Chapter Forty

‘Tanya, you look a million dollars!’ Yannakis told her admiringly. Then he added, somewhat self-consciously, ‘this is my wife, Maria.’

‘Pleased to meet you,’ Tanya told her, holding out her hand.

‘How’s your mum?’ he asked.

‘Much better, thank you,’ Tanya said as naturally as possible. ‘It was a minor stroke, more of a warning, basically, so now she’s got to think seriously about her cholesterol intake and whatnot.’ Fortunately, one of her magazines had run an article on strokes in their health section, so Tanya had been able to gen up on the subject on the plane back.

They were standing in the garden surrounding the show house at Odyssey Villas, which had been transformed into an elegant pavilion full of floral displays, marble statuettes and white balloons. Uniformed waiters and waitresses offered the mingling guests champagne, mineral water or orange juice, as well as delicate canapés and finger snacks. At some point in the proceedings there was to be a brief speech by the CEO and then the ceremonial first foundation stone would be laid in the neighbouring house. Between them, Tanya and Yannakis had now sold two thirds of the units, exceeding their targets, and were well on their way to selling the rest before the year end. Tanya could rightly feel proud of herself, she kept thinking. She had a good job, a great man, and another party to go to afterwards. Tanya Hopkins was a success!

‘Tanya, my dear,’ said a voice from behind her that made her flesh creep. She turned to see Mr Makhtabi, a glass of champagne in his hand.

‘Mr Makhtabi, what a pleasure,’ she said brightly. ‘You know my boss, Yannakis, don’t you?’ As they shook hands and Yannakis began the small talk, Tanya excused herself to check on the guest-list. The party had been organised by staff at head office, so all she’d had to do was give them contact details, but still she felt she should see who was attending or not. On the list she stared quietly at the name Marinos Kiriakos and the careless tick someone had marked in the ‘No’ box. If only he were there, Tanya thought. If only they could spend every day together from now on.

She chatted briefly to the Dietmars, and to a Swedish family who’d bought Athena, and then turned round in time to see Ginnie arriving, with a handsome Cypriot carrying some recording equipment by her side.

‘You’re late!’ Tanya teased.

‘My fault, I’m Demetrius,’ the man said, shaking Tanya’s hand, before excusing himself to interview an Odyssey spokesman.

‘There’s Nigel and Trisha, over there, they own Tiggles,’ Ginnie pointed out, reaching for an orange juice. She’d have loved a glass of champagne but didn’t trust herself. Today was too important, and certainly not the day to take up drinking again. ‘Come and meet them.’

Ginnie ushered Tanya across the marquee to meet the couple. After a conversation that struck Tanya as awfully stilted for people who worked together all the time, she found herself briefly alone in the mingle. Then that voice, and that smell of aftershave, emerged beside her.

‘Tanya, my dear, you look spectacular,’ Mr Makhtabi said.

‘Thank you,’ she said with a fake smile. ‘How’s your family, then? Are they here?’

‘No, dear, they are in London. I came to Cyprus alone. I have been trying to contact you but they said you were in England, with your sick mother?’

‘That’s right,’ Tanya told him, willing the speeches to start.

‘And she is better?’

‘Yes, she is, thanks.’

‘And your mobile, it was never on. I left messages, didn’t you get them?’

‘I’m sorry, yes I did, but basically, as I’m sure you can imagine, it was a difficult time.’

The thought of that man, that body, naked, on top of and inside her own, now revolted Tanya to the extent that she thought she might be sick.

‘And after the party, what are your plans?’

‘Mr Makhtabi, I’m afraid I’ve got other arrangements today. It’s a busy time of year, basically, everyone seems to arrange things on Aphrodite’s day.’

‘And I, too, had hoped to arrange things, on my yacht. I have the finest champagne, I have oysters, caviar, they all wait for you, my dear, to make my day complete.’

‘I can’t, Mr Makhtabi. Not today. Or ever again, for that matter. I’m sorry.’

He looked confused. ‘Never again?’

She shook her head. ‘My life’s changed. I shouldn’t have in the first place, you know. At the end of the day, you are married.’

He laughed as if this was of minor significance. Then he leant closer, and she could smell the smoked salmon on his breath. ‘I have a gift for you, a valuable treasure. If you come with me, just one last time, it will be yours.’

For a second Tanya was tempted, but then she remembered Marinos. He was her future. She couldn’t jeopardise that.

She shook her head again. ‘No, thank you Mr Makhtabi. I really can’t.’

