Page 80 of Storm in a D Cup

‘Hell, yes…’ he moaned as he tugged at my clothes and his, leading me to our shower at the same time.

Julian slipped out of his trousers and turned on the hot water. I was watching him without really seeing him.

‘I know they’ll have five-star catering on set in Africa, but I’ll get her back into shape here,’ I said.

He pulled my dress over my head and expertly unhooked my bra.

‘Panties off, luv.’

‘I mean, look how skinny the poor kid has become.’

‘She’ll be all right once you start taking care of her,’ he said, tugging at the last item on his list and pulling me under the jets. ‘Now let’s get you nice and soapy…’

‘I’m so glad that she’s staying with us,’ I breathed.

‘Good old you with the heart of gold,’ was all he said as he lathered my hair, then my shoulders, bringing his lips down to mine, but I knew I had his approval. In my mind’s eye she was already putting some flesh on those bones, ditching the indifferent façade and actually smiling. Just one summer, please. That was all I needed. I let out a contented sigh as Julian pushed me back against the tiled walls slippery with steam. We were back. The rest, we’d figure out along the way. Together.

*

In the space of two weeks Joey gained some weight and some color into her cheeks. The dark smudges under her eyes were gone and even her skin and hair improved. She had blossomed under our roof. That’s what a little love and healthy food will do to you. I should know.

Genie Stacie had never made time for Joey, giving nothing up – not her modeling, nor her acting. Genie Stacie had it all – and was treated like a princess, no matter what she did or didn’t do.

‘Honey?’ Julian said as I was brushing my hair the next morning.

‘Yeah?’

‘I wouldn’t normally do this, but since we’re back on track, you and I, out of honesty and since you’ve opened our home to Joey, I have to tell you something.’

Uh-oh. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, frantically rolodexing through the possibilities, and my finger always landed on the negative cards. Whenever it was about Genie Stacie, it was never good. Bracing myself, I turned around in my chair and said, ‘OK. I’m listening.’

‘Genie has a drink problem,’ Julian said with a sigh. ‘She always has.’

I stared at him blankly. So Genie was a junkie. What star wasn’t? ‘Is that why you left her?’

‘To be exact, she left me, remember me telling you this? For Tom Jackson.’

Meaning she had broken his heart and not vice versa. If he couldn’t hate her for dumping him, then what exactly were his feelings for her?

Tom Jackson was still a movie star the caliber of Ewan McGregor, only older, with the charm of Sean Connery. Scotland one, England zero.

‘And she needs help. Please don’t feel threatened by her.’

‘Whatever.’

‘And… you can’t ever tell her that you know,’ Julian was saying. ‘She’s extremely susceptible and vulnerable and her self-confidence is on the razor’s edge.’

Here we go again with the crystal-delicate doll attitude, I thought, then giggled despite myself. ‘You sound like Dr. Denholm,’ I said. (Yes, in the end I had told him about my shrink.)

‘Erica, it’s not funny. Not everyone’s like you.’

I felt my smile fall. ‘Not like me? What does that mean exactly? Sane? Because that’s just a façade, you know, my all-business kind of manner, Julian. In truth, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing half the time. So you see, my dear husband, Genie Stacie and I are more similar than you think after all. Minus the Brazilian butt, of course.’

I absently scratched at a scab on my knee and blood gushed out as if to symbolize the way I was feeling. I wanted to see blood, but not mine.

‘Shit,’ I swore, and Julian caught a Kleenex and bent down in front of me to wipe up the mess. I watched the top of his beautiful head, wondering how such a gorgeous guy had got lumbered with a nut like me. He reached into the drawer and placed a Band-Aid on my skin. ‘There you are, sweetie. Better?’

I nodded, a strange knot forming in my throat. If only he could fix my heart. But I was doing my best to get there. ‘Better, thanks.’

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