Dominque (Knights to Remember) (34 page)

“You have half an hour. Ample time to brush your hair, slap on some makeup and change your clothes.” Jacob tapped his watch. “Jennifer I think will be joining us. I'm hoping you will too.”

She took a moment to glare at him before she spun around, stomping off to her room and slamming the door behind her.

“Petulant child,” Jacob growled out under his breath. “She would test the patience of a saint. I don’t know how you’ve put up with it for so long.”

“I love her and I'm soft.” Dominque brushed his lips over Jacob’s as he slid his arms around his neck. “Thank you for this. It means a lot that you try with her.”

“I like her.” Jacob kissed him softly. “I just don’t like her attitude on most occasions. She still has a lot of growing up to do, and I'm hoping this time will show her how much in a short amount of time.”

“What if it doesn’t work out?” Dominque had considered this would fail on an epic scale, and her leaving Oxford and not having anywhere else to go except to him had crossed his mind.

“Well, if for whatever reason this adventure goes wrong and she needs a place to live, then she’ll be with us until the situation is back under control. My control.” He lifted a brow and Dominque chuckled. “She’ll always have a place with us, you know this.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve shown nothing but support and respect to my family. How could I do anything other than give Angie that same treatment? Don’t worry so much. She’s a smart girl. I think being in control of her life on a larger scale will only do her good. She likes to be in control, and that’s been lacking since she was a child. Once she feels secure, she’ll step into her own and we’ll be able to sit back and watch her become the woman I know is just waiting inside to come out.”

Dominque clung onto Jacob tightly. It seemed strange thinking of Angie as a woman, and perhaps he’d been clinging onto her youth and holding her back without knowing it. He’d enabled her to act this way and he knew it was down to him, but even knowing that, there was a big part of him which wanted to fly away and hide from seeing her grow up.

“You have to let her go, Dominque. It’s wrong to cage something which screams to be free.” Jacob tilted his head back before kissing him again. “She’ll find her own path, and you’ll enjoy
and
fret about her walking down it alone, but like any parent learns, they can’t hold on forever.”

“I want her to understand we’re here for her if she needs any help. Everyone needs support. No matter how much we crave freedom, we all want to be hugged and helped at some stages.”

Jacob nodded, brushing his thumb over Dominque’s lips. “That’s why we’re here. I'm going to make sure she knows she can call on both of us should she need to.”

Dominque loved Jacob for many reasons, but seeing how he opened his arms for Angie and included her in his life as well as him made Dominque feel those emotions even stronger.

It was difficult for Jacob, he was sure of it. He’d never had to deal with family like this, and now, because of Dominque, he was willing to change even more. It all cemented the knowledge Jacob was his future. That this change, the move, it was all worthwhile and it would work. Dominque would make it work. He’d do whatever it took to be with the man he loved forever.

D
ominque was still getting used to London. In fact, he was pretty sure he could spend the rest of his life getting to know the city. Even after two weeks, he felt he didn’t belong. He missed the small city he’d called home since he was born, and London seemed too large and full of too many people. Jacob reminded him before he left for work in the morning that he’d spent most of those two weeks in the apartment unpacking and reorganising, so both of their lives seemed more entwined together.

The time he had alone was swept up by talking to Angie or the solicitors and bankers who still needed to finalise a few things from their old life. There had been meals out with Jacob where Dominque had met a couple of his friends, but going out on his own was something he’d been putting off, and Jacob obviously had spotted it.

Despite Jacob worrying about him stepping out on his own, he’d encouraged it. The last thing he wanted was for Dominque to feel housebound, and despite Dominque disagreeing, he knew if he didn’t venture out and find his feet in his new home, he would struggle to do it later.

When he’d visited the South previously, not only had they always been quick visits, but he was always under the constant supervision of security. He would arrive at a hotel, be driven to the location he was needed at, then be collected afterwards. He was always beside someone he trusted and who he knew would take care of everything and anything, so all he was left to think about was the client and their needs.

He didn’t drive, and even if he did, he was pretty confident he wouldn’t be able to manage it in the city. It was too much, cars everywhere, the rush of crowds crossing the road and not caring if they were in the way of a car worried him.

He hated trains, the main reason being he feared he would get on the wrong one, and it’s not like you can just stop the damn thing and get off like a bus. The underground was way too scary and complicated to even think about, and so that had quickly been slid aside. That’s why he’d chosen the bus to go into the centre. He’d given himself an extra two hours so he wouldn’t be late, and looking at the traffic they were caught up in, he was glad of his decision.

