by Sophie Hart
Linda nodded, playing nervously with the hem of her top. She was wearing smart black trousers and a matching tunic, teamed with a glittery cardigan.
‘We did wonder, didn’t we, Julia?’ Zoe continued. The more alcohol she drank, the less discreet she became. ‘When we saw you in Jarrold’s looking at sexy underwear, we thought you might be a nymphomaniac.’
Linda almost choked on the Woo Woo the barman had just handed her. ‘No, quite the opposite in fact. Wait until I tell Ray, he’ll think it’s hilarious!’
‘So are the sessions with Annie helping?’ Julia asked, sipping her Cosmopolitan through a suggestively shaped straw. She’d wondered whether or not to drink alcohol tonight, but decided that one wouldn’t hurt. Or possibly two, depending how the evening went…
‘Yes, they are, as a matter of fact,’ Linda admitted. ‘Annie keeps telling us what good progress we’re making, and I know myself that there’s been a huge change in our relationship. To be honest, I’m not sure how much longer we’ll keep on seeing her for.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Zoe chimed in. ‘Simon and I have got one final session scheduled before the wedding, but then we won’t need them any more. Well, not if everything goes well,’ she giggled. ‘If you see me back there in six months’ time, you’ll know we’re having major problems!’
‘It might be worth going to the occasional meeting still,’ Julia suggested. ‘You know, just to keep things on track.’
‘Or the group sessions,’ put in Linda. ‘I think they’re great. We might keep attending those, as I find the exercises really helpful.’
‘They’re fun, aren’t they?’ Zoe grinned. ‘And Annie’s great. I wish she’d come tonight.’
‘Yes, why isn’t she here?’ Linda wondered. ‘Did you ask her to come?’
Zoe nodded. ‘I invited her along – and to the wedding too. She’s RSVP’d to the wedding, but I don’t think she thought it would be quite right to mingle with us all like this!’
‘It’s such a shame,’ Julia shook her head. ‘It would have been great to see her.’
‘Yeah, I reckon she’s really good fun on a night out,’ Zoe said, her eyes sparkling. ‘I bet she’s got a really wild side to her!’
The music was loud, the bar filling up, and they all had to raise their voices to be heard. The DJ in the corner was playing cheesy pop tunes, coloured lights strobing across the black and white chequered dance floor. Outrageously dressed girls and casually attired guys streamed through the door, all single and excited, wondering what the night ahead might bring.
Julia and Linda finished their cocktails, and decided to split a bottle of wine, as they mingled with Zoe’s friends and even got up to dance as the DJ played some classic songs.
‘Are you having a good time?’ Zoe asked them, as she shimmied her way across the floor to Beyonce’s ‘Crazy in Love’.
‘I’m having a lovely time,’ Linda assured her, looking slightly tipsy. ‘I thought I might feel a bit out of place, but everyone’s so welcoming!’
‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it,’ Zoe beamed. ‘You’ll have to get Ray to take you out some time.’
‘I might just do that,’ Linda nodded. ‘He’s always wanting us to try and recapture our youth – I should play him at his own game and take him out to a nightclub.’
‘You can get down and dirty on the dance floor!’ Zoe giggled.
‘Stranger things have happened…’
‘Oh, I can’t believe you’re getting married,’ Julia told Zoe, as she enfolded her in a spontaneous hug. ‘You still look so young! But you and Simon make a great couple.’
‘Thanks, Julia.’ Zoe hugged her back. ‘You’ve been the best wedding planner a girl could ask for. I really don’t know what I’d have done without you.’
Julia waved away her compliments. ‘I’ve had so much fun working with you. Honestly, I think you…’ Suddenly she trailed off, her face changing as she looked past Zoe.
‘What?’ Zoe demanded, turning to follow Julia’s gaze. A muscular ‘police officer’, wearing aviator sunglasses and a highly dubious-looking uniform, had just entered the bar. ‘Oh my God!’ she squealed, as she whipped round to face her friends. ‘Tell me you didn’t?’
