Beautiful Beast (Gypsy Heroes #3)(43)

‘It was just a shock. I guess I am more jealous than what I thought.’

He looks at me curiously. ‘What actually happened outside the club?’

‘I’m really tired, Shane. Can we please talk about it in the morning?’

‘OK, let’s get you in bed.’

And the truth is, the trauma with Nikki and what happened outside the club has actually utterly exhausted me. I feel numb. The whole night is like a dream. My eye lids are so heavy they close even as my head touches the pillow. The last thing I remember before I fall into a deep sleep is his large, strong hand curling around mine.


He whispers something in my ear, but I don’t catch it.





Twenty-two


SNOW

One year before …

‘Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.’

—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Kim, my new roommate in the YHA hostel, was not strictly beautiful, but she was attractive, with bright laughing eyes, dark shiny hair and, as I said before, had the biggest grin I’d ever seen in my life. And I warmed to her instantly.

‘And I’m Snow,’ I said.

‘Cool name. So where’re you from then?’ she asked.

‘India.’

She looked me up and down. ‘No kidding. I thought Indians were brown.’

‘Mostly. There are fair Indians up north, but in my case my mother is English and my father half-Portuguese.’

‘So you … like just arrived.’

‘Today,’ I said.

‘And you’ve never been to this part of the world before?’

‘First time,’ I said with a huge smile.

‘Excellent. I’m from Australia. I’ll show you everything. I know all the happening, fun places. I presume you don’t have much money.’

‘Afraid so.’

‘No problem. Part time work is so easy to get. You’ll have to apply for a National Insurance number first, and that will take like six weeks to come through.’

My eyes widen. ‘Six weeks!’ I exclaim.

‘But,’ she grins, ‘in the meantime you can just work illegally.’

‘Really? Doing what?’

‘Anything. Waitressing, bar tending, dancing in clubs, babysitting anything that gives you cash in hand. You’re so gorgeous you could even make mega bucks as an escort.’

‘An escort?’

‘Yeah, all these lonely businessmen come to London to do business, and they pay hundreds of pounds for someone to sit with them and keep them company while they eat their dinner.’

‘Don’t they expect you to sleep with them after that?’

‘No, you can say no, if you don’t want to. It’s up to you.’

I shake my head. ‘No, that doesn’t sound like me. I’m too shy to do something like that.’

‘I’ve done it before. It’s really, really good money.’

‘You have?’ I asked, shocked.

‘Sure,’ she said airily. ‘I didn’t sleep with a whole bunch of them. Finally, this really handsome American guy booked me and I’d have paid to sleep with him. So I did and he gave me $500.00. And you know the best part? When you go back to your own country nobody will ever know. Want to try? We can do it together.’

I frowned. ‘Sounds like fun, but that’s just not me.’

‘Right. Let’s cross that off the list. Can you do secretarial work?’

I bite my lip. ‘No.’

‘No sweat. You can wait tables, right?’

‘I’ve never done it before, but I’m a fast learner.’

‘That’s the spirit. We’ll register you with a catering employment agency tomorrow and see how that goes, ok?’

‘OK,’ I agreed happily. ‘Besides, I’m not afraid of working hard in a restaurant kitchen, doing washing up or something like that.’

‘Great, we’ll do that tomorrow. Let’s hit the town tonight.’

‘Tonight? No, I just arrived. You go on ahead. I might just have an early night. And anyway, I’m afraid to waste the little money I have on a night on the town.’

‘Oh, come on, don’t be a spoilsport. We have to celebrate your arrival tonight because it’s ladies’ night. You won’t have to spend a penny. The taxi and everything else will be my treat. I’ll take you to this amazing place in Earls Court. It’s jam-packed with Australian surfer-type blond boys. I promise, they’ll love you.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely.’

I looked at her gratefully. ‘Thank you so much, Kim. I was a bit scared of how I was going to cope, but now you’ve made it all so easy and such fun.’

She grinned good-naturedly. ‘Don’t thank me. I’m using you as bait. In order to get to you they’re going to have to buy me some free drinks too.’

‘You don’t need me to attract a man, Kim,’ I said sincerely. ‘You’re really attractive.’

‘Yeah, I’m not ugly, but I’m no beauty. I know that.’

‘You are beautiful in my eyes. You have a beautiful soul,’ I said, and she smiled back at me.