The Dating Game

by Susan Buchanan

  Gill knew what that felt like all right.

  They continued to chat easily and Gill told Liam about her agency, her parents who lived in Devon, and her brother in Balloch.

  ‘Oh, I used to go up to Balloch all the time,’ Liam cut in.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, a friend of mine had a speedboat and we used to go up most weekends. We’d head up the A82 in the morning, spend the afternoon on the boat, and then pitch a tent and have a barbecue in the evening.’

  ‘Sounds great.’

  ‘It was. Unfortunately, my friend sold the boat – he got divorced,’ Liam gave a rueful smile.

  Gill took advantage of the opening. ‘So, have you ever been married?’ she asked.

  ‘No, not married, but I did live with my partner for several years.’

  ‘Right.’

  Liam didn’t elaborate, so Gill moved on. He’d tell her when he was good and ready. He’d told her he liked her and that would do for now. This time she was going to be more careful. She liked him, too, but she wasn’t letting her guard down, not just yet.

  Chapter Forty

  Saturday 8th October

  It really seemed like October now. Not that the summer had been great, but with the considerable drop in temperature, light summer jackets and sandals had been rapidly replaced by boots and coats. The lashing wind and rain were a common sight north of the border.

  Gill had been glad of the two nights at home following her first proper date with Liam on Wednesday. It had been a chance to catch up on bad telly and she’d even managed to sit down for a few hours and read a book. At the agency, the pressure was definitely off both her and Janice, with the additions to their team.

  When Gill and Liam had left My Place the other night, he had kissed her. It had been nice, but not earth-shattering. She was sure it would improve as they got to know each other.

  Liam had said he would be busy over the weekend, but wanted to know if they could meet up on Tuesday. He promised to cook a meal for her and, touched, Gill had accepted.

  She had also taken the last few days to finalise a few things which needed doing – sorting out Sean and letting Gary down gently. Sean still hadn’t contacted her to see if she was all right, after her fall at the bowling alley, so she’d sent him a message, which said simply,

  ‘Hi Sean. I’ve had a good time with you, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Hope you meet someone lovely, Gill.’

  It was only just stretching the truth.

  With Gary, it proved a bit more difficult. He had contacted her to ask if she wanted to go out for dinner. As he was a good guy; he’d done nothing wrong apart from foolishly invite her to his brother’s wedding without telling her, she had called him. The conversation wasn’t an easy one. Yet Gill had been very direct, told him she did like him and enjoyed his company, but simply didn’t feel a spark, and after a few evenings together, didn’t think she would. He wanted to remain friends, but Gill knew this would just be prolonging the agony. So, resolutely, she told him she didn’t think men and women, who’d had a romantic interest in each other, could be just friends. She wished him all the best and told him to say hi to his twin. He took it well, in the end.

  With a sigh of relief, Gill turned her thoughts to Charlie. She wondered where this mystery place was, an hour from the city – it could be Edinburgh. It was only an hour and there was so much to do there, but who would choose to drive to Edinburgh? Or maybe he would take her to a country inn down in Ayrshire? She let her mind wander in this vein, to distract her from further thoughts of Anton. No matter how hard she tried to lock him away in a little box in her mind, images of him came to her unbidden, when she least expected it. Memories of his touch, the smell of him, the feel of his skin on hers, invaded her mind daily. Debbie had asked if Anton had contacted her. It hurt to tell her friend no, but after a few well-meant placatory remarks, Debbie left it at that, as she knew it would only upset Gill more. Gill hadn’t shared with any of her friends just how devastated she had been, nor how she had cried herself to sleep on several occasions, unable to believe that she had been so deceived. She found herself torn between anger at his deception, and incredulity since his behaviour and feelings for her had appeared so genuine. His silence had shown her the truth. He wasn’t interested. Dating Charlie and now Liam, at least gave her, in theory, reasons to take her mind off Anton, but it wasn’t always so straightforward.

