‘Oh – is Xander coming home?’ Imogen tried to sound casual but at the mention of his name she felt her stomach turn in lazy excited loops, like the slow cycle of a washing machine.
‘Today, apparently. He’s been on yachts, off yachts, up and down the French coast and I don’t know what. But he’s coming back and bringing a couple of friends.’
‘Girlfriends?’ Imogen asked, a little too fast.
‘Dunno. We’ll have to wait and see. He should be back any minute. Depends if he comes straight back or goes out to Hopetoun for a bit. They’re having a house party there, apparently, and he was at school with the boys.’ Allegra turned her attention back to the magazine she was reading. ‘Maybe you could bring Sam over here. There’re bound to be some impromptu rave ups. But, of course, he might want to be on his own with you.’
‘Maybe,’ Imogen said, cursing Sam for turning up at just the wrong moment. She didn’t want him here, she knew that: this was her place – hers and Allegra’s and Xander’s – and Sam’s presence would only be jarring and wrong.
But she was on tenterhooks after that, knowing Xander was already close.
*
She was almost asleep on the rug, which was now in the welcome shade since the sun had moved behind the trees. Allegra had gone inside to get some drinks and Imogen felt peaceful and relaxed, thinking only about the buzzing of summer insects and the wind in the trees.
Suddenly she felt something pressed against her mouth. Her eyes flew open. For the first instant she saw only a shadow against the bright sky, then she realised that Xander’s face was close to hers. He was crouching next to her and pressing a raspberry to her lips. She opened her mouth to gasp and he popped the soft red fruit inside. It burst with sweet deliciousness on her tongue.
‘Hello,’ he said, smiling at her, and sat down beside her on the rug.
All the breath felt knocked from her body. He looked unbearably handsome, with the sun he’d soaked into his golden-brown skin in St Tropez. His hair had lightened several shades and his blue eyes were darker than ever. She felt as if she were quivering all over and hoped he couldn’t see the naked longing in her eyes.
‘Hello,’ she said, her voice sounding surprisingly normal considering her turmoil. ‘Have you had a nice holiday?’
‘Yeah. Wicked.’
‘It’s lovely to see you,’ she said, trying not to sound too breathless.
He smiled at her. ‘You too. How have you been?’
‘Fine. Just chilling here with Allegra. We’ve had a wonderful time.’ It all sounded so normal – just two old friends chatting – but inside she was crying,
Do you remember? Do you remember what happened between us?
She said casually, ‘How’s Temple?’
‘Temple?’ He was surprised. ‘OK, I guess.’
‘The last time I saw her, she was being taken away in an
ambulance
.’ Imogen watched him carefully.
When we were together at the Gaveston
… she added silently.
Xander looked amused. ‘I forgot you didn’t know what had happened. She was absolutely fine, but she broke her bloody leg. Not a serious break and she was damn’ lucky to get off so lightly. But you’d think the world had come to a bloody end, the way she carried on, hobbling around on her stupid crutches and expecting everyone to be her sodding servant and complaining endlessly about her suffering.’
‘So … are you back together?’ She hoped her voice didn’t sound too breathless but it felt as though everything was hanging on his reply.
‘No. We’re not. She gave me a short sharp lesson in how tiresome she is, and that was that.’
‘Oh.’ Relief rushed through her, as welcome as a cool drink.
He’s single. As far as I know
… There were, after all, other girls in the world besides Temple: gorgeous, desirable creatures – and Xander could take his pick.
He put a hand on her arm, making her skin prickle where he touched it. She hoped he wouldn’t notice that she was almost trembling. He said softly, ‘You’re looking delectable. Like a sunburnt summer maiden.’ He reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ears. Being so close to him almost made her gasp out loud.
‘Xander …’ she began, but was interrupted by a shout.
‘Hurray, you’re home!’ Allegra put down her tray of drinks and raced across the grass to the rug. She jumped into Xander’s arms, knocking him into Imogen and pushing them both down so that, for a moment, the three of them lay together in a kind of embrace. Then Allegra sat up and said, ‘So how was it, you lucky bastard?’
‘Riotous.’ Xander stayed lying on the rug, grinning up at his sister. ‘Totally depraved, of course. I’ve brought Ollie and
Luca
back. They’re putting their stuff upstairs. I thought we could have a barbie tonight.’
