Free Seven Scarlet Tales by Justine Elyot Page B

phone.
    ‘I hope you didn’t let him take pictures,’ she said to Poppy.
    ‘Oh, no, I didn’t.’
    ‘Good. If you showed up on a sex tube site Allyson wouldn’t be amused.’
    Bruno reached for his wallet again.
    ‘Here,’ he said, counting out a wad of notes and proffering them.
    ‘Oh,’ said Poppy. ‘But …’
    ‘Take it,’ he hissed through clenched teeth. ‘Now.’
    ‘Thanks.’ She put the money in her jeans pocket without counting it.
    ‘Is it all there, love?’ Emma prompted her. ‘I hope you agreed the price up front.’
    ‘Yeah, I trust him.’
    Emma laughed. ‘You really are green, aren’t you? Never mind. We’ll soon sort you out. Ready to go?’
    Poppy slipped on her ballerina pumps and grabbed her jacket from the bedside chair.
    ‘I guess. Well, goodbye then.’
    They were turning to leave, Poppy with some regret that Bruno hadn’t offered her so much as a farewell kiss, when the door began to bang and a man started shouting in rapid French.
    ‘
Putain
, he is drunk, ignore him,’ said Bruno, running to the door and admitting a blotchy-faced middle-aged man, who stank of beer and red wine.
    Emma and Poppy were in the corridor, the sounds of an altercation between Bruno and the drunkard floating behind them, before either of them spoke.
    Emma pressed the lift button.
    ‘Did you know he was a cop?’
    Poppy felt her stomach twist.
    ‘What? How do you know?’
    ‘I speak French. They’re clearly both cops, it was obvious from the conversation they were having. You did know, didn’t you, Poppy?’
    ‘I …’ She couldn’t lie. The elevator mirror showed her cheeks a bright, unhappy scarlet.
    ‘What did you tell him?’
    The lift door opened and Emma marched, holding Poppy by the wrist, out on to the street.
    ‘
What
did you
tell
him?’
    ‘Nothing, nothing. He just wanted to know if I’d taken the job willingly, and I said yes. Honestly, that was all.’
    Poppy was disgusted with herself at the tears leaking from her eyes, but it had been a weird evening and she couldn’t seem to stop them.
    ‘Shh, all right, don’t make a scene. Come on.’
    The pair of them sat down on the hotel steps, Emma wincing slightly, obviously still affected by the previous day’s episode with the cane.
    ‘He fucked you and he paid you for the fuck,’ mused Emma. ‘He could get into trouble for that. Now I wish you had got some photos.’
    ‘He isn’t out to make trouble, I swear. He’s on some kind of research trip.’
    Emma shook her head. ‘Where did you come from, girl? Did they shake you out of a tree?’
    Poppy rubbed her eyes, trying to blot out the tears.
    ‘I’ll get the sack, won’t I?’
    ‘No, no, you’ll be all right. I’ll take care of it. I’ll cover for you. But you have to tell me
exactly
what you told him. Did he ask about the club?’
    ‘Only about whether the girls did it of their own free will. Oh, and he asked about Allyson.’
    Emma inhaled sharply. ‘He knew Allyson was in charge?’
    ‘No, he wanted to know who was in charge.’
    ‘And you told him? Shit. She won’t like that.’
    Poppy started to cry again.
    ‘I’ve told you, I’ll cover for you,’ said Emma, testily. ‘I’ll say we shagged him as a duo and it was my idea.’
    ‘But then you’ll lose your job.’
    ‘Oh, no, I won’t lose my job. Me and Allyson, let’s just say we have an understanding.’
    Poppy didn’t understand what Emma meant, but she was too tired to protest further, and fell gratefully into the cab Emma hailed, ready to erase the night.
    Poppy checked her phone after her nine o’clock lecture and saw that she had a missed call from the club.
    She phoned back and was treated to a terse, ‘Poppy, get to the club, quick as you can,’ from Allyson.
    ‘I have to go to the library,’ she began to protest, but Allyson cut her off.
    ‘Now.’
    ‘I’ll be half an hour.’
    ‘Good.’
    She clicked off without a goodbye. Poppy had to sit on the wall and catch her breath.