Unfaithful (16 page)

"Of course," Colm answered quietly. He sipped his strong, black coffee and buried himself in the morning newspaper.

"Rain-check, darling?" Jackie kissed him lightly on the lips as she gathered the children and their school paraphernalia together and bustled them into the car. She was glad of the distraction that Emmet and Charlotte provided. She could sense something wasn't quite right with her husband and she had too much on her mind to deal with it at the moment.

"Sure," he sniffed. He slowly finished his coffee and gazed unseeingly out of the kitchen window. He felt utterly desolate and alone. He didn't want to believe that his beloved wife was cheating on him, but there were too many indications to the contrary. She was unusually happy and chirpy, she had started dressing sexily, her interest in sex had increased dramatically and her attitude towards him was quite distant and slightly dismissive. She had suddenly developed a new-found interest in her friends and was becoming ever-more evasive towards him.

His phone rang suddenly, breaking his train of thought. It was Kevin, his old school friend.

"Hi Kev mate," Colm answered.

"Hiya mate, do you fancy coming to Kilkenny with me at the weekend for a stag party?"

"No, I'm not really in the mood.”

"Ah come on, it's been months since we've had a lads night out. I'm sure Jackie won't mind having the place to herself for the weekend."

"Hmmm, that's what I'm afraid of."

"What's up with you?" Kevin asked, detecting the disconsolate note in his old friend's voice.

"I think Jackie might be cheating on me."

"Gees, mate, are you sure?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm fairly certain," Colm responded feeling slightly irritated. "She's been dressing a lot sexier lately and not answering her phone for hours sometimes. I don't know what it is exactly, but she's changed towards me. I picked up her phone the other day and she'd had a call from The Four Seasons Hotel."

"It doesn't necessarily mean anything, mate. You know what women are like; they're always changing their image and their attitude."

"No, there’s something different about this."

"Well, why don't you tell her that you're going out with the lads on Saturday, which will give her plenty of time to organise something and then we can follow her, see what she gets up to if anything."

"I don’t know," Colm sounded doubtful.

"I know I'd want to know one way or the other if my wife was cheating on me," Kevin insisted. "Thanks mate, I'll let you know." Colm hung up the phone. He put his head in his hands and could feel a thumping migraine coming on. He wished he could quiet his doubts and his racing mind. Kevin was right. He had to know one way or the other, not knowing was tormenting him too much. He grabbed his mobile phone before he could change his mind and texted Jackie that he was going out for a few drinks in Kilkenny on Saturday night with Kevin and that he'd be staying overnight. The kettle had barely finished boiling for his second cup of coffee when his mobile beeped Jackie's text reply.

"No problem, darling, it's been a while since you've had a boys' night out. Xxx.”

Then he texted Kevin and confirmed their plans. He didn't know what he would do if his worst fears were indeed confirmed. Saturday night would either be the beginning or the ending of his life as he knew it.

~~**~~

Jackie sat in her car and stared at her mobile phone. She was willing herself to call Sean and arrange to meet him on Saturday night. Colm had given her the perfect opportunity to meet Sean and end things with him. She would confront him and ask him if he was indeed Mark. She shuddered at the thought. He was her sister's lover and her lover too. The thought made her want to step out of her skin. She texted Sean and arranged to meet him at The Four Seasons on the following Saturday night. He replied before she'd started the engine.

"Wear something sexy," he texted.

She felt enthralled and repulsed at the same time. There was something just so magnetic about Sean. She'd find it difficult to resist him and even more difficult to end their relationship, but she believed that it had to be done. She couldn't risk Shona finding out. She knew it would destroy her sister.

Chapter 20

"Turn a little more to the left, baby, chin up, that's it, perfect, gorgeous!" Mark instructed Penelope as he snapped his camera over every angle of her beautiful face and body.

Her long black hair was piled high on top of her head and hung in loose tendrils around her face. She was wrapped in a sheet of delicate silk through which could be seen her erect nipples and long, naked legs. She wore the highest pair of heels that Mark had ever seen which caused her to stick her pert bum out. He could look at her all day long, she was so gorgeous.

"All finished, darling," Mark said, at last, rubbing his neck.

They'd been in the studio most of the morning, working on Penelope's portfolio and Mark's neck and shoulders were aching. He was also absolutely ravenous as he had left home before dawn. He hadn't wanted to wake Rebecca, who had been in the most peculiar mood the previous day.

He could sense that there was trouble brewing between them and he really didn't relish the prospect of having a blazing argument with her. He felt vaguely guilty for his "indiscretions" as he liked to refer to them, but any guilt was quickly dismissed by his belief that what his wife didn't know couldn't possibly hurt her.

"How did I do?" Penelope asked coyly as she walked towards him, letting the sheet slip from her naked body as she walked. She sashayed across the floor and all Mark could do was watch her, breathless. No woman had ever had this effect on him. He'd been with beautiful women before, but there had been nobody quite like Penelope. There was something other worldly, ethereal about her. She completely entranced him. He knew that he didn't love her but he was madly in lust with her, maybe even infatuated with her.

"Perfect," he breathed as she stopped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gazed limpidly into his eyes, a languid smile spreading across her face. She ran her fingers through his thick hair and traced the contours of his face with her full lips. Then she slowly kissed every part of his face before resting on his mouth where she placed a butterfly kiss before gently parting his lips with her warm, wet tongue.

