“Then sacrifice no more. Let me introduce you to Ed at the BBC.” He snuggled down into the bed and shut his eyes again.
Sasha stared at him, irate and hurt. “I don’t believe in nepotism,” she said, finally. But her voice was small, barely a whisper. “Growing up with nothing teaches you that.”
Thomas opened his eyes and looked at her seriously, concern on his face. “Sasha?”
She realized then that last night had all been about him, about his demons, about his problems. But she had problems too, and if they were going to make it work, she as going to have to be honest and open herself up to him fully.
“I grew up poor. My mother has MS. She couldn’t work. My dad was…”—she paused, trying to find the right word, the word that wouldn’t make her break down in front of Thomas—“...absent. He didn’t want to have to care for her.”
“I’m sorry,” Thomas said, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb in circles against it.
“My brother couldn’t cope with the pressure,” Sasha continued. “From a very young age, I had to step up. I did a lot. Shopping, cooking, cleaning. So when I say I’ve worked hard my whole life for this, that’s what I mean. I’m not about to take favors.” She felt emotion rising inside of her, and tears threatened to spill out. “Shit. This is serious, Thomas. What am I going to do?”
He paused. “Come away with me. Come away with me. Clear your head. I have a holiday home on a very exclusive island. No one would bother us there.”
“Didn’t you just listen to a word I said?” Sasha said. “I. Don’t. Want. Favors.”
“I didn’t want to take my clothes off, but you persuaded me it was a good idea. Sometimes we don’t know what we want.”
Sasha hauled herself from the bed, hurt by his words. “I can’t just run away from my job.”
“Yes, you can. That’s the point I’m making. You don’t need to be responsible all the time anymore. Let me take some of that burden from you. I mean, you don’t even like that job. You said so yourself. You just need it on your CV.”
“And?”
Thomas raised himself to his knees and grabbed her by the shoulders. “And your CV isn’t that important! You have me now. I’ll look after you.”
Sasha frowned with disgust. She pushed him off her. “I’m not a housewife, Thomas. I don’t need looking after. I’ve worked for my whole life to get into this position—”
“So you keep saying,” he interrupted. “Well, try working thirty years for your first big break.”
“This isn’t a competition over who worked harder to get where they are!” Sasha snapped, hurt by his insensitivity. “You’re telling me to throw away years of planning and education and sacrifice.”
The passionate, demanding Thomas she’d met in the Hilton hotel was back with a vengeance. “For love? Isn’t that worth it?”
Sasha stared at him incredulously. Love? Who said anything about love?
“Drop the hyperbole, Thomas. I’m going into the office.”
She pulled on last night’s little black dress and stalked to the bedroom door. She hesitated at the threshold then glanced back over her shoulder at the man she’d thought she had a future with. “Don’t call me.”
She found her shoes in the kitchen and remembered the earth-shattering orgasm Thomas had given her on the countertop. She felt like a completely different person to the one who’d given herself so willingly to him last night. How had everything flipped around so quickly?
She strode to the front door, hauled it open and came face to face with Crystal.
The woman wavered on the doorstep. She was clearly out of it.
“You again?” she slurred. “I don’t think he’s ever done it with the same girl twice.” She tried to jam her way past Sasha.
“Oh no you don’t,” Sasha replied, slamming the door shut and blocking Crystal out of the apartment.
“What did you do that for?” Crystal demanded. “That’s my brother’s house. I have every right to go in there.”
“Then you can ring the bell, can’t you?” Sasha replied.
She shoved her way past Crystal and down the steps.
“Bitch,” Crystal spat.
Sasha turned on her heel to face her. “You and your brother disgust me.”
She quick-stepped down the sidewalk, listening to the sound of Crystal’s desperate pounding on the door grow dimmer with each step, wondering if maybe she’d just dodged a bullet.
Chapter Six
Sasha spent the entire taxi journey to the Atomic office mulling things over in her head, trying to work out what to do for the best. Despite her argument with Thomas, she knew she couldn’t publish the original article she’d written about him. She would never stoop that low. But she also couldn’t write the article Kelly wanted her to write either. She didn’t want to do a kiss-and-tell, especially one that ended in her humiliation.