Sapphire (2 page)

‘Are you having a laugh!’ Sapphire snorted. ‘That reunion will be as much fun as a colonic irrigation! There’s a reason why I’m not in contact with most of the people I was at school with – I have nothing in common with them!’ Sapphire did a major eye roll. ‘And what if my ex-husband turns up?’

The three girls all quickly made the sign of the cross as if to ward off a vampire.

‘Isn’t Alfie still in Ibiza running that club? He’s not going to come all the way back just for the reunion is he?’ Jazz said.

‘I suppose not.’

‘Anyway, it’s final: you’re coming. I’ve got your ticket.’ Sam pushed an envelope over to Sapphire. ‘You should see it as a networking opportunity – that’s what you’re always going on about, isn’t it?’ she added.

‘I suppose so,’ Sapphire grudgingly admitted and shoved the envelope to the bottom of her bag so she didn’t have to think about it.

She might put on a front and pretend not to give a shit about seeing Alfie again, but the truth was she didn’t really know how she would cope if she came face to face with him. She wanted to play it cool, make him realise what he had thrown away, walk all over him in her latest Louboutin red-soled shoes metaphorically – and literally, if she could manage it. Ah yes, how satisfying that would be – Alfie always did have a low pain threshold, but what if she crumbled at the sight of him? It didn’t bear thinking about. She and Alfie had been childhood sweethearts and married young. She had been devastated when she discovered that he’d been unfaithful. A month later the pain only got sharper when she found out that his lover was pregnant. In the aftermath of the divorce Sapphire was left with a broken heart; Alfie, on the other hand, got a whole new life. While she was sure she no longer loved him, he still exerted a powerful hold over her feelings.

Since the divorce Sapphire had channelled even more of her energies into her work and she loved it. Every time she opened the front door to the pale-pink terraced house she owned in the heart of Brighton’s vibrant Lanes where her business was based, she got a thrill. It was all hers! She had started Something For The Weekend five years ago when she’d seen how phenomenally popular Brighton was becoming as a hen-weekend destination. Before that she had managed a lingerie boutique but had always dreamt of running her own business. Now Sapphire offered groups of women luxury weekend packages. Everything was arranged for them – from their hotel booking, to their beauty treatments to securing them tables at some of the city’s best restaurants and arranging nightclub entrance. All they needed to do was turn up, L-plates and devil horns optional. She also offered a whole range of other activities from quad biking
to lap-dancing lessons and male-model drawing (always a nightmare when the women had too much to drink – she was almost running out of students to employ), makeovers and photography sessions. Downstairs she had a boutique where she sold lingerie and sex toys and upstairs were the beauty rooms where the hens could have treatments – facials, manicures, pedicures and massages – drink champagne, listen to music or watch DVDs.

There was fierce competition now in the hen-weekend market but Sapphire liked to think she offered something a little bit different. She’d designed the house to make it seem like a boudoir of delights, with red velvet sofas, fairy lights, scented candles and black-and-white photos of Daniel Craig, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Hugh Jackman on the walls. It was just the kind of place women wanted to hang out in. She also gave her clients her personal attention, on call all weekend in case there was anything they needed. And she’d made sure that she’d built up close relationships with the other businesses she worked with.

She often reflected that it was ironic that her work revolved round hen weekends as she was so cynical about marriage. But she kept that cynicism to herself and whenever any of the clients asked if she was married, she generally replied that she hadn’t met the right man yet. She didn’t want to burst their fantasy that marriage lasts for ever.

The house was busiest Friday through to Sunday, but Sapphire offered beauty treatments throughout the week and had a regular flow of clients. The downstairs boutique did okay as well, as Sapphire had done her research and offered a wide range of lingerie from high-end expensive treats to cheaper everyday items and her customers appreciated the personal service they received there.

Along with Jazz she employed two other people part-time: Vanessa, a statuesque blonde who worked in the boutique, and was also a gym instructor, and Kiki, a tiny redhead, another beauty therapist, who was great but had a bit of a temper sometimes. She could give Perez Hilton a run for his money when it came to getting catty. They’d all been with her from the start and to Sapphire it felt like her real family. Far less dysfunctional than her own . . .

But as well as the business was going, Sapphire was always conscious of the need to be one step ahead, which was why she was so thrilled that Tuesday afternoon when she received a phone call from Georgia Cox, an old schoolfriend of hers who also happened to be a leading actress on a soap.

