Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

bottle of Moët out of the chiller. ‘If you didn’t belong to my brother, I’d happily show you just how supple.’

Lena heated, her pulse quickening as Saul popped the cork with his thumbs. Tipping the frothing champagne into his mouth, he grabbed two glasses. ‘Best I help you test this. Just to double check it’s up to the Feather’s usual standards of course...’

Lena laughed. Hallelujah! She was gagging for a drink. ‘Don’t mind if I do!’

Pouring the champagne into the crystal flutes, Saul walked around the bar and handed one to Lena, then clinked his glass against hers. ‘I suppose I should formally welcome you into the family,’ he winked.

Lena leant towards Saul, the heady smell of his aftershave more intoxicating than the champagne she was desperate to neck and smiled as seductively as possible. ‘Thank you.’

‘So,’ Saul continued, perching on a high leather-topped bar stool. ‘How did you manage to bag my brother? I mean, apart from the obvious.’ His eyes pointedly ran over Lena’s large breasts. ‘But married? I didn’t think I’d ever see the day!’

‘I guess once he’d had me, he didn’t want to risk losing me...’ Lena purred, purposefully jutting out her bottom lip. In her experience men liked that kind of thing. She leant forward just that little bit more, giving Saul a perfect view deep down her top. Sitting on a stool, she crossed her long legs slowly and ran her nail down the exposed flesh of her thigh.

Saul watched Lena carefully. He’d seen a thousand birds like this and shagged plenty of them. There was nothing particularly special about this one. A corker of a figure and decent-looking to boot, but remove the hair extensions, the two kilos of slap, plus the implants and she was just your average munter, like they all were.

Nah, there was sod all special about this one, apart from her thinking she was special. He’d bet his last few quid she was the sort who’d quite happily jump on him if given the chance.

He placed a big meaty hand on Lena’s thigh, leaving it lingering and noticing she made no attempt to move it. Yeah, just as he thought.

Lena sipped her champagne, glowing at Saul’s hand on her leg. So he was testing her? Bad luck Saul. I’m one step ahead of you.

She’d happily take the opportunity for a tumble with this one in the sack, but she wasn’t stupid and wasn’t ballsing this up now. She smiled slowly. ‘Of course being pregnant, it’s only right to get married.’ Her hand moved to her stomach, lovingly stroking the stash of kitchen roll. ‘Neither of us can wait until this one arrives.’

‘Then it’s double congratulations,’ Saul smiled, removing his hand. The silly fucker. Jonah had got this tart up the duff? Well, more fool him. Another example of why he shouldn’t be in charge of the firm if he was going to fuck up so royally.

Hopping off his stool, Saul necked his champagne. ‘Right, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got places to go and people to see.’

Twelve

TEAGAN DIDN’T THINK anything could be much more cringeworthy. She glanced at Robert, his eyes fixed ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel.

She squirmed uncomfortably. And she’d thought things couldn’t get any worse? Well, she’d been wrong. Things were now a lot worse.

She stole another glance at Robert, his face set like stone, his expression thunderous. Unspoken words burnt the end of her tongue, but that was as far as they got. How could she look Dulcie in the eye now knowing she’d told Robert about his father?

She wanted to talk to him about it, but every time she opened her mouth her vocal cords were rendered useless. She’d only just started having civilised conversations with the man and now he felt like she’d betrayed him.

Pulling up outside the indoor bowls centre, Robert pulled on the handbrake and turned to Teagan. ‘I assume we both acknowledge that today wasn’t what I was expecting.’

Knowing her cheeks must be pillar box red, Teagan nodded, not wanting to meet Robert’s eyes. ‘I’ll make myself scarce when we get back so you can talk to Dulcie,’ she whispered, her throat dry. Finally looking at Robert, she watched a nerve twitching in his jaw, anger burning behind his eyes and hoped this wouldn’t change anything.

Spotting Dulcie rushing towards the car, waving frantically pulled Teagan from her worrying thoughts.

‘That was great!’ Dulcie exclaimed as she clambered into the back of the car. ‘It was lovely to see everyone again. Of course, they were all devastated about Helen.’

Teagan shuffled in the passenger seat, painfully aware that Robert was struggling to contain his anger. ‘Oh, erm, glad you had a good time.’

‘And what have you two been up to?’ Dulcie chirped.

Teagan risked a glance at Robert. No reaction whatsoever. ‘We, erm, we made a start clearing Footlights up.’

‘Oh!’ Dulcie gasped, her face falling. ‘How... how is it?’

‘A mess, but we made some headway, didn’t we, Robert?’ Teagan said, the words jamming in her throat.

‘Yep,’ he said tersely.

‘What’s the matter with him?’ Dulcie cried. ‘I hope you put him to good use?’

Teagan tried to laugh, but the sound that came out of her mouth sounded more like she was being strangled. She needed to get out of here now. ‘If you wouldn’t mind dropping me off here,’ she said quickly. ‘I’ll pick something up for tea.’

‘We’ll wait for you, dear,’ Dulcie said.

‘No, it’s fine. I could do with some fresh air - the dust has got to me. I’ll walk back – it’s not far.’

As Robert drew to a halt outside the line of shops, Teagan clambered out of the car, daring to glance at him as she closed the door, but he didn’t move his eyes from staring straight ahead.

As Robert and Dulcie drove off, Teagan leant against the wall of a shop and inhaled deeply, glad to be out of the claustrophobic space. She didn’t want to be about when