Imogen lay beside him, unable to move, full of suppressed pleasure at being next to him.
‘Great. Poor old Midge and I have been bored stiff on our own. We need some sexy men. Well, I do. You don’t, do you, Midge? Her boyfriend is coming up tomorrow.’
Xander turned to her, raising his eyebrows. ‘Your boyfriend? Imogen – you break my heart.’
Damn. Why did Allegra have to mention that?
She nodded slowly.
‘You’ll just have to bring him over here so I can tell him to do the right thing by you.’
‘You don’t need to do that,’ Allegra said. ‘He’s totally mushy over Midge. Worships the ground she walks on.’
‘So he should,’ Xander said with a grin. ‘Now, ladies, shall we get some of that lovely lemonade you’ve brought out? I’m parched.’
It’s the damn’ flirting
, Imogen told herself, as she got ready for dinner upstairs.
That’s what makes it so difficult. He treats me like a little girl, but always with that edge, teasing me, pretending that he’s interested … Does it mean anything or not? Does he remember what happened? God, it’s so confusing
.
She examined her reflection, pleased that they’d been sunbathing so much recently. Her legs were a good colour, and she had sun-kissed arms and shoulders, and a pretty pink-brown tinge to her cheeks. She’d borrowed one of Allegra’s loose summer dresses which was a little too long and too tight, but that’s what came of being short and plump compared to her friend.
On the way down to the lawn, she looked out of one of the windows and saw some people gathering on the lawn, Xander among them, now in shorts and a canary-yellow
polo
shirt. He’d obviously taken control of the barbecue and was monitoring it carefully while his friends stood around, drinking beers, smoking and chatting.
Imogen was filled with a sense of happiness. Here she was: young and carefree, with a castle at her disposal, and the man she adored downstairs. They had a summer’s evening ahead of them when anything might happen … What pleasure. She shivered with anticipation and went down to join them.
Xander’s friends were like him: casual but entirely confident, with the easy manner that came from knowing the world well already, and from the vantage point of wealth and privilege. One, Luca, was an Italian who spoke perfect English. The other, Ollie, was an old school friend of Xander. Imogen took the glass of Pimm’s that was offered to her and settled down to watch the men and listen to their conversation, which was full of gossip about their recent trip to the South of France. When Allegra joined them, she was keen to party, pouring herself a large glass of wine. ‘It’s been so dull here!’ she declared. ‘Just Midge and me – no one’s come near the place for weeks and weeks!’
‘Haven’t we got a house party coming?’ asked Xander, putting some steaks on to the grill.
‘Yes – but that’s not exactly going to make it party central round here, is it? A load of old fogies and their tweeds. Hopefully I’ll have got away from here by the time they all arrive for the shooting.’
‘Have you got plans?’ Imogen said, surprised. Allegra hadn’t said anything about going anywhere.
‘I’m working on it. I’ve got to think about the future at any rate. I can’t stay here for the rest of my life. But let’s not talk about all that now.’ She lifted her glass. ‘Up your bums, everyone! Let’s get pissed.’
Dinner was delicious: simple but just right. Xander
barbecued
the steaks perfectly and served them with the housekeeper’s buttery new potatoes and salads. Allegra kept their glasses topped up and the boys amused them with funny stories and gossip from the Mediterranean playground of the rich. The Scottish summer evening seemed to go on and on. It was not dark even at ten o’clock, though the sky was fading to lavender and there was a chill in the air after the warm day.
‘Shall we add a little spice to this party?’ asked Xander idly, and brought out a wrap. ‘Anyone for a pick-me-up?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Allegra promptly. She seemed to be in high spirits, Imogen thought, and looked wonderful as usual. Like Xander’s, her hair had taken on a lustrous golden sheen from the sun, and her floral mini dress looked effortlessly stylish and yet casual, teamed with pink flowery flip-flops. She had been flirting hard with Luca whose dark Italian looks, curly hair and strong jawline, had obviously taken her fancy.
Xander took a mat and opened his wrap out, pouring the powder on to the shiny surface. Everyone carried on chatting but Imogen watched as he chopped up the powder with a razorblade from his wallet, clearly well practised at it. When he’d refined it sufficiently, he divided it up into five neat lines, took out a silver straw and passed it first to Allegra.
