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I gagged at first, but then complied. I understood it aroused him to be forceful where sex was concerned, and I’d do whatever was necessary to stop the temper flaring further.
When he came, he pushed me to one side and headed for the bathroom to clean up. I rinsed my mouth in the kitchen sink, pouring bleach down the plug hole after it. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn’t, not in front of him.
I felt his arms creep around my waist. “Thank you,” he whispered into my hair.
I simply nodded. He returned to the table as if nothing had happened.
“So, this apartment? Shall I book a viewing? We can go tomorrow evening if you like.”
It was the same evening work had invited me for drinks, but going to the apartment with Andrew was more important, I guessed.
“It’s going to be so exciting, Amber. Just think about it, we’ll have a lovely apartment. I don’t think any of my colleagues have one as nice as this. It has a swimming pool in the basement, and a gym. You could join and get fit, lose those pounds around your hips,” he said, smiling away at me.
“It does sound lovely,” I confessed.
And it did. It was in Canary Wharf, a blooming part of London that had great access routes into the City. I wasn’t sure how I would get to work, but I’d have to figure that out should we move. Both of us had a small amount of savings, and Andrew had said we’d need to place a deposit down.
“You know, if we decide on children, you won’t work anyway, so this could be perfect for you. Shops nearby, there are some lovely restaurants as well.”
I hadn’t planned on children, and we’d certainly never had a conversation about them or made any formal arrangements for our relationship. We’d only been dating a few months.
I walked behind him, placing my arms around his shoulders, and kissed the top of his head. “It sounds perfect, give them a call,” I said.
He slid the telephone towards him, and I left him to it.
It was times like that that I longed for a conventional apartment. Not because I wanted to live with Andrew, but to be able to move to a different room to gather my thoughts and process what had happened. I knew I was bending to his will too much, but I didn’t seem to be able to stop it.
I had no one to talk to. I hadn’t contacted or been contacted by Patty at all, and it seemed, the longer that went on the more unlikely rekindling our friendship would be. I felt embarrassed that I’d let it slip, but also knew that Andrew wouldn’t have approved. He mentioned his dislike forloose women,as he called them, often. He’d even gone as far as saying that Patty had got herself into a vulnerable position, so what did she expect?
He discouraged any kind of relationship with my work colleagues, but we regularly dined with his. I kept quiet, answered questions when required to, and avoided the gaze of any of the men. Some of the women tried hard to befriend me, but Andrew’s painful squeeze of my thigh would stop me taking that up.
He didn’t want to share me, he’d say. Whereas once I’d felt elated at that, there was a small part of me that knew I was losing my identity.
CHAPTEREIGHT
We viewed the apartment,and it was amazing. It had a small balcony and views of the River Thames. It was way above our budget, but Andrew decided, there and then, that we wanted it. We completed the paperwork and waited.
I finally got to see Andrew’s house when I visited to help decide on what furniture to take with us. Well, deciding was up to him, of course. My wishes weren’t as important. However, had the more modern furniture, and as he said, it would be more befitting of the apartment than my second-hand mix and match pieces.
There was no sign of his house-mate other than some strange toiletries and hairbrushes in the bathroom. Andrew assured me those belonged to the house-mate’s girlfriend before they broke up. He grabbed the items and shoved them in the rubbish bin.
We made a list of what items he wanted to take and then headed to the local pub to celebrate. I was caught up in his excitement and plans for dinner parties and entertainment. We talked about decorating and art, where we’d place some items and by the end of the evening, I was more than ready to move.
The following day, I began sorting out my flat. I took lots of items to the charity shop. We decided to keep my bed as it was larger than his, and my dining table. It was an extendable one and would be suitable for those dinner parties he wanted to throw.
My boss wasn’t as pleased when I told him I was moving, however.
“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?” he asked.
We were sitting in the pub, not that I told Andrew, of course. A group of us regularly nipped next door for a pint during our lunch break. The boss always paid the bar bill.
“Of course. Why do you ask that?” His comment took me aback.
“You don’t seem very happy. It’s either the job or your love life causing it,” he replied, chuckling.
“I love my job!” I did. I loved the lads, the builders, and even the apprentices that were tasked with asking me for an invisible ruler, or some other item that didn’t exist.
“So, it’s the love life then?”
