A Kiss To Remember

‘Now, let me get this straight,’ Vanessa resumed, once they’d settled at the kitchen table with their coffee. ‘Lover-boy Lance has left his wife and—’

‘His wife left him,’ Angie corrected.

‘Do you know why?’

‘There’s another man, I gather. From what Lance said, there’d been more than one.’

‘You’re telling me that Mr Irresistible’s wife has been having affairs?’ Vanessa said sceptically. ‘After only four years?’

Angie shrugged. ‘Maybe she was a slut.’

‘And maybe her superstud husband was so busy servicing every attractive female he came across, he didn’t have time for the little wife back home.’

‘He says he’s not like that any more.’

‘For heaven’s sake, Angie, he had you flat on your back within an hour or two of meeting you again. That’s pretty good going, don’t you think? And hardly the action of a recently faithful husband.’

‘It might very well be the action of a recently faithful husband,’ Angie argued, her face flushing with indignation as Vanessa voiced her own fears out loud. The cold light of morning rather made one see things differently. ‘If he was completely conscienceless, he wouldn’t have stopped once he found out I was a virgin.’

Vanessa gave her a pitying look. ‘You don’t believe that any more than I do. He’s merely exchanged a few seconds of passing pleasure for a whole night’s worth of proper bonking. He gave you a line of bull, darling, and you fell for it.’

Angie put her mug down with a clank. ‘Hey! You were one who said I should get myself laid, remember? Well, I’m going to. Tonight. And Lance is going to do the honours.’

Vanessa gave her another pitying look. ‘You still love him, don’t you? It’s the only explanation for your putting yourself through this torture.’

‘What torture? Lance makes love like a dream. I ought to know. I had an advance sample last night in his car.’

‘He might make love like a dream but the afterwards will be a nightmare! Hell, Angie, you pined over one bloody kiss for nine years. Lord knows what one entire night’s expert lovemaking will do to you! On a scale of one for a kiss and ten for the real thing, you’ll be a cot-case for ninety years!’

Tears suddenly flooded Angie eyes. ‘You think I don’t know that?’ she choked out, jumping to her feet and running for the bedroom. She was already sobbing uncontrollably by the time she hit the unmade bed, face-down.

Vanessa wasn’t far behind. ‘Oh, dear,’ she sighed, sitting down on the side of the bed and putting a sympathetic hand on her weeping friend’s shoulder. ‘You really should stop all that bawling. It’s going to make your eyes red and puffy. Cinderella can be covered in chimney dust when Prince Charming arrives, but her eyes are never red and puffy. Look, don’t take any notice of me. I’m probably just jealous. You go and bonk your brains out with him. Who knows? It might get him out of your system. Even if it doesn’t, it might get you into his. Maybe, when the night is over, he won’t, want it to be over. Do you get my drift?’

Angie rolled over, blinking as rapidly as her heart was suddenly beating. ‘Do you really think that’s possible, Vanessa?’

‘Hell, honey, if I were a guy and you presented yourself to me on a silver platter, I reckon I’d want to keep you on that silver platter for more than one miserable night. You’re the genuine article, and genuine articles don’t come along very often these days.’

Angie sat up and threw her arms around a startled Vanessa, hugging her fiercely. ‘Oh, thank you for saying that!’ she exclaimed excitedly. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’

‘Lordie, Miss Claudie!’ Vanessa said, extracting herself from Angie’s fierce embrace. ‘You are an emotional little thing under that cool exterior of yours, aren’t you?’

Angie smiled as she dashed away her tears. ‘Our family’s rather given to hugging, that’s all.’

‘Does dear Lance know what he’s getting tonight?’ Vanessa asked drily.