‘That long?’
‘It’s a lot of money, Jack.’
‘Don’t give the shit a day more than a month.’
‘I won’t. I’ve got to go, but I will see you during the weekend. And thanks for caring about me.’
‘It’s just a bad habit.’
‘Jack?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I miss you, you know.’
‘Just be safe, Lana.’
‘Bye, Jack.’
‘Bye, Lana,’ he says and there is so much sadness in his voice that Lana wants to call him back and reassure him that it isn’t so bad. She is not selling her soul, only her body.
In the doctor’s surgery Lana passes over the envelope and is ushered into a room with the nurse who asks and does the necessary with brisk efficiency. Afterwards, she discusses several options and recommends Microgynon.
‘Take it from today. Since your last period ended two days ago you should be protected immediately, but just to be safe use a condom for the next seven days,’ she advises.
Twenty minutes after Lana entered that small blue and white room she has a prescription for three months’ supply of contraceptive pills.
The receptionist has an envelope addressed to Mr. Jay Benby for Lana. This letter is sealed.
Lana thanks her and goes outside. Peter jumps out of the car and opens the door for her. He goes around the back of the car and gets into the driver’s seat.
‘If you give me the prescription, I’ll pick it up for you while you are at the solicitors.’
For some strange reason Lana feels the heat rush up her throat.
‘I have daughters your age,’ he says kindly, and Lana leans forward and hands him the prescription. ‘Thanks, Mr. Edwards.’
‘No worries.’
‘Er… How long have you been working for Mr.
Barrington?’
‘Going on five years now.’
‘Is he… Is he a fair man?’
Peter Edwards meets her eyes in the mirror. ‘He’s as straight as a die,’ he says, but by his tone Lana realizes that he will volunteer no more than that. She turns her head and watches the people on the street.
The solicitor’s offices are in an old building in the West End. She is surprised to note that it is not the slick place she had expected. The hushed air of importance, mingled with an impression that nothing much ever happens here, makes it feel more like a library. A receptionist shows her into Mr. Jay Benby’s room.
The room smells faintly of polish. The carpet is green, his table is an old antique inlaid with green leather, and the old-fashioned, mahogany bookshelves are filled with thick volumes of law books. Behind Mr. Benby there is a dark, rather grim painting of a countryside landscape in a gilded frame. The painting is so old that the sky is yellow in some parts and brown in others. Mr. Benby rises from the depths of a deeply padded black leather chair. His grip is very firm and his smile serves as a polite welcome. He is wearing a dark, three-piece suit and a red, silk tie. And his hair—what little is left of it—has been carefully slicked back.
He waves his hand towards one of the chairs in front of his desk and she sees that he is wearing a ring with a large, opaque, blue stone on his little finger. It strikes her as incongruous. She remembers a story her mother once told her. He was rich and wore a turquoise ring from Nishapur on his little finger.
Everything else about Mr. Benby and his office says, Trust me. I’m good for it. The opaque ring alone screams, I’m a liar.
After exchanging brief pleasantries he pushes a stapled, thin bunch of papers towards her. ‘Here is your contract.’
She looks at it. Consensual Sexual Acts and Confidentiality Agreement.
‘You are within your rights to take it home, read it yourself and if you prefer, get your own lawyer to look at it, but no amendments can be made to it.’
Lana bites her lip and eyes the contract. ‘Can you show me where it says I will receive the hundred thousand pounds?’
He appears surprised. ‘Of course,’ he says. His kind don’t talk about money openly. They just bill you. He turns the contact to its second page and puts a clean, blunt finger to the clause that she is asking for.
She sees that it clearly states that she will be paid the sum as soon as she signs the contract. She looks up at Benby. ‘Do you have a pen?’
His eyebrows rise. ‘Don’t you want to read it first?’
She shakes her head.
He looks at her sternly. ‘This agreement has been drawn up so there is never any…misunderstanding. You must be fully aware of the gravity and nature of the contract you are about to sign and agree to abide by its conditions. There are some clauses in there that are of utmost importance.’