‘Right,’ he said.

It wasn’t a great response but it would have to do. I sighed happily, as I felt sleep start to envelop me. It had been an altogether very satisfying day.

Chapter Eighteen

The next couple of months passed in what I could even describe as a fairly pleasurable way. Ben was much more pliable than his dad and I quickly realized that I could be as demanding as I wanted and he wouldn’t resist. Yes, he had a lot less charisma than Peter, but he actually wasn’t bad company. And he had fallen for me so completely that it was hard not to enjoy being the centre of someone’s world.

Until now, I had always been ‘the other woman’ and it was a strangely enjoyable experience to be the number one priority for once. Ben couldn’t do enough for me and he didn’t try to conceal how much he loved me. It made me like him more than I expected to. I had thought I would have to tolerate him just long enough to make Peter’s life a complete misery, before dumping him and living off the money I would make both Peter and Ben pay to support the same child.

But on our wedding day, seeing the look of complete and utter devotion in Ben’s eyes, as I walked down the aisle towards him, made me think that maybe I could tolerate him a little longer than I thought. I certainly didn’t love him the way I had loved his father, but I did like him.

I was glad to get the wedding out of the way. The whole day was a strain, as I could feel Peter’s eyes watching me nervously, scared of what I might do. The worst part came when the registrar asked if anyone knew of any lawful impediment to the marriage and I heard Peter loudly clearing his throat. For a moment, fear gripped me that he might be about to blurt out the whole story to the assembled congregation but when I glanced back at him, he gave me an almost imperceptible nod and I nearly fainted with relief.

I wished that Peter didn’t have so much influence over me but the truth was that I was only behaving the way I was because I was so hurt. I had really loved him and he had just used me and cast me aside, as if I was nothing more than a cheap fling.

From the first moment I met him, I thought he was different from all the others. I had enough experience of married men to know that they never, ever left their wives but we had such a connection that I always felt with Peter that maybe he would.

My boss, Marcus, with whom I had also had a relationship, had a meeting with Peter and asked me to keep him entertained while he finished up a phone-call that was over-running.

I walked out into the lobby and saw a man standing with his back to me, as he gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the London skyline. Even from behind, I could tell that he was attractive by his height, his lean physique and his confident posture. But as he turned and our eyes locked, there was a moment when my knees actually went weak with lust. His cropped, grey hair showed off his velvety brown eyes and square jawline. His dark grey suit was bespoke and his hand-made white shirt was just fitted enough to see his tanned, taut stomach beneath.