‘Grand. I’ll see you tonight, shall I?’
‘Unless Tom Hardy confirms our date, I guess so.’
‘Pah. Tom who? This handsome Irishman will read ya a bedtime story, so he will.’
Sabrina laughed. Conor must have overhead Dee and her laughing about all the mums swooning over the handsome actor reading stories to the kids on a TV show.
Six o’clock came, and Sabrina sighed with relief as she locked the door to the unit behind her. She and Conor had sat up chatting until gone one a.m. the night before, and although she had only drunk four beers, a long day on her feet had rendered her completely knackered. As she walked down the hill to home, her thoughts turned to Lowen. She had been so wrapped up in saving herself, she hadn’t really thought about how he was doing. And as much as she didn’t want him in her life, she was human and wouldn’t wish harm on him– to that extent, anyway.
She was just about to put her key in the bottom door of Ferry View Apartments when Conor’s name flashed up on her phone, and she opened the message. ‘You didn’t mention you had someone coming over to do your nails? I’ve popped to Frank’s for a drink with him. I’ve left her having a cup of tea on the balcony. See you in a bit.’
Sabrina froze. Who the fuck had he let in? It was so unlike Conor not to be more streetwise. Carefully, she walked around to the front of the block of flats to see if she could see who exactly was on the balcony. The door was shut. She then ran to Frank’s and could see the uncle and his nephew having a beer together and laughing. She knocked on the door, but the music was up loud, and they were facing away from her. She texted Conor, but again, he was oblivious. There was only one thing for it: she would have to go in and see who on earth was sitting in their flat. Maybe it was an undercover cop– or worse still, a journalist.
The imposing figure of a woman scorned stood tall as Sabrina tentatively pushed open the door. Her heart began to beat at one hundred miles an hour.
‘What areyoudoing in my flat?’
‘More like what were you doing shagging my boyfriend, you dirty whore?’
‘Can you please get out now?’ Sabrina’s voice remained level. She went to message Conor, but Giselle smashed her phone to the floor.
As Sabrina reached down to retrieve it, Giselle put her foot on her hand. Sabrina wrestled it free, cursing. ‘Ow. Who the fuck do you think you are? Now get out or I’ll call the police.’
Kicking Sabrina’s phone to the side of the room, Giselle laughed out loud. ‘I don’t really think you want the police involved do you, Polly Malone? I know it’s true.’
Sabrina remained silent.
‘The pair of you were a little stupid really. Or my dick of a partner was. Saying that, if you hadn’t come into the salon– and why in god’s name you did that beggars belief– I never would have known who you were or anything about it.’
‘I don’t know what you’re on about.’
‘Oh, come now, Sabrina, with that stunning and distinctive tattoo on your shoulder.’
Sabrina cringed inwardly. It had taken her a long time to pluck up the courage to get that tattoo and it outing her for having an affair, definitely had not been cited as one of the cons.
‘OK, so you know who I am, big deal but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sleeping with your partner.’
Sabrina suddenly felt fearful. Giselle seemed more of a pistols-at-dawn kind of woman than one who would just bash her with her handbag.
‘No, but the very distinguishable and expensive perfume that you wear, plus stray blonde hairs I found on his suit jacket are a very good indicator, don’t you think?’
In the vague hope of not having a huge press story escaping via this woman, who was clearly on the edge, Sabrina realised that there was only way she could go with this.
‘I’m so sorry.’ Sabrina’s tone was low and sincere. Giselle, clearly not expecting this response, looked taken aback. ‘Let’s sit down, shall we and talk about this like adults.’ Sabrina rubbed her sore hand as she sat on the sofa.
Like a moody teenager, Giselle plonked herself down on a dining room chair. ‘I knew it! I saw the signs. He’s such a sleaze ball.’ Tears starting to form in the tall woman’s eyes.
‘I honestly didn’t know he had a partner or there is no way I would have let anything happen.’ Sabrina tried to keep her voice level. ‘There is nothing going on, now. It was sex, meaningless sex. And I know that doesn’t help, but I’d rather you knew that.’
‘How many times?’ Giselle snarled. Sabrina shuffled in her seat as the angry woman repeated herself. ‘I said, how many times?’
‘Three,’ Sabrina whispered.
‘Where did you do it?’
‘Look, does any of this really matter now.’ Sabrina took a huge breath in.
‘Where did you do it!’ Giselle screeched.
