CHAPTER 14
Matt watched his wife out the corner of his eyes as he reclined against the seat in the limo.
The infernal top hat which was a requirement of the day’s activities lay discarded on the space between them.
“I swear being pregnant has made you crazy, Bella.” Madi said, laughing without restraint while fiddling with her hat between her slender fingers.
“I wholeheartedly second that statement,” Nathan piped in, downing his champagne before putting aside the flute.
It was Saturday and the final day of Royal Ascot.
Two years ago Matt would have attended each of the five-day long events, it was a prime social event.
A thoroughly enjoyable time spent with friends.
This year he could only stomach the first and last day.
“How could someone as sweet as you be so cold?” Madi asked, shaking her head slightly.
“That, my dear child,” Nathan said breezily.
“Was what we call a cut direct.”
Madi scrunched her face up at the term.
“Completely ignoring someone in a public place? It was like the poor man didn’t exist. And I’m not a child, Nathan.”
Nathan snorted and sent a jaded look in Matt’s direction.
Matt managed a small smile before turning his attention out the window.
He let the sound of their voices wash over him, his thoughts were on more serious matters.
Such as the continued worrying state of low oil prices, and of course, the worrying state of his marriage.
Nathan said something which caused both women to laugh in delight.
Matt turned to observe Madi again.
He caught Adam’s intense stare on him but ignored it.
Adam’s date had brought along her sister, someone he’d once had a brief encounter with some years ago.
Besides the few secret longing glances she sent his way, no one would guess they’d once been intimate, and Glenda Pembroke was from an upstanding family who knew damned well she’d better conform to social niceties in front his wife or risk Matt’s anger.
Madi looked over at him, her warm smile faltered when she peered into his eyes.
Matt gestured to her empty flute, wanting to avoid the glimmer of hurt he saw on her face as she declined a top up.
He was a complete bastard no doubt.
He knew her so well, perhaps even better than she knew herself.
And he knew she was slowly drawing into herself, pulling away from him in a desperate attempt at self-protection.
For that he was wholly responsible, he could see his treatment of her these weeks had made her unsure around him.
He rationalized it every day, fed his silent discontent with valid examples of why his aloofness was necessary.
She didn’t want children.
She was obsessed with her career.
She foolishly allowed McGregor to grow close to her…
Matt ground his teeth at the memory of the Scotsman earlier on today.
He was probably a member of the Royal Enclosure like him.
In all fairness, both Madi and McGregor had avoided each other.
Not once did he see her glance in McGregor’s direction, and a warning look from him to McGregor was all it took to ensure the Scotsman kept far away from his wife.
He’d caught him a few times, staring at Madi like some lovelorn fool.
Amidst the anger Matt felt about the whole distasteful situation, a small part of him felt pity for the man, an infinitely small part.
Madi was loveable, the kind of woman a man would do anything to have at his side.
The kind of woman who could inspire crazed jealousy at the mere thought of someone else seeking out her affection.
Only she could make him feel so strongly.
Emotional.
Being with her had eroded his cold sense of detachment, and sometimes he mourned the loss of it.
She had breached his impenetrable walls from the start, and he had fooled himself into thinking he still held all the control, that he alone dictated the terms of their relationship.
A tentative touch across his knee had him glancing down at her dainty hand.
Her wedding band seemed to mock him, to cry foul, to remind him of his promise to always put her first.
God.
He was a bastard, but the hidden resentment he felt towards her pursued him relentlessly.
They needed to have a serious talk.
One he’d been avoiding for months.
It was unfair to her, his continued distance.
Laughable, considering how he previously chastised her for poor communication between them.
Yet here he was doing the same thing.
Matt covered her hand with his own, squeezing gently as their gazes met.
With his free hand he reached up to smooth away an errant curl from her face and tucked it securely behind one ear.
This time the smile stayed on her face.
“So,” Matt’s own mouth twisted into a playful grin.
“What have you learnt about gambling today, Madi?”
Adam chuckled while Madi scrunched up her face, embarrassed at Matt’s teasing.
The one horse she’d bet on came dead last.
Matt had tried to convince her that choosing a horse solely based on its name was illogical.
She had waved his concerns away, reassuring him she had a ‘good feeling’ about the horse.
“What was it called again?” Bella asked, also chuckling.
“I got good vibes,” Madi defended her decision.
“Good vibes?” Nathan joined in the teasing.
“Blimey. I’d hate to see what happens when you get a bad vibe.”
