Enlightened (19 page)
Valentine’s decorations still adorned card shop windows as I set on my way to meeting Rebecca at the bridal boutique for our final dress fitting. I could hardly believe how quickly time was flying. Christmas seemed like just yesterday, but now Rebecca and Nicholas’ wedding was just a month away. Four tiny weeks, crikey, it would be here in no time.
As well as getting the final measurements for our bridesmaids’ dresses Louise and I were also going to be getting a crash course in how to lace up Rebecca’s wedding dress. The gown she’d picked was stunning, simple yet elegant, just perfect for her, but the bodice back looked pretty daunting so I was relieved when the assistant had offered us some lessons.
As Louise was getting measured up I killed some time by absently perusing some of the dress racks outside the fitting room at the back of the shop. Pushing one gown to the side I found myself looking at a wedding dress that very nearly made my eyes pop out of my head. If in fact this ‘thing’ could even be classed as a wedding dress. Grinning from ear to ear I pulled it down. It was light to hold, which wasn’t surprising as there was barely anything to it, and made my way inside the changing rooms.
‘Oh, Rebecca, you’re going to be so disappointed you didn’t spot this beauty!’ I teased as I held up the hanger. Rebecca, Louise, and the assistant all turned simultaneously in my direction and I watched as their faces all took on similar expressions of shock. The ‘dress’ in my hand was made of black leather straps, a few buckles, and not much else. Judging from the placement of the straps they would just about cover the essentials, still leaving plenty of skin exposed. To add to the obvious bondage design there were metal rings attached in several places, presumably for wedding night fun.
Nothing says romance quite like some attached bondage straps, does it?
I thought with a giggle.
‘Ah yes, we have a few like that for our more, uh,
specialist
clientele,’ the assistant said with a knowing smile. ‘There are matching knee high boots too.’
‘Well, given his history I think Nicholas would have loved it! I know Nathan would!’ I said, trying to imagine Nathan’s face if I walked into the bedroom wearing this get up. He’d probably blow a gasket. Shortly before taking full advantage of the various clips and buckles to pin me down while he did incredibly naughty things to me.
Louise’s eyes opened wide at my words, just at the same time as Rebecca flashed me a warning glance and gave a minute shake of her head. Judging from the curiosity on Louise’s face I quickly realised that Rebecca hadn’t shared any details of the Jackson brothers’ penchant for control in the bedroom with her. Oops.
‘I mean, what man wouldn’t like to see a woman wearing this …’ I said quickly, trying to cover my steps, but thankfully, at that very moment the assistant stood up and gave Louise a pat on the shoulder. ‘All done. Right, Stella, your turn.’ Phew.
Talk about saved by the bell
I thought, as I began to strip off my jeans and jumper, all the while deliberately avoiding eyes contact with Louise.
Mid-way through pulling up the zip on the side of my dress the assistant stopped and frowned. ‘Hmmm,’ she said, bringing a hand up and rubbing her chin. ‘I don’t think we need to take it in anymore, it’s actually a bit snugger than last time already.’
Frowning, I ran my hands down over my stomach and bum. Everything was still pretty flat, but I suppose I had basically deserted my diet during the Christmas holidays and gone a bit wild on the mince pies. It was quite disappointing though, because even though I might not have been counting my calories I had still maintained my running routine with Rebecca in the month or so since Christmas, which I’d thought would have balanced everything out. How depressing, perhaps this was early middle age starting to kick in, and fat would suddenly become harder to burn off now I was in my late twenties.
‘We’ll leave it as it is, there’s still a little room,’ the assistant said with a smile, completely unaware of my slight upset. I’d run my bloody arse off in the last month, I think I had the right to be slightly perturbed. ‘Feel free to pop in the week before the wedding if you think your weight has changed at all.’
