Authors: K Carr
“Shut up,” I ordered, putting a hand over his mouth to stop whatever naughty comment I knew he was going to make.
“Muv bu.”
“What?” I removed my hand.
“Love you,” he repeated. “I love you.”
“Matt,” I whispered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the emotion in his grey eyes.
“Say it,” he commanded.
I could hear the others coming back. I wriggled in his lap, not wanting to be caught in a compromising position.
Hey, I was a respectable, young woman.
“They’re coming back,” I muttered, trying my hardest to escape, but his arms were like steel bands around me.
“Say it and I’ll let you go, poppet,” he drawled.
“You’re being silly.”
Matt started humming under his breath, waiting.
“Matt,” I hissed, hearing Dante’s voice as he discussed the dance with the others. “Fine. I love you, you bossy tyrant. Now let me up—”
Matt slanted his lips over mine, hand sliding up to slip into my curls while the other constricted on my waist. I forgot about the others as I kissed him back ferociously. A sudden hardness was pressing into my ass and I groaned in desire. How did he do this to me? Make me burn with a passion that obliterated logical thought?
A low tittering had me pulling away as I blushed furiously. Everyone was smirking and staring at us.
“Oooh,” Liam teased, “Madi’s snogging her boyfriend.”
I pushed Matt’s shoulders and he finally released me with a smug smile.
“Thanks a lot,” I whispered.
“My pleasure, poppet,” he whispered back.
I narrowed my eyes and his smile widened. I turned away from him and walked over to the others who were entering the fish bowl and poking fun at me. Dante held out a bottle of water, gaze jumping between me and Matt.
“You okay?” he asked.
I cracked the bottle open and took a sip before answering. “Yep. Are we all ready?”
We were the last ones to enter the room and I shut the door. Matt waved and I couldn’t stop the soft smile curling up my lips.
I had it bad.
“All right,” Dante said. “Lisa and Gerrard, you two take centre and start from where we left off. Bri, music.”
<><><>
Matt stretched in the seat, glancing at his watch. It was almost six and he felt exhausted. Thank God it looked like they were finishing up. He stood up as they exited the room with their bags. More than a few glances were sent in his direction as they talked amongst themselves. He ignored them and watched as Madi and Dante came out.
“See you guys tomorrow,” Dante said, and a chorus of goodbyes followed. Matt made his way over to them.
“Ready to go, Madi?” he asked, not liking Dante’s arm around her waist.
“I need to change. Can you wait in the office?”
He nodded and walked off, casting backward glances at her and Dante. They did look good together. Matt pushed that unsettling thought out of his mind and headed for the office.
“Ow! Wait, Dante.”
Her cry of pain had him spinning on his heels and hurrying back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately as he came upon her lying on the floor with her right foot in Dante’s hand. Dante carefully took her ballet shoe off and let out a soft hiss.
“Looks bad, sweet cheeks. Wait here, I’ll get the first aid kit.” Dante gently put her foot down and, with an unfriendly look his way, brushed past Matt who stooped down to look at her foot.
“Jesus, poppet! Your toe’s bleeding.”
“I know,” she muttered, arms covering her face. “Hazards of the job.”
Matt winced at the sight of the blood pooling around the nail of her big toe.
“Does it hurt much?” he asked gently.
She sat up and scowled at him. “What do you think?”
He paid no attention to her temper and started undoing the ribbon on her other foot. Carefully he took off the other ballet shoe and frowned.
“This one’s bleeding, too. Why on earth didn’t you stop earlier?”
“Don’t worry, Matt. This happens a lot,” she explained.
Matt’s frown deepened. “I don’t like the thought of you hurt.”
“Hazards of being a dancer. Stop fussing.” She covered her face with her arms again and Matt ran a hand up her calf. Madi let out a groan of relief and he continued to massage her leg until Dante came back with the first aid kit. He moved aside as Dante briskly took bandages out before cleaning the blood away.
“It’s not that bad, sweet cheeks. Stop being a baby,” he joked.
“Ow!” She yelped when he dabbed antiseptic over the injury. “Says the man who cried when I did this for him not more than three weeks ago.”
“Shut up,” Dante mumbled, shooting Matt an embarrassed look. With obvious experience, Dante cleaned and bandaged both toes.
Matt helped her up and she was smiling once more, bouncing on her toes while he glowered in disapproval.
“Thanks, Dante. I’m going to change then head home. What time do you want me in tomorrow?”
Matt looked at her, then Dante. “You can’t dance with both feet injured.”
They scoffed at him before starting back down the corridor. Matt stood there for a second, feeling put out over their behaviour. Did they not know who they were speaking to?
“Madi.” He closed the distance fast with his long strides.
“Matt, wait for me in the office,” she said, then disappeared behind a door with Dante. Matt scowled at the closed door, then went to wait in the office, as ordered. He wasn’t sure how to take her new attitude. Ten minutes later, she walked through the door dressed in the clothes he’d first seen her in.
“I just need to check a few things.” She headed straight for the desk, tossing her bag on the ground. “Then we’ll go back to mine and you can get your driver to pick you up from there, because I’m not driving all the way to Kensington.”
Matt quirked his lips. She was mistaken if she believed they wouldn’t be spending tonight, and the rest of the weekend, together.
“What are you looking at?” he asked, coming around the desk to peer over her shoulders.
“My emails. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” He touched her hair, wrapping a curl around his finger and enjoying the feel of its texture. The different types of curls that black women possessed were a mystery to him. A lot of them wore it straight, but he’d seen quite a few with their natural curls on proud display, ranging from, in his inexpert opinion, the tight afro curls, which he had no idea on how a black woman could manage, to the wavy tresses of those with mixed race. Madi’s hair was somewhere in between. He loved tangling his fingers through the springy softness.
