on a quick jaunt to Greece. A quick sun-drenched, fun-packed jaunt to Greece.
Mark and I had plans for this coming week, but nothing that couldn’t be done another time. Mark has been working hard and he’ll have fun. He deserves the break. If I could have afforded it, I might even have joined them. Also, I’ll have close on a week to see if I can get some work done on my canvases. I can be focussed and not have to worry about Mark being around and having to tidy up every day at five-o-clock. It’ll be good.
God – I almost convinced myself for a moment.
Danny grins and shakes my hand. He addresses Mark like I’m not there.
‘So this is the little lady, then! You didn’t tell me you were shacked up with a top model, Mark!’
Oh. My. God.
Danny is – and there’s no kind way to say this – a prick.
He’s short, sweaty and overweight, and as he talks to Mark, he looks me up and down in a way that makes my skin crawl. He continues to speak directly to Mark about me, his piggy little eyes darting over my boobs every couple of seconds.
‘Shame she can’t come! I’ll bet she scrubs up lovely in a bikini, eh?’
Pervert.
Mark laughs at Danny’s hilarious banter. It occurs to me that this, this person couldn’t be called anything else but Danny Crump. I almost feel sorry for Mark, having to spend five minutes in this man’s company, let alone five days. It’s hard to believe that they’re about the same age. Danny looks about fifteen years older and considerably more shagged out, though not in a good way. I almost feel sorry for him, too, but not that much.
‘Yeah. Yeah she does. This is Chloe Dixon. Chloe, this is Danny Crump.’
Danny shakes my hand again. Either he likes the physical contact or he’s so stupid he’s forgotten that out hands have already shaken thirty seconds ago. I think it’s the former. He continues to clasp my hand after the shaking has stopped.
‘Chloe, eh?’ says Danny.
The two girls, who have been silent and staring, look from Danny to Mark and from Mark to Danny. I keep forgetting that they’ve never met Mark before. Or me, for that matter. I’m wondering if this has occurred to Danny. I extract my hand from Danny’s.
One of the girls is tall, pale and fairly pretty (is that bitchy enough for you?). She has one of those complexions where you just know she’s going to be the same colour when she comes back from five days of intense Mediterranean sunbathing. She’s quite busty and I can see her nipples through the top she’s wearing. I imagine she’d get a lot of attention on the beach. She’s grinning at me. I don’t know why.
The other girl has a permanent smile on her face and cute dimples in her cheeks. She’s got blonde hair which has been cut short. Ear piercing on the right ear. Good cheekbones. She’s shorter than the other one. Wide hips, small breasts. She keeps fiddling with her hair and nervously tapping her foot against her suitcase, as if checking it’s still there without having to look down. She’s a little overweight. She could be Danny’s younger sister, if he has one.
Danny nudges the tall one and points to me. ‘This is Chloe, Mark’s main squeeze. Chloe, this is Margot.’
I shake hands with Margot. We smile at each other. Did Danny just say ‘main squeeze’?
‘It’s such a shame you can’t come, Chloe.’ says Margot, looking at the floor.
I don’t know how to respond to this.
‘Well, I’m very busy with work. You know how it is.’
Margot looks up and smiles vacantly. She doesn’t know how it is.
‘And this beauty,’ says Danny, indicating the shorter one, ‘is Ruth.’
Ruth and I shake hands. Danny doesn’t take his eyes off Ruth. Either they’re already bonking or it’s something Danny has in mind for the future. Does that mean that Mark gets to have busty Margot? I must kill these thoughts before they start roosting in my brain.
There’s an awkward silence. I decide to break it. I look from Margot to Ruth, grinning like an idiot. ‘Do you both work with Danny?’
‘I work with Danny.’ Replies Ruth. ‘Margot is a friend of mine.’
That’s that out of the way, then.
‘I don’t work with Danny.’ adds Margot, helpfully.
I watch as the four of them exchange brief holiday chat and fiddle with their bags. Mark shows Danny a couple of the books he’s