I realized she was close to me, holding her face up to be
kssed.
“Come on. Ann, it’s getting late.”

She put her arms round my neck and pressed her face
against mine.
“Harry, please, don’t let’s go on like this.”
Then the telephone began to ring.

I pushed her from me. Maybe in my excitement to get to
the phone before she did, I used unnecessary violence for she went staggering back.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ann.” I reached out to steady her, but she
avoided me. “I’ll get it.”
I ran to the office and lifted the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Harry.”
I felt a prickle run up my spine at the sound of that low,
husky voice.
“Hello, there.”

I looked over my shoulder. Ann was coming towards the
office.
“Are you alone?”
“No.”
“Shall I ring off?”
“No. Is there anything I can do?”

Ann came into the office. I leaned forward to pick up a
pencil so she couldn’t see my face. She crossed the office to
the rear door.

“If you haven’t anything better to do I was wondering if
you’d like to drop in.”
My heart gave a lurch.
“Why, yes: I could manage that. About what time?”

Ann had gone up the stairs. I heard her shut the door at
the head of the stairs.
“It’s all right now. She’s gone.”
Gloria laughed.

“I shouldn’t have called you, but I was so damned bored
with myself. I wondered if you were bored too and if you’d like to come on over. There’s a good movie on at the Plaza or do you have to stay at home?”
“Of course I don’t. What time shall I come?”

“Oh, about eight. Sure you don’t mind leaving your wife?”
“She’s working on the books at the moment. It’s all right.”
“Then about eight Harry.”

“Yes.”
The line went dead and I slowly replaced the receiver. I
reached out and took a cigarette. As I lit it I saw my hands were shaking.

You can’t do this to Ann, I said to myself. You can’t leave
her like this. But I was scarcely listening to myself.

This could be it Gloria was alone. She had asked me to come over. This could be what my mind had been thinking of ever since she had kssed me.

Get it over, I said to myself. Get her out of your system.
Don’t let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers.
I looked at my watch.

It was ten minutes to seven. I had plenty of time to
change, have a wash and get over to Bond Street by eight.
I went upstairs and into the sitting-room.

Ann was working at the table, entering bills in the ledger.
“I’ve got to go out after supper, Ann. That was Dix on the phone. He wants me to meet the other directors.”

I wasn’t full of whisky and confidence this time, and I
found it pretty hard to lie to her. I kept moving as I spoke,
knowing I couldn’t look her in the face.

She didn’t say anything, and that made me more uneasy
than if she had come into the bedroom and told me she knew I
was lying.

“Did you hear, Ann?” I said, raising my voice as I took off
my coat and shirt. “I have to go out after supper.”
“Yes, I heard.”

She spoke quietly and she didn’t move from the table. I
felt a sudden rush of rage go through me.

I went into the bathroom. After I had shaved and washed
I returned to the bedroom. I could hear her moving about in
the kitchen, and I was suddenly sorry I hadn’t said I had to go
out at once. It looked as if supper was going to be a difficult meal.

I had put on my suit again by the time she had dished up
the supper.

“Looks good,” I said, sitting down at the table. “Sorry I
have to leave you, Ann, but Dix wants me over to meet these
other two. They only come to Town occasionally.”

She didn’t say anything, but sat opposite me while I
served the bacon pie she had made. I gave her a quick
sideways look. Her face was pale and expressionless, and she kept her eyes down.

“For the love of Mike, you’re not going to sulk because I
have to go out, are you?”
She looked up then, and I was startled to see anger in
her eyes.

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