La Casa d'Italia

1

Ten Steps Back

Tugging on her black, six-inch-high ankle boot, Dani looked over her shoulder at Jez. “Feeling any better?” she asked.

“A bit. My head’s still pounding though.” He stretched, then pulled himself up and rested leisurely on the headboard, pulling at the sex-mussed-up sheets. His dark green eyes scanned her appreciatively. Dani shuddered inwardly; his look alone could do that.

“I’ll bring you some more paracetamol and I’ll make you a hot drink before I leave.

Coffee okay?” Jez nodded. She looked at her watch; it was five thirty.

Then she reached over for her other boot and slipped her foot in.

They really needed a polish, she’d had them a while now and they were looking a little worn out.

She made a mental note to do it tomorrow.

Whilst zipping up her boot, she stood and smoothed down her skin-tight black trousers.

Dani moved over to the dressing table and leaned in closer.

Crap, her roots needed doing. Another mental note she needed to add to her list; arrange a hair appointment.

She picked up her hairbrush and brushed back her long blonde hair.

Long, artificial blonde hair was a pain in the ass to keep, she thought as she passed it through her hair tie.

Her eyes caught Jez looking at her through the mirror and she smiled shyly at him.

“Don’t put it in a ponytail. Leave it loose,” he muttered.

Dani nodded, pulled her hair tie out and shook her head, allowing her hair to cascade down her back.

She put her hair tie around her wrist. She’d put it up once she was out of the house.

As Dani walked over to the wardrobe, she could still feel Jez’s eyes on her.

She took her red top off its hanger and slipped it on.

“You should wear the black halter top.”

Dani sighed. Just once, she’d like to wear something without having to change it for him. She turned and smiled tightly at him.

“I thought I’d wear this, break up the black a bit,” she explained as she fingered the buttons.

“The black works better.” He continued ruffling his dark blonde hair. Dani sighed again.

“Okay, I’ll change.” She begrudgingly shrugged off her top, put it back on the hanger and reached into the wardrobe for her black halter top. Jez nodded his approval as she zipped it up.

“That’s better. It shouldn’t be too busy tonight and I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

“We’ll manage. It’s midweek. Julie’s the only one that’s off tonight. I’ll be back by midnight – one, tops. Let me just get you your drink and I’d better get off.”

“Thanks, I’m parched.” He turned to the TV and flicked through the channels.

Dani left the bedroom and ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

Jez looked edgy, he was a terrible patient, she thought.

Luckily he didn’t have a temperature. Dani flicked on the coffee machine and reached for the coffee pod, slotting it into place.

She then leaned against the counter and waited.

Within a few minutes, the kitchen smelled of rich filtered coffee.

Dani poured it into a larger cup and splashed in the milk, feeling decidedly glad that she’d recently invested in their coffee machine.

There was nothing better than freshly made coffee.

Then taking a bottle of water, she ran back up to Jez.

She was surprised to find him in the shower.

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you? We’ll manage; if you’re feeling shitty you should stay home.”

“I thought a shower would make me feel better,” he said.

“Oh. Maybe. I’ve left your coffee on the dressing table and I brought up some water. Don’t forget to take some paracetamol too.”

“Okay. I will. Thanks. I’ll call you later, see how you’re doing,” he called as he rubbed his shaggy hair.

Dani watched him and her pulse raced. Even ill, he looked sexy as hell.

His body toned and lean – he wasn’t a huge fan of exercise – his physique was purely genetic.

It made Dani a little sick. She worked out five times a week to keep in shape.

Even after five years she still got a kick out of looking at him.

He opened one eye to look at her as the shampoo washed over him.

“You’ll be late if you don’t get going,” he frowned.

Dani shook her head, ridding her thoughts and she grinned.

“Okay, I’ll go.” She reluctantly left the bathroom and ran down the stairs picking up the car keys as she headed to the door.

There was a cold blast of air as she opened the front door and she tightened her coat around her.

Jeez, it was freezing. Dani hated this time of year – it was so dark already.

