chelsea supporters at the next table over and the girls ended up sitting with the men during the second half. Tori even had some beer and, dizzy with daytime drinking, flipped beer mats with one of the men, a cute red-haired joker who kept taking the piss out of her for being posh. Sofia watched with a smile, joining in with the fun. At one point, Tori wiggled closed to Sofia, exhaling beery breath into her ear. ‘I think I might like a bit of rough, Sof. What do you think?’
Sofia smirked, ‘I think you’re a bit drunk, but it’s not such a bad idea.’
After the match, when the men had departed with hugs and waves, leaving a few of their numbers behind, Sofia leaned back in her chair. ‘You know Tori, this is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen you.’ There was a softness to her face that made her look gorgeous and carefree, and Sofia remembered the girl was actually a couple of years younger than her.
‘It’s the most relaxed I’ve ever been, I think. Thank you for such a fab day,’ her friend replied, nodding. Pausing, she looked Sofia in the eye, swaying slightly. ‘You didn’t have a headache last night, did you? Or if you did, that wasn’t why you wanted to leave. Something happened between you and that barman you kept staring at.’
Sofia grimaced. Had she been that obvious? Bugger. ‘Well, I…’
Tori flapped her hand around, ‘It’s fine. Don’t make up excuses. But you do know he came and asked us your name, when you were outside on the phone to your sister?’
‘No…’ She’d had no idea. But now she thought of it, hadn’t he called her by name as she ran out?
‘Yes.’ Tori nodded. ‘I think he liked you.’
‘You do?’ The memory of Nathan's kiss had resurfaced constantly during the day, no matter how much she tried to forget it.
‘Yes. Come on,’ the other girl pushed out of her chair, looking determined. ‘Let’s go home and get changed. We’re going back to the bar.’
Sofia rose slowly, grabbing her jacket and shrugging into it. ‘I don’t know.’ The thought was scary and exciting at the same time. Maybe she should listen to Tori though. She'd basically run away from Nathan, and maybe he’d have something else to say to her, once he wasn’t so angry?
‘We really need to go.’ Tori tugged on her elbow.
‘You think he liked me that much?’ Sofia raised an eyebrow.
‘I’m not sure. Maybe.’ Tori tapped the expensive gold watch on her wrist, and held up her phone, which had a list of missed calls on the screen. ‘But I’ve just realised it’s almost eight ‘o’ clock. My sister is going to kill us.’
'You've changed.' Nathan looked her up and down as she strode over and hopped onto a stool at the bar.
'I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but this is more me.' She waved at the scarlet camisole top and form-fitting black jeans she was wearing, feeling good. Feeling herself, and more in control. She and Christie had wrangled over the outfit, but Sofia had stood her ground. The sisters weren’t better than her, they were just different. Once Sofia had made that clear to Christie, and the other girl had realised she wasn’t going to get her own way, she’d retreated in a huff. Sofia was sure she’d seen a hint of respect in her eyes though.
Nathan stared at her. ‘You look… better.'
'Wow, don't knock a girl out with too many compliments.' She wasn’t that used to flirting but at least being friends with a lot of guys had given her some banter.
'Sorry. I just know I can be quite overwhelming sometimes, when I'm on the charm offensive, so I try to hold back,' he teased, grinning. 'I like to give the girl a fair chance.'
She smiled, shifted her hips a little, watching with delight as his eyes tracked the movement. So maybe he does like me, at least a little. 'I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I guess I'm forgiven then? For the kiss, I mean, and for pretending to be someone else. I thought I should say sorry again.' She held her breath.
'Thanks, but there’s no need.’ Folding his arms on the bar, he dipped his head toward hers, face becoming serious. ‘Look Sofia, I over-reacted, mostly because I'm exhausted, and tired of this place. I have got a bit of a thing about honesty too, but you obviously had your reasons for doing what you did, so I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly. Despite the way I reacted yesterday, I do know I’m not perfect. You caught me by surprise, that’s all.’ He looked into her eyes, long lashes flickering. ‘I've hardly been on my best behaviour, so I'm sorry too.'
‘You are?' she asked croakily, breathing in his gorgeous, crisp scent.
'Yes. I don’t understand why you were faking it, but-,’
‘It was just a bit of silliness,’ she mumbled, ‘I got carried away.’
‘Well, don't get me wrong,' he gazed at her mouth, making her stomach swoop to the floor, 'you looked stunning, but I much prefer you like this.' He pointed at the bright top and golden, messy, rippling waves dropping almost to her wai
st, his brown eyes warming. 'Also,' he leaned even closer, 'to be honest it's a relief to find out that you're,' his voice dropped to a whisper, 'you know, normal.'
She laughed giddily, turning to look at Tori and Christie, who were watching her exchange with Nathan. 'They're normal,' she smiled, 'just not brought up in the same way as you or me.'
'I don't know,' he smiled crookedly, 'the blonde looks like she'd take me apart in a heartbeat.'
She giggled, wondering where on earth tomboyish Sofia had got to. She might not be experienced but she knew he was interested from the way he spoke to her, the expression on his face as he looked at her. There was a power in that knowledge and it made her feel exhilarated. It was fun. Was this what Isobel had been talking about? 'Christie has her moments,' she shared, 'but she's not that bad.'
'Hmm.' His eyes dropped back to her mouth. 'I'll take your word for it.'
'I guess you'll have to.' Her hands were trembling so she pressed them down on the bar.
'So, can I get you a drink?' Nathan unfolded his mega-tall body as Quinn sauntered up and put a tray full of empties on the side.
She felt ridiculously disappointed. 'I- champagne for Christie please, and Tori and I will have Mojito's tonight.'
'In the mood for something Cuban, huh?’
‘I’m lucky to have visited Cuba a couple of years ago and it’s amazing,’ Sofia breathed, nodding enthusiastically, ‘and I got addicted to Mojito’s when I was over there. But it’s the rest of it that’s amazing; the history, the culture, music, salsa, the peeling colourful buildings, all the classic cars, the passion of the people. The variety is incredible.’
Nathan raised an eyebrow, ‘Wow. So you want to go back?’
‘Maybe one day. But there are loads of other places to see first. I’m planning on a cheapie trip to Jamaica next, the setting of one of my favourite films. Backpacking in Vietnam has been my favourite so far.’
He nodded seriously, ‘I see. You don’t stay still for long then?’
‘I flat-share with three friends so that I can save up and go away a couple of times a year. I travel for work too, usually just in the UK, but we’re slowly expanding into other parts of Europe, so I’m excited about the possibility of some longer distance trips.’
