pissed for anything heavy.'
'So he's right, you don't talk.' He grinned innocently.
She drained her glass and stood up, slightly unsteadily. 'I've had enough psychoanalysis, thank you. I'm going home to bed.'
He stood up and folded her wrap around her shoulders. 'What a good idea.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'I suppose you want me to invite you back for coffee?'
He shook his head solemnly. 'No, but I wouldn't say no to a night of unbridled passion.'
Dana gazed up at him. 'Let's go, then.'
The next morning when she woke, she felt as if there was a freight train going through her brain. Cocktails and champagne were a lethal combination. Then, of course, there was the brandy— Oh shit! She opened one eye. Sure enough, there he was, lying beside her. Lying where Gus should be. 'Oh, God,' she groaned. Moving as gingerly as she could, Dana slipped out of the bed and made a rim for the bathroom. Inside, she pulled on a bathrobe and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked very slightly green; her eye make-up was halfway down her face and her mouth — swollen from fairly intensive kissing — hung open in shock. She swallowed hard as a wave of nausea engulfed her. She wasn't sure if that was down to the drink or the realization of what she had done. She had, for the first time ever, been unfaithful to Gus. Not that it really counted. Gus was gone. She didn't owe him any kind of loyalty. Strangely, that didn't make her feel any better. She sank down on to the edge of the bath and wondered how the hell she was going to get that man — Ryan? — out of her bed and out of the house before Iris or Sylvie arrived. 'Fuck,' she muttered, hearing the unmistakable sound of the front door opening and closing. Going to the sink she quickly washed her face, combed her hair and tightened the belt of her robe, then took a deep breath and went back into the bedroom.
Ryan sat up and stretched, exposing a tanned, smooth chest. He smiled lazily. 'Good morning.'
'You've got to get out of here now,' she said urgently, gathering up his clothes and tossing them at him.
'I thought you were separated,' he replied, throwing back the duvet.
Dana averted her eyes. 'I am, but my housekeeper is downstairs and I don't want her to see you.'
He grinned as there was a gentle tap on the door. 'I think it's a bit late for that.'
'Just a minute, Iris,' Dana called. 'Get into the bathroom and stay there until I call you,' she hissed frantically.
'Oh, come on!'
'Bathroom — please?'
Shaking his head he sauntered across the room, his clothes over his arm.
Dana waited until he'd closed the bathroom door before opening the bedroom door a couple of inches. 'Sorry, Iris, I was in the bathroom.'
'I'm sorry to interrupt you.' Iris's eyes twinkled excitedly. 'It's just that I thought you'd want to know, Mr Johnson is outside.'
'Gus!' Dana gasped.
Iris nodded, smiling. 'He's sitting in his car talking on his phone, so I'm sure he'll be in any minute.'
'Oh, God, you can't let him in.'
Iris frowned. 'But—'
'No, of course, you must let him in.' Dana thought quickly. 'Just tell him I'm in a meeting and he'll have to wait.'
Iris nodded. 'I'll show him into the front sitting room.'
'No!' Dana smiled weakly. 'Why don't you take him into the kitchen and make him some breakfast? He'd love that.'
Iris beamed. 'Very well. And don't you worry; I'll keep him talking while you—'
'What?' Dana snapped.
Iris frowned in confusion. 'Get dressed?'
'Ah, yes, great, thank you. I'll do that.'
Dana hurriedly closed the door and crossed to the bathroom. 'You can come out now,' she whispered.
Ryan emerged grinning and thankfully fully dressed. 'I feel like a teenager again.'
'I'm so sorry but—'
He held up a hand. 'No need for explanations, I need to head off anyway. I have a meeting and I need to go home first and change.'
'But you can't.' She blocked his way.
'I'm sorry?'
She sighed. 'My husband's here, and I really don't want him to see you.'
He frowned. 'I
'So he's right, you don't talk.' He grinned innocently.
She drained her glass and stood up, slightly unsteadily. 'I've had enough psychoanalysis, thank you. I'm going home to bed.'
He stood up and folded her wrap around her shoulders. 'What a good idea.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'I suppose you want me to invite you back for coffee?'
He shook his head solemnly. 'No, but I wouldn't say no to a night of unbridled passion.'
Dana gazed up at him. 'Let's go, then.'
The next morning when she woke, she felt as if there was a freight train going through her brain. Cocktails and champagne were a lethal combination. Then, of course, there was the brandy— Oh shit! She opened one eye. Sure enough, there he was, lying beside her. Lying where Gus should be. 'Oh, God,' she groaned. Moving as gingerly as she could, Dana slipped out of the bed and made a rim for the bathroom. Inside, she pulled on a bathrobe and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked very slightly green; her eye make-up was halfway down her face and her mouth — swollen from fairly intensive kissing — hung open in shock. She swallowed hard as a wave of nausea engulfed her. She wasn't sure if that was down to the drink or the realization of what she had done. She had, for the first time ever, been unfaithful to Gus. Not that it really counted. Gus was gone. She didn't owe him any kind of loyalty. Strangely, that didn't make her feel any better. She sank down on to the edge of the bath and wondered how the hell she was going to get that man — Ryan? — out of her bed and out of the house before Iris or Sylvie arrived. 'Fuck,' she muttered, hearing the unmistakable sound of the front door opening and closing. Going to the sink she quickly washed her face, combed her hair and tightened the belt of her robe, then took a deep breath and went back into the bedroom.
Ryan sat up and stretched, exposing a tanned, smooth chest. He smiled lazily. 'Good morning.'
'You've got to get out of here now,' she said urgently, gathering up his clothes and tossing them at him.
'I thought you were separated,' he replied, throwing back the duvet.
Dana averted her eyes. 'I am, but my housekeeper is downstairs and I don't want her to see you.'
He grinned as there was a gentle tap on the door. 'I think it's a bit late for that.'
'Just a minute, Iris,' Dana called. 'Get into the bathroom and stay there until I call you,' she hissed frantically.
'Oh, come on!'
'Bathroom — please?'
Shaking his head he sauntered across the room, his clothes over his arm.
Dana waited until he'd closed the bathroom door before opening the bedroom door a couple of inches. 'Sorry, Iris, I was in the bathroom.'
'I'm sorry to interrupt you.' Iris's eyes twinkled excitedly. 'It's just that I thought you'd want to know, Mr Johnson is outside.'
'Gus!' Dana gasped.
Iris nodded, smiling. 'He's sitting in his car talking on his phone, so I'm sure he'll be in any minute.'
'Oh, God, you can't let him in.'
Iris frowned. 'But—'
'No, of course, you must let him in.' Dana thought quickly. 'Just tell him I'm in a meeting and he'll have to wait.'
Iris nodded. 'I'll show him into the front sitting room.'
'No!' Dana smiled weakly. 'Why don't you take him into the kitchen and make him some breakfast? He'd love that.'
Iris beamed. 'Very well. And don't you worry; I'll keep him talking while you—'
'What?' Dana snapped.
Iris frowned in confusion. 'Get dressed?'
'Ah, yes, great, thank you. I'll do that.'
Dana hurriedly closed the door and crossed to the bathroom. 'You can come out now,' she whispered.
Ryan emerged grinning and thankfully fully dressed. 'I feel like a teenager again.'
'I'm so sorry but—'
He held up a hand. 'No need for explanations, I need to head off anyway. I have a meeting and I need to go home first and change.'
'But you can't.' She blocked his way.
'I'm sorry?'
She sighed. 'My husband's here, and I really don't want him to see you.'
He frowned. 'I
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