Aftermath (Dividing Line #6)

by Heather Atkinson

  She turned in his arms, a gentle smile on her face. “You mean, start a relationship?”

  “Yes,” he smiled back encouragingly.

  Her eyes filled with wonder. “You really want me to be your girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  The gentle look fell. “Don’t be soft you big fucking girl. You know I’m not the settling down type.”

  “I should have known. We’ve been shagging for the last two years and all that time you were with Jasper. I don’t know why I asked.”

  “Neither do I. For Christ’s sake, where’s my mobile gone?”

  “Here,” he said, fishing it out of the duvet. “You might want to give it a wash first. You enjoyed its vibration a bit too much.”

  She gave him a small smile before taking it off him, digging a pack of baby wipes out of a holdall and running one over it.

  Jackson followed her into the living room and watched her pull on her boots then her jacket.

  “Help yourself to coffee, there’s a small jar in the kitchen,” she said. “Thanks for a great night. Don’t forget to close the door behind you on your way out.”

  With that she was gone, leaving him standing in the middle of the room completely naked and alone.

  Mikey glanced at his watch when Jules was escorted into his office by Grant, who then left them alone, closing the door behind him.

  “You’re fifteen minutes late. Not a good start on your first day,” he frowned.

  “Sorry, I was entertaining.” She sighed and rolled her eyes when he stared at her sternly. “I’ll stay fifteen minutes late if you’re going to get arsy about it.”

  “What do you think this is? A fucking call centre.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’ll let you off just this once. I expect my employees to be punctual, whether they’ve been entertaining or not.”

  “Noted.”

  “Now, I want you to do something very important today,” he began.

  Jules experienced a glimmer of excitement, wondering what it would be. Drugs? Extortion? Or good old fashioned murder?

  “I want you to see the psychiatrist.”

  Jules forced herself not to scowl.

  “I can see you’re delighted,” he said. “You will go there and you will talk to her and you will listen carefully to any advice she gives you.”

  Jules wrestled with herself, the desire to prove herself struggling with her temper and her natural instinct to do what the fuck she wanted to.

  “This is part of the bargain we made and if you want to be welcomed into the family and into the business you will do it.”

  “Fine,” she said, folding her arms across her chest and tapping a foot.

  “Good. I’ll drive.”

  “You’re coming too?”

  “I want to make sure you actually get there.”

  “You can’t sit in, it’s confidential.”

  “I’ll wait in reception until you’ve finished.”

  “Will she tell you everything I say?”

  “Absolutely not. That will be between the two of you, but if you want to talk to me I’m here.”

  “If I were you I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  Mikey picked up his car keys and got to his feet. “Let’s go.”

  “Now?”

  “Why not?”

  “I thought I was here to work, not talk to some fucking bleeding heart.”

  “Whether you start working for me or not depends on you talking to the bleeding heart,” he said, walking past her to the door.

  “Did you like my tattoo?”

  He hesitated, hand on the door knob. “What tattoo?”

  “Venom, the snake. Don’t tell me you missed her. I’ll give you another peep, shall I?” she said, starting to unfasten her shirt.

  “Stop that,” he barked. “You’re only doing it to distract me. You are going to this appointment and nothing is stopping it. Do you understand?”

  “Yes little cuz,” she said, fastening her shirt back up again.

  “And you will address me in a more respectful manner.”

  “Sorry Sir,” she said sarcastically.

  “You will call me Mikey, that is my name, not little cuz.”

  “Got it boss.”

  “Even better. Let’s go,” he snapped, pulling the door open and storming down the stairs, trying to get the image of that snake coiled around her body out of his head. Dane was right, Jules had a way of burying into your brain. He found himself a lot less angry at him for his deception.

  “So Jules, tell me about yourself,” opened Cassandra, the shrink Mikey had made her see.

  Jules scowled, legs stretched out before her, one booted foot crossed over the other, arms bunched angrily across her chest. The woman had irritated her on sight with her perfectly smooth brown bob, glasses perched precariously on the end of her long thin nose and slight overbite. At the same time she was strangely attractive with her smooth olive skin, pouty mouth and husky voice, but that didn’t stop her getting on her tits and she’d only just sat down.

  “Like what?”

  “Anything you want.”

  At least Cassandra wasn’t giving her the patronising smile. “My name is Jules and I’m thirty five years old.”

  “Anything else?” Cassandra enquired when she lapsed into silence.

  “I like motorbikes, books and sadomasochistic sex,” she ended with a smile.

  “If you’re hoping to put me off asking any more questions by providing shocking replies you’re going to be disappointed. I’ve heard it all in this room.”

  “You’ve just issued me with a challenge. Now I’ll be forced to rise to it,” she smiled.

  “You like a challenge?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Go on then, shock me,” said Cassandra, settling back in her seat to listen.

  “You’re really pretty. I’d like to push up your tight little skirt and stick my face between your creamy thighs.”

