by Bridy McAvoy
“Oh, okay.”
“You got any free time today?”
“Well, I’ve got to go in to the office first thing, but I’ve got a viewing close to you at twelve. I could get away early and pop in and see you for, say, eleven.”
“That would be perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Are you even going to give me a hint?”
“No. I’ll tell you it all then, I promise. It’s important, very much so.”
“Oh, okay, but excuse the fact my nose is going to be twitching out of curiosity.”
“Let it twitch, Dayna, but don’t go telling anyone.”
“Okay. Look, I think my little water baby has emerged. I can hear her on the landing.”
“Okay, you go. See you around eleven. I’ll have the coffee on.”
“Good. Bye.”
As she hung up at her end, Mia could hear a voice in the background.
“Who was that mo—?”
She smiled. Dayna had been right. Sasha had indeed emerged from the bathroom.
* * * *
Dayna breezed straight into the house without knocking—her usual modus operandi—about ten minutes earlier than planned. Mia was used to her friend’s ways, and as a result wasn’t surprised.
“Hiya, sweetie. Now, what’s up?”
Mia wanted to smile in response to her friend’s dazzling grin, but couldn’t summon up the necessary level of cheerfulness. She nodded past her toward where the front door was still hanging open.
“Oops, sorry.” Dayna strode back down the hallway, her impossibly slender, impossibly tall heels clicking on the wooden floor before she shut the door and returned.
“Don’t want the street finding out, do we?”
Mia shrugged. “They’ll find out in about a week, anyway, when it hits the papers.”
“When what hits the papers? Come on, what gives? Your face looks as long as a wet…sweetie, tell me.”
Mia remained silent and reached for a coffee mug before filling it and handing it to her irrepressible friend. Dayna was watching her, silent in her concern, and Mia filled another mug for herself, making a mental note to make it her last of the day. It was already her fourth and she didn’t want caffeine keeping her up all night.
She sat at the breakfast bar and motioned for Dayna to sit opposite her.
“Okay, I’ve been patient enough. You’re going to have to tell me.”
“Is Rube out tonight?”
“Yeah, it’s Friday. He’s always out on a Friday.”
“Good, then you can come out with me then.”
“Well, I had plans…”
“Can you cancel them?”
“Sure. Look, Mia. Stop dancing around the issue. Just fucking tell me, will you? What’s wrong?”
* * * *
Ten minutes later Dayna sat back in silence, clearly stunned by Mia’s revelation.
“You mean he’s cheated on you, with several different women? In fact, all his recent secretaries.”
“Four.”
“Four?”
“Yeah. Apparently Josie wouldn’t join the lawsuit because she didn’t want to get involved. Either she’s still got feelings for him, or she’s protecting herself from any publicity. I seem to remember she was engaged to someone when she worked for Simon. One of the others is opting to join Teresa though, the other one siding with Josie.”
“Oh, my God! Simon! The rat.”
“That’s a little rich coming from you, Dayna, after all you and Rube…”
“Yeah, but Rube and I have an arrangement. He does what, or should I say who, he wants, and I do the same. This is different. Rube and I are open. Simon is just a cheating jerk!”
Dayna shook her head before continuing. “Mia, you and Simon… we thought—both of us—you had the perfect marriage, but you honestly had no idea?”
Mia shook her head, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. “No, he hid his tracks well.”
“And he’s told you now because of the impending court case?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be in the papers by the end of next week if they settle out of court.”
“What—no Non-Disclosure Agreement?”
Mia shook her head. “I guess Teresa is pushing for the publicity in order to make her money. Apparently, Jim and Simon think her lawyer is being part financed by a gossip magazine. Unless they fight the case, it’ll get published. Jim’s lawyers say they can fight and win, but to do that, mine and Simon’s private lives will get hauled out and displayed in public. Simon, for all his faults, doesn’t want to do that to me.”
“Like hell. He’s worried about himself, more like.”
“No, he laid it out for me, how they would need the court case to pan out in order to extract Teresa’s need to get out of state from her last job, because she’s pulled the stunt before.”
“And they need you to do that?”
Mia nodded.
“And you believe him?”
Mia shrugged. “Don’t forget, I minored in law at college. I understand what they’re saying but, without sitting down with the lawyers, I don’t know for certain. Yeah, it makes sense, and I’m sure Simon’s telling the truth on this one.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure the cheating bastard isn’t trying to pull some kind of stunt…”
“Leave it, Dayna, please. In this, I believe him.”
“You need the name of a good divorce lawyer? You can take him to the cleaners for this.”
“I know, but no. I plan to save my marriage.”
“How?”
Mia shuddered before she replied. “By getting my own revenge.”
Dayna’s mouth dropped open in shock as Mia continued.
“Tonight, honey, you’re taking me out on the town, to the best pick-up joint there is. And Simon is going to hear every dirty, sticky, sweaty little moment.”
Dayna shook her head. “You mean you’re going to tell him where you’re going.”
