by Paige Toon
‘No, no, a beer for me.’
‘Saving the champagne for race day . . .’ Alberta comments in a husky voice.
Luis just laughs. ‘Will you have some?’ he asks her.
‘I wouldn’t mind,’ she replies, sexily.
‘Go on then, Pete, get a bottle. Do you need some more?’ He reaches for his wallet.
‘No, mate, no!’ Pete practically shouts, holding up the wad in his hand. ‘I’ve got enough here to buy a house! Girls? Same again?’
‘I’m fine, thank y—’
‘We’ll help out with the champers!’ Holly shouts. ‘Daisy, stop being such a lame-arse,’ she whispers to me when Pete has departed.
‘So Frederick let you come out to play?’ Luis looks straight at me.
I nod. ‘Uh-huh.’
I feel Alberta’s chocolate-brown eyes fall on me and am taken aback by how cool her gaze is, considering her eye colour is so warm. It’s the same with her sister. Cousin, I mean. Whatever. The silly Bs are related, that’s all I need to know.
‘I heard he’s a ball-breaker . . .’ Luis continues.
I don’t answer.
‘I’m Holly!’ Holly puts a stop to the awkwardness and offers her hand to Alberta, followed by Luis.
‘Do you work with this one?’ Luis asks Holly, nodding my way.
‘As a front-of-house girl, yes.’ She smiles warmly, cutting short whatever sarcastic comment I’m certain Luis was about to make. ‘How was the sponsorship event?’ she asks, her tone bubbling over with friendliness. I don’t know how she does it.
‘Boring,’ Luis answers.
‘Oh, thank you very much.’ Alberta pretends to be upset.
‘With the exception of the present company, of course.’
I’m about to put my fingers down my throat and make gagging noises when I notice her hand on his leg and am rendered speechless.
Pete returns with a tray full of drinks for the lads, plus glasses, champagne and an ice bucket. Holly and I help him unload it before he heads back to the bar to return the tray.
I hear a cork pop as Luis deftly pours champagne into three glasses, handing one to each of us girls.
‘No, thank you,’ I say, fingering the stem of my wine glass. I still have a few sips of Shiraz in there somewhere.
‘Don’t waste it,’ Luis states.
‘I’ll drink yours, Daisy,’ Holly offers, so I push it across the table to her.
‘There’s plenty to go around.’ Luis pushes the glass back in my direction and turns to Alberta.
I give him a look of such distaste that he must surely feel my eyes branding the back of his skull, then I inadvertently glance down and am greeted with the sight of Alberta sliding her hand in the direction of Luis’s crotch. Dirty cow! I look at Holly in shock. A split second later I hear the sound of a chair scraping on the pavement and turn back to see Luis standing up.
‘Where are you going?’ Alberta asks, her brow furrowed with annoyance.
‘The men’s room,’ Luis tells her.
‘I wouldn’t mind going, too,’ she says silkily, making me feel as invisible as that fly in my drink.
‘I need a piss,’ Luis says firmly, putting to a halt whatever naughty things Alberta had planned for their cubicle excursion. She slumps back in her seat and watches his departing backside.
‘Have you been to a Grand Prix before?’ Holly tactfully changes the subject.
‘Of course,’ Alberta answers dismissively.
‘Do you enjoy the racing?’
‘That’s not what I’m here for.’
‘Oh. What are you here for?’
‘The fun! The glamour!’ She casts her arms around her in an extravagant manner.
Glamour? I decide against pointing out the wasted youth who has just vomited on the kerb.
She takes a huge mouthful of champagne and reaches for the bottle.
‘Let me do that for you,’ Holly offers, making use of her hospitality skills. Alberta takes the refilled glass without so much as a thank you and sits back in her seat, crossing her legs so her mini skirt rides even further up her thighs.
I look away, bored and unable to play the game like my friend, and see Luis emerge from the pub doors. Alberta sits back up in her seat, but is visibly deflated when Luis stops to chat to the lads. I know how she feels. I’d give anything to be able to gossip freely with Holly instead of watching my words in front of this beacon of bitchiness.
‘Have you been Catalina’s cousin for long?’ Holly asks, in all innocence.
I look at her and crack up with laughter. She realises what she’s said and joins me in hysterics.
‘I’ve had too much to drink!’ she squeals, lifting up her champagne glass in one hand and her beer glass in the other.
Alberta glares at us both before standing up, plucking the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and going to join Luis.
‘Come on, Holly, please can we go somewhere else, now?’
‘Yeah, okay,’ she agrees, knocking back first her beer, followed by her champagne and then rising to her feet.
We wind our way out towards the pavement, squeezing past the revellers already swarming to occupy our recently vacated chairs.
‘We’re off! See ya, lads!’ Holly calls to the group of mechanics.
‘Lightweights!’ Pete shouts.
‘We’re not going back to the hotel, we’re going partying, you pussy!’ Holly shouts, and I pull on her arm, laughingly trying to ignore Luis’s dark-eyed stare as we back away from the crowd.