  Both Gill and her friends had been busy since their return from Barcelona, so they hadn’t had a chance to meet up. They were, however, all up to speed with the bizarre turn of events in Gill running into Liam. Debbie thought it was Fate. Angela said he had seemed nice, and Lisa said she wished she’d seen him in Barcelona, and that Gill shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth – there weren’t too many knights in shining armour out there.

  Gill caught the bus into Glasgow around eleven. She wanted to buy some new trousers and a top for her date with Charlie. There was no way she was wearing a dress, not after what happened last time. She didn’t trust herself and she certainly didn’t trust him. She had also made a mental note not to drink too much.

  Traipsing around town turned out to be a miserable task, umbrella almost blown away by the near gale force wind. Just as well she wasn’t wearing a dress and sandals tonight. She’d be a soggy mess. Finally she selected charcoal grey trousers with a side zip, which were very flattering and she hoped flattening! A rose silk top, with a tiny artificial rose just above her left breast, went very well with the trousers. Good, one more thing taken care of.

  Charlie had arranged to collect her next to Buchanan St Bus Station. He was being coy about where they were going, so again, since she liked surprises, Gill went along with it. It couldn’t be any worse than going to Gary’s brother’s wedding, without knowing about it in advance, could it?

  By four thirty, Gill was showered, dressed and made up. Studying her reflection in the mirror, she decided the trousers had been a good buy. They detracted from her generous hips and the flattering side zip held in her stomach. Five minutes later her taxi arrived and she set off for town.

  Even though it was rush hour, full of Saturday shoppers and football-goers, she arrived in town within twenty minutes. When the taxi dropped her off above the taxi rank at Buchanan St Bus Station, Gill found Charlie already sitting waiting for her, in a silver BMW 5 series. He tooted the horn so she knew it was him and, smiling, Gill approached the car. Charlie got out and greeted her with a kiss on the lips.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘As I’ll ever be.’

  ‘I’ve missed you,’ he murmured into her hair, before he released her.

  How to respond to that? Gill wondered. She settled for a noncommittal, ‘Yes, it’s been a while.’

  Charlie had missed her and tonight he would pull out all the stops to get what he wanted.

  As they drove along the M8 and across the Erskine Bridge, Gill couldn’t help but be impressed. A bit of thought had gone into this. Charlie asked her about Barcelona and she filled him in on her trip, although she intentionally left out the part about getting mugged.

  As they headed up towards Balloch, Gill had an inkling of their destination. There weren’t so many exceptional, well-known places in this area. Of course, Charlie didn’t know that her brother lived up this way.

  As they pulled into a viewpoint at Luss, Gill was pretty sure she had guessed tonight’s venue correctly. With the rain recently stopped, a magnificent rainbow hung over Loch Lomond and made for a breathtaking sight. The mist dissipated, enhancing the vista of the famous loch. It was still cool, however, and as they chatted and walked a little way along from the viewpoint, Charlie put his arm around Gill, ostensibly to keep her warm. When they turned back towards the car, Charlie stopped suddenly and Gill turned to him with a questioning look. His eyes raked over her face and then putting his hands on her waist, he kissed her.

  Wow! If there was one thing Charlie excelled at, it was kissing. Gill felt dizzy. The kiss
was so languorous, so soft and so incredibly sexy. She felt quite hot, as they came up for air, and her heart was beating like a drum.

  ‘I’ve needed to do that since you got in the car.’

  Gill simply smiled at him.

  ‘Hungry?’ he asked.

  She was hungry, but she didn’t know if for food or something else. Charlie had that effect on her. For all her best intentions, this man had an incredible aptitude for turning her on.

  Gill nodded, and he put his hand in hers as they walked back to the car. Neither said anything.

  They drove along the road, until they, as Gill had suspected, took the turning for Cameron House.

  As the car swept into the grounds, a seaplane landed on the loch nearby, no doubt bringing some wealthy clients to the hotel. Charlie parked and then they walked together into the Michelin starred restaurant.

  The maître d’ and a waiter showed them to their table, then offered to take their coats.

  Once they were seated and presented with menus, Gill commented,

  ‘Very swish.’

