future together. And occasionally, when all the busy aspects of their lives were in place, they had sex too.
She touched up her hair, applied a little makeup and chose a dress sheâd never worn. Gemma had bought the beautiful halter-neck dress on a whim, just after sheâd met Murray. But so far they hadnât been anywhere suitable to wear it. The silky floral fabric was just a little too fancy for the movies.
For the first time ever she didnât wear any underwear. It felt exhilaratingâand just a little bit naughtyâcooking dinner with practically nothing on. She had to be extra careful not to spill anything on her dress but it was worth it. Michael Jacksonâs âBlack or Whiteâ was playing on the radio when she heard the front door open. She started to sing along, pretending she didnât know he was home.
He whistled. Exactly the reaction she was hoping for, and she turned with the wooden spoon in her hand and smiled.
Murray walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, bending to kiss her. âYou look lovely,â he said. âGot a date?â
âYes, with you. The boys arenât home, remember?â
âHow could I forget?â He cupped her cheek in his warm palm. âHow did you go with the police?â Damn, sheâd hoped to get at least one glass of wine into him before he asked. She handed him the glass that sheâd poured earlier, but as she told him what happened he didnât even take a sip. This wasnât going exactly to plan.
âYou should have seen the way he looked at me. I felt like a fool.â She turned away and ran the spoon around the pot. âWhen I told him their ages he said kids were known to exaggerate.â
âBut what did he say when you showed him the tape?â She didnât reply, and he reached for her arm. âYou did show him the tape, Gemma?â
âI was so embarrassed. I didnât get that far.â
Murray moved to the kitchen table and sat down. She had deliberately left the tape in the middle and he picked it up now. âI donât understand. He wouldnât have thought you were foolish if youâd shown him this tape.â He ran his fingers over his moustache.
âI thought about that and realised we have no proof the tape is real.â
His face screwed into a frown. âWhat do you mean? Why wouldnât they believe this is real?â
âI donât know. I just thought it would be more convincing if we had more proof.â
âProof. Like what?â Finally he sipped his wine, a big sip actually.
âPhotos.â
âWhat?â
âWell, I thought we could get photos of the robbers going in or out of the boatshed⦠See what they look like.â
âWhat? How?â
She shrugged. âMaybe we could hide under the shed?â
âMy God, Gemma, thatâs dangerous.â
âThe boys did it.â Gemma turned off the hotplate and walked over to him. She slipped her bottom onto the table, facing him, forcing him to move his chair back a little.
âThis isnât a movie, you know. This is actually happening.â
âI know, and itâs so exciting. Come on, Murray, itâs more than a week until the race. We have heaps of time to go back to the police. Canât we have a little fun first?â She reached up, undid the knot at the base of her neck and let the front of her dress fall, gradually exposing her naked breasts. Murrayâs tongue flicked across his bottom lip. Now she had his attention. Her nipples hardened and a flutter tickled her insides. She couldnât wait to see his reaction when he realised she wasnât wearing any underpants. Murray reached up to squeeze her nipple and she arched her back to greet him.
He sucked the air between his teeth and she parted her legs, wanting him to explore beneath her dress. She leant forward and unbuttoned his shirt. It was her turn to tweak his