No, what was mind blowing was how she could put a positive spin on her husband’s insults. The man was a gold-standard scumbag treating someone like Millie so badly. She would never ask for help, but someone needed to do something for her, someone with properresources.
“Look, Millie, I can help,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I know barristers in family law. We can take him to the cleaners and get you your rightful share.”
She seemed genuinely taken aback, as if it had never occurred to her.
“You supported him. You are entitled,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, no. When I applied for the divorce, I said I wanted no financial settlement.”
“So? You can amend the claim.” He ran through possible names in his head. Good lawyers who would extract her rights out of that philandering son of a bitch.
Millie looked, if anything, more alarmed. “Good heavens, I was only too glad he let me divorce him on the grounds of infidelity. Otherwise it would have dragged on for ages if he didn’t agree.” She rubbed her arms as if chasing away goose bumps.
“Of course he agreed. Since he gets a quick divorce without a financial penalty, he probably bit your arm off at the elbow.”
Her eyebrows scrunched closer above troubled eyes. “I just want it to be over. I want to let everything go through smoothly. If he doesn’t cooperate, I’ll have to wait five years for non-consensualdivorce.”
“You don’t have to worry. We won’t upset the apple cart.” He wanted to take her hand to reassure her, but he suspected it might make things worse.
“Look, Millie, this is my world, and I know what I’m doing. There are many ways to twist his arm behind his back. He wouldn’t dare mess you around.” He reached for her hand but stopped short and left his hand a couple of inches from hers on the white tablecloth. “Believe me, I’m a very powerful man. I’d make sure of it.”
She didn’t look convinced, so he expanded. “Law is a small community. If I drop a few words in the right ears, he’d soon find clients walking awayfrom him.”
She shook her head, and her hair came loose again and curled into the side of her cheek. “No. I appreciate the offer, I do. But I really, really don’t want anythingfrom him.”
He couldn’t understand. “Not evenrevenge?”
“Oh, revenge?” Her expression relaxed, and the haunted look disappeared.
But before she could say more, Hitten arrived with their dessert and coffee. He placed their plates, arranged spoons and the cream jug. He fussed with the coffee pot, cups, sugar bowl and fresh napkins.
George had never hated a waiter more.
At last they were alone. “You were saying?”
“What wasI saying?”
“Revenge.”
“Oh, that.” She had just taken her first taste of the dessert. Her eyes closed while she pulled the spoon out of her mouth. It left a small caramel smear on her full bottom lip, and the tip of her tongue swept across, licking it quickly.
His mouthwent dry.
She opened her eyes as if she’d discovered a million pounds inside a paper bag. “Who needs revenge when you could have a fondant like this?” She cut another small bite into the side of the fondant, and hot, thick golden caramel oozed out ontoher plate.
“Seriously,” she continued. “They say the best revenge is living happily. I am on this beautiful island, have a great job and good friends. I am wearing an expensive dress I’d never have dared to buy six months ago, and sitting in this chic restaurant.” She scooped a little caramel and raised it towards her lips. “Having a delicious dinner and listening to live music. What more could I possibly want?” She put the dessert in her mouth as if to make the point, and her eyes twinkled happily.
Definitely not like other women.
He watched her sip her coffee and eat. Lost in the moment, her shawl had dropped out of sight. She had velvety skin burnished a warm gold. The exquisite column of her throat tapered into the delicate depression between her collarbones. Below that, the green-gold dress moulded her to perfection. The silk looked cobweb-fine; it clung to the peaks of her —
She was asking himsomething.
“Sorry?” his voice came out like gravel. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Sorry, what?”
She repeated the question, but he couldn’t make his mind focus on the words. All he could see were her lips, wet andinviting—
Look at her eyes. But then he imagined them closing in ecstasy, her neck arching backwards. His hands itched to reach under the soft green silk.
