The Birth Of Eve (9 page)

Eve had practically wet herself when they were taken to
first class on the huge jumbo jet. They had their own little area with large
leather seats that reclined into beds. An hour in to the flight and she was
still fiddling with all the buttons and gadgets surrounding her. Nathan watched
with amusement, she was so endearing and a pleasure to treat, everything was
new and exciting and her enthusiasm was infectious. After drinking a glass of
champagne Eve decided she had better grill Nathan for information about his
family. She only knew the bare essentials and wanted to be fully warned in case
she put her foot in anything.

“Nathan I need the low down on your sister and parents,
everything I need to know please. Start with your dad his name is Grant isn’t
it?” Nathan smiled and nodded

“Grant Matheson, sixty years old this year, raised in Denver
Colarado, studied media and photography and went on to be an executive producer
for Fox network. My father retired five years ago but still advises free-lance.
He married my mother in 1983, my mother was only seventeen and my father thirty
so some frowned at the age gap. They have proved the doubters to be wrong and
are as far as I am aware very happy together.” Eve urged him to continue

“My mother Rachel, was an apprentice at Fox Network which is
how they met. She was a runner then a camera operator. She gave up work to be a
full time mother to myself when she was twenty and then three years later
Victoria my sister arrived. My mother is now a professional photographer and celebrities
are queuing to have her shoot them, she is amazing.

 Victoria is a fashion designer working for herself, she has
a boutique store in Los Feliz and is doing rather well. She dreams of being
featured in Vogue or worn by stars on the red carpet, maybe she could design
for your next premier? I bet she would kill to dress your body.” Eve was
flattered and blushed.

“With the name Matheson I would have thought she would be an
instant hit?” Nathan smiled proudly

“Vic’s considers trading on her legacy cheating; she wants
to make it alone. Her brand is VCM so nobody associates it with the name
Matheson. Obviously if she gets noticed it will become public knowledge but at
least she will have got that far on her own merits. I am proud of her and that
is why I began my acting career over in the UK. I didn’t want people to assume
my father had pulled strings for me and so far it has worked.” Eve reflected on
his words and felt a little proud of herself too, she had always been alone.
The way Nathan described family as an obstacle took a little time to get her
head around.

They ate a hot meal together; Nathan didn’t have much of an
appetite but the steak and gratin potatoes went down very well with Eve. They
settled themselves into a comfortable position to watch a movie and drift off
to sleep. Eve couldn’t imagine travelling any other way now; this was
incredible she felt like the luckiest girl alive.

The flight went smoothly and before she knew it they were
both seated in a limo heading for Loz Feliz. Apparently the villa was in the
hills and had a private pool; Eve had hardly any summer clothes and didn’t own
any swimwear so she would have to visit a few shops while she was here. It
would be a shame to have come all this way and not make use of the pool, Eve
hadn’t ever learned to swim but she loved the feeling of being in water. She
wondered whether Nathan would find it amusing that she couldn’t swim; she would
try and cover by just dipping her feet in maybe or staying in the shallow end.

The Matheson residence looked stunning, it had a private
entrance complete with a security guard. It was no wonder Nathan didn’t have
any empathy for her upbringing; how could a person with all this wealth ever be
able to understand what it is like to have nothing. The driveway swept around
to the front elevation, the style was almost Georgian in design, Eve’s
favourite period. She loved the symmetry of buildings with a door in the centre
and equal numbers of windows either side. The door was opened by a woman who must
be a housekeeper of some kind.

“Nathan do you have staff here?” He nodded looking suitably
embaressed aware that his privileged life may offend some.

“We have Shona our housekeeper, her husband Bob is the
grounds man and occasional butler when my parents are entertaining. We have a
couple of maids who clean and make the beds and a resident chef.” Eve shook her
head in disbelief, she was wearing her comfy travelling clothes her hair was scraped
back and she was walking into a mansion. Eve felt like she should use the rear
staff entrance as she certainly didn’t fit in with the family. The divide
between their two lives suddenly hit her like a juggernaut, how could they possibly
blend when they were so different. Eve was now shaking with nerves and Nathan could
feel them as she was helping him in to the house.

“Eve stop doubting who you are, you are an actress remember,
homes like this could one day be yours. Everything you see will be within your
reach, embrace this chance and don’t write yourself off. My parents will love
you; they both came from nothing and have all this because they deserve it.
Don’t make assumptions about them before you meet them, you may find you are
pleasantly surprised.” Shona greeted them warmly after staring fondly at Nathan;

“You look terrible; I have an ointment that will help with
those bruises, I will have Trinity bring it up to you later.” Shona turned to
Eve “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Eve, I hope you had a pleasant trip, we
have put you in adjoining bedrooms as I felt maybe with your injuries Mr
Matheson you may need extra room in the bed.” Nathan smiled and thanked her
whilst Eve stared at the floor mortified. Nathan shuffled into what must be the
main living room; it was a huge space with an enormous fireplace. Why they need
a fire in Los Angeles though she had no idea, the temperature never dropped
below the sixties.

