Talk to Me (23 page)

All the shouting, his and now mine, was exhausting and suddenly all the fight went. ‘Look, Daniel, until I saw that tape I had no evidence,’ I explained more calmly. ‘No proof. I’ve no idea how he got in or how often.’ I stopped uncertainly.

Silence hung in the air, the crackling anger between us dissipating as we both considered the implications of my last sentence. The thought that Peter had been in my room, touching my things made me feel ill. Daniel seeing the look on my face gave a heavy sigh.

‘Olivia.’ He leant against the mantelpiece, looking at me, his eyes blazing with emotion. The intense expression in them lit a tiny flicker of hope that burned low in my belly sending butterflies skittering about.

‘Have you any idea how much danger you could have been in? God, I feel sick at the thought of you being harmed.’

‘Do you?’ I asked in a small voice.

He strode over to me, seizing my shoulders. ‘It was bad enough the night I found you covered in blood in your room? That night I realised …’ his low impassioned words were like a blowtorch finally sparking full flame combustion.

‘Yes,’ I prompted, watching the expression on his face hungrily.

‘How long I’ve I wanted to do this …’ he murmured as he got closer and closer.

I swear my heart stopped. The tick of a clock echoed in the quiet. God his lips were soft. I wanted more. Tingles of excitement blossomed in my stomach as the kiss deepened. Of their own accord my arms went up around his neck as our bodies pressed together.

‘Really?’ I asked breathlessly a few minutes later, my whole body reeling from the pleasure of that one kiss. The thundering in my ears was receding. I felt as if I’d been flattened by a herd of stampeding cows and left in the quiet aftermath in a cloud of dust.

‘Really,’ said Daniel emphatically, nodding his head. His blue eyes meeting mine, a gentle smile filling them.

Shyly, I examined his neck, resisting the temptation to trace my fingers down the strong column to the dark blond hair peeping out of the ‘V’ of his open shirt. I sneaked a look up at him. My heart flipped at the tender expression on his face. I couldn’t help myself, I gave him an ecstatic grin.

‘You needn’t look so pleased about it. I’ve aged ten years in this last month.’

‘Sorry.’ I bit back another smile, averting my gaze back to the smooth, slightly tanned skin of his neck. So kissable, I wanted to brush my lips against it.

‘So you should be, woman. What are you going to do to make it up to me?’

There was a challenge in his eyes, which combined with that humorous tilt of his eyebrows made me feel invincible.

‘I could kiss you to make it better,’ I said tilting my head, suddenly feeling full of confidence as I looked boldly at his lower lip in blatant invitation.

In response he brought his hand to my face, skimming my cheekbone with his thumb and my heart went straight into freefall, spiralling down. I took a sharp intake of breath as he bent his head down again.

Hard hats were most definitely required. That second kiss was even more thrilling than the first, setting off every firework going. Catherine wheels were fizzing through my stomach and when his tongue tentatively touched mine I thought I might just go into meltdown.

‘And what exactly were you planning to make better?’ he asked, much later when we finally came up for air. I was too dazed to remember.

There was a click and a whirr as the video recorder switched off. Bugger. Our timing was lousy. Reluctantly we pulled apart and stood facing each other.

‘We have to do something about your stalker,’ Daniel said heavily, smoothing a strand of hair off my face.

I reached for his hand. It was impossible to concentrate when he touched my face. It was making me go all gooey inside and we needed to think sensibly.

‘I know,’ I replied regretfully, wanting to stay cocooned in that first kiss glow of happiness but I couldn’t ignore what I’d just seen.

‘And,’ Daniel went on, ‘I need to talk to Emily.’ He looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. ‘I have to tell her it’s over. Today. I know how you feel about two-timing.’

My happy glow dimmed. What would she say? I didn’t want to be around when he told her. Although her resignation made things slightly easier. Another thing I hadn’t told him about yet.

It would have been so much easier to stay put, stick to our original plan, go the pub and bask in that heady intoxication of knowing your feelings are returned but I couldn’t. I sighed. ‘It’s no good, Daniel. I’m going to have to go back.’

‘No … we’re going to have to go back.’

Mum sussed something was up the minute I got home to drop off her Peugeot, but only because she caught Daniel kissing me as I locked her car.

Typical! She had to open the door at that second, her arms clutching the box of bottles and tins for the recycling bucket.

