‘If you say so.’ She laughed.
‘I do. And then I added that I’d been invited for drinks with the neighbours around six-ish, so he said he’d call me later.’
‘Did he kiss you?’
‘No. Well, yes. But only on the cheek. And it was more a brush of his lips against my skin than an actual kiss. But even that almost threw me into a frenzy of desire. If the cab driver hadn’t been waiting in the car parking area, I might well have dragged Sam inside and demanded sex on the spot. Why does he have to be so bloody hot? Anyway, I’m back to square one, aren’t I? Back to waiting for him to call me. Or not.’
‘He’ll call.’
‘How can you be sure? Don’t forget, I had too much wine. I said some stupid things. And, more importantly, he only wants sex.’
‘Don’t we all,’ Erin said with a sigh. ‘And, I may be wrong, but didn’t you just say you wanted to have sex with him in the hall. Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?’
I tutted loudly. ‘Okay. I admit I’m lusting after him. What I mean is, all Sam wants is another holiday fling, whereas I want something more. It’s been ten years and I’m still getting over the last one. Do I want to do this again, knowing that it might take me another ten years to get over him? Assuming I ever could. And having been with him today, I think it’ll be even harder thistime. Getting over him, I mean. Might I be better off not having sex with him? Not seeing him again?’
‘And miss out on all that fantastic sex? Are you mad? Besides, I think the damage is already done, isn’t it? You want to spend the week with him, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. But I also want a relationship. I want someone to love me, Erin. I want someone I can build a future with. I can’t do any of that with Sam. He’s made that perfectly clear.’
‘I love you,’ she said, and blew me a loud and slobbery-sounding kiss. ‘But I hear what you’re saying, and yes, it’s a concern. Okay. Here’s what I think you should do. See this week as a final hurrah. Your goodbye to Sam, the past, and all things Sam-related. Have as much fun this week as you possibly can, but keep your heart out of the equation. Keep reminding yourself that this is purely a fling. Purely sex. And tell yourself that, as soon as you come home, you’re going to make a determined effort to find Mr Right. To find the guy you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. And that Sam Worth will be history after this week. No matter what. You can do it, Lucy. I know you can. Go into this with your eyes wide open, and don’t let him into your heart, just your bed.’
‘That’s easy for you to say.’
‘I know. But if you don’t sleep with him this week, you’ll only regret it. And let’s be honest, you know you’re going to, anyway, so why are we even discussing it? Just make sure that you keep your feelings out of it.’
‘Again, easy for you to say. But you’re right. I can’t spend this week here without seeing Sam. So I’ll put on my big girl’s pants and pull up the drawbridge to my heart, or some such crap, and I’ll have sex with him on my terms, not on his.’
‘Good for you. I should be off by midnight, so if you need to call me later, you can, but if I don’t hear from you tonight, I’ll call you tomorrow for an update. Just sex, remember. Love hasno part in this. Your heart is under lock and key. And speaking of locks and keys, I suppose I’d better go and find some good for nothings to throw in jail. And you’d better go and have that nap.’ Erin laughed as she rang off.
I wasn’t sure why my taking a nap was so funny, but as hard as I tried to stay awake, I dozed off on the sofa. It was almost five when I awoke and my hair was a disaster.
I checked my phone, just in case, but other than a text from Mum saying she hoped I was having a lovely time, no one else had contacted me.
I decided I had two options. Have a shower, put on something sexy, or at least something that looked good, and then sit and wait for Sam to call, in the hope he’d suggest we meet up later. Or do the shower and dress thing and then go to join Adele and Marcus for that drink.
As I was doing this my way, the drink with the neighbours was the way to go.
Naturally, I checked my phone again when I got out of the shower – and tossed it on the bed. Then quickly picked it up again and checked the battery life. To be safe, I put it on charge before I did my hair and got dressed.
As this was originally supposed to be a romantic getaway for Ted and me, I had bought a few new items of clothing, including some sexy underwear. When I knew it was going to be me on my lonesome, I had planned to leave the underwear at home, but Erin had convinced me to bring it.
‘You might get lucky,’ she had said on Friday night, ‘and you’d hate yourself if all you had to wear were plain cotton knickers and two-year-old bras. Or you might be in an accident, and again, no one wants to see old undies. Take the underwear with you. And take the new togs too. Just in case.’
So I had packed the lot. And yet again, Erin had been right.
I was so glad I always took her advice. Well, almost always.
The black lace matching set did wonders for my self-esteem, and the black stockings added to that feeling. As did the fitted black crepe wrap dress which looked better on me this evening than it had in the shop when I’d tried it on last week. I had tied my blonde hair into a loose, low chignon, and I painted my nails a deep, glossy red to match my lipstick. The only jewellery I wore was a pair of pearl drop earrings, and my watch.
I took a final look at my reflection and I breathed in a satisfied smile.
I really hoped Sam would call and arrange to meet up later. I couldn’t remember the last time that I was pleased with the way I looked.
But I wasn’t pleased that it was six-fifteen. Where had the time gone?
I raced downstairs, grabbed one of the bottles of white wine I’d brought with me, from the fridge, and hurried into the hall. I slipped my feet into my ankle boots, threw on my jacket, and opened the front door. An arctic blast of air took my breath away. It was absolutely freezing out there.
Tilly, the elderly woman I’d met had predicted snow, and her words came rushing back to me, along with an icy gust of wind. “Stock up on provisions, my dear. There’s a blizzard on the way.”
