“You’ve finished your knight errant act for the evening, I presume?”
“Knight…oh yeah, yes, I have.” Flipp bit her lip comically at his near-mistake but he only frowned back at her.
“Good. Because I need you. I’m at Councillor Trewin’s house. Do you know it?”
“In Clifftops?”
“Yes. I hope you haven’t had a drink. You’ll need the bike.”
“Just half of a half. I’m okay to drive. I’ll be there in ten.”
“His master’s voice,” Flipp said sardonically, watching Rocky attempt to squeeze the phone back into that confined space below his hipbone.
“I’m sorry, Flipp. He pays my rent. He buys my time. I have to go.”
“I love you, you pay my rent.” Flipp sang the Pet Shop Boys line halfheartedly, watching Rocky gather himself, offering her upturned face for a swift goodbye kiss.
“I’ll see you. Take care.”
“Yeah. You too. It’s a jungle out there.” Flipp watched him weave through the mob of laughing drinkers, unaccountably sad and deflated. Why did life have to be so complex? “When I just wanna sit here and watch you undress.” She sang the P. J. Harvey lyric under her breath, goose pimpling at the bit that came next. “This is love, love, love that I’m feeling.” The rush of realisation was close to nausea. She had to shut her eyes to keep back the tears. No, it’s a crush. Great sex with a great-looking man. Who is clever and funny and caring…Stop.
Across the road from the hotel, at the pier entrance, Laura lingered, waiting. Ah, here he was. But he was alone, minus the bottle-blonde bitch, whoever she was. Laura felt viciously offended that she had been thrown over for such a trashy-looking specimen. She looked as if she hardly washed, in those hippy-dippy tie-dye clothes. And she wore a nose ring. Ugh. Rocky obviously didn’t recognise real class when he had it underneath him. Well, that was his bad luck. No, no, it’s mine. Because I want him back. So very very badly. And this is one thing I can’t ask Daddy for.
He was almost at the bike now. Laura hugged herself, bubbling up with nervous laughter. He was crouching down, frowning. One hand felt the front tyre and she heard his exasperated, “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Laura put the craft knife back in her handbag and stepped out of the shadows.
“Roadside rescue,” she said, smiling felinely when he whirled around to glare at her.
“Is this you?” He brandished a furious hand at the slashed tyres. “Did you do this?”
“Would I? Do I look like a slasher?” She put a manicured finger up to the three deep nail welts beneath his eye.
“I know you are. What’s wrong with you? You’ve lost your mind, sweetheart. Back off, Laura. Stop embarrassing yourself. It’s over.”
“You’re the one embarrassing yourself, sweetheart. Running around town with that walking trash heap. She looks as if she has fleas. Ugh. I don’t know if I should stand anywhere near you. You might have caught them off her.”
“Laura, are you still twelve? Because you certainly sound it.”
Laura knew Rocky well enough to recognise that his lofty tone hid a trace of panic. Hmm. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to be seen with Blondie. Well, then, he should have been more careful and taken her out of town for their rendezvous. A lesson in discretion for him or—even better—a warning to leave the new squeeze alone.
“Now run along, little girl. I’ve got tyres to repair.”
“I didn’t mean to make you angry,” said Laura, changing her tack, suddenly a picture of pouting contrition. “Even though you’re very sexy when you’re mad. I keep hoping you might put me over your knee for a spanking. Would you like to do that? You can, if it would make you feel better.” Laura thrust out a hip in its cherry-print rah-rah skirt, slapping her own hand down on her shapely bottom.
“Not really. But I expect your father’s friends might oblige if you asked.” Rocky bit down on his lip.
Laura knew he found it hard to control his acid tongue when he was angry, but what had he meant by that? She looked at him long and hard, but his eyes were impenetrable, just like the rest of him.
“Fuck you, Rocky,” Laura snarled, nudging the toe of her sandal into the small of his back. “I want you back. I’ve got more going for me than that scarecrow thing I saw you with. Stop sulking and come over here and give me what I deserve, big boy.” She moved her foot up his spine, then down again, but he brushed her off as if she were a fly.
“You don’t want me back. You’re not having me back. And the girl you saw me with was just a friend. Got that? You’re out of my life, Laura. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.”
“You’re never been a Sound of Music fan,” Laura exclaimed wonderingly.
“Go. Away.”
“I’ll give you a lift to wherever you’re going if you like.”