Love, Sex and Money

"Just chill out Heidi, I swear you're...."

Jim stopped talking as the door swung open and his mother wrapped him in a bone crunching hug, "Merry Christmas dear."

Jim smiled, "I'd hug you back Mom but I've got all this stuff for the kids."

Susan released him, looked at Heidi who was standing behind him nervously and smiled, "Heidi! Oh, you look beautiful! Come in, come in!"

Jim snorted, "God, Mom. You like her better than me!"

Susan rolled her eyes, "Can you blame me?" she laughed at Jim's expression, "Oh you daft boy. Come on, I love it when my house gets filled with young people!"

Heidi hadn't spoken and Jim looked at her, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

She gulped, "Oh. Sorry." She looked at his Mom, "Happy Christmas Ms Mitchell. Thanks for having me over. I didn't want to intrude or anything but..."

"Oh, nonsense dear." Susan shook her head, "The more the merrier. At least Jim won't be sitting here with no-one to talk to. And you can call me Susan. Or Sue."

She ushered them into the hall and Jim put down the bags he was carrying to unzip his jacket. Heidi just stood there.

"Heidi?" Jim poked her, "Take your things off."

She jumped, "Huh? Oh, erm..., yeah." She fumbled with the buttons on her coat as Jim watched in concern.

"Baby? You OK?"

She scowled, "Yeah, fine. For gods sake Jim, give me a break!" She bit her lip, "God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I just....I'm just nervous."

"Hey." Jim paused as his Mom tactfully went down the hall, "It's OK. Just enjoy yourself, OK?"

She nodded jerkily, "Yeah, yeah, sure, I can handle it."

Jim smiled and followed his Mom into the kitchen, "I've got a present for an old lady!"

Susan hit him with the tea towel, "Old lady, indeed! Go to your room!"

They laughed and Jim wrapped her in a hug, "I love you Mom. Thanks for everything." He looked into her bright brown eyes, "Everything."

She smiled, "I'm so proud of you Jim. You're a man. A proper man." She frowned at the sudden look of uncertainty on his face, "Jim? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He smiled, "Just nervous about Heidi."

"Don't worry. It's going to go fine, I know it is." She squeezed his arm, "Anyway, where's this present you were speaking of?"

-

Heidi stood in the hall, watching quietly as Jim laughed with his Mom. Thoughts of her own family were thankfully interrupted as the doorbell rang again and there was a sudden commotion as two small boys charged in, clutching remote-controlled cars while arguing loudly. They stopped short as they noticed her and turned back to their harassed parents who were struggling through the door.

"Oh George!"

Jim came out of the kitchen as he heard his sister's tired exclamation and grinned.

"Jas!" He wrapped her in a hug as her husband crowded in behind her, dropping numerous bags on the floor. Heidi plastered a smile onto her face. It was going to be a long day.

-

It soon became clear to Heidi that Jim's family had a very traditional Christmas. She made her way through the introductions, the hugs, the stupid mistletoe, the crackers, the enormous meal and found herself actually enjoying it. And then, to get a little bit of time to herself, she insisted on doing the washing up, stacking up the numerous plates and loading them next to the sink. It had been OK so far. Jasmine, Callum, and their two boys were as nice as Jim had promised. Funny, welcoming, they couldn't have made her feel more at home. But she'd overheard Jasmine talking to Jim in the hall, a snippet of their conversation catching her ear as she made conversation with Callum "....she's only eighteen Jim! You're being selfish!" She tried to pretend she hadn't heard but one look at Callum's face told her he'd heard too and she swiftly turned her attention to the children, not knowing what to say. And now here Jasmine was, carrying more plates though, smiling at her as if everything was OK.

"Thanks."

Jasmine hesitated and Heidi looked at her, "What is it?"

"Nothing. You having a nice time?"

Heidi smiled, "Yeah, thanks."

"Good." But she didn't leave, "You and Jim, uh, you're great together."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

There was another awkward pause.

Heidi put down the plate, "Jasmine, I know what you think. I'm eighteen, Jim's twenty seven, it's not right and..."

"He's twenty eight." Jasmine was looking suitably nervous. "And I'm not saying it's not right. Look, Jim's happy, you're happy. But I'm just an interfering cow. Look, I know you heard what we were talking about earlier, right? But I was wrong. You suit each other perfectly. Don't let me screw it up. I just get ...." She sighed, ran a hand through her blonde hair, "I just want you to get on, OK? Jim likes you. He's never had a girl around for one of these family things before and I just don't want him to get hurt."

