“I think you’re likely to be the most sober and sensible tonight so take this for the taxi, or whatever.”
“You don’t have to do this, Jim.” Juan tried to return the money to Jim.
He waved a dismissive hand. “I know, but I want you to all get back safely, so please, take it.”
Juan obliged as Tasha coughed behind them.
“Right, let’s go before Dad insists on dropping us off for our play-date,” said Philip sarcastically.
Tasha laughed as she reached the bottom of the stairs and the boys went through the front door. She stretched up slightly to kiss Jim gently on the lips.
“Be good and don’t forget to be careful.” He stroked her thigh.
“I will. I promise.”
“You do have underwear on don’t you?” His question was wary.
Tasha laughed. “Of course. I don’t regularly leave the house half dressed.”
“Make that never now, honey, not without me.”
She nodded. “You can check when I get back.”
He threw his head back with a groan. “You haven’t made it out of here yet, baby.”
“Tasha, come on. Put the old man down, the taxi’s here,” cried Philip who was standing in the hall now and with a grab of Tasha’s hand pulled her out of the house.
Jim watched them climbing into the waiting taxi and sighed as he thought how this could be the big downfall of dating a woman almost half his age. She had completely different interests to him. Interests he was at odds with. Had tonight been with anyone else he knew he would not have allowed it to happen, not for Tasha anyway. What was going to happen when she went home and he wasn’t there to control these things? He felt as confused as she had earlier, but he knew she was the one for him and he was going to do anything he possibly could to make this work. He smiled as he thought of her outburst about Amanda and although she’d maddened him with the way she’d spoken to him, he liked that she was jealous and suspicious of other women and the way she had stood her ground. However, Amanda posed absolutely no threat to Tasha’s position in his life. He should have just left her as a foolish fling, like his mother had told him to. She’d been too dull, too safe for him. Tasha was anything but and with the exception of the wannabe porn star none of his wives would have done what Tasha had done in the kitchen, or on his desk, or anywhere else really, although he remained unsure in retrospect whether number three’s antics had been entirely genuine or if she had simply been honing her craft. Whereas Tasha...he groaned as he felt the familiar stirring in his trousers and decided if he was going to do his dad’s accounts he would work in the living area out back because the desk and his office did nothing to help him focus on work now. He jumped when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Chapter 21
They entered the club and were swamped by a group of around ten people, both male and female. Philip introduced them all, but Tasha couldn’t quite keep up with all the names and speed of the introductions. Juan escorted her to the bar to get a drink where she attempted to pay, but Juan refused.
“We should probably let Jim get the first one.”
She shook her head seriously.
“You don’t like the cash, do you?”
“Dislike might not be the right word, but it makes me uncomfortable. That amount of cash with no appreciation of its value feels odd to me.”
Juan nodded. “I know what you mean, but Philip and Lizzie don’t have a clue.”