‘This is cute,’ she said, holding the straw.
‘Present from James,’ replied Xander. ‘He had it made ’specially.’
Allegra put the straw to her nostril and made short work of one of the lines. ‘Mmmm,’ she said, sniffing and putting her head back. ‘That’s good. Here you are, Midge.’
Imogen took it and followed suit. She hadn’t had any cocaine since the days of the fiercest partying with Allegra before meeting Sam, but as soon as she’d inhaled it she remembered the numbness of her gums, the bitter taste at
the
back of her throat and the rush of confidence that followed.
I can see why Xander likes it
. She liked it too – but she also knew its power and had been careful not to acquire a taste for it.
Immediately they had taken the cocaine, the party seemed to shift into another gear. What had been a pleasant enough dinner with some wine and some friends, suddenly became something edgier. It was nearly dark. Candles were lit. Allegra began to flirt more blatantly with Luca. Xander cut more lines and passed the little mat round again. Allegra declared she wanted to dance and began to move around sensuously, humming to herself, while Luca watched her with appreciative eyes. After a while he got up and joined her, and before long they’d disappeared together into the darkness.
A few minutes later, laughter and shouts came from the perimeter of the lawn.
‘What are those two up to?’ Xander said, his face illuminated by the flickering golden light of the candles. ‘Shall we go and see, Imogen?’
She got up at once, her heart beginning to race. ‘Yes.’
‘Oh, great, I’ll just stay here like a bloody great gooseberry,’ Ollie said crossly. ‘Not enough women at your bloody parties, McCorquodale!’
Xander laughed and shrugged. He stood up and took Imogen’s hand. ‘Bad luck, mate. You should have tried harder with Allegra.’
The next moment, he and Imogen were wandering together, hand in hand, into the soft darkness.
This is perfect happiness
, she thought, as they made their way across the lawn and into the heathery woodland beyond, smelling the warm grassy scents of the summer night. There was the subtle chirrup of crickets and soft fluttering as birds settled down for the night.
Walking with
Xander
, holding his hand, knowing that sooner or later he’s going to kiss me
…
He said nothing to her but the air was rich with tension. As her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, she guessed where they were going, and a few minutes later they arrived at the pink marble temple that glowed white in the moonlight. There were distant shrieks and laughter. Allegra and Luca were far away, perhaps down by the water from the sound of it.
As soon as they were in the temple, Xander turned to Imogen and, without a word, seemed to fall upon her as though he wanted to devour her. His mouth was pressed to hers, his warm tongue pushing at her lips until her mouth opened, while his hands were tugging at her clothes, pulling down the straps of her dress, yanking at her zip, lifting the skirt and bunching it around her thighs, as though he wanted everything to happen at once and as fast as possible.
All she could do was help him: she wanted to surrender to him utterly, to demonstrate the extent of her passion for him by giving herself to him exactly as he wanted. She pulled her zip down and let her dress fall to the floor, then undid her bra so he could pull it off. With a smooth movement, she pulled down her knickers and stepped out of them, so she was completely naked in front of him.
Then he was pushing her down to the ground, taking her with him to the marble floor. She gasped as her bare skin touched the icy stone. He pulled off his polo shirt, put it under her back and lay down beside her, still kissing her as though she were offering him the breath of life. She put her arms round his warm body, glorying in the sensation of his smooth skin under her palms, and then moved her hand down to his shorts. His cock was rock hard against his fly. As she unbuttoned it, his penis seemed to leap free, eager to find her. He rolled over so that he was between her thighs
and
she pushed the shorts and his boxers down so he was entirely released.
‘Christ …’ he muttered. He dipped his head and buried his face in the tender part of her neck where it met her shoulder, kissing and nipping her in a way that was almost unbearable. She closed her eyes and put her head back, turning her consciousness inwards so that she concentrated only on what she could feel: his penis was pushing against her mound, its head occasionally pressing against the bud of her clitoris and sending a strong buzz of pleasure radiating through her whole body. He pulled back his hips and grasped his cock in his hand and directed it towards the entrance of her pussy. She was ready for him.