Contract with Consequences

Scarlet sighed. The idea of going home and facing her mother while she was trying to decide something so huge didn’t appeal either.

‘How about we drive to Erina Fair and see a movie? You can pick something you’ll like, some macho action flick with lots of car chases and killings. You can get all involved in that whilst I sit in the dark and think.’

He laughed. ‘You are such a sexist, Scarlet. I happen to like a wide range of movies, not just macho action flicks, as you put it.’

‘Oh sure,’ she said in droll tones.

‘I’ll prove it to you.’

He surprised her by choosing a romantic comedy, one of those friends-into-lovers plots which had become popular lately. Scarlet might have enjoyed it if there hadn’t been so many sex scenes, all of which were extremely raunchy. Clothes were stripped off at regular intervals as the two friends had wildly uninhibited sex in every conceivable place and position: on the floor. On the sofa. In a lift. Even in a meadow.

Of course, each of them had perfectly toned and buffed bodies which photographed beautifully from every angle; no doubt they were faking their orgasms. But still… it was obvious they knew what seriously fantastic ones felt like, and sounded like. Did people really make loud noises like that? Scarlet never had. Before long she began worrying that, if she agreed to John’s proposal, he might expect her to be like that girl on the screen. And she wasn’t, not even remotely. Her breasts were a lot smaller, for starters; her body wasn’t as gym- bunny perfect and she certainly didn’t come every single time. Actually, she didn’t come very often at all, and never during actual sex. The ending annoyed her as well: it was pure Hollywood fiction where the protagonists fell in love and lived happily ever after. As if that ever happened!

‘Is that what you’re afraid of?’ John said as they left the theatre. ‘That if we have sex you might fall in love with me?’

Laughter spluttered from Scarlet’s lips before she could smother it.

‘Right,’ he said drily. ‘Obviously, that’s not what you’re afraid of.’

‘No,’ she said. Her fears had nothing to do with love. She stopped walking to turn and look up at him with thoughtful eyes. ‘You have to admit that I don’t really know the adult you, John. You’re somewhat of a mystery man these days.’

‘Not as much of a mystery man as your university student.’

‘True. But I would still want to know more about your life in South America before I agreed to your being the father of my child. After all, your proposal is not the same kind of a deal as I would have had with my student donor. He doesn’t want to be a part of my child’s life. But you do, even if it is only in a limited way.’

‘Okay, let’s find a place to have some coffee and I’ll tell you all about myself.’ Even as he said this, John knew damned well he was not going to tell her the absolute truth. She could know about his work; nothing but good news there. Scarlet certainly didn’t need to worry that he couldn’t support a child financially. But no way was he going to tell her about Bianca. He could hardly bear to think about what had happened to that poor woman. Talking about it was out of the question.

Still, Scarlet would probably want some idea of his past love life. So he’d confess to a succession of girlfriends over the years, none of whom he’d fallen in love with, most of whom had broken up with him because of his inability to commit. That should do the trick of explaining his present partnerless existence, and did have a great deal of truth in it-though one could hardly call the sexual partners he’d had in the last decade ‘girlfriends’.

‘That pizza place over there looks open,’ he said and took her arm.

Scarlet stiffened inside at his touch. Her whole body flared to life at the thought of how much more of her he would be touching if she agreed to his proposal. Just the thought of getting naked with him made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Suddenly, she couldn’t do it.

‘No, John,’ she said, and pulled her arm away from him.

‘No what?’

‘No, I’ve decided not to accept your offer. Thank you for making it; it was amazingly generous of you. But it’s just not going to work for me. Please don’t argue with me about this or tell me I’m being irrational. Because if you do I know I’m going to burst into tears again.’ Which was true. Her emotions, already fragile, were in danger of embarrassing her once more.

She couldn’t tell what John was thinking. His face had always been hard to read.

‘I see,’ was all he said. ‘Well, it’s your life, Scarlet. You do what you think best.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, struggling to keep the tears in check.

‘No point in going for coffee then, is there?’ he said brusquely. ‘I’ll take you home.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

SCARLET’S mother was still up watching television when she let herself into the house. Which perhaps was just as well. It stopped her breaking down, which was what stupidly she wanted to do again.

Her mother looked up at her from the sofa. ‘You’re home earlier than I expected.’

Scarlet glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only just after nine.

‘Yes, well, there’s not all that much to do around here on a Sunday night,’ she said as she walked behind the kitchen counter and reached for the kettle. ‘We didn’t feel like eating or drinking any more so we went to a movie.’

‘Any good?’

‘So so,’ she said, filling the kettle with water then turning it on. ‘What movie are you watching?’ Her mother always watched a movie at eight-thirty on a Sunday night.

‘A very boring slice-of-life story which I’m just about to turn off.’ Which she did. ‘If you’re making tea, make one for me too, please.’

‘Okay,’ Scarlet said, thinking she really had to get herself to bed before the third degree began in earnest.

Janet twisted round on the sofa so that she could watch her daughter’s face. ‘I was surprised to see you getting on so well with John today.’

‘So was I,’ Scarlet agreed, quite truthfully.

‘He hardly left your side all afternoon.’ And hardly took his eyes off you as well. Though that wasn’t entirely new. Janet had always thought John had a secret crush on Scarlet when they were at school. He just hadn’t had the confidence back then to do anything about it. The man who’d asked Scarlet out tonight had been a different kettle of fish entirely. Janet had been taken aback at how good he’d looked when he’d arrived. Not all men suited having their hair cut so short but John did. He had a well-shaped head, flat ears and a handsome face. A nice body, too. All in all, a fine looking man. Unattached too, according to Carolyn.

‘You don’t think that…?’

‘No, Mum,’ Scarlet cut in forcefully. ‘That’s never going to happen between John and me, so please don’t go there.’

Janet was not about to give up that easily. ‘If you say so, dear. But what does John say? Did he want to see you some more whilst he was home?’

‘Mum, he only asked me out tonight because he can’t stand being around his father for too long. I dare say he’ll be flying back to where he came from immediately. My guess would be tomorrow.’

‘Surely he’ll stay a little longer than that after coming all the way from Brazil?’

Scarlet shrugged. ‘I doubt it. Here’s your tea, Mum. I’m taking mine to my room. I’m tired.’

Janet frowned as Scarlet went upstairs after coming out of the kitchen a few minutes later. She knew her daughter better than anyone else in this world. She could sense her state of mind, especially when she tried to hide it. Which she was doing right now.

Something had happened between her and John tonight, something which she didn’t want to talk about, something which had made her very tense. Had he made a pass? Janet wondered. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had. Scarlet was lovely looking, but she had impossibly high standards when it came to men. They only had to put a single foot wrong and they were out the door. If Scarlet hadn’t been searching for perfection in a partner, she would long have been married by now. Of course, Janet didn’t condone men who were unfaithful the