Male Review (9 page)

“She’s not working at a bar, and I am not wearing that getup.”

Laura grinned. “Are you going to tell her that?”

Meg felt her pulse thumping in her head. She needed to go before she really lost her temper and hit someone, or had a brain hemorrhage and died.

Chapter Seventeen

Sam tried to focus on the cardboard box on the table, and then on the cards in his hands. Neither made any sense to him.

“More pizza, mate?”

The hairy thickset man to his right lifted the box and waved it under his nose. He inhaled as the scent of tomato sauce tickled his nostrils. Carefully, he reached out and grabbed a piece. After taking a large bite he mhmmd his appreciation.
God bless the Italians.

“You in?”

“In?”

“Poker?”

Sam gave up looking at his cards and placed them face down on the dining room table. “I … I … fold.”

“Robert, how much scotch did you feed this boy before we arrived? He’s only on his second glass and he can barely mumble his name.”

“We had a couple. Give Sam a break. He’s a good boy. He’s dating my Maggie.”

The skinny dude on Sam’s left dropped some notes on the table and called his bet before blowing out a breath. “Brave man. How does Vivienne feel about that?”

Robert snorted around the cigar he had just lit. “Who cares? It’s not her life, and she’s not here, is she? So, are we playing or jabbering?”

The sound of the front door opening had the men frozen in the moment. Sam struggled to get to his feet. If he got as far away from the devastation as possible, Mrs. Riley might think he had nothing to do with it. He swayed a little, but managed to cross the room and reach the kitchen bench, glad to use it as support.

“Dad!”

The voice wasn’t Mrs. Riley’s.

“Sam?”

He focused on the vision of loveliness in front of him. She looked mad. Positively fierce. Jesus, he wanted her. She was gorgeous when she was angry.

“Meg. God, I love you. Let’s go to bed.” Sam punctuated his comments with a loud belch.

One of the men at the table snorted. “He’s a real Romeo. How could any girl refuse such a romantic proposal?”

*

Meg turned her gaze on the man and the smile disappeared from his face. “I hope you’re planning on helping to clean up before my mother gets home.”

Anyone would think she had lobbed a hand grenade into the middle of the table and shouted ‘incoming.’ The two men so intent on poker a few minutes ago, jumped to their feet.

The taller of the two patted her dad on the shoulder. “Thanks for the pizza, but I think I better get going. Marion wanted some help hanging the new curtains.”

The other man scurried out the front door without a word. Meg’s dad got to his feet, stubbed his cigar out on one of the saucers from her mother’s favorite tea set, and pocketed the cash. “I knew it was too good to last. Is she with you?”

Meg used the fact that Sam had draped himself over her, intent on getting a handful of anything he could, to propel him to the sofa. They landed together, but she was too quick for him and left him lying alone while she stood and turned her attention back to her father.

Meg put her hands on her hips. “No, she isn’t, which is just as well. Do you have a death wish?”

He chuckled. “You remind me of her when you get mad. She can be one hell of a woman.”

“If you want a smack upside the head you’re going the right way about it.”

A groan that appeared to be a result of unrequited lust floated up from the semi-comatose body on the sofa.

“Seems young Sam agrees with me. There’s something really sexy about a woman intent on getting her way.” He let out a loud sigh.

Meg crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her dad, accepting a big bear hug before looking up at him. “You do still love her, don’t you?”

He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “For my sins. Why don’t you put the kettle on and make lover boy a coffee while I clean up?”

The house was looking almost normal by the time she had filled three cups with coffee. She crossed to the sofa, placed a coaster on the table and deposited the cup before helping Sam into a sitting position. Her dad grinned as she removed Sam’s wandering hand from inside her T-shirt.

“He’s a cute drunk.”

“If you think he’s so cute, why don’t you let him grope you?”

Her dad chuckled as he pulled a chair out from the freshly polished dining table and sat down. “Not sure I have the equipment to keep him amused for long.”

Meg sat in the chair next to him and rested her chin in the heel of her hand. “What are we going to do about Mum?”

“People have been asking me that ever since I married her, poppet. She’ll come around. Give her some time to digest what I told her.”