‘Georgia! How are you!’

‘I’m engaged! Did you see the story in
heat
?’

Sapphire hadn’t but pretended that she had. She had learnt early on in business that massaging her clients’ egos was crucial, particularly so if that client happened to be famous. People like Georgia really thought the world revolved around them. Sapphire was not going to be the one to tell them that it didn’t.

‘Congratulations! That’s wonderful news.’ Sapphire lied very convincingly, ‘Dex is a very lucky man.’ The second lucky man, actually, as Georgia had already been married.

‘No! I’m not engaged to that bastard! It’s Tyler, my co-star!’

Wow, Georgia was a fast worker. As far as Sapphire knew, she and Tyler had only started working together in the last three months. And it was only a few issues ago that she’d seen Georgia draped round another poor bloke in
heat
. Sapphire couldn’t keep up.

‘He proposed on my birthday, it was so romantic.’

Sapphire made all the right noises as Georgia gave her
blow-by-blow account of the proposal. The romantic dinner at the very exclusive Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge; the uber-luxurious Royal Suite, with red rose petals scattered all over the bed where she’d discovered the cutest little white Chihuahua dog sitting in a basket. ‘And you know how I adore dogs!’ Georgia gushed. ‘I was so busy petting the little sweetheart – who I’ve named Vuitton, by the way.’

What else? thought Sapphire, wondering how much longer she would have to listen to this. Georgia, totally unaware of Sapphire’s boredom, went on, hardly stopping for air. ‘It took me ages to actually see the ring round his neck, which is insane because the stone is huge! In fact when Tyler went down on one knee I thought he was going to suggest some pervy master and servant game! But you know me, I’m up for anything! Then I saw the ring and I was gobsmacked. I screeched so loudly, that Tyler said I nearly shattered the window! Vuitton didn’t like it either and hid under the bed all night but the dog trainer says he will get over it. But I was just so overwhelmed – I mean, the moment I saw Tyler I knew he was the one. We have this really
intense
connection.’

‘Really? That’s brilliant,’ Sapphire replied, hoping she sounded suitably enthusiastic. Georgia had made the exact same comment about the connection between her and her last husband and that connection fizzled out almost as quickly as a sparkler on bonfire night.

‘So now I want the best fucking hen weekend ever and I thought who better than you to organise it! Especially since Brighton was my old stomping ground.’

Now Sapphire was perking up. Georgia was a favourite of the tabloids and gossip mags for her colourful private life – her many famous ex-lovers, two boob jobs and frequent trips to rehab to get over her drink and drug addictions – there was bound to be great publicity in it for Something For The Weekend.

‘I’ll give you the best fucking weekend ever!’ Sapphire promised her.

‘And I’m going to do a magazine deal – I haven’t decided who with yet.’

Even better! Sapphire’s mind was already whirring with possibilities.

‘There’s just one thing – it’s in six weeks’ time, that won’t be a problem will it?’

It certainly would. Sapphire’s weekends were booked up months in advance. She was going to have to do some serious juggling.

‘That’s no problem at all, Georgia. How about I put together some ideas and email them to you?’

‘Darling, I trust you completely to arrange it. There will be eight of us. We’d like beauty treatments, dinner, a lovely hotel somewhere, a male stripper – the best you’ve got – and didn’t I read somewhere about a male strip show? I want to go there. I need to see as many different cocks as possible before I restrict myself to the one for the rest of my life! Lucky for me Tyler’s got an anaconda!’ Georgia laughed raucously.

Sapphire’s own laughter was more restrained; she’d forgotten how crude Georgia could be. And my God, a stripper
and
a strip show? Usually she just had to book the one event, not both! Georgia was hardcore in her demands. She pitied any male stripper who had to get his kit off for her. But there was no question that Georgia’s hen weekend would be good for business. It was a booking she simply could not afford to turn down.

Georgia continued, ‘Oh and I thought I’d drop in on the school reunion – it should be a laugh, are you going?’

Damn. That meant Sapphire would definitely have to go now to keep her client happy and seal the deal. ‘Yes, I can’t wait.’ Sometimes her ability to lie convincingly surprised even her.

