‘Sorry. I couldn’t resist. I thought it was a better revenge, his believing I’d moved on almost as quickly as he had. You didn’t mind, did you?’
Of course I minded, Jack thought. But it was impossible to say so. Stupid, too. ‘Not at all,’ he lied. ‘I thought you conducted yourself brilliantly. Much better than you saying things you might regret. Dignity is always the best policy.’
‘I thought honesty was the best policy.’
‘That too.’
‘In that case, I want to tell you how much I appreciate having you by my side tonight, Jack. I can honestly say you are more of a man than Daryl could ever be.’
Jack’s heart lurched in his chest. Hopefully, it didn’t show on his face how much her compliment meant to him. Because, despite her voicing admiration for him, he knew that Vivienne still wasn’t ready yet to fall in love again.
‘That’s sweet of you to say so...darling,’ he added with a cheeky smile, determined to keep a light note to the evening. ‘I presume you don’t want to leave yet?’
‘I don’t think we should,’ Vivienne answered, despite really wanting to. ‘Frank might be offended, and he’s not a man you should offend. I don’t care for myself but he’d be a dangerous enemy for you to have, Jack.’
‘I don’t give a damn about Ellison. I’ll survive without his patronage. But if you like we’ll stay a while and stick it to Daryl some more.’
‘Good idea. Now, I simply have to go to the ladies’. All this champagne. Wait for me here, would you?’ Handing Jack her now empty glass, she turned and made her way slowly back inside.
Jack watched her go, thinking how classy she was. The kind of woman a man would be lucky to marry.
He sighed, then wandered over to the nearest outdoor setting where he put down the two champagne glasses. He was about to turn and walk back towards the house—he’d made up his mind to collect Vivienne and leave—when he saw Daryl slink out of the pool house, hurriedly doing up his trousers. A sexy-looking brunette followed, giggling and sorting out her own dishevelled clothes. When Daryl saw Jack watching them, he said something to the brunette, who hurried off whilst Daryl sauntered over to Jack with a smarmy guilt lurking in his heavy-lidded eyes.
‘It’s not what you think,’ came the cliché.
‘Why should you care what I think?’ Jack returned coldly.
‘I don’t. I just don’t want you to make trouble for me and Courtney.’
‘I don’t give a damn what you do, mate. Just keep away from Vivienne.’
Daryl laughed. ‘I won’t be going back there, mate. Trust me on that. She’s too screwed up for me. Not only a tidy nut but bloody boring in bed. Lord knows what you see in her. Great body, though. I’ll give her that.’
Jack gritted his teeth. Hard. There was only so much a man in love could take. His right fist shot out before he could stop it, connecting with Daryl’s decidedly soft stomach with the force of a jackhammer. Daryl made a whooshing sound as he doubled over, all the air rushing from his lungs like a pricked balloon. And then he did something even better than collapsing at Jack’s feet. Clutching his stomach, he stupidly tried to straighten up, staggering backwards to the edge of the pool before falling, arms flailing widely, into the water.
He didn’t scream, thank goodness; he possibly didn’t have enough air left in his lungs. Though he did manage some spluttered expletives once he resurfaced, by which time Vivienne had returned from her trip to the toilet.
‘What happened?’ she asked Jack on sighting Daryl floundering in the water. ‘Is he drunk or what?’
‘He hit me!’ Daryl spluttered.
‘He deserved it,’ Jack replied coolly.
Daryl finally made it over to the side of the pool. ‘I’ll get you,’ he threatened. ‘I’ll tell Frank you assaulted me and he’ll ruin you.’
Jack immediately strode over and bent down to grab one of Daryl’s hands, crunching his fingers painfully whilst whispering in his ear at the same time. ‘You say a single word and I’ll tell Courtney all about the brunette I saw you with in the pool house just now.’
That shut him up, especially when Courtney herself made an appearance, also wanting to know what had happened.
‘Just an accident, babe,’ a sodden Daryl said after Jack hauled him out of the water. ‘I bent down to wash my hands and overbalanced. No great drama.’