Page 25 of Private Lives

‘You didn’t tell her to eff off again, did you?’

Sam chuckled, the atmosphere between them thawing a little. ‘Not this time.’

He sat down on the bed.

‘Okay, coach,’ he said. ‘What do we do now?’

His gaze unsettled her. In the small room, surrounded by sea, it felt too intimate to be professional.

‘Now you tell me everything. From the beginning.’

He smiled. ‘I was worried you were going to say that.’

Despite his reluctance, Sam told her as much as he could remember about his encounter with Katie. Every now and then Anna would stop him to ask for more detail, scribbling down notes as she went. As she listened, she asked herself how someone so good-looking and successful could be so stupid. But then she had seen this kind of behaviour dozens of times. Whether it was an actor or a sportsman or a singer, celebrities thought they were bulletproof; they didn’t think normal rules applied to them. She wondered how many other women Sam had slept with. Actresses, extras, models, wives. It didn’t matter that he had Jessica Carr, one of the world’s most desirable women, waiting at home for him. The bottom line was always the same: they did it because they could.

‘So you had penetrative sex with her?’ she asked. She felt her face flush; she was glad the light on board was peachy and low.

Sam pulled a face. ‘Yes. We had sex. Well, very probably. But it’s worse than that.’

‘Kinky sex?’

‘No!’ said Sam defensively. ‘She’s a hooker.’

‘You paid her?’

‘No. Yes. Well sort of. I gave her some money to get a cab home and for the hotel. I was trying to be nice.’

Anna frowned.

‘So if you didn’t pay her for sex, why do you say she’s a hooker?’

‘She told me when she phoned just now. She said she’s worked as an escort in the past. That’s not going to look good, is it?’

Anna shook her head. ‘It isn’t ideal, no.’

‘What can we do?’

For a second he didn’t look like the cocksure, arrogant celebrity she had pegged him down as.

‘We get an injunction to stop publication of the story.’

‘For libel? But I slept with her.’

‘She has to prove it.’

‘She’s got a photo on her mobile that shows us in bed. Who knows when she took it? Probably after the tenth tequila.’

‘Can I see it?’

He passed the mobile across.

‘Well, it shows you in bed, it doesn’t show you having sex. Anyway, we won’t get an injunction to prevent the libel, we’ll get a gagging order on the grounds of privacy.’

‘Privacy? How does that work?’

‘Well, you were in a private place. If someone took a picture of your sister in bed without her consent, you’d be outraged, wouldn’t you? Just because you’re famous, it doesn’t mean someone can invade your private space willy-nilly. Plus the story will have repercussions on your family life – the courts take that into consideration. You’re not the only one who could be harmed by it.’

Sam looked more hopeful.