Forfeit (Original Edit)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Even a second glass of pink champagne wasn’t improving my mood. I lay on my bed in lovely red, silk underwear, trying to summon the enthusiasm to get dressed. Things aren’t brilliant, are they? Those five words had played in my head on auto-repeat for the last three days. My relationship with Xander was disintegrating. We’d tiptoe around each other until he went to work and invariably by, the time he’d get back, I’d be pissed, snippy, or quite often both. 

Twenty thousand pounds sat in a plain brown envelope on my dresser. What the hell was happening to me? In five days I’d be celebrating the anniversary of the death of my husband and tonight I’d handover ten grand so I could get a dare I was bloody certain I wouldn’t want to do. 

Next to the envelope sat a small glass vial, the coke Tabitha had snuck into my hand on Christmas Eve so I could cheer Xander up. I hadn’t used it that night, but I had on Boxing Day. Did tonight warrant a little help too? Quite frankly, I found it astonishing I hadn’t succumbed already. Two tiny lines later, I lay on the bed, listening to music with a satisfied smile on my face.

‘I thought you were getting dressed.’ Xander leant against the bathroom door, fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. 

We’d barely kissed each other in three days. These were definite eggshell times but, my God, he was sexy. I gave him a slow wink. 

‘What have you taken?’ he sighed. 

‘The coke.’ I pointed to the dressing table and arranged myself prettily on the bed. ‘Come and play?’

‘We’ll be late.’ 

‘Who cares?’ 

‘Have you been doing this a lot?’

     ‘No.’ I rearranged my legs. ‘Aside from the teensy bit we had on Boxing Day the last time was with you at James’ party. You look very disapproving but you were the one shoving it up my nose that night.’

     ‘That was James’ party. It’s a night for that sort of thing and Boxing Day was a bit weird.’ Still leaning in the doorway, his eyes flicked towards the dresser then back to me, giving me a long looking over. The red silk underwear was working.  

     ‘Xand, if there’s ever a night for that sort of thing, it’s tonight, baby.’  

     We were late and I couldn’t care less. The coke and the dalliance proved to be just what we needed to break the tension between us. For the first time in days, we were happy.

     Just before we went into the OBB, Xander stopped, pulling me to him for a kiss and I enjoyed a few minutes of inappropriate, very public snogging. The second we separated, I gazed up at Xander, wanting more, but he had the most arrogant smile as he looked through the window into the OBB. Oh God, Daniel Campbell was here. In a sharp tuxedo, looking more Hollywood movie star than ever, Daniel stared at me. 

     I faux-swatted Xander with my handbag. ‘There’s no need to stake your claim.’ 

     ‘Fun though,’ he said, draping a proprietary arm around my shoulders as we went into the bar.

     Usually there’d be air-kisses galore, but tonight no one seemed willing to put in the effort. James, looking fabulous in a beautifully tailored tuxedo, the tie undone, ignored me, his usual bored scowl never slipping as he drummed his fingers on Tabitha’s bare leg. She gave us a brief smile to say hello but went back to studying her nail polish and occasionally knocking back large mouthfuls of her drink. By her rather glitzy black cocktail dress, I’d say she was going to the same party as James. They made a beautiful but terribly languid pair.