Page 49 of Kissing Games
She leaned a little closer. ‘Why did you say I was looking forward to the meal?’ she whispered. ‘Have you seen the menu?’
‘That’s half the reason I’m not going,’ he whispered back. ‘The rest is that I won’t be able to stop myself from punching Vlad.’ He grinned. ‘Want me to cook for you now? Line your stomach with some real food?’
‘What’s on your menu?’
‘Steak and chips?’
‘Sounds perfect.’
16
The castle dining room was ornate and beautiful, with high ceilings and wood panelling. An open fire was burning and candles and flowers decorated the long table. Valentina was warm, full and fuzzy. Even the fact that Vlad was sitting to her right didn’t dampen her mood. He was ignoring her, focusing instead on Kirsten, Zoe, Brad and Barbara. Valentina also felt safe because Rory was sitting at the head of the table, shooting daggers at Vlad, as if waiting for an excuse to skewer him with his steak knife.
The meal Kirsten had planned looked pretty but tasted disgusting, and she was glad she’d eaten half an hour before with Charlie. She absentmindedly moved each course around her plate and sipped champagne as she thought of him, each memory bringing a new rush of delight. She’d only ever been intimate with two other men and the experiences couldn’t compare to what she’d just shared with Charlie, the way he made her feel.
Sparks jolted up her legs and she trembled, picking up her glass and smiling into it as she watched the bubbles rising and popping. Sex with her co-star, Santiago, had been awkward, unpleasant and disappointing. Both of them had been virgins and he had decided to educate himself by watching pornography. By the time Valentina had realised sex didn’t have to be like that, she’d been put off trying it again for years. After they split up, she became deliberately standoffish with any man who approached, her walls impregnable.
But then she met Bryce, a stuntman. He was an Australian wanting to make it big in LA and had the looks: sun-bleached blond hair, bright blue eyes, washboard abs. And he had the moves, a seemingly laid-back attitude and the ability to charm man, woman or beast. She was a stepping stone for him, a way to advance his career, but she had fallen deep. That was until he tried to make money by selling photos he’d taken of her. They weren’t nudes but they were candid and intimate. She felt like he’d ripped out her soul. After Santiago, sex with Bryce had seemed amazing. But now, thinking back, even that had been another act, a performance. He never made her feel an ounce of what Charlie had.
She squeezed her legs together. She was certain that anything he did to her would be mind-blowing. But what could she do for him? How could she be good enough? A pang of unease pricked her happy bubble. What if he didn’t like what was under her clothes? What if he thought she was too small, her breasts too big? Did he expect her to shave her pubic hair? Santiago and Bryce wanted that, but it made her uncomfortable. The regrowth was itchy and the ingrowing hairs were annoying and painful.
And if Charlie didn’t mind what was under her clothes, how could she give him pleasure when she didn’t know how to do it right? She had tried her best with Bryce and he had been helpful, but most of his instructions started ‘no, not like that’. Her stomach knotted. She couldn’t allow herself to go through that humiliation again. She’d talk to Charlie later. Explain things couldn’t go any further. She sighed. Now it was her heart that knotted. She picked up a chocolate from the plate in front of her. At least this tasted good. If in doubt, chocolate was always the answer.
Rory stood and addressed their end of the table. ‘Please excuse us and continue your evening. Zoe is not feeling well.’
Zoe’s face was pinched and she was holding her stomach.
‘What’s wrong?’ Valentina asked.
‘I’ve got a bit of a tummy ache. I think I just need to lie down,’ Zoe replied through gritted teeth.
Kirsten waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. ‘Oh, I get bloating all the time. You need a peppermint tea and a massage from His Holiness. He’s trained in Howanda massage. It draws out toxins.’
Vlad raised his arms and Valentina instinctively recoiled.
He waved his spindly fingers at Zoe. ‘I will come to your room and give you my healing touch.’
Her face went white and Rory’s hardened. ‘That won’t be necessary,’ he replied brusquely, putting his arm around his girlfriend and ushering her away.
The moment Rory and Zoe had gone, the nexus of power that bound the table together collapsed like a dying sun. Brad usually liked to be the centre of the universe, but when Rory left he turned his attention exclusively to Barbara, leaving a vacuum that Vlad expanded to fill. He stretched out, manspreading as far as his cassock would allow, and every cell in Valentina’s body screamed at her to flee. She made her excuses and left.
She still hadn’t given Charlie her number so had no idea how to get in touch with him if he wasn’t in his room. She walked to his door and knocked nervously, her stomach twisting.
He flung it open and her jaw dropped. He was shirtless, a pair of jeans slung so low on his hips she could see he wasn’t wearing underwear.
‘Ready to go?’ he asked with a grin.
Ten minutes later,she was walking through Kinloch engulfed in her winter clothes, a bag containing towels over her shoulder. Her stomach turned over with every step.
‘Youpromiseyou won’t look,’ she implored.
Charlie stopped and took her hands in his. ‘Yes. For the—’ he looked up, scrunching his face, then back at her with a smile ‘—fifty-fourthtime, I promise I won’t look at you.’
She gave a ‘humph’ and carried on walking, still holding one of his warm hands. She felt so safe with him, even though sensation was rushing up her arm like sparkles of light. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ she babbled nervously. ‘It’s crazy. I must be out of my mind. What would my…’ she broke off, pressing her lips closed.
‘Your mum? Your sister? Your grandmothers? What would they say?’ She didn’t need to look at him to know he was smiling broadly. ‘Shall we give them a call and find out?’
‘My phone’s stopped working and my tablet’s back at the castle,’ she replied grumpily.