My low mood didn’t last for long though, because as the assistant bent to check the hem of the dress I saw Louise and Rebecca bobbing about and teasing me by puffing out their cheeks and curling their arms into rounded humps at their sides to make it look like they were really fat, which instantly made me smile. I knew what they were trying to do – bring me back down to earth. I was hardly obese, was I? So really I shouldn’t be getting myself upset by a few extra pounds here and there.
‘On the plus side, we now have more time to practice lacing the wedding dress,’ the assistant said as she stood up again. ‘Let’s make a start, shall we?’ she chirped, topping up our champagne.
‘
Please
tell me you haven’t organised anything big for today, Nathan,’ I queried apprehensively as I eyed my brother and his impeccable suit while he stood on my doorstep with his legs splayed and a cocky expression on his face. Why was he wearing a three-piece suit at this time of the day anyway? It was barely nine in the morning on a Saturday for God’s sake.
Raising an eyebrow Nathan gave me a level stare and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Have a little faith please, Nicholas,’ he said tersely. Picking up a small holdall he pushed his way past me, through the front door and headed into my kitchen with me trailing behind sullenly. Placing his bag down Nathan then propped himself on a counter and crossed one ankle over the other before tugging on his shirt cuffs, smoothing down his jacket, and running a hand carefully over his already immaculate hair. He looked like he was auditioning for a
GQ
photo shoot, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
‘I have faith in you, brother, but I said I didn’t want a stag do and yet here you are.’ Turning to him I heaved out a sigh and waited for him to expand on what the heck he had planned for me today. ‘I recall perfectly; you said no night clubs, no strippers, no groups of fake friends. So basically no stag do. I have adhered to all these points, Nicholas. Think of today as two brothers simply having a day out together, nothing more.’
My eyebrows rose. ‘It’s just the two of us?’
Nathan nodded his head slowly. ‘It is.’ Realistically it had always just been Nathan and I. Our parents might have brought us into the world, but their treatment of us as kids had forced us into relying heavily on each other as we grew up. Nathan was my rock. He was literally the only reason I was still alive today, and although our lives were evolving now as we moved on with Rebecca and Stella, I genuinely valued the brotherly bond we had.
Thinking about it in those terms I nodded; spending the day with Nathan would be great. I’d banned a stag do months ago, because quite frankly I couldn’t think of anything worse than being surrounded by vague acquaintances and so-called friends all drinking to my health and happy marriage – when realistically I didn’t actively socialise with any of them on a regular basis. But today would just be Nathan and I, just like old times. Nodding my head my shoulders felt looser already.
Taking out a bag of coffee beans I began to set up the grinder when Nathan walked over and unplugged it. ‘You won’t need that, we’ll be having coffee soon enough. Go and change, Nicholas, you need to be smart this morning, but pack a bag with some casual clothes,’ he said, plucking the bag of coffee from my hand and eyeing it appreciatively. ‘And I mean really casual, like a T-shirt, jumper, tracksuit bottoms. Gym gear, that type of thing.’ Gym gear? What the hell were we going to be doing? Working out?
Just as that moment Rebecca breezed into the kitchen with a small day bag in her hand. ‘Don’t worry about packing the bag, Nicholas. I’ve done it for you,’ she said with a sweet smile that I couldn’t help but return. A moment later however, I realised that the bag in her hand meant Rebecca obviously knew about the plans for the day, and I quickly dropped the smile and narrowed my eyes at her instead. ‘You were in on this?’
Her sweet smile morphed into a megawatt grin, ‘I was.’ Rolling onto tiptoes she landed a firm kiss on my lips, stepping back before I could take hold of her. ‘You’re going to have a great day,’ she added confidently before walking over to Nathan and whipping the coffee from his hand.
Trying not to be such a miser I rolled off my shoulders, pulled my face into some semblance of a smile, and then with a nod of acceptance turned and headed for the stairs to change.
