Just Like a Woman by Madeleine Clark

to fill with the fresh coffee Terry made earlier.
    Although they were of a similar age, Andy’s impish looks and shock of jet black curls kept him looking young. Robert endured endless jibes about this, but retaliated with remarks about how Andy’s high voice made up for his lack of height. They took their coffee in to the studio, Terry being banned from here, they were not likely to be overheard, he knew Andy was almost paranoid about anyone finding out his secret. Robert had told him on more than one occasion he really should try not to complicate his life so much, but at the moment knew he was living on a knife edge. Andy told him all about his affair some years ago. Having been seduced by his wife’s sister as he put it, he’d been having an illicit affair with her for 6 years now. His wife had found out and Andy finished it, there was a reconciliation in which Robert had taken a large part. But last year Andy confided the affair was still going on, in fact things had progressed out of hand; he was now keeping his sister-in-law in a rather extravagant manner, all the time knowing if his wife found out she would leave him and take all she could with her. With Andy’s new TV family show on a Saturday evening the media were hounding him, not quite convinced of the squeaky clean image Andy portrayed. Any whiff of a scandal and Robert knew his friend would be finished.
    ‘You’ve got to tell Maggie. You really have Andy. It’s no good, look at you. Is she worth all this?’
    ‘Which one?’ he asked as he looked into his coffee. ‘I feel sick at the thought of it. You really can’t imagine what it feels like!’
    An image of Becky came into Robert’s mind. God he hated the fucking bitches. All conniving manipulative bitches. Christ look at his ex-wife, she was the worst of the lot. But if he waited long enough, he knew she’d eventually come crawling back. She needed him; she loved him. And when she realized she still loved him, then he’d make her wait, make her wait until he was ready.
    ‘Neither of them is worth it, Andy. If you tell Maggie now, she’d be stupid to do anything, it’s in her interests for you to be working.’ Andy was on the chaise longue perched on the edge, cradling his coffee between both hands while Robert lowered himself onto a cushion on the floor listening to his friend’s objections and justifications of what he was doing in his life.

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    Chapter Six
    S tephanie returned the smile, liking his perfect white teeth displayed through thick brown lips; god, he was gorgeous; just what she needed. She had spotted him as soon as she walked in. Not bothering to look around the club, she made an instant decision to be direct by walking straight to the gap in the bar beside him and asking if she could buy him a drink. She registered the surprise in his eyes he tried to hide when smiling at her. He nodded his head.
    ‘What would you like?’
    ‘A bottle of beer would be great,’ he replied recovering himself. Then added, ‘without the lime!’
    She smiled again, pleased he wasn’t the poser he could so easily have been with those looks. She ordered the drinks, emphasizing her own demand for full fat coke in her drink, instead of the insipid diet stuff they always thought women wanted.
    ‘Ice and lemon?’ The barman asked.
    ‘Only in the rum, please.’
    She turned to the guy at her elbow and held out her hand to him,
    ‘Hello, I’m Mary.’
    ‘Nice to meet you. Neville.’ He took her hand and as he shook it gently she noticed standing directly behind him, watching and smiling, was Trevor. For just a second she faltered not knowing quite what to do. Had he heard her? Trevor raised his glass to her in salutation. She turned to the bar to pay the barman without acknowledging him.
    She had gone out on a whim, not even thinking about where she was going and it was rather later than her normal going time. On the way home from work the image of Robert and Sarah meeting circled round her