Page 9 of Musical Games
In the corridor he yanked open the stiff door of the airing cupboard with a bang and grabbed his towel. Slamming the bathroom door shut behind him, he felt for a lock he knew wasn’t there, then pushed a small chrome bin against it. He shook his head. It wouldn’t even keep Liam out. He sighed. He was exhausted. He worked long hours in a physical job. All he wanted at the end of the day was to come home, wash off the dirt from the building site, have a hot dinner, then crash out in front of the telly with a beer.
But after nine hours of dust and dickheads, he’d gone hours out of his way to pick up tropical fruit for a small blonde actress with the smile of a siren and the eyes of a velociraptor. He shuddered. Kirsten Bjorkstrom scared the shit out of him. He’d escaped her clutches only to find his home had been invaded by another small blonde actress. This one with the bright eyes of a summer’s day and a voice that caressed his skin like velvet.
He stared at the bathroom windowsill, an unfamiliar washbag sitting on it. Sam was already everywhere. He angrily tugged off his T-shirt, knocking a cup of toothbrushes off the side of the sink to the floor with a clatter.Fuck’s sake!He put them back, then pulled his work trousers and boxers down over his thickening cock.Seriously?
He stalked into the shower, turning it on and letting the cold water shock some of the stupidity out of his body.This is why you need a girlfriend, idiot.He reached for his shower gel, rubbing it over himself aggressively, trying to ignore his burning need for release. There was no way in hell he was going to give in to that temptation. This had nothing to do with Sam. Any woman could have this effect on him right now.
So, Zoe? Does she get you going like this?The devil on his shoulder piped up smugly.Fuck off, his pissed off inner angel replied. He was just confused, that’s all. He knew Sam was objectively pretty and he liked watching her on the telly. But whenever she opened her mouth on screen it sounded like a lower class cat had been gargling with drain cleaner. He’d seen her in the coffee commercial, but had assumed her voice had been dubbed.
Now she was here. And the reality was nothing like he’d imagined. She was so alive, like a shorting wire he couldn’t control. And her voice. He let out an audible groan and rested his forehead on the back wall of the shower. It was so rich. So smooth and warm. It had run into him like the drugging heat of the finest whisky. He turned the shower to ice cold. He could hold it together until she buggered off back to London. Hewouldhold it together.
‘Jamie!Come on, son. Duncan’s here and Dinner’s on the table!’
He was sitting on the edge of his bed reading a book when his mother bellowed up the stairs. Despite how knotted his stomach was he couldn’t put off going down any longer. He wished he’d taken the half-finished bottle of Prosecco into the shower. He needed something to smooth and soften the edges of his irritation. He didn’t want to be rude to Sam, but he didn’t want her there and felt stretched to the point of snapping.
Following everyone into the dining room, he waited until his mum sat Sam next to her, then moved to the other end of the table between his sister and Zoe. They would be his buffer. He knew where he stood with them. His mum had gone to town as per usual, cooking a pork roast and extra crackling, apple sauce, goose fat roast potatoes and vegetables drowning in butter. Zoe nudged him and he glanced up to see his mother holding Sam’s hand on her left and Duncan’s on her right. He took Zoe and Fiona’s and closed his eyes.
‘Dear you upstairs,’ began Morag. ‘Bless this family and bless this meal. Thank you for bringing Sam into our lives and keep safe in your love the ones who are no longer with us. Amen.’
A squeeze rippled through everyone’s hands and Jamie opened his eyes to see Sam wiping the corners of hers. He stared at her as his mother gave her shoulder a rub. Was that real emotion?
‘Come on, tuck in,’ Morag urged. ‘If you’re shy, you’ll go hungry.’
Sam loaded up her plate.
‘I thought actresses weren’t supposed to eat?’ he muttered under his breath.
‘Oh, I do the 5:2 diet,’ she replied.
He felt a flash of adrenaline. He needed to keep his mouth shut.
‘I know that,’ said Fiona. ‘You pretty much starve yourself for two days, then eat normally for five, right?’
‘Almost. Except I starve myself for five days, then stuff myself for two!’
Jamie’s eyes rolled before he could stop them as the women around him laughed. Was everything a joke to her? Weretheya joke? Was his family a convenient means to an end? Zoe was Sam’s best friend, but this was the first time she’d made the effort to visit.
‘So, are you up here to see Zoe or just to try and meet Brad?’ he asked before his brain caught up to what his mouth was saying.
‘Oh, Brad one hundred per cent. Zoe’s a bonus,’ Sam replied as his sister and Zoe laughed on either side of him.
Jamie couldn’t believe she would throw herself at a stranger just for what she hoped she could get out of him. ‘But what are you going to do when you finally meet him?’
‘Seduce and marry him of course! What else would I be doing with him?’
Irritation flared. How could either of them be happy if they were only using each other? ‘But you don’t know him. What if he’s unfaithful?’
‘That’s exactly what I want him to be!’ replied Sam, her eyes dancing. ‘The whole point of marrying Brad Bauer is for the divorce. And all his Hollywood contacts…’
The table erupted with laughter and even Liam chuckled as he banged his spoon. Jamie looked at his plate and shook his head. How could they find this funny? His sister kicked him under the table.
‘Undo the belt on your judgy pants,’ she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. ‘They’re so tight they’ve given you a wedgie.’
He glanced at her and couldn’t help a smile. ‘Judgy pants?’
‘Yeah, the ones you bought two sizes too small cause you won’t admit you’re a lard arse.’
‘Fuck off.’
