Inspired by Night: - a sexy new age romance (7 page)

Olivia Jones:
My last relationship ended five years ago.

Was it really that long? What had I been doing with my time?

Chris Knight:
Are you serious? Why? The men in London can’t be that bad?

Olivia Jones:
I really like the way you assume it’s because I’m picky and not because there’s something wrong with me.

Chris Knight:
Well I can see there is nothing wrong with you; you’re smart, you run your own business, successfully I might add, you seem to be quite witty, and your pictures suggest you’re very attractive. I should definitely say it is an error on the part of the male population that you haven’t been snapped up.

Olivia Jones:
I suppose it would help if I didn’t stay home playing games and watching TV though.

Five years? It has been a long time.

Chris Knight:
So the question now is: why? I don’t think it’s just because you’re too busy. Do you have to be that busy?

Olivia Jones:
I guess when I first started my business I spent my days programming and my evenings trawling through business stuff. It was necessary, but now I spend my evenings watching TV because I like it and my weekends playing video games because I like it. I prefer staying in than going out.

Chris Knight:
Aren’t you lonely though?

Olivia Jones:
Well I have been thinking about getting a cat.

Chris Knight:
So you are lonely then?

Olivia Jones:
I don’t know, I didn’t think so. My best friend Ruth comes over a few nights a week, I’m not a total hermit.

Chris Knight:
Well that’s a relief. So when was the last time you had sex, then?

What?
I couldn’t believe he just asked that. I also couldn’t believe I was replying, but I knew the answer would be a shock and it made me giggle anticipating his reply.

Olivia Jones:
About five-and-a-half years ago.

Chris Knight:
How long were you with your ex?

Olivia Jones:
About eight months.

Chris Knight:
And for the last six months of that you didn’t have sex?

Olivia Jones:
Nope.

Chris Knight:
Jeez, what was wrong with that guy? If you were mine I’d be ripping your clothes off every chance I got.

I felt my cheeks flush. My body wasn’t used to all this sexual excitement that seemed to have been awakened since the weekend and the slightest thing was setting me off
. It really has been a long time!

Olivia Jones:
I didn’t want him to. That was the problem. And after that ended I lost my confidence and by the time it was making a return I’d started
Inspired
and was too busy to think about it.

Chris Knight:
Wow. So what was the problem? Why didn’t you want to sleep with him?

Olivia Jones:
Too much history I guess. We had been friends forever and it just never quite felt right being with him, not sexually anyway. I guess while I loved him as my longest, oldest friend, I just wasn’t physically attracted to him. I thought maybe the friendship part was enough but in the end I realised I wanted a full relationship, sex and all.

Chris Knight:
Quite right too, sex is great.

Olivia Jones:
*rolls eyes*

Chris Knight:
Lol but it’s true, it’s a big part of expressing your love and it feels good and it’s something that should be shared with someone you love. Sex can be amazing but you need to trust someone to put yourself in their hands, so to speak, to be able to let yourself go, give yourself over to the wild abandonment required in the pursuit of sexual pleasure. So it’s right you should end a relationship with a guy you don’t feel you want to have sex with. You’d be giving up a huge part of your life otherwise. Poor guy, I bet he was gagging. I almost feel sorry for him.

Olivia Jones:
Well he got his own back. He was pretty cruel at the end; caused me to lose my self-confidence and probably explains why it has been five years
.

Chris Knight:
What did he say?

Olivia Jones:
Told me I needed to lose weight and that he hadn’t fancied me anyway – sort of tried to make it sound like he was the one not having sex with me, despite the obvious attempts he had made. I guess he was just trying to make me feel the way he was feeling; rejected, unattractive. But he’s pretty thick-skinned so he got over it and moved on. I didn’t. I comfort ate, got really fat, and now I wouldn’t dream of getting naked in front of someone – which kind of hinders the libido somewhat.

Chris Knight:
Turn the lights off. Wear a skirt and just remove your pants. You don’t have to get naked, Liv, to have sex.

Olivia Jones:
I don’t know what to do either; he said I was rubbish in bed.

Chris Knight:
Of course you were – you had no desire for him, no passion towards him. That doesn’t mean you won’t be excited and passionate with the next guy. What do you fantasise about?

This guy has no boundaries; I can’t believe he’s asking me this stuff.

Olivia Jones:
Erm, celebrities I guess. I have a bit of a crush on The Doctor.

That was an understatement!

There was a long pause before Chris replied,

Chris Knight:
OK so imagine you’re in bed with David Tennant.

Olivia Jones:
No!

Chris Knight:
Why not?

Olivia Jones:
It’s weird, he’s The Doctor. He’s family friendly, rated U. It’s morally wrong.

Chris Knight:
OK just imagine you’re in bed with someone you fancy. Then compare it to how you felt in bed with your ex. I bet there is a world of difference.

I giggled to myself as I tried to imagine myself in bed with someone; trying to stick a face on a body. I pictured someone getting impatient with me while I decided, looking at his watch; ‘
Come on, Olly, who do I look like
?’ I could only imagine Steven and I didn’t want to think about Steven. But even a slight glimpse in my mind of Steven, half naked, covered only by plain white linen sent my pulse racing. If only Brian had looked like Steven!

Olivia Jones:
Yes, I think you are probably right.

Chris Knight:
So who do you think about, you know, when you masturbate?

My eyebrows shot up almost off my head. This guy didn’t have any boundaries whatsoever.

Olivia Jones:
Jesus! What kind of a question is that?