Matt laced his fingers through hers.
Her lovely skin did not show it but he knew she was blushing hard.
“I’m getting a vibe about you right now, Nathan.” she retorted.
Adam laughed even louder as Patricia, his date, leaned over to murmur something in his ear.
“Excuse me,” Madi said when the muted ringing of her phone came from her clutch.
She tugged her hand free and retrieved the phone.
Matt relaxed against the upholstery as everyone else politely started up other conversations while Madi answered the call.
“Hey, Bri-” she started then abruptly fell silent for a few moments before firing out rapid questions amidst the frantic chewing of her full lower lip.
Matt paid attention to her words even as his eyes zoned in on her delicious mouth.
Someone was injured.
He noted her hand distractedly rubbing her own knee as she spoke about Meniscus tears.
Although she wasn’t a member of the medical profession, her knowledge on injuries was formidable.
Being with a ballerina had also increased his own understanding of the strains on the human body.
He couldn’t count the number of times he’d found her in discomfort, close to tears as she limped around their home.
He worried about her.
Luckily, since knowing her, Madi had so far escaped any major injury; but she explained to him most dancers suffered some form of injury every season.
She was obsessive about her feet also, determined to ‘not end up with fugly mutated monster paws’ in her own words.
Matt glanced towards her shoes.
For a ballerina she had quite cute feet, when they weren’t wrapped in bandages or tape, which was often.
“Everything ok?” he queried when she ended the call.
Madi twisted her head further to look straight at him.
“Lisa’s hurt her knee.”
Matt arranged his face into the required expression of concern.
“Badly.” Madi added before her attention returned to the mobile and she made a call.
Seconds later she said in a low terse voice, “Dante, it’s me. Call me back as soon as. Lisa’s hurt her knee. It sounds bad. Call me.”
When she hung up the phone she stared listlessly out the window, eyebrows pulling together in a frown as she chewed her lips.
“Poppet,” Matt called softly.
“Yes?” Her brown eyes were distant, focused on him but not actually seeing him.
“I’m sure Lisa will be fine,” He sought to ease her worry but the tight grimace that flickered over her mouth confirmed his supportive words did nothing to decrease her concern.
“Adam, I can’t recall ever being to your place in Westminster,” Glenda said.
“How long have you been there?”
“Quite a few years now,” Adam replied disinterestedly.
His attention was now solely on Patricia, who languished in his attentiveness.
Matt shot Adam a sardonic glance, certain Patricia’s intent ran along different lines to his brother’s; and Bella, fully aware of the change in Madi’s demeanour, turned the topic to much lighter things, trying to recapture the frivolous atmosphere of not too long ago.
Try as she might though, Madi remained pensive.
Her responses were forced, as was the smile she wore.
By the time they arrived at Adam’s home Matt knew she was in no mood for the planned evening soiree.
“The others should be getting here soon.” Adam advised on their entry to his lavish abode.
“I say,” Nathan exclaimed, moving straight towards the sculpture holding centre place in the drawing room.
“Is that a Giacometti? Bella, darling, you’re never wrong with these things. This bronze is a Giacometti, right?”
Adam’s staff began serving drinks and Matt stepped closer to Madi, effectively blocking her from the other’s view and affording them some privacy.
“We won’t stay long, poppet.”
She raised a hand and lightly brushed the side of his face.
“It’s fine, Matt. I’m fine, just,” Her hand fell back to her side.
“This is a major setback. Lisa had a substantial role in the production.”
Before Matt could reply the sound of her phone interrupted them.
Retrieving it she looked around quickly.
“Is there-”
“This way.” Matt held her elbow as she answered the call and led her out the drawing room into the adjoining parlour.
He watched her pace as she spoke to Dante.
The pitch of her voice grew more aggravated with each sentence.
The world of ballet was not as it seemed.
The glamour, the beauty; both hid a dark underbelly only those on the inside knew about.
Madi was one of the lucky few to have been graced with a true ballet body, which took little work for her to maintain.
She had once confided in him about the constant need to educate her students on the dangers of anorexia.
Things had changed a lot over the years and the awareness of this terrible issue was being addressed in most companies.
But the higher up you were, the more intense the pressure.
The rivalry that sowed seeds of jealousy.
The sacrifice that went into constantly striving for perfection on the dance floor.
The secret use of drugs to push through pain or maintain weight levels.
It was a minefield which he quickly had to wrap his head around.