Strolling down the stairs I made my way along the hall but froze as I saw Nathan and Rebecca still in the kitchen chatting amiably. My eyes narrowed for just the briefest of seconds as I watched them together, before I rolled my eyes at myself and allowed a small self-derisive smile to twist the corner of my lips. It was Rebecca and Nathan for God’s sake – my trusted brother and the woman I loved – I had no reason to be jealous or concerned. Slipping my hands in the trouser pockets of my suit I loosened off my neck and wandered along the hall to meet them. The way I’d so easily brushed off that spike of jealousy made me realise just how far I’d come in the last year or so and as I reached the kitchen I allowed myself a smile.
Rebecca’s eyes turned to me as soon as my shoes made contact with the marble of the kitchen floor.
Blowing out a low wolf whistle she licked her lips and grinned. I watched with pleasure as my girl’s eyes lit up as she took in my appearance. It was
me
making her look like that, and that thought was like liquid euphoria flowing through my veins and making my chest puff out.
‘You look
good
, Nicholas.
Really good
,’ Rebecca murmured in a low, husky tone. I was wearing one of my favourite navy blue three-piece suits, paired with a white shirt and a pale blue tie, but from the look Rebecca was giving me it was clearly one of her favourites too. Or at least it was now. In fact, her obvious appreciation almost seemed to verge on outright arousal, which while pleasing me immensely, was also quite surprising, because although Rebecca had no issues with displays of affection in public, she usually kept her lusty side more carefully hidden. It had to be said after Rebecca’s wolf whistle, throaty words, and intense stare, my ego was feeling pretty damn good at the moment.
‘You two look way too handsome,’ Rebecca said with a fake frown as she lifted a hand to her chin and inspected Nathan and myself intently. ‘Take him away, Nathan, before I change my mind about letting you both loose on the world.’
Grinning like a kid I couldn’t help but close the gap to my girl and pull her in for a heated kiss which quickly caused her to soften against me and loop her hands around my neck. God, I loved this woman so fucking much.
‘Christ, Nicholas, cool it off, brother,’ Nathan muttered as he gave me a shove in the shoulder that was hard enough to make me stagger sideways as I clutched a giggling Rebecca to my chest to stop her slipping.
‘OK, OK! Let’s go.’ Placing one final quick kiss on Rebecca’s lips I flashed her a wink and stepped towards my brother as he led me from the kitchen.
‘You’re not getting in my car if you’ve got a fucking stiffy, Nicholas,’ Nathan complained grumpily, but from the small chuckle I heard, I suspect his comment was far more light-hearted than he was making out. Picking up my bag I followed Nathan to the car unable to wipe the smirk from my face.
Eight minutes later Nathan’s company car pulled to a halt in the heart of Marylebone and I glanced out of the window before raising my eyebrows. ‘Are you serious?’ I asked, turning to my brother in surprise.
‘I am indeed, Nicholas,’ Nathan said as the driver opened the door for us and he slid from the car without waiting for me to continue the conversation.
Following my brother out of the car I nodded my thanks to the driver, straightened off my suit, smoothed down my tie, and then looked up at the impressive façade of the old fire station building in front of me. As innocuous as this frontage might seem, I knew that this building had been converted to house one of the hottest restaurants in London; the Chiltern Firehouse. This place was infamous for its fabulous – and expensive – food, not to mention sightings of the rich and famous.
‘Is this not a little pretentious for breakfast?’ I asked as we crossed the pavement towards the doors.
Smirking at me, Nathan shrugged carelessly. ‘Perhaps. But the food is fantastic, and surely I’m allowed to push the boat out to celebrate my little brother getting married?’ When he put it like that I couldn’t really disagree, so I joined Nathan in his smile and followed him inside.
As its name suggests, the Chiltern Firehouse is exactly what it says. The exterior is still that of a fire station, but even inside they have managed to maintain the original features in combination with a funky dining room setting.
We were seated promptly by an incredibly smart waiter who served us a complimentary glass of chilled mango juice to drink whilst we perused the breakfast menu. The rather expensive menu. I might have money, but I didn’t tend to splash out to this extreme that often, and I had to say I was still a little cynical about how the chef would make a few eggs be worth the prices listed on the menu.
