Unlucky Break (20 page)

‘Oh yeah?’ said James, looking amused.

‘You were like a circus. Or – no, that’s it! Like the animals in a zoo.’

‘Thanks,’ said James, pretending to be hurt. His eyes twinkled with laughter. Andie flopped down on the couch and closed her eyes.

‘That’s actually when Nikki and I broke up,’ said James, moving slowly towards her on his crutches. ‘Well, the most recent time, anyway.’

‘Do you want to sleep with me?’ Andie blurted out. She was dimly aware that she’d be mortified at the question the next day, but for now she was just thrilled at her own daring.

James gave her an odd, prolonged look. ‘You are too drunk for anything, especially sex. I have rules about sex and drunk girls.’

‘Oh yeah?’ She got up and walked towards him in what she hoped was a sexy manner, putting her face close to his. ‘When I washed your hair, you wanted me.’

‘I did,’ said James, not taking his eyes off her.

‘Do you want me other times?’ she asked.

‘All the time,’ he said plainly.

Even drunk as she was, Andie’s heart leapt. She smiled at him in what she hoped was an alluring way.

‘So … now you can have me,’ she said.

‘No, I can’t,’ he said.

‘Why not?’ She did her best Jess-pout.

‘Because you work for me and you’re drunk. A double no-no.’

‘No-no? You’re too school for cool,’ she said sarcastically.

‘Yep. I’m cool and I’m smart and tomorrow, when the hangover is making you feel like death, you’ll thank me.’ He leant forward and kissed the top of the head. ‘Night, Andie.’ He turned and hobbled up the hallway to his bedroom, leaving Andie standing there, feeling a little silly.

She went to the kitchen and drank four glasses of water. She needed to sober up. She was determined to show him she wasn’t drunk, even though she clearly was. But she wanted him and he wanted her.
I just need to be touched
, she thought, as she unzipped her dress and walked up the hallway towards James’s room. She knocked on his open door. He was sitting up in bed, looking at his phone.

She stood in the doorway, letting her dress fall to the ground as he looked up. She felt suddenly sober, standing in her black bra and undies.

She looked him in the eye. ‘I’m not too drunk. I want you. You want me. Don’t make it so complicated.’

The look on his face was enough. He swallowed, breathing huskily. Before he could say anything, she was beside him. She knelt over him, her bare legs either side of his torso. He slowly reached his hands to rest on her bare hips. She leant forward kissed him.

He did want her, she thought with joy as she felt him respond to her kissing. His lips were soft and warm and the hint of stubble grazed her lips. Cameron had never managed to grow much in the way of facial hair, and Andie found James’s rough chin strangely sexy.

She banished Cameron from her mind as James’s hands slid up her back, following the curve of her spine, feeling the contours of her waist. He worked his way up to her bra strap. His hands fumbled on the clasp.

She reached up with one hand and unclipped the bra, sliding the straps down her arms and flinging it to one side.

She looked at James, and for a moment could hardly believe what was happening. He stroked her breasts and groaned softly. ‘You’re so bossy,’ he said, smiling at her.

‘But that’s what you like about me,’ she purred, and kissed him again. They rolled over so that James was on top of her. She could feel his hardness against her leg and it was turning her on even more.

This is passion,
she thought, as Cameron and his eco-friendly condoms came to mind. She banished him again as she reached down and felt James in her hands. He moaned.

‘Andie, you are so sexy,’ he whispered.

Andie felt dizzy with desire, or five glasses of wine, she wasn’t quite sure which. She rolled him over and pulled down his boxers. Oral sex wasn’t something she was very experienced at. Cameron had once told her she wasn’t very good at it. But she would prove him wrong.

Andie smiled at James sexily, and wished he would stop spinning for a moment. ‘I’m gonna blow you away,’ she said.

Then she opened her mouth and threw up all over him.

All eight courses.

18

Andie woke up slowly, groggily. Her head hurt. She moved slightly and her leg collided with something – someone. She opened one eye a crack and saw she was lying next to James in his bed. He was asleep with his arms up above his head, as though he was contemplating something. Her eyes flew open, her mind still not working properly. It was only when she looked down and saw her bare breasts that memories of the night before came flooding back.

She groaned and put her head under the pillow.

‘Is it that bad?’ she heard James ask.

She pulled the pillow tighter over her head, hoping for self-suffocation.

‘You know, it’s very interesting – it’s virtually impossible to kill yourself like that,’ said James. ‘We have very strong survival instincts when it comes to breathing. So you might as well come out of there now – you’re going to eventually.’

‘Not if I can help it,’ she grunted, raising the pillow slightly.

James laughed.

She pulled the sheet up to cover her torso and moved the pillow off her face.

‘I am so sorry,’ she said, wanting to cry with shame.

‘Yeah, it was pretty messy,’ he said.

‘Did you clean me up?’ she asked, her voice breaking a little. God, her throat was so dry. She needed water badly.

‘Yeah. I changed the sheets, helped you clean your teeth and put you back to bed. You couldn’t really walk to your own bedroom, and I couldn’t carry you,’ he said, waving his foot in the air.

She sat up and swung her feet to the floor. She had her back to James.

‘I should leave,’ she said in a small voice.

‘Leave? No, please don’t,’ James said, reaching a hand out to her and turning her to face him. ‘How’s the head?’

Andie did a quick self-assessment. ‘Not too bad, actually,’ she said, surprised.

