‘I don’t mind you telling Mandy what I did, if it helps. Talk to her, just promise me to consider everything before you make a decision. Even if that means you sleeping …’ I broke off, unable to finish my sentence. I didn’t want her to sleep with someone else, but that wasn’t my decision to make. Even if she did, I’d have to suck it up, just like she’d done. I was pretty sure I could forgive her anything, no matter how much it may hurt.
‘Brady, I…’ I cut her off with my fingers over her lips.
‘Don’t say anything. You’ll only be trying to make me feel better and we both know that I won’t until I see you tomorrow and have your answer. I don’t want you to lie to me now and say you won’t have sex with someone else to spare my feelings. Just go, before I change my mind. We’ll deal with everything tomorrow, ok?’ I asked, summoning every last ounce of bravery I had left in me. It may have been hard for her to hear I’d had sex with someone else after the event, but I was positive it was a fraction of the pain I was feeling, walking away with the knowledge that tonight she may well do the same, when I had the power to prevent it by refusing to leave her. But where would that leave us? She deserved time and space to process this and she already had too little as it was. ‘I love you, pumpkin. Never doubt that.’
‘I never would,’ she whispered against my fingers. ‘I love you too, Brady.’
I nodded as I choked back my tears and quickly turned to jump into my car, the engine still running. Just before I pulled away I took a quick look back, to see her standing with her hands knotted in front of her, tears rolling down her cheeks again. I gritted my teeth and pulled away. In twenty four hours my life as I knew it could be over.
Fuck!
‘You fucking told her?’ Roger gasped, as our hired chauffeur for the day headed out towards the Surrey countryside. All the key males of the wedding party were heading to a large stately home for a Clay Pigeon Shooting day and gourmet meal, before I headed home. Roger was staying over with me, in his capacity as best man.
‘Lying’s not exactly a great start to a marriage,’ I reminded him, as I avoided eye contact.
‘Neither’s fucking another woman, but she never needed to find out, you moron. I’m amazed the wedding’s still on.’
‘I don’t think she knows if it is herself, she just needs a bit of time and why upset all the guests and arrangements in the event that it all goes ahead? Best we keep it under our hats until she makes her decision.’
‘Which will be when?’
‘No idea,’ I shrugged. ‘Hopefully before I’m standing at the top of the aisle with everyone looking at me, and hopefully without her taking me up on the offer for her to fuck someone else tonight to be sure.’
‘O you never, Jesus man! She’s your woman, you don’t give her permission to fuck another guy.’
‘We gave each other permission,’ I shot back, turning to give him a glare. ‘I can’t exactly take advantage of that offer myself and then refuse to let her.’
‘Well if you’d kept bloody quiet like I told you,’ he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘I’d have sown my oats, got it out of my system and lied, making sure she didn’t do the same.’
‘Well you’re an arse and that’s not what I want my relationship with her to be like.’
‘If you still have a fucking relationship.’
‘Don’t remind me,’ I groaned, rubbing my hands over my eyes. ‘I’ve got to believe that eleven years means something. That our love and friendship is more important than a damn orgasm during sex. I’ll order bloody toys, I’ll even try that cock ring you recommended. I’ll try new things, anything, as long as I get to keep her. She’s the love of my life, I can’t lose her now. I just can’t.’
‘If you can get over her fucking another guy, I think you’ll be fine. I mean, you’re Brady and Lisa. You’ve been together for ever. Everyone who knows you says you’re the perfect couple and it’s not you, I think she’s frigid or something.’
‘What?’ I uttered, dropping my hands to look at him. ‘Why the hell would you say something like that?’
‘That bird you fucked the other week, she only fucked Toady a few hours after you. She joined me at the hotel bar for a drink as she was leaving and said his cock was smaller than yours and he didn’t make her come half as hard. It’s not you, mate. I’m telling you. You picked yourself a woman with fucking issues in the climax department. I’ve seen your cock and it’s pretty decent.’
‘You’ve seen my cock? When the hell have you seen my cock?’
‘O please, like you never check out other guys when you’re taking a leak?’
‘No,’ I replied forcefully.