After my initial scepticism I had to say the food really was amazing; I had a crab omelette and the most delicious coffee, while Nathan opted for lobster medallions with scrambled egg, an espresso, and small water. Perhaps this wasn’t the type of place you’d frequent every Saturday morning, but seeing as this was my stag do, of sorts, it certainly made a special start to the day.
Once we were back in the cool interior of the car I fully expected Nathan to produce a bottle of champagne from the fridge between the seats to really get our day started in style, but when I enquired about the possibility of a Buck’s Fizz he merely gave me a cryptic look and shook his head. ‘Later, brother,’ he said, handing me a chilled bottle of orange juice instead.
The reason behind Nathan’s reluctance to give me an alcoholic drink began to become apparent an hour and a half later as the car pulled off the M40 at the sign for Silverstone Circuit. Winding through country roads for a few minutes the car slowed as we turned into the car park of the world famous race track itself. Immediately my heart rate rose as my mind leapt to various different conclusions about why we might be here. All of them included cars and speed and made a huge childlike grin stretch my face.
‘I’m sure you can guess why we’re here, Nicholas,’ Nathan said with a matching grin. ‘You said no strippers, dancing, or nightclubs, so I thought I’d opt for something else which might get your pulse racing.’
I was so eager to see what we would be driving that I completely lost my usual poise and control as I practically threw myself out of the car as soon as the driver had pulled to a stop. ‘This is perfect, Nathan, you know how much I love a good, fast car.’
Patting me on the back Nathan handed me my bag, grabbed one of his own, and then led me towards the reception area. After changing into our casual clothes we were quickly checked in and given a very thorough safety briefing before being led to the track side where the mere smell of petrol and burnt rubber had me fidgeting with excitement.
Four hours later my heart was still hammering in my chest from the adrenaline and excitement of the experience. It had been absolutely
unbelievable
. We’d started in a Ferrari F430 Coupe, a beautiful car whose 4.3 V8 engine was capable of nought to sixty in four seconds flat. The thrill from the screaming roar of the engine as I paddled up through the six gears and tore around the corners of the circuit was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life before.
I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to drive fabulous cars before, and I’ve driven them fast. Really fast. But being on the circuit at Silverstone in the Ferrari had just been awe-inspiring. As our professional driver and guide for the day, Joe, had led us across to the pit lane and stopped beside a Formula 1 style car my jaw literally fell open. I’d never driven one of these beauties before, but bloody hell, I had
always
wanted to.
As soon as my foot had dabbed at the accelerator of the racing car I had been able to feel the difference to every single vehicle I have driven in the past. The near perfect aerodynamics, lightweight frame, and high power engine blew me away as it clung to the corners and leapt along the straights like a stallion. The driving position was so low to the ground that I could feel every single pulse-raising vibration run through my entire skeleton and soon enough I lost myself to the moment, much like I did when I played piano. There was nothing but me, the car, and the track. It truly was one of the most astonishing experiences of my entire life.
Changing back into my suit after such an incredible afternoon was actually rather difficult. All I wanted to do was stay on the track until the sun went down and the floodlights came on and then drive until I ran out of fuel. But eventually our time was up and Nathan and I made our way back to the car with grins on our faces like two little kids.
As the car pulled out of the car park and I gazed wistfully at the disappearing stadium complex, Nathan popped the cork from a bottle of champagne, making me jump. The loud noise seemed to ricochet round the small space and I chuckled, my attention now well and truly back inside the car.
‘
Now
you can have a drink, brother,’ Nathan said, handing me a cool glass which I chinked with his and then immediately took a large sip from.
Considering I hadn’t wanted a stag do, or even a fuss to be made, I had to say today had been out of this world. I’d been treated to great food, experienced thrills on the race track beyond my belief, and was now sipping champagne in the back of a plush car with my beloved brother. After all my previous reservations about what the day would hold Nathan had certainly succeeded in making me enjoy myself, and I had to say he’d done the job rather well.