He doubted he would make this venture for anyone else other than Helen right now. She was in the city for the last time before she stopped travelling in for her business and stayed at home. Nest building apparently was important, and her mother-in-law had voiced how Helen needed to stay at home long enough for it to happen.

He hadn’t seen her since he first arrived at Jacob’s apartment – no, their apartment. Jacob kept reminding him of that fact. Helen and Shaun had arrived the day after Jacob and he had returned from Oxford. Not that Jacob was overly happy about it, but Dominque had been so they spent the whole day together.

Everything had seemed wonderful the first few days. Jacob had been off work, and they’d had all day and night together. Jacob had been happily moving the layout of the apartment around to fit in Dominque’s few items of furniture he’d brought with him. He had his own wardrobes, his own gym equipment melded in with Jacob’s—the apartment slowly began to feel like he actually lived there and wasn’t just visiting, but Dominque still had a way to go before he thought of it as his.

He had money, money which he wanted to use to pay the bills and contribute to the upkeep of the apartment, but Jacob had been adamant that wasn't needed. He’d paid them on his own for so long, he thought it was a waste of the funds Dominque had available and that he should use them elsewhere when he found out what he would do with his life.

Dominque felt like he was kept in a way, but he hadn't voiced that to Jacob. Until it happened, he hadn't been sure it would ever happen, but the concern about just living there, not helping out, sharing Jacob’s life and bed, had always been on the back of his mind. He’d thought when the money was offered, Jacob would accept it.

Spotting the stop where he knew to get off, Dominque stepped to the front of the bus, waiting patiently as the driver pulled over, and he jumped off with a shouted thanks behind him. One thing he’d noticed here was that people didn’t say please and thank you enough. They were too busy caught up in their phones and iPads to bother, or too used to not using manners. Well, his mum had taught him too well to forget and he was always getting lifted brows and small smiles when he would say thank you. Maybe he could start a fad where old fashioned values returned. He would like that.

Helen didn’t want him wandering around the centre all alone and they’d chosen a hotel he knew. The first one where he’d met Jacob that fated night. It felt very different walking up to the entrance than it had that first night. He was still nervous, but that was the anxiety over the trip and arriving on time, not the fact he didn’t want to be here. He would always need to please, but not in the way he had been doing. It was natural for him to find enjoyment out of making others happy and he didn’t want that to change, he wanted to be a stronger individual.

“Dominque!” The shout behind him made him pause. “Wait!”

He knew the voice, but it was unexpected. He turned slowly, seeing someone which jolted his nerves even more and sent him into a state of confusion.

“Hey.” Harry swiftly made it through the crowds to him and smiled. “I knew it was you. You left!” He raised both brows and Dominque fell silent, not knowing what to say or do, the two halves of his life clashing in a way he hadn't expected ever to happen. “Are you living round here now or going back to college? I didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t you run off with a client?”

Dominque grabbed his arm and hauled him into the lobby, quickly pushing him out of the way and against a wall while he tried to compose himself. “Look… yes, I'm living here. Everything else, that’s none of your fucking business.”

“Oh, you used a bad word,” Harry laughed out, his handsome features and brilliant smile frustrating Dominque even more.

“Harry…”

“I'm not going to oust your past or anything. I wanted to say hi. It’s not often in a city this size you accidentally run into someone you know. If you remember from the last time we stood here, I have family who live not that far away. London’s a big place, and not as friendly as the North. I wanted to catch you and give you a chance to…” He ran his fingers through his brown hair with a sigh. “I guess I was wrong. You don’t want to be reminded of this.”

Dominque felt suddenly bad for his actions. Harry was still with the agency, and he shouldn't trust him. He could be a spy for Harriot, but he also knew how it felt to feel like a second rate person for doing their job and he wouldn’t ever make anyone feel like that. “I'm sorry. It was just a shock. I don’t know why, but I seriously didn’t consider the fact I would ever come into contact with the life I left behind. I guess the fear which ran through me wasn’t the fact it was you, it was the fact it could be anyone.”

“A client?” Harry nodded. “Yeah, look, we all fear that happening, and not just after we leave, I’m sure. I fear it every time I step back here. But, the good thing is they have a big reason not to draw attention to the fact they paid us for sex.” He grinned and Dominque chuckled. “I have a lunch date with my grandmother soon, but here’s my number. Call me, and if I'm around, we can meet up.”

