Chapter 23
Natasha
“Good morning, Presh. How did my girl sleep?” His velvety voice rasps down the phone line. I smile as I stretch and listen to the sexy voice on the other end.
“Hmm, fine thanks, where are you?” I say with my voice still husky from sleep.
“I trained this morning, remember, with Murphy, and we are now having breakfast in a café.”
I rub my eyes as I try to bring them into focus. “That’s right, come home and come back to bed, baby. I don’t like waking up without you.”
I can hear him smiling down the phone line. “What time will you and the girls be at my house?”
I roll my eyes. Josh’s friend is coming in from America today with his family to take his kids to the Great Barrier Reef.
They have stopped off specifically in Sydney to see him and Josh has organized a lunch at his place for them.
I don’t know who this friend is, but he must be important to Josh as he has been on my case about not being late since Friday.
Abbie and Bridget are coming, as well as the usual boy crew.
“Is this my wakeup call?” I smile down the line.
“Yes. I want you at my house in an hour.”
I roll my eyes. “Not happening, Stanton. It’s Sunday. I won’t be there until eleven.”
I can almost hear his eyes bulging. “No. I said I want you here early.”
I smile. “And I said I will see you at eleven.” I am so not going over there in an hour, tough shit as he would say. He stays silent and I smile. I’ve got him. He knows I am not going over before eleven and there is nothing he can do about it.
“Fine but so help me, if you’re any later than that…you’re going to cop it.”
I smile. “Oohh, I hope so, baby. Copping it is my favorite pastime. You know I’m naked right now, don’t you?” I purr.
He smiles down the line and I can hear him walk away from the others.
“Behave, my beautiful slut, I want you here early so I can have you to myself for an hour before anyone else gets here.” I smile.
I know that’s not the reason. He’s nervous about me meeting his friends. Their opinion must matter…a lot.
“Who is this friend, Josh? And why is it so important I’m there early?”
“No reason. Just get here. I’m going. I will see you soon.” And he hangs up. He didn’t like the last question I threw him, hmm, interesting. Mr. Stanton really is a confusing puzzle, one that I am having fun working out.
“And this is Natasha,” he presents me to his friend and his wife three hours later like a prized pig with his hand at my lower back.
I smile, feeling uncomfortable. OK, now I wish I had gotten here earlier as they arrived before me, awkward.
Joshua is not impressed with us being an hour late but, in my defense, Abbie is having a crisis.
She thinks she is falling in love with Tristan the army guy and was practically hyperventilating when we got to her house.
We had to stop for emergency caffeine and a pep talk.
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
If he wants to date a puppet, he’s with the wrong girl.
I smile a nervous smile. “Hello.” I shake both of their hands. The wife is about thirty-two at a guess and stunning. I think she might be Italian or something. She has beautiful dark features and a figure to die for.
“This is Maria.” Joshua smiles. “And this is Sean. Sean and I play polo together and he and Maria are probably the only friends I have who are happily married.”
Oh. I frown. “Don’t you have any other friends who are married?” I ask.
He nods. “Yes plenty, but most of them hate each other.” We all laugh.
Sean gives me a warm smile and shakes my hand.
“Lovely to finally meet you, Natasha.” Oh boy, what does that mean?
How long has he known I exist? I nervously look at Joshua who is smiling at me with a twinkle in his eye.
I smile back and have an inkling I am forgiven for my lateness.
Then I am accosted by three little girls who run around my legs as they chase each other.
“These are our children: Bonita, Francesca and Allegra.” I smile and shake the girls’ hands; yep, definitely Italian judging by the names. They’re adorable and I can’t help but like them.
“You’re pretty,” says the little one.
I smile and hunch my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“Mummy says Uncle Joshua loves you.” I laugh out loud and Maria hushes the girls as she tries to control their giggling behavior.
Josh rolls his eyes. “Are you giving away my secrets, Bonita?” He bends and tickles the little girl who has just divulged his information. She screams as she tries to escape. This is going well. So they know about me and Maria thinks he loves me. Maybe this day won’t be so bad.
Cameron walks around to the backyard, looking like what the cat dragged in. He looks dreadful and Abbie winces as she sees him. “You look terrible. What time did you go to bed?”
He looks at his arm where his watch should be. “Far out, I left my watch there…um….” He scratches his head. “I haven’t been to bed yet.”