The man strode across the bar to where Zoe was standing, open-mouthed. He stopped in front of her, spreading his legs and planting a hand on each hip.
‘Zoe Miller?’ he asked, in a low, sexy voice.
Zoe could hardly speak, she was laughing so much. She managed to nod in confirmation, and the man seemed satisfied with that.
‘I’m Officer Hotrod,’ he began, as he whipped out a pair of handcuffs. ‘And you are under arrest… for being too damn sexy!’
He nodded in the direction of the DJ, and ‘I’m Too Sexy’ came over the speakers, as Zoe shrieked and hid her face.
The guy began to bump and grind, pulling off his cap and settling it on Zoe’s head. Her face had gone bright red, as her friends crowded round her, cackling with laughter. Then, in one swift movement, the man ripped open his shirt to expose his tanned, toned chest.
‘Wow,’ Julia leant across to comment to Linda. ‘Not bad.’
‘I’m definitely glad I came tonight,’ Linda grinned, as she turned back to watch the floor show.
By now, a crowd had gathered, circling the stripper with a chant of ‘Off! Off! Off!’
The guy seemed unfazed by the attention, producing a bottle of baby oil which he raised in the air then squeezed all over his chest. He grabbed Zoe’s hands, pulling her towards him and encouraging her to smear the oil all over his body. Zoe squealed, screwing up her face as she carried out his instructions, her hands wet and sticky.
‘Don’t put photos on Facebook, Simon’ll go mad,’ she shrieked through her laughter, as her friends eagerly snapped pictures on their mobile phones.
Julia and Linda were laughing along with everyone else, enjoying watching the hilarious scene, when Zoe turned around and beckoned for them to join her.
‘What? No!’ Julia yelled in alarm, trying to hide behind the crowd. But Zoe reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer and pushing her hand onto the guy’s chest. Julia cackled with laughter as she ran her hands up and down his oiled torso.
Linda, however, didn’t need quite so much persuasion. She gamely marched up to the stripper and quickly got stuck in, her hands clashing with Zoe’s and Julia’s, as they all smeared and stroked.
‘I might never get the chance to do this again,’ Linda cried gleefully.
‘I’m sure Ray’ll let you do that if you ask him nicely,’ Julia shot back.
The crowd were watching incredulously, fascinated by the sight of the three women rubbing oil over the stripper’s naked chest. As they whooped and cheered in approval, the man took a step backwards, placing his thumbs teasingly inside the waistband of his trousers. They had Velcro panels down the side of each leg, and in one swift movement, the trousers fell away, leaving the man wearing nothing but a pair of dazzling white, extremely tight, underpants.
Zoe screamed, as he advanced towards her, circling his hips in a way which drew attention to the unmissable bulge in his underwear. Then he dropped to the floor, putting on an alarming display of pelvic thrusting, before finishing with a few one-handed press-ups, which drew the admiration of the crowd.
He leapt to his feet, kissing a giggling Zoe on both cheeks, before standing back and saluting her.
‘Zoe Miller, I’ve been Officer Hotrod. Now enjoy the rest of your evening,’ he told her, blowing her a final kiss before grabbing his clothes and heading out of the door.
‘I can’t believe you guys did that,’ Zoe yelled accusingly at her friends, her cheeks aching from laughing so much. She saw Julia and Linda watching her, their hands still sticky from the oil, and threw her arms around all of them in a group hug.
‘Thank you so much for coming,’ she screeched, her face flushed and her eyes wide. ‘I love you all so much, and this has been the best night ever!’
34
Chapter Thirty-four
‘Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood’ – Oscar Wilde
‘One thing’s for sure: the more pressure you put on trying to achieve an orgasm, the more difficult it becomes. This is why we have to take the focus off the end result, and instead concentrate on enjoying the sexual act – whether it be intercourse, fellatio or even—’
There was a knock on the door, and Annie frowned. No one should interrupt her when she was with a client; it was a rule she insisted upon, and always ensured that the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign was prominently displayed when a session was in progress.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she apologised to Oliver and Liz. This was only her third session with them, and Annie was aware that it looked extremely unprofessional.
