by Lazeema Haq
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Oh yeah, sounds really romantic.”
“What doesn’t break us will make us stronger.”
Vesper chuckled. “You’re such a loser.”
“Bet you’re going to miss me when I’m away.”
“Eh, maybe.”
“I expect tons of naked pics. The nakeder, the better.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And naked videos.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anything else, master?”
“Now that you mention it –”
She covered his face with kisses before he could continue.
Chapter Sixteen
Vesper couldn’t believe how much she hated the idea of Tristan leaving for two weeks. Even though they didn’t see each other every day, she liked knowing he was close by, only a phone call away if she wanted to see him. Immediately she chastised herself for being such a mess. When did she become so frickin’ pathetic?
“Daydreaming about your other boyfriends?”
Tristan’s voice brought her out of her reverie, and she squeezed his hand in return. They were walking to the airport terminal where he’d be departing from, and she was already dreading having to say goodbye. “Yup,” she replied, feigning a bright smile. “Planning to meet up with them after you take off.”
“That soon, huh?”
“I get lonely.”
Tristan chuckled.
Shortly after checking in his luggage, they took a seat in an isolated corner.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he teased, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “You can still come with me.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“I didn’t think I actually could.”
She turned towards him, scowling. “You’re kidding me, right?”
His eyes darkened, a blank expression covering his face. “I thought maybe you were looking forward to me leaving.”
“Why would you say that?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “You like your space.”
“So do you, but that doesn’t mean I want you to go.” The fact that he actually believed that troubled her. Instinctively, she reached up to cradle his face. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
Relief swept across his features, and he gave her a shy smile in return. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she replied, grinning. “Try not to fall for any English chicks while you’re there, ok?”
“I can’t make any promises. They’re pretty frickin’ hot.”
“Jerk.”
“You remember our deal, right?”
“What deal?”
“That you’d text me hot pics every day. Do that and I won’t cheat.”
“And they say romance is dead.”
He tucked in a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “So, what do you think?”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Guess that’s a start.”
They sat there for a while, not saying anything, their hands joined together. Vesper felt that emotional tug in her heart again and she wanted to kick herself. What was wrong with her? This kind of behaviour wasn’t typical of her. Maybe it was the birth control pills she’d recently started taking. It could be they were messing with her body and fucking up her hormones. Yeah, that had to be it. That was why she was almost on the verge of tears right now.
“I should get going,” Tristan said.
Remaining silent, she stood up with him and they both walked together to the security gates. When they reached as far as she was allowed to go with him, she spoke again. “Call me when you get in, okay?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, staring down at her with concern.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“Liar. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You’ll mock me if I do.”
“I’ll do that anyway so you might as well spill.”
“I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me. I’m just… I really don’t want you to go.”
Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head. “I knew there was a clingy girlfriend underneath that ice-cold bitch mask.”
“Shut up.”
“You really are going to miss me, aren’t you?”
She didn’t say anything. Instead she stood on her tip-toes, curving her hand around his neck while the other fisted his hair, and pressed her lips against his. Kissing him with the urgency she couldn’t express in words, she showed him exactly how much he meant to her, and he returned her kiss with equal fervour. It was only when her brain started screaming for oxygen that she pulled away.
He groaned with frustration, still clinging to her. “You kiss me like that when I’m about to fucking leave?”
“I wanted to give you something to remember me by.”
“Like I could forget you.”
“Okay, enough of this sappiness,” she said, tugging on the lapels of his jacket. “Call me.”
“Will do.”
He grazed her temple with a tenderness that made her heart melt and then, suddenly, he squeezed her ass.
“Tristan!”
“Don’t forget our deal,” he said, flashing a wink as he walked away.
She watched after him, a mixture of emotions surging through her.
*****
It had only been a few days since he’d arrived in London but Tristan couldn’t wait to return home. In the past these trips had been a huge blast, work intermingled with fun, lucrative deals made in meeting rooms and pubs alike. This was one of the few times in the year he was able to catch up with not only old acquaintances but also competitors who worked in other parts of the world, giving him the perfect opportunity to size up the competition and gauge their strengths and weaknesses. And then there were the women. Beautiful, gorgeous women. This time around, however, he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy any of them and he knew exactly why. Vesper. She was changing him, slowly, and he was only now beginning to realise how uncomfortable that made him. Yet, he couldn’t imagine not being with her.
