Gold Rush

Private Dining: Part 3

Jack sat himself back at the table and quickly ran his hands through his unkempt hair, in a rushed attempt to smooth down the post-shag bed head.

Shit, that was good.

He audibly sighed out the leftover air trapped in his lungs and leant back into his chair, still feeling a little dazed.

His heart was still thumping away from the euphoric mix of adrenaline and oxytocin. He was almost certain his balls were still pulsing.. he grinned down at his own crotch, clearly very pleased with himself.

The door slowly opened in the corner of his eye and he watched on as Emmanuel carefully balanced a tray effortlessly on one palm, which held their drinks.

'I tell you J, art takes time' Emmanuel stated as he placed both tall glasses on the table.
Jack noticed him glancing at Sophie's empty chair.

'Yeh Manny, ya took so long she's gone to powda her nose to pass the time!' He teased

Emmanuel confidently crossed his arms across his body and began tapping his foot.
'Young Jack.. You cannot be the best company then, if she is hiding in the bathroom this early on'

If only he knew.

Jack shrugged, 'I guess I need to work on my people pleasing skills'.

Jack's ears pricked up when he heard the sharp tapping of high heels. He smirked as Sophie re-entered the room.. looking ever so slightly flushed in the face.

'I think your people pleasing skills are perfectly up to scratch, Grealish'.
She definitely put emphasis on his surname.

Sophie ran her hand across his shoulders as she walked past and sat herself down next to him, a devilish smile creeping across her face.

—————————————-

When Sophie eventually arrived back at Jack's side, she'd noticed Emmanuel had pulled another table over to join theirs. She later found out this was to accommodate the vast and unnecessary amount of food that Jack had ordered, causing her jaw to drop further with each dish that was laid out in front of them.

Truffle arancini, lobster linguine, blackened cod fillet, chargrilled halloumi, truffle and parmesan chips, a huge bowl of green leaf salad, prawn cocktail and spiced green olives.
Oh and a bottle of champagne on ice for good measure.

'Jack...' she was stunned, 'We aren't going to eat all of this!.. unless you store scraps in those flippin' calves of yours'

He smirked

'Ya mean... like a hamster' 
'Yes. Like a hamster.'

——————————————————

Sophie praised his menu choices and Jack hastily mumbled something about them working up an appetite. Three hours flew by and surprisingly, the delicious food went down rapidly as they picked generously at every dish, like a fancy tapas.

Once they had concluded they'd had enough, Emmanuel walked them through to the rooftop balcony attached to the terrace.

The area radiated a soothing warm red aura, fabricated from the glowing heaters which lined the walls. Jack immediately plonked himself down on the large corner sofa, with one arm automatically extended around the back, opening up a space for Sophie to join him.

Theoretically she should have been freezing cold, but with the combination of a full stomach, alcohol and pure infatuation, she felt wonderfully warm. She carefully removed her heels and curled up next to him.

They both gazed up at the navy, verging on black, Manchester sky.. which seemed extra bright tonight, there were thousands of stars enticing them, glittering and sparkling.

The only noises they could hear was the occasional car horn and the odd rumble of a black cab pull up on the street outside The Ivy.

'So.. you travel to St George's Park on Monday.. you excited?'

A smile crept over his face at the thought of being reunited with his England teammates.

'Y'know what, I can't wait to see the lads again. They're all like my brothers. Plus it's always an honour to be called up to represent the country, you get me?'

Sophie nodded, 'Absolutely! You should be proud Jack...'

His eyes glanced down at his own chest, She hadn't realised she'd had her fingers weaving through his necklaces. She thought back to a few hours ago, when he impatiently held the chains between his teeth.
Jack must have been thinking the same thing as he began to lightly stroke his fingertips in a circular motion on her shoulder.

'I'll miss ya though... just having ya around during the working day.. like at the Etihad... it's nice'

The light fuzziness clouded Sophie's head and she silently thanked the expensive champagne for providing her with the confidence to tell Jack about her earlier conversation in Pep's office.

'You know, Pep pulled me, Kate and Jamie into his office today.. along with Steve.. the medical director, I'm not sure you've met him..'

Jack looked at her, an alarmed look contorting his face.
'Shit, is everything ok? Do I need to speak to someone?'

'Nooo', Sophie gripped his hand, 'it's nothing bad at all'

She went on to explain the details of the meeting and Jack was clearly thrilled, immediately saying it would be like having a cheeky Haven holiday together and sleeping in digs.

'Jack.. You stay in five star accommodation at St George's.. hardly a bloody Haven resort!'

They both collapsed into a fit of laughter once again. She loved the way he made her feel. Young.
Carefree.
Happy.

—————————————————-

'You sure want me to come to yours, Jack?'

'Yea.. course I do! I jus' want to be around you.. missed ya Soph'

He smiled that smile.
Lips pressed together.
Cheeks plump.
Eye crinkles evident.

'You're gonna be sick of the sight of me by the time international duty is over with..'

She was half joking and half being serious, as a hint of self consciousness temporarily washed over her.

Nope. Sophie shook it away.

Jack reassuringly squeezed her hand, his thumb grazed over her knuckles again.
It was something so simple, but it made her completely and utterly weak for him. 

'Naaa.. Neva', his voice gravelly again and it rattled through her like a freight train.

'Thank you Jack... for a wonderful evening.. I can't remember the last time I was taken out on a proper date'

She felt his strong arm tighten around her.
'Bab.. y'don't have to thank me.. you deserve nothin' less'

He pulled her in close smothering her in light but firm kisses. Sophie inhaled deeply, his aftershave had slightly worn in and mixed with his smell.

Glorious.

'C'mon.. let's get out of 'ea... I'll give Imran a bell t'come pick us up'