I smile to myself, throwing my leg over his thighs. He clasps my knee, rubbing circles over my skin with his thumb, while I trace my fingers across the surface of his scar. I’m compelled to know how he got it. He hasn’t mentioned it, except to warn me off asking, but it’s not like it can be overlooked. I need to know more about him.

‘How did this happen?’ I ask as I follow the line around to his side.

He inhales tiredly. ‘How did what happen, Ava?’ His words leave no room for movement or interrogation on the matter. He doesn’t want to talk about it.

‘Nothing,’ I whisper softly, making a mental note not to ask again.

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ he asks in a blatant change of subject tactic.

‘It’s Wednesday, I’m working.’

‘Take the day off.’

‘What, just like that?’

I feel him shrug. ‘Yes, you owe me two days.’

He makes everything sound so straight forward. It’s okay for him, with his own business and no one to answer to. I, on the other hand, have clients, a boss and a pile of work to do.

‘I have too much to do. Besides, you abandoned me for four days.’ I remind him. He still hasn’t explained himself. Will he now?

‘Come with me now then.’ He squeezes me in a little bit more. I notice I get nothing of an explanation.

‘Where?’

‘I’ve got to shoot over to The Manor, sort a few things out with John. You can have some dinner while you wait for me.’

Not a chance! I’m not going to The Manor, I’m not waiting for him in the restaurant while he sees to business and I’m not risking bumping into old pouty lips.

‘I think I’ll stay here, I don’t want to get in your way.’ I say quietly, hoping he doesn’t push this. Another standoff with Sarah will not be a good way to end the day, the devious, interfering cow. What has Jesse’s personal life got to do with her?

I’m rolled onto my back with my wrists pinned to the side of my head as Jesse looms over me. ‘You won’t ever be in my way.’ He rests his lips between my breasts and trails kisses across to my nipple. ‘You’ll come.’

My nipple lengthens under his gentle, swirling tongue, my breathing fluttering. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I force the words through pants.

His teeth clamp lightly onto my nipple as he looks up at me, grinning. ‘Hmmm, sense fuck?’ he offers, through a mouth full of breast.

Oh, no. I’ll take the fuck, but I’m still not going to The Manor. Although, if he starts fucking his so called sense into me, then I’m screwed in more than one way. He can make me say anything. Well, he can do that pretty much all of the time, but especially during a sense fuck.

I hear the front door crash open and the laughter of Kate and Sam coming up the stairs. I look down at Jesse still clamped around my nipple, the frustration marring his face having me secretly pleased. While I’d take a sense fuck anytime, the sense he aims on fucking into me, on this particular occasion, makes no sense at all. Why would I want to set myself up for a verbal spar with Sarah?

He huffs childishly, releasing my nipple. ‘I don’t suppose you can keep your mouth shut while I fuck some sense into you?’

I raise my eyebrows. He knows that’s impossible.

‘For fucks sake.’ he grumbles, pushing himself up, making a point of brushing his knee up the inside of my thigh and over my moist centre. The friction has me wanting to yank him back down to me. I don’t want him to go. He leans down and kisses me hard and purposefully. ‘I’ve got to go. When I call you tomorrow, you’ll answer the phone.’

‘I will.’ I confirm obediently. God help me if I don’t.

He smiles darkly and grabs my hip. I squeal like a little girl and flip myself onto my front. Then I feel the sting of his palm meeting my backside.

‘Ouch!’

‘Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, lady.’ The bed shifts as he gets up.

When I turn over, his shirt is on his back and he’s working the buttons. ‘Will Sarah be at The Manor?’ I blurt, before my brain filters the stupid question.

He pauses briefly before picking up his boxers and stepping into them. ‘I hope so, she works for me.’

What? ‘You said she was a friend.’ I sound whinny. I mentally slap myself for it.

He frowns. ‘Yes, she’s a friend and she works for me.’

Marvelous. I roll out of bed and find my vest and shorts. No wonder she’s always loitering about. Should I tell him that she’s warned me off? No, he probably wouldn’t appreciate immature, petty jealousies. God, I hate that woman. I yank my vest and shorts on, and turn to find Jesse pulling his suit jacket on. He’s watching me thoughtfully. Does he know what I’m thinking?

‘Are you going to put some clothes on?’ he asks, looking me up and down.

I look down at my shorts and vest combo and back up to him. His eyebrows are raised. ‘I’m at home.’

‘Yes, and Sam’s out there.’

‘Sam doesn’t seem to think anything of walking around in his pants. At least I’m covered.’

‘Sam’s an exhibitionist.’ he grumbles, walking over to my wardrobe and flicking through the rails. ‘Here, put this on.’ He hands me a chunky knit, oversized, cream jumper.

‘No!’ I splutter in disgust. I’ll pass out of overheating!

He thrusts it closer to me with a determined, dirty look. ‘Put the jumper on.’

‘No.’ I say it slowly and concisely. He’s not dictating my wardrobe, especially not when I’m at home. I snatch the jumper from him and throw it on the bed, watching as he follows its path through the air. He looks at it sprawled on the bed, then slowly returns his eyes to mine. His teeth are going ten to the dozen, chewing his bottom lip.

‘Three,’ he grates.

My eyes widen. ‘Are you winding me up?’

He ignores me. ‘Two,’

I still don’t know what happens at zero, but it looks like I’m going to find out. ‘I’m not putting the jumper on.’

‘One,’ His lips press into a straight line of displeasure.

‘Do what you like, Jesse. I’m not putting that jumper on.’

His eyes narrow. ‘Zero,’

We stand opposite each other, him with an expression of genuine fury mixed with a bit of delight, and me wondering what the hell he’s going to do now that he’s reached zero. I scan the room, looking for an escape, but there’s only one, and I have to get past Jesse to make it there. What are the chances of that?

He shakes his head, exhaling a long, lung full of air, and then he makes his move. I dart across the bed to escape, getting caught up in the mountain of sheets and squealing when I feel his warm palm wrap around my ankle. He yanks me across the bed.

‘Jesse!’ I cry as he flips me over and straddles me, pinning my arms under his knees. ‘Get off!’ I blow my hair out of my face, finding him looking down at me, his face deadly serious.

‘Let’s clear something up.’ He removes his jacket, throws it on the bed and picks up the jumper. ‘If you do what you’re told, our lives will be a lot easier. All this…’ He strokes his palms over my torso and pinches my nipples through my vest. I yelp. ‘is for my eyes only.’ He moves his hands behind him and digs his fingers into the hollow above my hips bone.

‘NO!’ I scream. ‘Please, no!’ I start laughing. Oh God, I’ll pee myself!

He continues with the digs and squeezes, sending me on a wild bucking mission. I can’t breathe. I’m between laughter and crying at the torturous assault, my bladder set to burst.

‘Jesse, I need the toilet!’ I half laugh, half cry. All I’m aware of is the agonising suffering he’s inflicting on me, the cruel bastard. And all because I won’t put a stupid jumper on?

‘That’s better.’ I hear him say through my bucking frenzy. I feel my hair being brushed away from my face, then his lips pressed hard on mine. ‘You could have saved us both a lot of trouble if you’d have just put…the…fucking…jumper…on.’

I look up at him and scowl as he lifts his heavy weight from me and puts his jacket back on. I sit up, finding I’m wearing the stupid jumper. How did he manage that? I turn my fierceness onto him. He’s regarding me intently, not a hint of amusement on his face.