‘Well I do, like to see what competition I have and you stack up pretty well, nearly put me to shame. With that monster and the tips I’ve given you, she should be coming like a bloody geyser every time you shove that in her snatch.’
‘You’re so bloody crude. How the hell did I get lumbered with you as a best friend?’ I scowled, elbowing him in the ribs.
‘Well it was either me or Toady, and I wouldn’t fuck your sloppy seconds,’ he grinned, making me laugh.
‘You really think it’s Lisa with the problem, not me?’ I asked, turning serious again.
‘Well I know you’re not into being dominant and in control sexually, which I’m telling you most chicks secretly love, but even with “love making”’ he air quoted, pretending to gag as he said the word, ‘if she’s not coming, I think it’s down to her, not you.’
‘We have a forty minute drive ahead of us, Yoda. Enlighten me on some basic domination tips for in the bedroom then, just in case.’
‘Well first off, check your seat belt’s securely fastened for this, as this bit of information is defcon one turbulence and will give you one hell of a mind fuck,’ he nodded as he mimed a drum roll on his thighs. I twisted in my seat to face him properly, eager for anything that could help if Lisa and I made it through this. ‘Sex doesn’t have to take place in the bedroom.’ His hands flew to his mouth as he gasped, his eyes twinkling with laughter as I shoved his shoulder.
‘You’re such an arse,’ I chuckled.
‘And you’re not taking this lesson seriously. Women want a man sexually, not a gentle pussy who only does it after mutual consent, once an agreeable time has been achieved and they proceed calmly to the bedroom before undressing themselves and assuming missionary position. Right, get your iPhone out, you’re going to need to take notes.’
‘I don’t need to take physical notes, I’m a lawyer, I’ve got a bloody brain thank you.’
‘Well you obviously aren’t using it properly, along with that cock of yours. Seriously, a todger like that should have women around the country howling and setting off earthquakes. How can I put this in a way that you’ll understand? Ok, your cock is a Maserati, highly desirable with shit loads of horsepower behind it. Take that baby for a spin and you’d have everyone screaming for joy, but it’s like you’re looking down at it and only seeing a fucking bicycle. It’s got some kind of bloody Harry Potter magical cloaking device so you haven’t seen its true potential. In your mind you’ve only got pedal power, when in reality you’re a racing champion. Until you see your cock as a Maserati it’s a complete waste of fucking power and motion. What woman would choose a ride on a bike over a Maserati?’
‘My cock’s a Maserati. Ok,’ I sighed, grabbing my iPhone and sliding it open. ‘Hit me with your pearls of sexual wisdom.’
‘See you’re still thinking small. These aren’t pearls, they’re fucking meteorites.’
The London Domville
Lisa
I quickly wiped my eyes as I watched Brady drive away, his face set in a hard line. He looked so serious. That was the face he normally reserved for work, not for personal time. Not for time with me. I should know, as well as living together we worked together, both of us lawyers at the London office of Austin, Turner and Finch, a global corporate law firm. He was always so … dominant at work when he was i
n the zone. I knew all the paralegals and secretaries got their knickers in a twist over him. He was so handsome with his blond hair and vivid green eyes. Being so tall and muscular only added to his appeal. I couldn’t understand why that persona didn’t translate in the bedroom. I let out a heavy sigh as his Porsche disappeared from view, then quickly turned around to follow the porters, with my cases and gorgeous designer dress, into the lobby of The Domville.
It always took my breath away every time I walked in here. Highly reflective marble lined the floor and walls, stunning crystal chandeliers hung from the warm, glowing, 18 carat gold leaf ceiling, huge vases of exotic flowers adorned antique tables and the artwork on the walls should really be in The National Portrait Gallery.
‘Miss Roberts, welcome, it’s lovely to see you again,’ greeted Anita, our wedding co-ordinator as she strode across the floor to greet me, with two air kisses to each cheek. ‘Take her luggage up to the Signature suite please, Renee is there waiting for the dress in bedroom four, with a mobile steaming closet to ease out any creases from the journey,’ she ordered over her shoulder. ‘Right, you must be feeling nervous and excited all rolled into one. The rest of your advance party has arrived, unpacked and are waiting for you in the Spa,’ she confirmed, checking her clipboard as she started to walk again, not even noticing I hadn’t had a chance to say a word. ‘One of your wedding party reserved the entire Spa for the day for you, as his gift, a Robert Austin?’