It terrified him how much he missed her, the sound of her voice, her smile, everything about her. Hell, even the way she snapped at him when they argued. His conscience perked up for the millionth time that day, reminding him once again of his true intentions for coming to England. And how Vesper would react if she ever found out. Right away he gave himself a mental shake, jostling the unpleasant thoughts from his brain. In need of a distraction, he picked up his cell and called her. It was almost three in the morning in London, but Vesper was six hours behind and probably just returning home from work.
She picked up after the fourth ring. “Hello?”
“What are you wearing?” he murmured seductively.
“A parka.”
“Bet you look hot in it.”
“So hot I’m sweating buckets.”
“Sexy.” Her soft laughter evoked an image of her lying naked in his bed, smiling up at him; it was enough to get him excited. Fuck. “When did you get in?” he asked, hoping the change of subject would serve as a temporary distraction.
“I didn’t go to work. I’ve been home the whole day.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Midterm, remember?”
“So you played hooky from work?”
“I did,” she bragged. “Face it, Winthrop. I’m a badass.”
“Who skipped work to hit the books. Yeah, babe, you’re such a badass,” he mocked.
“Shut up.”
“Then again, you did send me very naughty pictures of yourself.”
He didn’t have to see her face to know she was blushing at his comment, but then she surprised him with her teasing tone.
“You better have
kept up your end of the bargain, Tristan.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve kept my eyes off hot chicks.”
“And your hands?”
“Well, they’ve been glued to one particular area of my body after you sent the first picture.”
“Hmm… I wonder if it’s the same part I’ve been fantasizing about.”
“You’re a fucking tease, Vesper.”
“Isn’t that what you like about me?” she asked with a seductive whisper.
His body reacted instantly. “No.”
“Then it’s a good thing my other boyfriend appreciates it.”
“You’re going to pay for that when I get back,” he growled.
“Sounds fun.”
“For me maybe, not so much for you or that sassy mouth of yours. You’ll be begging me to stop by the time I’m done with you.”
“I don’t beg.”
“Oh, you will.”
“We’ll see.”
For the next hour he told her in very specific details exactly what he intended to do with her, and she listened to him intently the entire time, her breathing growing ragged, getting herself off to the sound of his voice.
*****
“The sex was that great, huh?”
Jessica’s curious voice brought Vesper crashing back to reality, and she glanced up at her friend with an innocent smile. “What?”
“You have the same smile on your face that my roommate gets after he’s gotten some.”
“You’re imagining things.”
Jessica glared at her suspiciously. “And you’ve been really cheerful lately.”
“Is that a crime?”
“It should be when you’re not sharing details. So, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Unfortunately she knew that wouldn’t appease her friend at all as Jessica was stubborn and wouldn’t stop haranguing her for details. Besides, for the first time Vesper actually wanted to talk about her relationship. “If I tell you, you promise not to make a big deal out of it?”
Jessica sat up straight, beaming. “I swear.”
“Fine. If you must know, I’ve been seeing Tristan for a while.”
“Tristan? I thought you said he was a jerk and you were done with him.”
Not exactly the reaction Vesper was expecting. “I was wrong about him.”
“I know he’s hot and loaded–”
“That’s not why I’m with him.”
“I know, you’re not like his usual crowd. I’m just… I worry about you, you know? Tristan isn’t exactly nice.”
“Neither am I.”
There was a brief pause between them. Eventually Jessica flashed a small smile. “You know what you’re doing. You don’t need advice from me.”
“I don’t,” Vesper said. “But thanks for looking out for me.”
“Just be careful with him, and be safe. From everything I’ve heard, he’s a player.”
“I know. I’ve seen him in action myself,” Vesper sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “But he’s different with me. Don’t get me wrong, he can still be a major asshole, but there’s a side of him that’s sweet, and kind, and he just gets me.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“No.”
“How’s the sex?”
A slow blush spread across her cheeks, and Vesper purposely kept her eyes glued to the table so as not to meet Jessica’s intrusive glance.
“Vesper, please tell me you’ve slept with him.”
“I haven’t. Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because what?”
“I’m just… I want to take my time with him.”
“Wow,” Jessica leaned back, staring at her with an amazed expression. “I don’t know where you get your willpower from. I would not be able to keep my hands off of him.”
Vesper laughed. “It’s not easy.”
“And he hasn’t pressured you?”
“Nope. Never.”
“I bet he guilt-trips you into giving him blow jobs though.”
Vesper quirked her eyebrow. “He doesn’t have to use guilt-trips to get that.”
Jessica smirked. “Oh, really?”
“Shut up, Jess.”
“You sure there’s nothing wrong with him? He seems too good to be true.”
