‘Come on, pet, I’m ravenous.It’s the chip shop for us tonight.No need to ask the rest of them what they want, they’ll eat anything you give ’em, they’re all starving.’
Sophie began to protest, but Den just grinned and towed Mab from the room, down the stairs and out onto the street, shouting, ‘Warm some plates, Leo, and butter some bread.I’ll bring vinegar and sauce.’
Den tucked Mab’s hand into the crook of his arm as they half jogged down the street.She began to pant as they hurtled round the corner.
‘Hang on, Den, what’s the big hurry?The chip shop’s only up the street, and it’s ages till closing time.’
‘I know, but I’m buying us an extra five minutes by running.’
‘Five minutes?What do we need five minutes for?’Mab asked.‘Can’t we stop a minute?I’ve got a stitch.’They came to a standstill by the shrubbery on the edge of the park and Den turned to face her.
‘We need the extra time get to know each other better, and there’s no chance of that with all that crowd around us every moment of the day.You look so sad when you think no one’s watching you, Mab.I wanted to give you a hug.Well, more than a hug, actually.’He reached out and began to stroke her cheek, his fingers sending delicious shivers down her spine.
Mab gazed at Den in dismay.Had he read her mind?Was she so sex-starved that he’d decided to take pity on her and cheer her up?She opened her mouth to protest but he slipped a warm hand behind her neck and pulled her towards him, sliding them both into the bushes with practised ease and wrapping his arms around her, kissing her so fiercely that she had to lean back on a handy oak tree to steady herself.She could feel its bark digging into her back as Den moved closer, his warm body pressing urgently into hers.His hands were sliding under her jumper, and she tried to say, ‘No,’ but the word wouldn’t seem to come out.She felt his fingers touch her already super-sensitive nipples, and moaned despairingly.How could she resist this?Their lips met and Mab let herself drown for a moment in this river of lust.Her hips moved against his, and she felt him harden even more.She had to touch him.Pulling Den’s shirt roughly out of his trousers, she ran her fingers over his firm, muscled back and down under his waistband.His moan echoed hers, and he stopped kissing her for just long enough to attack the button and zip of her jeans.Mab held on tightly to Den as stars spun behind her closed eyes.She wriggled encouragingly and felt Den respond.Completely overcome by the feel of his hand moving down her stomach, Mab had her eyes tightly shut when Den’s body went rigid.He bellowed with pain and let go of Mab so suddenly that she fell backwards with her legs in the air, landing in a heap of nettles.
‘Christ,’ they both yelled, simultaneously, as Den fought to free his leg from the jaws of a large poodle that had just burst out of the undergrowth.
‘Nero!Nero!’
The dog’s owner forced his way through the bushes and stopped dead at the scene that met his eyes.Then he began to laugh scornfully.
‘Wonderful.This is just what I needed.The papers will love it.“Local businesswoman’s sordid romps in the undergrowth!Is Clayton-on-the-Bream ready for an adult bookshop?”’
‘Edward!’Mab tried to get up, but somehow managed to get her legs in a tangle and fell over again, landing heavily on Den and knocking him to the ground with her.Their dishevelled clothing left no room for doubt as to how they had been spending the last few moments.Pulling out his mobile phone, Edward took three speedy snapshots, as Den lunged at him.The dog growled ominously, and Edward seized a handful of collar and hauled the beast away, still laughing to himself, and shouting out different headlines as he moved out of earshot.
‘“Shrubbery Scandal; the truth behind the tomes”?Or what about “Tits Up – behind the scenes at the bookshop”?And don’t think you’re going to use any bad feeling between you, me and Beattie to wriggle out of our contract, Mab.You signed a legal agreement.’
‘Edward, I wouldn’t.You know I promised.’
‘If I could change things now, Mab, I would.You’re not the person I thought you were.But it’s much too late for that.’Edward paused, glanced at Den, and turned on his heel.
Mab scrambled to her feet, belatedly trying pull down her jumper, while Den frantically tucked himself in.Finally, they stood facing each other, picking bits of undergrowth from their clothing.Their eyes met.
‘Oh, Mab, I’m so sorry.That was just the worst coincidence ever, him turning up like that.I don’t know what got into me.It was just that the thought of you in that wet shirt was giving me such powerful dreams last night that I had to do something about it.When you hugged me this morning I could feel your lovely warm body through your t-shirt, and I just wanted to rip your clothes off there in the street.You’re irresistible, do you know that?Especially dripping wet.’
Mab looked down at her feet.She had never done anything erotic in public before but then she had never felt so desirable and wanton either.Her body still pulsed with the desire that Den had set in motion, and she longed for it to happen all over again.Without the appearance of Edward, needless to say.
‘What will he do, Den?Will he really get in touch with the papers, do you think?Leo’ll kill us!’Shame flooded through her, making her blush fiercely.‘What am I saying?Of course he’ll tell them.This is just what he needs to stop us in our tracks.’
‘But you can’t stop somebody opening a business because you find them rolling around in the bushes, surely?And what did he mean about a contract?He makes it sound as if the Mafia are involved.’
Mab started to cry, bitter, shamed tears that dripped from her chin unbecomingly and made her nose run.Den stepped forward and put his arms around her, and she sobbed damply into his shirt, scrabbling in her pocket for tissues.
‘Just have a good cry, pet, my shirt’ll dry.It’s me that got you into this mess anyway, acting like a horny teenager.The least I can do is to mop up your tears.’
‘It’s not that, Den, it’s just… I’m pregnant!’she wailed.
‘What?’
He dropped his arms and Mab sighed, moving slightly out of his reach.Den stared at her.She longed for him to hold her again, and to tell her that everything would be fine, but she didn’t feel that she deserved the comfort of a cuddle.Shame washed over her as she thought, for the first time, about her own influence on the baby growing inside her.So far, Mab had managed to distance herself from the idea of the baby as a real-live person.She had planned to incubate it for Edward and Beattie, hand it over – her mother had promised to help with the details – and get on with her life, with a handsome expenses cheque to start her off in a new flat and to pay for her book to be published.
‘But Mab, does Leo know about this?’Den’s expression wasn’t hard to read.Disgust drew a deep line between his eyes that Mab had never seen before.
‘No, I was going to come clean to him yesterday, but the time didn’t seem right.Even Jess doesn’t know yet.’
‘You’ll need to tell them as soon as we get back.It’s not fair to go into partnership with him and keep a secret like that.When were you planning to spill the beans?Or were you just going to wear bigger and bigger clothes and blame the chips?’He was angry now, and Mab flinched as she saw the disgust on his face.
‘I’ll tell them as soon as I get a chance to see them alone, honestly, Den.’In her pocket, her phone started to vibrate and ring at the same time.She fished it out and looked at the screen, as the word ‘Leo’ lit up ominously.Oh dear.All this, and now a hungry crowd of men to pacify too.