They sat in the huge sofas and Eve felt tiny in the expanse
of leather, Nathan held her hand tightly and gave her a calming squeeze. It was
strange because to them it was three in the morning but over here seven at
night, effectively two hours after they had set off. It hurt Eve’s brain trying
to work it out. Nathan had advised they fit straight into US time so they would
be going to bed in a few hours when at home she would be getting up. Jet lag
was something Eve hadn’t experienced but she was certainly feeling
disorientated now. Nathan’s family were just finishing their evening meal so
would join them any minute now. Shona brought a tray with a pot of tea, Eve
smiled gratefully at her, she was used to English people by the look of it. Eve
almost spilt her tea when she heard footsteps and laughter coming their way.
Walking assuredly into the room was the three people who Nathan cared most
about in the world. Rachel gasped in horror at Nathan’s injuries; she was sitting
beside him before she could blink.

“Nathan you never said it was that bad; you should have let
us come over to you, that journey wouldn’t have done you any good at all” she
halted herself and turned to Eve “How rude of me, what must you think.” Rachel
stood up as did Eve; and the two women faced each other. Rachel was taller than
Eve by a couple of inches which made her around five foot nine. She was elegant
and almost ethereal in appearance, auburn hair that was choppy and shoulder
length. She was slender and had the most amazing bone structure, her cheekbones
were stunning. It was clear she was a creative person judging by the wonderful
kaftan she was wearing.

“Eve we are honoured to have you stay here with us, thank
you for taking care of my firstborn. This is my husband Grant” Eve could see a
striking resemblance to Nathan, the same square jaw and thick hair. Grant was
over six feet, his hair was grey but he was in amazing shape for his age, he
could pass for at least ten years less. Eve wondered fleetingly whether they had
both taken advantage of LA’s reasonably priced cosmetic procedures. Sue had
warned her that the eyebrows of LA never rose, however they both seemed able to
frown easily enough. They were probably wondering why she hadn’t yet said a
word.

“Hello it’s lovely to meet you both, thanks for letting me
stay here, you have a beautiful home.” Rachel beamed with pleasure then
Victoria stepped forward, she was slender and tall like her father, red hair
like her mum in a stunning pixie hair cut that framed her perfect face. Eve
loved her dress it was a style she had never seen in any shops.

“You must be Victoria, I have heard about your fashion
business, I have to say if that dress is one of yours you have made a sale
already” Victoria looked thrilled

“Eve you have an amazing body I hope you let me loose on
you? I saw the dress you wore to the premier it was stunning. Nathan says you
are not into labels and shopping, I find it hard to imagine but I see he is
probably right” Eve turned crimson at the obvious reference to her current
appearance.

“Oh Eve sorry that was so tactless, I didn’t mean you look
bad, well you do look scruffy but not awful. Oh dear I need to shut up don’t I?”
Nathan gave her a warning glance and Rachel changed the subject. The
conversations became more relaxed and Eve found herself liking the Matheson’s,
they seemed very down to earth and seemed to accept her presence with grace.
Eve noticed how tired Nathan was looking and he was beginning to slurr his
words and Eve sensed his discomfort and spoke directly to his mum.

“We need to get some rest if that is okay with you, Nathan
needs his meds. The journey was long and has taken it out of him don’t you
think? He looks very pale to me.” Rachel smiled warmly at her, and agreed
instructing Grant to help Nathan climb the stairs. Eve left the two men to get Nathan
into bed, whilst she had a nosey around their suite with Rachel. She showed her
where towels were kept and how to operate the space age uber classy shower. Eve
decided to try it out as soon as she was alone. They wandered back to the huge
monster bed where Nathan was now settled, Rachel kissed his forehead and hugged
Eve good night.  Nathan gave her a mischievous smile as soon as they were
alone.

“There is plenty of room if you want to squeeze in here with
me?” Eve smiled she had hoped he would say that, she was a long way from home
and was feeling a bit vulnerable. After spending fifteen minutes in the
bathroom showering and slipping her pyjamas on, she walked back into the
bedroom, Nathan was fast asleep. Eve slid under the sumptuous covers and gently
stroked the hair from his face; he was stunning despite the swelling and
bruising. Eve kissed him and carefully placed her body as close to him as she
could without contact and drifted happily into sleep. Dreams were quick to
arrive with a bang.

