Free A Dark Beginning: A China Dark Novel by Paula Hawkes Page B

backspaced to delete the kiss that she had added on auto pilot, and before she could think about it any further she clicked ‘Send’. The second she sent the text she felt horrified. “You idiot. Why did you do that?” she said out loud, disgusted with herself. Earlier she had been telling herself she would be more careful, and now she had just texted a near stranger and revealed her mobile number at the same time. What if he called or texted while Philip was about? What if Philip saw the message on her phone?
    Almost immediately her phone chimed and her stomach churned with excitement and dread.
    “No worries. See you soon x”
    She quickly deleted both messages, smiling, guiltily pleased at that final ‘x’. She felt like a teenager, obsessing over the inane hidden meaning behind a single character in a text message.
    Her phone chimed again. It was Mark. There was a single emoticon. An image of a camera. “Click” she thought automatically, picturing Mark raising his hands to mime taking a picture.
    “In your dreams” she texted back.
    Again, almost immediately, “Of course x”. In her head she could hear his voice singing this in his inimitably arrogant way.
    “I don’t think so”
    “Shame x”
    “Why???”
    “You’d make a great model x”
    “Don’t be silly”
    “Serious x”
    China stared at her phone for a second, then in a moment of childish temptation took a quick pouting selfie. Sending the image seemed to take an age, “What like this? ;)”
    It was a while before the response chimed back, and her shame at flirting so outrageously grew with each passing minute.
    “I can do a better job than that you know x”
    “I’m sure you could”
    “Then let me…. Please xx”
    “I’ll think about it”
    The moment after she had sent this last message she regretted it. What was she thinking? She was not going to let this man take pictures of her. That was wrong on so many levels. She waited nervously for a response from Mark but none came. She rather hoped that the message had failed to get through and that she could forget about it.
    For the whole of the following weekend she sat at home doing very little but thinking, as her ankle healed. No more surreptitious texts arrived, and she respected Mark for his consideration and restraint, although she couldn’t help feeling a little peeved at the same time that he hadn’t used the excuse of her ankle to drop her at least one or two more surreptitious texts.
    In her head she had decided that if Mark wanted to take some pictures of her, that would be fine. A simple portrait. What harm could that do? The trouble with sitting around doing nothing was that she had too much time to ponder and her mind tumbled from chaotic guilt to the rush of excitement. Many wives had portraits taken as presents for their husbands, and this would be no different. The fact that China couldn’t stop thinking about the photographer almost every minute of the day was another thing altogether.

21:33: HornEnvy : I can hardly wait now
    21:33: Tarb4u : You won’t have to wait…
    21:34: Tarb4u : Not much longer
    21:34: Tarb4u : It will be worth it
    21:36: Tarb4u : I ruined some bloke’s wife last week
    21:36: Tarb4u : She was screaming as I split her in two
    21:36: HornEnvy : Jeez
    21:37: Tarb4u : And last night I nearly claimed another one
    21:37: Tarb4u : She was panting for me
    21:37: Tarb4u : Gagging for it
    21:39: HornEnvy : Please. Do it soon
    21:40: Tarb4u : Lol. Be careful what you wish for. Your life will never be the same again

Chapter 14
    When she awoke in the cold dawn light on Monday morning China’s mind was resolved. She was ready to face the day and whatever it might throw at her. She didn’t know whether Mark would try and progress the photography situation any further but if he did she was ready to let him take some head and shoulder portrait shots. That was all. She was aware there was some danger attached to this, a stranger who she was so obviously