Exclusively Yours (Joe & Ella Book 2) Read online

  2

  On Wednesday evening Max walked in with a huge bag filled with different wines, beers, snacks and sweets. Robyn literally jumped on him as he came through the door. I felt comforted to see a friendly face from the outside world.

  “Dude you are the best house guest like ever!” Robyn cooed.

  “Thanks mate.” Chris snapped over at her with a pissed expression on his pretty boy face. He was not impressed with Max’s attempt to take his place as number one house guest, until Max brought out some pink vodka that had Chris’s eyes lighting up.

  “Ah mate that’s my favourite, you can come round here anytime.” He said back tracking.

  Max grinned over at me and winked. “I did my homework.” I gave him a massive hug, then went into the kitchen to fetch the glasses, corkscrew and dishes for the snacks. It felt nice having him here, like a piece of Joe was still with me. The old Joe who wasn’t a complete man-whore. My Joe.

  “I wasn’t sure what you’d be up for so I brought over some DVDs too.” Max was the sweetest guy ever. I loved him.

  “So before we start drinking, I mean really drinking, give us the four one one Max. What’s up?” Trust Robyn to cut right to the chase and get down to the nitty gritty straight away.

  “Well if you mean Joe, he’s a bloody mess.”

  “Good” Robyn and Chris said in unison. I looked over at Max and we exchanged a sorrowful knowing look. We both knew the real Joe and it wasn’t as easy for us to know he was suffering. I looked down into my glass, feeling remorseful.

  “Don’t do that Ella!”

  “Do what Chris?”

  “Feel sorry for him. I know that look baby girl. You are going weak. Don’t! He is a sleazy no good jerk. You can do better.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for a row tonight so I ignored Chris and took a huge gulp of my wine. Max came to sit near me and put a friendly hand on my knee in solidarity. Then he reached down to grab another bottle lurking at the bottom of the bag.

  “A little bird told me you guys do tequila shots to get the party started!”

  “Oh my God Max have you come here with the intention of getting us all steaming drunk?” I laughed.

  “That wouldn’t be so bad would it? You haven’t got work tomorrow Ella. What about you two? Chris, Robyn, do you have work?”

  Robyn and Chris looked at each other with a cheeky mischievous glint in their eyes.

  “I can ring in sick, I’m sure Ella is contagious.” Chris wiggled his eyebrows in a playful way.

  “If you ring in for me I’ll ring in for you.” Robyn bartered.

  “Deal Hun.” They high fived each other and my heart instantly sunk to my feet as it made me think back to the last time I’d seen a high five, over the naked back of some whore. My fallen angel debasing himself in the worst way.

  “Hey snap out of it and drink up.” Robyn said snapping her fingers in front of my face, “We have a whole lot of wine and tequila here to drink honey bun. No miserable faces allowed tonight okay?”

  I nodded, downed my wine and reached for the bottle of tequila.

  “Stack em up baby.” Chris cheered.

  “Oh hell, what have I done?” Max laughed shaking his head.

  Two hours later and we were all dancing around the living room to Pink and drunkenly singing our hearts out. I kept hugging my three gorgeous friends and telling them how much I loved them. I was in a happy, loving, alcohol infused mood.

  “Let’s go out and dance, we need to share our moves with the rest of the city tonight. We are wasted in this living room. Plus I’m missing out on hot men.” Chris said as he shook his hips and downed another shot.

  “I want hot men too!” Robyn said with way too much enthusiasm.

  “I’m not up for the hot men” I said and Max nodded, “But I gotta agree I am so up for a dance in a club right now.”

  Max laughed as Robyn dialled the local cab office to pick us up asap, telling the guy on the other line it was of the utmost importance that we all got to a dancefloor as soon as was humanly possible.

  “Your friends are crazy!” Max whispered in my ear.

  “Yep, but they keep me sane.” I replied as I flung my arms round Max and gave him a massive sloppy kiss on his cheek.