“What did you tell her? Did you fight because of me?”

“Yes and no. Have you seen the paper?”

Meg let out a loud sigh. “Not the newspaper thing again. Mum mentioned it, but she wouldn’t actually tell me what they’d printed. What does it say?”

Her dad got up, retrieved
The Clarion,
and set it open on the table at page two. Meg read the headline and stared at the picture, which was definitely not a shot of her best side. Maud looked good, though. The article made the whole episode sound way more sordid than had been the case, although Laura hiring Michael to work as a prostitute, and then taking a booking from Maud, was pretty gross. Even worse, she used an up-market hotel for the illegal tryst and left Meg to come to the rescue when the whole episode went tits up.

“This wasn’t my fault.”

“I’m not judging you, Meg. You’re an adult, as is Maud. No matter what you do, you’re still my baby girl. Your mother needs to realize sex happens. She was hell bent on us selling up, kidnapping you, and moving away to start a new life so we could save your reputation.”

“She wants me to go to a women’s retreat with her.”

“What about Sam?”

Meg glanced over at her lover, who was intent on drinking his coffee, apparently oblivious to his surroundings. “I don’t think he could pass himself off as a woman.”

Her dad chuckled. “I said some harsh things to Vivienne, but it was time someone set her straight. She’ll come around, but like I told Sam, we need to play the long game.”

Meg wrinkled her brow. In all her years she never once recalled her dad putting his foot down and telling her mother anything. What had been so important he would risk his marriage for it?

“What did you say to her?”

He rubbed his hand over his face. “She didn’t tell you?”

Meg shook her head. “Nope. Just said you were insufferable.”

“I told her some people enjoyed sex and she should lighten up and stop being frigid.”

Meg felt her eyes all but popping out of her head. “You said what?”

“She never used to be this way. Before Sian was born she used to chase me around the house, naked.”

Meg put her hands over her ears. “I so do not want that picture in my head.”

Her dad roared with laughter. “And yet you were fine about playing hide the salami in your mother’s kitchen at my birthday party.”

Heat crept into her face.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about. Just don’t ever forget sex is fun. I’m sure Sam would agree?”

Sam turned his head. “Sir?”

“Robert. The name’s Robert, son. I said I’m sure you would agree that sex is supposed to be fun.”

Sam turned a deep shade of red, spluttering on his coffee.

Chapter Eighteen

Meg pulled her car into the curb and let out a sigh. Sam reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

“Sorry I got drunk. I don’t think I helped much.”

“You tried your best and at least you cheered my dad up. I guess we need to go with Plan B.”

“How long until your dad thinks she’ll forgive him?”

“I’m not sure he wants to be forgiven. He wants the woman he married back, although the thought of her chasing him around the house makes me shudder.”

Sam laughed. “As much as I don’t want to consider your mother’s love life, things would be simpler if she had something to distract her and less time to be looking into other people’s business.”

She climbed from the driver’s seat and into Sam’s lap. He hugged her close and she snuggled into his embrace. “Wouldn’t it be great if it was just the two of us?”

“It will be, soon. We just need to get your mum to move back in with your dad and set Maud up in an old people’s home.”

“That might take weeks. I wish we had got together sooner. All those months we lived alone and the best we could do to amuse ourselves was eat ice cream.”

A laugh rumbled in his chest. “Ice cream can be lots of fun, depending on who you eat with and what you eat it off.”

“What if I go to jail? We might never get to be alone again.”

Sam took a deep breath, his chest expanding beneath her head. “You’re not going to jail, and even if you did, I’d be here waiting for you when you got out.”

Meg shifted and met his gaze. “You should move on with your life. You can’t afford to wait for me.”

He grabbed a handful of her hair, tipping her head back and stared fiercely at her. “You can get that thought right out of your head. You’re not a serial killer so you won’t be getting a life sentence. I don’t care what it takes; you’re stuck with me. When are you going to accept this is for keeps? I love you.”

A thrill shivered through her. She loved that he was so dominant, demanding, and hot.

“If I didn’t love you, do you think I would still be here living with the crazies that keep lining up to move in with us?”

