The bar he’d suggested turned out to be full of his friends, who were all a similar age to him and mostly incredibly loud and drunk. He’d greeted her happily enough and spent some time kissing her thoroughly in front of his mates, which seemed more for their benefit than hers. He tasted of rum and coke, not a drink she liked much anyway.
When she’d popped to the unisex loo, he’d been waiting outside as she washed her hands, indicating with his eyes thatthey should go back into the cubicle together. She’d certainly had toilet sex as a teenager, but it was a very long time ago and she had no wish to repeat it. Even back then it hadn’t been anywhere near her favourite location. The back seat of a car or the woods had been way better.
A proper bed, clean sheets and preferably a bottle of champagne, or at least wine, were on her wish list now. She’d made it clear to Konstantinos that she had no desire to be shoved up against a U bend, and suggested they went back to his.
His reluctance to leave his friends was almost comical– almost– but his eagerness in the cab had her worried for the cab driver, who was so intent on checking out the action in the rear mirror that they’d almost veered into the path of an oncoming car.
Once at Konstantinos’s flat, obviously shared with several other blokes if the number of beer cans in the kitchen and crumpled clothes on the sofa was anything to go by, she’d begun to have major doubts. Charlotte was sitting on her shoulder, telling her she was only sleeping with this guy to spite Adonis for not having enough time for her.
In a couple of days, she’d be leaving the island. She was probably as old as this one’s mother, if not older. It never usually bothered her. Age was just a number as far as she was concerned, but a crummy flat was a crummy flat.
When he’d emerged from the kitchen with two opened beer cans and thrust one at her, she’d known it was time to go.
His feeble protestations at her leaving hadn’t convinced either of them, and she’d bet he’d been back at the bar in the town with his cronies before she could say ‘very bad idea’.
Sofia reapplied the pink lipstick that had been inexpertly kissed off and studied herself in the harshly lit mirror of the hotel’s cloakroom. She wasn’t unhappy with what she saw, and her tan was coming along nicely.
Adonis had messaged again, a photo of himself looking sad and alone at the dinner table, but she’d kept up radio silence. She’d decided to give the man one last chance, but she’d bloody well make him work for it. Hopefully, he’d occasionally be able to tear himself away from his beloved job to spend some time with her once they got to the next island.
But right now, it was time to do some investigative work on Charlotte.
Her friend was still in the same position she’d been in earlier, staring morosely at the phone.
‘Hi.’
The phone was quickly turned over, but not before Sofia saw the name DCB as the author of Charlotte’s most recent text.
It didn’t ring any bells. But it could be code for someone. Charlotte’s eyes were somewhat glazed when they finally turned her way.
‘Hello. Where did you slope off to?’
‘I told you I was going for a walk before I came back to the hotel.’
‘Hmmm. Not sure I believe that.’
Charlotte’s voice was slightly slurred. Surely, she hadn’t been sitting there drinking on her own ever since they’d gone their separate ways.
‘Any sign of Mads?’ Sofia looked up at the clock. It was past eleven. ‘Shouldn’t she be back by now? It’s been six hours. What on earth are they doing?’
‘That’s why I was down here having a drink. I couldn’t relax in my room. Motorbikes always scare me.’
‘Me too a bit.’
Charlotte’s face dropped even further. This wasn’t helping anyone.
‘But Mads is used to being on the back of a bike. It’s not like one of us being asked to saddle up.’
‘But she’s not the one in the driving seat, is she? What do we do if she doesn’t turn up? Would we even find out if they’d had a crash?’
Charlotte was clearly having a major attack of the glumps.
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s hardly four in the morning. We’ve only just lost the daylight.’
Charlotte downed the last of whatever was in her glass.
‘Suppose. Do you want a drink?’
‘Yes, please. I really fancy a Cointreau with ice.’