Heidi nodded, "I know. I'm sorry. But we're OK. We're good. Don't worry about it."

Jasmine nodded, "I'm sorry Heidi. I judge too soon but I can see you're a nice girl and I'm really sorry if you thought -"

She stopped talking as Jim came into the kitchen and turned to the door. "Anyway, I'd better go make sure the kids haven't killed each other." And she was gone.

Heidi resumed washing the plates as Jim sat down on the countertop, "You OK? Jas hasn't been scaring you off, has she?" The question was asked lightly but his eyes were nervous as she looked at him and smiled,

"No. Quite the opposite."

"Good." The nervousness was replaced with clear relief, "You having a good day?"

"Yep." Heidi put down the last plate and dried her hands, "Great."

"Good." Jim stepped off the countertop and stood behind her dropping his chin to her shoulder as they both looked out at the flurry of snow adding to the already covered garden.

"It's beautiful."

"Mm-hm." Jim's head turned, and he kissed her gently on the neck. "We'll stay over here tonight. Too dangerous to drive."

Heidi sighed, "I don't have any other clothes."

"You won't need any." He kissed her again, "Will you?"

Heidi shrugged, "Guess not."

She was watching a bird which was pecking about in the snow, subconsciously aware of Jim's hand taking hers, pressing it to his jeans.

"Feel that?" His voice was a husky whisper, "See what you do to me?"

"Hmmm..." Heidi sighed, leaned back into him, "I know."

The bulge was undeniable and she didn't know what to think about it.

"Should I be flattered?"

Jim laughed, "I don't know." His hand released hers, leaving it on his jeans and he reached up, cupped her breasts.

"Perfect." He pushed his hips forward, pushed harder against her hand; an ominous growl rising in his throat as he felt himself get harder and then Heidi pushed him, urgently, as the door swung open.

Jim stepped hurriedly back as Callum walked in and stopped short, "Oh God." It didn't take a genius to work out what had been going on, "Whoa, sorry guys, I was just gonna get some wine. I'll just..."

"No." Heidi turned around, "It's OK. We're good. Come on, let's go."

She was out of the kitchen like a shot, leaving Jim leaning against the wall, hot and looking uneasily at his brother-in-law.

"Sorry."

Callum shook his head, "Forget it. Seriously, it's no big problem. Where's the drinks?"

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he crossed the kitchen and took out some glasses. A little alcohol would probably to him a world of good.

-

The rest of the day passed enjoyably, the plentiful beer and wine making up for the sometimes awkward conversation. They all sat in the sitting room, a roaring fire warming them as Jasmine flicked through the TV programmes, looking for something to quieten the children. And they talked. About everything. Christmas, snow, schools, hairstyles, work, even politics. Callum, Jasmine and Susan were easy to talk too. They weren't pretentious, they were just normal people. The conversation flowed as fast as the wine and it was only when Callum gave a stifled yawn, that everyone realised it was past midnight.

Soon enough they were all going upstairs, saying goodnight, laughing at how the time had flown and before she knew it, Heidi was alone in a guest bedroom, gazing out at the snow, waiting for Jim.

She felt his breath on her ear before she felt his hands enclose her waist, pulling her into him. She leaned back, sighed in blissful happiness, looking out across the blanketed city.

"That was the most perfect Christmas. Ever." His hands moved lower, stroking the skin between her jeans and shirt.

"Right. You made me happy Heidi. More than you know." His lips dropped to her neck and he kissed a soft path up to her jaw, "You're perfect. You're just... amazing."

Their lips met, slowly, almost hesitantly, as Heidi turned to face him, running her hands up his arms.

"Thanks." Her brown eyes were soft as she looked into his, "Thank you Jim."

He paused, "For what?"

"For making me come here. You were right. It was great."

She kissed him again, hands sliding behind his neck and he tried to relax, tried to be confident as he slipped his hand into his pocket.

"Heidi." The word came out hoarsely, as he swallowed, took in her beautiful face, "I was going to give you your second present."

Heidi laughed, "Leave it. Do it tomorrow."

"No!" She looked surprised at the urgency in his tone, "I..." he took a deep breath, tried to steady himself, "Now, it has to be now."

Heidi tried to hide her confusion, "Um, OK. Whatever you say."

Jim tried to smile, tried to tell himself it was going to be OK but he'd never been so scared in his life. He should have left it to another day, he thought uneasily, but he needed her. He had to do this, had to make sure that this really was going to be the best Christmas of his life

"Close your eyes then." His attempt at a jokey tone partially succeeded and Heidi smiled, squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out Jim and the rest of the room.

