Page 43 of Love ad Lib
The other woman smirked. ‘I have. He’s done an amazing job. Marcus is going to buy it and hang it in the downstairs loo.’
‘Brilliant idea.’ The two women chinked their glasses.
‘He’s such a find,’ the second woman continued. ‘And sexy, if you’re into that kind of thing.’
‘Well, Saphy certainly is. Why do you think she’s gone to all this trouble?’
‘No, really? I thought he was seeing Clara? She said he was very hands-on during their sessions.’
‘Who knows. Saphy has to keep it quiet because of hubby.’
‘Is he here tonight?’
‘No, Dubai.’
The women wandered off, and Libby struggled to breathe. This had to be a mistake. She had to be at the wrong gallery. The wrong day. The wrong everything. They couldn’t be talking about Lucas.HerLucas.
But there he was, over to one side, chatting to a beautiful woman, his hand on the small of her back. She placed her head by his ear as if to whisper something to him, then nipped his earlobe. Lucas’s hand moved down to her bum and he squeezed. The woman disengaged from him to greet more people and, as if drawn against her will, Libby moved forwards. Lucas noticed her as she approached and raised his glass.
‘Lib-Lob!’
He drew her in for a quick hug. The smell of white spirit and body odour wasn’t as alluring as it had been before.
He looked at her dress, frowning. ‘Why aren’t you in black and white?’
‘The flood, remember?’
‘That was days ago. You could have bought something.’
‘I don’t have any money, Lucas.’
‘Charity shop? Come on, Lib-Lob. Improvise!’ He chuckled at his own joke.
‘Lucas.’ She tried to keep her voice steady. ‘Is this your entire exhibition?’
‘Yeah. I know. I’ve worked my arse off.’
‘Vaginas?’
He cocked his head to one side. ‘Vulvas, Lib-Lob. They’re vulvas. You should know the vagina is the internal part.’
‘So…’ Her voice shook. ‘I’ve been paying your studio rent for the last six months so you can paint women’s… vulvas?’
‘And I appreciate it, Lib-Lob, don’t get me wrong. It’s been the best gift—’
‘Gift?’ she squeaked. ‘Lucas, I need that money back. It’s not a gift. It’sneverbeen a gift.’
‘Look, we’ll talk later. Now’s my moment. Don’t spoil it, okay?’ He patted the side of her arm and glanced over her shoulder. ‘Belinda, Scheherazade! You made it!’ He pushed past her.
Libby stumbled out of the room, grabbed her coat and brolly and ran. The betrayal felt like coming home to find your saintly husband shagging your best friend and every female member of your family.
Not your husband, Libby. Not even your boyfriend.
Outside, the rain had passed and the air was cool on her flushed cheeks. She sucked in a shuddering breath.What have you done?The chances of Lucas paying her back were almost zero. She couldn’t stay with Claire any longer, and going home to Birmingham to share a room with two of her sisters was a total non-starter. She needed money now. Enough to buy her breathing space so she could work out what the fuck to do with her life.
She rang Henry.
‘Libby! Hi, how are you doing?’
