The Desire to Touch (39 page)

“Well I always thought that Trey flitted from woman to woman looking for something he had never got from his mother. Clara had a breakdown, a severe breakdown and I helped her get treatment from a colleague. You see we were old family friends and I’m a psychiatrist myself, I couldn’t treat her but I tried to as best I could. Then we got married three years after Julian’s father was killed and Trey came along. I think part of Clara was jealous, why this child was fine yet the other was not.” George looks over to his wife as she laughs with some people. “She held some resentment for Julian as he couldn’t himself, to top it off she never bonded properly with Trey.” George places his pipe on the table and removes his glasses to wipe them, he shakes his head and continues, “She used to leave him places and we’d have to send the staff to go and find him, one day I came back from a fishing trip to find that Trey’s bedroom had been turned into a play room for Julian.” George looks at me and leans forward, “We have eight double bedrooms in this place and she chose Trey’s room to use.”

“Wow,” I gasp.

“So don’t give up on him just yet, it may take Clara some time but she will come around to like you.”

“She doesn’t like me?” I ask shocked.

“She won’t if she thinks you’ll scupper her plans for Kyla and Trey.”

I feel worried now, like I’m the other woman, the harlot who should leave straight away.

“Don’t worry dear, like I say she’s fragile and always teetering on the edge. There’s a way to handle her and we know how to work through it.”

I sit and try to absorb all the information given but it’s hard to digest, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can.”

“What’s the deal with all the pictures in Treys house, Willow Brook isn’t it?”

“Ah,” George taps out his pipe on the ground and removes a tin from his pocket. “Clara’s first love was another up and coming film star, she fell pregnant and they married very quickly. Daniel died three months after Julian was born and that left Clara to bring him up on her own, they were only married for eleven months. To cut a long story short, she never had any pictures of them together, no personal ones anyway and as we know life can be cut short all too quickly.”

My stomach drops, why on earth would he say ‘we’, has Trey told him things?

George continues, “Clara has it in her head that she needs to immortalise the boys in pictures every chance she gets, so she constantly has a camera on the go hence the photographer here now snapping away, money is no object to Clara and she instilled that in Trey too. Anyway Trey hated it and Julian didn’t understand. I think I have one picture of Trey smiling as a child and that’s him on his own.” George frowns, “It’s the reason we pushed him into acting from a very young age, he needed to be away from Clara and Julian,
I
felt it was the best way for him to grow as a person.”

“Oh ok, that explains a lot thank you.” I smile now understanding why all the pictures look sad apart from when Trey is alone with his mother. Every picture with both the boys in Trey is forgotten so he looks lost, Clara must look sad because of the inner struggle she faces with trying to love her other child. But hey, I’m no shrink it’s just a guess.

“Anyway my love we must go, as we are about to take our seats and you will want to get a good spot.”

George stands and I follow him to the seating area, he shows me to a seat but I go up high, so I’m not in eye line of anyone. I pick a seat right in the corner which is where I prefer to be. The seats start filling up with people, I start to feel overdressed but still too conscious to take anything off.

Trey, Clara and George stand at the head of the pool waiting for everyone’s attention, I notice Julian hanging around by the entrance and he now has a pair of earmuffs on, I assume to deaden the noise.

People start applauding as Trey takes the mic and begins to talk, I look at him with pride thinking that’s my man, but at the same time I look at him thinking I don’t know you at all.

“Ladies and gentlemen welcome and thank you for attending the 30
th
Thomas Foundation gala. For those of you who have not been before there will be numerous events in which you will be invited to partake in, all names are randomly drawn from the hat and you can place bets on winners and losers with all profits going to the foundation. To those of you who have been before…”

“Exciting isn’t it?” Tristan takes a seat next to me, I shift uncomfortably hoping Trey doesn’t notice.

“Sure is,” I glance at him offering a quick smile then I look back to Trey.

I sit nervously grabbing my bangle, Trey has finished talking and the mic has been passed to his mother, she talks while George holds up an over-sized glittery golden top hat.

Clara’s squeaky mouse like voice echoes throughout the room, “and the first event is…”

George passes her a bit of blue folded paper, and she unfolds it. Trey still hasn’t made any effort to spot me in the crowd, maybe he’s seen me with Tristan and is trying to ignore it?

“Tug of War!” Clara’s voice shrieks with excitement.

“Oh God this should be interesting,” Tristan groans.

I look at him and he’s digging around in his pocket for something, he looks up at me as he pulls out a money clip from his pocket. Shit! Money? Of course we have to make bets as to who will win. I grab my bag and route around for my purse, I find it and clutch it tight, please let there be some cash in there not just moths! I open it and find $150 in small denominations inside. When on earth did I put cash in there? I start to worry just in case I’ve picked up Meagan or Lacey’s purse, then I realise it’s the cash left from what Jerry paid me for the other night, phew!

“What do we do now?” I ask turning to Tristan, as I turn to him the man behind jumps forwards agitated.

Tristan puts his hand up and the man sits back, “He’s always on edge when I have cash in my hand.” Tristan explains. I look at the man and I can see all the telltale bodyguard signs, I smile politely at him. “We go to the table and place money on who wins, the loser or losers then match what has been placed on the winning team. More often than not what will happen is, at the end of it all, some generous benefactor will match what’s been pledged today.”

Clara and George are happily calling out the names of the contestants, not one name
that I recognise is called out. I glance back to look at Trey, he and Kyla are happily chatting over some joke, they’re both laughing and Kyla’s hands are grasping at Treys, now bare, arms. Bitch! If my eyes could shoot daggers, that girls face would look like a dart board.

