Free Lovers and Gamblers by Jackie Collins Page A

ridiculous. But it was too late to do anything about it; she could hear a car pulling up on the gravel outside, and excitedly she ran downstairs.
    * * *
    Al got out of the car and Paul pulled Melanie back and snapped, ‘Do we
have
to stay for dinner?’
    ‘Yes,’ snapped back Melanie, ‘Edna’s prepared it specially.’
    ‘I wanted to see the children.’
    ‘Nobody’s stopping you. Pop over, kiss them goodnight, and come right back. I’ll go in and make some martinis. I shouldn’t think Edna could cope with that.’
    ‘All right,’ agreed Paul. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’
    Al and Paul had adjoining houses. They had acquired the land at a reasonable price some seven years previously, and they had divided it neatly down the middle and built respective mansions. Al’s was ranch style, Paul’s white and modern. They both had swimming pools, garages large enough for four cars, billiard rooms, and saunas. Paul often thought it was stupid and nouveau riche to have both build swimming pools, but Melanie had
insisted.
‘I don’t want to feel like a poor relation,’ she had complained when he had suggested they didn’t need one.
    His children were sitting up in bed washed and scrubbed, and Nanny was reading them a story.
    ‘Hey, kids!’ exclaimed Paul. ‘Did you miss Daddy?’
    They leapt excitedly out of bed and threw themselves at him until he was a tangle of arms and legs and kisses. It was a good feeling. Love. Pure and unblemished. The only true kind.
    Nanny got them off him and settled them back in bed.
    ‘Mustn’t get too excited,’ she admonished, ‘otherwise we won’t sleep, will we?’
    Paul knew when he wasn’t wanted. Nanny hated having her routine screwed up. And Melanie bent over backwards to please Nanny. ‘Do you realize,’ she had once informed Paul, her pretty face grimacing with horror, ‘if Nanny ever left us I’d have to look after the children myself!’
    On impulse Paul went downstairs to his study, locked himself in, and direct dialled Linda’s number in New York. She was there.
    ‘I miss you,’ he said.
    ‘I love you,’ she replied.
    He wondered very seriously what Melanie would say if he asked for a divorce.
    * * *
    ‘Hello there, fatso!’ Al walloped Edna on the behind. ‘All tarted up. Are we going out?’
    Edna blushed. He
had
noticed.
    Melanie hung onto Al’s arm. ‘How about a delicious cold martini? Shall I fix us some?’ She led Al into the living room and called over her shoulder, ‘Ice, Edna.’
    ‘Where’s Evan?’ Al demanded. ‘Funny kid, you’d think he’d be here to greet me.’ He went to the foot of the stairs and screamed out, ‘Evan!!’
    The boy appeared at the top of the stairs, white-faced and pasty.
    ‘Don’t I get any sort of greeting?’ demanded Al. ‘Come down here.’
    Evan walked slowly down the stairs and Al grabbed hold of him in a bearhug.
    ‘How’s it going, boyo?’ he asked cheerfully. ‘Still the randiest little bugger at school?’ He winked at Melanie. ‘Just like his dad. I thought about nothing but girls when I was his age.’
    ‘Have things changed?’ giggled Melanie.
    Al burst out laughing. Evan scowled.
    Edna came bustling in with the ice. ‘Where’s Paul? Dinner’s nearly ready.’
    ‘He’ll be right back, he just popped over to see the kids.’ Melanie busied herself behind the bar.
    ‘Was New York nice?’ Edna asked.
    ‘Not bad,’ replied Al. ‘Business, business, business. I just want to relax now. Christ, but it’s a noisy city.’
    ‘I love it there,’ interrupted Melanie. ‘The shops, and the theatres. Wouldn’t you love to go, Edna?’
    ‘Not really…’ She caught Melanie’s look and added lamely, ‘Well yes, I suppose I would.’
    Al wasn’t even listening, he was staring out into his garden. ‘Who’s been fucking around with my apple tree?’ he demanded.
    ‘Don’t use that language,’ said Edna, ‘not in front of you know who.’ She glanced stealthily at Evan. ‘You