Jim hesitated, his hand still deep in his jeans pocket as he toyed with the gift.

"Heidi, I, uh..." He didn't know what to say. He swallowed hard, "Heidi, you're the only girl I ever want. You hear me?"

"Yeah."

"And um..." he scratched the back of his head, "I come so close to losing you time and time again over stupid, pathetic things and I was doing a lot of thinking while I was away. Lying in bed, thinking about my life. How I'm doing, where I'm going, what I want." He sighed, "There's something about you baby. You're....you're different to all the others. There's this thing about you that makes you funny and sexy, and smart and beautiful all at the same time. You make me good. And I can't lose that." He shook his head, looked at her shut eyes,

"Heidi, I can't lose that. You're like a....a...drug."

Heidi snorted, "A drug?"

Jim forced a laugh, "Yeah....Look, before I met you, right, my life was OK. With you, I'm just on this terrific high all the time. You make me feel so good. And it's not just the sex. Talking to you, having you around is the best feeling in the world. And when you're not here, I'm on a low. Like the last three months have felt like shit. Seriously Heidi, I need you. No other girl, I need you."

He breathed in sharply, pulled the ring out of his pocket and dropped to his knee in front of her, "Which is why, I have to ask you. I can't lose what we have, baby. I need you." He shook his head, an insane desire to laugh flaring inside him as he looked up at her beautiful face, "Heidi, sweetheart, will you marry me?"

Heidi's eyes flew open as her jaw dropped at the sight of him in front of her, "Marry you?!"

Love, Sex and Money -- Chapter Ten

Heidi collapsed down onto the bed in mock exhaustion as Jim looked on in amusement. The flight back from Las Vegas had been jam-packed due to the holiday season and the snow hadn't made things much better. But here they were finally were, home at last.

"I just want to sleep forever."

Jim sat down on the windowsill, "You enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah." Heidi rolled over, looked across at him, "It was great."

Jim smiled, "Good."

Heidi lay down, stared up at the pristine white ceiling. It really had been brilliant. Ever since Jim had come back, she'd had the time of her life. First the awesome Christmas, then the week away. She brought her hand up, looked at the sparkling ring on her finger and smiled. After turning down Jim's proposal, she thought he would have been angry but he'd taken it quite well considering how hopeful he'd been. But then again, it had been a crazy idea. And after agreeing that she was admittedly too young, and they hadn't known each other long enough, he'd insisted that she keep the ring anyway as a 'we-might-get-married-in-a-couple-of-years' gesture. That had been Christmas night and then they'd spent hours just snuggling up together, talking and talking until they realised it had suddenly become Boxing Day and it was time to get up. That seemed to have happened a lot lately, Heidi thought with a small smile. They never seemed to actually sleep at night, just talk and have sex. Not that she was complaining. Jim was wonderful. Her ideal man she thought, before rolling her eyes as she realised how daft that sounded. But he was. He actually listened when she talked, really seemed to care about what she had to say. It had unnerved her at first, the way he'd watch, his intelligent brown eyes simply taking her in as she told him something but now she felt totally comfortable with him. Aside from the time in their hotel room, Las Vegas had been everything she'd ever dreamed of. Everything there was sophisticated; the city was simply dripping with luxury. Not a single thing had been a disappointment, from Mandalay Bay to the gorgeous views of the Strip from the floor-to-ceiling windows; Vegas was completely faultless. It really was the entertainment capital of the world. And being there with Jim? Well that was just the icing on the cake.

"What are you thinking?"

Jim's warm voice cut into her thoughts and she propped herself up on one elbow, looked across at him. "How much more time have you got off? From work?"

He pulled a face, "About another week. Why?"

She shrugged, "Just wondering." And then she lay back down.

Jim watched her with a smile. Heidi, lying there, on his bed, after he'd just spent the best part of four weeks with her. All in all, Christmas and New Year had been the best he'd ever had. And it was all because of her. He remembered how foolish he'd felt on Christmas night as she did her best to reject him gently but suddenly it didn't matter anymore. Just being together was enough for him, just having the best time in the world. Like the beginning of the New Year, lying in their suite in THEhotel, gazing into each other's eyes as the clock struck midnight. She was so beautiful, so innocent and so damn perfect.

"And what are you thinking?" Heidi dragged herself off the comfortable sheets and sat up.

Jim shook his head, "A lot of things." He hesitated, "You have really enjoyed yourself, haven't you?"

