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‘Right back at you,’ murmurs Luke against my neck. He’s obviously in the mood too, in quite a major way. Excellent. I’m good for a few hours. He won’t even think about laptops or BlackBerries. In fact, if I play things right, this will take care of things till morning. And then …

Oh God. I’ve got no idea. I’ll just have to think of something else. I’ve got plenty of time to work out a plan.Advertisement

All I know is one thing. He’s having a surprise on Friday night, if it kills me.

NINETEEN

OK, it practically is killing me. It’s seven thirty the next morning and I’m totally sleep-deprived because every time I was about to drop off, Luke would murmur something like ‘I’ll just check my emails’ and I had to do my sultry nymphomaniac act all over again.

Which, you know, had its benefits. But now we truly are sated, both of us. I mean, really. We’re done. (For the moment, at least.) And I know Luke’s mind will be roaming. So far, I’ve managed to keep him confined to the bedroom. I brought us all breakfast in bed, and he’s sipping his second cup of coffee while Minnie eats a piece of toast. But any minute he’ll start looking at his watch and saying—

‘Have you seen my laptop?’ He looks up.

I knew it.

‘Um … Have you lost it?’ I prevaricate.

‘It must be around here …’ He pushes at the shirt which he discarded on the floor last night.

‘I expect so.’ I nod wisely. I secreted it out of the room earlier and stuffed it behind the bottles at the back of the detergent cupboard in the utility room. Then I propped an ironing board and overflowing basket of laundry in front of the cupboard door. He’ll never find it.

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‘I need to get in touch with Bonnie and explain the situation …’ He’s searching the room with more energy. ‘Where the hell is it? I had it last night! I must be going fucking demented. Can I use your BlackBerry?’

‘Out of power,’ I lie smoothly. ‘I forgot to charge it.’

‘I’ll use your parents’ computer, then—’

‘They’ve changed the password,’ I say hastily. ‘You won’t be able to get in. More coffee, darling?’

The phone on the bedside table rings and I pick it up as naturally as possible.

‘Hello? Oh, it’s for you, Luke!’ I muster tones of surprise. ‘It’s Gary!’

‘Hi Gary.’ Luke takes the receiver. ‘Sorry, my BlackBerry’s bust—’ He breaks off and gapes at the phone. ‘What?’ he exclaims at last. ‘But Gary …’

I sip my coffee demurely, watching Luke and trying not to smile. At last Luke puts down the phone, looking shaken.

‘Bloody hell.’ He sinks down on the bed. ‘That was Gary. I think he’s having a nervous breakdown.’

‘No way!’ I exclaim theatrically.

Good old Gary. I knew he wouldn’t let me down.

‘He said he needs to see me urgently, talk about the company, talk about his life, get away from the pressure. He sounded absolutely on the edge. Gary, of all people!’ Luke looks staggered. ‘I mean, he’s the last person I would expect to crack up. He’s always been so steady. He said he can’t face London, he wants to meet me at some remote place in the New Forest, for fuck’s sake.’

It’s a holiday lodge Gary goes to with his family. It’s got no phone signal, no internet and no TV. Gary and I had a little chat early this morning. He said he reckons he can keep up his nervous-breakdown act for the morning, and meanwhile we’ll come up with more plans.

‘You must make Gary a priority,’ I say seriously. ‘After all, he’s your right-hand man. I think you should go to wherever he says and hear him out. He might do something stupid otherwise,’ I quickly add as Luke seems to hesitate. ‘You don’t want to risk that, do you? Call Bonnie and see if she can rearrange your appointments.’

Automatically Luke claps his hand to his pocket for his BlackBerry – then remembers.

‘Oh, this is a bloody joke.’ Cursing under his breath, he reaches for the landline phone. ‘I don’t even know her direct line.’

‘It’s—’ I bite my lip just in time. Shit. I’m getting careless. ‘It’s probably more sensible to go via the switchboard,’ I hastily cover. ‘Look!’ I proffer an old Brandon Communications notepad, and laboriously Luke taps in the number, a deep scowl on his face.

I have to bite my lip hard so I don’t smile. He’s so ratty.

‘Hi, Maureen. It’s Luke. Can you put me through to Bonnie?’ He takes a slug of coffee. ‘Bonnie. Thank God. You will not believe the fiasco this end. I haven’t got my BlackBerry or my laptop, I’ve just had a crazy call from Gary, I have no idea what I’m doing—’ He breaks off, and I can see the ripples gradually calm on his face. pqdm.com