Rory wondered what he had ever seen in her.
‘And I was so bloody popular with the public I thought I’d never get out. Well, thank God it’s over!’ she said emphatically,flopping against the upholstery with an exaggerated sigh. Then she rooted in her bag and pulled out her cigarettes.
Rory couldn’t believe his eyes as she lit up and sucked deeply, exhaling on a long, contented sigh. ‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ he said angrily, snatching the cigarette and stubbing it out.
‘Hey!’ Tessa protested. ‘What the fuck do you thinkyou’redoing?’
‘You can’t smoke.’
‘No one can see,’ Tessa said crossly, indicating the darkened windows.
‘I don’t give a fuck! What about the baby? Look,’ he said, trying to be reasonable, ‘I know it was hard in there, but?—’
‘Baby?’ Tessa’s lip curled contemptuously. ‘There’s nobaby.’
‘What?’
‘There’s no baby, silly. God, I’m notthatstupid!’
‘Then why?—’
‘Because if I’d had to spend another second in that hellhole with that stupid dyke trying to jump me every night I’d have gone fucking insane!’
‘So you pretended you were pregnant?’ Rory said faintly. He knew he should be furious with her – part of him was – but he couldn’t stop the smile that was spreading across his face.
‘Yes.’ Tessa smiled back at him, looking very pleased with herself. ‘And,voilà, here I am, a free woman! Aren’t I clever? Dev will be so proud of me.’
‘You pretended you were pregnant to get off the show?’
‘Yes – and now we can spend the rest of the summer together.’ She threw her arms around him and kissed him.
‘Aren’t you in breach of contract?’ Rory asked, pushing her away firmly.
‘I neversaidI was pregnant,’ she said airily. ‘It’s not my fault if people jumped to that conclusion.’
‘And what happens when it becomes obvious you’re not?’
‘I’ve thought of that,’ she smiled smugly. ‘In a couple of months I’ll take to wearing dark glasses and going around looking glum for a while. Everyone will assume I’ve had a miscarriage.’
‘There’s really no baby?’ He was grinning from ear to ear.
‘No.’ Tessa said, surprised that Rory was so pleased. She’d suspected that he would be a bit soppy about kids. ‘Well, obviously this is good news. I guess you don’t want kids any more than I do.’
‘Not with you, you mercenary bitch.’
‘What?’ His grin was so at odds with his words that it took her a while to grasp what he had said.
‘Not with you,’ he repeated. He rapped on the glass partition between them and the driver. ‘Stop the car!’ he ordered the man when the partition slid back.
‘What are you doing?’ Tessa asked as the car slid to a halt.
Ignoring her, Rory got out and strode back down the road to the prison gates where the photographers and cameramen were packing up. Seeing him approach, theCelebrity Cell Blockcrew started filming again. He marched straight up to one of the cameramen. ‘Can I say something?’ he said, nodding to the camera. ‘Is this live?’
‘Go ahead.’
Rory looked straight into the lens. ‘Louise, if you’re watching, Tessa’s not pregnant,’ he said. ‘She just pretended she was to get off the show. I love you.’ He beamed. ‘I’m coming back, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.’
The assembled press went wild, snapping pictures and yelling questions at Rory. Never before had anyone heard him sayso much. Several of the women remarked to each other how attractive he was and wondered why they had never noticed it before.
