Page 76 of Bad Influence
‘In what sort of way?’
‘Do you ever stop asking questions, Amber?’ He smiled. I stared at him in fascination, searching his face for a fault. The messiness of his past only made him more attractive in this moment.He does have quite a big nose. But it’s a handsome big nose.
‘Sorry. I’ll change the subject,’ I replied. ‘Isn’t thisview incredible?’ I looked out at the twinkling lights of Tinseltown beneath us.
‘More questions. Yes, it is.’
‘Look at the tiny cars, like beetles crawling along streets.’
‘What are youtalkingabout?’Now it was his turn to search my face with bemusement.
Is he laughing at me?
I opened my mouth to say something, but Jimi gently put a finger to my lips. He fixed his eyes on me. I swallowed. His touching my lips felt intimate. It was presumptuous, perhaps, but he judged correctly that I didn’t mind the closeness. Something stirred in me. Reading the unspoken signs, Jimi moved his finger and took this moment to lean forwards and hold my face in his hands. I didn’t move away or do anything about it, because it felt as though time was frozen. I stared at him, weighing him up, thinking that there really was no way of looking at Jimi and not liking what you saw.Even the slightly big nose.He had this power to make me feel like the most fascinating person on the planet.
A heartbeat later, his lips were on mine. My eyes were wide open, I felt surprised and excited at the same time about the novelty of someone new. It felt nice.
My body must have tensed.
‘Relax,’ he whispered, his hands moved around my head, his fingers were in my hair. And then our lips joined again. He felt soft and tender, and although there was no suggestion of a probing tongue finding its way in, to be completely honest, I would not have complained if it had. A few seconds later, he pulled away. It had been a lovely,impulsive, longer-than-was-strictly-necessary kiss on the lips. One that left me longing for more.
‘Mierda, you’re a good kisser,’ he said when we were detached from one another.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered back. Then I felt silly for thanking him.
What for?We hadn’t actually properly kissed, had we?
I felt all light, dreamy, and hungry for him. Jimi reached down and took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine just briefly. He squeezed my hand before letting me go, and then sighed. It was the kind of sigh that suggested he was trying really hard to restrain himself.
Then another sigh, the kind that says,I really shouldn’t be doing this.
‘What about your boyfriend?’ he said.
I didn’t know how to respond to that.
‘Now you’re the one asking the questions,’ I said after a moment had passed between us.
I turned towards the table and picked up the bottle of wine, realising it was empty.
‘We’d better not have any more,’ I said unconvincingly, alluding to the fact that I could be very easily persuaded if he were to magically produce more wine. Although I couldn’t be responsible for what might happen if we did.
Jimi smiled and in a new tone of voice said, ‘Tomorrow is a big day, with the launch.’
He’s right, we should call it a night.
We held each other’s gaze for a moment, and I felt an energy between us.
‘I had a lovely evening. Thank you for confiding in me,’ I said softly.
We hugged and when he walked away, I wanted to follow him.
That night, Jimi was stuck inside my head, pulsing through my veins. I felt a physical ache for him to be holding me again; to look at me with those bewitching eyes, with anticipation of what might come. When I fell asleep, I dreamt about his lips meeting mine again – this time getting lost in the softest kisses that would get more firm, more intense, more urgent with each twirl of his tongue against mine, until he was physically pushed against me – and I felt a wet hotness between my thighs. I now understood what Star had meant by ‘Thinking Off’, as I came in my sleep.
The next morning, when my eyes opened with a jolt, I immediately thought of Jimi. I got up and opened my curtains to reveal the terrace and the panoramic view of the city below me – a view that could never get old; a view I could very easily get used to. Then I batted this thought aside and focused my mind on Rob. He and I had dated in the conventional way – meeting at work, dating in pubs, cinemas, and restaurants. We held hands on walks, met each other’s families over congenial dinners, and moved to a new city together. Last night with Jimi, life felt so different, a crazy whirlwind of desire and romance. Our wine glasses and the finished bottle were still on the table. Incriminating evidence.Is this really happening?
Chapter Twenty
It felt great to be in the same city as Vicky and I knew she would give me clarity on the Jimi situation, so I texted her a brief update and she called immediately.