Heidi laughed, "Free first class flight to Vegas, free amazing hotel in Vegas, free food, what was there not to enjoy?"

Jim shrugged, "Me."

Heidi laughed again, "Look at you and your insecurities! Seriously Jim, I'm the one who should be feeling that way." She crossed the room, "If you hadn't been there, it would have sucked, is that what you want to hear?"

Jim smiled, "Yes. Exactly.

"It would have." Heidi said, "And I mean that."

They looked at each other for a second before they both smiled.

"You are one hell of a girl Heidi." Jim said, unable to stop grinning, "You really are."

"Yep. I know." She leaned forward, pressed her lips to his, "So, what are we doing today?"

"Today?" Jim smiled, "We are going out."

"What? Where? When?"

He grinned, "Well tonight. A get together."

Heidi frowned, "With who?"

Jim shrugged, "A bunch of people. Friends, friends of friends, you know what I mean. We usually get together around New Year, make a night of it. But this time, you're coming."

"Me? Out with a bunch of old guys?"

Jim grinned, "Yep. And before you say anything, yes, you have to come. And no, we can't avoid it. They've been texting me non-stop. And they want to meet you."

Heidi scowled, "Great."

"Yep, great." Jim said, "So, if you're tired, you might as well go to sleep. And for once, that is not an innuendo." He smiled, "Unless you want to take it that way."

-

Heidi smoothed the new dress down and examined herself in the mirror. The black silk had been one of Jim's many extravagant purchases while they were away. She only had to look at something and he'd be urging her to try it on before insisting that she looked wonderful and saying that he'd be offended if she didn't let him buy it for her. For the first time in her life, Heidi had actually found herself avoiding designer clothes shops. But despite her best efforts, her suitcase contained more than ten brand new, ridiculously expensive items of clothing, all neatly packaged up. And she had to admit; they were all stunning.

"I knew it'd be great."

Jim was standing behind her, looking at her reflection. Their eyes met and she smiled, "It's lovely."

"Damn right." They stood a moment longer, just looking at each other in the glass before Heidi sighed.

"I guess we'd better get a move on."

Jim smiled, "Well you sound enthusiastic." He paused, "You don't mind coming, do you?"

Heidi shrugged, "They're your kind of people. I don't know anyone. I'm just going to stick out."

Jim laughed, "No you're not. Everyone brings dates; there'll be loads of new people. And all the normal people are mostly nice." He took her by the hand, "Besides, you're there with me. It can't be boring."

Heidi smiled in spite of herself as they walked out to the car, a sense of nervous anticipation rising in her stomach, "I hope it'll be good."

Jim opened the passenger door for her, "When you look that hot, baby, it's bound to be good."

-

"And this is Xavier!" Jim finished with a grin.

The dark haired man grinned at him, "And are you going to bother telling me the name of your latest catch?"

Jim laughed, "Yeah, sorry. This is Heidi."

Xavier smiled at her, "You look like you're having the time of your life."

"Really? You can tell?"

Xavier laughed and Heidi smiled one of the few genuine smiles she'd spared all evening. Jim and her had arrived at the party an hour ago and in that time she'd been introduced to way too many people. The names and faces spun around in her head, the odd noticeable person earning a memory in her overloaded brain. And Xavier was one of those people. Messy hair, face creased with laughter lines, dressed to impress and with five cups of fruit punch balanced in his arms, he wasn't easily forgotten.

"He's an old friend." Jim explained, "We've quite literally known each other since we were in diapers."

Xavier laughed, "That's embarrassing." He looked at Heidi again, "You want a drink? Only, I've got too many."

"Yeah, sure." She took one of the proffered cups and sipped, trying to act like it was something she did every Saturday night.

"So, you guys up for a game of poker?" Xavier handed Jim one of the cups, "Shaun and Julian said someone had a pack of cards."

Jim shrugged, "Yeah, in a bit. I've still got to show my face to a couple of people. So, how have you been?"

"Not bad. Can't complain. How about you?"

Jim shrugged, "Same old."

Xavier nodded, "So, when did you two meet?"

"A couple of months back." Jim said vaguely. "Over in Andrejes actually."

Xavier smiled, "Very romantic." He winked at Heidi. "Right. Well, I'm gonna try and score with that Jenna. You guys come over to the bar in like half an hour, right?"

"Right."

And they were alone again. Heidi smiled, "He was nice."

Jim nodded, "Yeah, he's great." He looked down at her cup, "Here, finish that then I can show you some other guys."