“Jessica!”
“Maybe he’s fucking other women behind your back.”
“No,” Vesper insisted, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“Come on, you can’t be that naive.”
“I’m not. I know Tristan, he’s not like that.” Although Tristan refused to talk about his parents explicitly, he had dropped a few hints here and there. From everything he said, Vesper gathered Arthur had screwed around on Tristan’s mother throughout their entire marriage which was one of the reasons he hated his dad so much. Maybe she was being gullible but considering Tristan’s determination to not be anything like his father, she didn’t think he would make those same mistakes – especially after witnessing how much that kind of behaviour hurt his mother.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I trust him. And he’s always brutally honest, no matter what. If he was sleeping around or even wanted to fuck other women, he would tell me.”
“So you know he’s not cheating on you because he would tell you if he did want to cheat? That’s kinda messed up.”
Vesper knew there was no way Jessica would understand, and she really didn’t want to waste any more time explaining herself. “Jessica, it works for us. That’s all you need to know.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“Can we stop talking about this?”
“Alright. But only if you promise me something.”
“What now?”
“When you do sleep with him, you have to give me every single detail.”
Laughing, Vesper threw a napkin at Jessica.
*****
Tristan was sitting in a dimly-lit corner of the hotel bar, nursing a glass of scotch in his hands. A part of him felt sick to his stomach for what he about to do next but he reminded himself this was for the best. He was doing what needed to be done. His phone rang and he cast a quick glance at the screen. Vesper. Even as he hit the ignore button, guilt came over him. However, his resolve strengthened the moment he spotted Lily approaching him from the opposite corner of the bar.
His ex-girlfriend was dressed in a conservative black dress that revealed nothing yet still made her look unbelievably sexy. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, making her look more elegant than she usually did. Of all the women in his past, she was the most beautiful and that still remained true. Tall and slender, Lily could have easily been a model but she’d chosen a career in law instead. Her ambition was one of the things he admired most about her, and tonight he’d use it to get what he wanted.
There was a wary look in her eyes as she took the seat across from him, his gaze automatically drawn to the hideous engagement ring on her hand. Seeing it made him want to rip it off but he refrained from doing so.
“What do you want, Tristan? Why did you call me here?”
He sneered. “No hi, hello? Is that any way to treat your future step-son slash ex-boyfriend?”
She flinched, guilt flashing across her face. “Look, I’m sorry about how things turned out.”
“Don’t patronise me, Lily.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
“Oh, how I’ve missed our small talks,” he retorted with a sigh.
She shot him a look of disdain. “I don’t have time for your jokes. I’m busy.”
“And here I thought you were on a romantic trip with my
dear old dad. How is he, by the way?”
Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. “What do you want me to say? I didn’t mean for things to turn out the way it did, but I can’t help how I feel.” Her eyes locked with his again. “You and I broke up months before I started dating Arthur.”
His jaw clenched. “Or maybe you were fucking him the entire time you were with me.”
“No! That’s not what happened.”
“Why would I believe you?”
“Because there’s no point in lying to you.”
He downed the rest of his drink, slamming the glass on the table. “Did you ever love me?”
She bit her lip. “I cared about you, but it wasn’t love. At least not the way I love Arthur.”
“Fuck you!”
“Don’t act like we had some amazing relationship, Tristan. We barely spent any time together.”
“Fine. Whatever, but that doesn’t mean you get hitched to my dad. Why are you with him? He’s an asshole.”
She shook her head no. “He’s not. He’s wonderful, and he sees me for who I really am.”
“A blonde half his age with big tits and a great ass?” She stood up to leave when he leaned forward, closing his hand around her wrist. “Sit. Down.”
“Why? So you can insult me some more?”
“Because you’re going to want to listen to what I have to say next. Trust me.”
She sat down reluctantly, glaring at him.
“You’re going to dump the old man,” he ordered, his voice laced with authority. “Tell him you’re done with him, that you don’t love him anymore.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Completely.”
“No. I’m not going to leave Arthur.”
“Yes you are, Lily.” He picked up his phone and scrolled to find the pictures that were still saved on his cell. “Or these will end up circulating through your firm’s email and I don’t think you want that.” He pushed his phone towards her, watching as she picked it up and focused on the naked pictures of herself. As the blood drained from her face, that horrible knot in his stomach worsened – but he told himself to hold it together.
“No, you wouldn’t do that,” she said, dropping the phone in disgust. “You know this would ruin me, my career. I have a reputation, Tristan!”
