Page 92 of Wife After Wife

He looked over, his eyes taking in her lingerie.

Now that she had his attention, it was time to go on the attack. “I spoke to Connor Black tonight.”

“You have my sympathy.”

“He said Percy’s back in London.”

“Oh?”

“He also said you told him to send Percy somewhere far away, or they’d lose the business.”

Harry didn’t even have the grace to look uncomfortable. “I might have had something to do with that, yes. I didn’t want him working on the Rose account.”

“Which they wouldn’t have won if you hadn’t wanted Percy out of the way—correct?”

He laughed. “It’s a fair cop, guv. But it worked, didn’t it? And I saved you from a life of tedium and unimaginative sex—your words, the sex part, by the way.”

Ana went over and took Harry’s plate from his hands, putting it down on the table.

“That’s my toast, woman. Never separate a man from his late-night toast.”

She slid onto his lap. “Harry, what you did was evil, but strangely, when I found out, all I wanted to do was come home and ravage you. That was what I was about to suggest when that tart was chatting you up. It’s a shame you feel this compulsion to flirt with every bit of micromini that comes your way.”

His hand slid inside her robe and began to explore. “Ana, jealousy is never appealing. Try and be nice—to Janette too.”

Ana snorted. “God, she’s annoying.”

“She’s a treasure, and she bakes me cakes.” He stroked her breast, brushing her nipple.

She straddled him and loosened his tie. “Why do I find it such a turn-on that all these women want you, Harry?” Grabbing the tie, she pulled him close and kissed him.

“Because you’re a competitive creature,” he said, undoing her belt.

Their disagreements were becoming more frequent, but the making up was as intoxicating as ever.

CHAPTER 29

Ana

November 1995

Two ushers raced to reach Ana first as she made her entrance into the Hurlingham Club’s Palm Court. “Bride or groom?” asked the winner.

Light filtered down through the glass dome, illuminating the sea of colorful hats below. The buzz of conversation floated up to meet it.

“Bride, I suppose,” said Ana.

She spotted Harry next to Charles in the front row and took an aisle seat two rows behind. She waited for them to turn around and notice her. In her red leather Chanel, she was difficult to miss. Ana had spotted the suit during Paris Fashion Week and had immediately known it would be perfect for Megan and Charles’s autumn wedding.

Charles laughed heartily at something Harry said. She smiled. Charles didn’t look at all nervous, which was par for the course. Neither of those boys was short on self-confidence.

If they hadn’t yet noticed her, others had. Glances were coming at her sideways. She could imagine the whispers.Harry’s girlfriend—the one he got rid of Katie for. It was only to be expected. Many of the guests would be Harry’s relatives who would have attended his wedding to Katie. And of course, everyone had loved dear Katie.

When Ana had seen the red Chanel, she thought she might as well go the whole scarlet woman.

Meanwhile, Charles’s relatives would no doubt be comparing home-wrecker Megan to Cassandra, who according to Harry had been a jolly good sort before she’d gone all New Age.

Ana peered around discreetly from beneath the brim of her hat, looking for faces she recognized. A group of girls tottered in, all blond highlights and high heels. Probably Megan’s workmates. Directly across from Ana were aunt and uncle types. She recognized Harry’s uncle Richard, who was still on Rose Corp.’s board. He saw her and nodded, but there was no smile. His wife noticed, ran her eye over Ana, and whispered something. Richard turned away.