He rubbed the back of her neck, slow, circular motions that elicited a soft sigh from her.
“Mmm,” she murmured, then jerked away. “I’m angry with you.”
“I know, poppet,” he murmured back. “I apologize for the background check and the bloody media.”
He resumed massaging her neck, venturing over her tense shoulders. This time she didn’t pull away.
“Those things they’re saying about my mom…I don’t want to believe it. She’s being portrayed like a mixed up—”
“Poppet.” Matt cut her off gruffly. “The media go out of their way to put a negative spin on everything in order to increase circulation. Don’t dwell on it.”
“But, Matt, it’s not just what they’re saying about her. They’re making it sound like I’m a gold-digging slut. And those comments.”
Matt spun her chair around so he could look into her unhappy eyes. “You’re not, and I don’t care about other people’s opinions on our relationship. Ignore those ignorant arseholes.”
“I guess I should,” she mumbled, doe eyes downcast.
Matt gripped her chin and tilted her head upwards. “We’ve been over this, Madi. Nothing has changed. Now smile,” he commanded.
She made a feeble attempt and he arched an unimpressed eyebrow at her. Shaking his head in disapproval, he plastered an exaggerated smile on his own face and she burst into laughter.
“Much better, poppet.”
The door opened and Dante sauntered in with a pile of post. Matt gave him cool eyes as Madi spun the chair back around and grimaced.
“Don’t tell me.” She groaned. “More—”
“Bills, sweet cheeks.” Dante finished with a rueful smile. “I’ll sort it. You head home, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She sighed and logged out of her email before standing up. “Ok, use the—”
“Business account at Barclays, I know.”
Matt picked her bag up and held a hand out, which she took. He flashed a polite smile at Dante as they walked towards the door. “Pleasure meeting you.”
“Yeah, man.” Dante brushed him off, then smacked Madi’s bum as she passed him. “Call me later, Madi.”
“Mmm hmm. Bye,” she murmured absent-mindedly. Matt squeezed her hand, not liking the frown between her eyebrows and silently fuming over Dante’s brazen lack of propriety. This was the second time Matt had witnessed the man taking liberties with Madi’s arse. Matt would need to have a little talk with her about that.
“After you talk to Aunt Cleo,” Dante said.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to that conversation.”
Dante laughed and took the seat she vacated. “Tomorrow’s classes are on. I’ll send an email to the students’ parents.”
“Better put a disclaimer that they can be cancelled at short notice, just in case. Oh, and we need to get our staff criminal record checks done again. They’re due about now.”
“Will do. Go home.”
“Bye, Dante.”
<><><>
I felt depressed, and my toes throbbed something bad. Matt squeezed my hand as we walked out the door and I glanced at our entwined fingers. His strong hand totally engulfed mine. Black and white.
“Do you think the press is still out there?” I asked as we made our way out of the building.
Matt glanced around while I got my keys out. “Doesn’t seem so, poppet, but they’re tricky bastards. Could be waiting down the street.”
We got in my vehicle and Matt adjusted the passenger seat, grumbling the entire time I needed a bigger car. He buckled up, then gave me a pointed stare. I buckled up, too.
“Matt,” I said, “don’t diss my baby.”
“Humph. Let’s go. What are you cooking for dinner?”
I rolled my eyes and started the engine. Slowly I pulled out the car park, nervously eyeing the front gates for any sight of reporters. There was one van parked on the road that I sped past, checking in the rear view mirror in case we were being followed.
“You drive like a maniac,” he said after five minutes, gripping the dashboard.
“Yep.”
Matt’s face lost its colour as my car zipped through a small opening between a Jag and Audi. The lights were green, and there was sufficient space between the cars for me to sneak up the middle.
“Jesus Christ, woman!”
I flipped on the CD player. “That’s blasphemous, taking the Lord’s name in vain.”
He tugged on his belt, making sure it was secure, then chewed me out all the way to my house.
“Did you buy your license?” I grabbed my bag and ignored him. I had learned it was the best way in dealing with him when he was this annoyed.
“Because it’s inconceivable you passed a driver’s test driving the way you do.”
“Why don’t you call your driver while I call my aunt,” I said as he slammed the door behind us. He shook his head at me before walking off, muttering under his breath how he was in love with a crazy woman. I smiled. He loved me.
My smile disappeared as I picked up the house phone and called my aunt. The conversation consisted of many ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers, with a healthy amount of ‘sorry’ interspersed. Aunt Cleo made no effort to hide how she felt about Matt. The things she called him were not mentionable in polite society. She only got off the phone after I promised to come home in the next month. At least she was too busy berating my lack of common sense to ask me for money.
With dejected shoulders I made my way upstairs. I could hear Matt moving around in my bedroom.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked, hands on hips, and wondering if I was in love with a weirdo.
Matt pursued his lips, undecided between a handful of silky thongs or cotton briefs with various cartoon characters printed on them.
“Matt, why are you rifling through my underwear drawer?”
He decided on the thongs and walked over to the bed. “I’m packing a weekend bag for you to take to mine, poppet.” He stuffed the underwear into a bag bulging with clothes.
“But—”
“No buts, poppet.” He cut me off. “My bed is bigger and, now everyone knows about us, I see no reason we can’t go to mine.”
“Won’t George be there?” I asked, not wanting to go to his fancy house.
“He has tonight off. Where are those sexy pyjamas I like you in?” he asked as I walked over to remove the thongs and replace them with my cartoon briefs. Matt’s mouth curled down a little.