“Thank you.” Dominque took his card and slipped it into his pocket. “Say hi to your grandma for me and have a nice lunch.”

“I wish you all the best, Dominque. I really do hope this works out for you.”

“I know you, all of you, you all think I'm crazy doing this, and I hate Harriot spread around this gossip about me and Jacob, but we’re in love. I trust him. It’s real.”

“I hope it continues to make you both happy, but I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on.” Harry gave him a hug, one which Dominque leaned into and, for a moment, didn’t want to end. Harry and the life he was still living was a comfort in some way. It was one Dominque knew, one he ruled. His new life was the total opposite. “You got this. You’re the best.”

Dominque stepped back, removing his clenched fists from Harry’s coat with a sigh. “It will be nice to meet up. I’ll call you.”

“Good.” Harry gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Speak to you soon.”

Dominque was watching him hurry across the road when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. He turned to see Helen there, cautiously watching Harry across the street.

“Everything okay?” She could see he wasn’t, so he didn’t lie.

“Someone from my old life, one which shook me up, but I'm glad it was him and not someone else.” Dominque gave her a hug. “You look lovely.”

“I look as big as a house. This one’s put on some weight since we last saw each other. I'm saying she has, not me. Because I’m not taking responsibility for the gallons of ice cream I'm eating on a daily basis.” She smiled, running her hand down his arm and taking his hand in hers. “I guess things like that will happen, and I'm sure you had friends there who you’d want to keep in touch with.”

“I wanted to let them all go. I got rid of my phone and everything tying me to that life.” Dominque thought hard for a moment. There were people he would like to keep in touch with. Suzie for one, Thom, for another. “Maybe I shouldn’t cut all ties as I thought.”

“You need friends. From what you said, you don’t have many, and if there are people out there who’ve shown you true friendship, you shouldn’t let that slip through your fingers. I can guess how difficult this is for you, but we all need people around us, even if they remind us of things we would rather not remember.”

Dominque nodded, already planning to call Suzie up that evening and catch up. “Shall we take a seat? You look like you need one.”

“I need food.” She grinned at him as they turned to walk to the restaurant. “How’s that brother of mine? Has he been home long enough to actually feel like you’re living with him?”

“Yes. He took a week off. This week he’s back at work, but he’s made sure to be home for around sixish.”

“Still, that’s a long time to be alone.”

“I know.” Dominque held the door open for her, letting her wave over a member of staff. “That’s why I'm here with you. He pushed me to get out. I didn’t want to do all the travelling on my own, but I did it for you.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him softly. “I wanted to talk to you seriously about your future and I know it’s scary, but I can’t get this out of my head so it has to happen.”

They fell into a silence while they were shown to their table and got settled, ordering their drinks before Helen turned to him and took his hand.

“I want you to apprentice with me. I'm serious about it, I always was. You have an eye for fashion, and your tailoring skills are amazing. I'm not saying it will be easy, and you mentioned you hadn't finished your school exams, but you can do those again while you’re working with me.”

Dominque took a drink of water while he thought. She’d offered this twice now and he’d pushed it aside, not being able to think of a life where he would be able to follow his dreams. She was offering it again, and she seemed to see the apprehension in his eyes.

“Think about all the time you're going to have on your hands. All the hours Jacob won't be with you and you'll be at home alone. That’s not the life either you or Jacob want. This is something you love, something you’ll be good at. In the years to come, you could have your own label if you work hard enough. I believe in you. Jacob believes in you. You need to trust us and trust our belief until you're able to do it for yourself.”

Dominque smiled. She and Jacob were so similar, and they’d obviously plotted this together and discussed it. “I don’t even know how to go about doing all the things you’ve suggested.”

“I do,” she exclaimed loudly, pulling out a file full of what Dominque presumed was information for him and his new future. “I have tons of options to go through. In a month I won't have the brain capacity or the energy to do this, so this is why we’re here now. Just sit there and listen to me, then decide.”

Dominque took the file, opening it slowly and taking a deep breath.

“Once you know what options you have then you will feel more in control. I'm not forcing anything on you, I'm simply offering you a chance. Whether you take it or not is up to you. But I really hope you will work with me, Dominque.”

He nodded, returning that feeling instantly. He loved Helen, and he loved her label. He loved the thought of being a part of her world and spending all day surrounded by designs and clothing. “Okay, tell me what I need to do.”

Helen grinned, pulling out neatly sorted papers and arranging them on the table. “Well, let’s start with the high school exams. That’s an easy one.”