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“Kind of. It’s the difference in appearance between males and females of the same species. Size is one such difference. In spiders, the female is larger than the male. In humans, it’s the other way around. It’s a biological fact. Guys are—on the whole—bigger and stronger than girls. Today’s society insists we’re all the same, but I think that as long as men don’t use it as a way to subvert women, our differences should be celebrated. It’s a fine line, though, and I think men cross it without realizing how it’s making women feel. Like your dad. Maybe I’m wrong, but I doubt he understood how he made you feel when he tried to control you. I’m sure he just wanted to look after you and protect you, but he didn’t get how you might have felt dominated.”
“Interesting choice of word. Are you into S&M?”
He blinks. “Jesus. How did you get that from what I said?”
“I extrapolated. Are you?”
“No, not at all. I mean, a silk scarf or two can be fun, but…” He trails off and shifts in his chair. “We really have to stop talking about sex.”
“Sorry.”
“You have a one-track mind.”
“I can’t help it. Your biceps make me all dizzy.”
He laughs at that, and I grin, glad he’s not offended. He’s right, though. I shouldn’t keep talking about sex. It’s not fair on either of us, when we live on opposite sides of the world and neither of us wants to move.
It’s fun though, and I can see from the gleam in his eyes that he’s secretly enjoying it. I haven’t enjoyed myself like this for a long time. So providing we both know the rules—no removal of clothing—surely it doesn’t matter if we indulge in a bit of teasing?
Chapter Six
Titus
After our cream tea, we head out of The Monolith and start walking back through the village. We’ve only gone a hundred yards when Heidi stops and says, “Oh! I completely forgot about that!”
She’s stopped to look at a poster in a shop window. I go back and look at it with her. It’s advertising Shakespeare in the Park. A theater group from Exeter is performingA Midsummer Night’s Dreamin a variety of outdoor locations around Devon. And tonight, the performance just happens to be in Briarton.
“Oh,” Heidi says, turning to me, “I’d so love to see that. Will you come with me?”
“Of course,” I say good-naturedly, even though I’ve never been much of a theatergoer, and I’ve never studied Shakespeare.
“That’s fantastic. We’ll bring some cushions, and I’ll make us a picnic. It’ll be amazing.”
I smile as we continue up the road, pleased to see the sparkle return to her eyes. I was actually quite shocked about what she told me of her relationship with her father. The fact that she cut her hair the day she landed here tells me how deeply her resentment runs. It also emphasizes how awful what’s happened with Jason has been for her. All her life she’s had to put up with men trying to control her. I resolve to make sure that in the short time we’re together, I never put any demands on her in that way.
The play begins at six-thirty, and it’s only two p.m., so Heidi suggests we take a drive across the moors.
“You want to take my car?” I ask.
“If you don’t mind driving.”
“Not at all—at least it’s the same side of the road as in New Zealand.”
“True, I was very relieved about that when I came over.”
We walk up to the car park, and I press the button on my keys to open the car.
Heidi’s eyes almost fall out of her head. “Your hire car is a Range Rover?”
“A Sport Dynamic SE. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing at all. I keep forgetting you’re a gazillionaire.”
I laugh as we get in and close the doors, and I start the engine. “You’re hardly poor, surely. Your father’s one of the richest guys in Auckland, I would have thought.” Peter Huxley is an investment banker, and he’s made a fortune over the years.
“I don’t want any of his money,” she says, buckling herself in. “He insists on paying an allowance into an account for me, but I don’t touch it.” She looks out of the window. “I know it’s not the same as not having money, because there’s always the reassurance that it’s there if I need it. But I’ve survived on my wages so far.”
I reach out and take her hand in mine and squeeze it. She looks up at me with her big blue eyes, surprised.
