He stood behind her and saw how the dress fitted perfectly across the arch of her back, showing off the slenderness of her figure, and finished just above her knees. He leant across. Brushed his hands past her waist – she reacted to his touch, stiffening. He ran his fingers down her arms; watched as the tiny hairs began to rise. She exhaled roughly and whispered in his ear, ‘Be gentle with me.’

Priest cupped his hands around hers, ran his thumb across her knuckles, pressed against her, breathed in her scent; the sweet smell of her perfume across her neck. His groin reacted as she pushed back, rubbing her body on his until she turned her head towards him and their lips almost touched.

‘Enough playing games,’ she rasped. ‘Don’t you have a bed in this flat of yours?’

Priest smiled, moved his hands back up her arms. ‘Mm. I do.’

She laughed. ‘Oh, thank fuck.’

‘We won’t be needing it, though.’

‘What have you got in mind?’

‘Nothing.’

Priest let go. Extracted himself from her. She made to say something but there was no sound – her eyes flitted sideways in confusion.

‘What?’ she stuttered.

‘There’s no need,’ he said, holding up the piece of paper he had dispossessed her of. ‘I guessed the right hand.’

Her face changed in a beat from sickly sweet to rage. ‘You . . . !’

What she had planned to say next was unlikely to be a complimentary remark about Priest’s sleight of hand but he would never know the exact words because she was interrupted by a deliberate cough coming from the corner of the room.

‘Am I interrupting anything?’

Priest looked up, feeling it was now his turn to be startled. Jessica stood leaning against the wall, arms folded. She didn’t look angry, or even surprised. If anything, she appeared insouciant.

‘Jess—’

‘The door was open so I let myself in. Please accept my apologies for being early,’ she said, without a trace of humour.

Elinor straightened her hair but didn’t look at the other woman. Instead she fixed Priest with a virulent stare.

‘This isn’t over,’ she said, before marching out of the flat and slamming the door behind her. Priest hastily stuffed the paper Elinor had had into his pocket. Jessica was looking at him, not saying anything. Probably need to choose my next words carefully.

‘It’s not what it looks like,’ he said, realising how banal that sounded before the words even left his mouth.

‘And what do you think it looks like?’ she asked.

Priest clicked his tongue. ‘Probably didn’t look good.’

‘That’s something we can agree on.’

‘I can—’

‘Save it,’ she interrupted, turning away. ‘It was a mistake coming here anyway.’

The door to Priest’s penthouse slammed for a second time.

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Georgie sat crossed-legged on her bed, opposite Li, a bowl of burnt stir-fry in her hand.