Read Online Betrayal by Margaret Bingley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margaret Bingley
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hour before he left for work, promising yet again that he wouldn't touch alcohol any more. Assuring her it had been one isolated incident and entirely out of character.
The trouble was, she needed to believe him. She didn't want her baby to live in a small, badly heated room, growing up without any garden and with a mother out working most days. She wanted time to love the baby, enjoy seeing it grow, and above all to be with it. This baby would have everything she'd missed. Staying with Toby seemed the only practical solution for the moment.
When she told him that she'd give him one more chance, he was positively ecstatic, his relief seeming quite out of proportion. It was almost as though he were under pressure to keep her with him, except she knew that was impossible because she didn't have anyone left who cared.
They went out celebrating at Annabel's and had their photo taken, Toby even going so far as to tell the reporter that Lisa was expecting and hinting that marriage was imminent. She thought it amazing considering he was only drinking mineral water.
For several months it worked reasonably well. Toby's popularity grew until it became difficult for them to eat out, since he was mobbed by hordes of young girls and a few not so young ones. At parties too he became the centre of attention for all the attractive models and small-part actresses anxious to be photographed on his arm. By now Lisa was bulky and preferred to stay in the background. Occasionally she saw women slip Toby their telephone numbers, or follow him out of a room, returning later with such a complacent look on their faces that she wondered if he'd given them the benefit of one of his quick performances that left her totally unaroused but were part of the new pattern of their lives.
She minded, but not as much as she should have done. It was humiliating to stand around on her own wondering what he was up to, trying to ignore the sympathetic glances of some of the other men, but if she'd truly loved him it would have been unbearable and she knew this. As it was, she simply pretended it wasn't happening.
Once or twice she challenged him, but he always denied anything had happened. 'You can't believe I'd be unfaithful upstairs while you were downstairs on your own!' he laughed, his blue eyes full of synthetic charm.
'I believe you're capable of it,' she said coolly.
'In that case, I'm surprised you don't make a scene.'
'They're not taking anything I want!' she retorted swiftly, and saw his face darken.
'No, they're bloody well not, are they? You don't like me near you any more. You're always too tired, or too nauseous. It's hardly surprising if I do… It wouldn't be surprising if I did… '
'If you keep practising,' said Lisa furiously, 'you might get it down to under three minutes.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'That I might be a great deal keener if you spent a little longer over our lovemaking. You obviously think that foreplay's going out of fashion.'
'I see,' he said slowly. 'So now I'm not even any good at that.' 'You don't do much for me any more; I assume it's quite nice from your point of view?'
'Have you looked at yourself lately?' he asked aggressively. 'It's hardly surprising I don't want to spend hours poring over your body, is it? Frankly, you're a bit of a turn-off.'
'This lump isn't due to over-eating!' she shouted. 'I can't help my shape. It's your baby in there, and I'm beginning to think its head is as large as yours.'
For a moment they glared at each other, then Toby lifted his right hand and hit her with a casual backhand flip across the mouth. Even as the salty blood from her split lip trickled into her mouth he turned and left the flat.
Lisa sank down on the settee, holding a handkerchief to her mouth. She knew that she was to blame. She'd deliberately taunted him, hitting out at any area where she felt he was vulnerable, and why? Because she didn't know why she was with him. Because the sexual chemistry which had
The trouble was, she needed to believe him. She didn't want her baby to live in a small, badly heated room, growing up without any garden and with a mother out working most days. She wanted time to love the baby, enjoy seeing it grow, and above all to be with it. This baby would have everything she'd missed. Staying with Toby seemed the only practical solution for the moment.
When she told him that she'd give him one more chance, he was positively ecstatic, his relief seeming quite out of proportion. It was almost as though he were under pressure to keep her with him, except she knew that was impossible because she didn't have anyone left who cared.
They went out celebrating at Annabel's and had their photo taken, Toby even going so far as to tell the reporter that Lisa was expecting and hinting that marriage was imminent. She thought it amazing considering he was only drinking mineral water.
For several months it worked reasonably well. Toby's popularity grew until it became difficult for them to eat out, since he was mobbed by hordes of young girls and a few not so young ones. At parties too he became the centre of attention for all the attractive models and small-part actresses anxious to be photographed on his arm. By now Lisa was bulky and preferred to stay in the background. Occasionally she saw women slip Toby their telephone numbers, or follow him out of a room, returning later with such a complacent look on their faces that she wondered if he'd given them the benefit of one of his quick performances that left her totally unaroused but were part of the new pattern of their lives.
She minded, but not as much as she should have done. It was humiliating to stand around on her own wondering what he was up to, trying to ignore the sympathetic glances of some of the other men, but if she'd truly loved him it would have been unbearable and she knew this. As it was, she simply pretended it wasn't happening.
Once or twice she challenged him, but he always denied anything had happened. 'You can't believe I'd be unfaithful upstairs while you were downstairs on your own!' he laughed, his blue eyes full of synthetic charm.
'I believe you're capable of it,' she said coolly.
'In that case, I'm surprised you don't make a scene.'
'They're not taking anything I want!' she retorted swiftly, and saw his face darken.
'No, they're bloody well not, are they? You don't like me near you any more. You're always too tired, or too nauseous. It's hardly surprising if I do… It wouldn't be surprising if I did… '
'If you keep practising,' said Lisa furiously, 'you might get it down to under three minutes.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'That I might be a great deal keener if you spent a little longer over our lovemaking. You obviously think that foreplay's going out of fashion.'
'I see,' he said slowly. 'So now I'm not even any good at that.' 'You don't do much for me any more; I assume it's quite nice from your point of view?'
'Have you looked at yourself lately?' he asked aggressively. 'It's hardly surprising I don't want to spend hours poring over your body, is it? Frankly, you're a bit of a turn-off.'
'This lump isn't due to over-eating!' she shouted. 'I can't help my shape. It's your baby in there, and I'm beginning to think its head is as large as yours.'
For a moment they glared at each other, then Toby lifted his right hand and hit her with a casual backhand flip across the mouth. Even as the salty blood from her split lip trickled into her mouth he turned and left the flat.
Lisa sank down on the settee, holding a handkerchief to her mouth. She knew that she was to blame. She'd deliberately taunted him, hitting out at any area where she felt he was vulnerable, and why? Because she didn't know why she was with him. Because the sexual chemistry which had
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