Everything to Him (4 page)

The chuckle Felix gave a moment later was obviously in response to Josh assuring him that yes, he could swing it.

When he ended the call, Felix beamed at Amber. “See, I told you I had a plan. And I’m right, aren’t I? If Josh comes on a trip with us, he’ll get a much better feature out of it.”

“And what will we get out of it?” Amber asked, amazed by her husband’s deviousness.

His grin was wolfish. “Us? Why, we’ll get Josh, of course.”

Chapter Four

Josh stood on the forecourt of Brookwood Station, a rucksack on the asphalt between his booted feet and his jacket collar turned up against the thin rain that fell steadily, waiting for Felix to arrive. He craned his neck in the direction of the few cars that approached, thinking how remiss of him it had been not to ask what the media mogul would be driving. Then a silver Rolls-Royce—sleek, shiny, the noise of its engine little more than a purr—pulled up to the kerb by the station entrance, and Josh realised his ride had arrived.

The passenger window slid smoothly down. “Hi, Josh,” Felix said from inside the car, “hope you haven’t been waiting too long. Roadworks on the approach into town, I’m afraid.”

Opening the door, Josh got into the passenger seat. He was almost afraid to put his rucksack down in the footwell, not wanting to sully the Roller’s pristine interior. “No, I’ve only been here a few minutes. This is a fantastic car, by the way.”

“Well, I did think about coming to pick you up in the Alfa Romeo, but that would have been too flashy, don’t you think?” Felix grinned.

Josh clicked his seatbelt in place and settled back against the soft leather upholstery. Felix explained that he would be taking the long way back to the Manor, to avoid the emergency water main repairs that had held him up on the way to the station, but Josh sensed it was also to give him more time to enjoy riding in the classic car.

It was safe to say that Lucinda, his editor, had jumped at the chance to let him go wherever the Merediths decided to take him. Europe, New York, the Caribbean… Even if they went no farther than their own back garden over the course of the week, being granted an exclusive look at a billionaire’s lifestyle was an opportunity that came around so rarely, Josh was determined to make the most of it. And anything was an improvement on sitting in
Glitz
!’s Carnaby Street office, transcribing the notes of the interview he’d done with Felix and Amber two days earlier.

“What do you think of the song?” Felix’s voice cut into his thoughts. Josh hadn’t been paying much attention to the music oozing from the car’s concealed speaker system, but now he listened, he recognised the voice, if not the tune.

“Well, it sounds like Katie K, but…”

“It’ll be the first single off her next album,” Felix explained. “I got the exclusive mix yesterday. One of the perks of being the boss.” He glanced briefly in Josh’s direction, face breaking into a grin, before giving his full attention back to the road ahead of him. “You know, out of all the businesses I’m involved with, nothing excites me more than being the head of Midas Records, even after all this time. I’ve never told anyone this, but when I was studying for my A-levels, some mates and I formed a band. I played the guitar, thought I was going to be the next Pete Townshend. Of course, we never made it out of Darren Murray’s dad’s garage.” He shook his head. “Darren Murray. Now, he was wild. I wonder what he’s doing now. Probably got a wife, two kids and some dull middle-management role, and still dreams about being a rock star at weekends…”

Josh couldn’t help smiling at Felix’s nostalgia trip, even as part of him wished he’d had the foresight to switch on his digital recorder. Felix Meredith, guitarist in some eighties teenage garage band. Now there was an exclusive.

Felix’s next words had Josh’s mind racing into completely different territory.

“Josh, when I suggested you spend a week with me and Amber, and that we share our lifestyle with you, I had something of an ulterior motive. You see, I couldn’t help noticing that there was an…attraction between you and Amber. And I wondered how you felt about acting on that attraction?”

Josh struggled to find a reply, shocked by a question that had seemingly come out of nowhere. He glanced out of the car window, worried that he might glance over and see fury etched on Felix’s face. Whatever diversion they’d taken on leaving the station, they were back on the road he recognised from his previous trip to Brookwood Manor, passing through a thickly wooded area, the trees on each side of the road so close together that their branches met overhead. He felt as though he was passing through some strange, dark tunnel into another world.

