the room
didn’t feel cramped. And the shower room also had plenty of space in
it. At a push, they could have installed a bath, though that would have
left anyone using it having to practically sidle around the room.
Tanya expected to be less than five minutes getting the
rooms ready. She wasn’t the most enthusiastic at housework, and tended to
do the bare minimum. When they had employed a cleaner, it hadn’t been an
issue anyway. She, unfortunately, had been one of the first casualties of
the McLean cash-flow problems. To be fair to him, Ian did help out.
He’d lived on his own for a while before she met him, and had proven to be
fairly well house-trained. He could change a bed, wash and iron, point a hoover in the right direction, and even put together a more
than palatable meal. Even so, Tanya did miss having someone else to come in
and do the more menial work.
And she was disappointed to realise that the guest bedroom
and shower room hadn’t seen any attention for some time. Keen to make the
right impression, she overcame her natural disdain for cleaning, and set about
putting things right. By the time she was satisfied that the rooms would
pass muster, the planned five minutes had become almost half an hour.
A glance in the mirror told her that her efforts had not
only transformed the appearance of the guest rooms, but also her own. In
her case, not for the better. Her hair seemed to have lost its bounce,
loose tendrils hanging scrappily across her face. She was also aware that
her exertions had led to an unwelcome dampness under her arms and
elsewhere. Reluctantly, she acknowledged to herself that she was going to
need a little more time yet before completing her seduction. And with Ian
due back at any time from five thirty, that was going to cut things fine.
Quickly tying her hair back in an attempt to disguise its
current shortcomings, she returned to the kitchen. Martin was still
sitting at the table. He had found a copy of the local paper and was
flicking through it, looking up as she came in the room.
“It’s all ready for you,” she said hurriedly, and gestured
back through the doorway.
“Just the room?” he asked, an eyebrow raised
quizzically. A good sign, she thought. He hadn’t lost interest
during her absence.
“For the moment,” she said carefully. “I just need
to...” She hesitated. She barely knew his name. It didn’t
seem quite the done thing to tell him she needed a
wash. Fortunately he misinterpreted the reason for her pause.
“...Slip into something more comfortable?” he
suggested. He was on his feet now, walking towards her, bag in his hand.
“Close enough,” she agreed.
He stopped in front of her. “Is that close
enough?” he asked.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He glanced at his watch. She noticed
it was a heavy one, with three buttons on the side instead of a single
winder. The strap was metal – stainless steel, she assumed – and there
was a bezel around the watch face. She had seen similar watches before
when she’d been on holiday. Divers, she seemed to recall. He, of
course, was oblivious to all of this going through her head. He nodded
down the corridor. “Which room?”
She pointed straight ahead. “That’s the
bedroom.” Something flickered in his eyes as she said that, and something
stirred inside her in response. “The door to the side is a sitting room,
and you can use that if you want it too.”
“That’s very good of you.”
“Will you need long to settle in?”
He shook his head. “Five minutes.”
Tanya thought she’d need a little longer herself, but if she
kept it to a minimum they might still have time before Ian came back.
“Then I thought I’d take a walk up into the woods.”
It took a second or two for his words to sink in. “I’m
sorry?” she said at last. Not the best response in the world, but it was
all she could
didn’t feel cramped. And the shower room also had plenty of space in
it. At a push, they could have installed a bath, though that would have
left anyone using it having to practically sidle around the room.
Tanya expected to be less than five minutes getting the
rooms ready. She wasn’t the most enthusiastic at housework, and tended to
do the bare minimum. When they had employed a cleaner, it hadn’t been an
issue anyway. She, unfortunately, had been one of the first casualties of
the McLean cash-flow problems. To be fair to him, Ian did help out.
He’d lived on his own for a while before she met him, and had proven to be
fairly well house-trained. He could change a bed, wash and iron, point a hoover in the right direction, and even put together a more
than palatable meal. Even so, Tanya did miss having someone else to come in
and do the more menial work.
And she was disappointed to realise that the guest bedroom
and shower room hadn’t seen any attention for some time. Keen to make the
right impression, she overcame her natural disdain for cleaning, and set about
putting things right. By the time she was satisfied that the rooms would
pass muster, the planned five minutes had become almost half an hour.
A glance in the mirror told her that her efforts had not
only transformed the appearance of the guest rooms, but also her own. In
her case, not for the better. Her hair seemed to have lost its bounce,
loose tendrils hanging scrappily across her face. She was also aware that
her exertions had led to an unwelcome dampness under her arms and
elsewhere. Reluctantly, she acknowledged to herself that she was going to
need a little more time yet before completing her seduction. And with Ian
due back at any time from five thirty, that was going to cut things fine.
Quickly tying her hair back in an attempt to disguise its
current shortcomings, she returned to the kitchen. Martin was still
sitting at the table. He had found a copy of the local paper and was
flicking through it, looking up as she came in the room.
“It’s all ready for you,” she said hurriedly, and gestured
back through the doorway.
“Just the room?” he asked, an eyebrow raised
quizzically. A good sign, she thought. He hadn’t lost interest
during her absence.
“For the moment,” she said carefully. “I just need
to...” She hesitated. She barely knew his name. It didn’t
seem quite the done thing to tell him she needed a
wash. Fortunately he misinterpreted the reason for her pause.
“...Slip into something more comfortable?” he
suggested. He was on his feet now, walking towards her, bag in his hand.
“Close enough,” she agreed.
He stopped in front of her. “Is that close
enough?” he asked.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He glanced at his watch. She noticed
it was a heavy one, with three buttons on the side instead of a single
winder. The strap was metal – stainless steel, she assumed – and there
was a bezel around the watch face. She had seen similar watches before
when she’d been on holiday. Divers, she seemed to recall. He, of
course, was oblivious to all of this going through her head. He nodded
down the corridor. “Which room?”
She pointed straight ahead. “That’s the
bedroom.” Something flickered in his eyes as she said that, and something
stirred inside her in response. “The door to the side is a sitting room,
and you can use that if you want it too.”
“That’s very good of you.”
“Will you need long to settle in?”
He shook his head. “Five minutes.”
Tanya thought she’d need a little longer herself, but if she
kept it to a minimum they might still have time before Ian came back.
“Then I thought I’d take a walk up into the woods.”
It took a second or two for his words to sink in. “I’m
sorry?” she said at last. Not the best response in the world, but it was
all she could
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