Mr Spencer(84)

She stares at me.

“They’ll tell you I’m not the man for you, and to not rush into anything. They’ll refuse to let you move to London if you let them, and what happens then? You live in Nottingham miserable, and I’ll live in London, unable to visit you. Your security will be tightened, and we won’t see each other again.”

Her eyes hold mine and then she nods with renewed purpose. “You’re right. That’s exactly how it will go.” She turns and stares out through the front windshield, deep in thought, and then she turns to me again. “You take the reins.”

I lean over and kiss her softly, placing my hand on her thigh. Once she’s calm, I pull back out into the traffic.

That’s exactly what I’m going to do.





*



I sip my scotch as I sit at the bar of the hotel. I’m waiting for Wyatt and Anthony. When we got back here, I took Charlotte up to the room and called the two of them, asking them to meet me here instead of at the apartment. I need to talk to them without Charlotte hearing.

I dial Seb’s number while I wait for them to arrive.

“Hey.” I sip my scotch. “Man, I need a huge favour.”

“What is it?” Seb asks.

“Can you go to the shops for me in the morning and buy me a king-size orthopaedic mattress and get it delivered to my place by tomorrow?”

“Erm, why?”

“Because Charlotte is coming over tomorrow night and I have meetings all day tomorrow. I’m snowed under with crap over here.”

“What the fuck do you need a new mattress for?”

“I can’t have Charlotte sleeping on that mattress.”

“Why not?”

“Do you know how many women I’ve had in that bed?” I whisper angrily as I try to keep my voice down.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he snaps. “You’re being ridiculous. She won’t know.”

“I’ll know. I need a new fucking mattress. I won’t have her sleeping in it.”

“What the fuck is happening to you?”

“I don’t know!” I snap. “Just do it.”

“Why don’t you get one of your PAs to do this shit for you?”

“Oh, yeah, like I can say, Can you get me a new mattress so my new girlfriend won’t have to sleep on my sex-stained old one? You just don’t say that shit to your personal assistant, Sebastian.”

He chuckles. “Spence, you’re the most fucking ridiculous man I know.”

I smirk at the sound of his laugh. “Right?”

“This is like the Princess and the Pea fairy tale.”

I roll my eyes and sip my scotch. “Yeah, and the fucking villain is about to come home. Paps photographed us together today.”

“You reckon the old man’s coming home to cut your balls off?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Ha. The fun’s about to begin. I’ll get popcorn.”

“Can you help me tomorrow or not?” I sigh.

“Why do I get to do all your shitty jobs when you have staffing of four-hundred?”

I smile broadly. “Perks of being my best friend.”

“Stop sucking up, asshole.”

I sip my scotch. “What have you been doing, anyway?”

“Angela called me today.” I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “No. Get that shit out of your fucking head… right now.”

He laughs. “I knew you’d love that one.”

Angela is his ex-wife’s sister. She’s a widow with kids, and Seb has had a soft spot for her for years. “What did she want?” I ask.

“Just to check in on me.”

I roll my eyes. “I bet she did.” I huff. “I’m sure she has venom in her veins like her sister. It probably runs in the family, like a witch thing.”

He laughs again. “Good Lord, if Prescott doesn’t kill you first, I’m quite sure one of your cellmates will fuck you to death once you go inside for my ex-wife’s murder.”

I roll the scotch around in my mouth with a smirk. “It would be worth it to rid you of that wench.”

He exhales heavily. “So, what am I buying?”

“King-size orthopaedic cushion-top mattress. Make it hypoallergenic.”

“Okay, I’ll call you from the store.”

“I have these Chinese clients in town so I’ll be with them most of the day. I can be home from four for the delivery.”

“I’ve never heard of a bed being delivered on the same day as the purchase.”

“Can you just make it happen?” I sigh, holding my forehead. “Fuck the saleswoman in the back room if you have to.”

He chuckles. “Where are you? It sounds noisy.”

“In the hotel bar. I’m waiting for Charlotte’s guards. I want to talk to them with her not around.”

“Why, what’s up?”

“I want to know why she’s so guarded.”

“Yeah, me and Masters were talking about this the other night. Something must have happened in the past, we reckon.”

“I agree.” I sigh.

The stool next to me shifts, and Anthony and Wyatt slide into the seats. “Got to go,” I tell Seb. I hang up and turn to the boys. “Did you get the film?”