“Look, Felix, Amber’s gorgeous, I’ll admit that.” Just remembering how it had felt when Amber had leaned close to kiss him goodbye, her curvy body pressed against his own, sent a jolt of pleasure surging to Josh’s cock. “But she’s—you’re married, and I would never mess around with another man’s wife.”

Particularly not one who seemed as devoted to her husband as Amber did. Josh had interviewed any number of celebrity couples, more than one of whom had given him the impression—correctly, as it later turned out—that they were only dating to generate publicity for whatever film or TV show they were promoting. But the body language between Amber and Felix suggested they were still as crazy about each other as they’d been the day they married.

“But you wouldn’t be messing around with her,” Felix pointed out. “That implies you’d be sleeping with her in secret. What I’m proposing is that, just for this week, you find out what it’s like to live life the way I do—and that includes sharing Amber.”

Josh could hardly believe what he was hearing. “And Amber knows about this? She’s happy with it?”

“Oh, yes. She’s very much looking forward to being fucked by both of us.”

They were through the woods now, and any moment they would be turning off the main road, heading through the high security gates that guarded the entrance to the Manor’s grounds. Amber would be waiting to greet them. Was she wondering how the conversation between Felix and Josh had gone, whether he had agreed to the Merediths’ bizarre but oh, so appealing proposition?

“So, what do you say, Josh? Are you up for it?”

Josh didn’t hesitate, knowing a chance like this would never come to him again. “If it’s really okay with both of you, then yes, I am.”

Now Felix’s grin was so broad it almost filled the whole car. “Fantastic. Amber will be delighted when we tell her.”

* * * *

When they arrived at the Manor, it was to find Amber in the drawing room, hunting through the drawers of an antique bureau.

She greeted Felix with a peck on the cheek, and flashed a distracted-looking smile at Josh. “Felix, I can’t find your passport. I thought it was in here.”

He shook his head. “It’s in the desk in my study. I’ll dig it out later.”

“Well, make sure you do. We’re being picked up to be taken to Gatwick just after six tomorrow morning, and I don’t want the chauffeur to have to turn round because you haven’t got your passport.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He walked over to the drinks cabinet, and opened a door on the left-hand side. It swung open to reveal a miniature refrigerator. Felix brought out a bottle of champagne, and began untwisting the wire cage surrounding the cork. “Let me pour you a glass of this. We’re celebrating.”

“We are?”

“Josh said yes.” Felix didn’t need to elaborate. Amber ran over and flung her arms around her husband.

“That’s wonderful!” She gave him a long, slow kiss on the lips that had Josh shivering with envy and desire as he watched. When they finally broke apart, she beckoned Josh to her. He set the rucksack he’d almost forgotten he was holding down on the carpet, and went to join her.

Amber caught her hands in his. He could smell her perfume, subtle and spicy, with just a hint of something that was uniquely Amber lurking under it. “So, you’ve agreed to our little scheme, then?”

Josh nodded, unable to speak for the lust coursing through him. God, he couldn’t help but want her. He hadn’t admitted it to Felix in the car, but when he’d got back to his flat after interviewing the couple, he’d flung himself down on the bed, not even bothering to undress. Pulling his cock from his fly, he’d wanked to a swift and shattering climax, head filled with images of Amber. He’d imagined himself burying his head beneath her skirt, pulling down her panties, and licking her clit till she squirmed against his face, wetting his skin with her juices. And now Felix was giving him permission to do just that, along with whatever else sharing her might involve. As Felix handed him a glass of champagne, preparing to toast the beginning of their three-way relationship, he couldn’t wait for the fun to begin.

* * * *

Josh woke to hear the pilot announcing they were about to begin their descent into Antigua’s V.C. Bird airport. He’d never expected to sleep so well on a long-haul flight, but then he’d never had the luxury of travelling first class before.

The fact that he’d only managed a couple of hours’ sleep the night before might have had something to do with it, too—and not because he’d been indulging in the kind of wild, uninhibited sex he’d been fantasising about since being invited to share Amber.