“Yeah, I’m telling him I’m going out with you for the specific purpose of getting laid.”
“Oh, my God!”
“You think I don’t mean it?”
Dayna stared at her, clearly still in shock. After a few seconds, she slowly recovered and took a sip of coffee. “You really do mean it, don’t you?”
“Well, what do you think he’s going to say when I get dressed in a low-cut top, a mini-skirt, stockings, and tell him I’m going out with you to get picked up?”
“Hey, not fair, involving me.”
“Why? You’re our best friends, and he knows you two are open about going with others. Since he knows damned well I won’t go to a bar on my own, you’re the only friend I can go with whose presence will convince him I mean it.”
“Ah, so I’m your smokescreen.”
Mia forced a smile and then giggled. “Actually, more my inspiration.”
“You really will do it?”
Mia sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know. I want to, just to get my own back, but at the same time, after eleven years of marriage, and the two years before that, I’m not sure I’d be any good at it.”
“Hmm…”
Mia opened her mouth to speak but Dayna waved her to silence. It was obvious she was thinking. “I could get Rube to change his plans…”
Mia shook her head. “Way too close to home. I don’t think I’d ever be able to look him in the face again.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. His favorite position is doggy. I rarely get to look him in the face.”
“Dayna! Whoa! Too much information.”
Her friend chuckled and seemed to come to a decision. “I need to make a call. Be back in a minute.”
She left Mia sitting in the kitchen and disappeared through into the den for a little privacy, and Mia could hear the sound of her friend’s voice, but not the words themselves. She was back in a couple of minutes.
“Right. I’ve shifted my afternoon appointments, so I’m going to disappear to this view
ing I’ve got around the corner. As soon as I’ve finished that, I’ll be back, and you’d better be ready.”
“Ready?”
“You bet. If you’re going out on the pull tonight, we need to find you the kind of outfit that will have you beating them off with a stick. We’re going shopping, sweetie.”
Mia shook her head. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that shopping is your answer to anything?”
Dayna gave a very Gallic shrug. “Because it is, darling, because it is.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Insatiable, maybe. Now, I want you to go and shower while I’m gone, and shave.”
“I did my legs yesterday.”
“Sweetie, when a strange man peels your stockings down your legs, the last thing you want is for them to snag on some stubble. Shave them again. And while you’re there, shave everything.”
“Everything?”
Dayna grinned. “You still have that little triangle you think is cute?”
“Yes.”
“Get rid, go totally bald.”
“Why?”
“Listen, guys love that bald look, the feel of smooth flesh as they push their hand into your underwear. More importantly, if Simon finds out you’ve shaved all over, that’ll be another nail in his mental coffin. Right?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Mia, trust me on this. Shave. In fact, when I get back, I’ll do an inspection and shave you myself if you haven’t. For once, be a little dirty too.”
“What… What do you mean?”
She clicked her fingers. “Use the shower in the family bathroom, rather than the en-suite, and don’t clean the shower tray afterwards. If Simon goes for a nosey—I assume you’ve kicked him out of your bed…?”
Mia nodded.
“Then if he goes for a wander, he’ll find a few hairs in the shower tray, and jump to the conclusion you want, right?”
“You’re bad, girl. Really bad.”
“Practical. I still don’t think you intend to actually get laid tonight, but if he thinks you have, so much the better.” Dayna rose to her feet again. “Be back in about an hour. Then we’re going shopping in the hottest slut boutiques in town.”
* * * *
“Come on, let’s have a look at you.”
“I can’t.”
“Mia, what’s wrong? It fits, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s so short.”
Mia heard Dayna chuckle and tried to force her heart to stop thumping in her chest as she unlocked the cubicle door and opened it to show Dayna what the black mini looked like. She’d never, even in her college days, worn anything as short as this. It came to about two inches below her crotch and, worse than that, had two zips at the sides, which were mounted upside down, so that the zip tab was at the hem. There was no way of securing the tab, and she’d already discovered that any move she made forced the zip to open at least the first inch.
“Perfect, sweetie. You look amazing.”
“I’m way too old for this style. Hell, I was too old for this style when I got married at twenty.”
Dayna shook her head and laughed. “You have absolutely no idea how stunning you look in that skirt. I wish I had the legs for it. Yours look like they go on forever. Trust me. Enter the club wearing that and you really will need a cattle prod.”
“Cattle prod?”
“Yeah, to keep from getting crushed in the stampede to buy you a drink or take you onto the dance floor. Hell, to take you on the dance floor.”
Mia felt heat rise to her face as Dayna beckoned the shop assistant over.
The woman, only in her early twenties, took one look at Mia standing in the open doorway of the cubicle, then a second one, lingering on her legs. “That looks awesome on you. I wish I could wear something like that.”
Since the blonde was wearing a skirt not much longer, although a lot less tight, Mia thought that was nothing more than a sales pitch.
“But you can’t wear tights with it.”
Dayna chipped in. “I know. I was thinking hold-ups.”
“With wide tops.”
