Lara couldn’t wait to show the pictures of Annie to Coleman. Alex had taken them to Penelope at the Mail straight from the shoot, and Lara was surprised to note that the first person she herself wanted to share them with was Coleman. She told herself that his charming handling of Penelope on the night of the party had gone a long way towards cementing their relationship as business partners. He had proven himself to not simply be the money behind the shop by playing such a pivotal role in supporting her at the launch. Or, perhaps, now that she was working in the shop and not in the club, Lara needed an excuse to see Coleman. Perhaps, too, there was a frisson of wondering if the conversation she’d had with Noreen making a play for Coleman the night before had come to anything. She had not seen Noreen since she came in from her late shift.
Either way, Lara tripped down the stairs of the club and, knocking on her way in, opened the door and marched straight into Coleman’s office, just as he was coming out of the shower, a towel secured around his waist.
The shower had not done much to loosen Coleman’s mood or his muscles, so when he came back into his office and saw Lara standing there, the door open behind her, and a small amused smile on her face, he felt irritation more than surprise. The first time he had met her had been like this. Months ago. How many months was it? Six? Seven? Who was he kidding? Six months and five days. He’d been counting. What a fool! And just like that, Coleman decided that, today, he had had enough of being a fool. He brazenly looked Lara up and down. The long curve of her neck beneath the triangle of hair cut tight into her nape, her small breasts tapping at the front of her thin, white blouse, her brown eyes gazing across at him from a bare, pale face and those lips curved into that mocking smile. The disappearing curve of her thigh up into the micro-mini she was wearing made his decision for him. Coleman walked past her then closed and locked his office door. He grabbed both her elbows in his large hands and manoeuvred her across the room. Initially taken aback by the manhandling, Lara staggered along with him until she caught her breath, then pushed back at him until he fell onto the sofa and was seated in front of her. Towel miraculously in place, but otherwise, naked. She looked at him, looking at her. His eyes were drinking her in, as if she was the naked one. This wasn’t the fool in a towel she had first encountered six months ago. The cool, debonair club manager had disappeared too. Here was a savage, his eyes filled with defiant rage. Waiting. For her. By the weight of the fast, heavy breathing that was ripping across his broad chest he wouldn’t wait long.
This was not a good idea. Lara knew that. All the times she had not allowed this to happen in the past had been for very good reasons. However, Lara’s reason had been hopelessly weakened by the desire that had systematically set fire to every sinew of her body the moment she had seen Coleman’s wet, naked body walk towards her with such intent.
Lara shook out her bob, unbuttoned her blouse and allowed herself to fall into him.
As his mouth opened in answer to her kiss, Coleman closed his eyes and became utterly lost.
❊
Noreen got all dressed up that morning in a sexy rig-out – a black skirt, high boots and a striped Bardot top. This meant she couldn’t wear a bra, which as she had quite large breasts wasn’t ideal, but then, she didn’t plan to be wearing it for long! Noreen had heard London was swinging and she was planning to swing it clean off its hinges – starting with heartthrob Coleman. She even played out some possible scenarios in her head. Noreen had seen the smutty seaside postcards and the Carry On films. She knew all the double entendres. You’ve done such a good job, Noreen – I think it’s time I gave you a bonus.
Noreen adjusted her bosom and smiled as she headed for Coleman’s office to report for duty and was just putting her hand on the heavy, soundproofed door when Arthur called out to her, ‘I wouldn’t go in there if I was you.’
He had seen Lara go in there just after Brian fled. The prick had lost his cocky edge alright. He was such a shaking mess, Arthur was pleased to note that he hadn’t even bothered to give his arse one last boot out the door. That had been just over two hours ago and Coleman hadn’t stuck his head out the door once. Arthur knew his friend. When a man was that hyped up and there as a woman on hand – there was only one thing to be done. It had only ever been a matter of time between him and Lara anyway. Still. In the middle of the day? It didn’t seem entirely right to Arthur. Especially as he now had to find a way of explaining it to Noreen.
‘Why not?’ Noreen turned around too quickly and her breasts, two loose cannons under the tight, striped top, followed her torso with an unseemly slap. Arthur’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as she shamelessly grabbed them in her hands to steady them.
‘Oh, for God’s sake, what’s he doing in there that’s so important?’
‘Attending to some business,’ Arthur said.