Dani shuddered as she walked down the path to her parked car.

She quickly sunk into the low car and turned on the engine.

It roared and Dani cranked up the heating.

She loved the Porsche but she would have much preferred a more practical car for in-town driving, especially when it came to parking.

A Smart maybe, she mused. Jez wouldn’t hear of it though.

Like everything, it had to be his way. He’d insisted she get a Porsche.

It was all about image. He couldn’t have his girlfriend driving a Smart.

It wouldn’t reflect well on the bar. Everything was about image. It drove Dani insane.

Jez owned a bar in Kingston, which he’d had for over five years now.

Dani had gone to work there while her mother was ill.

It was supposed to be temporary but she ended up staying.

Originally Dani had wanted to continue her studies but never seemed to get around to it.

A lot of that was to do with Jez. She’d started a hotel catering course but dropped out when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, just two years after her father had died.

Chloe, Dani’s older sister, had moved up to Leeds with her husband Adam, who had been offered a job in a very prestigious law firm.

By then, Chloe was six months pregnant with her second child, so Dani offered to stop her studies to nurse and look after their mother.

The distance and Chloe’s pregnancy made it hard for her to help out with the day-to-day care of their then-terminally ill mother.

Once she’d started seeing Jez, it became harder to focus on anything other than him and his business. They’d been together for nearly five years and Dani was hoping he’d take the plunge and marry her. The only commitment they had to each other was their house.

Dani had been left a substantial amount of money after her parents both died.

They’d had a bed and breakfast in Brighton and once it was sold, the inheritance was split between Dani and Chloe.

Dani had used some of it to buy the house with Jez three years ago.

The rest she’d allowed Adam to invest for her.

The only other item she’d bought was her car.

Dani pulled into her designated parking spot and stepped out of her car.

She quickly locked it up and walked towards the bar.

The road in front of the entrance was being resurfaced, so Dani had to carefully walk around the coned-off area over an uneven surface.

The wind was freezing and Dani shuddered.

Her halter top was not going to keep her warm in the bar tonight, she thought.

As Dani stepped past the last cone, she lost her footing and her knees buckled.

She heard a snap as she grabbed onto the wall for balance.

Shit! She looked down at her boots to see the left heel snapped in two.

Wonderful! Now she’d have to go back home and change.

She hobbled through the door and dumped her bag on the bar.

“What happened to you?” Earl, their head barman, furrowed his brow as Dani sat on a bar stool.

“I just snapped my heel on the bloody pavement outside.” She looked around the bar as she cringed in annoyance. It wasn’t too busy. There were mainly workers popping in for a drink before they went home. “I’ll have to go back home and change.”

“Sure, we can manage. How’s Jez?” He leaned on the bar as he spoke, his mischievous dark eyes widening.

“Grumpy. He’s not a good patient.”

Earl laughed, showcasing his perfect white teeth in stark contrast to his dark skin, “No, he’s not. I’ll hold the fort ’til you get back.”

Dani looked at her watch. It was six thirty. In the evening traffic, it would be an hour round trip. She sighed. Mental note to self: keep a spare pair of heels at work.

“It’ll take me an hour there and back in the traffic. Sorry to dump on you, Earl.”

Earl smiled at her and then patted her hand, “Don’t worry, Dani. You get off, we’ll be fine.”

“I’ll help you bottle up and get everything set up first and I’ll go once the evening rush hour passes.”

“Sure. The rest of the staff will be in by then. Are you sure you can manage, hobbling around like that?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Dani proceeded to oversee the restocking of the bar and she reset the tills for the evening shift.

She sat at the bar and ate a sandwich, then picked up her phone to call Jez.

The time had flown by and it was almost nine.

His phone was switched off and Dani was about to call the house but thought better of it.

He’d probably dropped off to sleep again.

“I’ll go, Earl. I won’t be able to hobble around when it gets busier.”

“Sure, Dani, we’ll manage.” He smiled widely and shooed her off.

“Thanks.” Dani collected her bag and headed back outside to her car, lighting up her fourth cigarette of the day.