  “Tempting but my girlfriend wouldn’t be impressed.” Cassandra’s pouty mouth lifted into a smile. “Yes I’m gay, but I’m guessing you’re not.”

  Jules was disappointed that she’d failed. She hated failure. “I like women.”

  “Not as much as men. Do you always use sexual innuendo as a distraction?”

  “I find it very effective.”

  “I’ve no doubt but it also stops you dealing with any uncomfortable situations.”

  “I’ve dealt with plenty of them,” she replied, bored, shifting in her seat, tilting back her head to gaze up at the ceiling.

  “Tell me about your parents.”

  Jules’s head snapped back down again. “Why?”

  “Did they teach you sex was a good distraction, that you could use your wiles to get your own way?”

  “Back off,” she snarled.

  “Are you willing to discuss your parents at all? We’ll leave it for now if you’re not.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “And I thought you liked a challenge.”

  Jules leaned forwards in her seat, eyes darkening, resting her elbows on her knees. “Alright lady, you want to know about my parents? My biological mother was a drugged up prostitute and my father a violent mental case who sold me to a pair of perverts who treated me like their little princess until I was thirteen. Then they sold my virginity and raped and abused me until I made them stop. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “No Jules, I don’t want to hear it. I hear a lot of shitty things in this job and they never give me any pleasure. All I want to do is help you deal with the fallout.”

  “I dealt with it years ago.”

  “I don’t think you have.” She held up her hand when Jules objected. “Please listen.”

  Jules thought of Mikey sat outside in the corridor and knew she had no choice. If she wanted to get him to trust her she had to do this and try not to murder the therapist. “Go on then.”

  “Thank you. I can see your hackles rise at the mention of anything
slightly unpleasant and you deflect from awkward situations using shock tactics and sexual innuendo. That is not dealing with anything, that’s avoiding it and if you don’t face up to your demons they will destroy you and take down everyone you care about too.”

  “There’s no one I care about.”

  “I don’t believe that. There must be a special someone?”

  Jules thought of the very few people she let near her and shook her head. “No.”

  “Let’s come back to that later,” said Cassandra, clearly not believing her. “So, you like bikes?”

  “Love them,” replied Jules, feeling on safer territory talking about something she loved, but she still feared a trick.

  “Why?”

  “There’s no feeling like it. The roar of the engine, the wind whipping past your head, dodging in and out of the traffic. It’s so free.”

  “You like that feeling of freedom?”

  “Well, yeah. Who doesn’t?”

  “True. We all have our little escapisms. Some people read books, watch films, play golf, go to the gym. Biking is just another. It’s good that you have it.”

  “Glad I’m doing something right,” she muttered.

  “There are no right or wrong answers here Jules. I’m only helping you cope with the future and deal with the baggage you’re carrying.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “Why should you when you can get rid of it?”

  Jules opened her mouth then closed it again. That made sense.

  “Do you have a relationship with any of your family?”

  “What’s Mikey told you?” she said suspiciously.

  “Absolutely nothing. I want everything to come from you.”

  “He’s my cousin.”

  “I did not know that. He must care about you if he’s paying my bill. I’m not cheap.”

  “I can see that,” she replied with a flirtatious smile.

  “You’re trying to distract me again Jules. It won’t work.”

  Jules sighed and folded in on herself. “He wants to make sure I’m not insane.”

  “You’re not insane.”

  It actually felt good to hear that. “Everyone says I am because I say what I want. It doesn’t make me popular.”

  “Saying exactly what you want is a brave thing, not many people have it in them, but sometimes a little tact is required too.”

  “I spent years not saying what I felt because I was frightened of upsetting my so-called parents, afraid I wouldn’t get their love if I wasn’t their perfect little princess,” Jules said bitterly. “Be a nice girl, a polite girl, do what the grown-ups tell you, even if it hurts like fuck, even if they use you to make money and pleasure their sick friends…” She came to an abrupt halt when she realised she was giving away more than she was comfortable with. “You tricked me.”

  “I did nothing of the sort. I don’t use mind games or word play to trick things out of people. You talked because you wanted to.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Maybe it’s time you did?”

  Cassandra maintained her poker face, the picture of ease while Jules went rigid in her seat, teeth gritted, puffing breaths in and out like a demented bellows.

  “I think we’ll leave it at that for today. Would you like to see me again? As a therapist I mean.”

  “I don’t want a therapist.”

  “No one wants a therapist but, luckily for me, some people need them and you are one of those people.”

  “You know I head butted my last therapist?”

  “So I believe and that was their fault. They tried to make you run before you could walk. I won’t make the same mistake.”

  “I’m starting to like you Cassandra.”

  “I’m glad. At least you might not hit me.”

  “Possibly not. Okay, same time next week?”

  “I’ve already cleared my schedule.”

  Jules’s lips pursed as she got to her feet.

  “Remember what I said. Try to stop using sex and sexual innuendoes as weapons,” Cassandra called after her.

