We are going back in time and getting a little more of an insight into where Joey has come from and who she is. This story is a little bit complicated (well done to funkyshaz for such a brilliant explanation in one of her reviews, by the way!) but I hope you enjoy it and are happy to go with Joey on her journey. Thank you for reading and especially to those who review. It means such a lot. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Seven
December 1999
Sydney, Australia
Joey Collins left school and climbed into the back of the limousine that waited for her, the same as it did every day. She'd tried to convince her father, Nicholas that, at fifteen, she was perfectly capable of walking to and from school with her mates. All she wanted was some semblance of a normal life. But her Dad was adamant that no daughter of his was going to mix with commoners. It had taken every ounce of argument from her and her mother, Roz, to allow her to go to a 'normal' school. It was still private but at least it wasn't a boarding school. Nicholas had agreed on the basis that it was easier to dote on his little girl when she was around. And dote, he did. Too much.
As Joey grew up, she was learning more about herself and becoming more independent. She wanted to step out of her family's shadow but rules and regulations meant that it wasn't such an easy thing to do. And now her father had got it into her head that she would be getting married. The last thing Joey wanted to do was get married. She'd long since figured out that she was a lesbian. The idea of going anywhere near a boy, especially the one her Dad had apparently chosen for her, was horrific. But her father was insisting and becoming increasingly more restrictive on how Joey was allowed to spend her time. She would be turning sixteen in four months and Nicholas's plan was that she would marry the son of a close friend, confidant and business partner.
The boy in question was named Robert Cruze. He was nineteen and Joey didn't like him. Even if she liked boys, she doubted she would like him. He was like a Jekyll and Hyde character and it made her nervous. Around her father, sitting at their irritatingly posh dinners, he was charm personified. But when Joey was unfortunate enough to be alone with him, he was sleazy and made her skin crawl. But Robert, or Robbo as he told her privately he liked to be called, already had her father and her older brother, Brett, onside and there seemed to be little that Joey could do to dissuade them. Disobeying her father was not an option. But she really wished it was.
Arriving home, Joey thanked the driver and greeted the doorman. She headed up the big, spiral staircase that led to her wing of the grand house. Opening her bedroom door, Joey hurried inside and flung herself onto her double bed. She stretched out and looked up at the ceiling, sighing heavily. Robbo would be round for dinner tonight with his father and she was not looking forward to it. Once upon a time, Joey had looked forward to the prospect of turning sixteen but right now, it felt like a death sentence. There was a quiet knock on the door. Joey looked up as her personal maid stepped inside and asked if she needed anything.
"No, thanks," Joey said.
She smiled.
"I've finished reading the magazine you were eyeing up yesterday," she added. "Want to hang out and read it?"
The maid, a girl only a few years older than Joey smiled eagerly. The two had quickly become friends and Joey was fond of her. She tried to let her off doing as much work as she could get away with. While she may have grown up in the land of luxury, she didn't see why she couldn't manage herself. She was just as capable as the next person of running her own bath, choosing her own clothes and making her own midnight snacks. The maid, Maria, was also a big fan of Joey. She thought she was beautiful and gracious. She was funny and she treated all the staff with gentleness and respect. Not everyone in the house did so it was a quality they valued and appreciated. Joey smiled as Maria curled up with the magazine in a chair.
"I'm going to take a shower," Joey told her, hauling herself off the bed.
"Do you want me to...?"
Joey shook her head and went on into the bathroom, hoping to freshen up her mood for the night ahead.
Later that evening, Joey sat round the large dining table with her parents, Brett, Robbo and Robbo's father, Richard. She was bored already of the small talk and the smarmy way her 'suitor' sucked up to her Dad. It was sickening really. After dinner, Joey was ordered to escort Robbo and his father out. Robbo indulged in kissing her goodbye. He aimed for her mouth but she turned her face so he could only catch her cheek. Then, with Maria in pursuit, Joey skipped back up to the bedroom. Robbo and Richard Cruze headed out to their car together.
"We need a new plan," Robbo said unhappily. "She's not going to play ball."
"Well, you'll just have to make her," Richard replied.
"How? Getting some girl to up and run away with you and fleece her father isn't exactly something you can force, is it?" Robbo snapped.
He felt like there was too much responsibility on him. He didn't like to be criticised and he didn't like being under pressure.
"Well, maybe we need to find someone better suited to the job if you can't manage it," Richard said coldly, looking at his son with disdain.
Up in her bedroom, Joey got changed while Maria turned down her bed, ready to tuck her in. That was an indulgence Joey did enjoy. She'd never been tucked into bed by her parents as a child. While most teenagers would never crave such a thing, Joey did. And Maria was good at it. The fact that she was particularly nice and particularly good looking, also helped.
"Do you think you're really going to have to marry Robert?" Maria asked, hoping she wasn't being improper.
Joey sighed and climbed into bed, resting against the pillows. She patted the edge of the bed, welcoming Maria to sit.
"I hope not," she said. "But I'm starting to think I'm going to have to."
"But it's the twenty-first Century," Maria complained. "How can you be forced to marry someone you don't even like?"
She did not want Joey to marry Robbo. She didn't want her to marry anyone. If she was being truly honest, Maria was desperate to keep Joey for herself. The two women smiled at each other.
"Time stands still in this place, I guess," Joey said unhappily.
Maria reached for Joey's hand and wished she could protect her. Joey caught her expression. A little nervously, she sat up and pressed her lips against Maria's for the briefest moment. Both women blushed as Joey settled back into bed, whispering a gentle goodnight.