‘Seriously? He’s my boss. Gosh, how kind of him,’ I gasped. That was one expensive gift.
‘Why don’t we get you settled in to relax in the Hydrotherapy area before we start your individual treatments. You look a little tense, we need you nice and relaxed for tomorrow so that you can enjoy your day.’
‘Are they miracle workers?’ I asked with a wry smile, trying to keep up with her as we hurtled through the hotel at marathon pace.
‘Darling, it’s The Domville, would you expect anything less?’ she laughed.
I tried my best to put on a brave face with my mum, aunt, Mandy and my bridesmaid. I even managed to switch off for a while and enjoy the hot stone massage, seaweed wrap, body scrub, mani-pedi and nourishing facial, but Mandy knew me too well. She kept raising her eyebrows as she looked over at me, so I’d avoided looking at her at all. That was all well and good for now, but she was sleeping in the Signature suite with me tonight, in one of the six bedrooms, moving out to her own suite tomorrow so Brady and I would have it all to ourselves. Assuming there was a wedding night, that was.
‘Are you ok, sweetheart?’ Mum asked as she hugged me goodbye, everyone filtering off to get ready for an early dinner.
‘I’m tired, that’s all,’ I reassured her. ‘I’ve had a lot on my mind, especially this week.’
‘Don’t lie to your mother, I can tell something’s bothering you.’
‘It’s just our sex life. I’m not sure it’s as good as it could be,’ I shrugged.
‘You’ve been together eleven years, isn’t it a bit late to be worrying about that now?’ she asked, I just grimaced and shrugged again. ‘How often are you doing it?’
‘Mum!’ I protested, feeling my cheeks colouring up as I looked around to make sure no one else was listening. Everyone else had filtered off and Mandy was talking to Anita over by the Spa reception desk.
‘As if you need to be embarrassed. I squeezed you out of my vagina, I think we’re beyond being shy with each other.’
‘A few times a week,’ I mumbled, feeling mortified to be having this conversation with my mother.
‘A few times a week?’ she exclaimed, holding me at arm’s length so she could look at me properly. Both of her eyebrows were raised in surprise. ‘After eleven years? Sweetheart, marry him now and never let him go. After a few years I was lucky if we did it a few times a year. It was a miracle I got pregnant with you or your sister.’
‘It’s not the frequency that’s the issue, it’s …’
‘Stop there, this is territory best left to Mandy. It’s been so long since I had sex I can barely remember what all the fuss was about. But sweetheart, trust me, when you’re my age being married to your best friend, a man who adores you and goes out of his way to make you happy in all other areas, far outweighs an orgasm or two a year.’
‘Thanks, Mum,’ I smiled and hugged her tightly, she was echoing thoughts I’d been having all day, but it would be great to have actually experienced a few before I turned my back on them. ‘See you in a few hours, they’re serving dinner in the dining room in my suite so we can be as loud and rowdy as we like. I know how Aunt Jayne loves her gin and tonics.’
‘O God,’ she groaned, screwing up her face. ‘Sisters.’
‘Tell me about it,’ I giggled. I was the hard working, responsible one. Mandy was the flighty party girl. She worked as a makeup artist for one of the major production studios and was always coming into contact with film and TV stars, amazing me with tales of her antics with them. She hadn’t done anything to ease the feeling that I was missing out, that was for sure. She grinned as I walked over to her and she linked arms with me.
‘At last, I get you all to myself and can grill you to a crisp. You’re hiding something. Are you preggers?’
‘No,’ I shot her a horrified look. ‘Babies aren’t on our timeline for at least another eight years. Our careers are more important.’
‘God you two are so regimented, uptight and repressed. You need to learn to chill and go with the flow.’
‘And where would the world be if everyone did that?’ I scoffed, as we followed Anita to the private lift and she swiped the card for us, before handing it over to me.
