ex is there? I’ve had the best, dirtiest sex with nearly all my exes – it’s always fantastic because you don’t care what the other person thinks of you any more, you’re both out for your own pleasure.’ She looked significantly at Sapphire, who ignored her. If this was what Georgia was like at a school reunion, what the hell was she going to be like on the hen weekend?
Georgia laughed. ‘I had no idea you were this coy, Sapphire. Or it there someone else in your life now?’
Sapphire didn’t want to give anything away about her private life in front of Alfie, but felt she had to say something, ‘Yeah, I’m seeing someone.’
‘Ooh Alfie, competition for you, but I bet you love that don’t you, it gets the old testosterone flowing.’
Now Georgia had gone too far. ‘Georgia there is absolutely
nothing
between me and Alfie. We’re divorced. End of.’
‘Oh sweetie, I was just teasing you, sorry. I’m going to the bathroom now.’ And she tottered away, swaying slightly as she went.
‘Jesus Christ! I can’t believe I’m organising her hen weekend!’ Sapphire exclaimed when Georgia was out of earshot.
‘It’ll be a wild one that’s for sure,’ Alfie agreed, taking the opportunity to move closer to her. ‘But she was right about us wasn’t she? There is still something between us? Unfinished business? The spark is still there, isn’t it?’ His voice was low and husky – his seducer voice. Did he reallythink he had any chance with her? She almost laughed. Why couldn’t he just get over it and get over himself while he was at it.
‘There is nothing between us, Alfie. Really, I feel nothing for you. Nothing,’ she said coldly. ‘You destroyed anything I felt for you when you cheated on me. Anyway how’s your son?’
Alfie shrugged, ‘Don’t try and avoid the subject, you always were a terrible liar, Sapphire.’
From across the hall Sapphire saw Jazz and Sam doing the sign of the cross and grimacing. ‘I’ll call about setting up a meeting – a business meeting, that is,’ she replied briskly and headed over to her friends.
By now Georgia had returned from the bathroom. She had taken to the dance floor and was giving Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ her all, flashing ridiculous amounts of cleavage. Sapphire watched one of the lads she remembered from her year, now an estate agent, making his move on her. He began dancing with her, suggestively moving his hips close to her, putting his arms round her and spinning her round. Georgia seemed to relish the attention and in turn wiggled her hips and pressed her body into his.
‘Look at the state of her!’ Jazz exclaimed. And they all watched in appalled fascination as Georgia put her arms round the lad’s neck and began shimmying her body up and down his.
‘Looks like she hasn’t got on top of her drink problem then,’ Sam said.
‘She’s about to get on top of him though,’ Jazz added. ‘And wasn’t keeping off the booze one of the conditions of her staying on the soap?’
Sapphire put her head in her hands. Georgia was very bad news.
‘Do you want me to do something?’ Alfie had joined the group. Sam and Jazz visibly winced but managed not tomake the sign of the cross in his face. ‘Hi,’ he said casually to the girls who had once been his friends and the bridesmaids at his wedding. He got a nod back in return.
‘What can you do?’ Sapphire asked. ‘Take her back home and shag her? Because that seems to be her mission tonight. Though I guess it would at least distract her from the free bar.’
‘I was thinking of getting her a taxi and making sure no press saw her in this state. Otherwise you can kiss goodbye to that hen weekend.’
‘Okay, do it,’ Sapphire replied, well aware that Alfie was only doing this for himself, whatever he might say. He wouldn’t want to lose out on the publicity for his club if the weekend didn’t go ahead.
‘Don’t ever go to a school reunion,’ she told Jay sometime later
Learning to Kill: Stories