  ‘I thought you might like it. Have you been before?’

  ‘No, I’ve been to Cameron House, but not this restaurant.’

  ‘Yes, they have several. I love it here. I’ve stayed here quite a lot over the years. We used to come for golf breaks.’

  ‘My brother lives just down the road.’

  ‘Really? We should pop in on the way back.’

  Noting Gill’s alarm, Charlie grinned and said, ‘Just kidding. The last thing I want to do right now is meet your brother and have him grill me about my intentions towards his sister.’

  Gill laughed, ‘Chris isn’t like that. He’s very laid back.’

  ‘That’s good to know, for when I do meet him,’ said Charlie.

  He was very sure of himself, Gill thought. But then, thinking back to that kiss, no wonder.

  Charlie asked Gill if she’d like to choose the wine. Gill accepted the wine list he held out to her, and after being bamboozled by the sheer volume of wines the restaurant stocked, and feeling quite faint at some of the prices of the more exclusive wines, she chose a Mâcon Villages. She then turned her attention to the menu and her mouth watered at the array of choices. She opted for the Orkney Scallop with Wild Mushroom, Truffle Sauce and Bellota Ham, whilst Charlie went for Langoustine Ravioli and Braised Endive with Orange, for starters.

  ‘It all looks delicious,’ said Gill, trying hard not to openly salivate. Heavenly smells assailed her senses, as waiters brought food to tables around them.

  For mains, Gill decided upon the Halibut, and after initially being unable to make up his mind between the Roe Deer and the Sea Bass, Charlie went for the Roe Deer.

  The waiter took their order, and minutes later their bottle of white was opened for them, with the remainder being left to chill in a silver ice bucket.

  The food was truly superb. The scallops, so soft and tender, just a tiny bit chargrilled to add that extra depth of flavour, were divine. The halibut, faultless – a meaty fish, in Gill’s experience, unless cooked to perfection, could become chewy and bland, but it was excellent. The wine flowed and Gill forgot her resolution to keep her alcohol intake in check. She was quite simply having a wonderful time, with an incredibly, sexy man, who had brought her to Cameron House for dinner.

  When the meal was over, Gill tried to split the bill with him, as it was pretty hefty. Charlie would have none of it. ‘My treat.’

  ‘Then thanks,’ Gill smiled warmly at him. ‘It was lovely.’

  ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. How about a short walk to work off our meal?’

  Gill readily agreed and after Charlie had settled the bill, they set off for a walk around the grounds. Every so often Charlie would stop, supposedly to admire the view, but he always found an opportunity to kiss Gill, hold her to him, or brush against her. It was quite thrilling and Gill found herself getting quite turned on.

  As they headed back towards the car park, Charlie kissed behind Gill’s ear and said, ‘We don’t have to go back, you know.’

  Gill stared at him. Being outside had made the alcohol she had drunk treble in effect. Her head was starting to spin, whether from the booze or the company, she couldn’t quite make up her mind.

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I booked a suite, just in case you wanted to stay.’

  ‘You what?’ Gill tried for indignant, but it didn’t quite come out that way, as she was privately a little impressed.

  ‘No pressure. I just took the precaution in case we were having so nice a time, we didn’t want to drive back tonight. What do you think?’

  What did she think? She wasn’t sure - although a lie down sounded like a great idea at the moment. She really shouldn’t have drunk so much wine.

  Charlie sensed her hesitation and pounced, ‘Tell you what, why don’t we take a look? It can’t do any harm just to see what it’s like. And if you still want to go home tonight, I’ll drive you. I’ve only had two glasses of wine. With the amount of food we’ve eaten, over the space of a few hours, I’m fine to drive.’

  Realising the truth in this, Gill thought, why not? She’d never stayed at Cameron House before. Why not see what the rooms were like? It would be a shame to pass up the chance.

  ‘OK, let’s see what it’s like, but no pressure?’

  ‘None at all.’

  Charlie returned to his car and removed an overnight bag.

  ‘Just some essentials.’

