Chapter 13 Dominic #2
Mia catches sight of us coming back to the table, her eyes drifting from my face to Jordan’s, and her brows draw together.
“You look awfully serious,” she says to Jordan, taking the champagne glass from my hand.
Jordan shakes his head. “Just talking about you.”
Mia rolls her eyes with a laugh. “You lot need to find something more interesting to talk about. Like, where is everyone going this summer?”
“Greece!” Charlotte exclaims, and she and Mia clink their glasses together. “I am going to lie in the Greek sun, and get a fabulous tan, and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.”
“Sounds amazing!” Mia crosses her arms on the table and looks over at Jordan. “And you?”
“Morocco,” he replies. “I found a little place in a town called Essaouira last year, and I’m really eager to go back.”
“Ooh that sounds amazing, I’ve never been to Morocco.” Mia’s smile lands on me. “And you?”
I’m suddenly seized by the image of Mia lying on a beach somewhere on the Mediterranean, topless, with her arm covering her face as she dozes in the sun. I imagine her long legs, bronzed and dusted with white sand.
“Dominic?” Charlotte’s voice interrupts those thoughts, right before I can dwell too much on what Mia’s nipples look like when they’re darkened by a sun tan.
Fodder for my next agony wank?
I give myself an internal slap, tell myself to grow up, and take a sip of whiskey before smiling and shrugging.
“I hadn’t decided yet. I guess it depends on how depressed I am at the end of the season.”
“Oh, look out.” Jordan chuckles into his glass. “It’ll be our fault he’s depressed and losing all his money in a casino in Monaco if we lose the season.”
I point a finger at him with a faux stern expression. “That’s right, son. Next year’s salary is mine if you lose.” I look over at Mia, who is giggling softly. “And you?”
“Me?” She presses her fingertips to her chest, her eyebrows raised. “Oh, who knows. Might just hole up in a cabin somewhere in the Swiss Alps and pretend the world doesn’t exist.”
“Sounds lonely,” Charlotte muses.
Mia shrugs, and her expression drops slightly.
“Might be just what I need. Bit of loneliness.” She shakes her head and takes a large swig of her drink.
“Good lord, listen to me. I look too good to be depressed tonight. Come on.” She jumps to her feet and drags Charlotte along with her.
“I just saw Ricky and Ezra, let’s go say hello. ”
Mia and Charlotte disappear across the ballroom just as Adedayo and Everest reach our table.
They’re both in good spirits, laughing loudly and slapping Jordan on the back as they proclaim him the best captain they’ve ever had.
I guess they’ve already been enjoying the fruits of the bar for some time, and smile to myself as I watch them.
Everest’s attention is snatched away for a brief second as someone sweeps past our table, and I follow his line of vision to see a swathe of pink encased around a rather lovely looking Joanne Murray. She stops as she looks down at me, smiling haughtily, one eyebrow raised.
“Don’t you look dapper,” she says, elegantly draping herself and her impressive gown over the seat beside me. “Lovely to see you, Dominic.”
“And you, Joanne. You look incredible.”
“Why thank you.”
“Can I get you a drink, Mrs Murray?” Everest asks, and Joanne glances over at him.
“Mrs Murray? Aren’t you charming?” Her gaze lands back on me. “Thank you. Had quite enough drinks to last me a while lately.”
The lads awkwardly murmur their excuses and leave the table in a rush.
“How have you been, Joanne?” I ask, and she lifts a shoulder with a sigh.
“My shame has become public now, so what else am I to do?”
I shake my head with a frown. “It’s not your shame. It’s Peter’s.”
Joanne’s face betrays her surprise, and she huffs out a small laugh. “Yes, well, unfortunately I have to carry the public face of it no matter what. So…” She shrugs, smoothing out the ruffles off her dress. “Maybe I should buy a farm in Berkshire and go hide away.”
“That would be a terrible waste.”
“Oh you old flirt,” she says, playfully swatting at my shoulder. “You really haven’t changed at all, have you, Dominic?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Made you smile though.”
“You were always good at making the ladies smile.” She leans an elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hand. “Mia looks lovely tonight.”
I clear my throat and nod. “Oh yes. Doesn’t she always?”
“She does, she does.” Joanne narrows her eyes at me, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “A woman always blooms when she’s in the company of people who see her for what she is, and value her for it.”
My brain races to think of a response that sounds benign, that doesn’t sound like I’m gagging after my daughter-in-law. Joanne’s intent gaze tells me she’s searching for the answer to something I’ve made stupidly obvious all evening, and that I definitely should not be pursuing.
But even my silence seems to confirm Joanne’s suspicions, and she gives me a knowing smile. She sweeps her dress along with her as she gets back to her feet, leaning down to put a hand on my shoulder.
“Have a wonderful evening, Dominic.” She gives my shoulder a squeeze, then disappears off across the room.
I’m left staring at the slowly melting ice in my glass, with a head full of thoughts I shouldn’t be having.
“That was actually really fun, wasn’t it?” Mia sighs happily as she shrugs the fur coat up around her chin. “I actually enjoyed myself for once.”
