Sapphire (17 page)

Jay groaned, ‘I’m going to be late!’

Sapphire inched down his shorts, ‘I’m telling you, Jay, if you don’t fuck me now, that’s it. I was burning for you last night.’

‘How do you think I felt knowing you were sitting there with no underwear on? You’re such a tease. So this
will be all the sweeter then.’ He lifted the sweatshirt and kissed, then sucked her nipples while his hand caressed her smooth stomach, then went further, caressing her with tantalising circles that drove her wild, then he moved down her body and caressed her with his tongue. He was so good. It was so good, Sapphire felt the delicious flicker of orgasm begin to pulse through her.

Suddenly Luke called out, ‘Jay, where are you?’

Jay froze, and Sapphire murmured, ‘I swear I will kill you if you stop.’

He carried on and took her all the way. And then he slid inside her – the perfect, sweetest fuck. Afterwards, they lay in each other’s arms, ‘I’ll be rubbish at football now,’ Jay murmured.

‘Their loss is my gain,’ Sapphire whispered. ‘Anyway you could always come back to mine and we could spend the rest of the day in bed.’

‘So you have missed me then?’ Jay said looking at her.

‘Very much,’ Sapphire replied truthfully.

‘Good – I’ll call you later.’

After he left Sapphire got dressed as quickly as possible. She would have a shower at home before going round to her mum’s. She was just opening the front door when Luke came up behind her. ‘Oh hi, Luke,’ she said, aware that she sounded falsely bright, ‘I’m just off, see you sometime.’

‘He’ll wise up soon to the way you treat him,’ Luke said.

‘What do you mean?’ she demanded. God, Luke was loathsome.

‘Jay’s very smitten right now, but he won’t put up with being treated like shit for long.’

‘I don’t treat him like shit!’ Sapphire said hotly. ‘And anyway it’s none of your business.’

‘He’s my friend, I look out for him, and I saw the way
you acted when that Ryan bloke came into the restaurant yesterday – all flirty and coy.’

There was no way Sapphire wanted to get into a slanging match with Luke, there was too great a risk that she’d tell him what she really thought of him. Using all her reserves of self-control, she turned to Luke and said, ‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about.’ And she quickly opened the door and stepped outside before Luke could say anything else.

She spent the rest of the day with her mum, and the familiar feeling of depression about her mum’s life settled on her. She tried to ask her mum about the gambling but she clammed up and said that everything was fine and that she didn’t want to talk about it. But she looked worried and Sapphire couldn’t help feeling anxious that she might have gambled again. Just as she was steeling herself for spending the evening with her mum, watching
Midsomer
Murders
, Jay called and asked her and her mum round for dinner. Sapphire was all set to refuse, but her mum overheard and told her she’d love to.

‘Promise you won’t say anything embarrassing,’ Sapphire said she drove them over.

‘Of course I won’t! Jay’s a lovely lad, I’m sure his family are lovely too.’

‘They are,’ Sapphire admitted.

Everyone was incredibly welcoming to Christine – Vicky and Clayton chatted away to her, as if they’d known her for years. Sapphire still felt on edge for the first hour, dreading that her mum might make some comment about Clayton being black but her mum was surprisingly chilled. ‘I love your style,’ Sapphire heard her mum exclaim to Vicky. ‘It’s so bright and warm. And you look fantastic. I can’t believe you’ve had three children.’

It was most unlike her mum to be this open. But Vicky
seemed to have a knack for making people feel relaxed. Sapphire envied Jay, she wished her mum was more like Vicky.

Vicky looked at Christine, considering her, ‘Have you ever thought about a change of hairstyle?’

Christine’s hair was shoulder-length and pulled back into an unflattering Croydon facelift.

Christine sighed, ‘I used to love my hair, it was just like Sapphire’s. Now I just can’t be bothered. It’s easier to tie it back.’

‘I have to be honest, Christine, it’s doing absolutely nothing for you like that.’

Jay and Sapphire had been listening, ‘
Mum
!’ Jay exclaimed. ‘Don’t be so personal.’

Sapphire was relieved to see that it wasn’t just her mum who was capable of causing embarrassment.

‘You know me, Jay, I speak as I find. Christine, you’re a good-looking woman but I must be straight with you, you’ve let yourself go.’

Jay rolled his eyes at Sapphire, ‘What are they like?’