“Hello, I’m not a manikin, you know. I do have a voice and an opinion.”
Dayna chuckled and shared a look with the blonde. “She’ll be taking this one. You got some stockings that would work well with it?”
“For sure. I’ll be right back.” She took off, her head clearly full of a potential sale.
Despite there being very little material to it, the skirt was expensive.
“Listen, sweetie. That skirt is perfect for walking out of the house and leaving Simon with his mouth open in your wake. Once you get in the car…”
“The zips will open all the way!”
“As I was saying, once you get in the car, drive a couple of blocks and find a secluded parking space and change into the wrap-over black mini-skirt we bought earlier. As long as you remember to change back before you get home, Simon will be none the wiser.”
Mia pursed her lips and thought for a minute. “You minx!”
Dayna just grinned at her. “That’s why it’s called the dating game.”
At that moment the younger blonde bustled back, holding a couple of packets of stockings in her hand, and Dayna didn’t hesitate to pick out the pair where the picture showed the widest band of lace at the top.
“I thought the long fitting ones would be best.”
“I agree.”
“I also bought these to show you. I think they will look wonderful with that skirt and they’re not too formal.”
The girl held up two white blouses, both in a gypsy style, with a ruched neckline and capped sleeves that could be adjusted to be either on or off the shoulder. One was plain white, the other had a nice embroidered design below the bust.
Dayna clapped her hands. “Perfect. Now, try them on, sweetie. And no slipping the skirt off first and changing into your frump one. We want to see what the whole outfit looks like.”
Mia frowned at her friend as the shop assistant nodded, although, even as she sighed and took the two tops from her, the assistant was excusing herself to go look after another customer.
She shut the door, hung the two tops on the hook and started to pull off her T-shirt.
“Lose the bra too, sweetie. You’ll need to be swinging free under those.”
“Dayna!”
“Truth.” It was obvious she’d leaned in close to the door to whisper her next words. “Again, hide a strapless white bra with the skirt in the car and slip into it later. We want to blow Simon away, remind him what he’s missing, and what he’s in danger of giving away. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Mia knew her voice sounded shaky and it seemed less and less like a good idea as Dayna helped her stage-manage her night out, away from her cheating husband.
An hour or so later they were cuddling some very high calorie full strength lattes at the Starbucks in the mall, having managed to collar the secluded armchairs in the corner.
“You sure you want to do this?”
Mia nodded. “Yeah, for me it has to be this way.”
“But you’re prepared to tease, not necessarily dish it out?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I can live with that, but what if the guy gets too fresh, and you want him to stop.”
Mia chuckled. “You forget. What did I do as a hobby throughout college?”
Dayna raised an eyebrow.
“Once you have a black-belt you don’t forget it all, you know.”
“Okay, so you can handle yourself. If you need to get violent, just remember if someone calls the cops you might have some very public explaining to do. Now, another question. What happens if I score and you don’t?”
Mia leaned forward and put her hand on Dayna’s. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to cramp your style. If you want to get off with someone, I’ll have my car, so I can cover my own transport.”
Day
na nodded. “However, let’s agree a code word.”
“Code word? What are we, pretending to be spies?”
“Femme fatales, maybe. No, seriously, let’s have a word neither of us would normally use as a signal not to do something. For example, you use it if you don’t want me to leave you alone, and I’ll use it if I know the guy you’re with is a problem guy.”
“Problem?”
“Yeah, gets possessive. You’re not going to want him calling you every day, that kind of thing.”
“Ah, right. But what do you suggest?”
“Hmmm…” Dayna sipped her coffee, clearly deep in thought, then smiled. “I know. I seem to remember you have a problem with Thai food, right?”
“Yeah, it’s that damned coconut milk they use a lot of. I’m allergic to it. Makes me sick.”
“Okay, so if I’m heading off I’ll say we’re going to a local Thai restaurant. If you say I love Thai food, I know you’re lying and I won’t go. If I think you’re with a bad ‘un, I’ll tell you I hate Thai food. Since you know I adore Thai cuisine, that’s enough for you to take the warning. Okay?”
“It still seems a bit cloak and dagger to me.”
“Trust me, every woman does it when she double dates. You used to. It’s a safety mechanism. Okay? You really have forgotten everything in the last eleven years.”
“I guess so.”
“Right, then let’s get moving. You want to be ready when Simon gets home from work, right?”
Mia forced a smile and leaned forward to finish her coffee.
Dayna giggled.
“What?”
“That movement you just made, it’s perfect. Wearing that peasant blouse, when you lean forward like that you can give a guy an eyeful of cleavage and it looks entirely accidental.”
“Well, I’m not wearing it yet, and it was accidental.”
Mia could feel some color rising to her cheeks. Dayna just laughed.
Chapter 5
Mia was sitting at the dressing table putting the finishing touches to her makeup when Simon pulled onto the drive. She’d left her own car out on the driveway rather than putting it in the garage—this way Simon would park alongside her car rather than accidentally or, for that matter, on purpose, blocking her in.