She turned and walked to the ladies’ room, where she promptly threw up.

***

Barry was watching out of his window for Richard’s arrival. The timing was of vital importance by now, but there was nothing more he could do until Richard was safely upstairs and being distracted by his wife.

Audrey was in position on her sun bed. She, too, kept looking at her watch, keen to get hold of the sports pages. She’d had to transfer a midfielder that week and wanted to check that his replacement would be playing.

At just after one o’clock Richard appeared, went over to his mother-in-law, kissed her on the forehead and presented her with the paper. Then he went indoors, saying he was changing for a swim. Barry waited a couple of minutes before racing round to fetch Douglas, and between them, they started to assemble the trestle tables by the pool.

As Richard got to the bedroom, he was confronted by Anna, naked but for a ribbon tied around her waist, lying decorously on the bed.

‘Happy birthday, darling,’ she purred seductively.

‘Oh, gosh, Anna,’ Richard said, unbuttoning his shirt. ‘You are amazing, you know that?’

She picked up Nathalie’s latest bottle of scented oil, this one a blend of jasmine, neroli and rose, and smiled seductively.

‘And to think, I was going to go for a swim,’ Richard said.

‘I did promise you,’ Anna said. ‘Your swim can wait. You did give mummy the paper, now, didn’t you? Then we’ve got rid of her for at least half an hour. So come to bed my birthday boy.’

Sitting on top of him, Anna massaged the oil into his shoulders, then his back, then the backs of his thighs and calves. He groaned with pleasure. Then she turned him over, ignoring his excited state, and continued to massage the oil into his chest and arms, and then all down his legs.

‘Let me do you,’ he gasped.

‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘Today it’s all about you.’

Since that morning with Nathalie, every time they’d made love, Anna had let those images pop into her mind. Nathalie sucking her husband’s cock, Richard studying Nathalie’s cunt, Richard and Nathalie kissing and fucking. The pain these images gave her was exquisite, and made her husband all the more desirable. How she doted on his cock these days, how gently she handled his balls. The thought that Richard and Nathalie might have got together since, behind her back, tormented her in the most delicious of ways.

She peeped out of the window, where Barry was now laying the table. Her timing was crucial. She couldn’t keep everyone waiting. Finally she started massaging Richard where he most wanted her to, with her mouth, soft and wet, before slipping him inside her and riding him up and down.

‘Oh, God, this is mind-blowing,’ Richard gasped, trying to catch his breath. ‘Oh God, I’m, I’m - ‘ and then he juddered and shuddered and held her as he shot his load inside her, clinging on to her in desperate gratitude.

‘Do you two want some lunch?’ came Audrey’s cry from downstairs. That was Anna’s cue.

‘Darling, mummy and I have got a little surprise for you,’ she said. ‘Put on your swimming things, not the speedos, but the trunks, oh, and this shirt, and let’s go outside.’

Richard was puzzled. This wasn’t like Anna, but then, he wasn’t forty every day. They got dressed and went down the stairs.

‘Ah, there you are,’ Audrey told them excitedly, ushering them to the door. ‘Do come along and look at what I’ve been up to.’

Outside, Richard could barely believe his eyes. There, by the pool, was a table, full of food and plates and bottles, festooned with balloons and a banner which read “Happy Birthday Richard”. And in front of it stood pretty much everyone from the complex, all clapping and wishing him many happy returns.

‘I, I don’t know what to say,’ Richard stuttered, touched.

‘Happy birthday, darling,’ Anna said, giving her husband a hug. As she did, she looked towards number two, where his friends were quietly coming outside. Then one of them, Roger, shouted, ‘Happy fortieth, you old bugger!’ and Richard pulled away in shock.

‘Roger! Nick! Chris! What are you all doing here?’

‘Wouldn’t miss your big bash for the world,’ Chris shouted as the three strode over, past the others, to where Richard stood. ‘How are you, you old sod?’

They shook hands and slapped his back and their wives rushed over to shower him with hugs and kisses, gifts clutched in their arms. Anna stood back, looking on proudly. Everything had gone to plan, and Richard hadn’t had a clue.

But Richard himself was the only one not laughing. Nathalie saw it first. She couldn’t describe how he looked - at a loss, perhaps; stunned, or winded. A smile was frozen on his face, but his eyes were telling a very different story.

In the end, he turned to Anna. ‘You arranged all this?’

She beamed at him proudly, tears of happiness in her eyes.

But Richard, Nathalie could see quite clearly, was far from happy. He was devastated.