Beneath This Man (55 page)

‘Oh yes! Jesse crushed him. It was frightening, Ava.’

I laugh to myself. I can imagine. ‘That’s her husband. She asked Jesse to be the third in a threesome. She fell in love with him, left her husband and now has nothing. She wants Jesse. She turned up at
Lusso
and rang his phone. I’ve told Jesse about neither, but I answered the call. She warned me off.’

‘Oh my fucking God!’ Kate flops back on her stool, and I take another glug of wine.

Hearing it all out loud, it sounds ridiculous, crazy, unreal…

‘So, Jesse’s had a threesome?’ she asks.

I frown into my wine glass. ‘Yes, I guess so.’ I hadn’t thought about it. I was too busy trying to work out how I felt about Coral being in love with my boyfriend…fiancé…whatever he is. ‘Fucking hell!’ I exclaim, looking up at Kate, mouth gaping.

Kate starts nodding. ‘Have you just had the same thought I have?’

My wine gets placed on the table, my eyes flicking from Kate’s wide blues to the floor and back again. But then I laugh. ‘No! I saw Jesse’s face when Tom felt him up at the launch night of
Lusso
. There is no way he’s bisexual. Not a chance.’ I grab my wine again. ‘You can have threesomes with two men and a woman; it doesn’t mean that the men have to touch each other.’ Down goes another huge mouthful as I remember the scene from the communal room. None of them men touched each other. The other scenario, the one with two women and one man, starts skipping around my brain, laughing at me. I wipe the back of my hand across my brow, a shimmer of sweat breaking out. I really don’t feel right. Looking up, I see Kate’s face light up as she follows the path of someone approaching behind me. I don’t have to turn around to see who it is.

‘Ladies’!’

I look up and see Sam grinning from ear to ear. What is he doing here? It’s supposed to be a girls’ night out and Kate still hasn’t given her verdict on my current screwed up situation.

He shoves his tongue in Kate’s ear, and I huff to myself. Kate would never let any man invade her girl time. I pick my wine up and down the rest, watching over the rim of my glass as Sam greets Kate and she accepts willingly. If she tries to tell me tomorrow that this is just fun, then I’ll challenge her…hard!

‘I’m going to the toilet.’ I inform them.

‘Okay.’ Kate says idly.

I lower myself to the floor and turn towards the entrance, reaching up to rub my temples in an attempt to sooth my thumping head. As I make my way through the roaring crowd, the sound around me dulls into a faint hum and my head starts spinning slightly. I push my way past the blurry gatherings of people and very nearly have a seizure when I clock Jesse stood a few meters ahead of me in the doorway of the bar.

Oh shit!

I freeze on the spot. I knew he wouldn’t be able to leave me be, not even for a few hours to enjoy a few glasses of well-earned wine. My vision might be challenged, but there is no mistaking the pure fury that’s spread across his handsome features. I don’t know why. I’m not drunk. I’ve had a few glasses of wine, and I’ve enjoyed them. He’s the one with the drink issue, not me.

And with that thought, I stagger slightly again. Maybe I’m just topping up last night’s session.

We stand staring at each other for a few moments, then he starts stalking towards me. I make a grab for a table when I feel my legs wobble and the change in his approaching expression from rage to pure terror is the last thing I see before the black sets in and I become weightless.

Chapter 27

‘Jesse, calm down. She had three glasses of wine. She wasn’t drunk.’

     My eyes are attacked by fluorescent lighting and bright white at every wall. I feel like I’ve been bashed over the head a few times with an iron bar. Where the hell am I? I close my eyes again and reach up to brush away a lock of hair that’s tickling my cheek. The soft contact of my hand on my head stabs at my brain.

     ‘Ava?’ His voice is quiet and his hand clamped around mine. ‘Ava baby, open your eyes.’

I try my best, but it is too bloody painful. Fuck! What is wrong with me? Is this the worse hangover ever? I don’t remember drinking that much.

‘Will someone tell me what the FUCK is going on!’ he roars.

I snap my eyes open again and gaze around my unfamiliar surroundings. The only familiar thing is that irate voice and it’s a strange comfort to me, but God it’s playing havoc with my sensitive head. I reach up to clasp my aching skull.

‘Ava, baby?’

I squint my eyes in an attempt to focus, and I’m met with a green, grief-stricken pair. The feel of his warm palm stroking my head has me groaning in protest. It hurts. ‘Hi.’ I squeak. My throat is raspy and dry.