  “I’m praying every night that you and Joe get back together, you are made for him Ella, and I love you too. You’d make the best sister in-law. You know he’s my brother right? Well not actually my brother, we’re bros. He’s my brother from another mother.” I threw my head back and laughed out loud.

  “Oh Max you are the cutest guy I have ever met.” I whispered the last part making a ‘shh’ action with my finger over my lips and looking pointedly over to Chris. Max nodded in recognition.

  “I love him.” I sighed, picturing my fallen angel.

  Max smiled down at me, “I know. He loves you too, more than you’ll ever know. You two will be okay, I just know it.”

  “Will we though? I mean he is a big fat slutty whore isn’t he!” I shook my head in a show of mock disgust and stumbled a little on my feet feeling completely wasted.

  “He was, but that was over ten years ago Ella. He hadn’t been with a woman for over six months when he met you and you are the only one he wants now. He’s besotted with you. Obsessed, but in a good way of course.”

  I was shocked to hear that, I had no idea Joe hadn’t been with anyone for over six months before me. He gave the impression he was such a man-whore when I first met him. Why had he done that? Did he really think that was what women wanted to hear? Was he really that clueless about us females?

  “Why did he tell me he was a player when I first met him?”

  “Who knows why Joe does anything? It’s probably because he thought that’s what you’d want to hear. He doesn’t trust women, well he didn’t until he met you, so he could have been saying that to protect himself from being hurt. I know, I know, it doesn’t make any sense. Trust me, when you feel up to it we’ll talk and I promise you you’ll see Joe in a different light when I tell you about the Joe I know.”

  I nodded. Right now I wasn’t even sure what I thought, the alcohol was playing tricks with my mind and if Joe was stood in front of me now I’d probably drag him off to my bedroom and lock us in there for days of rampant hungry make-up sex. Drink could do strange things to your judgement, I knew that, and I didn’t trust my judgement sober at the moment.

  “Look after me tonight Max, I don’t want to do anything stupid.” I said as the cab beeped to tell us it was outside and the other two danced awkwardly out of the door, limbs wobbling everywhere.

  “Why do you think I’m here Ella?” Max asked. “I’m looking after you for Joe. I promised him I would.” A tear fell down my cheek when he said that. I loved Joe so much but I felt so torn. I wanted to call him but I knew that was the last thing I should do.

  “Don’t let me call Joe either, no good can come from me talking to or seeing him tonight.”

  “Okay.” He laughed and led me down the path to the waiting cab. I swear if Max wasn’t holding me up right now I’d be face down in a bush. I had a new guardian angel and he was the sweetest guy ever.

  “How are you still single?” I looked up at Max quizzically. I was sat in the back seat of the cab in the middle, sandwiched between Chris and Max. Robyn had called shotgun.

  “Tell me you’re gay, please. I need a bit of sweetness in my life.” Chris piped up.

  “No I’m not gay.” Max laughed looking over at Chris, “I’m still looking for the right girl. I’m picky.” He shrugged.

  Both Chris and I started pointing at Robyn sat in the front seat. She was oblivious to our efforts at match making as she sang along to the taxi driver’s radio. Maybe she was a bit pushy for laid back Max, but it was worth a try my drunken brain told me.

  The cab pulled up outside Elite and I started shaking with nerves. This was the club I had been in when I met Joe for the first time. Oh no, was this a bad sign?

  “Please tell me he isn’
t here.” I looked over at Max accusingly.

  “God no. I wouldn’t do that to either of you right now.” Max looked hurt that I would think that of him.

  “Sorry Max, I just got nervous there for a minute. Come on let’s go I need a drink.”

  “Another one?” He chuckled, “I’ve never met a woman that can drink like you. Do you have hollow legs?” I frowned and giggled at his weird joke and pulled him by the arm into the warmth of the club. Max was about to experience the wonder that was Robyn, Chris and Ella on the dancefloor, God help him.

  I woke up the next day with the hangover from hell. Memories of dancing on tables, taking more shots at the bar and making a complete ass of myself made me slink further under my covers to hide. I heard Chris groan in pain next to me.

