I frown. “No it’s not. I know you went to the VIP room on Friday night. I think you said that you needed to get laid, to be exact.”
He puts his hand on his hip. “Well I didn’t. So stop it.”
“Joshua, you brought this up, not me.”
“Did you orgasm?” he snaps.
I cringe again. “Ready to go?” I need to change the bloody subject so I gesture to the door.
“No, we are not going anywhere until you tell me what that masseur did to you.”
I start to twist my fingers in front of me in shame. “We went and had pedicures and manicures and waxing … what you like.” I’m talking way too fast and nervously. “You know how you like me smooth.” I smile and widen my eyes at him to try and be cute. It doesn’t work and he continues to glare at me blankly.
“And,” he snaps.
“And Abbie has this massage place she goes to once a month and she made appointments for us. Didge and I thought it was just regular massage and then when we got there I had this masseur and,”
“Antonio,” he says deadpan.
Oh shit, I even told him his name. I need to wear a muzzle when I’m drunk in public in future-this is appalling.
“Yes and, anyway, you know the rest is history and yada, yada, end of story.” I start to pull my fingers through my hair nervously.
“Elaborate on the yada, yada,” he says dryly.
I screw up my face in shame. “I was naked and it was tantric and … ”
“And?”
“And I was lying on my back with my legs on his chest and he did something to my hipbones and …” I throw my hand over my face in horror.
“And?” he snaps again.
“It made me orgasm.”
He folds his arms angrily in front of him.
“Did he ask you if you wanted sex?”
I nod my head. “Yes,” I sigh as I cringe in embarrassment.
“Why did you say no?”
I swallow the large lump in my throat. “Because you are the only man who gets to touch me there, Joshua, you know that,” I whisper nervously.
His eyes hold mine. “Good answer. And for the record if you go back to that massage parlour you will meet a grizzly painful death, and so will he.”
I smirk. “Ok.”
“Do you understand me?” he says dryly as he raises both of his eyebrows. “I am not even joking, Natasha. I’ve been picturing strangling you both all day.” I nod as I smile at him. He strokes my cheek with his hand and rubs his thumb over my lip tenderly. I lean into his touch. This is going better than I thought; he’s jealous. Surely that’s a good sign.
“Ready to go?” he smiles.
I nod and grab his hand. “Lead the way, Mr Stanton.”
Half an hour later we are being shown to our seat in the back of my favorite Italian restaurant. Joshua pulls out my chair for me and I sit nervously. He has been painfully quiet on the car trip from home to here. I thought it was going well but now I am nervous again. What is going through that brain of his?
The waitress brings us over two menus. “Would you like to order any drinks?”
“Yes, I will have a bottle of the Barossa Valley shiraz please.” He raises his eyebrows at me in a question.
“Can I just have a Diet Coke please?” I fold my hands in my lap nervously.
“Sure.” She smiles and leaves us alone.
He sits silently as he runs the side of his pointer back and forth over his closed lips, his thinking pose. His eyes are fixed on me.
I open my menu and pass him his. “What are you having?” I ask.
He shrugs as he reads it. “Do you come here often?” he asks.
I nod and smile. “Yes, this is Abbie’s and my favourite restaurant.”
His eyes meet my face. “Who was that guy Abbie was with last night?” he asks.
“Arm … I mean Tristan. Her sort of boyfriend.”
He frowns at me. “What does that mean? Sort of boyfriend?” He goes back to his thinking pose, finger over lip.
I shrug as I read my menu. “She is seeing him.”
“Are they exclusive?”
Shit, a trick question. If I answer no, then she sounds like a slut and if I answer yes, then she played up on him yesterday with the masseur.
I shrug and smile. “Not sure.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Not sure,” he repeats.
I scratch my head in frustration. “No, I mean I think they have an open relationship.”
He nods and our drinks arrive. He tastes the wine. “That’s fine,” he says quietly after tasting it.
“What’s with the sudden interest in Abbs?”
He shrugs. “Just curious.” His eyes lift to meet mine and he raises his eyebrows in defiance.
“Joshua, Abbie is a really great friend to me. I don’t care how many men she sleeps with. It has nothing to do with me.”
“I thought that too but after her little appointment for you yesterday I’m not so sure.”
I put my head on its side in frustration. “You’re still on that.”
He frowns. “Yes, I’m still on that-it’s not easy to forget,” he snaps angrily.
“Ok, let me ask you this. How was the VIP Room on Friday night? Did you get laid like you wanted to?”
“No,” he snaps.
“Why not?”
“Because I had you on my mind and they were a very poor substitute. That’s why,” he sneers angrily.
I smile broadly at him. The waitress comes back over to us. “Can I take your order?”
I smile and gesture to Joshua.
“I will have the soft shell chilli crab for entree and spaghetti marinara for main,” he says quietly.
“Mmm, that sounds good. I will have the same.” I smile at him across the table and he frowns in question.
“What are you smiling at?” he asks as the waitress leaves us.
I shrug and hold out my hand for him. He takes it gingerly. “I’m just glad to be here with you, that’s all.”
“Tash, don’t overthink this-it’s just dinner.”
I nod and put my head down as my cheeks heat. “Joshua, we need to talk.”
“No, we don’t, leave it,” he sighs.
“I need you to know what was in my head last time you saw me,” I whisper.
“I know what was in your head, Natasha.”
“Have you been with Amelie since you went back to America?” I ask nervously.
He shakes his head. “No, I haven’t.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“Because I don’t have feelings that way for Amelie. I told you that.” He shakes his head in frustration.
“You see, Josh, I wanted to give you the chance to explore if you did. I thought that you were with me out of guilt and deep down you really loved Amelie. I was setting you free so that you could choose who you wanted, unencumbered from past emotions.”