     ‘Oh, thank fucking God!’ He swaps my face in kisses, and I beat him away. I can’t breathe.

‘Ava, chick. Are you okay?’

I follow the sound of another familiar voice and find Sam leaning over me, looking the most serious I’ve ever seen him. What’s going on?

     ‘Does she fucking look all right?’ Jesse yells in Sam’s face. ‘For fuck sake!’

‘Calm down!’     

I know that voice too. I flick my sensitive eyes around the room and find Kate sat in a chair opposite me. ‘Where am I?’ I ask through my dryness. I need some water.

     ‘You’re in hospital, baby.’ He strokes my face and kisses my forehead again.

What on earth am I doing in hospital? I try to sit up, but I’m met with the full force of Jesse pressing down on me. ‘I need the toilet.’ I grumble, trying to fight him off. I slap his persistent hands away and scramble into a sitting position, prompting my hands to fly up and grasp my head when the full force of gravity crashes in around my brain. Holy shit! This really is the worse hangover ever. I groan and cross my legs in front of me, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

‘I’ll take her.’ I hear Kate volunteer. ‘Ava, come on.’

‘No fucking way!’

I roll my eyes at the sound of the unreasonable voice I love and wait for Kate to retaliate, but nothing follows. ‘I’m fine.’ I snap irritably. I can go to the bloody toilet on my own.

I shift myself to the side of the bed and lower my feet to the floor. My heels are gone.

     ‘I don’t think so, lady.’ He sweeps me up from the side of the bed. ‘Whatever happened to en-suites?’ he mutters as he carries me out of the room and into the corridor. The lights are brighter out here. I shade my eyes from the invasion.

‘Ah! She’s come round.’

     ‘I’m taking her to the bathroom.’ Jesse barks, continuing his long strides to the nearest toilet.

‘Sir, please, we need a urine sample.’

Jesse pauses momentarily, before carrying on his way. I’m placed on my feet and held up while I watch Jesse use his free hand to cake some tissue in anti-bacterial spray and wipe the toilet seat, muttering insults about the NHS and shit cleaners. My dress is pulled up, my knickers down and I’m lowered onto the toilet with a cardboard bowl held under me.

I have no shyness or inhibitions. I release the muscles around my bladder and sigh in relief as the pressure drains. I can’t believe I’m sat on his arm while he holds a pee-pot under me.

‘No stage fright then?’ he asks softly.

     I open my eyes and find him crouched in front of me, his spare palm holding the top of my thigh. His face looks distressed and tired. ‘You’ve fucked me up the arse. I’m coping.’

     ‘Ava, will you watch your fucking mouth?’ he sighs, but there’s relief in his voice.

I’m half tempted to tell him to fetch the anti-bacterial solution and spray it in my mouth, but I’m too busy wracking my brain trying to figure out how I ended up in hospital.  The last thing I remember is seeing Jesse stood in the doorway looking murderous. I remember being both concerned by his expression as he ran towards me and pissed off that he couldn’t leave me in peace for one evening.

I get some crispy, stiff toilet paper and sort myself out. ‘I’m done. Did I pee on you?’ I ask with little concern as I make to stand, giving Jesse just enough time to remove the cardboard bowl before I fall back down onto the seat.

He shoves the bowl on the back of the toilet. ‘No, give me your hands.’

I hold them out and feel Jesse’s hands smother mine, rubbing and working in the anti-bacterial spray. He holds me up and pulls my knickers back up and my dress down, before lifting me into his arms and taking me back to the hospital bed.

     ‘It’s on the back of the toilet.’ he snaps shortly as we pass the nurses’ station. I reluctantly release him as he lowers me onto the hard, crumply bed.

‘Ava, what happened?’ Kate’s voice is laced with complete concern, a rare reaction from her.

‘I don’t know.’ I reply, resting my back against the headboard. I feel incredibly sleepy again.

‘I do!’ Jesse exclaims, looking at me accusingly.

     I use all of my depleted energy to throw him a filthy look. ‘I wasn’t drunk!’

‘You pass out from being sober often, do you?’ he yells.

It makes me wince, piercing at my tender ears. He has the decency to look remorseful when I re-open my eyes.

‘Don’t shout at her!’ Kate defends me. I’m grateful. He throws her a look, stuffs his hands in his jean pockets and starts pacing up and down the room. Sam moves out of his way. He really is quiet for Sam. ‘She had a few glasses of wine. She’s got through two bottles before and not passed out.’ Kate sits next to me and rubs my arm. ‘Did you eat?’

