Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (4 page)

The waiter appeared
,
and
Justin
order
ed
, consulting with her again. She opted for a salad and a house sandwich, perfectly aware that she wouldn’t be able to eat anything more. Her stomach was tied in knots, the timeframe that Vic had planned for her ticking away in her head. ‘Try to get him to come out before eleven, all right?’ Vic asked, her eyes as calm as if they were talking about ordering pizza. ‘My photographer works by the hour, so if you can get it under two hours, I won’t have to pay him for the third one.’ It was weird, in a way, she thought later that evening, alone in her apartment. With Vic’s money, she wouldn’t expect her to be that petty.

‘Well, thanks to you
,
I
’
m actually eating something with my drink here
.’ H
e was watching her with a little smile, his large frame totally relaxed. He shrugged of
f
his jacket, the pale blue shirt and
jeans making him look very casual and approachable.
He was no
still
h
andsome and breathtaking, but in a more familiar, friendly way.

‘
Do
you come here often?’
s
he asked, if only to say something. She regretted that she didn’t date more men
;
her small talk experience
was
in serious need of some upgrading. ‘I mean, the bartender seemed to know you
.
’

‘Once a year, really
.’ H
e must have noticed her puzzled expression at his exact answer, because he smiled again, sadness creeping up to make it look wistful.
‘
T
oday is the date I always come here. You see, ten years a
go my whole family died in a plane
crash. Just in an instant, they were all gone. My mom, dad
,
and my two brothers. They were travelling to visit my grandfather.
M
y dad was an avid pilot
,
and he had his
license
for many years. He owned one of those small, six
-
pe
rson
planes
,
and we used it sometimes.’ He took a deep breath and continued, oblivious to her horrified silence. ‘I was supposed to
go,
too. But I was in the midst of my exams at the university
,
so I passed on the offer, telling
them
I
would
come a few days
later
. That was the last time we spoke
. The
next thing I knew
, there
was a phone call about the accident.’

She had no idea what to say. Her mind swirled, thoughts chasing each other as she tried to make sense of what she
had
just heard. Justin came here on the
anniversary
of his family’s crash, this sad tradition bringing him obviously some kind of comfort. There was no way
Vic didn’t know about it. And if she did, what did
that
make her? Was she really cold
-
blooded enough to send
Kate
on a mission to
seduce
her estranged husband on this one painful night when he was vulnerable and
weak
?

She didn’t really need to think a long time about
that
rhetorical question. Of course
Vic
knew that. It provided her with the rare opportunity to break through his defenses and gain something from it.
Hadn’t
she just joke
d
that in love and war all was allowed?

‘I am so sorry, Justin
,
’
Kate
whispered, forgetting for a second why they were
t
here. ‘Why this place?’
She
had to have him talk, if only to give her some time to collect her thoughts and regroup.

‘
Well
, this place was always kind of special to my dad.’ His smile was not really sad
,
some good memories making him sound perkier. ‘
Don’t
ask me why, but he had a weakness for this little hole ever since I remember. I guess it
had
something to do with the fact that he met my mom in here.’

The waiter brought them the food, his efficient bustling keeping
Justin
silent for a moment. Once they were alone, he continued, his face calm.

‘
She
worked here as a waitress at the time. He came with all his posh buddies, all of
them
snooty kids from the local rich houses. My dad wasn’t much better, as he said himself. But there she was, pretty and as poor as a church mouse. He fell for her fast and hard
,
and they were happy together for thirty years
,
give or take.’

‘That’s a lovely story.’ She unroll
ed
her cutlery from the napkin wrap, her salad surprisingly
appetizing
. She speared it carefully and chewed slowly, amazed by the crisp lettuce bursting with flavor.

‘
Yeah
, we used to come here at every school
year
end. Plus
,
when we got a bit older, dad would take us here for a men’s pep talk, if you know what I mean
.
’
His
eyebrows moved comically
,
and she laughed, unable to stop herself.

‘You have a lovely laugh, Muriel
.’ H
is eyes were on her face, her blush
making him even more pleased. ‘
And for a girl who is dressed for a kill, you blush surprisingly eas
il
y, I must say.’ He bit into his steak, his eyebrows pulled together as he thought about it some more.
‘You’re very mysterious, Muriel
,
’
he
continued after a
small
sip of his drink. ‘Very different from what you
’
re projecting with that.’ His hand made a light gesture to
ward
her clothes, trying to make a point. ‘So
,
what is your story?’

