‘I just wanted to teach Jasper Jay a lesson,’ he said. ‘Fucking high and mighty fucking twat. Just wanted to scare him and split you up.’
‘But … but … he’s been on to his lawyers and the press. Everyone’s going to know there’s some dodgy tape. God, I hope they haven’t mentioned Ava’s name! But I guess … they wouldn’t … oh, sod this. I’ve got to go.’
I left Will trying to get back to his feet and catch me, but I had a good few yards’ advantage and I flew back to the car, heart pounding.
I was almost too strung up to drive, my hands shaking and the road back to Jasper’s estate seeming strangely unfamiliar and out of focus, but I somehow got to the house without any collisions and sped up the drive. If it hadn’t been for the gravel, I think my tyres would have actually squealed when I slammed on the brakes by the front door.
I dropped my key three times before I could wrestle it into the lock, but finally I rushed into the hallway and called for Jasper.
‘Jasper! It’s OK. I’ve got it. I’ve got the tape.’
I heard his bedroom door bang and his feet on the stairs. I prayed that his face wouldn’t be that cold, dead-eyed version I’d last seen on him.
‘What are you talking about? What are you doing here?’
He appeared on the landing. I proffered the videotape.
‘This is it, isn’t it?’
He rushed down and snatched it from me.
‘God, I hope so,’ he said, and took it into his office.
I followed him and looked over his shoulder as he fed the tape into one of his cameras and pressed play.
In the little screen, I could see only greyness at first, then a bed with cuffs attached to each one of its four posts, viewed through a doorway. There was a woman on the bed, but it wasn’t until the end of a long tracking shot ending at the footboard that she became clearly and definitively Ava Rose. Despite the blindfold, it was obvious that those tethered wrists and ankles belonged to the Queen of Saxenland.
‘This is it,’ said Jasper, exhaling massively. ‘Oh God. This is it. Shit. I think I’m going to have to sit down.’
He sank into his office chair and put his head between his knees.
I wanted to go over and rub his shoulders or perform some other action of a soothing nature. But perhaps that would draw attention to me and he’d remember that he’d sent me away.
Instead, I looked at the camera. The tape was still running, but fast-forwarded, so that Jasper and Ava played their scene at a comic speed. Cane strokes fell too quickly and there was much epic thrusting and thrashing. It looked like fun. I wondered if Ava had that much fun now.
When Jasper looked up, his eyes were bloodshot. I couldn’t interpret the look on his face – was it anger, sadness, curiosity, contemplation, what?
‘I’ve got some calls to make,’ he said. ‘Go and get us a brandy, love, would you?’
Love. I was his love again.
When I took the brandy in to the office, he was talking to his lawyer again in a low, urgent voice. He put the phone down and necked down a substantial slug of his drink.
‘Is it going to be OK?’ I asked, my voice coming out in a timid whisper.
‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘My lawyer didn’t ever tell anyone what he thought they had in their possession. So they don’t know it’s a sex tape. It’s just an item of my property. They can guess, of course … but the main thing is, Ava’s name wasn’t mentioned. Only mine.’
‘Oh, that’s great. So they don’t really have a story and they’ll probably just drop it?’
‘Well, I suppose they’ll think there’s no smoke without fire and dig around in the dirt for a while. But they can dig all they like. That tape will be burnt.’
I nodded and waited for whatever was coming next. A fond goodbye? A word of thanks? A curt dismissal?
No. What came next was completely unexpected. He blinked and I could see a dark cloud of suspicion crossing his face.
‘Wait a moment,’ he said. ‘How did you get this?’
‘I went to Will’s place and saw it in his living room.’