Josh smiles and shakes his head. “You’re hopeless.”
Cam smiles at Sean and then shakes his hand. “Hi Sean.” He then looks affectionately at Maria.
“How’s the best sort in America?” He walks over and kisses her cheek, and she slaps him on the arm.
“You, Cameron, are a flirt,” she teases.
“You love it, Ree.” What the hell? How does Cameron know these two so well?
I had no idea; maybe I should be nervous.
Did he bring them here to judge me? Why in god’s name was I so late?
I might kill Abbie later for that one. I don’t know what to talk about, so I decide to go and help Abbie and Bridget who are supposedly hard at work helping in the kitchen…
as if. I walk in the door to find Bridget lying on the counter and Abbie lying on the lounge and Adrian sitting at the counter eating a carrot.
“So, why is this a problem?” Adrian asks.
Abbie rolls her eyes. “I told you he’s in the army.”
He frowns. “What does he do in the army?”
“Special Forces,” she says, deadpan.
Adrian fans his face. “Mmm, that’s hot. What is it about Special Forces that gets the imagination going?”
“I still don’t get it, what’s wrong with that?” Bridget asks.
“There is no way in hell I am going to be a war widow, Bridget. Even if he doesn’t get killed, he will be away most of the time. I need a man in my bed not on my mind.” We all nod.
“This is true,” Adrian says. “However, imagine how hot the homecomings would be.”
Cameron walks into the kitchen looking like death warmed up. “I’m so fucked. I’m sneaking off to bed. Don’t tell Josh, he’s on entertaining crack or something. He’s killing me.”
We all laugh; it’s true Josh is on entertaining crack and we are his crack whores.
Ben walks into the kitchen. “Josh wants you all to go out and socialize.” Everybody groans and I smile. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Josh bosses everybody around like he does me. Even Cameron does what he says.
Joshua
Sean and I are sitting by the pool. The girls have been having a ball this afternoon.
Tash has had the music on, and they have been having dancing competitions, which Adrian and Cameron have been forced into judging.
I look at Cameron and laugh—he really does look like shit.
It must have been a total bender for him to be this bad.
He usually is OK the next day. And to think I am making him help me entertain.
I smile. I’m evil. Then I look at Natasha who is now piggybacking Francesca around and pretending to gallop like a horse.
With a few wines under her belt she has loosened up and is finally being herself.
“She’s beautiful, Josh.”
I nod. “You have no idea.”
“What is going to happen when you move home?” he asks.
“She’s coming.” I take a drink of my beer. He nods as he listens. “This is the girl you have loved all along, right?”
I nod and I smile at him. Apart from Cameron and Adrian, Sean is my closest friend.
We never go out together drinking or anything like that.
We play polo and train in the gym together but if I see him it’s usually with his wife and kids.
We have a normal friendship. The kind of friendship I don’t get from my party friends.
He tells me the truth and doesn’t want anything from me in return.
He’s had money all of his life and is not seduced by its trappings or impressed by easy women.
He’s had his time doing that and it holds no interest for him at all anymore.
I respect his opinion most out of everybody because he says it like it is, nothing is sugarcoated with Sean.
And when you have most people sucking up your ass constantly it’s very refreshing, although sometimes a little harsh.
His parents, wife and I all get on very well and we do spend a lot of time together.
They all breed horses as well. He’s a good husband and father, the kind of husband I want to be, devoted.
I don’t know why any of my other friends even bother getting married as they sleep around all the time.
“Forgive me for intruding but isn’t she your cousin?” I rub
my hand through my hair. Fuck, when did I tell him that? He must sense my horror. “You told me one night when you were drunk.”
I nod, feeling more than stupid. I told him that when I didn’t think they would ever meet and now they have. God, how must this look from an outside perspective?
“Do me a favor and keep that on the down low, will you?” I ask.
He smiles and nods. “Of course, you have my word.”
“This is a fucked-up situation, isn’t it?” I sigh, he nods and stays silent.
He looks at me as he takes a drink. “Tell me, Josh. How is this going to go? Have you thought about this? I mean really thought what this will mean for her?”
I take a swig of my beer as my eyes wander to Natasha who is dancing with Francesca by the pool, and I smile. “Yes, I am fully aware she will have to move to America to be with me, but she wants to. She offered first.”