Ben was not a happy bunny after the shoot. Not only had he failed to hit a single clay pigeon, he had been taken to one side and given a lecture by the club about how he needed to take better care of his gun to avoid a danger of jamming and misfiring. He had felt like a naughty schoolboy. Vladimir had pretended not to notice, but his moustache had twitched as though hiding a smile.

Then Vladimir had announced he had decided to take his business elsewhere. Which left Benjamin officially up a very smelly creek with no paddle in sight. He pulled off his coat, feeling claustrophobic and sweaty.

What was he going to do? He needed the stupid fat bastard to give him money. Without that, his plan wasn’t going to work.

He couldn’t cover his tracks for much longer.

Time was running out. Benjamin felt like he was sinking into quicksand, helpless. It was pressing on his chest and he couldn’t break free.

He was losing it.

He couldn’t give up now, though. Muhammad Ali had always advised people to make their days count. His dad had thrown that quote at him a lot, and a shared love of the charismatic world heavyweight champion had been the only thing they had shared. Benjamin thought of it and knew he must make every single day he had left count to the max. He needed to get control again. He could do this – as long as he held his nerve. His hand reached automatically for the packet in his pocket, and he popped a couple of antacids as he came to a decision.

He’d go see Kendra; shag her brains out. That would make him feel like a man again. Then he’d see a new way forward with his problems.

When he had met Kendra, four years earlier, chatting her up had been a spur of the moment decision. Dominique hadn’t been able to come with him to the awards ceremony because the babysitter had called in sick with a vomiting bug at the last possible minute. They had tried all of their friends, but no one was able to drop everything and be there with only an hour’s notice. Benjamin had been pretty annoyed, because the award had been a big deal, and Jazmine had been away on holiday. He had felt quite lonely as he stood there with the stupid prize, no one to share his moment of glory with.

As soon as Kendra had asked to see his trophy, he hadn’t been able to resist flirting, but felt certain she wouldn’t respond. She was so young and fresh-faced. It had been more about testing his luck than actually thinking anything would happen. One thing had led to another though. At each stage of flirtation he hadn’t felt guilty because he knew it wouldn’t go any further; any minute she would knock him back and make it clear she was simply passing time until someone her own age came on her radar.

But that hadn’t happened. They had shared a taxi. He had made a move, expecting a slap. The second their lips touched, he knew he had to have her. Simple as that.

What a buzz. Men half his age would love to be with Kendra, and he’d stolen her away from them all.

He hadn’t thought further than wondering how long he could get away with it. He did feel bad about Dominique, but it was only sex. There was no betrayal of the heart, and that’s what mattered.

Buying an apartment in Charlton and putting his mistress into it had been a smart investment on his part. Charlton was cut off from Blackheath by a ravine of concrete and carbon monoxide better known as the A120, creating two very different London villages. On one side was verdant Blackheath, where he lived, with its wide-open spaces, stratospheric house prices and trendy, middle-class buzz. On the other side was Charlton – with considerably cheaper house prices and more down-to-earth residents, who probably wouldn’t hold their hands up in horror if a shop ran out of hummus.

Having Kendra in the flat meant he had someone he could trust looking after the place. Plus, she was pathetically grateful to him, thinking he was paying her rent – she didn’t have a clue the place belonged to him. Technically, he should have rented it out to make some money, but playing sugar daddy had been an irresistible lure.

After four years together, he was fond of the kid. She was a sweet-hearted young woman, and being with her was a welcome escape from his life. She made him feel youthful himself – a sensation that had him more addicted than any junkie to heroin. After a disastrous day like today, he needed a hit urgently.

He sped to the flat, pressed impatiently on the buzzer, and leaned into the intercom when she answered.

‘Hello, my gorgeous girl. Let me up, I’m freezing my nuts off down here. And I want you to warm them up,’ he quipped.

A squeal of delight. The buzz of the door being remotely unlocked. He bounded up the two flights of stairs, three-quarter-length coat flying out behind him like a hero’s cape. That made him feel good. By the time he rapped smartly on flat four, he had a genuine grin of anticipation on his face.

The door flew open, there was a blonde blur, and a shriek in his ear as Kendra threw herself into his arms, then covered him with kisses. This was what he loved about her; she was always as grateful as a puppy to see him.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and kissed her desperately, as though trying to suck the life force out of her so he could once again be her age.

He was tempted to get her to put the corset on for him, but he didn’t have time. He tore at her clothes, pushing her back onto the sofa. Her grey eyes smouldered as she reached up and pulled him on top of her. She was as greedy as he was.

Yeah, he was still the man. Balls deep in a gorgeous young woman with soft puppy flesh. How many men his age fantasised about shagging someone her age – and how many could actually do it?

---

Afterwards, she seemed a bit weird, though. Like she was working up to saying something. She looked pale, too. He kissed her, about to ask her if something was wrong. She got there first.

‘So, everything okay? Anything interesting happened over the weekend? What have the kids been up to?’ she gabbled.

He tensed. Could she tell something was wrong? He’d been feeling kind of all right again and now she’d gone and ruined it. He glanced at his watch, and not so he could revel in the expense of it.

‘Just the usual. Nothing interesting. Anyway, I better get going.’

‘Oh, right… See you tomorrow?’

‘Maybe. We’ll see.’

A swift peck on the cheek and he was out of there, closing the door on her kicked puppy expression.