Baggage & Buttons (39 page)

‘I’ll go and text Gabe. I’ll wait for you in reception
Lex ok?’ I gave her hand a squeeze and kissed her on the top of her head and
headed out. It was so much information to take in, my head was frazzled and
knowing Lexi most of it would have gone in one ear and out of the other. I
grabbed a few leaflets off the reception counter and shoved them in my bag so
she could look at them later. I went outside to get some air and spotted a
bench further up the street and sat down and sent a text to Gabe.

Appointment’s gone ok, she seems happy if not a bit
dazed by it all. Running some tests on her now. I had a call from the clinic
with my results, I’m fine. You heard back? M x

It took a few minutes for him to reply.

Glad you’re getting on ok, she needs to be happy with
the decision. Not had my results, but very happy you’re ok, though it was stupid
letting you blow me again. If there’s something wrong with me you’ll need to be
tested again. G x

If there was, I think I’d already have symptoms. Hope
you hear soon. See you later. Your M x

I love you my M. Your G xxx

I went on the internet and looked up dad’s property company
and rang the main office number and asked to be put through to Christine. When
I was asked who was calling I figured it was easier to say Mia Kensington, than
try and explain our complicated relationship to the squeaky voiced girl at the
other end of the phone. I was left on hold for a minute and listened to some
god awful music, who chose these things and did they ever listen to see how bad
it sounded?

‘Mia?’ came a well-spoken female voice.

‘Hello Christine, how are you?’ She was a nice woman,
in her late thirties. I’d actually spent more time with her than dad on the
occasional weekend visit to see him. Georgie and I would often get palmed off
on her on the Saturday and she would take us shopping with his credit card
while he was doing … whatever was more important than spending time with his
two daughters, who he’d asked to have in the first place.

‘Good thank you, Richard keeps me very busy still.’

‘I can imagine,’ I nodded. Given the man couldn’t even
write his own envelopes, the mind boggled at what else he had her doing.

‘What can I do for you Mia?’

‘Dad didn’t ask you?’

‘Ask me what?’

‘I want to fix up a date to meet him the first week of
the Christmas holidays and he said he’d get you to check his diary and book
something in.’

‘O yes sorry, of course. I got bogged down with a
project for him, it slipped my mind.’

Wow she was diplomatic. She was so efficient no way
she’d have forgotten. It was obvious he hadn’t asked her and she’d rather take
the fall than blame the “wonderful” Richard Kensington, property tycoon
extraordinaire. I wondered how he inspired such loyalty in his staff. Maybe she
was on a fantastic salary, or maybe it was that he just scared the shit out of
her, he was seriously intimidating. I frowned as I wondered if he’d slept with
her , I’d got the impression he was a bit of a ladies man, he was very
attractive and I knew mum still had a thing for him, despite how badly he’d
treated her.

‘Even just a few hours for lunch with him would be
fine Christine. I know he’s a busy man. I’m happy to come to London if he can’t
make it up to see me at home.’

‘He hasn’t actually checked in on his hotel there for
a while, so let me see when I can book him a stay and combine that with a lunch
date with you. I’ll just put you on hold for a moment.’

I sat listening to the bloody awful music again, I’d
forgotten dad owned a boutique hotel in Toddlesworth, my home town. Mum said it
had been one of his first property purchases when he started building his
business up when they first meet. I’d only been there the once to see him, when
he’d wanted a visit near Christmas when I was about 13 and mum had refused for
us to go to London to see him, so he stayed there overnight so we could spend
an afternoon with him.

‘Mia?’

‘Yes I’m still here.’

‘He can do lunch on Monday 16
^th
. Can you
meet him at the hotel for one o’clock?’

‘Yes that would be fine.’

‘I’ll book a table for the three of you somewhere.’

‘The three of us?’ I asked, confused.

‘I’m sorry isn’t Georgina coming too?’

‘No, it was just going to be me.’

‘O ok,’ she sounded surprised. ‘Well consider it
booked.’

‘Thanks Christine, bye.’

No wonder she sounded surprised, I’d never been on my
own with him before, let alone asking to arrange a meeting. I’d always been
quite resistant when she’d rung me in the past to try and fix something up. I
took a deep breath, I had over two months to prepare for the awkwardness that
would be that meeting, today I needed to focus on Lexi and her problems. I went
back to the clinic and took a seat in the waiting room and started reading the
leaflets I’d gathered, which lowered my mood further. Shit this really wasn’t
going to be nice for her, no matter how determined she was that it was the
right thing to do and she was fine with it all. I decided to set a daily
reminder on my phone to make sure I never forgot to take my pill, no way did I
want to get pregnant. It seemed to take forever for her to appear and she
nodded to the door and I followed her out.

‘God Lexi it’s been ages, are you
ok
?’

‘Sorry you’ve had to wait so long. I’m fine, more than
fine actually, I feel good, honestly. I really need coffee though. Thanks so
much for coming Mia, it really helped having you there.’

‘You’re welcome. So what did they do?’

‘I had a scan, which was a bit weird. I’m twelve weeks
so they’ve suggested I have the suction method with a local anaesthetic. I’ll
need to stay in for a couple of hours and may have some bleeding after. They’ve
done all the tests and taken some blood and once they get the results I can
book in to have it done. Simple as.’

‘You’re really ok then? You’re not just saying that to
be brave?’

‘
Mia
. How long have you known me? I’m good. I
feel like it’s the right decision and I also feel so much better knowing it’s
nearly sorted. I need to get back to being wasted and having sex again,
safe
sex this time. Christ the questions about my sex life freaked me out and I
lived through it.’

‘Yes there are a bit personal aren’t they?’ I laughed,
as I put my arm through hers.

‘The only ones I said no to were intercourse with
women and knowingly having sex with an infected person.’

