Only You - Lord of the Manor book 1

Chapter 32

We bowl past the bouncers of Baroque in fits of giggles. We're not in the least bit drunk, but the laughter is just rolling tonight.

'What are you having?' Beth asks as a waiter approaches us at the bar.

'Wine,' I answer, smiling to myself. That was easy.

Beth gets served and we make our way through the Friday night crowd to find the last available table at the back of the bar. I gingerly lift myself onto the bar stool.

'So, tell me. Ian?' I ask off-the-cuff. I know there's more to this than sex. I think both of them have met their match. I don't know Ian, but I know Beth very well, and for her to be dedicating so much time to a man, he must be pretty special. All I know about Ian is that he has a cheeky grin and he likes to run around half naked. She hasn't spent so much time with a man since my brother. I smile at his impending arrival. I can't wait to see him, but I won't be talking about Nate tonight – not with Beth.

She shrugs. 'Fun,'

'Come on!' I exclaim. 'I've divulged far too much information on Harry. Give me something!'

She sips her wine, placing it back down on the table casually. 'Louis, he's not the sort of man you settle down with. I'll take the fun while it lasts, but I won't be getting attached.'

I inwardly hiss as Beth reminds me of Nick's words about building dreams. 'How do you know?' I ask, trying to reign in my drifting thoughts.

'I just do.' she says on a half laugh.

I'm a bit disappointed, if I'm honest. She's lively, amazingly laid back and completely uninhibited – all of the things that Ian seems to be. Well, from what I've seen – which is quite a lot. What's the issue?

'I like him.' I admit. He might be an exhibitionist and a complete pest, but he's very endearing with it.

'Well, I like Harry.'

I laugh. Yes she would like him. He brought her a van. But then I recoil. 'You don't like him like that do you?' Oh God, I'd never thought that Beth might be attracted to him. Well, everyone's attracted to him. I've been to the receiving end of numerous sneers from admiring men and women, but I never thought, not for a moment, that Beth might look at him like that.

'No!' She looks at me all offended. 'I like how much he clearly loves you.'

'What? He doesn't love me, Beth. He loves to fuck me.' I take a long glug of wine to dull the affect that Beth's statement's had on me. Or is it the affect of my alternative statement? Clearly loves me, or clearly loves to control me?

'Louis, again, you're the master of denial.'

'How old do you think he is?' I ask.

Beth shrugs. 'Mid-thirties, I'm going for a quick fag.' She slips down from the stool, retrieving her cigarettes from her bag. 'Wait here, we don't want to lose the table.'

She makes her way to the smoking area, leaving me pondering my diabolical situation. I'm in love with the trampling, unreasonable control freak. I knew I should have stayed away from him. I can't help but think that I could have easily rebuffed, denied and walked away from any other man. Harry is another story entirely, though. I'm addicted to him, and I'm not sure it's healthy.

'Louis?'

I'm dragged from my brief thoughts by a very familiar voice. It's also a most unwelcome voice. I swivel on my tight clad butt.

'Hi, Luke.' I sound way more pleased to see him than I actually am.

'Shit, Louis. You look great.' He runs his smutty eyes up and down my body, making me feel highly uncomfortable and conspicuous. How does he make my skin crawl now? I loved him for four years. Or did I? What I felt for Luke seems to have paled into insignificance compared to how I'm feeling about a certain Mr Control Freak of an age that I still don't know.