She looks at me for a moment as if debating whether to trust this new friend she feels she's made. Part of me wills her not to be so stupid and not to trust me, but the other half wants to know why she's so insecure. A need to know what the glitch is in her perfect armour.
'You remember me saying that when you get to my age you have to work harder to keep your husband interested, well there is something I didn't tell you. My marriage is a sham. A show and I don't know if I can carry on with it.'
'I don't understand. You both looked really happy at the party. He clearly loves you,' I struggle to say.
'Loves me enough to continuously cheat on me,' she registers the fake shock on my face and gives me a slow nod. 'Yes, I've forgiven him time and time again, because despite it all I still love him and if we divorced...well all our assets are all entangled...it would be messy. I've always known that these other girls were nobodies. Just quickies to boost his ego. Never a real threat.
'Don't get me wrong the last time I nearly left him. I couldn't do it anymore. She came to me, this pretty blonde thing barely twenty, told me that she was pregnant. Turned out to be a false alarm, but I'd had enough. He begged me not to go. Swore never to do it again and I gave in, because I do love him and just the thought of him with someone else terrifies me. Now I think it's happening again.'
My heart is pounding hard that I'm sure she can hear it. My mouth is also dry. I wish now I'd got myself a drink.
'What makes you say that?' I ask.
'Honey, the signs are always the same. But there's something different this time. I...'
She stops for a moment and takes a breath and I realise that I'm holding mine and slowly start to release it.
'You?' I question.
'I came on to him—after the party. Basically laid it out on a plate for him and...well he knocked me back. Complained that he'd drunk too much.'
'Maybe that's true,' I say, even though inside I’m doing jumps of triumph.
'Honey, my husband has a very high libido. Always has done. Even when he's been with other women, he's had enough energy to have me too. He never says no to sex. Never! Until now.'
'But if the others were nothing then why worry about this one. He'll probably use her and then come back to you. He probably just got too drunk and was embarrassed.' I say.
'You know George offered me a way out,' she says.
'Out of what? The marriage? How?'
She dabs her eyes with a tissue.
'He offered to set Harry up. Let me catch him in the act and divorce him for adultery. It's a tempting offer, but if I've let him get away with it before, then a lawyer would rip me to pieces...And he would never leave me...I don't know. Maybe I should accept that this is my marriage. He is what he is.'
'Why did you let him get away with it before?'
'Because it was just sex. He never loved any of them. He only loved me. I could cope with that, but what if this one turns out to be more. I'm not sure I could live with that.'
'And George?'
'Is a good man and it was nice of him to offer, but that poor girl he was going to use is worth more than that. It's not fair to drag her into my mess.'
'Do you know who this girl is?' I ask, my throat tightening.
'I've no idea, but what does it matter. Harry, it seems, has already found himself a new toy to play with and I have to cope with him coming home smelling of cheap perfume once again.'
A slowly move slightly away from her. Painfully aware that it’s my cheap perfume that she smells on him.
'You are beautiful and he's an idiot. Come on, we'll do this pictures and show him exactly what he's got waiting for him at home.'
A smile spreads on her face and I see colour reach her cheeks. The poor woman, if only she knew that the threat to her marriage was the one sitting beside her. The one she's just confided in. Her revelation that some girl thought she was pregnant shakes me up slightly. Why would he have been so careless? And was this girl that little bit more than the others for that to happen? What had Katherine said? Blonde girl barely twenty.
Maybe this isn't a good idea. I should get out of it now, before I am in way over my head. Tell George that I want out and it will be over. But then if Harry refused to have sex with her after being with me then this changes things. I'm so god damn confused and it's turning my stomach into tight knots.
Clair and Marti arrive back with sandwiches and drinks and after we've all eaten the atmosphere changes. Suddenly, Katherine blossoms into the woman she is and every shot is near on perfect with little direction. At one point Clair leans over me while I check the pictures and whistles.
'She is one beautiful woman and George thought you could steal her husband from her.'
I glance at her quickly, my mouth in a tight line and I see her pale slightly.
'Not that you're not beautiful,' she flusters.
'Well it's a good job we didn't go through with it then isn't it,' I hiss.
Moving away from her towards Katherine I ask if she wants to see the pictures. Jumping off the bed like a teenager, she bounds over and gasps in excitement.
'Is that really me? Leigh you're a genius,' she gushes.
'Of course, I'll Photoshop some of them slightly to make them flawless, but looking at them they won't need much. You'll just have to let me know whether you're going canvas or framed.'
'What would you suggest?'
'If it were me, I'd go canvas. It's all very trendy at the moment.'
She nods her head in agreement. I can't believe that she needs my opinion on this. The power is firmly in my hands and it's not a good feeling. Katherine disappears to get changed leaving me and Clair to clear away the equipment. I’m filled with mixed feelings. A feeling of exhilaration at gaining some information about the state of her marriage to Harry mixed with the feelings of inadequacies at how well she photographed.
Now I am not sure I'm enough. I don't have what it takes to really seduce this man. He just wants sex and if I'm not giving him it then he will move on. He's got plenty more to fish for. I have nothing worth falling in love for.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
'What happens if she leaves him? Where does it leave us?'