The knock came again, and Annie stood up from her desk. ‘I do apologise, I’ll just go and see what the issue is.’
She strode quickly across her office and opened the door to see Jamie standing there. Annie felt her pulse quicken at the sight of him, that familiar leap in her stomach. Then she remembered what she’d seen the other week, and her face hardened.
‘Jamie, I’m with a client right now.’
‘I know, Annie. I’m really sorry, but I just wanted to let you know that Matt and I are leaving today. Moving out of the building.’
Annie hesitated for a moment, before stepping into the corridor and closing the door behind her – partly to protect the privacy of her clients, and partly to make sure that her conversation wasn’t overheard.
‘I’ve been trying to contact you, but I haven’t heard anything,’ Jamie continued. Annie could hear the anguish in his voice, see the confusion in his expression, but she resolved to stay strong.
‘I can’t speak to you right now. I’m in the middle of a session.’
Annie turned to go, but Jamie placed a hand on her arm. His touch sent bolts of electricity racing through her body, memories of the night they’d spent together at her house flashing into her mind, and she hastily pulled away.
‘Please, Annie,’ Jamie whispered.
‘Do you realise how unprofessional this makes me look?’ Annie hissed, all of her emotions crystallising into anger. She kept her voice low, but she was clearly furious.
‘I know, I know, and I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know how else to get in touch with you. I really wanted to see you before I left, and… I don’t understand what’s happened between us.’
His voice cracked on the final words, and Annie raised her eyes to look at him. He seemed utterly exhausted; there were deep bags under his bloodshot eyes, his hair was a mess, and he clearly hadn’t shaved for a few days. The stress of moving offices – and keeping a secret family, Annie thought angrily – was obviously taking a toll on him.
‘I’m sorry, Jamie,’ Annie said coldly, as she grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. It was taking all of her willpower to walk away from him like this, and she knew she couldn’t betray any sign of weakness. One last word, or one last look, would be all it took for him to see how badly she wanted him. ‘Please don’t bother me while I’m working.’
‘Will you call me?’ Jamie asked desperately.
Annie didn’t reply. She stepped back into her office and closed the door firmly, sitting back behind her desk and turning to Oliver and Liz with a bright smile. ‘Please accept my apologies for the interruption. It won’t happen again. Now, where were we…?’
* * *
Later that day, Zoe was curled up on the sofa in her flat, watching television. The window beside her was open, letting the fresh evening air blow through, whilst across the hall Simon was taking a bath. Zoe could hear him singing to himself – a Kings of Leon track – and she smiled.
She would miss this place, Zoe thought sadly to herself. She’d lived here since finishing university – first with her friend, Hannah, and then with Simon – but just the other day they’d received a letter from their landlord, explaining that he was selling the property and giving them two months’ notice. It had thrown the pair of them into a panic – on top of the pressure of preparing for the wedding, they now had to start looking for somewhere new to live. They couldn’t afford to buy a place of their own just yet, and had even started talking about moving in with Simon’s parents, just until they’d got a deposit saved up. Zoe hoped they didn’t have to do that. She got on well with Brian and Jill, but she didn’t want to start off her married life by living in someone else’s house.
But the idea of having their own home at some point in the future was incredibly exciting. They’d probably move outside the city, where prices were cheaper. It would mean a longer commute for Zoe (currently she could walk to work every morning), but a shorter one for Simon. And after a couple of years of married bliss, they planned to start trying for a baby.
Fingers crossed, thought Zoe, remembering Julia with a pang. Perhaps it wasn’t always so easy to get pregnant.
All the same, she couldn’t help smiling at the prospect of having little Zoes and Simons running around. Ideally, she’d like one of each – the boy born first, so he could look after his sister. Maybe a third baby, if there was time, and she felt up to it. In some of their more soppy moments, she and Simon had already picked out potential names…
Zoe sat back on the sofa with a satisfied sigh. She really was a very lucky girl. She could hear Simon now, splashing about in the bathroom. He’d been cleaning machinery at work today and come home absolutely filthy, so she’d run him a deep, hot bath with lots of Radox to soothe his aching muscles.
