AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He followed her down the hallway, his eyes scanning the ornaments and paintings, probably checking she hadn’t sold any of their joint assets before the divorce had been finalised.
The solicitor she’d met with had been confident of securing her a decent settlement and arguing for sole ownership of the house. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that and her marriage could be saved, but it was useful information to know nonetheless. It gave her a sense of power, which meant she could play hardball.
When Kenneth ran a finger over the sideboard and checked for dust, she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself thumping his perfect nose. Let it go, she told herself, be calm and rise above such pettiness. The solicitor had told her not to give her husband any ammunition.
She focused on the positives instead, like the effort he’d made with his appearance. He looked good in his lightweight linen suit, with an open-neck shirt and casual boating loafers. But whereas Kenneth had always embraced the ageing process with dignity and never fought against the inevitability of old age, there was now an air of ‘middle-age crisis’ about him. The gelled hair, the silver chain around his neck, the lack of socks, and good heavens… was he wearing an earring?
‘You’ve had your ear pierced?’ she said in a slightly high-pitched voice, inspecting the gold hoop dangling from his ear.
‘I had it done last week when we visited Brighton.’ He walked around the table and sat down. ‘It’s good to add a spot of spontaneity to life, don’t you think?’
It was hard to decipher whether this was a dig or an innocent remark. Either way, he sounded smug.
Fighting her annoyance, she poured two glasses of wine. ‘I couldn’t agree more,’ she said, handing him one. ‘I’ve recently taken up boxing.’
He almost spilled his drink. ‘Boxing?’
His shock was all the tonic she needed and her annoyance immediately dissipated. She’d retained the upper hand. ‘It’s surprisingly empowering. Anthony – that’s my trainer – he says I have quite the left hook.’ She smiled and lifted her glass. ‘Cheers.’
He clinked glasses with her, his brown eyes slightly wider than normal. He was starting to see her in a new light and her self-esteem improved another notch. ‘Remind me not to get on your bad side.’
‘Oh, it’s too late for that,’ she said, waiting a beat before laughing. It was good to make him squirm a little.
He joined in the laughter, albeit a little forced. ‘You had me worried there.’
‘That was my intention.’ She allowed another lengthy pause before smiling to show she was teasing. ‘Here’s to our beautiful daughter, Megan.’ She lifted her glass in a toast. ‘May she live a long and happy life.’
‘And be as happily married as we were.’ He realised his mistake almost instantly, and the smile fell from his face. ‘You know what I mean… as happy as we were… before, you know?’
‘Before you buggered off and left me for another woman?’ Her tone was light and cheery, as though she didn’t have a vengeful care in the world. Her open and unwavering smile unnerved him further and she could tell he wasn’t quite sure what was going on. That was her intention. Keep the bastard on his toes.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ he said, taking a huge gulp of wine.
‘No?’ She gave him a questioning look, extending the moment to increase his suffering. ‘It seemed that way to me. Anyway, it’s ancient history now,’ she said, leaning against the fire surround. ‘Anthony has encouraged me to move on. He’s been teaching me to expel my anger and find peace. It’s quite liberating.’ She adopted a dreamy expression, allowing her fingers to trail down her exposed neck.
Kenneth’s eyes tracked her downward motion, causing him to visibly swallow and become transfixed, like a snake hypnotised by its master. Putty in her hands.
Connie allowed herself a small self-satisfied smile. ‘Do you remember that holiday we took in Antibes when we were first married?’
Kenneth blinked, as if casting his mind back. ‘The one when it rained solidly for days and we were stuck inside the hotel room?’
‘That’s the one.’ She walked towards him, holding his gaze. ‘We watchedThe Stingdubbed in French, and ate lobster and drank champagne in bed.’
‘And the chambermaid ran from the room when she caught us mid-romp.’
Connie offered him an enticing smile. ‘We didn’t care.’
His eyes locked with hers. ‘We carried on like she’d never been there.’
‘Totally absorbed in what we were doing.’ She was standing right by him now, gazing down at him in the chair, dominant and imposing.
His hand came up to settle on her waist.
She could feel the weight on her hip bone, the heat burning through the flimsy silk of her dress, heating her blood and creating a familiar buzz. It had been a long time since Kenneth had looked at her with such wanting, such intent, such heat… and then her ruddy phone rang.
Still, it was always a good idea to leave a man wanting more.
‘Excuse me, I need to check on dinner,’ she murmured, sashaying from the room with as much allure as she could muster. ‘Help yourself to more wine.’
