He kissed me lightly on the lips. “After I’m finished we’ll get out of here, yeah? Head off somewhere, just you and me. We can do whatever you feel like. Go for a drive or get something to eat, maybe.”
“Just us?”
“Absolutely. Whatever you want.”
“It all sounds good.”
His graze dipped back to my chest. “You’re still a little cold. I could warm you up. Where do you stand on me copping a feel in public?”
“That’s a no.” I turned my face to take a sip of the water. Arctic air or no, I needed cooling down.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Come on. With great breasts come great responsibility.” He took my hand and led me through the crowd of party people as I laughed. He didn’t stop for anyone.
There was a small room attached to the back with a rack of garment bags and some make-up scattered around. Mirrors on the walls, a big bouquet of flowers, and a sofa that was very much occupied. Jimmy sat there in another dapper suit, legs spread with a woman kneeling between them. Her face was in his lap, head bobbing. No prizes for guessing what they were up to. The red of her dress clued me in to her identity, though I could have lived a long and happy life never knowing. Kaetrin’s dark hair was wrapped tight around Jimmy’s fist. In his other hand he held a bottle of whiskey. Two neat white lines of powder sat on the coffee table along with a small silver straw.
Holy crap. So this was the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. Suddenly my palms felt sweaty. But this wasn’t what David was into. This wasn’t him. I knew that.
“Ev,” Jimmy said in a husky voice, a sleazy, slow smile spreading across his face. “Looking good, darlin’.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“Come on.” David’s hands clutched my shoulders, turning me away from the scene. He was livid, his mouth a bitter line.
“What, not going to say hi to Kaetrin, Dave? That’s a bit harsh. Thought you two were good friends.”
“Fuck off, Jimmy.”
Behind us Jimmy groaned long and loud as the show on the couch reached its obvious conclusion. My husband slammed the door shut. The party continued on, music pumping out of the sound system, glasses clinking and lots of loud conversation. We were out of there, but David stared off into the middle distance, oblivious to everything, it seemed. His face was lined with tension.
“David?”
“Five minutes,” yelled Adrian, clapping his hands high in the air. “Show time. Let’s go.”
David’s eyelids blinked rapidly as if he was waking up in the middle of a bad dream.
The atmosphere in the room was suddenly charged with excitement. The crowd cheered and Jimmy staggered on out with Kaetrin in tow. More cheering and shouts of encouragement for the band to take to the stage, along with some knowing laughter over Jimmy and the girl’s re-appearance.
“Let’s do this!” shouted Jimmy, shaking hands and clapping people on the back as he moved through the room. “Come on, Davie.”
My husband’s shoulders hiked up. “Martha.”
The woman sauntered over, her face a careful mask. “What can I do for you?”
“Look after Ev while I’m on stage.”
“Sure.”
“Look, I’ve got to go but I’ll be right back,” he said to me.
“Of course. Go.”
With a final kiss to my forehead he went, shoulders hunched in protectively. I had the maddest impulse to go after him. To stop him. To do something. Mal joined him at the door and slung an arm around his neck. David didn’t look back. The bulk of the people followed them. I stood alone, watching the exodus. He’d been right, the room was cold. I clutched his jacket around me tighter, letting the scent of him soothe me. Everything was fine. If I kept telling myself that, sooner or later it would become true. Even the bits I didn’t understand would work out. I had to have faith. And damn it, I did have faith. But my smile was long gone.
Martha watched me, her immaculate expression never altering.
After a moment, her red lips parted. “I’ve known David a very long time.”
“That’s nice,” I said, refusing to be cowed by her cool gaze.
“Yes. He’s enormously talented and driven. It makes him intense about things, passionate.”
I said nothing.
“Sometimes he gets carried away. It doesn’t mean anything.” Martha stared at my ring. With an elegant motion she tucked her dark hair back behind her ear. Above a beautifully set cluster of dark red stones sat a single, small, winking diamond. Little more than a chip, it didn’t really seem to fit Martha’s expensive veneer. “When you’re ready I’ll show you where you can watch the show from.”