She ran her fingers down the length of his body, flicking over his nipples and made her way inside his trousers. He immediately sprung to attention at her touch. He grew harder and longer as her hands played with him and moaned at her touch. He wanted her there and then. He grabbed her buttocks and pushed her to the floor, not caring how rough he was being with her. She spread her long legs wide for him and he quickly sank into her warm, welcoming wetness. She cried out as he rammed himself high into her. He kissed her urgently and sucked her nipples hard. She bucked and thrust beneath him.

"Harder!" she cried. She began to shake against him, until she exploded into a perfect orgasm. He held her tighter against himself, thrusting himself deeper and deeper into her, until his own pleasure was spent. Afterwards, they lay there on the floor, panting with their exertions.

Eventually, Penelope broke the silence, "take me out on Saturday night," she demanded, propping herself up on one elbow and brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Mark rolled over, "I can't baby, family commitments, I'm afraid," he said quickly, as he remembered that he had a rendezvous already arranged with Jackie for Saturday night. "Sunday?" she asked, hating the quiet note of desperation that she could hear creeping into her own voice.

"I don't think so," Mark replied stiffly, starting to feel a bit awkward. He knew he'd have to spend Sunday with Rebecca, whether he wanted to or not as he'd been neglecting her recently and had spent very little time with her. He didn't want her suspecting anything about his liaisons. He got to his feet and headed to the bathroom, avoiding eye contact with Penelope.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Penelope shrieked as she jumped effortlessly to her feet.

He swung round quickly and saw her face was distorted and bright red with temper. She marched up to him and looked him directly in the eye.

"I'm not some slut who you can fuck whenever you feel like it and then cast aside when you are done!" she hissed at him, her face ugly with anger. Her eyes were narrowed and shining. Mark was taken aback by the ferocity of her reaction.

"Baby, you know I'm married, you knew it from the beginning," he tried to explain.

"I couldn't care less about your marriage!" she spat at him. "You knew you were married before you started flirting with me. Your marriage is your problem, your responsibility, not mine! You don't get to fuck me whenever you feel like it Mark McNamara. I know men like you only too well. You do whatever you can to get in a woman's knickers and then once you've had her a few times you cast her aside like a piece of rubbish, like she meant nothing to you. Well, not me, I refuse to be treated like that again!" She shot him a vicious look as she stormed off, gathered her clothes and quickly got dressed.

Mark stayed in the bathroom until she'd slammed out of the studio and banged the front door on her way outside. He was unnerved by Penelope's temper. He'd never seen her or any woman in that state before. She'd looked at him with pure hatred in her eyes. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he thought about what she might do in retaliation for his rejection of her.

He splashed his face with cold water to try to calm down and sprayed some eau de cologne on his wrists to cover the smell of sex. Then he picked up his mobile phone to text Penelope some platitude that would soothe her, but decided against it.
Best to let her cool down
, he thought,
she'll come to her senses before long
.

Chapter 21

Penelope stormed out of the studio and slammed the door dramatically behind her. She was beyond outraged. She was absolutely livid!
How dare he treat me like that
, she thought.
I will not be used again! I'll show him who I really am, she fumed. He doesn't have a clue who he's dealing with! He needs to be taught a lesson, just like that last bastard.

She pounded down the pavement in her thigh high leather boots, her long black hair flying behind her. She looked very dramatic and very angry. Several people jumped out of her way when they saw her coming.

“Cheer up, love, it might never happen,” a cheeky teenage boy shouted after her.

She swung round and roared at him, “it already bloody well has happened!”

He actually ran away in fright. She rounded a corner at top speed, knocking some poor unsuspecting pedestrian unceremoniously to the ground.

"Hey!" the bundle of blonde curls and big duffle coat protested.

"I'm so sorry!" Penelope exclaimed, coming to her senses at last. She dropped her huge handbag to the ground and bent down to help the poor misfortunate who was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, nursing her arm delicately. "Are you ok?" Penelope asked, full of remorse.

"I don't know.” The woman pushed her blonde curls out of her eyes and looked up at her. Penelope's eyes flashed in recognition, "do we know each other?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm Shona, ex-receptionist at M&R Photography," Shona replied disconsolately.

"Shona, of course," Penelope smiled suddenly, her perfect white smile. She helped her to her feet and collected her handbag and its contents from the pavement. Shona was still gingerly nursing her arm.

"I hope it's not broken," Penelope looked stricken at the thought. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, you nearly gave me a heart attack when you came around the corner so fast. You really should be more careful and watch where you're going in future."

"I know," Penelope sighed, "I'm having a horrible day."

"Welcome to my world," Shona said, "except I'm having a horrible life."

"Do you want to grab a coffee or a drink maybe?" Penelope suggested. “Unless you want to go to Accident and Emergency to get your arm checked?"

"My arm will be fine," Shona relented, "it's just a bad bruise at worst, nothing that a drink won't fix." She grinned cheekily at the other woman.

"Great, would you like coffee or something stronger?"

"Something stronger, definitely," Shona insisted.

Penelope laughed at her emphatic response. "A drink it is then and I know just the place. Here, let me carry your bag for you, it's the least I could do."

Shona gave her bag to her new friend.

The two women walked slowly to Cafe Noir, a trendy wine bar which was situated just off the main street. There were tables and chairs set outside under a large lantern which cast a warm glow. The afternoon was already getting dark and there was a distinctive chill in the air.

"Shall we sit inside or outside?" Penelope asked uncertainly.