‘Have you got them on now?’ I ask with a smile.
‘Don’t be daft. I’ve made an altar in my bedroom and placed them there.’
I laugh, feeling the cold wind in my face as the swing rocks me. ‘Do they fit?’
‘Of course, they fit. If they didn’t I’d have cut my feet to fit,’ she declares intensely.
‘You’re so mad, Stel.’
‘That’s no insult. That’s a gift. Haven’t you heard we throw the best parties. Talking of parties, we have to go out and celebrate my new shoes.’
‘Oh yes, lets, but hang on. Didn’t you go out on a date last night?’
‘Oh, screw him,’ she dismisses in a disgusted voice.
‘Why what happened?’
‘I’ll tell you everything when I see you,’ she says cheerfully, ‘I’ve got loads of exciting things to tell you. Shall we meet tonight?’
‘Tonight is good.’
‘Let’s go to Jamie’s. We’ll get drunk on something completely vile.’
‘Jamies! I can already taste the hangover.’ She can’t see me but I am nodding happily. I really miss Stella. She’s as irresistible as a laughing child.
‘I’m on a diet by the way,’ she says, ‘so can we meet early? That way I can just drink my dinner.’
‘You mean to say we’re not going to end up at Taki’s afterwards?’
‘I said I was missing dinner not supper.’
I laugh.
‘Seven OK with you.’
‘Yup.’
‘Oh, and I might be wearing my new shoes.’
‘You’re wearing them now, aren’t you?’ I ask.
She laughs. ‘You know me too well.’
We say goodbye and I get off the swing and go in search of Noah. As I get to the doors I turn back to look at the garden. At the bottom of it I can see Nico, a young shy boy, filling the bird feeders with seeds. I stand for a minute watching how quickly the blue tits come to feed. As I watch a robin comes and chases the smaller bird away.
That surprises me. I know from watching the birds from my window that the pigeons can be belligerent and antagonistic to each other, but it has never crossed my mind that the pretty Robin could be so aggressive. It reminds me of Zane’s assertion that the world is run by ferocity. Even the thought he could be right makes me sad.
With a sigh I open the door and enter the house. I tell Noah that I am meeting up with Stella at Jamie’s at seven o’clock and he doesn’t bat an eyelid.
‘I’ll check with boss and let you know if it’s OK,’ he says.
‘You can check with him all you like, but I’m going to see Stella tomorrow no matter what,’ I say coolly and walk out of the kitchen door.
My morning is mapped out. I’ll work for a bit, then I’ll work out in the gym and use the steam room.
Four
Dahlia Fury
Humidity’s rising, barometer’s getting low …
The steam room is made entirely from some highly polished black stone. There is a bench carved out of the same material pushed up against the opposite wall. I close the door and go to sit on it. The seat is full of cool water droplets. I lean back against the wet wall, close my eyes, and breathe in the hot damp air. Minutes pass and my body begins to bead with sweat.
My eyes fly open when I hear a sound. I see a hulking shape through the frosted glass door. Someone is outside hanging up his towel. It can only be Zane. I straighten my spine and touch my hair self-consciously. It is impossible to look good in a steam room. The door opens and Zane walks in.
For a few seconds he towers over me, naked, his thick cock standing proud between his thighs. Then he walks over and kneels in front of me. Tiny droplets of steam billow between us. His black hair is plastered to his head and for some inexplicable reason he seems … dangerous.
Heart in mouth, I stare at him. I can’t look away or speak. I feel like a freaking rabbit, huddled, small and helpless. From the very first night he has had this ability to completely immobilize me purely by his presence. My lips feel hot and swollen, and I lick them nervously.
Without saying a word he unclasps my bikini top, and when it falls off, he bends forwards and takes a nipple in his mouth.
‘I’m all sweaty,’ I protest.
He sucks.
A warm gush of excitement spreads through my veins. My body arches. My hands rise up to curl on the hard, shiny muscles of his shoulders. His skin is feverishly hot, but my hands are so wet they slip on his skin. I look down at him and his piercing eyes are watching me intently. He holds my nipple between his teeth and not taking his eyes off me me bites down. The deliberate cruelty sends a jolt of sensation right down to my groin.