“Me, too.”
“Usually the galas are so boring, but tonight everyone was in a really good mood. It was fun.” She gives me a shy smile. “And with you… It was just different. I dunno, I had a really good time.”
“I guess I can be the life of the party when I want to be,” I say with a grin, and Mia laughs out loud.
“I know all about your parties from back in the day. What was it, driving a Mini Cooper into a canal in Amsterdam to celebrate the world cup win?”
I press my hand to my eyes with a groan, and Mia laughs.
“I know all about you, Dominic Graves, don’t you worry.” She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “But you are a surprisingly good dancer.”
At that moment, rain begins to pelt against the windshield of the car.
“Great,” Mia groans. “What a way to end the evening.”
“Could be worse. Could be snow.”
“True, very true.” She leans her head against the carseat and gazes at me. “You got any plans this weekend?”
My heart takes a weird leap, and she’s still holding my hand so she’ll definitely notice if I suddenly get hot and fidgety.
“Not much really. Training, gym. Might head to the bookshop. Not much else. And you?”
She shrugs. “I was invited to a restaurant opening in Chelsea. Davino Pascale, you know the actor? He and I did a shoot a few years ago and he still DMs me every week like we’re besties.
He’s been on and on about this restaurant for months, and he wants me to be there for his opening.
” She eyes our joined hands shyly. “Did you… did you want to come? With me, I mean? It’s on Sunday. ”
My heart leaps even higher, slamming into the base of my throat and beating so hard I’m sure she can see it.
“I’d love to.”
Mia gives me a pleased smile. “I’m sure their lasagna will have nothing on yours, but we’ll give them a chance anyway, ey?”
I stroke my beard pensively. “Might be a good chance for a new job. I am handy in a kitchen.”
Mia laughs out loud, and I’m sure it’s the prettiest sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
“Dominic Graves, professional chef. It does have a certain ring to it.”
The car turns down the tree-lined street and comes to a stop outside Mia’s house.
“Well, this is me.” She frowns as I hurriedly exit the car. “Dom, what you doing?”
“Stay there!” The rain pelts down on me, soaking the shoulders of my jacket almost instantly, but I don’t care. I run around to Mia’s side of the car, opening her door, and reach down to slide my arm under her legs.
“Dom!” She squeals.
“Put your arm around my neck, come on.”
She does so, laughing, and I scoop her out of the car.
“What are you doing?” She burrows her face into the crook of my neck with a shriek. “Oh my god, you’re gonna be soaked!”
We stop at the gate for her to input the code, and rush down the path to her front door, coming to a stop under the cover of her front stoop.
I grin down at her, my beard dripping water onto my shirt. “I wasn’t going to let you ruin those beautiful shoes.”
“You’re out of your mind.” She laughs and shakes her head. “But thank you.” She strokes her fingers through my beard gently. “Got you all wet though.”
I chuckle, and she goes bright red.
“Oh, god.” She presses a hand to her face, then looks at me between her fingers. “You can put me down now, you know.”
“I like watching you squirm.” I chuckle as she slaps me in the chest.
“You bastard.” She wraps her other arm around my neck, and smiles shyly. “I’d ask you in, but… Your driver’s waiting.”
I suck in a careful breath. “I could always send him away.”
“Mmm, and how would that look?” She leans closer, tentatively, her eyes flashing to mine, and brushes a soft kiss against my lips.
I freeze as fire races through my veins. It’s the tenderest of kisses, soft and light, no hint of lust behind it. It’s so sweet I swear I’m going to fall to pieces.
“Good night, Dominic,” she says softly, and I reluctantly put her on her feet.
“Good night, love.”
She turns the key in her door, pausing before she pushes it open, and looks at me over her shoulder.
“I did have a really lovely night with you,” she says, and I give her a nod.
“I did, too.”
“See you Sunday.” She pushes the door open, and Tank’s joyful yaps can be heard in the distance. I wait until the door’s locked, staring at my feet for a moment. I want to knock, and tell her I want to stay. I want to kiss her lips properly.
I want to do more than that, but fuck, that would be enough for me right now.
Then I remember the driver’s waiting, and I drag myself back down the path.
I don’t want to go back to my apartment, alone.
I don’t want to indulge in yet another fucking agony wank while I imagine Mia in my bed.
I want to turn around and beat the door down, go in and tell her she’s mine and I’m hers, and I don’t even care what that means for us, in this whole fucking situation.
But I don’t. I can’t.
I sit in the back of the car and let the lingering feeling of her lips on mine carry me home.
My phone pings, and I eagerly scoop it out of my pocket, expecting it to be Mia. But it’s not. It’s not Mia, and the name on my screen makes my heart drop.
It’s fucking Archie.
Thanks for taking her tonight. You’re a good dad to us.
That’s all it says.
And instantly I’m overcome with guilt.
I’m meant to be a dad to her, not a fucking sleazy old pervert imagining what she looks like naked.
I don’t reply to him, because I don’t know what to say. The shame is so deep and overwhelming that all I can think is he can see exactly what I’m feeling, what she’s feeling, and he’s going to put a stop to it all.