As predicted Dominic's response was instant: A week? Hell no! A day and no more!
Please, I need to examine my motives and analyze my feelings. xx
Her feet beat an incessant tattoo against the footrest of her chair as she awaited his reply. He won't have liked that message, but if she had tried to soften the words he would have once again insisted on giving her little or no time to decide whether or not she wanted to make their relationship public knowledge.
Okay. X
His short answer was worrying.
She must have hurt his feelings. It was the last thing she'd wanted to do, but it was a huge decision … and she had to also consider her siblings.
Her mobile beeped again and she smiled as she read his message: Mum likes you.
I like her, too. She's very proud of you. Showed me naked photos of you as a baby. J
WHAT!!!
Even at that age you were well hung! xx
Right, operation ‘seek and destroy all baby photos' starts this evening!
Just kidding! And don't you dare destroy them before I see them. xx
Perhaps. X
***
Chapter Eleven
"The girls want to stay in Jamaica with my mother," Chantelle blurted out the week later as soon as Rogers had shown her into the living room, bowed to his employer and left in his customary silent fashion.
"And how do you feel about that?" Dominic asked softly, taking her hand and leading her to the magnificent staircase, which caught the eye as soon as one entered the front door, and up to his bedroom.
It was scary the way he sometimes read her like a book. She should have been nothing but happy at the news. This was her chance to be young and carefree like the average young adult her age. She could let her hair down, party hard and splurge on overpriced designer clothing with her new, generous salary. She should be happy, but instead it felt like there was a death in the family. On their return she had planned to take both girls to the West End to get them new underwear, comfy sleepwear, several formal and informal outfits, and some pretty, well-made shoes. They would have loved it. She could still buy the things and ship them to Jamaica, but she wouldn't be there to see the delight on their faces as they tried each item. The thought made her unbearably sad.
"I shouldn't feel like my children are abandoning me … but I can't help it." She had cried enough tears the previous evening when Cerise had dropped the bombshell, but saying the words now still made her feel bereft.
"It's only natural after eleven years of taking care of Cerise and being a mother to Charmine almost since she was born." Dominic wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair soothingly. "But do you think your mother's ready for the responsibility?"
"If my grandparents weren't there, I wouldn't let them stay just yet. She's only been having one drink a day now and reducing the amount of vodka daily-with her training she knows better than to go cold turkey. She sounds and looks like her old self. They go swimming every day and she's already taught them to swim. When we were younger she was so much fun, it was more like having a big sister than a mother. Cerise wouldn't have remembered her from those days, so like Charmine she's seeing Mum like this for the first time. I can't blame them for wanting to stay with her."
"Selfishly I'll be happy to have more of you for myself," Dominic admitted. "But if your mother starts drinking or the girls miss home and want to come back, we'll send for them immediately."
At any other time she would have objected to his assuming he had the right to make decisions on her behalf, but after the emotional night she'd had it was almost a relief to have him take control. Two days into her week's deliberations she'd decided that if he could offer a few guarantees with regard to her siblings, she was ready for him to reveal their relationship to the public and all that entailed. Her sisters staying in Jamaica would simplify things considerably, but it was a curve ball she hadn't seen coming.
"They have each other and Cerise will look out for Charmine." Chantelle smiled as she remembered their last Skype linkup. "Last night Mum was showing them some of her old moves and they were cracking up with laughter. She's a bit rusty, but she's still got the moves. You should see her dance!"
"I've seen her daughter and that's enough for me." He chuckled. "What about Shawn?"
"He's coming back. I told him we might be moving and he immediately asked if we were moving to your house. I guess I didn't fool him. I said, ‘Possibly,' and the little mercenary replied, ‘Cool, once I get a flat screen TV in my room'. I think he actually likes you. I told him about the private school and he's excited. He's wanted to go to Oxford since he was about thirteen-I don't know why. He's happy to increase the odds of getting in."
"So that's settled?"
"For the moment. He could decide that he wants to stay in Jamaica, too. Or the girls could change their minds and want to come back to the UK."
"They've got three weeks to decide," he reminded her. "Let's not worry about them for the moment."
"But, what happens with them affects what happens with us!" she protested.
"Shhh! Let's focus on us for a minute." He had exercised uncharacteristic patience since she'd arrived, Chantelle suddenly realized, especially as she'd made him wait the entire week for her decision. He took her hands in his. "I've been doing some thinking, too. That night after the lap dance, I'd planned to pay you another 50K, sleep with you and forget you." He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away in annoyance. "No. Hear me out. But even if you had agreed and had slept with me that night, I wouldn't have been able to move on. You're a special kind of woman. The way you held your family together is remarkable. Your sisters are well behaved and happy. A young man growing up without parents to guide him can be a challenge. Shawn is a little cocky, but I can tell how much he respects you. After struggling for years, most women would have jumped at the chance to have me look after them, but your first concern was your brother and sisters. I'm still amazed that you were a virgin. It pleased me to be your first, though I-"
"Dominic," she interrupted, "I'd never planned on being promiscuous, but you should know that I wasn't saving myself for marriage or any such thing. It was mostly because I had no free time or money to have a relationship."
"Most young women would have found that time regardless of their responsibilities. You are one of a kind. Even as a dancer you stood out. Total nudity is sexy, but by concealing yourself with those three tiny triangles you blew every man's mind in that place! I knew you didn't belong there and I deliberately gave you the chance to quit, sensing that you would take it. I just didn't anticipate that you would slip through my fingers."
"The 50K was meant to be a joke. I never thought anyone would pay that kind of money for a lap dance." Chantelle freed her right hand and placed it on her heart. "It was the first good thing that had happened since Dad left. Sometimes I'd wondered if God had forgotten us. I know that's silly-He kept us safe and healthy-but life had felt like one struggle after the other. That money, even though I'd earned it at the club, felt like a blessing." Chantelle smiled as she thought of the unforgettable night that changed her life. "Of course, you being young and good looking made it easier for me to accept your offer."
"So, if I'd been old and ugly you would have refused?"
"Maybe not," she replied honestly. "But I would have felt less guilty afterwards."
"You shouldn't have done," he chided. "I've made and lost more than that amount in a single day on the Stock Exchange."
"Believe me, I wouldn't have felt at all guilty if I'd known who you were!"
"Fate brought us together twice and it can't be mere coincidence. I wouldn't have been at Armstrong's that night if I didn't have to close that business deal. When I couldn't find you after that night, it sent me crazy. I thought you'd left the country. I'm not used to being denied anything, my love." His fingers gripped hers tightly and for the first time she had an inkling of the torment he had endured. "I want what my parents have. And you're the woman I want it with, but you have to know what you're letting yourself in for. There are many aspects of my world you have to experience before we take the next step. Constant media attention is not pleasant. People often crave it, but they soon crack under the strain of having no privacy at all."
"I'm most worried about that," she admitted.
"I try to keep a low profile-I don't own the private jets or the dozens of luxury cars most of my friends do. I never wanted my lifestyle to impact on my parents' or my brothers' and sisters', but they still get harassed sometimes." He stroked the smooth skin on the tops of her hands with his thumbs in a hypnotic, soothing manner. "When the news gets out that we're dating, the press will fall over themselves to be the first to dig up any dirt on you. Your parents' story would make a good headline for a tabloid newspaper."