‘You’re such a slut,’ I teased.

‘You can talk, you’re turning into an utter nympho
yourself.’

‘You were so right Lex.’

‘About what?’

‘About sex with the right person being so much better
than masturbating or vibrators,’ I said smiling.

‘Well I should know, I’m the slut after all,’ she
grinned. ‘Thanks again for coming with me, I’d have hated being there alone. So
what’s the plan for tonight, are you still insisting on this ridiculous outing
of yours?’

‘Yes and Milo’s in too.’

‘Christ. Have you even told Gabe where you’re going? Let
alone that Milo’s coming?’

‘No.’

‘I thought you two didn’t lie to each other?’ she
asked, giving me a quizzical look.

‘It’s not lying Lex. He’s not asked me what I’m doing
tonight, not since I originally told him about my gym date with Milo. If he does
ask then of course I’ll tell him, but I’m not volunteering it.’

‘You’re skating on thin ice Missy.’

‘Come on Lex, it’s not lying, but surely no one in a
relationship tells their partner their every move each day.’

‘No one in a normal relationship Mia, but Gabe isn’t
exactly normal is he? He’s a control freak extraordinaire who’s crazy about
you. Just saying, it’s your funeral if he finds out.’ She was right, of course
I knew she was right. Gabe wasn’t your average boyfriend, but all the more
reason to start as I meant to go on with him. It was unacceptable to expect me
to be with him under that tight a leash, he was going to have to learn to chill
out a bit, which meant me not bending to his every demand from the start.

‘Look Milo and I can grab a taxi from the gym after
I’ve had a shower and got changed and we’ll swing by and pick you up. Reckon it’ll
be about nine, so make sure you’re ready.’

‘You could just go with Milo on your own.’

‘O yes, now who’s being crazy? Gabe would be over the
moon to find out that not only had I gone to a strip club, but I went with the
one guy in Westhampton he really seems to hate. You’re coming as my buffer in
case he loses it when he finds out.’

‘Great as if we haven’t already had our share of
arguments, you want to stick me in the middle of this bloody potential
minefield.’

‘That’s what best friends do Lexi Clarke, do I need to
find a new one?’

‘You dare. You’re stuck with me now Page,’ she said as
she shoved me and made me stumble, so I gasped and shoved her back and started
running from her as we both laughed.

We picked up a Starbucks on way home and when I
reminded her to check the mail again she handed me a brown box, which I passed
back to her.

‘It’s for you. A present from me.’

‘What is it?’

‘Well let’s get upstairs and drink our coffees while
they’re still warm and you can open it and see.’

I snuggled into the recliner, happy to have a hot
latte this time, as she tucked up on the sofa and opened her package and looked
back up at me open mouthed.

‘So?’ I asked.

‘You bought me a vibrator?’ she exclaimed.

‘Well you seem so desperate at the moment and if
you’re not going to go and sleep with someone I figured this was the next best
thing.’

‘Does it come with batteries?’

‘Yes I ordered some with it, they should be in the
box. Why liking the idea are you?’

‘Hell yeah. I’m like a cat on heat at the moment.’

‘Got over your baby sausage trauma concerns pretty
quickly, didn’t you,’ I laughed.

‘I’m still convinced it’s not right, but like you
said, I don’t remember anything before the age of about three or four so what
harm can it really do? And seriously, a woman can’t go 9 months without an
orgasm can she?’

‘Don’t need penetration for that Lex.’

‘Well no, but come on, orgasms without penetration are
nowhere near as good as ones with, are they?’

‘I wouldn’t say that,’ I shrugged, with a big smile.

‘Don’t tell me Mr bloody perfect not only has a huge
dick but is good with his fingers and tongue too?’

I grinned at her, bit my lip and raised my eyebrows.
‘O yeah,
soooooo
good.’

‘I hate you so much right now. How long ’til we have
to leave?’

‘We’ve got just under an hour. Want a sandwich?’

‘Sod food, all this talk of penetration, fingers and
tongues has me hot to trot. I’m off to have an orgasm. Stick
your
earphones in for once,’ she grinned as she jumped off the sofa making me laugh.

‘If you
dare
picture Gabe while you’re at it,
I’ll beat you to death with that vibrator Lexi Clarke.’

‘Keep it down,’ she called back as she left the
lounge. ‘You’ll put me off my mojo.’

I shook my head and headed to the kitchen to make
myself something to eat and turned and looked at the wall in horror when I
heard the buzzing and a groan coming through. I flew to my bedroom and stuck in
my iPhone earphones and turned up the music far too loud, before running back
and shutting myself in the kitchen to finish making my sandwich.
That
I
didn’t need to hear.

She wandered in about ten minutes later with glazed eyes,
flushed cheeks and a big grin on her face.

‘Don’t want to know,’ I giggled as I held my palm up
to her and pulled my earphones out.

‘Damn, why didn’t I get one earlier?’ she sighed as
she plonked herself on the chair next to me.

‘Because you were having regular sex. Did the trick
then?

‘O yeah,’ she nodded. ‘You’re the best friend ever Mia
Page.’

‘Wow and that was just a cheapy bog standard one. What
would you be like with a rabbit?’

‘A what?!’ she looked at me wide eyed.

‘You’ve never heard of a rabbit? Come on Lex,
everyone’s heard of rabbits. You have the vibrator insertable shaft and a
little rabbit balanced on the edge and his ears vibrate so you can put them on
your clit at the same time.
Soooo
much better than a normal vibrator.
Some even thrust, have beads that rotate, knobbly spikes and everything.’

‘And you just got me a bog standard one? Bloody cheap
skate,’ she grinned. ‘I’ve never looked at vibrators before, never needed too,
but now I’m in a lull I see the appeal.’