The Mistress - Jill Childs Page 0,2

sightlessly at the cooker on the far side of the kitchen. ‘It’s not just about hurting me. Or Helen. It’s about Anna too.’

I snorted. ‘You should have thought about that before. What you’ve done isn’t just wrong, it’s illegal.’

He drank the wine. ‘I’m not doing anything with… honestly, it’s not what you think…’ He trailed off, embarrassed.

‘Stop it, Ralph. I know exactly what’s going on.’ I set down my wine glass and closed the gap between us, forcing him to look at me. ‘And I’m not bluffing. You know that, don’t you? I’m serious.’

His eyes widened. What had he expected? That I’d shut up and go away and let him carry on? I shook my head.

‘I’ll do it, Ralph. I will. I’ll tell everyone. I’ll write to the governors. It’ll finish you. Don’t you see? Not just with Helen. You’ll never teach again.’

‘They’d never believe you.’ His eyes were uncertain. ‘You’ve no proof. You can’t have because it’s not true.’

He looked so anxious, so vulnerable. A shock of hair spilled forward over his forehead and, without thinking, I lifted my hand and tucked it back. How many times had I done that in the past? It wasn’t over. It couldn’t be. We were too good together.

For a moment, neither of us moved. I saw myself reflected there in his brown eyes. Part of him.

Suddenly, I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. Gently at first, then harder. His lips parted under the pressure and my tongue slid into his mouth, searching for his. I fumbled to touch him and ran my hands down his chest, feeling his warm, smooth skin through his shirt.

He put his hands on my shoulders, holding them, and murmured, ‘Laura.’

I flushed. He wanted me. I could feel it. That was the real reason he’d asked me to come. He was just confused, held back by some misplaced idea of duty to his family and shame for what he’d done. He deserved better.

I surged with a sudden sense of my power over him, the hope that I could pull him back to me if I just kept going, if he let himself surrender to me. I wasn’t lost. I could still make him mine again. It wasn’t too late to cauterise the pain of the last few weeks.

I pressed against him a second time, my lips finding his. This time, he barely resisted. He let me kiss him, let me tease him with the tip of my tongue, then, finally, he shifted his weight, slid his hands from my shoulders to the small of my back, pulling me close, and kissed me back. I trembled, triumphant as well as excited. He wanted me. I was right, all along. He was mine for the taking.

Our kissing, sweet at first, became intense. I tugged at his shirt and slid my hands underneath the cotton. His skin was warm and familiar. He shuddered at the touch of my fingertips.

He pulled away a second time, less certainly than before, and looked down at me, safe now in the circle of his arms. I ran my tongue round my lips.

‘Oh, Laura.’ He sounded agonised.

I pushed against him, then smiled. His eyes were easy to read. He was too far gone, I could tell. No turning back. Whatever resolve he’d had, whatever plan to resist me, it was too late. It wasn’t over, this passion of ours, far from it. I would win yet.

I took control, seizing his hand and leading him through to the sitting room. I pushed him back onto the settee, scattering its neatly arranged cushions, then straddled him. He moaned and closed his eyes, his head falling back. I started to unbutton his shirt, kissing my way down his chest, my heart surging.

Afterwards, I slumped on top of him. My legs, bent on either side of his, were stiffening. My face pressed into his sweaty, cooling neck.

He whispered into my ear, ‘Laura?’

‘Hmm?’ My lips kissed the skin close to his mouth, breathing in his familiar smell. He moved his arms from round me and my back, naked and suddenly exposed, chilled. He shifted his weight, trying to lift me off, trying to move.

‘Oh no, you don’t!’ I tried to pin him down, playful.

He didn’t seem in the mood. Stronger than me, he pushed me to one side and I fell onto the mess of cushions. I watched, defeated but happy, as he got to his feet and padded across the room. My