Trey catches my eye and stops laughing with her, I look through him and carry on talking to Tristan, let’s see how you like it.

“Come on then, I’ll escort you down.” Tristan stands and holds his hand out.

“Honestly, I’m sure I could make it to the table.”

“I won’t hear of it,” Tristan leans in and his aftershave wafts in front of me, “I’ll let you pick my bet.” He smiles and stands again.

I look up at him in shock, is he flirting with me? Well whatever; he smells good, I don’t mind sitting next to him, that’s for sure.

I stand and look at Trey as we make our way down the stairs, his jaw is clenched and his hands are fisted at the side of his body. Trey’s eyes follow my every move, I look to Tristan and I’m pretty sure he knows Trey is watching us, as the arrogant smile is back on his face. I can feel the air around me stiffen with the tension as we reach the line for the table, we queue but the line moves quite quickly and then it’s our turn.

“Team A or B?” The bank manager looking man asks.

Taking a wild guess I say, “B.”

“How much would you like to place?”

“$40?” I ask nervously.

The man looks at me funny, “$40 on team B”

He holds out his hand for me to give the money, he writes the amount down on the team B sheet. I step to the side feeling like I’ve been tight with my generosity.

“Team?” The man asks Tristan and he looks to me.

“Erm…B?”

“B.” Tristan confirms to the man, “$4000,” Tristan says firmly.

Wow my $40 looks really insignificant now, great one, this really confirms that I don’t fit in here. I look over to where Trey was and he has gone, I see Julian still hanging around I give him a little wave and he turns away. Tristan starts walking back to the seats, as we’re about to climb the stairs someone grabs my elbow. I turn around to see Carl standing behind me, I look at him and then his hand on me.

“Mr. Thomas would like to see you.” Carl says abruptly, definitely an order not a request.

“Ok.” I pull my elbow free from him and look to Tristan, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Tristan nods and makes his way back to his seat, I turn and follow Carl out of the pool room and into a door off the hallway. On the way we pass Kyla and she watches as we pass her and I feel her head follow where we go.

Carl opens the door and waits for me to enter, I step into what seems to be an office. The room is dusky, dark oak cupboards and shelves line the walls and a grand ornate desk sits in front of a wall length window. Trey is stood in front of the desk on the phone looking out of the window, he turns as he hears Carl close the door to behind us.

“What do you think you are doing?” Trey snaps hanging up the phone.

I look at Trey stunned, “Excuse me?”

“Sitting with him, are you deliberately trying to wind me up?”

“No, he sat next to me!” I shout grabbing my bangle.

“Don’t start with the bangle grabbing victim shit now Ellie!” Trey’s voice is full of anger and almost evil.

His words slice through me like a knife, the lump in my throat starts to rise and I am trying my hardest to swallow it.

“I asked you to stay away from him, I warned you to keep away.”

“I have been sat on my own since we bloody got here and I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing!” I swallow the tears away, “As far as anyone knows I’m just the pity date who you invited for saving your brother. So you want me to sit there and do nothing, on my own? I don’t even know why you invited me, was it to see you and Kyla all over each other?”

Trey hisses a laugh of disgust through his teeth and shakes his head, “All over Kyla? What about you with King, I’ve watched you all over him.”

“You what? I don’t have to listen to this, maybe I should go as you seem to be having more fun without me, I just seem to be the hindrance.” I turn on my heel to leave and I grab the door opening it slightly.

“No please,” Trey catches me by the hips and turns me around.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Trey says hanging his head.

“What?” I laugh nervously, “There is no way that you go from seething with me one minute to groveling the next, it’s not on Trey. You have no right to talk to me like that!”

“I know, I’m so sorry. It’s not you - it’s all me.” Trey releases me and walks over to the desk and leans over it. “You have no idea how much pressure is on me today and to top it all, all I want…” he turns to look at me with a pained fire in his eyes, “All I want is to touch you so much, I want to hold you but all I see is you with that fuck.” Treys jaw clenches again.

I roll my eyes at him, “I’m not up for this mental torment you’re putting me through. Seriously Trey, you’re mentally damaging, more so than I was before, and I didn’t think that was possible until now!”

“Please, don’t leave I’m so sorry.”

“What is the deal with you,” I gesture my hands at him, “And what’s your issue with Tristan?” I snap.

“I don’t want to go into this now.”

I hear a rustle at the door, I turn to look and I know someone has been listening in, I assume its Carl or Travis so I turn back to Trey.

“Why is Tristan even here?” I look at him puzzled and holding myself, as the awkward situation I’m now in makes me want to bolt for the hills.

Trey shrugs his shoulders, “My mom does the invites I don’t know half the people who are here, they’re either socialites, benefactors or her friends.”

“I don’t fit in here, I really don’t see how any of this could work and especially knowing how your mum would react should she find out about us.”

“Ellie, I asked you not to run and just trust me, please can you do that? I can’t run after you all the time, please don’t make me choose between you and my career.”

“At what point did I ask you to choose? I have never even thought of that!” I shout in shock, I stare at him in disbelief.

“It just feels like it when you keep saying that we don’t fit, our lives can’t work together.” Trey approaches and I take a step back placing my hands up.

My body starts to tremble with rage, “I have never asked you to choose, I would never ask you but at least now I know the answer should I ever ask!” I turn to leave again but stop and look back at him, “As far as I knew I was just left like a Larry sitting on my own when some kind person came and kept me company. You are the one with the issues Trey, I don’t know why you bloody invited me, I would’ve had more fun watching the grease dry after Meagan’s cooking last night! I’m sorry I’m such a fucking pain!” I turn grabbing the door and storm out of the room.