‘You’re back earlier than I expected.’ She looked at us with a smirk.

‘Emergency at work, Mum,’ I lied, waving the videotape at her. ‘Daniel’s taking me back. Need to pack.’ And with that I fled up the stairs abandoning Daniel. He was a big boy. He could cope.

With holdall in hand and ready to make a speedy exit, I wasn’t surprised to see Daniel comfortably ensconced at the kitchen table chatting away to Mum. He was the only person who ever expressed an interest in her pottery. Too polite for his own good.

‘Go on, take it, Daniel,’ she was saying, pressing one of her misshapen bowls into his hand.

‘Sure?’ he asked, turning it around in his hands stroking the glaze.

I rolled my eyes. What a mug. Mum caught me.

‘It’s not as if any of my family appreciates my work,’ she said huffily.

‘Sorry, Mum. It’s lovely. We’re in a hurry.’

‘Fine. I’ll just wrap it up for you, Daniel.’ She flounced off to the utility room and I could hear lots of rustling.

‘Creep,’ I hissed at Daniel.

‘What?’ He looked amused. ‘I like it.’

‘You don’t. You’re just sucking up. You’re as bad as Bill. He was here the other night schmoozing the parents. They won’t put a good word in for you.’

‘Don’t you believe it? Anyway you have to check out the mothers, see what you’re getting yourself into.’

He’d had a lucky escape with Emily then.

‘Aha, here you go.’ Mum reappeared with a newspaper parcel. ‘Don’t drop it. Before you go, do you want some leftovers …’

Daniel and I spoke simultaneously.

‘Great,’ he said. Typical man, thinking with his stomach.

‘No, we need to …’

Mum arched an eyebrow.

‘OK, then,’ I said heavily, giving in.

When we finally left we were loaded up with little tinfoil packets of cold sausages, chicken thighs and three plastic bowls of rice salad, couscous and cold pesto pasta. Mum has a Tupperware mountain with the right sized boxes and tubs for every occasion.

While she’d been preparing this, I’d phoned Emily for the third time since watching the video. Still no answer. I’d tried on the landline in the flat and on her mobile. Where was she? What if she was in the flat and Peter had let himself in? Closing my eyes I tried to shut out the image of him creeping up the stairs, while she, unsuspecting, with the radio on, never heard a thing. Then him holding her from behind, his hand over her mouth, while the phone rang and rang.

The traffic on the M4 was very heavy and slow going. Daniel could see Olivia’s foot was pressed against the floor on the passenger side as if that would speed their journey up.

‘Olivia,’ he said, rubbing her thigh, his hand entwined with hers. He kept his eyes on the road, intent on the cars ahead. ‘That’s the third heavy sigh in as many seconds. I know you. Spit it out.’

She sighed again and he nudged her thigh again.

‘Sorry.’

‘And stop staying sorry.’

‘So—’ She stopped herself. ‘What are we going to tell her?’

He risked a quick glance at her to see her tugging at her lip with her teeth.

‘It’s simple. The truth.’ It sounded harsh but it was what Emily deserved. ‘I tell her it’s over.’ It galled him that she’d lied to him … and that he’d been taken in by her. ‘The rest of it, well, that’s down to you. You decide what you want me to do. It’s obviously going to be awkward for you if I tell her that I’m finishing with her because … of you. Especially as you work with her as well.’

‘That’s an understatement. She already hates me.’

Olivia then relayed to him what had been going on at work and the vindictive resignation letter. He really had underestimated Emily.

‘Bloody hell. I suppose it’s one less thing for us to worry about.’

‘Mmm,’ said Olivia, and he could tell she was brooding.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s just so ironic. So much for all my principles. After Mike I vowed I’d never put up with any deceit or lies … but I don’t know if I can do this. If we tell Emily about us …’ she sighed. ‘Life is going to be hell … and you haven’t seen Emily in all her full bitch glory.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘Do you know what … it would be so much easier in the short term, if we kept it a secret?’ She threw her head back against the headrest. ‘And I can’t believe I’m saying that.’

‘It’s completely up to you. You’re the one that’s got to live with her and work with her.’

‘God, it was bad enough when I told her that I’d got the job on the beauty team … can you imagine what it’s going to be like if I tell her I’ve nicked her boyfriend as well.’

He grinned. ‘You haven’t nicked me. I just changed my mind about her.’

