Caught by Love: A Lesbian Romance Read online

  Caught by Love

  Jade Winters

  Caught by Love

  by Jade Winters

  Copyright 2013 by Jade Winters

  www.jade-winters.com

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Other titles by Jade Winters

  Novels

  143

  A Walk Into Darkness

  Novellas

  Talk Me Down From The Edge

  Short Stories

  The Makeover

  The Love Letter

  Love On The Cards

  For Ali, as always.

  Chapter 1

  Hannah could feel the familiar stirrings of anxiety circling in the pit of her stomach as she stood by a large triangle shaped window, pensively staring out into the night. She felt the urge to run her hand through her honey blonde hair but thought better of it as she didn’t think her hairdresser would be too pleased if she undid all of her hard work, having spent the best part of two hours making her naturally curly hair, sleek and shiny. Releasing a long breath, she took one final look along the row of lights illuminating the River Thames before turning her back on the view.

  She felt all of the uncertainty of a child about to start their first day at school as the thought of being judged by her peers played heavily on her mind. The premier of the film she’d directed was less than an hour away and though she had a line-up of independent films behind her that she was proud of, this was the biggest one of her career. She had finally broken into the mainstream movie business which meant she had so much more to lose. If the film failed, that in turn would mean she was a failure and such a defeat could send her back into obscurity on the world stage.

  Although such occasions as this always made her feel uncomfortable, something about tonight felt different—she just couldn’t shake it off. A strangling dread began to tighten around her throat causing her to raise her arm and rest her trembling hand gently against it.

  “Stop it!” she told herself as a weary acceptance of the situation enveloped her. She was going to have to attend the premiere whether she liked it or not, as so many people had been rooting for her—from her fans to her financial backers. Not to mention, Leah, her personal assistant, who was more like a sister, best friend and therapist rolled into one.

  From where she stood in their luxurious bedroom, with its fine white bed linen and lush golden threaded carpet, she angled her head to fasten her eyes on Naomi. Dressed in a black two piece trouser suit and black suede high heel boots, she stood in front of a free standing floor mirror, impatiently trying to fasten the clasp of the diamond necklace Hannah had given her for their fifth year anniversary. Where has all the time gone? Hannah thought as she gave a small shake of her head.

  It had only seemed like yesterday that she’d met and fallen in love with the delectable Naomi Roberts—an aspiring writer who had caught her attention when she had asked her to direct a heartfelt romantic comedy she’d written whilst at university.

  Hannah had known there was something special about Naomi from the very beginning and she hadn’t been wrong. Not only had her writing talents gone from strength to strength but so had their relationship. She had been enchanted by her from day one and they had been inseparable ever since.

  Though there was only a two year age gap between them, at thirty, Naomi was a charismatic woman who had a way about her that made her seem wiser than her years. Because of this, people gravitated to her like a bee to honey, always seeking her out for advice and she gave it willingly without prejudice. Hypothetically speaking, she had a broad shoulder for anyone who needed to lean on—whether she had known them for an hour or a lifetime.

  As if sensing her stare, Naomi turned to her—her brilliant green eyes dancing as she took in Hannah’s Christian Dior aubergine off the shoulder pencil dress and grey high heel shoes. “If we had more time. . .” Her words trailed off as her eyes seductively travelled the full length of Hannah’s slim figure, stopping when she reached her face.

  Hannah smiled despite herself. Naomi was the only person in the world that had such an effect on her just by looking at her.

  “Here, let me help you,” Hannah offered, sliding up behind her, brushing back the thick wavy hair that fell carelessly down her back.

  “Nervous?” Naomi asked, eyeing her through the mirror’s reflection.

  “Just a little,” she admitted.

  “Don’t be, everyone is going to love it.”

  Hannah laughed. “You always say that.”

  “And aren’t I always right?”

  Hannah nodded as she finally managed to fasten the necklace. Naomi turned and took her into her arms.

  “How many awards are you going to have to win before you finally begin to realise how truly brilliant you are?”

  “It’s just that. . .”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know . . . this picture is so much bigger than anything I’ve ever done before.”

  “Do you really think the studio would have invested money in this film if they didn’t think you were up to it? Remember they approached you, not the other way around and you have done an amazing job!”

  “Are you just saying that because you wrote the screenplay?”

  Naomi’s smiled ratcheted up a notch, causing the corners of her eyes to crease. “Well, that may have just a tiny bit to do with it.”

  Hannah deplored her own foolhardiness as Naomi leaned back a little and held her at arm’s length, tenderly looking into her eyes. “Seriously, Hannah, you brought my story to life in a way that no one else could have. You have such a unique way of telling a story that not even Steven Spielberg could hold a candle to you.”

