Behind Every Cloud by Pauline Lawless Read Free Book Online Page A

had taken her a long time after that to trust any man but , aged just twenty-one, while working for a TV company in Australia, she ’ d met and fallen hard for a much older man. Too late, she ’ d discovered what an evil bastard he was. He introduced her to drugs and then put her to work, prostituting herself to pay for her habit and for his profit. She spent three miserable years with him before finally finding the courage to walk away. With great difficulty, she got clean of the drugs. However, she was no innocent little girl any more but a hardened, bitter woman and she ’ d extracted her revenge . And how! She still remembered the satisfaction she ’ d felt at what she ’ d done .
    She returned to Ireland immediately after that and since then she ’ d steered clear of the opposite sex, never allowing herself to become emotionally involved. She knew some of her colleagues suspected that she was a lesbian. No doubt her boyish look and clothes gave fuel to this idea and she laughed to herself to think how absurd it was. Women didn ’ t interest her in that way. She had sex with men from time to time but always with strangers and always on her terms. No man would ever dominate her again. She now used men in exactly the same way she ’ d been used by them and got great satisfaction from doing so. It was more about power than pleasure. She often wondered if she was missing out but she reckoned that the way she operated was the only way possible for her. The only way she could avoid getting hurt.
    “ Watch out, Carl !” she said quietly as she locked her bike away. She now had him in her sights and was very much looking forward to the challenge.

    7
    Louise heard Ronan leave for Mass on Sunday morning and snuggled down even more in the guest-room bed. She ’ d moved in there the night that he ’ d had a go at her for that shopping spree, as he called it, and she had no notion of going back into his bed until he apologised. In fact , she would not talk to him until he did , even though it was now four days since they ’ d spoken. She knew Ronan – he ’ d come around sooner or later. He was a softie but , honestly, he was becoming so mean it was ridiculous. He should be married to her friend Melissa who spent far more than Louise on clothes and you didn ’ t hear her husband complaining. Okay, so she worked as a solicitor and was earning good money, but still . . . !
    Melissa was calling for her at eleven so she had another half-hour in bed. They were travelling down to Kildare to the Outlet Centre which Louise had heard was fabulous. Melissa was a regular customer there but it was Louise ’ s first visit and she was really excited about it.
    She had told her friend about how Ronan was behaving.
    “ I ’ m afraid, Mel, that I won ’ t be able to buy very much. Thanks to my husband ’ s stinginess I ’ ll have a miserable day. ” Her green eyes were glistening with tears.
    “ Don ’ t worry, Lou, things are dirt cheap there and anyway you can always pay by credit card .”
    Louise brightened up. “ Well, if things are that cheap maybe I can buy a couple of things .” Things were looking up. After all, she hadn ’ t bought a thing, well hardly anythi ng, since the big row they ’ d had.
    Melissa was full of sympathy. She was a plain woman and quite a bit overweight and she admired and envied Louise her fabulous figure and looks.
    “ You ’ re so lucky, Lou, ” she sighed. “ Everything looks great on you. You could wear a sack and still look a million dollars, unlike me. ”
    “ Yeah, I ’ m lucky, ” Louise agreed with her, pulling down the mirror on the sunshade to check her make-up. She applied some gloss to her lips and smoothed her hair while admiring her reflection. “ You ’ d think Ronan would appreciate that, wouldn ’ t you? ”
    “ Absolutely! He should be delighted that you always look so great. You could have any man you wanted ,” Melissa said enviously . “ Even my Jeremy