I retched, wept, battered my fists on the wall, and tried not to scream. Flowers, birds, walks. Sex Mine weren’t the only female eyes in the gym to pursue Gareth, so to ensure I led the chasing pack I had to be unsubtle. Yes, he was my cousin. Old Joe would have been shocked. Oh, how we made up for it! Women are the constant, men are ephemeral. The glass I was holding cracked in my hand and my teeth clenched, but Mandy was waiting outside so the girl would be reassured and comforted. In any case I needed time to pursue my hunt for the financial muscle behind the traffickers behind the adverts. If he told me to take my knickers off and spread my legs, I thought, half of me would want to oblige. He didn’t kiss me immediately, but undid the top three buttons of my blouse and ran his tongue and teeth gently over my collarbones. “Smug bastard. That’s what I was. He’d be a wonderful life companion for the right woman. Grey roots showing. I couldn’t meet his eyes. She’d noticed me running out of the restaurant during dinner so she was glad to see I was well enough to walk.