She was running in the cemetery stumbling in the mist
searching for something, she was chasing the woman in the baseball cap. “Hurry”
she was shouting getting further away from Eve, there was a sense of fear that
consumed her causing her to gasp for breath. “Tara” she shouted and then
someone was grabbing her holding her down, she wrestled free then her eyes shot
open and she was looking into the eyes of Nathan.

“Eve it is okay you are with me, what was happening you
shouted for Tara?” Eve recalled the dream vividly

“She was in trouble, I couldn’t find her I was in the grave
yard chasing the woman in the cap” Nathan looked puzzled

“What woman in the cap?” Eve told him about the woman who
had found Freud and always watched the house

“It doesn’t sound like a reporter are you sure? Seems odd
she hovers around in plain sight, what does she look like?” Eve frowned, she
had no idea, and all she had seen was the mouth as the cap covered her face and
hair. They snuggled back down together Nathan wrapped his arm around her and
they lay that way until the sun began to rise. Eve was anxious after her dream,
she had a very unsettling feeling that something was wrong; she picked up her
mobile and sent a text to Tara. It was almost lunch time in the UK so she would
be almost on her lunch break. She asked her to ring as soon as she was able
then she settled down to wait.

It was now eight in the morning and Eve’s stomach was
rumbling, Nathan had managed to fall back to sleep. She dressed quietly and
went down stairs to get some breakfast; Shona greeted her when she had finally
found the kitchen.

“Good morning Miss, you can go to the dining room and I will
bring you something if you like?” Eve looked around at the cabinets and top of
the range utilities; she was amazed at the size of everything over here. The
fridge was like a wardrobe the cooker was the size of small car. She walked
over to the small table with four chairs and sat down.

“I would love to eat here if that’s okay with you? Do you
have cereals at all?” Shona read out a huge list of options which made her
stomach growl and her salivary glands swell.

“Mmm I will try the eggs benedict if that’s okay? It sounds
lovely” Shona smiled with pleasure

“That is also Mr Matheson Juniors preferred breakfast; I
trust he is resting so I will make him some to take up stairs to him.” Eve
decided that was an excellent idea, in fact she would eat up there with him. So
twenty minutes later she was carrying two mugs of steaming coffee while Shona
held a tray of food and they entered the bedroom together. Nathan had woken and
was sitting up

“Wow room service, cool thanks ladies, I hope you are
joining me Eve?” Shona left the tray on the dressing table and left the room
smiling. Eve carried the drinks over and placed them on the bedside cabinets.
They sat side by side and tucked into their restaurant quality breakfasts, Eve
was in heaven as the runny yoke dripped off her fork. Nathan was staring at her
with a familiar look on his face;

“Cool it lover boy that is off the menu until your ribs
heal!” she finished her breakfast smiling at his sulky expression. Noticing the
time Eve wondered why Tara hadn’t rang so got her phone out again. Her lunch
break would be almost over so she dialled her number and waited, the phone went
straight to answer machine. Leaving a stern message to call her urgently Eve
tried to stop worrying about her friend, she texted Sue and got an immediate
reply. Tara was fine her credit was low on her phone that was all; Tara had
arranged to go to Sue’s the day after tomorrow. Tara had known Eve would try
her sister so sent her a message not to worry. Happy again Eve turned back to Nathan

“Sorry Nathan I just couldn’t relax after my dream until I
knew she was okay, I have my answer now so I am all yours again.” Nathan pulled
her onto his lap and awaiting erection for a kiss that left her breathless, Eve
could see how turned on Nathan was. Knowing he may harm his recovery if he got
carried away she wriggled down under the covers, Nathan gasped his approval as
her tongue flicked across his cock. Fisting him with her hand she took his
length to the back of her throat using her lips to cocoon him.

Nathan reached down to her and grasped her hair holding her
in place as his penis thickened with desire, she heard him curse loudly and
knew he was almost there. The fact that they had been a part from each other
had increased his desire enormously, taking him even deeper she felt him
tremble. Eve stroked his scrotum and suddenly felt his cum spurt down her
throat; she swallowed quickly and found herself dragged upwards and lying flat
on her back. Nathan’s mouth closed over hers and he took no prisoners, the kiss
was almost painful with its intensity. His hands found her wetness and before
she could protest he had inserted two fingers inside her. His thumb pressed
against her clit with enough pressure to send her spiralling into a climax
sending her pulse racing.

