“What new friend?” asks Priya as she stands to start clearing plates, before Nick rises and shoos her back to her seat.
“Oh!” Chloe’s eyes suddenly widen and Emmy gives her a secretive smile. “THAT new friend.”
“Indeed,” Emmy replies, suddenly looking intently into her wine glass as she takes a big swig.
“The girl you kissed the other night?” Josh asks, as Chloe shoots him a glare.
“JOSHUA. I told you that in confidence!” she scolds and Josh winces and mouths ‘sorry’ to Emmy, who seems amused more than anything.
“Yes, that one.” She doesn’t offer any more of an explanation and there’s a beat of silence in the room.
“Well now we’ve got to know more,” says Priya, leaning in and raising her eyebrows at Emmy.
“I’ll, er, just help Nick in the kitchen,” I mutter, grabbing some serving platters and escaping into the next room.
I’ve held a poker face through investor meetings about orgies, slave nights, even Jessie’s pitch for a very questionable event called “The Cock Fight”.But five seconds of picturing Emmy’s mouth on another woman and I’m hiding in a kitchen, praying for my cock to deflate.
I hear giggles explode in the dining room behind me and send up a prayer that I can get through the rest of this evening with my sanity intact.
I’m going to need something stronger than wine. And a cold shower.
CHAPTER 9
Emmy
It’stime to go home. The dinner party has been a roaring success and my cheeks hurt from smiling. We’ve covered everything fromKPop Demon Huntersto the latest research into attachment parenting and my wine has been refilled more times than I can count. I feel all squiggly round the edges and pleasantly mellow – the optimal level of tipsy.
I’m shrugging my coat on in the hallway when I hear a voice behind me.
“Do you want to share a cab?” Luke is standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. He’s wearing some sort of cashmere overcoat that screams ‘I do all my shopping in Selfridges.’
“Isn’t Fulham a bit out of your way?” I reply, cocking my head and looking at him.
“Not if we drop me off first,” he says, a small smile curving around the edge of his mouth. He’s got a great mouth. I’m not sure why I’ve never noticed before.
“Oh of course.” I smile. “Sounds good!”
“Great! I’ll hail a cab while you say bye.” He strides past me and out of the front door, a waft of citrus in his wake. Iblink, momentarily forgetting what I’m meant to be doing as he vanishes into the night.
“Night! Thanks for a fab evening,” I call, sticking my head back into the living room as I get my brain back online. Nick has melted into the sofa and Priya is asleep with her feet in his lap. He gives me a lazy smile and a jaunty salute.
“Night, kiddo. Thanks for coming. Can’t wait to meet the new roommate.” He grins, waving me off.
I follow Luke out into the crisp night air and find him waiting in a black cab. I’d have just called an Uber but Luke’s always been a lot fancier than me. I climb in and pull the door closed behind us.
“Two stops, please,” he informs the driver. “First up, Pimlico, then West Brompton. Alderney Street then Ongar Road.” The driver confirms and we pull away.
There’s a beat of silence. Luke and I don’t really hang out one on one and we’ve never shared a cab together. He’s been a staple of my life since my childhood but I don’t really know a lot about him. He rarely talks about himself.
“So,” I start, grasping at a topic. “How’s work?”
He clears his throat. “It’s good, thank you. How’s yours?”
“Oh, you know, same old same old,” I supply, shrugging. God, this is painful. There’s another moment of silence and I bite my lip.
“How are?—”
“I wanted to?—”