The glass of champagne they’d drunk to seal their unorthodox sexual arrangement had turned into two bottles before an excellent dinner of lamb daube followed by fresh berries with white chocolate sauce. Josh had discovered that Alison was a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, one of the main reasons why Felix and Amber employed her.

After dinner, Josh had been given a guided tour of the house. He’d seen the spa room, with the pool where Amber swam every day, and the home cinema, where the couple watched the latest films and their pick of the best shows from the various Midas channels. Felix showed off his collection of gold and platinum records, including the one for Midas’ first ever million-selling single, awarded back when he’d still been a student. Alongside those records hung pictures of Felix with some of Midas’ best-known acts, from the adult-orientated rock band Sweet Lies to Britrock icons Twist to Katie K. Felix talked about the struggles he’d had to establish Midas Records, the challenges he’d faced in being taken seriously in such a competitive industry. Everyone had expected his little label to be swallowed up by a bigger player. Instead, he’d thrived, and expanded into TV, radio and the written press, always with more successes than failures. None of this was on the record, Josh’s voice recorder remaining firmly switched off. There would be time enough for him to get all the quotes he needed over the course of the coming week.

When they’d finally gone to bed, well after midnight, Josh had found it hard to drift off, despite all the rich food and drink he’d consumed. He’d tossed and turned, mind filled with images of all the things a trio could do with one another in bed, picturing Amber soft and warm and naked beneath him, taking his cock deep in her body while Felix watched the two of them in action and stroked his own dick. Were Felix and Amber fucking now, he’d wondered. The thought that they might have been had excited him further, and he’d fought the urge to take himself in hand. At last, he’d slept, but it had seemed only moments before his alarm went off. He’d taken a quick shower, then joined Amber and Felix—both of whom looked a lot more refreshed than he did—to wait for their car to arrive.

This was Felix Meredith’s everyday experience—a chauffeur to transport him to the airport, priority check-in, the cocooned world of the first-class cabin. Josh had done his best not to show how unused he was to the fully reclining seats, complimentary champagne and attentive service that greeted him on board the plane. He’d been asleep before they’d even served the in-flight meal.

Now, he gazed out of the window at the vast expanse of ocean beneath them, the islands of the Caribbean dotted like jewels in the blue sea. In Antigua, they would transfer to a private plane for the short trip to Anguilla, where they would board a boat to take them out to Felix’s secluded estate on Clearwater Cay.

Passing him on the way back to her seat, having gone to freshen up before landing, Amber gave him a warm smile. “You okay, Josh?”

“Yeah. I just can’t imagine ever getting used to all this.” He waved his hand in a gesture that encompassed the first-class cabin.

“It takes a while, believe me. But if you can have the advantages money can bring, why not make the most of them? I can’t understand those people who say they’d keep their old way of life if they won the lottery jackpot. If that’s the case, why enter it?”

At that moment, the pilot made his request for passengers to take their seats in preparation for landing, and Amber returned to hers, but not before giving Josh’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Of course money could change your life. He just hadn’t anticipated that Felix’s money might, in some strange way, change his.

* * * *

A couple of hours later, a small, white-painted boat pushed through the choppy waters of Clearwater Bay. Ahead, the island of Clearwater Cay came into view, its low hills thickly covered with trees. Even from this distance, Josh could see the beaches were pure white, clean and unspoiled. He couldn’t wait to pull off his boots and feel that warm sand beneath his feet.

“Nearly there now.” The boat’s captain, Tiago, flashed the three passengers a smile that revealed a gold tooth glittering at its centre. Felix had explained to Josh that Tiago was employed to look after the beach house, and perform any necessary maintenance. In the bottom of the boat were all the supplies they would need for the three days they planned to spend on the island.

As the boat pulled up in a sheltered inlet, Josh thought of his colleagues on
Glitz!
, back home in the middle of a London winter, all dark streets, drizzle and impending press deadlines. And here he was, in paradise. He tried not to feel too smug.

They waited for Tiago to secure the boat, then helped him carry the boxes of food and cans of fuel for the house’s generator up the beach. “There is clean linen on the beds,” Tiago informed them, “and my wife has made you one of her rum cakes to welcome you here again.”