After the call, Sapphire sat at her desk for a few
minutes in a daze. Then she logged on to her diary and frantically called up the dates. Fuck! She knew it! She already had a booking. It would be bad business to cancel, but the following week was free: maybe, just maybe, she would be able to shift those hens to there. Sapphire prided herself on treating all her clients equally but she was also a realist and when it came down to it some clients were just more important than others and she couldn’t risk loosing the hen that could lay the golden egg or was that a goose? Whatever! She had to accommodate Georgia. She reached for the phone.

Fifteen minutes and some very hard bargaining and promises of a big discount later she had managed to persuade the hen party to move weekends. Now she just had to book the hotel and restaurant and come up with a package to wow Georgia and the magazine.

‘Have you had lunch yet?’ Jazz had wandered down to the office in her black beautician’s uniform. She held up her hands and considered her nails. Today she’d gone for a day-glo orange that made tango look pale and interesting. And she’d coordinated with orange hair slides and orange pumps. Sapphire had tried in vain to get Jazz to go for neutral colours but subtlety was not her forte; besides, lots of the clients loved her look and it certainly cheered the place up.

‘Too busy,’ Sapphire replied. She’d already tried two hotels and been given the brush-off even with the mention of the publicity. She was getting a knot of tension in her stomach. ‘Georgia Cox just called, she wants me to organise her hen weekend.’

‘Georgia?’ Jazz said sharply. Sapphire knew that her friend had never particularly cared for Georgia ever since she had gone out with one of Jazz’s ex-boyfriends while they were at school. Except neither Jazz nor Sapphire was sure if Georgia had waited for him to be an
ex. Even back then she always tended to get what or who she wanted with no regard to anyone else.

Sapphire quickly filled her in. ‘It’s a big deal for us Jazz, we could get some really great publicity.’

Jazz sighed. ‘I know, Sapphire, it’s just I can’t stand the cow. She’d better keep away from my Ben. I’m not having that slapper trying her luck with him.’

Sapphire thought it unlikely that a leading soap star would be interested in someone who was a plasterer and taught Judo in his spare time – cute as Ben undoubtedly was.

‘I’ll get Kiki to do her treatments; you’ll hardly have to see her, I promise.’

‘Okay, I’ll go along with it and not tell the old witch what I think of her on one condition.’ Jazz folded her arms and looked at Sapphire.

‘What’s that?’ Sapphire asked, wondering if Jazz would expect an afternoon off as compensation.

‘You let me and Sam meet Jay.’

Sapphire shook her head in disbelief. ‘God, you’re persistent!’

‘Well, what about tonight? We could all go out for a drink to celebrate landing Georgia Cox’s hen weekend.’

That sounded like a good idea to Sapphire, then she remembered, ‘I can’t, I promised Jay I’d go running, I’ve already blown him off once.’

Jazz sniggered, ‘Don’t you mean blown him!’

Sapphire rolled her eyes. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this but I really have got to go running.’

‘Now
that
I have to see, where are you going?’

Sapphire shook her head, ‘You’ll never get it out of me.’

‘I swear to God I’m going to die if you make me run any further!’ Sapphire panted as she and Jay ran along Brighton’s seafront, past the old ruined Pier, a vast iron
skeleton in the sea, and on towards Hove. They’d done about a mile and a half so far. Sapphire hadn’t run like this since she was at school and she hadn’t liked the experience then; she liked it even less now. Jay was totally unsympathetic as he effortlessly jogged beside her, not remotely out of breath, not even breaking a sweat, whereas Sapphire knew her face had turned scarlet –
so
not a good colour on her – and she had stitch. And people did this for pleasure? They must be masochists!

‘We’ll just go to Hove, then we’ll turn back,’ Jay told her. ‘And if you make it I’ll give you a massage when we get back.’ Then he winked at her. Now that was more like it.

Jay’s expert massages nearly always turned into something else even more enjoyable. But right now Sapphire did not want a massage or anything else. Great, so not only had Jay put her through hell on this run, but he’d also managed to put her off sex. She’d never thought
that
would be possible! She grunted at him and concentrated on her running. Where was the endorphin rush that Jay had promised her? Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw two very familiar figures sitting at a table at one of the seafront cafés and looking expectantly along the promenade. It was Jazz and Sam. There was no way their presence could be a coincidence. They’d come to watch her. Bastards!