There was a pause where Sapphire prayed that her mum didn’t snap at Vicky to mind her own business as she had every single time Sapphire had tried to point out that she was stuck in a style rut. To her relief Christine smiled and said, ‘You’re so right, I have. I never used to look like this. I used to care about clothes and my appearance. I just wouldn’t know where to begin to get back on track.’

Vicky’s face took an expression of sheer happiness, ‘Look no further than me! I love doing makeovers! I can cut and restyle your hair and then I’ll take you shopping.’

‘Bloody hell!’ Jay muttered. ‘I hope your mum doesn’t mind being bossed around.’

But apparently not, as Christine was looking at Vicky with her eyes shining with gratitude.

Clayton went off to work – he ran his own minicab and van-hire company. Vicky spent the rest of the evening holed up in her bedroom with Christine, putting make-up on her and suggesting new styles, while Sapphire and Jay sprawled out on the sofa together.

‘So, it’s official, your flatmate hates me,’ Sapphire told Jay.

‘No, he doesn’t, babe. He’s just very protective of me is all – he’s great when you get to know him, honestly.’

‘Yeah, like that’s going to happen! He can’t stand me, Jay, surely you can see that!’

Jay shrugged, ‘Chill, babe. I get on okay with your friends, I’m sure you and Luke will get on eventually. Maybe you need to make more of an effort with him. You can be quite offhand with people sometimes – even with your own friends, I’ve noticed.’

Sapphire sat bolt upright and pulled away from Jay’s embrace. ‘Well, thanks for that. Perhaps that’s because I’ve got a business to run!’

‘I know you’ve got a business to run and you’re very good at it. All I’m saying is that sometimes you need to make a little bit more effort with people. The world doesn’t just revolve around work, you know. Other things, other people are more important.’

‘Yeah, like all we need is love,’ Sapphire replied, her voice spiked with sarcasm.

She really resented that, she was trying to make something of herself. She was ready to bite back at Jay but he sighed, and put his arm round her. ‘Come on babe, let’s not argue. I’m away for the next week on a course, let’s make the most of tonight.’

‘I didn’t know you were away,’ Sapphire snapped.

‘I told you the other week,’ Jay replied, sounding slightly resentful. ‘I expect you were busy sorting out the hen weekend and forgot.’

Suddenly Sapphire felt a pang of guilt. Maybe Luke
was right and she didn’t deserve Jay. She turned and kissed him, ‘Sorry. I know I have been preoccupied lately.’

At that moment Christine and Vicky walked into the living room. Sapphire’s mouth fell open in astonishment. Her mum looked fantastic, wearing make-up for the first time in ages and dressed in a cobalt-blue wrap dress that revealed a great figure.

‘Mum, you look stunning!’

Christine seemed thrilled at the compliment. ‘And Vicky asked us to spend Christmas with them, isn’t that wonderful! I know how you hate spending Christmas just with me.’

Great, so now her mum was making her sound like a total bitch. ‘I don’t hate it, Mum,’ Sapphire said quietly. ‘It just makes me feel sad that there’s only two of us is all.’

Vicky caught her eye and smiled, ‘Well, there’s going to be eight of us, so it should be a right laugh.’

Sapphire fully expected Jay to come back to her place that night – she felt she’d done her bit by spending two nights at his. Instead Jay replied that he had to get ready for his course, and wanted her to come back with him. ‘Will Luke be there?’ she asked.

Jay sighed, ‘Of course.’

‘Well, I think I’ll go back to mine. I’m pretty knackered.’ Sapphire wasn’t at all tired but she couldn’t bear having more snide comments directed at her.

‘Okay, Sapphire, it’s up to you. I’ll miss you though.’

Then come back to mine! Sapphire wanted to say. Instead she kissed him. ‘I’ll miss you too.’

BUT IN THE
week that followed, Sapphire was so stressed about work she hardly had time to think about anything else. She had two hen parties cancel on her, both citing the credit crunch, which sent her into a tail spin – though she was relieved it was nothing to do with the bad publicity from Georgia’s disastrous weekend. She just had to find ways of generating more income with the boutique. She went ahead and booked her Christmas promotions. She didn’t get to bed until after midnight every night because she was working and she barely remembered to text Jay.

On Friday morning she was busily decorating the boutique with Christmas decorations when Ryan walked in.

‘Very festive,’ he commented as Sapphire hung glass stars from the lights. ‘But tasteful, just how I like it,’ he continued.

He waited until Sapphire had finished what she was doing then kissed her cheek. Don’t blush, she told herself sternly.