     I cast my mind back. ‘Yes.’ I answer. Jesse fed me all day, between shipping clothes up the stairs and getting his fix of me.

Jesse stops with the pacing, his lip getting a punishing chomp from his teeth. ‘Are you pregnant?’ he asks, watching me carefully and returning to the chomping.

What?

‘No!’ I blurt, shocked at his forwardness, but then I freeze.

Oh good God!

My pills. I’ve not replaced my pills! I suddenly feel faint again. I’m hot too. Oh, what a stupid woman I am. I’ve been having sex like a rabbit and with no protection. How did I let that slip? I glance at Jesse and pull my best unaffected face.

He narrows his eyes on me. ‘Are you sure?’

     ‘Yes!’ I wince at my own shrill voice, tensing my arm to prevent my natural reflex from giving me away. Jesse and everyone else in this room will assume my tone is defensive. It’s not - it’s completely freaked.

‘I’m just asking.’ He resumes pacing.

     ‘What do you remember?’ Kate asks, continuing to stroke my arm.

I reflect on the evening, but I’m struggling to remember anything now. All I can think of is how many pills I’ve missed and what the chances are of me being pregnant. I battle to fight off the worry and try to remember something, anything of last night. I remember Matt, but I won’t be mentioning him. Then I remember the swollen, slicked, ponytailed guy, but I won’t be mentioning him either. I shrug. There isn’t a lot I can say without sending Jesse into neurotic orbit. Oh God, please don’t say I’m pregnant.

‘Hey, chick,’ I feel Sam take my other hand and start circling his thumb in his palm. ‘Think hard, yeah?’

‘I don’t remember.’ I say clearly and concisely, still resisting the temptation to play with my hair. ‘Why is everyone making such a bloody fuss?’ I throw my head back on the pillow again and regret it immediately. I feel like I have iron ball bearings rattling around in there.

I watch as Jesse stalks over to Sam’s side of the bed and growls at him, before shoving him out the way and grabbing my hand. He narrows very angry pools of pissed off on me. ‘Ava, it is four o’clock in the fucking morning!’ He closes his eyes to regain his composure – not that he ever had it. ‘You’ve been out cold for nearly seven hours, so don’t you dare tell me not to make a fucking fuss!’

Seven hours? Shit! I’ve fainted a few times in the past, but only for a few minutes at a time. Seven hours is like a full night’s sleep. Every head in the room turns to the door when a nurse enters. Seven hours?

She gives a very disapproving look. ‘It’s one visitor in the room. You need to leave.’

     I glance at Kate, who glances to Jesse, who completely ignores her. It’s obvious he isn’t going anywhere. I give Kate an apologetic look on behalf of Mr Challenging, and she shakes her head in understanding with a small smile.

‘We’ll go and get something to eat.’ She looks at Sam and he nods his agreement at her suggestion. I feel terrible. Have they been here all night because I’ve had a funny turn?

The nurse sees Kate and Sam out and then returns to the bed to perform her observations. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

     ‘Please.’ I say gratefully. I’m gagging. She looks at Jesse and he shakes his head. He looks like he could do with a brandy. He rests his elbows on the side of the bed and wraps both of his hands around my one, dropping his forehead to the tangled mess of fingers.

I say nothing. I’ve come over all sleepy again, and I haven’t the energy to deal with a Jesse inquisition. I rest my head back and doze off. I could be pregnant and this is really shitty news. He’s going to go absolutely spare.

‘I was told you were awake.’

I open my eyes and find a white cloaked Indian man standing over the bed. ‘Hi,’ I croak.

‘I’m Doctor Manvi. How do you feel, Ava?’ He speaks perfect English, with no hint of an accent.

‘Fine,’ I sigh wearily. ‘My head is banging, but other than that, I’m fine.’ I hear Jesse growl beside me, and I look at him in exasperation. I just want to go home.

‘I’m glad.’ Doctor Manvi shines a light in both of my eyes and pops the pencil like contraption back in his top pocket. ‘Ava, what do you remember about last night?’

If anyone else asks me that bloody question! ‘Not a lot.’ I feel Jesse’s hand lock harder around mine and I turn my head towards him, finding the anger still evident. I feel God awful. I don’t need this.

Doctor Manvi glances at Jesse. ‘You are?’

     ‘Husband.’ he states sharply, without taking his eyes from mine.

My eyes widen, but he’s completely impassive, completely unruffled by my obvious silent challenge. He forgot the ‘
to be’
part.