  “Oh my God I’m dying baby.” He grunted.

  “You and me both. How did we get home? Was Max okay?”

  “Don’t you remember?” He pulled back the covers just a fraction, his blood shot eyes staring over at me.

  “No!” I covered my face. Oh no this was going to be painful to hear.

  “We went to the greasiest kebab place and ate virtually everything on the menu then caught a cab.” Doesn’t sound too bad I thought.

  “That was after we had entertained the entire street with our dirty dancing re-enactment.”

  “Oh God no!” I put my hands over my face in shame. Chris and I used to do an extremely dodgy version of ‘the lift’ for a laugh most New Year’s Eve but that was in a house in front of people we knew, not in the street in front of strangers.

  “Oh yes! Then in the cab Robyn made us stop so she could throw up in the gutter. Pure class that girl. Then we took Max back to Joe’s.”

  “What?” I sat up startled then grabbed my head as it protested at the sudden movement I’d just made. “Please tell me we didn’t see Joe.”

  “No we didn’t see Joe, but you did entertain his doorman with a rendition of ‘I will always love you’.”

  “No!!!!” I was beyond mortified.

  “Don’t sweat it Hun, it was hilarious, especially when you tried to reach the high notes.”

  I sank back onto the bed and crawled into a ball. “I shouldn’t be let out in a drunken state at the moment, I’m not safe.” Chris laughed his head off.

  “Max was really sweet, he held you up, then got you back into the taxi and put your seat belt on before he left. He is a diamond of a man. He spent all night looking after you then went home to look after Joe. He said he’s moved in with him to make sure he’s okay whilst you’re both going through this.”

  God that man was a bloody saint. He’d have to be to put up with our shit.

  “I’ll ring him later to thank him. He’s a really good guy.”

  “They broke the mould when they made him.” Chris said, “Why couldn’t you have got with him Ella? He’d be the perfect boyfriend.”

  “Because I met Joe first, and I love him.” I said without thinking.

  “You are fucked.” Chris stated plainly.

  “I know, but you can’t help who you fall in love with.”

  “Ain’t that the truth!”

  3

  By Thursday evening the hangover had subsided and I was actually relieved to have a night in watching mundane TV shows with my besties. We still had some of Max’s snacks left over, the alcohol had been wiped out completely but the nibbles were all still there ready to be devoured. So we snuggled under our duvets and stuffed our faces with peanuts, nachos and other fattening delicious no good goodies.

  “You know I love you two girlies don’t you.” Chris purred putting his arms around both of us and pulling us into his chest.

  “We may have to flip a coin for who gets to marry you Chris, its slim pickings out there on the dating market.” Robyn replied winking over at me.

  “You can both be in Chris’s harem. It’s an exclusive club of three, no whores and no bores, so you two fit in perfectly…just.” We both elbowed him at the same time as he cackled at his own joke.

  After a few hours, Chris reluctantly dragged himself up off the sofa and said his goodbyes. He wasn’t going to stop over tonight, he needed his own bed and access to his many expensive face creams and lotions apparently. His skin was ‘dreadfully dehydrated’ and in need of attention he insisted. So after he left, both Robyn and myself decided on an early night. The partying from the previous night was now taking its toll on our energy reserves and we needed our beauty sleep.

  I was just nodding off, drifting into that sleep zombie zone when I heard a bang and then what sounded like the shattering of glass. Instantly I jumped up out of bed and tiptoed over to the door. Robyn must have heard it too as I heard her door fly open. She wasn’t as shy and reserved as me, because she was soon stomping loudly down the stairs shouting and screaming like a banshee to scare off any would be burglars.

  “I’ve got a gun Mother Fuckers so you better fuck off now or I will shoot your ass.” She was such a badass. I was sloping hesitantly down the stairs after her, afraid of what we would find.