George has cooked for me and we are sitting in his room eating homemade risotto. The day with Katherine has undoubtedly shaken me and I feel exhausted with keeping up pretences. And for what? For money? My career? Also what happens when Harry leaves her? Me and him are over. I walk away. That's the deal, but can I really keep away from a guy who's already getting under my skin?
'She won't leave him. She needs him to walk out on her.' George assures me.
'She nearly did last time,' I push. 'And what difference does it make who walks out on who if she gets her freedom.'
'If she was going to leave him, she would have done it the first time he cheated. She could have taken her money and fucked off into the sunset. The fact is that she will never leave him, because there's something in her father's Will that means she can't just get up and leave.'
'But then Harry won't leave her either, because he loses too.'
George shakes his head as he leans back in the chair. 'Harry is a sly dog. He's invested personal savings here there and everywhere. Yes, he'd lose her money, but he's made enough of his own to keep himself comfortable. Katherine is trapped in a marriage with a cheating husband, because of money and status. Now do you realise why I hate the bastard. He screws around because he knows he can get away with it.'
I throw down my fork and get to my feet. I suddenly feel sick. Very sick. That poor woman and I'm surely just making her life harder. No matter what she says, she still loves him. Maybe there's another way to make this work. Marriage counselling maybe rather than using a Honey Trap. But I can't deny the feelings of lust I get when with Harry. He makes my body come alive in ways that I've never known. Shit! This is all a fucked up mess and it's not even really started.
'I want out,' I snap. 'You said I could if I wanted.'
Ge
orge comes to my side and pulls me so I'm facing him.
'Babe, listen to me. You're just panicking.'
'I'm not panicking. Surely you can see how fucked up this. I am messing with a man, whose wife is trapped. How can we as human beings allow this to happen? I don't want to do this anymore.'
'Would it help if I tell you that my mum and father have been working with her to try and free some of those assets?'
I shrug and I’m surprised that I'm ready to cry. That isn't me. I don't cry. I never let things get to me. Too much of a hard face bitch or so I'm always being told. A bit harsh, but hey, as long as my friends and family love me then screw it.
'I'm just not sure we are doing the right thing. All to prove a stupid point.'
George leads me to his sofa and pours me a glass of wine, before sitting opposite. I can already see he's preparing to state his case and I'll be sucked in once again.
'Mother and Father have been working with Katherine making her invest her money into other businesses. It's almost like losing money by giving it away. They have also hired some big wig who is trying to find a loophole in this Will. If they divorce they will make sure she gets everything that's hers. You are technically doing her favour. If Harry walks out then we think we can make sure she gets every penny owed.'
'Doing her favour? What by fucking her husband and showing her marriage as a sham?' I laugh.
'Putting it that way makes it sound bad,' he says. 'Plus you're not technically fucking him. Remember no sex.'
'Is this anything to do with your dissertation at all?' I say, my voice rising in temper.
'Of course. I'd never play you like that. If you want out then we'll tear the contract up. Then you never have to see any of them again. But think of it this way if they divorce on the grounds of adultery then she will get what's hers and she'll be a free woman. You're doing this for all the women out there.'
'If you dare say girl power I will punch you clean in the face,' I sneer.
'I wouldn't dare,' George grins. 'But life is not always so black and white. Yes fooling around with her husband is a shitty thing to do, but if she gets her freedom out of it then you become an unlikely lifesaver, whom she'll thank one day.'
'And your dissertation?'
'I can go get my notes that I've already written up if it will make you feel better. Leigh, I am not playing you, but this is like killing two birds with one stone. Harry is a cheating son of a bitch and deserves everything he gets.'
What he's saying is right and I know it is. Katherine does deserve better and to hold onto what's hers. Yet, something ugly stirs inside when George calls Harry a son of a bitch. It's almost a protective anger. Now I'm even more confused. The best thing I can do is just walk away from all of them while I can. But George's hold on me seems ever so tighter now.
'I'm sorry,' I whisper. 'I didn't mean to say that you were playing me. But I need to think.'
He takes hold of me and I lay across his lap while he strokes my hair in an effort to calm me down.
'Look if she leaves him then it's over and no one wins, except maybe her,' he says.
'I think today just fucking freaked me out. I sometimes feel like I'm way over my head,' I say.
'Then you are not going to do this on your own. I'll be with you each step of the way. But you've got trust me.'
'I do,' I promise.
'Ok, then if we continue to do this you've got to look at it that you are saving that poor woman from her husband, while proving that you can do just as Anne Boleyn did.'
'What about our slate?' I ask.
I feel George tense beneath my head. By asking the question he knows my motivation and it makes him uneasy. He now knows that I want his hold on me to loosen and he's none too keen at letting me go.
'I've told you it will be cleared as soon as he tells you he loves you and leaves Katherine.'
We spend the rest of the evening quietly drinking and watching movies. Of course George has worked me round. But there's a growing tension between us. A wall that slowly is building and we’re struggling to keep each brick from being placed.
I'm still unsure if I can justify what we are doing as helping Katherine, because I can see that she is deeply in love with Harry. If I were in her shoes would I see it exactly the same. I doubt I would thank the woman who was playing games my over errant husband.
