Page 123 of The Twelve Dates of Christmas
Kate rolled her eyes as her mum extolled the virtues of Spanish men of a certain age.
“Anyway, my darling,” she said finally. “I have to go and get ready, as Alejandro is picking me up later so I can sample some of his delights.”
Kate wasn’t sure if Alejandro’sdelightswere on the bistro menu or a euphemism for something else. Her mum rang off, none the worse, it seemed, for her ordeal with the Barbadian police force or her unwitting embroilment in multimillion-pound yacht theft.
By now Kate was really hungry. No sooner had Kate ladled a large helping of slow-cooked stew into her bowl than her phone blipped. It was Richard. He had a business meeting with some clients in Great Blexley that would finish at about half nine and would Kate like to meet up?
Kate didn’t really want to turf out again. She’d already thawed her feet in front of the fire after she got back from Blexford Manor; she didn’t want to be refrozen anytime soon. And the hill was still closed. And her little car was pretty well snowed into its parking spot outside the house.
Her phone blipped again:
Don’t say no. I couldn’t stand it. I want to see you. Badly!
Rxxx
Kate pushed her fork into a dumpling.Dammit, she thought, but she knew the distraction would be good for her. If she stayed in, she’d spend the evening thinking about all the things she’d miss when she was back in London. Or worse, she’d spend the evening pining over Matt, and that would do her no good at all. Better to risk pneumonia than end up melancholic, she decided.
She messaged Richard and they arranged to meet in the Tipsy Goose. She took a taxi, which cost her a small fortune as it had to go the long way round—what with the hill being closed—past the manor and down the A-roads to finally end up at the pub. She consoled herself with the promise that she’d walk home later.
Richard had already had a few drinks. By all accounts his business meeting had gone well and he was in a celebratory mood. When he kissed Kate hello, it was with a hunger that took her by surprise. Their conversation was spirited; Richard’s adrenaline was high from the deal he’d struck with some Norwegian investors, and Kate found his positivity infectious.
He was good to be around. Ambitious. Intelligent. His self-confidence could be described as arrogance, and his cocksure attitude might, under different circumstances, have been unappealing. But not tonight. Tonight she basked in it; he was fired up andshewas the center of all his attentions. She needed this.
Everyone in the pub knew Richard. Everyone wanted to be his friend, but he only had eyes for Kate.Me,thought Kate,he just wantsme. Kate was spellbound, flattered; she was intoxicated by the attention he lavished on her.
His kisses numbed the ache in her heart and silenced the siren that repeatedly wailed Matt’s name through her brain. His hands found their way inside her jumper and wandered over her body in a way that was only just on the side of acceptable in public. Somewhere deep inside, a part of her that had been lying in wait stretched and woke up. And when Richard leaned into her neck and asked in a low deep whisper if he could come back to her place, Kate said yes.
They stumbled up the hill, laughing and slipping, pushing each other against garden walls and fences to steal hot kisses in the cold night. Chilled hands fumbled between layers of wool and cloth. Grasping and rubbing. Only the freezing temperature prevented them from dispensing with Kate’s house to have sex in the nearby field. Richard was wild with lust and Kate was only too happy to reciprocate.
As they started along the lane that led to the green, Kate’s inner self suddenly found its voice. Doubt began to fill her head and squeeze her stomach, but she pushed it away. Hard. She needed this. She needed to forget. Just let her forget for one night!
Kate hurried Richard across the green toward Potters Copse. The noise from the Duke’s Head spilled out into the night. They had a live band playing. People stood outside, smoking and drinking. Richard tugged on Kate’s hand.
“Hang on a minute, babe,” he said. “I need to take a piss.” He nodded toward the pub.
“We’re literally five minutes from my house,” said Kate.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s all those pints. I’ll only be a second!”
Kate’s inner voice got louder. Didn’t he realize she had to do this before her sensible side took control again?
Richard disappeared into the pub and Kate followed behind. The splintering crash of drums and roar of sweaty-headed men hollering into microphones brought Kate’s mind into sharp focus. She was instantly sober.
She scanned the pub in time to see Matt standing at the bar. He watched Richard go into the toilets. Something flickered across his face, a vague recognition, and then he spotted Kate.
Kate turned and walked smartly out of the pub. She wasn’t going to fight with Matt and she certainly wasn’t going to speak to him if she could help it. Indignation burned through her. She banished her inner self with its sensible suggestions to the farthest recesses of her mind. She was going to have sex with Richard tonight and it would be bloody brilliant!
She didn’t recognize the people outside the pub. They must have come up for the band. Kate parked herself on one of the benches beneath a patio heater and waited.
There was a commotion inside the pub. Shouts that had nothing to do with the band. The music tapered off and died. Kate had a sense of foreboding. She could hear muffled voices trying to soothe the situation. Then Barry’s voice over the din:
“Take it outside, fellas!”
Kate stood up and went to the door in time to see Richard storm through it.
“What the fuck is your problem, mate!” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Are you gonna tell her, or am I?” Matt shouted behind him.