‘So how are you?’ she asked casually. But her heart raced that little bit faster.

‘Good,’ he replied, walking round the boutique and pausing every now and then to pick up a set of lingerie and consider it. No doubt he was a connoisseur of expensive underwear.

Sapphire decided to go for the direct approach, ‘I imagine Simone is probably a 32D but if it’s the wrong size, you can always change it.’

Ryan smiled, ‘I’m not buying anything for her; I’m just looking.’ He picked up a lingerie set in midnight blue and held it against Sapphire. ‘Now that would look fantastic with your skin.’ It was an electric moment and Sapphire felt sure he must have known the effect he was having on her.

‘Perhaps I’ll ask Jay to get it for me for Christmas,’ Sapphire said lightly.

Ryan looked at the price tag and whistled. ‘I doubt he could afford this.’

Sapphire frowned. Even though she found Ryan undeniably attractive, she didn’t want to be disloyal to Jay. Ryan caught the look. ‘Anyway, I came to ask if you fancied coming to a club opening tomorrow night in London. Thought we might both be able to pick up some ideas.’

‘Is Simone going?’

Ryan smiled, ‘No, she’s filming something or other.’ He paused and gave a rueful smile. ‘It was only supposed to be a fling, but she’s kind of hard to shake off. I think she wants a relationship.’ He shrugged.

Sapphire considered the offer. It would be great to have a night out in London and it would be useful to research other clubs. But deep down she knew that wasn’t the reason. The lure was having time with Ryan, alone – picking up their flirtation where they left off . . .

As far as Sapphire was concerned no one else needed to know about her little jaunt to London, but the following morning Jazz asked her and Sam round for a girls’ night in. Sapphire was incapable of lying to her friend, and Jazz gave her the real third degree, asking her why she was going, was Ryan’s girlfriend going, was she going to tell Jay?

‘It’s just a work thing,’ Sapphire said airily as Jazz glared at her. ‘There might be some useful people.’

‘And how would you feel if Jay went out to some club with another woman?’ Jazz put to her. ‘On his
own
,’ she added.

Sapphire shrugged. ‘I’d be fine about it. Look Jazz, there’s nothing going on between me and Ryan, I swear.’ But she couldn’t look Jazz in the eye and she was trying to convince herself as much as her friend.

‘Just be careful, Sapphire. He’s a player and he’s obviously after you, otherwise he would have asked Simone.’

Bollocks! why did Jazz have to be so bloody perceptive!

‘So what are you going to wear?’ Thankfully Jazz changed the subject.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Sapphire lied.

As soon as Ryan had asked her she had been planning her outfit. She was going to wear her high-street copy of a strapless black, Hervé Léger dress, the most figure-hugging, curve-enhancing dress she possessed, with her Louboutins – in other words, her full seduction outfit.

But Sapphire felt guilty throughout the train journey to London and was almost tempted to get the train straight back home to Brighton after she received a sweet text from Jay saying how much he missed her and how he couldn’t wait to see her the next day. However, her devilish side won and she took a taxi to the Sanderson where she was to meet Ryan before going on to the club.

As the doorman held the glass door open for her and she walked into the airy minimalist lobby and got her bearings, the nerves kicked in. It suddenly seemed like a big deal to be meeting Ryan like this. But she shook back her hair determinedly and walked into the bar. It was packed and it took her several minutes to find Ryan. She felt the tell-tale sign of her heart racing a little bit faster when she saw him sitting at the ultra-stylish, glowing onyx
Long Bar, a whisky in front of him. He looked sexy and sophisticated – a very tasty combination, she thought.

‘You look gorgeous, Sapphire,’ he told her, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Sapphire shook her head as she arranged herself on the chair next to him – body con dresses were all very well when you were standing up, not so great sitting down. She inched her skirt down, trying to cover up the expanse of thigh she’d just revealed. But Ryan was having none of it. ‘Don’t be falsely modest, it’s really boring, you know how good you look.’

Sapphire gave in, ‘Thank you. So how did your meetings go today?’

Ryan had told her he had lined up several business meetings as he and Alfie wanted more investors in the club.

Ryan pulled a face. ‘Not great. No one seems to want to loan us any money and we need to expand. It’s tough at the moment.’ He paused and looked serious. ‘Well, there is one person who I might see later.’ He shrugged. ‘Let’s not talk about it, I’d much rather talk about you.’ He gave Sapphire the full benefit of his green eyes.