Million Love Songs(44)

‘We got on fine,’ I admit. ‘Some bits of him are great.’

Charlie snarfs. ‘Which particular bits are we talking about?’

‘He’s very sexy. No doubt about that.’ Then I think that I might as well come clean. I don’t know whether Mason will keep our adventures to himself or whether they will quickly become the talk of the pub. I wouldn’t like Charlie to hear this from anyone else. She would kill me then. ‘He’s a little bit too … adventurous … for my tastes.’

‘Aye, aye!’ At that she perks up. ‘Exactly how … adventurous … are we talking? Silk scarves, blindfolds, toys?’

I wince as I admit, ‘We had a threesome.’

Charlie guffaws. ‘Seriously?’ She doubles up with laughter on the bench. ‘You dirty mare. I can’t let you out of my sight for five minutes and you’re up to no good. What kind of threesome?’

‘How many kinds are there?’

‘Two guys?’

‘No, no, no.’

‘Another woman?’

I nod, unable to voice my shame.

‘God, that is a bit kinky. Did you enjoy it?’

‘Not really. It was well weird.’

She belly laughs again. ‘Who’d have thought?’

‘Not me,’ I say firmly. ‘It never crossed my mind that he’d be into that. In my defence, I’d had a lot to drink.’ And, if I’m honest with myself, I really didn’t know how to say no without causing a scene. It seemed easier to go along with it. Does that make me pathetic? I think perhaps it does. But you don’t really have time to rehearse an exit strategy for these kinds of situations, do you? ‘For the record, I’m never touching brandy again.’

‘Was that her name?’

‘Haha, very funny. She was called Valerie, if you must know, and was the receptionist at the hotel.’

‘Blimey. Does she give all the guests a “happy ending”?’

‘I’ve no idea and I don’t want to know.’ I feel myself go pink again at the thought.

Charlie giggles again at my discomfiture. ‘No wonder you had no energy for sightseeing.’

‘That’s partly why I sloped off by myself in the morning. They were still sleeping and I needed to get out of the place. I couldn’t face either of them.’ I push away the image of Valerie and Mason still in bed while wondering whether they slept together when I left. Not that it matters. Far from it. ‘I was mortified, Charlie.’

‘I’m not bloody surprised.’

‘It did mean that I saw the Eiffel Tower.’

‘You could hardly bloody miss it,’ Charlie notes. ‘I could probably see it from here if I looked hard enough.’

‘It’s fair to say that my romantic weekend with our boss wasn’t quite the resounding success I’d hoped for.’ I clutch at my coffee for comfort. ‘You did warn me.’

‘Oh, Ruby,’ she says. ‘What am I going to do with you?’

‘I can see why you stick to Gary Barlow now.’

‘Gary would never have a threesome. He’s far too wholesome.’ She looks all faraway for a moment before adding, ‘So, are you seeing Shagger again?’

‘No. That was more than enough.’ Though, in my weaker moments, I still have an image of the eight-year-old boy being packed off to boarding school tugging at my heartstrings.

‘You’ve not developed a taste for the steamier side of sex?’

‘No,’ I say vehemently. ‘I’ve learned my lesson. I’m only going out with nice men from now on.’

‘You can’t have Gary Barlow,’ she says. ‘Not even on your laminated list. That baby’s mine. We’re not going to share that one, you and your sleazy threesomes.’

I hang my head in shame. ‘Don’t remind me.’ I think the problem is that I’m sure Mason would have been happy in Paris with anyone. It wasn’t me he wanted to take. Despite what he said, he wasn’t really hankering after my sparkling company. Mason just wanted some fun. By fun, I mean lots of sex. Anyone would have done. That doesn’t make me feel so great.

‘Take That are playing Paris in the summer. You and I should go there together. We’d have great fun. And we’d see stuff.’ Charlie kicks her legs against the bench. ‘The fan club are organising a trip. We could do some sightseeing. Take in all the tourist bits that you missed.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ I would have a good time with Charlie. I know that. Then my mobile pings and it’s a text from Mason. Hope you enjoyed the weekend. I’ll call you. Let’s have dinner soon. I turn my phone and show it to Charlie.

‘Dinner, eh?’

‘He’s just being polite,’ I say. ‘There’s no way he’ll call and, even if he does, there’s no way I’m having dinner with him.’

And I mean it. Honestly, I do.





Chapter Thirty-Six





Mason actually calls me a dozen times, maybe more. I let them all go to voicemail. There’s nothing I want to say to him and there’s certainly nothing I want to do with him of an intimate nature. I’ve had my head down for the last two days, just doing my job, earning a meagre crust. I’ve swerved out of work dead on time too so that I’d avoid him, but Charlie tells me that he hasn’t been into the pub at the end of the day as he sometimes does. I can only hope that it’s not going to be difficult between us when he does, eventually, rock up. We’re grown-ups. We can handle this.