Page 140 of An Unholy Affair
Eveline held up the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She’d worn it twice before. The last was at Estelle and Henry’s thirtieth birthday and the time before had been in London the night she’d met Jack.
‘And you also look hot as fuck in it,’ Estelle continued. ‘Plus, I’ll always be able to find you. I just have to scan across the room of little black dresses until I see red.’
‘Don’t you always see red?’
‘Ha! Only when I’m dealing with fuckwits.’
‘Which is on a…’
‘Daily basis, yeah, yeah. Oh, did I tell you the people that bought out the events company still want to invest in the music and arts festival next year?’
‘That’s wonderful news!’
‘I’m so fucking relieved. They want me to work out of their offices, but they’re only in Bath, so that’s easy, and it means Henry can have ours to himself for a while.’
‘Will he miss you?’
Estelle snorted. ‘Like a hole in the head. He can’t stand my brand of chaos and says that having to look at my desk “offends his eyes”.’
‘Maybe you can lend him your Moody Cow stress ball?’
‘It’ll take more than that to unclench the stick he’s got wedged up his butt.’
‘Estelle!’
‘Okay, I’ll admit he’s fifty per cent more chilled since going out with Libby. Thank god he found her.’ She sighed happily. ‘Anyway, I’m going to Bath the week after next to meet the new owner. I’m going to be working under them, which will take some getting used to. You know I’m a top, not a bottom.’
Eveline frowned at her friend. ‘Are you making a sexual reference?’
Estelle gave her a sly grin. ‘Might be…’
‘Can you please explain it? I’m trying to expand my sexual vocabulary and awareness.’
‘This is just too weird!’ Estelle screeched. ‘I’m not used to “getting it regularly” Eveline.’
She smiled. ‘The other day I learnt what “pegging” is.’
Estelle’s jaw dropped. ‘Whaaaaat!Please, for the love of god tell me you didn’t try it!’
Eveline’s hands flew up, batting the air as if putting out invisible fires. ‘No, no, no! Absolutely not! That’s really not on my to-do list.’
Estelle fell back on the bed. ‘Thank fuck for that. One of the reasons I’m friends with you is because you’re the absolute opposite of my sexually incontinent parents.’
She grinned. ‘So, do you know who your new boss is?’
‘All I know is that they’re rich and have just relocated from London. As long as they hand over the cash and let me do my thing, we’ll get on.’ Estelle rolled onto her tummy, her head propped up on her hands. ‘Anyway, enough about that. Did you tell Jack about sleazeball Simon?’
Eveline sat next to Estelle and nodded, her good mood evaporating. ‘He blames himself.’
Estelle reached across and squeezed her hand. ‘That’s because he’s a good man and you’re a saint.’
‘Hardly.’
‘Well, a sexy saint then. As soon as the Bishop tells Simon to fuck off, it’ll all come good. Jack’s just been through a lot recently.’
Eveline remembered Jack’s barely contained rage from earlier, the anguish in his eyes. She hadn’t seen him drink since his father’s funeral, but tonight might be a different matter.
‘Is Jack going to stay in Foxbrooke, then?’ Estelle asked.