Chris Knight:
Lol, I’m curious. Come on Liv, everyone does it, not many admit to it, but everyone does it. You are only human, and it has been five years. I don’t believe you haven’t had an orgasm in five years.

Olivia Jones:
Haha, I suppose so. Besides, if I didn’t please myself I would never have had an orgasm.

Chris Knight:
Again – are you serious?

Olivia Jones:
I don’t think it’s that unusual, is it?

Chris Knight:
Do you mean penetrative? Or just in general?

Olivia Jones:
Erm, both I guess. I mean I accept I’m never likely to have a penetrative orgasm, but men are a bit lazy in my experience, they just don’t know how to touch a woman. They get bored and then they just climb on in till they finish and fall asleep.

Chris Knight:
This is shocking. You should feel comfortable enough to be able to direct him a bit if necessary. How many fingers?

Olivia Jones:
I’m sorry?

Chris Knight:
How many fingers do you insert? When you pleasure yourself I mean.

Eww gross!
I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment the longer this conversation went on.

Olivia Jones:
I don’t.

Chris Knight:
So you use a dildo?

Olivia Jones:
No!

Chris Knight:
Vibrator?

Olivia Jones:
No!

Chris Knight
said:
How do you do it, then?

Olivia Jones:
Apparently I do it wrong!

Chris Knight
:
Lol, no not wrong, just not the way I expected. Maybe you never come through penetrative sex because you’re only used to it from clitoral stimulation. You might be able to train yourself … buy a dildo! :-)

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going. Why was I talking about my non-existent sex life with a complete stranger? Perhaps the sense of anonymity made it easier – like talking to a therapist, someone impartial. He asked questions that made me think and gave me time and space to sort through my thoughts. It was quite refreshing, actually. But still it felt a little too familiar. Like Steven calling you Olly? I smirked at the memory and felt a flush of shame as I imagined Steven starting a conversation like this on his first day!

Olivia Jones:
I don’t know about that.

Chris Knight:
Exploring your body and what it wants is nothing to be ashamed about, Liv, it’ll make you better prepared for sharing the experience with someone else. Might make you more confident too.

Olivia Jones:
Knowing how my body feels doesn’t change the fact I have a body I don’t want to show to anyone.

Chris Knight:
Only you can change that, Liv. But hey, I am a fitness instructor so if you want any advice I’d be happy to help you.

Olivia Jones:
Really?

Chris Knight:
Yes, I was a fitness instructor before I decided to go to uni and study law. I want to represent athletes and sports people. I work part-time in the gym to cover my outgoings.

Olivia Jones:
Wow! OK, what do I need to do?

Chris Knight:
Apart from the obvious eat less, exercise more, I can’t really say without seeing you, but if you send me some details I could work out a plan for you, if you wanted?

Despite being ridiculously lazy and uninterested in exercise, I suddenly felt excited. I could certainly stand to lose some weight and I suppose, if I did eventually give in to Steven and allow myself to fall into his arms, he might want to do more than just kiss me. Would he run a mile if he saw my horrible figure up close? How could I feel confident and comfortable with him if I couldn’t even bear to look at myself in the mirror?

Olivia Jones:
I would really appreciate that, thank you. What do you need me to send?

Chris Knight:
Your measurements: weight, height, age. Keep a food diary for a week, every single thing you eat and drink, and any exercise you do. I will base a programme on all that. Starting today. Make a list of everything you’ve consumed and carry it on. Send it to me next Monday.

Olivia Jones:
OK that sounds easy enough.

Chris Knight:
What did you have for dinner tonight?

Olivia Jones:
I ordered pizza, hasn’t arrived yet. I am starving though, hope it comes soon.

Chris Knight:
You’ll have to cut that out if you’re going to lose weight.

Olivia Jones:
Are you going to expect me to cook?

Chris Knight:
Yes! You can’t live off takeaways every night.

Olivia Jones:
You can’t? But they’re so easy and tasty.

Chris Knight:
And full of fat and salt, clogging up your arteries and damaging your heart.

Olivia Jones:
Boring.

Chris Knight:
Lol. But it’s all true. You stop eating takeaways and I promise you’ll see the weight drop off!

Olivia Jones:
Sounds hell. Is there no other way?

Chris Knight:
Y
ou could eat takeaways every day but you’d need to punish yourself in the gym daily to burn some of it off.

Olivia Jones:
You’re mean!

Chris Knight:
You don’t have to listen to me. But if you’re serious about losing weight you would be advised to!

Olivia Jones:
Oh, pizza is here. I shall be sure to savour every bite.

Chris Knight:
Lol. Goodnight, Liv, speak to you soon. X

Chapter Nine

I was much more awake when I arrived at work the next morning due to the extra hour in bed. Steven was relaxing on one of the sofas in Reception chatting to Dave when I arrived to sign in. He grinned at me.

‘I forgot!’ he shrugged, rising to join me. Dave smiled up at him.

‘Good chatting to you, Ste. Olly, you should get him a key cut,’ he advised me.

‘And let him loose in the office without me? Not sure about that!’ I said laughing, although I was only half joking. I knew deep down that he was a good guy, but the fears I had confessed to him were valid. On the one hand, if his scheme was to ruin my business and take my clients, he would benefit from having access to the office in my absence. On the other hand, if he was genuine and trustworthy, he would probably be doing me a favour, getting ahead of his work load and freeing me up to work on Inspired in-house products. So confusing.