“Am I indeed?”
“Until you and I are done, you’re all mine.”
Tasha frowned at his response. What did that mean,until you and I are done?
“When is your period due?”
The sudden switch in topic shocked her and caused her to blush again, embarrassed by his question.
“Well?” he asked impatiently.
She thought he was probably unused to waiting for people to respond to his questions, demands.
“Not for another week.” Disbelief filled her mind that they were having this conversation after less than a day of knowing one another. His question confirmed her earlier thoughts about him being someone who’d want to know and influence every aspect of her life if she was to embark on a long-term relationship with him.
“Are you regular?” He seemed over focused on this.
She nodded shyly.
“How regular?”
This was now verging on the obsessional as far as Tasha was concerned. Why did he want or need to discuss this?
“Tasha, how regular?” he repeated, impatient again.
“Every twenty-eight days, regular as clock work, since I was fourteen-years-old.” She felt she was sharing far too much now.
“What day are you on now? Twenty, twenty-one?” He was staring at her and waiting for an answer.
“Twenty. Why?” Curiosity now got the better of her rather than the annoyance she thought she should be aiming at him for such an invasion of her privacy.
“Because I would really like to go bare back with you and if you’re on day twenty with a regular twenty-eight day cycle, you won’t get pregnant. I know you’d enjoy it as much as me. What do you say? I have regular health checks and I’m clean.”
She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t doubt she’d like it, but she wanted to be safe. She’d allowed Liam to break her rules and look how that had ended, although she was fooling herself if she really believed she’d ever had the control to allow anything with him. She suddenly felt unsure of herself. Maybe she shouldn’t be here. Should never have allowed herself to come here with James Maybury. A predator.
“Have I said something to offend you? You look odd.” Jim sounded concerned as he took in her complexion that had suddenly paled and her eyes that looked somewhere between anxious and fearful, as if she was a trapped animal battling with its fight or flight instinct.
“Not really. You remember my psycho boyfriend? He was unpleasant, crazy though, and he used to sometimes insist on no condoms and although every ounce of me told me to refuse, it was always easier not to argue. I really didn’t have much choice. Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest that you were the same as him by asking to do it without a condom—”
Jim put his index and middle finger on her lips to signal that she should stop speaking.
“He was crazy though, Tasha. Look, forget about it. If you want to go without a latex barrier great, but that’s your choice, honey. I won’t push you.” He smiled.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here, it’s getting cold and rubbers in the bath probably are an awkward combination.”
****
“Do you want to go to the theatre this evening?” Jim asked as they sat eating a large, late lunch.
“I can’t be seen with you on a date.”
“Why the hell not?” He wore a strange expression. Something between amusement and annoyance spreading across his face.
“Because this, us, could be viewed by others as me sleeping my way to a role. We have agreed that you will not be making me a big star, but nobody else would believe that. ”
“Integrity. I do like that. It makes you hotter and it makes me hard.”