Eve lay back on the pillow panting; Nathan still leant over
her with an expression that stopped her heart. She blinked hard registering the
depth of emotion in his eyes, he was about to speak but Eve couldn’t allow him
to. She sat upright and turned away from him

“We should show our faces really, Shona will have told the
others we have had breakfast so they know we are awake. I will jump in the
shower, do you need a hand or can you dress alone?” Eve wouldn’t make eye
contact and headed straight for the shower. Standing under the powerful jets
she sobbed quietly to herself, she felt like a coward. Nathan had been about to
profess his love of that she was certain, why didn’t she let him? Eve didn’t
want him to say it to her ever, it would mean the end. Always when they loved
her they destroyed her, she would never let that happen ever again.

Nathan meanwhile had guessed that Eve had bolted out of
fear; he could hear her crying and desperately wanted to hold her and reassure
her. He totally understood her fear of letting anyone that close again, he had
no idea how to help her overcome her insecurities. Nathan was determined to
tell her he loved her and that if she cried again it would be with tears of joy
this time. He felt a lot better today, the sex had helped, Christ he loved her
body he couldn’t wait to take full advantage of her again. The few days apart
had really clarified things for Nathan, his daughter would arrive soon and he
wanted Eve to share all that with him as more than just a girlfriend.

Eve dried herself off and stared at her reflection, she was
beautiful and she tried to hide it, she was loved but she chose to ignore it.
Her life had been one sorry pattern of loss and rejection; she wondered whether
she had blown her chances, would he ever risk opening his heart to her ever
again? Eve really hoped he would give her one more chance; it was time to
change and time to bring out the real Eve. Step one leave her hair down and
make an effort with her appearance, a touch of eyeliner and a shimmer of gloss
and she was done.

Stepping awkwardly back in to the bedroom she noticed with
relief Nathan had gone down without her, she unfastened her case and began to
hang some of her clothes. Her summer range was minimal but she found her short
denim skirt and a white sleeveless shirt that enhanced her natural golden skin.
She tied the shirt into a knot so her toned midriff was exposed. Eve didn’t
need to exercise but she did sit ups most nights to keep her flat tummy.
Wandering downstairs she heard voices at the rear of the house, Shona made her
jump at the foot of the stairs.

“They are all outside by the pool waiting for you, go ahead
I will bring you out a drink of tea if you like?” Eve thanked her and followed
the directions to the garden. Through the living space was a huge set of glass
sliding doors leading to the gardens and swimming pool. Eve’s heart thumped she
really didn’t want her lack of swimming ability to be exposed in front of them
all. Victoria walked up behind her without her hearing

“Hey Eve don’t be nervous come out with me, do you have your
bikini on under there?” Eve turned round smiling weakly

“I didn’t pack one, I had no idea that you would have a
pool, it doesn’t matter I am not bothered about swimming” Victoria looked
blatantly at her chest

“I would lend you one of mine but it would be like wearing a
corn plaster on your tits! I was thinking more about you getting a decent tan
rather than swimming; I will pop out later to my store and see what I have if
you like?” Eve was touched

“Actually I would really appreciate that, if find a suitable
summer dress too it would be great” Victoria was only too happy to oblige. They
walked onto the terrace together; Nathan was reading but looked up when they
arrived. Rachel came over to hug her; and Grant was nowhere to be seen.

“Eve darling you look stunning this morning, you should
always wear that beautiful hair down and those legs should never be covered”
Blushing Eve returned her embrace, she saw Nathan touch the chair beside him
and breathed a sigh of relief at his warm smile, he had forgiven her. Nathan
waved the papers in front of her,

“This is the story plot of Christopher’s project, have a
read my eyes are tired and I can’t follow it.” Eve took it from him eagerly
“Scars run Deep” was the book title she settled into her chair and began to
scan the gist of the story.

The two main characters were a successful surgeon Jonathan;
who has a spoilt arrogant son called Rufus. He becomes very angry when his
respected father leaves his mother to live with glamorous socialite and heiress
Tabitha. Tabitha has a daughter Martha who was the same age as Rufus, he visits
reluctantly every weekend. Rufus needs to keep the peace with his father to
maintain his allowance; he is lazy and avoids a career to concentrate on art
despite being a qualified lawyer.

Martha is an enigma, from the age of five she became
withdrawn and had to be home schooled due to her fear of social situations. She
was plagued with nightmares and hardly spoke except to her mother. She was
beautiful and fragile and Rufus was drawn to her. He painted her in secret; he
watched her play in the trees and pick flowers. Rufus wanted to inhabit
“Martha’s world” to him she was a rare spark of light in an otherwise dark
world.