‘It’s because you yacked,’ he said.

‘I’m really sorry,’ she said again. ‘It was really unprofessional of me. All of it.’
So much for super sexy, confident Andie
, she thought.

‘It’s okay,’ he said, sitting up. ‘I’m pretty used to it.’

Andie frowned and then realised he meant Nikki.
God, I’m no better than Nikki. He must think I’m pathetic.

‘I don’t usually drink. I’ve only ever been drunk once before,’ she confessed. ‘I wasn’t myself last night.’

He turned to her. ‘Why not?’

Andie took a breath. What if she told him what she was really feeling? Could she do it? She had nothing to lose anymore. She had lost her mum, Cameron, Marissa. She took a deep breath.

‘Because I’m really attracted to you and I don’t know what to do about it,’ she said, drawing her knees up to her chest, the sheet still around her. She couldn’t look at him.

‘Because you’re my assistant?’ he asked.

‘That’s part of it.’

‘Okay, then,’ he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He bent his head down to look at Andie’s face. ‘You’re fired.’

She nodded, though the words stung. ‘Yes, totally. Good decision. I would fire me too. I was really unprofessional. And immature. Messy.’ She stood up, taking the sheet with her. ‘I’ll get my things,’ she said, heading towards the door before pausing. ‘I just want to say – I am sincerely sorry for everything. You’ve been great, and I blew it.’

‘No, you didn’t blow it,’ James said, shaking his head. ‘You threw up, remember?’

For a moment, Andie was confused, but then she saw he was smiling. She felt her face grow hot and looked down at her feet poking out from under the sheet, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

James moved to the edge of the bed and put his hand out to touch her leg. She turned and he drew her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist. ‘I’m not firing you because of that. I’m firing you so you’re not my assistant anymore, because then you might stay here,’ he said, pulling her down on top of him. ‘With me.’

The sheet was between them and Andie struggled to pull it away. As she threw the tangled sheet to the floor, their skin touched and they both gasped.

‘What was that?’ she murmured.

‘We’re skin hungry,’ he said, as he kissed her neck.

‘Huh?’ she asked breathlessly, as she felt his hands move over her body.

‘We need to be touched,’ he said. ‘Our bodies need it.’ His voice was hoarse.

She ran her hands over his back. ‘Well if they need it, who are we to deny them?’ she said, smiling.

He kissed her over and over. All over her face and down her neck and across her breasts. She thought she would drown in desire and felt his hands searching, pulling down her underwear. She rolled over and pulled him on top of her.

He sat up slightly and looked into her eyes.

‘I want you,’ she said, barely believing she was saying something like that aloud – when she wasn’t drunk. She felt his hips, narrow, firm, warm, and started to pull down his boxers. He finished pulling them off himself as he reached for a condom in his bedside table drawer.

Sex with Cameron was okay, she’d always thought. But this, with James? It was something else. It was passionate and powerful. She was somehow both of those things when she was with James. He watched her face as they moved in sync with one another.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he said.

She kissed him deeply, finding their rhythm before rolling on top of him. She wanted to do a thousand things right then with him, only she didn’t know where to start. She felt overwhelmed and emotional and she sat up so she was almost upright.

He held her gaze as she breathed him in. She was moving faster now, and then she felt it coming. The earthshaking quiver that had eluded her with Cameron.

Andie spent the day in bed with James. They ordered takeout, they watched movies. They explored each other, over and over again. She had no cares in the world and nowhere to be but in his arms. It was the best day Andie could remember in a long time.

Until it wasn’t.

James’s phone rang at six. The gods of LA had kept it quiet all day. While he took the call, Andie got up and checked her two phones, still out in the hall where she’d dumped her bag drunkenly the night before. A few calls from Jess, and one from Cece.

She texted them saying she was tied up, and then thought cheekily that maybe she and James could try that.

She ran back to his room naked.

‘Tie me up,’ she said, putting her hands in front of her as she walked into the room.

James was already in jeans and a T-shirt.

‘I’m sorry, I have to go,’ he said, not looking at her.

‘Where?’ she asked and then hated her neediness.

‘Nikki,’ he said.

Naturally
, she thought and felt her heart sink.

‘She’s in hospital. She’s taken an overdose.’

‘Why did they ring you?’ she asked.

He turned to her and snapped, ‘Because I’m down as her next of kin. She doesn’t have anyone else.’

Neither do I
, thought Andie, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt exposed in every way.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice softening at her hurt face. ‘I’ll call you from the hospital when I know something.’ Then he hopped out the door on his crutches.

Andie paused for only a millisecond. ‘Wait. You can’t drive with that foot,’ she said.

‘I don’t want to call a driver,’ he said. ‘This needs to be kept on the down-low.’

‘I’ll drive,’ said Andie. ‘Give me two minutes.’

She ran to her room and pulled on her new jeans and an old T-shirt. Slipping on her Doc Martens, she ran to the door where James was waiting. They jumped in the car and Andie programmed the GPS for Cedars-Sinai.

Andie didn’t speak. James sent a few texts to someone. She didn’t ask who. It was none of her business, after all.

Eventually she pulled in through the hospital gate.

‘Go down to the underground car park,’ James instructed, pointing. She drove, following his directions to drive deeper and deeper. They sped through the maze of the car park until they came to a large gate. It swung back to let them through.

‘Where are we?’ Andie asked as she pulled into a spot in the largely empty car park beyond.