‘Really?’ Mike said, his eyes alight. ‘You feel it too? It’s still there, isn’t it?’
Sheridan resisted the urge to laugh out loud. As if.
Her heart began to beat double-time as she progressed to her next move. She had to do this. He was the only person she trusted not to go to the police; by doing so, he would be implicating himself. Later, she could be asking much more of him. She leaned forward and swallowed back her revulsion before pressing her lips upon his. He may have been her first kiss, but like now, it had all been for show. As if cameras were rolling before them, she injected meaning into the contact, as if he were her long-lost love. She knew by his response that their stolen kiss meant so much more to him.
Slowly, they parted. ‘I’ll always care for you, Mike. I wanted to show you how much.’
‘I . . . I’ve got a place not far from here.’ He shifted in his seat, his face flushed.
Sheridan shook her head. ‘You know I can’t do that. I love Daniel. You and me . . . we’re like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that don’t fit together any more.’
Slowly, Mike’s tongue traced his lips, as if he could still taste their lingering kiss. He smiled. ‘What can I do for you?’
Sheridan returned his smile. This time it was genuine, because Rachel would get what was coming to her. ‘She’s been blabbing to Celeb Goss magazine. I want you to arrange a little accident, something to shut her up.’
Mike stiffened as the drunk at the bar wobbled past them on his way to the toilets, humming out of key. Satisfied he was out of earshot, Mike leaned closer, his words hushed but sharp. ‘I won’t kill her. I can’t stand the bitch, but please . . . not that.’
‘I’m not asking you to.’ Sheridan’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of murder. Why did people always think the worst of her? ‘Just lay her up for a few weeks. There’s a hundred grand in it for you. That should keep you going for a while.’
‘Make it two. Come on, Sherry, you can afford it – it’s a drop in the ocean to you.’
Sheridan pursed her lips. ‘It’s still a drop I have to explain to my auditors when they do my accounts. A hundred k can be explained away as a gift to an old friend, but not two. I’ll keep up your health insurance. It’ll give you peace of mind.’
‘Yeah, but . . .’
Sheridan checked her watch. She was growing bored now, and she needed to get back. ‘Listen,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘I’m offering you a lot of money to teach that poisonous bitch a lesson. If you’re not interested in helping me, then . . .’
‘Of course I’ll help. You’re my Sherry baby.’ Mike’s grey eyes held a depth of emotion. ‘I’ve seen all your movies a dozen times or more.’ He paused. ‘You had a tough time with your mom growing up. I know that things haven’t always been easy for you.’ Sheridan’s mother both wrote and produced the award-winning show. Even when they were off air, she was constantly pushing her daughter for a better performance. ‘People talk as if reality shows are a new thing, but we’d been doing it for years,’ he added as an afterthought.
Sheridan squeezed his hand in thanks. ‘Good. I’ll leave you to it. Don’t get caught.’ She rose from her stool.
Mike stretched his long limbs as he stood before her. ‘Do you have to go so soon? It would be nice if we could spend time together. Talk about the old days.’
‘I’m sorry, honey, but I’ve got to get back. Daniel will be wondering where I’ve gone.’ Now she had got what she wanted, Sheridan couldn’t wait to escape Mike’s company.
‘We did the right thing, didn’t we?’ Mike asked, his face haunted with past memories.
‘What’s done is done,’ Sheridan replied. ‘Put it out of your mind. You’ve been to prison. You know I’d never survive it.’ Sheridan felt no guilt for what she was asking him to do. She was doing this for her family. She had no regrets.
‘Bloody hell!’ Daniel stared at his newspaper open-mouthed.
‘Don’t swear in front of Leo,’ Sheridan said, before signalling to the nanny. ‘Isabella, clean his face, will you? It’s almost time for school.’ She turned to her child, who was sitting between them at the kitchen table, evidence of his