‘You did WHAT?’ she said to Isabella, getting straight to the point.
Isabella lifted her face from her hands. ‘I kissed him. Etienne.’ As if she needed to clarify.
‘Where?’ Amber asked, as if that was important.
‘On his mouth,’ Isabella said, confused.
‘No, girl, I mean, wherewereyou?’ Amber said.
‘Oh. In a cupboard.’ Now Amber looked confused. Rosie snorted.
‘Back up here,’ Amber said, propping her chin on her fists and sipping from her straw. ‘Tell me from the beginning.’
Isabella took a glug of wine and exhaled.
‘We were all at George’s birthday and ended up playing hide-and-seek. I hid in the cupboard under the stairs and then Etienne got in too.’
‘Cheeky. . .’ Amber said.
‘I told him to get out. I mean, it was dark in there, and crowded, and he was pressed right up against me. After I’d done my best to avoid him all day. In fact, I’d done my best to avoid him since he sucked my finger. . .’
‘What?!’ Rosie choked on an olive.
‘You never said!’ Wren accused, banging Rosie’s back.
‘And especially since he took this. . .’
She opened her phone on the table, and they all peered at the photo of his hand on her skin.
Amber fanned herself and rolled her eyes.
‘That’s seriously hot, Isabella,’ she said.
‘Why did he take that?’ Rosie asked, turning the screen to get a better look.
Isabella shifted in her seat.
‘In case I needed any visual stimulation to get me through my year of no sex.’
They all took a moment to look at the picture again.
‘That’d certainly help,’ Amber said and they all nodded. Isabella didn’t add that it had in fact been ‘helping’ every night since he’d taken it. She flicked the phone off.
‘Anyway, so I’ve been avoiding him because it seems every time I get near him, I can’t control myself. I mean, I’ve never let someone lick my arm, rub my foot, suck my finger before. And then all of a sudden, I’m in a cupboard in the dark with him and he was so close and. . .’ She crossed her legs under the table at the memory of his hands.
‘Oh my God, this was at a child’s party?!’ Amber said.
‘This is definitely not PG behaviour!’ Wren laughed, leaning back and putting her arm around Rosie. ‘To think we were hiding behind the curtains upstairs waiting to be found by a four-year-old while this was going on.’
‘And then I kissed him,’ Isabella said, shrugging, as a flush pinked her cheeks. She took another long sip of wine.
‘And then we found them!’ Rosie said, leaning back into Wren, symbolising end of story.
‘Omigod?’ Amber looked at Isabella for clarification and she nodded.
‘Yup. There we were for all to see. Me with my tongue down his throat.’ Isabella’s head sank into her hands again and she groaned. Amber threw her head back and laughed so loudly one of the waiters jumped as he walked past.
‘But the question is,’ Amber said, getting control of herself again, ‘was it any good?’