‘I concur wholeheartedly,’ she smiled. ‘There’s a place for order in a chaotic world. Now, you have two hours to relax before I show your guests up for dinner. There’s a fully stocked bar and Gaston is your personal butler, he will see to anything that you need. There’s a touch screen in each room, just press “Butler Service” and he’ll respond immediately, 24/7. I’ve set your morning alarm for 9.30 a.m. for breakfast in your dining room. You have time to relax and make the most of the suite facilities until a light lunch at 12.30 p.m. If you’re tense, call me and I’ll have a masseuse come straight up. Hair and beauty will be with you at 1.30 p.m. and I’ll escort you down to the gardens at 2.45 p.m. ready for the ceremony at 3 p.m. Now the flowers and …’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. She gets it, you rock, everything’s organised to perfection, but that’s what she’s paying you for. She doesn’t need a running commentary,’ Mandy interrupted with a roll of her eyes. ‘We’d just like to head up and kick back with a glass of champagne, poured by the hopefully naked and gorgeous Gaston. Now if you can organise that by the time we make it up to the sixth floor, I’ll be super impressed and tell Brady to give you an extra tip.’ Anita stared at her for a moment, trying to work out if she was being serious, which she totally was. Sometimes my little sister had no idea.
‘She’s joking of course. You’ve been amazing, Anita. See you in the morning and thank you.’
‘Thank you, Miss Roberts. You have my number if you need to go through anything. I don’t want you to be at all stressed.’
‘Trust me, half a bottle of champagne and a comfy sofa, there’ll be no stress,’ Mandy added as she hustled me into the open lift and pressed the door close button, waving to Anita as she disappeared from view. ‘Thank God for that, talk about uptight and repressed. That girl needs a good fuck to loosen her up.’
‘I think I do too,’ I concurred, looking at her sadly as we were whisked up to the top floor.
‘I knew it! I knew something was wrong. We’ll get Gaston to open that champagne and you can tell me all about it.’
We were both open mouthed as we walked into the Signature suite. I’d stayed in some luxury hotels before, Brady and I earned good money and with no children we could afford to splurge, but this was unbelievable. We had a fountain in our own lobby, it was crazy. When the double doors swung open to the lou
nge, with a panoramic view of Green Park and private balcony, Mandy and I just halted in our tracks to try and take it all in.
‘Jesus,’ she breathed, as we looked around. ‘This is something else. How much did this set you back?’
‘I’ve no idea, I put my money into our joint wedding fund and Brady’s handled it all, but it looks like I owe him some extra. I mean this is … famous people stay here. They even had Nevada 6 sharing this suite while they were playing Wembley Stadium and the O2. It has six en-suite bedrooms,’ I nodded, beyond impressed.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Roberts,’ came a French voice to my right. I turned to face an older gentleman dressed in formal wear, he wouldn’t be out of place at the wedding tomorrow. ‘I’m Gaston, your personal butler. I’ve taken the liberty of opening your champagne, if you’d like to take a seat I’ll bring it to you momentarily. I have my own suite attached to yours, so if you need me at any time, day or night, just call and I’ll be here. You have your own private chef on standby as well, should you require anything between your evening meal and breakfast in the morning. Your suitcase is in the master suite and the other Miss Roberts’ is in bedroom three.’
‘Thank you, Gaston, champagne sounds wonderful.’ I gave him a warm smile and he nodded before disappearing. ‘Still want to see him naked?’ I asked Mandy with a giggle.
‘Hell no! I bet his cock’s that wrinkled he’d need to iron it before sex. But if you can ask him which bed Sam of Nevada 6 slept in, I’m moving into that room. He’s seriously hot.’
‘They’ll have changed the sheets since,’ I laughed with a roll of my eyes.
‘Don’t care, it’s the principle. Lying in a bed he was probably naked in, having sex with God only knows who,’ she sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes.
We settled down on the comfortable sofas, using the portable touch screen to adjust the blinds and select some up tempo music. When Gaston had delivered our champagne, with chocolate dipped strawberries coated in edible gold leaf, I finally relented and filled Mandy in on the events of last night.
The Domville 2 (The Domville #2) Page 3
