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‘That’s hardly likely,’ said Jess. ‘What if he assumes you’re thinking the same thing?’
Gaynor thought about it for a moment. ‘I hadn’t really considered that as a possibility.’
‘We never do, mate,’ said Jess. ‘Fuck, it’s chats like this that make me wish we all still smoked. You need a pack of Marlboros for a conversation like this.’
‘So I haven’t had sex in two years,’ said Trish, ‘and Gaynor is, what, one-and-a-half times this year so far? When was your last time, Jess?’
‘Couple of weeks ago,’ said Jess glumly. ‘The kids were at Tim’s mum’s for the weekend, we went to a wedding for some guy he works with. It had a free bar so we got wasted, then had a rubbish shag on the sofa when we got home. He did that thing where he held my head while I was going down on him and I gagged so hard I nearly puked. Literally sicked up a Vodka Red Bull in my mouth and had to swallow it again.’
Gaynor and Trish both snorted with laughter. ‘Oh my God, I hate it when men do that,’ said Trish. ‘Like, I’ve got this, babe. You don’t need to STEER.’
‘They’ve definitely forgotten we’re here,’ said Nick, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
‘Would you rather they gave verbal instructions?’ asked Gaynor. ‘I can’t be doing with all that “left a bit, down a bit”. You’re getting a blowjob, not hanging a fucking picture—’
‘Is it not enough that we put their dicks in our mouths?’ laughed Trish.
‘Wait, what?’ said Hannah, her face a mask of shock. ‘You put it in your MOUTH?’
The others all stared at her in shock. ‘Oh my God,’ gasped Jess, covering her mouth with her hand. ‘I know you grew up in that creepy church, but how could you not know that?’
Hannah grinned. ‘I’m just kidding,’ she said, then stood up to fill her empty glass, giving Rob a grin as she passed. She knew he was watching her as she walked away, although he was being a lot more subtle about it than Olly, who looked her up and down whilst actually licking his lips. Hannah shuddered as Manuel spotted her empty glass and indicated that he’d be over with another bottle.
‘Everyone OK here?’ asked Olly, helping Chris and Jonno dish out cold beers to all the outstretched hands. ‘What are we talking about?’
‘Nothing much,’ said Gaynor quickly. ‘Who do we have to thank for all this?’
‘It was actually Rob’s idea,’ said Olly, plonking himself down next to her. ‘But it was me who called Manuel. He owes me a favour – I send him all the guests who want boat trips and drugs.’
‘I miss the days when we used to take drugs,’ Trish said wistfully. ‘Jess, how much of the early noughties did we spend absolutely off our faces?’
‘Most of it,’ said Jess, looking around at the group. ‘Gaynor was really into UK Garage, we used to go up to London to these parties. Bodycon dresses and no eyebrows, off our tits on speed so we didn’t fall asleep and miss the last train home.’
‘I love how she blames it on me,’ said Gaynor. ‘Her brother was our dealer. Anyway, Olly, we feel very honoured that you’d cash in your favour for us.’ She held out her glass for him to clink with his beer bottle. ‘Thank you.’
Olly grinned, basking in the glow of Gaynor’s attention. Hannah leaned over the railing as the boat sped through the calm water, wondering if Olly would ever learn that not every woman who gave him the time of day also wanted to have sex with him.
‘It’s a gorgeous boat,’ said Rob, appearing beside her and looking out to sea, away from the ugly hotels and apartments along the coast. Manuel was taking them to a spot where they could swim and watch the sun set before having a tapas dinner and heading back. She watched him lean back and turn his face to the sun, his arms taut and the line of soft hair on his stomach glinting gold in the sunlight. She shivered at the thought of stroking her fingers along it; regardless of what they’d agreed last night, he’d still ignited a fire inside her that no amount of swimming, tennis or Cava was going to put out. She wondered if he found them being this close to each other as exquisitely painful as she did.
‘This boat is calledBianca,’ said Manuel, topping up the outstretched glasses. He had a huge moustache that offset the lack of hair on his head, and the wide, flat feet of a man who hadn’t worn shoes in decades. ‘She belong to my father, he buy her so he could bring the very best marijuana from Morocco.’
‘What a family legacy,’ said Trish. ‘Where is he now?’
‘He’s in . . . what do you call the place? Where people go to stay when they are old?’
‘Prison?’ suggested Rob.
Aaron snorted his beer through his nose. ‘A retirement home?’
‘This is the place,’ said Manuel, patting Aaron’s shoulder and pointing towards a tiny inlet in the cliffs. ‘I will help Felipe now, and then you can swim.’
‘I’m definitely going in,’ said Aaron, pulling off his T-shirt and bouncing on the balls of his feet as Manuel and Felipe slowed the boat and let out the anchor. Hannah watched Rob, grateful for the anonymity of sunglasses. He looked entirely at peace, a small smile on his lips as he sipped his beer and listened to the others arguing about whether Rafa or Roger was the greatest tennis player of all time.Serena, obviously.
‘You can swim now,’ shouted Manuel a few minutes later. ‘We will make you food.’
‘Shit, I forgot to bring any other shorts,’ said Aaron, casting around like a pair of swimming shorts might magically appear.
‘Me too,’ said Nick. ‘Just wear those ones, they’ll dry off.’