  “I appreciate the comparison but let’s not go that far.” That was so like Naomi, she thought, always having the right words on standby. Though she wouldn’t class herself as a needy sort of person, she admitted that she didn’t know what she would do without her. Not only was she her rock, she had never felt so connected to another woman before and she honestly believed that Naomi felt the same way about her.

  Naomi tossed her head back and laughed. “Okay, not him necessarily but you get my drift. All you have to remember is there is no need to be the best director that ever lived, just be the best you can.”

  “I suppose so.”

  Naomi cupped Hannah’s face in her hands. “Do you remember when we were at university and how much fun we used to have making our short films? We couldn’t wait to get them in front of an audience back then.”

  Oh, the good old days, Hannah thought with growing nostalgia, when everything was dealt with in such a carefree manner. But they had come a long way since then. As her mother always said to her ‘with adulthood comes responsibility’. And she had a lot of responsibility riding on this film. “I’m sure I’ll be fine once we get there.”

  “Good. Let’s get a move on before we’re late. Leah will be spitting feathers if we aren't there on the dot.”

  Hannah laughed at this reply. Though she never gave Leah any cause to doubt her professionalism, she was a stickler for time and pretty much hen-pecked them both alike in their personal life as well as their professional ones. But only because she sincerely wanted to make sure they both reached their full potential. As such, they adored her and she was a great friend to them both.

  “I love you so much,” Hannah said.

  Naomi drew her close and kissed the tip of her nose. “I know you do.”
r />   Hannah took a step back from the arms she couldn’t wait to feel later when it was all over. “I’ll just touch up my make-up.”

  Naomi playfully slapped her behind as she passed her. “Hurry up or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

  Hannah let out a small yelp. “You’re incorrigible, Naomi Roberts.”

  “I know.” Naomi laughed. Suddenly, an unusually troubled expression flashed across her features.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Hannah was by her side in a second, her eyes full of concern.

  Naomi inhaled deeply and let out a measured breath. She clutched at the dresser as if trying to anchor herself. “I don’t know—I just feel a bit dizzy.”

  “Sit down and I’ll get you some water.”

  Naomi shot her a quick reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, finish getting ready. I’m sure it will pass.”

  Hannah placed an arm around her waist and guided her slowly towards the bed. “Do as you’re told, the car won’t be picking us up for another ten minutes.”

  She eased Naomi down onto the bed, then pressed her hand gently against her forehead. “You don’t seem to have a temperature.”

  “It’s most probably the side effects of seeing you in that dress.”

  “What can I say?—I’m known to have that effect on women.”

  “As long as they only look and don't touch it’s fine.”

  “I never took you for the jealous type,” Hannah said planting a kiss on her mouth. “Now stay put until I get back.”

  “Yes, Mum,” she said smiling as she leaned back on her hands.

  As Hannah headed to the kitchen down the sweeping oak staircase, she could not have known that the uneasy feeling she’d been having all day had nothing to do with the screening of her film. Nor could she have known that the flashing lights she would be seeing within a few short minutes wouldn’t be those belonging to the paparazzi but something much worse.

  Chapter 2

  “What service do you require?”

  “I need an ambulance,” Hannah said, pressing the mobile phone against her ear so hard she could hear her heart beating.

  She had to fight to keep her voice steady as she was passed through to another operator. She listened vaguely, as if the voice came from another realm and rattled out the answers whilst she held Naomi’s limp head against her chest willing her own beating heart to breathe life into her.

  The operator asked her final question: “Is she responsive or unresponsive?”

  It took Hannah several seconds before she replied. With an echo of fear in her voice she said, “Unresponsive.”

  The events that took place from then on, came to her as if she were viewing them from outside of her body—the wailing sirens in the near distance followed by swirling, flashing lights igniting the street in a blue glow, two paramedics rushing past her and up the stairs as if their lives depended on it, the whispers and urgent commands between the men as they looked down on Naomi’s lifeless body and the clanging metal of the stretcher as they expertly lifted her onto it and wheeled her to the waiting vehicle.

  Then she was transported to the impersonal environment of a hospital waiting room. Scanning her surroundings, she felt invisible to people who carried on like it was just any other day—totally oblivious of Hannah and the black hole she felt herself hurtling through as she tried to make sense of what had happened. But how could she? All she knew was that one minute Naomi had been at home with her and the next she was in a hospital room full of strangers doing God knows what to her body.

  Sensing the door opening, she turned her head and saw a woman, small in stature, with thick shoulder length brown hair walk purposely towards her. The doctor’s face came in and out of focus but that didn’t mean Hannah couldn’t see the sorrow on the woman’s face. No words were needed as the doctor lowered her eyes slightly and solemnly shook her head. With a mute detachment, Hannah cocked her head to one side as the meaning of her gesture kicked in.

