Page 124 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

This time my snort morphed into a splutter. “Seriously? Pariahs? Matt, every week someone is inviting you to some function or whatnot. And I’m your unfortunate plus one. I doubt you’ll ever become a pariah.”

“Unfortunate?” he queried with an arched eyebrow directed at me.

“Eyes on the road.” I yelled. We were going quite fast. And I knew that speed camera had flashed us. Matt would be getting points on his license for sure.

Matt turned his attention back to the road, slowing down a touch. “Hmph, I can’t understand your continued reluctance over attending these soirees, poppet. It’s a way of life.”

“I’ll take a pint in a pub over it any day,” I said truthfully. “Oh, talking about that; next week we’re having a night out on the town. Gerrard is organizing it so keep Friday night free.”

Matt was quiet for a moment then he replied with a disappointing, “Madi, I’m supposed to be a key speaker at the UK Business Leaders of Today gala. Have you not put these dates in your schedule as yet?”

He had given me a list of upcoming events we had to attend. Said list was somewhere about, I couldn’t remember where. I knew it had coffee stains on it and was a bit crumpled…ok, I’ll just confess to scrunching it up once his back was turned and tossing it in the paper bin. George had fished it out and scolded me. Maybe Grumps was right. My relationship with George was the wrong-way around.

“Ah, do I have to attend?”

Matt said nothing. His silence made it clear what he expected. Stupid business leader.

“Why can’t Adam-” I saw a possible way out. A glimmer of light beckoning me.

“He’ll be away next week, poppet.” Matt replied. The light dimmed.

“Can Nathan-”

“Nathan has done his fair share while we were in the States recently.”

“I’ve not been out with the guys for ages, Matt.” It wasn’t a whine, my complaint was a valid one.

Matt let out a derisive scoff. “It’s a night out in a pub. I’m sure youcan miss it.”

I fell silent after that, fuming to myself. Huh. I was going. With or without Matt.

“Perhaps we can have a small dinner party for your staff when I’m not quite so busy.” he offered an olive branch.

Screw the olives and the branch they hung on. There was nothing quite like stumbling out a pub, arm in arm with your friends and searching out a good chippy. Matt probably didn’t know the delights of that situation.

“Perhaps,” I mumbled, already planning how I would get out of this gala next Friday. I could fake a bad cold, but that would mean setting it up from a few days before. Maybe a tummy virus; George would have to be in on it though. Could I turn George to the dark side?

Assuming I was fine with his compromise, Matt started talking about his father’s increased presence in their offices and the effect it was having on him and Adam. His exact words were:‘we’d happily do away with him if only we could avoid being the prime suspects’.

I found nothing funny about patricide and told him so. I may not like my father-in-law, may have even dreamt about doing him and his wife in myself; but I couldn’t verbally condone such violence. When we arrived in Knightsbridge, Matt suddenly became tour guide.

“It’s too far from my work,” I said sharply. “We’re not moving here. And look at all the CCTV cameras. Do you know the British public are the most watched in Europe? I read a couple of years ago they estimate there’s one surveillance camera for every 11 people. That’s completely out of control and not right in a democratic society. We’re only a few steps away from an Orwellian state. Mind my words, before you know it-” I stopped when Matt’s deep laughter filled the car.

This shit wasn’t funny. It was a slippery slope into destroying open society.

“Oh, poppet, you’re an amusing little thing, aren’t you?”

“I don’t understand how you can find this funny, Matt.” I replied. First patricide, now this? Our sense of humour was definitely out of sync. And his ease with blanket surveillance made me damned nervous. What if he started watchingmymovements? He already had eyes on me thanks to Mr Shadow who never smiled.

“It gives people a sense of safety.” he drawled, still chuckling.

“A false sense – oh wow. Did you see that house?”

Matt’s grin was smug and I vowed to dislike the area on principle. By the time we turned down the private drive to Franklin’s house I had to admit I was impressed.

“Christ,” I muttered when the mansion came into view. “What does Franklin do?”

“Investment banker, both him and his partner, Karen.” Matt answered. “He’s doing quite well for himself.”

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