‘I’ve got some business for him to attend to.’ Noreen smiled. When she was feeling this frisky, there was no stopping her. She was not silly enough to believe that Coleman would seduce her there and then. It would take weeks, perhaps, for her to get him into bed, if ever. It might not lead to anything more than a fling. It’s not like Noreen could see herself settling down with an Englishman. Nonetheless, she was enjoying the thought of it. The freedom of being away from home had given her a sense of optimism. Anything was possible. As she began to rattle the locked door, Arthur quickly stepped in front of her, gently but firmly taking her hand off it.
‘Your friend Lara is in there with him.’
Arthur shuffled awkwardly at the door, not knowing what to say. He was worried that Noreen would be shocked at the idea of her friend making love in somebody’s office during the afternoon. Despite her bawdy antics behind the bar, Arthur struggled to consider Noreen anything other than a nice Irish, Catholic lady. However, seeing his bashful demeanour, Noreen immediately assumed that Lara must have said something to him. Told him that she fancied Coleman. Otherwise why would he not have told her straight away?
It wasn’t the fact that Lara was with Coleman that upset Noreen. It was the fact that she had told her she wasn’t interested in him. Letting Noreen go ahead and make a play for him then getting him for herself was humiliating. She’d probably had a good laugh telling her new friends, Arthur and Annie, about her stupid, fat friend from Ireland who was so randy she went for men who were out of her league.
Noreen was so upset, she felt like turning on her heels and running out of there. But, she reminded herself, that was not what the Lyons’ were made of. You didn’t sit around boo-hooing over a foiled seduction. Not when there was a bar to be run, girls to be feted, drinks to be served and money to be made. Business took precedence over pleasure, always. The dead don’t book in and they don’t bury themselves, her father used to say. The bar is always open, was his other one, and, as long as there was a bar open, Noreen was compelled to be behind it.
‘Where’s Brian?’ she asked Arthur, letting him off the hook.
Much relieved he replied with a huge grin. ‘Fired!’
‘Excellent,’ she said. ‘I assume you came the heavy and saw him off?’
‘If you’re asking if I took care of business? Then, yes.’
Arthur felt a little bad about exaggerating his part in Brian’s shakedown and realised, then, that it was time to be honest with himself. He was trying to impress Noreen. Coleman liked Lara and he liked her friend. That’s just the way it was. Unlike Coleman, he would never be able to do anything about it. Arthur had never found a way of seducing women and no one had ever bothered seducing him. It was because, he knew, he wasn’t good enough. To entertain designs on Noreen was beyond his wildest dreams, given she was such a lady, a goddess with her magnificent bosoms and firm, capable manner, so far above him in every single way. Nonetheless, it was important to Arthur that he put his services, such as they were, at her disposal.
‘If there’s anything else you need me to take care of, Noreen,’ he said, ‘anything at all – you just let me know.’
Noreen wasn’t sure that she liked the anything at all implication. But she smiled and said, ‘Thank you, Arthur. Changing over those two barrels from last night for me would be a good start.’
It was another hour before Lara emerged from Coleman’s office. Noreen was standing to the side of the bar, collecting some spirits from a locked cupboard, and watched Lara as she sneaked out. It was obvious from the furtive way she checked the bar that she was hiding from Noreen. Noreen felt hurt.
Nonetheless, Noreen was too busy to worry about it and found she had a great evening after that. The bar was buzzing and she was utterly in charge. The girls on the floor had taken to her, no dropped trays, one punter had his wrist slapped with no hard feelings, and everyone had a ball. Coleman did not offer her a ‘bonus’ at the end of the night but Noreen had long since decided she didn’t mind. Lara had opened the door for her but, already, Noreen felt like she owned this place, this job, this new life. Sure, she fancied the pants off Coleman but, hey, so did everyone. She could probably have more fun leching over him in the changing room with the waitresses than actually having sex with him. She would never have put them together, but from the way he was mooning about the club that evening, Noreen assumed he was in love with her friend. Every man in Carney was a little in love with Lara. That was the way love worked. You never knew who you were going to fall in love with. Who would have thought she’d end up with John? For a moment, Noreen forgot she wasn’t with him any more, then remembered and felt sad. She reminded herself that their adventure ended because it became predictable. She could not begrudge Lara her romantic adventure. Not when she had left so much love behind to come in search of it herself.
However, after Noreen had packed up the bar, said goodnight to Arthur and headed back to the flat, she could not help but feel a little sad. Lara’s deception had been a betrayal, however unintentionally. The old friend she trusted had let her down. There was no harm done and Noreen certainly would not let Lara and Coleman spoil her plans to stay in London. In any case, Lara might have just been biding her time. She could be planning to explain to her later on that evening. At this very moment she could be upstairs waiting to tell her all about it.