  She felt dazed as if she hadn’t quite woken up from the nightmare she found herself thrown into. In such a short space of time something had irreparably broken within her and there wasn’t anything in the world that was going to be able to fix it. She heard an incoherent muttering come through her lips as she tried to cling on to reality with the urgent desperation of someone hanging from the edge of a cliff. She had not even been given the chance to say goodbye. The safe world she once knew had been snatched away from her so effortlessly.

  It took Hannah several moments to realise that the distressing, guttural sound she heard echoing throughout the room was actually hers. Then she felt arms around her breaking her fall. She wasn’t aware of who it was until she heard a familiar rich, cultured voice talking to her.

  “I’m so sorry, Hannah, I just heard the news.”

  As her screams turned to sobs she spun abruptly and looked into the face that some time ago she would have been grateful to see—but not anymore. She dislodged herself from Alisa’s arms.

  “Please, Hannah, not at a time like this,” Alisa said in a voice that seemed to come from far away.

  “There will never be a time,” she said in a sibilant tone. With her voice hardening, Hannah added, “Not now, not ever. Do you hear me? Never!”

  The next thing she knew she was running, full speed ahead—trying her best to avoid any collisions, ignoring the wide eyed stares that followed her as she raced along the corridors. Finally she bolted through the last set of doors that led her to freedom. She was afraid to hear anybody speak. She knew if the words were spoken out loud it would mean this horrible nightmare was real. But if she just kept on running, they couldn’t catch up with her and Naomi would remain with her forever.

  Chapter 3

  The inside of her house looked sterile. Not even the warm colours of the walls nor the vibrant Paul Kenton paintings that clung to them, could add any feeling of life to the place. Everything was too ordered, too spotless. Her once lived in home now resembled a showroom—all gloss and no substance. The large fabric sofa which was normally covered with an assortment of books and papers was clear, bar the neatly positioned cushions sitting in each corner. Sunlight reverberated off the glass coffee table and the tall windows glinted like the surface of an icy lake on a sunny afternoon. Bookshelves were stacked neatly and the wide-planked mahogany floorboards gleamed so brightly in the sun-lit living room, Hannah was sure if she’d tried hard enough, she’d be able to see her reflection in them.

  There was a strange stillness that hung in the air, making it difficult to remember the laughter that used to ring throughout the house. It seemed like a very long time ago now.

  Having decided the time was right to return to London, Leah had kindly arranged to have the cleaners come in so the house was ready on her arrival, though she had been adamant that their bedroom was left untouched—Hannah hadn’t wanted strangers in there.

  She followed Leah into the large airy kitchen and looked around nostalgically at what had once been the hub of their home. So many wonderful memories, yet not nearly enough, she thought sadly.

  She couldn’t believe it had been a year since last stepping over the threshold—since that night of chaos and despair. Such was her trauma, she had stayed with Leah until after the funeral, then had retreated to a rented cottage in Cumbria where she had been hiding. No, not hiding—she had just been trying to make sense of her life now Naomi was no longer a part of it. She knew the haunting loneliness that followed her would be wherever she went, so she had finally decided to come home.

  “I’ve got all your favourite things in,” Leah said, briskly walking over to the fridge door and opening it to show off a supply of food that could have fed an army and their families.

  Hannah inclined her head in a gesture of thanks. “You shouldn’t have.”

  Leah closed the fridge door with a gentle thud. “You’re forgetting I know what you’re like. If there wasn’t any food in, I know you wouldn’t eat.”

  When Hannah next spo
ke her voice was quiet. “Thank you. I really appreciate it . . . everything you’ve done for me.” For the past year, Leah had been the only solid reality in her ever shifting world.

  “That’s what friends are for, Hannah. To be there through the good times and . . .” Her voice dropped an octave. “. . .the bad.” She tilted her head up defiantly and quickly brushed away the tears that trembled on her eyelashes.

  Hannah reached out to her and laid her hand affectionately on her shoulder. She knew Leah was still grieving for Naomi—a lot of her friends were. They were all still trying to make sense of the loss of someone so special.

  Hannah could feel her own throat closing up as she deliberately tried to lighten the mood. “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea?” she said, picking up a stainless steel kettle from its cradle and moving towards the sink. It was a long standing joke between them that whenever they faced any kind of drama—one of them would put the kettle on, as though a cup of tea could conquer all the ills of the world.

  Leah flicked back a mass of long copper coloured curls away from her lightly gold dusted freckled face. The sadness which was there just seconds ago was soon replaced with a bleak tight lipped smile as she glanced at her watch. “Sorry, I can’t, I have to take my mother to yet another appointment. I swear she just likes pissing off the doctors by wasting their time. I don’t know how many times they are going to have to tell her there’s nothing wrong with her before their words finally sink in.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened in concern. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with her? Surely she would be the best person to know if she doesn’t feel right. Doctors don’t know everything.”

  “Hannah, she’s fifty seven years old and is as fit as a fiddle—she’s healthier than me.”