  “I’ll do my best,” she retorted over her shoulder, pulling the door open.

  CHAPTER 33

  Mikey was waiting for Jules in the corridor. “How did your session go?”

  She grinned, a retort leaping to mind, then she recalled what she’d just been advised and swallowed it down. “Fine.”

  “Just fine? I thought you’d have loads of comebacks then?”

  “It was fine,” she repeated.

  “I see Cassandra’s already worked her magic.”

  “Now can we start the real work?”

  “Take the rest of the day off, you’ve earned it.”

  “But…”

  “I’ll drive you back to the flat.”

  “I don’t want to go back to the flat. I want to work.”

  “And you will. Tomorrow. Go home and think about what you’ve learnt today.”

  “I…” She trailed off when he turned his back on her and walked towards the door, which was brave of him because she was considering pushing him down the stairs.

  Angrily she followed him outside and into the car, slamming the door shut as she climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Steady, I just bought this motor,” he said.

  “I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me and you still don’t trust me.”

  “Do you trust me?” he said, starting the engine.

  “You put cameras in my flat.”

  “And you knew I would.”

  “What did you think of the show I put on?” she said, conveniently forgetting Cassandra’s advice.

  He thought of that body, all those soft curves and swells combined with those hard lines and swallowed. “I’ve already had the cameras removed.”

  The corner of her mouth lifted into a smile. “I picked Jax last night because I know you’re a boxer and you’re into cage fighting. I thought you’d respect him. Magnificent, isn’t he?”

  It then struck Mikey who the man was. Jackson Driscoll, MMA professional middleweight fighter. Knocked out too many of his opponents to count. Jules was right, he did respect him. He recalled the footage he’d watched of them together - the loll of her head, hair ruffled, the wild clawing of her fingers and he mashed the car into gear. “He’s very good. I’ve got tickets to the fight tonight.”

  “So have I. We could go together.”

  Mikey knew she was issuing him a test of her own, to see if he really was serious about her working for him. If they were seen in public together it would tell everyone she was officially on the Maguire payroll.

  “Okay then,” he eventually said.

  “What time will you pick me up?”

  “Six.”

  “Great. I’ll look forward to it,” she said happily.

  “Are you and Jax together?”

  “No, we’re just fuck buddies.”

  “One thing I should make clear Jules, if we’re going to work together you need to start modulating your language. I want you to be professional and business-like. Using terms like fuck buddies isn’t professional.”

  “We’re not in a meeting, it’s just us two, cousins together, talking.”

  “I still wish you wouldn’t talk to me about your sex life. We barely know each other and it’s not seemly.”

  “Seemly?” she said, raising her eyebrows.

  “Yes, seemly. You will keep your sex life to yourself.”

  “Someone’s repressed.”

  “I am no such thing, I just don’t want to hear about who you’re shagging,” he exclaimed. “End of story.”

  “Fine, you’re the boss.”

  “Yes I am and don’t forget it. It could be dangerous for you.”

  “You threatening me little cuz?”

  “What have I told you about calling me that?” he said, pounding the steering wheel with his palm.

  “I just thought you meant in front of other people. I think it’s cute.�
�

  “It’s not, it’s bloody annoying. Jesus Jules, why do you have to keep getting my back up? When you came out of Cassandra’s office you looked different, more sensible. Now you’re back to your old irritating self.”

  “Did you think half an hour with her would turn me into a different person?”

  “I’d hoped it would.”

  Jules lapsed into silence, unwilling to admit his remark hurt. She’d just been starting to feel quite close to her cousin, which was a lot more than she felt for either of her brothers and he didn’t even like her.

  “Well it fucking didn’t,” she yelled, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound like it did.”

  “It’s alright, I’m used to people not liking me.”

  “You don’t give people a chance to like you. You throw words out like spears to keep them at a distance.”

  “How perceptive,” she said, an indignant ball of anger and scorn. “You should have been a therapist too.”

  They were both relieved when he drove into the car park at the base of the flats. He pulled on the handbrake and turned in his seat to face her. “Right, let’s be really honest here. You don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. Why should we? We were on opposing sides. Despite that I’ve taken a really big chance on you and you took a risk coming back to Manchester with me yet here we both are, still alive and kicking. The only reason I took that chance is because you’re blood. If you weren’t you would be dead by now, make no mistake about that.”

  “No I wouldn’t because I wouldn’t have let you get so close if we hadn’t been related. I’m not fucking stupid.”

  “I apologise, you’re quite right. By the way, until the results from the DNA test I arranged come back you are definitely on a trial period.”

  “I already know what those results will say. Did you honestly think I’d take the word of that pair of perverts? I had a test done five years ago.”

  “How?”

  “From you. I went to the gym where you boxed, broke into your locker and took some strands of hair from your comb. There were a couple of juicy ones with the follicles attached, they’re the best.”

  “Do you still have the results?” he said, face set.

  “I do. Would you like to come up and see?”