His unexpected question
hung
in the air for a second before she smiled, her head empty. She had to come up with something, anything. As long as she managed to make it sound half truthful, she knew she had a better chance to appear real.

‘I was supp
osed to meet someone, Justin.
I don’t think he will show up
,
though. I start
ed
thinking that it was nothing more
than
a misunderstanding.’

In a way it was true.
The longer she talked to Justin, the less she felt like going along with the original plan. Whatever problems Vic had with him, she didn’t portray him as truthfully as she thought she did. But there was no turning back, was there?

‘
He
didn’t come?’ Justin grinned, his eyes repentant. ‘
Sorry
about that
;
I should
n’t
look so happy. But to be honest, I
’
m quite grateful to this unknown guy. It
’
s much more fun to actually talk to someone normal instead of sitting alone, brooding over the past.’ He shook his head in amazement, a peculiar expression entering his features. ‘I guess you could say you did a good deed tonight, Muriel
, saving
a lonely man from his dark thoughts
.
’

She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from bursting out how wrong he really was. She was no angel
,
by any means. More of a devil really, his own personal demon summoned by his vengeful wife and bent on bringing him to his knees. She couldn’t think about it, if she
were
to survive this evening.

Yes, he was nice and fun to be with, but did it really mean he was none of the other
things Vic talked about?
Her stories about his antics with call girls and disrespecting
his wife
came back to mind,
Kate’s
heart torn between her wish to see him as something else and her loyalty to Vic. They had become good friends in the last few weeks, Vic’s warmth and friendliness not something that should be discarded the moment
Kate
saw a handsome man.
In the end
,
her loyalty won
,
and she smiled at him, eager to put her theories to the test.

‘Are you lonely?’ W
ell, it was giving him the opportunity to come clean. If he was different from the stories that
Vic
had fed her, he could tell her about his marriage right now. In a way, she hoped he would.

But he didn’t. Kate felt disappointment c
o
urse through her veins as he nodded, a little smile playing around his firm mouth.

‘Very lonely
.
’
He
reached across the table, his fingers grazing the back of her hand, trails of
electricity setting
her skin on fire. With an inhuman effort she managed to keep it still
;
appearing skittish and silly
was
not something she could afford.

‘
Actually
, I think I
’
ve bee
n lonely for a long time now.
’
He
kept talking, his blue eyes darker. ‘
Maybe
it’s the
atmosphere of this evening
or the alcohol
talking, but I have to say that when I
’
m around you, this feeling of loneliness disappears, Muriel. I like that
.
’

His fingers traced the skin of her wrist, going to the sensitive area of her forearm, following the bluish trail of her veins. His touch didn’t feel
dirty
or sleazy, she thought, her blood rushing through her veins like liquid fire. It was slow and almost hesitant, his fingertips
mov
ing
gently,
discovering her skin like a sailor travelling uncharted territory.

She didn’t remember ho
w it happened that he was suddenly closer. He must have slid over to her seat with one fluid motion, her dazed state responsible for her blind spot. She blinked as
s
he felt his fingers reaching the crease of her elbow, his neat
ly
trimmed nails scraping gently against her skin.

‘You make me feel better, however insane it sounds
,
’
he
whispered before bending his dark head and replacing his fingers with his lips. She felt them shaping themselves against her soft skin, alive and
tactile
. She gasped and shivered, sensing
,
more than seeing
,
his body respond in kind.

Before she could do anything, he pulled her closer, his arms closing around her stunned body with iron strength. She should have fought, she thought miserably
,
as she felt his rock
-
hard body against her skimpily clad frame.
But she couldn’t.
Even
as she saw his head bent with the unmistakable purpose, she was silent, her lips parting in
exhilarated
excitement.

His kiss was absolutely perfect. She almost wished for him to be demanding and passionate, taking rather than giving. It would fit into the image of a cheating man who used every opportunity to score very well. Instead
,
he seemed to hesitate, his warm mouth gentle and caressing as he explored her lips. His hands came to her waist and her head, pulling her into his lap as he angled her face against his, his palm buried in her long hair.

She was doing it for the cause, she told herself as she wrapped her arms a
round his neck, pressing her body
even closer, until absolutely no space
existed
between the
m
. It was
her
last sane thought as she felt his kiss changing, the gentleness giving way to desire. Each sweep of his tongue against hers
stoked
the fire already threatening
to make
her spontaneously combust.
She
kissed him
back almost
desperately, her lips demanding
more of what he had to offer
.