Ballet dancers weren’t just the ethereal beings their movements portrayed; they were top-notched athletes.
The main distinction between ballet and other athletic sports was the expectation placed on dancers to hold both aesthetic and performance standards; extreme athleticism with minimal body mass.
It was bloody hard work being a ballet dancer.
“I can’t do that to her,” Madi said sharply.
“Look, once we know for certain how bad the tear is we can decide. If she does need surgery - just shut up and listen!” She inhaled and exhaled deeply.
“Six weeks of physio and she could be back to performing, Dante. I’m not going to drop her from the line-up, not if there’s a chance she’ll be well enough to perform. We still have time until August.”
Matt waited, eyes following her every movement.
“Fuck sakes, Dante, you think I don’t know that? An on-site physio would be great but-”
Matt walked over to her and she mouthed ‘five minutes’ to him then resumed her conversation.
“Fine,” she sighed in frustration.
“Come over tonight and we’ll crunch the numbers.”
Matt rubbed his chin slightly.
He was hoping they could have an in-depth discussion once they got home.
If Dante was coming over it would have to wait.
Plus now didn’t seem the ideal time to bring up their problems.
“Sorry,” She hung up and flashed him an apologetic look.
He waved her apology away, pulling her into a hug that she eagerly reciprocated.
They stood silently, holding on to each other, until a sigh left her lips.
“You’re a drama magnet.” Madi rubbed her face across his chest.
“I beg your pardon?” Matt leaned back, eyes narrowed in response to her quip.
“My life was simple before I met you, hon.” she explained.
“Now it’s one thing after the other. The only explanation is you, you entered my life and the drama came right on your heels.”
Matt shook his head, fighting a grin at her impertinence.
“You’re blaming me for the drama in your life? Are you certain you want to continue down this path, poppet? Your nonsensical babble usually lands you in trouble.”
She opened her mouth and Matt took the opportunity to steal a kiss, circumventing whatever ridiculous comment she was about to make.
Her mouth tasted of strawberries and champagne.
The subtle overtures of the alcohol enhanced the sweetness of the fruit, a heady combination that had him craving more as he explored the crevices of her mouth with his tongue.
He raised a hand to her head, taking a moment to caress her curls before gripping the back of her head and deepening the kiss.
The mewling sounds coming from her increased his desire.
He had long grown accustomed to his never ending need for her.
She was his drug of choice, and he an unrepentant addict chasing the next glorious high.
Grinding his evident arousal against her elicited an almost desperate noise from her lips and the sound of her purse and phone hitting the ground came seconds before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
She moved in closer, her hands now slipping into his hair as he licked the corner of her lips.
“In actual fact,” he said throatily.
“Trouble follows you around.”
She blinked slowly, mouth parted as she dragged a lungful of air in.
Matt smiled.
He loved her responsiveness to his touch, took immense pride in knowing she was his to pleasure at will.
And he had been a bastard these past few weeks.
The lusty glaze cleared from her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, staring at him.
“Your nose is flaring.” She started to grin.
“As if you’ve smelt something bad.”
Matt grimaced and her soft laughter filled his ears.
“Well,” she needled.
“Go on. That only happens when you want to apologize.”
“You need to have your eyes tested,” Matt said smoothly, bending his head into her mass of riotous curls.
Madi snorted and wriggled about in his arms.
He held on for a second before releasing her.
“We’ll talk,” Matt flashed her a smile when her expression abruptly changed at his words.
“Good talk or bad talk?” she asked.
“Just a talk, poppet.” Matt bent down to retrieve her discarded purse and phone.
“George told you, didn’t he?” she fretted, hands wringing together.
Matt arched an eyebrow, remaining silent as she became more flustered.
What was she on about?
“It’s only a small scratch,” Madi blurted out.
“I swear I didn’t see that bin, Matt. You can’t even see it. I mean, you didn’t notice it either, and the dent is miniscule. It’s just a car.”
“Pardon?” He held out her belongings and he could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
“Ah, what?” Madi snatched her purse and mobile, avoiding his gaze as if her life depended on it.
“Did you hear that? I think someone’s calling us.”
Still evading his eyes she sidestepped him and moved towards the door.
Matt folded his arms and called out to her back.
“You drove the Bugatti, didn’t you? Even after I-”
“Coming!” She quickened her steps, reaching the door and yanking it open.
“Poppet,” Matt strode after her but she had already disappeared through it.
Cheeky little thing.