Maybe she should go and join him, Zoe thought naughtily. Obviously they couldn’t actually have sex, but she was pretty sure they could find other ways to have a lot of fun in there…
She’d stood up from the sofa and was moving towards the door when she heard a soft pinging noise. It was Simon’s phone, she realised, and he had a text message. She’d take it through to him, in case it was something important.
She crossed back to the coffee table and picked up Simon’s mobile, then noticed the name that had popped up on the screen: Emily.
Zoe’s heart began to beat faster. She felt strangely nauseous, her stomach churning unpleasantly. Without even stopping to think what she was doing, she tapped on the message to open it:
Hey Banana, it was great seeing you the other day. We should do it again some time. I miss you. Love Pooky xxx
Zoe saw red – literally. It was as though a coloured mist had descended in front of her eyes, fury coursing through her body.
She stormed out of the living room, slamming the bathroom door open. Simon was soaking in the tub as she burst in, lazy and relaxed, but he sat up instantly when he saw Zoe’s face, sending a wave of water sloshing over the side.
‘What?’ he asked anxiously, just as Zoe yelled furiously:
‘What the hell is this?’
She held up his phone, her face contorted with anger.
‘What’s what?’
Zoe narrowed her eyes, fixing him with a steely glare, as she spat out the word, ‘Emily.’
Simon’s cheeks reddened unmistakeably, and he looked nervously at Zoe. ‘What did she say?’
Zoe raised an eyebrow and began to read. ‘Hey Banana,’ she began furiously, knowing that it was Emily’s pet name for Simon. Emily and Simon had gone on holiday to Majorca together and Simon, for some reason, had bought a pair of yellow swimming trunks. They turned rather revealing when he jumped in the pool, and Emily had called him ‘Banana’ ever since.
‘“It was great seeing you the other day”,’ Zoe continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘“We should do it again some time. I miss you. Love Pooky. Kiss kiss kiss”. What the hell does she mean by, “It was great seeing you the other day”?’ Zoe demanded.
Simon’s mouth flapped open and closed. Despite his bulk, he suddenly looked smaller than usual, and infinitely more vulnerable, sitting naked in the rapidly cooling water.
‘She came over to the house the oth
er day when I was working. She’d been out shopping with Mum.’ He winced, knowing how much Zoe would hate that. ‘But then she… She came and sat with me for a bit while I worked. I was fixing the Aurora, and she just sort of hung around, chatting. But that was it, I swear,’ he added hastily, as he saw the look on Zoe’s face.
‘Oh, how cosy,’ Zoe shot back. ‘What were you doing? Reminiscing about old times? About how great it was before you met me? All the fun you used to have, and all the great sex, while you were tying each other up and doing God knows what to each other?’
‘It wasn’t like that! We were just chatting about rubbish. She was a bit down because she’d just split up with Lee, her boyfriend.’
‘Oh, poor Emily. And what, you were trying to make it all better, rubbing her back and telling her how gorgeous she is, and how any man would be lucky to have her?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Zoe.’ Simon was getting annoyed now. ‘Why are you making this out to be something bigger than it is?’
‘Oh, I’m being ridiculous am I? My boyfriend – fiancé in fact – has been seeing his ex behind my back, and I’m not supposed to be concerned?’
‘I know it looks bad, but it wasn’t like that at all, I swear. I don’t know why she’s texting me.’
‘I think it’s pretty bloody obvious why she’s texting you. I miss you. Let’s do it again some time,’ Zoe mimicked, in a high, sappy voice. ‘Do what again, exactly?’
‘I don’t know because nothing happened!’
‘She used three kisses, Simon. Three,’ Zoe repeated for emphasis. ‘And we all know what that means!’
‘Do we?’ Simon looked utterly bewildered.
‘Have you been in touch with her before?’
Simon squirmed uncomfortably, looking guilty all over again.
‘You have, haven’t you.’ Zoe bit her lip, suddenly feeling as though she might cry. It felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her world.