Free An Inconvenient Desire by Alexia Adams Page A

people who would beat me. At least she never hit me. So I didn’t tell anyone how scared I was when she left me alone.”
    “Didn’t social services ever come to the flat, see how you were living?”
    “A couple of times the neighbors called the police when she was particularly loud as she came home drunk. I don’t know what she told them or the social workers when they came by, but they always left and I stayed with her. The flat was neat and tidy because I cleaned it. Even as a child I hated living in filth. And when I got a little older she gave me money for groceries so I could buy food and vary my diet from baked beans and cheese sandwiches. I used to watch cooking shows to learn how to make new recipes.”
    Olivia took another sip of wine and was quiet for a moment. When she resumed her story, her voice was distant, monotone. “When I was twelve, her boyfriends began to stay at the flat, some a couple of weeks, others a few months. Ellen was nearly always drunk or high. I have no idea where she got the money for booze or drugs, but probably by whoring. I never brought any school friends home. I didn’t know what state she’d be in, and I didn’t want anyone to know what my home life was like. I was already a master at hiding my thoughts and feelings behind a smile. If you saw my school reports, they all said something like, ‘Olivia is a happy, carefree student.’ What a crock.”
    She placed her empty wine glass carefully on the table, her hands tightening into fists in her lap. Jonathan was silent.
What should I say?
Anyone who looked at Olivia would think,
beautiful woman, must have the world at her feet.
He had. Now he was discovering that she’d clawed her way out of a mire to make something of her life. No wonder she’d been so quick to respond to Hannah.
    Pulling her knees to her chest, Olivia wrapped her arms around them before putting her forehead on her bent knees. A chill ran up his spine despite the warm night as she assumed the fetal position. “Then some stuff happened and I left.”
    Her voice was so strained, he didn’t dare ask what had prompted her to leave home. “Where did you go? Into care? To your grandparents?”
    “No. I met Sophia and we lived on the streets for a while. Then one day we were nearly killed, so we sought refuge in a shelter. They gave us a safe place to live and food to eat and helped us finish our schooling. As soon as I got my GCSEs, I started modeling and have been doing that ever since. I haven’t seen Ellen since the day I turned fifteen. I have no idea if she is dead or alive.”
    “Olivia … ” Jonathan stopped to clear his throat. “I don’t know what to say. I had no idea you’ve been through so much in your life.”
    He ran his hand up and down her back until she uncurled herself and placed her feet on the floor. “It’s not something I put on my CV.” She tried for a smile, but it wavered before collapsing entirely. “It doesn’t really go with the glamorous image models try to portray.”
    “I can certainly understand your feelings toward Hannah. But I promise you, even if I ask my family to look after her on a day-to-day basis for the next few years, she will always know that I love her,” he vowed.
    “I know. But as I said earlier, knowledge and emotion are sometimes at odds with each other. At least tell me you’ll think about what I said,” she begged.
    “I won’t be able to think about anything else,” he replied soberly.
    He held her close and she rested her head on his shoulder. Silently, they watched the night sky.

Chapter 9
    Olivia glanced up as Jonathan walked into the kitchen. Her heart did its two-quick-beats thing it always did when she first saw him, even if he’d been gone only ten minutes. She’d have thought it would have settled down by now. They’d been “living together” for almost two weeks, and he was always around, barring a quick trip to the store to get more milk or nappies.
    When his eyes met hers, a