‘It goes against the grain …’

He nudged her hard. ‘Your lip’s starting to bleed, stop chewing.’

She wiped a smear of blood from her lip and gazed down at it. ‘Shit. It’s going to be a lot easier if we take it slowly and not dive in and announce to Emily that …’ she faltered.

‘We’re together and you’re my … girlfriend,’ he said sternly, enjoying the shocked surprise on her face. ‘Besides, I don’t think she’ll be too surprised, actually. I’ve been deliberately cooling off,’ he said, looking over his right shoulder as he pulled out into the fast lane.

‘Cooling off,’ she said indignantly.

‘What? Apart from the premiere, when I saw more of you – a lot more of you – I’ve barely seen her.’

Colour flared in Olivia’s cheeks.

He took his eyes of the road for a second and winked. ‘That striptease was nice, very nice. Are you going to do it again for me?’

‘Daniel, going to see
Phantom of the Opera
, dinner at Yo! Sushi and cocktails at Mint Leaf hardly qualifies as cooling off,’ she challenged.

‘What?’ His hands gripped the steering wheel and he risked a longer look at her. ‘Musicals and sushi? Do me a favour?’

‘Not you? So who has Emily been talking to on the phone? I heard her arranging theatre trips and dinner dates?’

‘Not me.’

‘No cocktails?’

‘Nope,’ he replied, his lip curling derisively. ‘Definitely not.’

‘I don’t understand.’

Suddenly she straightened but didn’t say anything. He could almost see her brain furiously ticking over.

‘So what did happen at Ben’s party?’ Her words were flat.

‘I blew it big time at your brother’s party.’

‘Tell me about it. I spent all evening chatting you up. Disappear for two minutes. Come back and you’ve got your tongue down Emily’s throat.’

He winced at the disgust in her voice. ‘It wasn’t like that,’ he protested.

She scowled and snorted.

‘Emily made the first move.’

‘What? And you couldn’t fight her off?’

She had a point. ‘Sorry, Olivia. I’m a guy, we do guy things. She was coming on to me, seriously flirty and well … she’s easy on the eye and …’

She rolled her eyes.

Bugger it he might as well be totally honest with her. ‘I was pissed off with you.’

‘Me?’ she squeaked indignantly. ‘Why?’

‘You’d been leading me up the garden path all night. Like a trained puppy on a lead. So close and yet so far. I thought we were finally going to get it together this time—’

‘This time?’

He risked a glance at her. ‘You don’t remember, you’d had a few too many, but we kissed one night.’ He winced. ‘I took advantage of you but I’d fancied you for ages and you kissed me back.’ She’d done more than kiss but he didn’t think it would be gentlemanly to remind her of that.

‘Actually I did remember but I was too embarrassed to admit it. I’d thrown myself at you and you were just being nice.’

‘Nice!’ He took his foot off the accelerator for a second, hastily replacing it as the engine whined in protest. ‘Olivia, there was nothing nice about that kiss. If you hadn’t been drunk … well, who knows where it would have ended.’

‘Oh,’ she said in a small voice that immediately lit a spark of satisfaction low in his belly.

‘I’ve had a lot of time to think about that kiss over the years and then when I think we’re going to get it together, I’m suddenly confronted with the news you’re having an affair with a married man. I felt a right fool. Suddenly there was Emily, green light flashing, looking at me like I was Brad Pitt, James Dean and James Bond rolled into one. When she started kissing me and you showed up, I … you know …’

Now he’d blown it, maybe there was being too honest.

She stared at him, comprehension dawning. ‘You were trying to make me jealous.’

He flashed her a grin. ‘I had no idea that Emily was—’

‘So, how come you carried on seeing her?’

He squirmed in his seat, not really wanting to answer but there’d been so much misinformation between them he wanted to get everything out in the open. God knows over the last couple of years their timing had been out of sync. Looking back, he could see he’d fancied Olivia forever and a day. It really was now or never and he didn’t want to screw it up this time. ‘OK. We ended up in bed together. I’m not a total bastard.’ Surely that would count for something in his favour. ‘I had to see her after that and let’s face it, you were otherwise engaged. There was nothing to lose.’

She didn’t look impressed. ‘So you just kept seeing her. What? Because it was convenient?’

You didn’t need a degree in body language to determine her mood from the arms firmly crossed over her chest.

‘Don’t be like that. It was a mistake. Anyway part of it was your fault—’