Diamonds Are Not Forever

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT
Juliette

We rode in the taxi near enough in silence. I was too nervous to think of anything of meaning to say to him, it was my first time being taken home by a guy on a night out – there's no handbook on how to approach casual conversation during these sorts of situations. I peeked a look up at Elliot, he was busy scrolling through his emails on his phone so didn't notice I was staring at him. The way the light from his screen lit up his whole face made him look boyish and young, as apposed to the usually hard lines and edges his face had thrown out earlier that night.
"How old are you?" I asked him before I could stop myself.
He looked up momentarily, turning to me so only half his face was exposed to the light of his screen, the rest was cast in the darkness engulfing the back of the taxi. "I'm 26." He told me matter-of-factly.
In some ways I was shocked at how young he was, the way he carried himself made him seem older. In other ways, it made perfect sense he was that young. Only someone his age would be so ruthlessly determined to succeed in everything like he appeared to be.
"How about you?" He asked me as a second thought, like he should return the courtesy of trying to find something out about me before we got back to his place and had drunken sex.
"I'm 20, turning 21 next month."
My answer seemed to surprise him. I'd gained his full attention as he turned fully to me, so his body faced mine and he locked his phone screen, plunging us both into darkness. I could just about make out the outline of his mouth from the passing streetlights that shone through the windows, his eyes still burned bright blue in the dark. "You seem older."
"Jeez thanks." I turned from him and stared out of the window; the night whizzed by as we ploughed further towards the nicer part of the city.
Heavy, old, drunk...why was I going home with him again?
Sensing my annoyance, Elliot reached out and grasped my chin between his index finger and thumb, swiveling my head back around so our faces were only a few inches apart. "I just meant you seem mature for your age. Don't sulk about it, sulking doesn't suit you." He planted a chaste kiss on my lips, sending tingles through my entire body.
Oh yeah, that's why.

My phone buzzed in my clutch bag on my lap, I broke contact with him and quickly rummaged around in the bottom of the bag until my fingers found the flat surface of my phone. Elliot shuffled back into his seat and started looking through his phone again as I unlocked my own to see who the message was from. I was worried it was my mum, or my brother Milo. I let out a sigh of relief when Ashley's name popped up on the screen with a text from her.

Ash:  Me and Caz are home safe and sound. Message me to let me know you're safe. x

I smiled down at my phone, I knew Ashley well enough to know she cared about my safety, but she also wanted gossip. I quickly sent her a text back.

Me: Still in the taxi on my way to his house.
Me: How do you have a one-night stand? Asking for a friend....

I looked up cautiously to make sure Elliot wasn't reading over my shoulder. He wasn't, he was too engrossed in some news article he had up on his phone to be interested in what I was texting.
Ashley's response came through almost immediately.

Ash:  Use protection!!! Can't stress that point enough.
Ash:  Make sure you get as much out of it as he does. And remember, you won't see him again after tonight so just go for it!
Ash: If it's terrible you can forget it ever happened, right after you tell me about every little detail at the shop tomorrow where I will have a crisp £20 note and a breakfast sandwich waiting for you.

"We're here." Elliot's voice broke me away from my screen, a smile still spread across my lips from Ashley's text as I looked over to him. He was watching me carefully, an unknown expression on his face as his eyes flitted between my phone and me.
Quickly throwing my phone back in my bag, I reached for my shoes that he had thrown in the footwell between us when we left the bar. "Cool, let me just get my shoes back on-"
"Don't bother." He cut me off, handing a few folded notes to the taxi driver and jumping out of the cab. Before I could register what he meant by it, he had already run around to my side of the car and opened my door for me. He reached inside to unbuckle my belt with one hand whilst grabbing for my shoes with the other. His left hand brushed my exposed thigh as he faffed with the seatbelt until the buckle eventually released with a satisfying click. He was so close I could smell his expensive aftershave, he smelt like amber, sandalwood, and money. The scent was intoxicating.
When he had secured my shoes and fully released me from my seatbelt, without a word he hooked my legs over his right forearm and hugged me to his body with his left hand. As he started to lift me up, I started my protest.
"Whoa no, please I-"
"Put your arm around my neck." He ignored my objections and continued to pull me up. I hated it, maybe because I knew I wasn't the lightest of people, maybe because only a few hours ago he had told me as much when he caught me from falling.
Being lifted by him like that brought all my insecurities to the surface.
"Juliette, you can either put your arm around me so I can carry you like this, or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you in that way. The choice is yours." His stern voice cut through my insecurity like a knife, I didn't want to be thrown over his shoulder, so I took the lesser of two evils and looped my arm around the back of his neck. He was careful to duck so I didn't hit my head on the roof of the car as he pulled me out and kicked the taxi door shut behind us with his foot.
"You really don't have to do this." I mumbled; the muscles of his torso flexed against my side as he carried me across the street towards a towering block of luxury apartments I presumed to be where he lived.
He looked down at me, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile. "Yes, I do. The tequila must have kicked in, you could barely walk out of the bar without stumbling over these ridiculous shoes." He motioned his hand that was holding onto me and my shoes.
Was I really that bad?
My face must have flushed the deepest shade of crimson by the time we reached the entrance to the apartment building. He set me down on the cool marble floor on the inside of the reception, it felt so soothing on my feet. I was mainly just happy to have two heels firmly planted on the ground again.  
When I looked up, Elliot was waving a small salute to a security guy positioned behind a long sweeping white marble desk, "Evening Barney."
Barney the security guard just grumbled his response, the large wall clock behind his head read 1.30am, no wonder he wasn't feeling sociable.
Placing his hand on the small of my back, Elliot steered me towards a set of lifts situated at the back of the grand foyer. The feeling of realization started to sink in with every step. I was really going to do this; I was going to have sex with this man. This handsome sexy rude stranger. Thank God I was still a bit tipsy.