  All we could hear was shuffling and muttering outside. Robyn pulled back the living room curtains to reveal the shattered glass of our living room window and a medium sized rock along with some smaller pebbles on the floor amongst the broken glass. Her face looked like thunder as her head shot up, then her shoulders sagged.

  “Bloody hell.” She sighed and turned to look at me.

  “You might want to head back to your room, this might get messy.” My stomach turned over, I had a feeling I knew who was outside. I stepped back behind the door as she flung it open.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She snapped.

  “I’m so sorry….sorry… I was throwing pebbles…you know…to get her attention.” Joe was wasted.

  “That was no pebble mate, it was a fuck off massive stone that’s made a bloody hole in my front window.”

  “I’ll pay for it…I’m sorry. Is she here?”

  “She’s asleep. Go home Joe. You’re drunk.”

  “I need to see her.” I could see his shadow through the gap of the door and he was swaying, he was so wasted.

  “I’m not letting you in Joe, go home get some sleep and sober up. If you still want to see her in the morning then come back then.”

  “No, I need to see her now.” He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, I knew how stubborn he could be.

  “Ain’t happening mate, do one!”

  Robyn tried to get control of the situation but I knew he would stay here until he saw me. Even if he caused a huge scene and woke up half of the neighbourhood.

  “It’s okay Robyn.” I said pulling the door open wider and making my way around Robyn’s protective frame. “What do you want Joe? Why are you here?” I must have looked a fright, my curls were wild and my fluffy white bathrobe was tied tightly around me.

  “Angel.” He sighed as if I had just appeared before him like some heavenly apparition. “You always look like such an angel.” Hmm maybe it was the blonde hair and the white fluffy robe that was giving him the angel vibes, that and his beer goggles.

  “And you’re a bloody nightmare, causing trouble wherever you go.” I said pointing to the smashed glass of our window.

  He turned to look over at his handy work and caught his foot on a loose flag stone. As if in slow motion he tried and failed to steady himself and fell backwards down the steps smashing the side of his face against a jagged rock on the edge of the path.

  Instinct set in and I ran down the steps to him, crouching down to where he lay. He was out cold, blood dripping from a wound on his forehead.

  “Shit he went down like a sack of spuds!” Robyn raised her eyebrows at me and grabbed her mobile out of the pocket of her robe. “Shall I call an ambulance?”

  “No, he’d hate that. Call Max he’ll know what to do.”

  I knelt down beside him and picked his head up to place it on my lap. The blood from his head trickled down onto my white robe but I didn’t c
are. I stroked his hair and whispered his name to try to wake him but he didn’t move an inch. It felt comforting to have him this close to me, even though he was obviously in pain. I found myself staring at his gorgeous face, stroking his cheek and tracing the lines around his eyes, his mouth. The smell of alcohol, his aftershave and him wafted up to me, keeping me close like an invisible bond. In this moment he was still mine. Mine to nurture and care for. I knew then I’d still do anything for him.

  I could hear Robyn behind me talking into her phone in a hushed voice. When she ended the call she turned and told me that Max was on his way and would be about ten or fifteen minutes. I nodded and kept stroking Joe’s hair and urging him to wake up. It hurt my heart to see him like this. I wished I could gather him up from the cold hard path and bring him inside to the warm so I could nurse him back to health, back to me. But his heavy muscular frame would take at least three grown men to move from this position.

  Eventually Max’s car came screeching to a halt outside our house and he jumped out of the car.

  “I’m so sorry Ella, Robyn. I had no idea he would do something like this.” Max was so apologetic.

  “It’s not your fault Max, he’s a big boy now he needs to get it together.” Robyn chided.

  Max lent over Joe and started slapping his face hard, the mix of aggression and exasperation from Max shocked me. Surely it was better to be gentle with a head injury like this.

  “Careful Max he’s had a nasty bump to the head you know.” I said protectively.

  Max sat forward to look at his head wound and he laughed.

  “He’s a boxer Ella, and that’s just a tiny scratch, he’s had far worse than that and survived just fine.”