The Club by Mandasue Heller Page B

broad with a brain – never thought I’d see the day. Most of the women I know can’t talk about nothing but clothes and make-up. And those that do have more interesting things to say generally turn you off when they start combing their crew-cuts.’
    Smiling, Jenna said, ‘I’m sure I’m not the only heterosexual woman you’ve ever met who’s got a mind of her own.’
    ‘Maybe not,’ he conceded. ‘But you’re sure as hell the prettiest.’
    Jenna’s smile faltered. Oh, God! She hoped he wasn’t hitting on her. Apart from the fact that she wasn’t attracted to him in the slightest, he was Melody Fisher’s boyfriend.
    Fortunately, an actress friend of Brenda Thompson decided to come and introduce herself to Tony just then, so Jenna was spared having to find out if he was trying his hand. Promising that they’d talk again soon, she made her escape.

    Avril had been back from the toilet a long time when Leonard finally gave up on Tony Allen and slithered back to their table. Seeing the look of dejection on his face, she smiled tightly.
    ‘What’s the matter, dear? Did your new friend chase you away?’
    ‘No, he did not ,’ Leonard grunted. ‘For your information, it was me who left him .’
    ‘Of course it was,’ Avril murmured, fanning her face with her hand as a hot flush came over her.
    ‘You’re sweating like a pig,’ Leonard muttered nastily. ‘Haven’t you any powder in your bag of tricks to soak it up?’
    ‘Didn’t think I’d need any.’
    ‘Well, you do. It’s very unflattering.’
    ‘Don’t take it out on me because you ’ve been rejected,’ Avril snarled.
    ‘If you were watching, you know that he didn’t just leave me , he left everybody,’ Leonard informed her, feeling a little better as he said it, because he realised that it was actually true. ‘He needed to discuss something with Jenny in private. But, as you’re so interested,’ he added, blatantly lying now, ‘he asked if I’d be here again tomorrow, because he’d rather like to talk some more.’
    ‘Oh, would he now?’
    ‘ Yes . And I said I’d be delighted, so there we go.’
    ‘I see. Well, perhaps you’d better go back and tell him that you won’t be able to make it because we’ll be at the Buckleys’ – or had you forgotten?’
    ‘No, of course I hadn’t,’ Leonard blustered. ‘I just thought we could come straight from there.’
    ‘It’s too far. We’d be too late to get in by the time we got here.’
    ‘Not if we left early.’
    ‘What, earlier than everyone else?’ Avril gave her husband a disbelieving look. ‘You who always stay till the bitter end in case they talk about you when you’re gone?’
    ‘I’m sure they’ll manage without us,’ Leonard muttered, wishing that she’d shut her sarcastic mouth. ‘Anyway, you’re always complaining that you don’t get out enough, so you ought to be grateful.’
    Raising an eyebrow, Avril peered at him incredulously. Grateful? Did he think she was a dog desperate to be walked, or something?
    ‘It’s late. Let’s go,’ Leonard said suddenly, snatching up his glass and downing what was left of his drink. ‘I just want to have a quick word with Jenny first.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘To thank her for inviting us tonight, of course.’ Getting up, Leonard peered down at his wife. ‘You really should lay off the drink if it makes you forget your manners.’
    ‘Don’t concern yourself with my manners,’ Avril retorted indignantly. ‘And I’ve only had three drinks all night, as you well know, so don’t insinuate that I’m some kind of alcoholic. I might just have another, in fact,’ she added defiantly.
    ‘I’ve a busy day tomorrow,’ Leonard informed her, as if that were the end of the matter. ‘And you ’re going to need all the beauty sleep you can get.’
    Glaring after him when he walked away in search of Jenna, Avril snatched up her handbag. She didn’t want to stay, but it galled her that he just assumed command as and when