Meg smiled. He had a point. Just how many nutty relatives would need to arrive to force him out?

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and slow, drawing his tongue back into her mouth. Something stirred beneath her thighs. Her nipples pebbled and warmth spread below her waistline in response. They finally pulled apart and she let out a loud sigh. The embrace had certainly revved his engine and her motor was purring nicely, but they couldn’t sleep in the car. She seriously doubted they’d manage to do much in the car. Next time she went car shopping she planned to upgrade to something bigger with plenty of room to maneuver should the need or desire arise.

“I love you too, but we can’t hide in here all night.”

Sam looked out the window. “The lights are off. Do you think everyone is in bed?”

“I guess, unless they all left.”

“Unlikely. Where do you think your mother has set up camp?”

Meg climbed out. “Only one way to find out.”

They walked to the house hand in hand. She retrieved the key, slid it in the lock and opened the door. Silence, perfect silence, and no sign of life. She flicked on the light. The sofa was empty, so her mother must have stolen someone’s bed.

“You want to wait here and I’ll go check out where everyone is? If she took my place with Maud maybe I can share your bed with you.”

Sam chuckled. “Not going to happen. The knowledge your mother might find out we’re sleeping together would keep you tossing and turning all night, and I need my beauty sleep.”

Meg left him to lock the front door and headed up the hallway to check out the sleeping arrangements. She didn’t need to open the door to Sam’s bedroom to know who had taken his bed. Her mother had a distinct snore. That must mean she had to sleep with Maud and Sam got the couch. She would need to creep in to his room and retrieve what he needed for the morning, but first she should go and get the spare blankets and pillows from the top of her wardrobe.

Her bedroom door was shut. If Maud was asleep, tough titties, maybe a few rude awakenings would make her behave next time they went old folk’s home shopping. Maud had a habit of showing herself up, mostly with the males of the species. Inmates and nurses were equally likely to get a grope from the randy old lady. Meg shoved the door open and flicked on the light.

A body moved under the blankets and a bald male head appeared. A yell from the bed drowned out Meg’s screams. Maud sat up and stared at Meg. “What the hell are you doing? You scared Eric half to death. We’re trying to sleep here.”

Meg spluttered for words. Her palm pressed to her chest in an effort to slow her racing heart. Sam stepped into the room and rested his hand on Meg’s shoulder.

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Fine. I just got a fright.”

Eric sat up, retrieved what appeared to be a dead rabbit from the bedside table and shoved it on his head. He was bald. Not everywhere though. His sudden desire to cover up his white pate had revealed way more of his body than she ever needed to see. He might be fit, but he wasn’t her cup of tea. Whether she wanted him or not, he did appear to be naked, and was definitely in her bed.
Oh God, did that mean?
No. Oh heavens, no way.

Meg barely managed to squeak out, “Did you have sex in my bed?” as her throat constricted and her head thumped a samba beat. She was definitely having an unhealthy reaction. She’d always suspected she would develop an allergy to nuts, and there were two of them naked and under the blankets, with a woman who should be more interested in pinochle than penises.

Maud shrugged. “What of it? This is my bed too. It’s not like you give the springs a workout. Mr. Manderson at my Zumba class used to work in a mattress factory. He says you need to have vigorous sex often to help loosen the springs. After seeing you the other night, he even offered to come over and help you out, but I told him I thought you had probably healed over with the amount of use you get.”

Meg decided to ignore the comment. Arguing would just prolong things and Eric needed to get out before things got any worse. Maud would keep for another day.

“What about my mother?” Meg glanced behind her, but there was no sign of her mother.

“Your mother’s too uptight to have sex with your father, never mind Mr. Manderson. Besides she’s not his type. He prefers bimbos.”

As usual when Maud got involved in a conversation the whole thing was out of control and slowly sliding toward epic farce. Why couldn’t she live with normal people? And what did the comment about the bimbos mean? Meg was sure she wasn’t a bimbo, or at least she hadn’t been the last time she checked her reflection. Perhaps hanging around with Laura was having a bad influence on her wardrobe choices. “I’m not talking about Mr. Manderson, I’m talking about you two.” She waved her arms toward the bed.