The story then develops as Martha begins to trust Rufus and
they spend more and more time together, Rufus kisses her then everything
changes. Martha screams and runs way Tabitha accuses Rufus of rape and because
Martha won’t talk he is arrested. Eventually she clears his name but Jonathan
insists that Tabitha gets Martha help; he suspects there is a deep issue buried
somewhere. Eventually after many experts write her off as autistic,
schizophrenic or bipolar they find help through hypnosis. Martha is regressed
and the truth is uncovered that Tabitha’s father violently abused her leaving
her scarred and terrified.

The rest of the movie depicts her recovery and the fight for
justice against a powerful millionaire who tries to destroy Martha to keep his
dirty secret. Justice finally gets served and Rufus and Martha reunite, Martha
emerges from her little world and the two become lovers.

 “Eve why are you crying?” Nathan was stroking her face
gently, Rachel passed her a tissue.

“Sorry it is such a sad story, I would love to play her but
I think it will be emotionally exhausting. There is going to be some moments
where my own experiences will come to the fore. It will be amazing to do
especially working with you and Christopher. Do we know who the two leads are
yet?” Nathan shook his head Christopher was keeping that for tomorrows chat.
Eve put the story down as Shona had arrived with drinks, Nathan had removed his
top and the bruises on his ribs were exposed. Shona passed Eve a tub of gloop,
that smelt very herbal;

“Apply that twice a day, the bruises will come out and the
tissue will mend so you will heal internally, I guarantee improvements after a
single application.” Eve took the lid off and began to gently stroke the
ointment along the damaged skin, Nathan winced when she touched the worst area.

“Sorry Nathan but I am under Shona’s orders, she completed
the task then wafted her hand under her nose. The smell was pungent she needed
to wash, excusing herself she wandered into the downstairs cloakroom which
luckily had a WC sign on the door. While she was in there her phone rang, it
was her father

“Michael hello is everything alright?” he assured her it
was, he had just wanted to check on how Nathan was doing. Well that was a
shocker, she told him about the flight and the Matheson’s home he sounded
suitably thrilled for her. Of course he asked how soon they would return, she
estimated another couple of days as Nathan was anxious to check on Sasha.
Michael offered to go down and sit with Sasha if Nathan wanted him to, just to
make sure she didn’t do anything silly. Eve was quick to refuse the offer, that
would be just too weird, Sasha sat with a vicar in her room was mildly amusing
but not an option.

Nathan was alone when she returned, she told him about
Michael’s phone call, he found the turn of events as bizarre as Eve. Eve sat
back down to read the rest of the movie outline, it seemed the ending was a
happy one Rufus and Martha lived happily ever after and their parents got
married a typical Hollywood ending. Nathan had lapsed into sleep so Eve took
the moment to dip her toe in the water; she was sitting on the edge both feet
immersed. When she leant forward to look at the pattern of a dolphin sank into
the tiles, a patter of feet roused her. She looked up to see a huge dog bounding
towards her in a panic she tried to stand but the dog knocked her feet from
under her and she slipped and fell straight into the pool.

Eve felt weightless a sparkle of light was flickering all
around her, she felt a sense of peace and sank gracefully towards the dolphin
smiling up at her. She wanted to stay here forever it felt warm and comforting
a place she wanted to stay. Her leg was suddenly yanked upwards and at first
she resisted the hand reaching towards her. Reality struck and Eve quickly
noted her closeness to death grasping the hand she allowed it to pull her
upwards and her lungs burst as the oxygen hit them with full force.

Grant lifted her towards the awaiting arms of Nathan, he
dragged her out despite his obvious pain wrapping her in a towel and leading
her to her sun lounger.

“Jesus Eve are you okay? I thought you were dead, I heard an
almighty splash in my sleep and when I opened my eyes I saw you floating face
down in the water and the dog running into the trees. Thank God my dad was
right behind. Did you bang your head? I was waiting for you to swim up to the
surface.” Grant was drying himself off staring at Eve with a concerned look; Nathan
was searching her head for an injury. Eve cringed and heat flooded her face

“Stop Nathan, I didn’t bang my head… I can’t swim okay? I never
went swimming as a child and we never swam on holiday, so I have never had to
do it before.” Nathan pulled her into a hug

“Eve you could have drowned, thanks’ dad it looks like you
saved her life” Grant touched the top of Eve’s head

“I came running after the dog because I knew he may hurt
Nathan if he jumped up, I never expected to have a swim luckily I was in my
shorts. Buster here boy!” The dog bounded over, Eve pulled away to have a look
at him. He was a boxer and had a lovely face he obviously knew Nathan as he was
trying to lick his skin off. Grant took hold of him and marched him back to his
bed, when he returned he sat beside Eve.