  They made their way into the hotel, Charlie asked for the key, and after swiping his credit card they headed for the lift.

  Charlie let Gill enter the room first. It was incredible. It must be costing him a fortune.

  Gill took in the sumptuous suite, the four poster bed, the free-standing bathtub which she glimpsed in the en suite. She copied Charlie when he hung up his jacket. She then stood at the window, admiring the view.

  ‘It’s stunning,’ she said.

  ‘Not as stunning as you,’ Charlie said. Gill jumped. She had thought he was still on the other side of the room. Just being this close to him, drove her wild with desire. He smiled at her, gazed into her eyes and kissed her. His hands caressed her back as he pulled her gently towards him. Gill kissed him back. It was difficult to tell who was the most aroused. Soon her hands were untucking Charlie’s shirt and she stroked his back, as he moaned against her. His fingers crept underneath her top, roaming over her stomach until they reached what he sought. He stimulated her nipples through her bra until she gasped. He stopped momentarily whilst he undid the zip on her trousers. Gill giggled and gasped again, as initially he was searching for the zip of her trousers at the front, but merely succeeded in touching a rather heightened part of her. She let her hands travel over his chest, as he continued his ministrations lower down. Finally, she could wait no longer. She unzipped his trousers. Soon they were sprawled across the bed, both of them wearing just their underwear. Gill was thankful to be wearing her second best lingerie set tonight. She hadn’t expected this to be the outcome. But right now she wanted nothing more than to feel Charlie inside her. She felt as if every molecule in her body was on fire. They continued their foreplay until Charlie asked Gill if she was ready for him. As he bit the wrapper off the condom, Gill tingled with anticipation.

  There was a knock at the door. Startled, Gill looked at Charlie. He shook his head. The knock came again, more insistent. Irritated, Charlie simply said to Gill, ‘They’ll realise they have the wrong room and go away in a second. Now, where were we?’

  Then whoever was outside the door began hammering on the door. This dampened their ardour considerably.

  ‘All right, I’m coming,’ said Charlie, muttering under his breath, as he threw on his trousers, ‘I wish.’

  He reached the door and opened it, his expression thunderous. ‘Yes?’ he barked, ready to annihilate whoever was interrupting him.

  ‘Hello darling, interrupting something, am I? asked his wife, as she pushed past him
into the room.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Saturday 8th October

  ‘Gill, what on earth are you doing here? Is everything all right?’ her brother’s face was full of concern, as he led his sobbing sister into the house.

  ‘I’m sorry; I’m just such an idiot.’

  ‘Come in,’ Christopher steered her into the living room, where Sarah stared open-mouthed at Gill’s unkempt state.

  Gill was trembling with shock.

  ‘Sarah, can you make her some sweet tea, please?’ Christopher asked his wife.

  ‘What’s happened? What are you doing up here? How did you get here? I didn’t see your car,’ her brother asked her, as he put his arm around her shoulder then cradled her to his chest when she continued to sob.

  ‘I g-g-got a taxi, f-f-from Cameron House.’

  ‘Cameron House? What were you doing there?’

  And then the whole sorry tale unfolded. Gill told him how she had been out with Charlie a few times, how they had gone to Cameron House for dinner and had a lovely time, and that the meal was amazing. She had to stop herself from extolling the virtues of the wonderful food, even in the state she was in and with everything that had happened.

  When Sarah returned with the tea, Gill launched into how Charlie had booked a suite, just in case they felt like staying up by the loch side. Christopher’s face turned puce with rage, as he expected he knew where this was going – but he was wrong.

  ‘I don’t really feel very comfortable telling you the next bit, but basically we were just about to…’

  ‘Get jiggy?’ Sarah asked helpfully.

  ‘Yes, but then there was a knock at the door.’

  ‘Who was it?’ asked Sarah, curious.

  ‘His w-w-wife.’

  ‘I’ll kill him,’ said Christopher, already reaching for his jacket.

  ‘Chris, no. I think his wife might do that. I can’t believe I didn’t know he was married. He told me he was divorced.’