‘I’m heading out to the Hamptons this weekend. You should come. If we’re going to be business partners, we need to get to know each other better. And there are people there it would be useful for you to meet.’
Tati hadn’t needed to be asked twice. After sending a brief, pithy fax to her board – she couldn’t resist addressing it to Lady Arabella’s attention – outlining the new sale price on the proposed school site and her decision to go ahead with the deal with or without them, she splurged on a new sundress and bikini at Barneys, got her hair highlighted at Garren and was sitting in Leon’s helicopter sipping champagne by four that afternoon.
Steering her through the bar at the Maidstone Club, Leon commandeered a table by the pool and ordered oysters on the half-shell and Bloody Marys for both of them. Tati enjoyed the feeling of not being in control for once, of having the man make the decisions.
‘So,’ Leon said bluntly. ‘What’s the deal with you and your husband?’
‘The deal?’ Tati laughed. ‘It’s called marriage, Leon. It’s where you stand up in a church and promise to be faithful and stay together forever.’
‘Ah, yes. Because you love each other so much.’
Each word dripped with cynicism.
Tatiana said nothing.
‘How long have you been together?’
‘Six years.’
‘No kids?’
‘No.’
Leon sipped his drink slowly. ‘Why not?’
‘What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?’ said Tati, crossly. ‘Can we change the subject?’
‘Absolutely not.’ Leon grinned. ‘I like this subject.’
He wasn’t a tall man. Nor was he stocky, like Brett. If anything he was rather slight, which was usually a huge turn-off for Tati. But Leon’s black eyes glinted when he spoke, with the sort of playful arrogance she’d always found irresistible. She noticed his hands on the tablecloth, slender and impeccably manicured, and found herself imagining what they would feel like caressing her naked body.
‘Do you love your husband?’
‘I do. Yes,’ she said truthfully.
‘Have you ever been unfaithful to him?’
‘No.’
‘I’m afraid that’s the incorrect answer.’ Picking up an oyster, Leon lifted it slowly to Tati’s lips. ‘The correct answer is “not yet”.’
Their eyes locked. Tati swallowed the slimy, salty creature. She felt both aroused and afraid. Suddenly, irrationally, she wished Jason were there. Or that she was at home, in Eaton Gate, in the safety of her marriage bed.
I’m afraid of myself.
She stood up, aware of her legs quivering beneath her. ‘Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom.’
Leon sat back in his chair triumphantly, his perfectly chiselled face radiating the confidence of the victor.
‘Take your time,’ he drawled. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
Brett Cranley watched as Tatiana hurried back through the bar and into the Ladies’. The body language between her and Leon di Clemente had been unequivocal.
Little slut.
But this time Brett wasn’t about to let his anger get the better of him. He must think, and strategize, before he made his next move. Dropping a fifty-dollar note on the table, he slipped out to the tennis courts and found Angela.
‘Time to go,’ he said forcefully.
‘What? I can’t leave now, darling,’ she protested. ‘We’ve still got another set left to play.’
‘The vendors called and moved up our viewing,’ said Brett. ‘They got an offer this morning apparently, so it’s now or never. I really need you to see this house, Ange. It’s perfect.’
‘But … I …’ Angela hesitated.
‘Go,’ said Vinnie. ‘It’s fine. One of the other girls will step in. It’s only a game of doubles.’
‘See?’ said Brett. ‘It’s fine. Now let’s get out of here.’
Very late that night, Tati called Jason.
‘I’ve decided to come home early,’ she told him. She forced herself to sound upbeat but the hand that held her phone was shaking. ‘I’ll be on the first flight to London tomorrow.’
‘Really?’ Jason sounded surprised. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘Everything’s fine!’ Tati chirped.
‘But I thought you said things were going really well over there.’
‘They were. They are,’ said Tati. ‘I just … I miss you.’
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Then Jason said cautiously, ‘OK. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.’
He was about to hang up. Tati didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt panic welling up inside her. She wanted to go back. Back to yesterday. Or farther back. Back to when she and Jason had been happy together. But did that time even exist? She didn’t want to think about it, to lift the cover off her marriage and examine the yawning, terrifying fissures beneath. She wanted to put her fingers in her ears and hum. She wanted everything to be OK, everything to stay as it was.
But that could never happen. Not now.
‘I love you,’ she blurted out, close to tears.
‘I love you too,’ said Jason. Tati pictured his words as pieces of driftwood, floating out on an ocean of sadness. ‘Goodnight, Tatiana.’
The soft click of the receiver sounded like the cocking of a gun.