‘Perfect for us,’ I said, standing up and almost scrambling to the door. ‘Thank you all for making us so welcome.’
As we left the conference room, Zola and I turned to Katy, who was now as white as a ghost.
‘What the fuck was that?’ Zola asked, hissing under her breath. ‘We told you to stay quiet!’
I pressed my hand against Katy’s forehead, making sure she wasn’t about to die on us. No, she wasn’t running a fever.
‘That was him.’ She was zoned out, completely dumbstruck. ‘And I’ve got his Ralph freaking Lauren shirt tied round my waist.’
‘What?’ Zola probed as the lift hurtled back to the mayhem of a New York lunchtime. ‘What are you talking about, gal?’
‘That was my date. Last night.’ Katy glanced up at us, tears falling down her adorable wee face. ‘Fee’s husband, Travis Mason. He’s the one whose spunk we were brushing out of my hair earlier.’
Chapter Ten
Ella
The three of us found ourselves sitting in Raising Cane’s, a fast-food restaurant Katy had demanded we visit based on her TikTok recommendations. Fried chicken and crinkle-cut fries were piled high on the table as Zola and I munched, interrogating Katy.
‘So, he didn’t actually say he wasn’t married, right?’ Zola questioned.
‘No,’ Katy answered quietly. I could see the cogs in her brain in overdrive as she replayed her entire night.
‘But he didn’t say he was either. He was on a dating app, for fuck’s sake, Zo!’ I protested. ‘He’s the one in the wrong here, not you, Katy. He obviously thought he was going to get away with this and didn’t expect to be caught.’
‘I feel like such a bitch,’ Katy mumbled. ‘Fee is gorgeous.’
‘And so are you, duh?’ Zola held up her greasy hands. ‘He’s clearly a fucking scumbag, but he’s got damn fine taste in women.’
‘Look, the question isn’t who’s prettier out of the two of you. That’s what men want us to do – they play us women off against one another. Stop with the pick-me dance already, Katy! Look, you slept with a Tinder hook-up, so what? You had no idea he was married. You haven’t done anything wrong. But we need to figure out what we do abouthim.’ I dipped another fry into a little paper cup of sauce and sat back.
‘I am in shock, though. Last night was the best night of my life, I was on such a high.’ Katy was trembling, her food untouched.
I pulled her head into my shoulder. ‘Come here.’
‘He took me to a secret bar. It was so cool – you had to enter through a phone box, and suddenly a wall opened up and there was, like, a hidden passage. I felt like I was in Hogwarts.’
Zola scoffed. ‘A secret bar? Seriously. What was its name?’
‘Emmm .?.?.Please Don’t Tell, I think. Have you heard of it?’ Katy asked innocently.
‘No, I haven’t, babe. But a secret bar, Katy! For fuck’s sake, gal. There were signs!’ Zola seemed frustrated with our friend for being so gullible once more.
‘Hey, not her fault,’ I reiterated, pointing a finger in Zola’s face. ‘So, back to business, before Travis turned up, how do you think the pitch went?’ I changed the subject, keen to get Katy out of the hot seat.
‘Good.’ Zola nodded. ‘I could tell they liked us. I suppose it’ll come down to working out if the money adds up for them.’
‘I didn’t realise launching an app like that would be so expensive. Fee mentioned investing millions.’ Katy sat back up.
‘Yeah, think of the PR they’d have to pull off to keep up with competitors, never mind the development side of things. The dating game is big business!’ Zola replied.
‘What are you thinking, Katy? How do you want to play this?’ I asked when she looked more settled, her hangover hunger finally driving her to dig into some fried chicken.
‘I don’t know. I don’t want to ruin this opportunity for us, but I have to be honest. Fee deserves the truth.’ She took a deep, steadying breath. ‘No one’s husband should be out fingering tourists in Central Park, let alone shagging them senseless in a fancy hotel room.’
I laughed at her bluntness. Finally, she had some anger behind her voice.
‘Am I wrong?’ Katy challenged.