My phone beeping interrupts our night. I pick it up and my heart skips. It's from Harry. I can't cope with this right now. My head is not in the right place.
'What's it say?' George asks.
Showing him the message, he smiles as he snatches at the phone and starts to text back.
'Hey what you doing?' I shout grabbing at the phone.
George jumps up and dodges my attempts.
'You said you trusted me,' he says.
He hands me the phone back and I check out the message he's sent on my behalf.
'I can't meet him now, I'm not ready and I'm not even dressed properly,' I mutter.
'Course you can. You look great.'
'I'm wearing my work clothes. I need to freshen up,' I argue.
'I call you a taxi. Get it to take you home. I'll pay.'
'You're pimping me out now?' I chuckle.
George throws a cushion at me as he grabs his phone.
'Then what?' I ask.
'What do you mean?'
'Well the no sex rule. Does that still apply?'
George looks as though he's struggling with the decision. He doesn't want me to sleep with anyone else but him. He wants no one to take his place, yet he knows there was no other choice, because he wants to be part of this game and challenge.
'There are many ways to satisfy a man without him being inside you. Just use your imagination,' he says finally.
So that's a no then, I think to myself as I grab my coat. I have to use my imagination. Then so be it and since it's always an over active one then this could get interesting
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I ask the driver to take me home first, because I do need to change. Even just changing my underwear makes a big difference and a few pumps of perfume. Remembering the conversation with Katherine, I make a note of what perfume I wear with Harry and which I wear when I'm with Katherine. I don't want to be caught out by something as stupid as scent.
Once satisfied, the taxi drives me to where Harry waits. It's not exactly romance. Some desolate car park in the middle of nowhere. Is this the start of future illicit meetings? Harry steps out of his car as the taxi pulls away. In a black blazer and open necked shirt, he almost looks coy.
'I wasn't sure you'd come,' he says.
'Well here I am,' I smile. 'Now what?'
'I hadn't thought that far ahead,' he laughs. 'We could go for a drive. Talk. See where we end up.'
'Late night magical mystery tour. Sounds like fun.'
Soon we are on the road into the darkness. Music blares from the stereo and the car is filled with the angry, yet melodic tunes of the punk era. There's a smell of musky aftershave mixed with the scent of the air freshener and it fills me with calmness making me feel content. The leather seats are incredibly comfy and I find myself almost lounging.
'Am I allowed to ask where she thinks you are?' I ask.
He turns down the music slightly and glances quickly at me.
'I've told her I'm meeting friends,' he answers.
'Which I suppose is technically true,' I muse.
'You made an impact on her at the party,' he says after a beat.
I glance towards him and I can see that his mouth pulls into a tense line. His eyes concentrating on the road. I am not used to seeing him this tense. I need him to feel relaxed in my company.
'I tend to do that to people,' I joke.
There's a glimmer of a smile and I relax once more. This needs to be kept light and easy. No pressure. No expectations. I'm the puppet master here. Just making sure to pull the right strings.
'My wife...Kat...she's a trusting soul and she a
lways sees the good in people.'
'You don't want me and her to be friends?' I ask.
'Well considering. It may not be the best thing.'
'I can live with that,' I say. 'I think there's maybe a conflict of interest.'
He grins as he looks quickly at me.
'So there is an interest?'
'Come on, Harry. Do you really need me to answer after what happened at the party?'
'Oh yes, the party. My sexy little Red Riding Hood.'
The grin broadens and so does mine. Turning in my seat slightly, I reach across and place my hand on his thigh. The muscles tense under my touch and I am vaguely aware that he's slowed down.
Squeezing and flexing my hand and fingers I slowly run them up the leg until I find where he's already hard and pulsating. His breath hitches as I gently squeeze and rub him through the denim of the jeans. I've felt him pressed against me, but now my hand gets a sense of what's on offer. Though he's been blessed, size means nothing, it's all about how it's used and I can't wait to find out how he intends on using it.
'Do you want me to stop,' I breathe, already becoming aroused myself.
The tightness of my jeans allows me some friction to increase the sensation as I slowly grind. He places a hand on top of mine and pushes it down harder giving me my answer.
His breathing deepens as I squeeze and push and the whitening of his knuckles on the steering wheel tells me that he's finding it difficult to concentrate on two things at once. Lucky for us the road is a straight one, with no traffic.
Suddenly, he indicates and steers the car off the road and brings it to an abrupt halt. Under the cover of a small wooded area, I reach over and while kissing him hard, I work the button and zipper of his jeans. With a little shuffling, he springs free and we both look down and then at each other. With a raised eyebrow, he gives me a challenging smirk.
'Now what Miss Boorman?'
'Now I repay my debt.'
Taking him in my mouth I hear him gasp out my name. My ego is growing the more he moans as I run tongue and teeth along his length. His hand pulls at my hair the deeper I go and I hold him still with my hands. I am controlling this not him. Licking and kissing his tip, I tease and manipulate. He's going to have to wait a little longer, because I'm enjoying myself far too much.
The Boleyn Effect (The Boleyn Ending) Page 9
