Page 16 of Wild Tonic
Parker looked around at the other three people in the bar. There was an elderly couple, maps and leaflets spread across the table in front of them. He’d heard them speaking in German and he doubted either of them had any idea who Lexi was. The only other person was the barmaid, who he thought was Eastern European. While she may have been able to identify his slightly crazy ex, she had an apparent lack of interest in anything that was going on in front of her, evidenced by the huge sigh that had greeted Parker’s request for a drink.
Lexi slid a card key across the table. “Room four seventeen. Give me a few minutes and then come up,” she whispered.
He almost laughed at her over-dramatic performance. Maybe she’d got a new part and was practising on him. Lexi looked around to make sure she wasn’t being watched and headed over to the lift. She blew him a kiss as the doors closed behind her.
After a couple of minutes, Parker got up and followed her, shaking his head as he did so, cursing himself for falling for her histrionics. He knocked on the door and waited. Lexi answered, sticking her head out and glancing up and down the corridor. She grabbed his arm and hauled him in to the room.
“Quick, I don’t want anyone to see you.”
For a room that Lexi had allegedly booked just on a whim, it was impressive. A huge four poster bed dominated the space, with huge armchairs set into the bay window and a mahogany coffee table in between. There was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and two glasses on the table, a welcome note sticking up from the ice. A vase of red roses stood on the dresser and there were rose petals and mini chocolates on the bed and pillows.
A frown creased Parker’s forehead. Just exactly why had Lexi brought him here? She had taken off her coat and was dressed simply in a pair of skinny jeans and a flowered top that clung to her like a second skin. As usual, she was wearing heels. It didn’t look much like a seduction outfit.
“What’s with the flowers and champagne?” he asked. He shrugged off his own suit jacket and loosened his tie.
“It was the only package available. I guess they get a lot of couples here.” She popped open the bottle and poured them both a glass. “I didn’t want to sit in public and talk about what I need to talk about.” She shuddered. “It’s, well, it’s gross.”
He remembered the phrase ‘sex tape’ from her original messages. If she was planning on showing him that, then she was right, it really didn’t need an audience.
Lexi necked her drink in one go, quickly replenishing her glass. The last thing Parker wanted was for her to be drunk, so he tried to steer her back to the conversation.
“Sit down and tell me everything.”
She did as she was told and Parker sat in the other chair.
“You remember Tommy Nelson?” she began.
Parker did. Only too vividly, unfortunately. It was the sight of Lexi’s co-star’s penis that had ended his and Lexi’s relationship. “Yes.”
“And you know that we had a thing, but it didn’t last all that long.”
“The pair of you split up almost before you’d had chance to move everything out of the flat.” Parker tried not to be bitter. The fact she’d thrown a good twelve month relationship down the drain on the basis of a bit of fun, which then ended only a few weeks later, really ground his gears. Then again, he wouldn’t have found Poppy if that had been the case and he certainly felt happier now.
Lexi couldn’t meet his eyes, her head bent down, blonde hair falling over her face, her gaze trained firmly on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “If I’d have ignored him and stayed with you, then none of this would be happening.”
“What is it? Tell me, Lexi.”
“I, I don’t think I can.”
“If you don’t tell me, then I can’t help you.” Parker started to stand up, but Lexi reached out and grabbed his arm.
“No! Please don’t go! I’ll tell you everything.” She brushed a tear away and composed herself, before taking a huge slug of champagne. “Tommy was, um, adventurous.”
“That was kind of obvious from the pictures he sent you.” Lexi shot daggers at him and he held his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Carry on.”
Parker listened while Lexi told him the whole sordid story. It turned out that Tommy didn’t just like to take pictures and film himself, he liked to include his partner in it too. More tears fell down Lexi’s face as she told Parker about the time she’d gotten drunk and agreed to take part in one of his games, not knowing that he’d been filming her. They had indulged in a little tying up and Tommy had used a vibrator on Lexi as she was bound and gagged. He was now threatening to expose the pictures and film clip all over social media if she didn’t give him the money he wanted. His career hadn’t gone the same way as Lexi’s after they had been in a short indie film together. While Lexi had become more famous, he’d only managed to get a bit part on a daytime soap.
“Why on earth did you get yourself into that situation in the first place?” asked Parker, once she’d finished speaking.
“I was drunk!” She sobbed. “I know it was stupid. I didn’t know what he was doing.”
“You should go to the police.”
“And tell them what?”
“Tommy can’t go around blackmailing you over this; it’s illegal for a start.” Parker pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and fired up an internet browser.
