Francesca, page 16
The colour was ‘nude’, a sort of beige coffee colour. It was all chiffon and flawing. It had a long halter neck, which seemed to start from the waist up. Fortunately, the front had bra cups inside the material. The material was thicker from the waist to just below the thigh, and then it stopped. From there, it was four long wide strips of see-through chiffon. It looked like a long dress. But when you walked, the four panels came apart and showed an awful lot of leg.
‘Oh my goodness, Elle. I can’t wear this.’ My heart sank. The dress was very erotic, in its own classy way.
I saw Elle eyeing it up. She didn’t give the horrified response I had expected her to have. ‘It’s very feminine. Apart from the halter neck straps hanging down your back, there is no back until it reaches your waist. Those lovely long panels will swirl around your legs. In fact, you can see a lot, but you can see a lot of nothing. It reminds me of one of those Egyptian princesses from the Old Testament, like Salome or something.’ She laughed, shaking her head.
Panic rose inside of me. ‘I will tell her it didn’t fit.’ I walked to the wardrobe to get out the original black cocktail dress that I had bought for the occasion.
‘No, Fran. You said yourself you have to wear it. You don’t want to upset anyone, do you? I have to say, in comparison with that, she pointed at my black dress, ‘It’s beautiful and very feminine. And you can’t tell her it didn’t fit. It’s been made for you. Look at the name on the label. Julie has had that made for you. She has even bought the matching shoes.’ She put her hands into the box and pulled out a pair of high-heeled court shoes in exactly the same colour as the dress. Julie had outdone herself this time.
I didn’t know if this was a bad joke at my expense or if Julie had really meant well. Putting on the dress, with its soft chiffon panels against my body, made me feel sexy—sexier than I’d ever felt when I had been a stripper.
‘You look beautiful, Francesca. The colour suits you, and those shoes make you look even taller than you are—like some Roman goddess. Julie really does know her stuff.’
When I eventually arrived at the club, we were nearly an hour late. The driver had kept reporting our progress to whoever, via his earpiece. It was packed to the hilt already. All the men were in their best suits, and all of the women had donned their diamonds and designer dresses. The club looked fantastic. The dim lighting and the coloured lights really did set the scene. The bar, I noticed, was covered in silver buckets, with champagne bottles resting in ice. The music was loud, and everyone was looking forward to seeing the New Year in with style.
Julie was the first to spot me. She flung her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. Then she stood back to take a good look at the dress. ‘Do you like it, Fran? Say you do.’
There had been real warmth in that hug. This wasn’t some bitchy joke, as I had presumed. Looking around the room, I could see some of the other wives looking shocked at Julie’s display of affection. She had always come across as the ice maiden. The waiters handed us both a glass of champagne. Julie linked her arm through mine, and we both walked through the crowd towards Ralph.
Julie’s dress was straight, white, and hung just above the knee. From the low cleavage hung row after row of gold tassels. It suited her to perfection. ‘You look beautiful, Julie. And thank you for my dress.’
‘I got them both in Italy. Come on, Fran. Let’s go and see what the three musketeers are up to.’ She pushed her way through the crowds of people standing near Ralph shaking hands and wishing season’s greetings.
Jake walked into the office. ‘Tony, Fran is here. And by God, mate, is she making a statement.’
Tony turned to all the monitors in his office and focused on one. He liked what he saw; he liked it very much. He showed no emotion in his poker face and asked Jake to ask me to come to the office.
‘Bloody hell, Tony, is that all you have to say? She looks gorgeous.’ Jake left the office in disbelief.
Tony turned and looked at the monitor. This beautiful woman was his wife. Yet no matter what feelings were rising in him, and believe me they were, this was a hands-off deal. He just wondered to himself how long he could keep it up.
I had been summoned. I left Julie talking to Ralph and Jake and went to the office. No doubt he had some complaint to make.
Walking into his office, I saw Tony sitting in his large leather chair, swivelling it back and forth. As always, he looked very handsome in his dinner suit and bow tie. He reminded me of a James Bond movie. When he saw me, he stood up and held out his hand to indicate that I should sit on the chair in front of him. Why did he always make me feel like a schoolgirl sitting at the head teacher’s desk?
‘Evening, Francesca. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas with the family.’ There was a warmth in his voice and a smile that showed a perfect set of white teeth.
I sat down before him, feeling a little nervous. ‘You’re going to complain about this dress, aren’t you? We have done the preliminaries. Yes, I had a great time with my family. So why have you summoned me in here? And shouldn’t you be outside playing host?’ I thought I would get in first and mention the dress.
He walked around his desk towards me and put his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a long rectangular box. ‘Did Bobby like his bike?’ he asked, ignoring my comment. He held out the box towards me.
Taking it, I looked up at him. ‘Yes, he did like his bike. But as you know, I would rather you didn’t buy him things. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but he already had one father walk away from him. And as a sort of stepfather, you’re going to do the same. I know some of the kids at school have asked about his new dad. I have explained to him that you are just Tony, Mummy’s friend. It will make things easier when all of this is over.’
I could see my speech didn’t please him much, but he nodded in acknowledgement. ‘As you wish, Francesca. This is for you. I couldn’t give you it earlier because you had already left.’
Inside the box was a large gold locket. Again, I looked at him, a little confused.
‘For God’s sake, Francesca, take it out of the box, will you? It won’t bite.’ He was losing his patience now. He could lose his temper at the flick of a switch!
Holding up the heavy gold chain, I looked at the large oval locket. It was engraved with FL. Tony took it from me and opened the locket. Inside was a wedding photo of us the two of us. On the opposite side was a picture of Bobby and myself.
Now I understood. ‘Oh, I see. You want me to wear this to show the other wives my Christmas present.’
It was beautiful, and the photos in it brought a lump to my throat. Bobby was in his little suit and tie. Absolutely lovely. ‘What’s FL mean?’ I asked.
Tony ran his hands through his blonde hair and gave out a deep sigh, while staring up at the ceiling—possibly looking for inspiration.
‘F and L,’ he said through gritted teeth, obviously trying to hide his frustration, ‘are you initials—Francesca Lambrianu! No, it isn’t to show the wives what I bought you for Christmas but for you. I thought you might like it.’ I could see he felt a bit embarrassed, having to point out that the locket was engraved with my initials.
Now I felt stupid. What a fool. Of course FL were my initials. I just hadn’t got used to thinking of myself as that. He took the locket from me, undid the clasp, and told me to stand up. He was putting the necklace around me. I moved my hair so he could fit the chain around my neck. I had my back to him and could feel his breath on my neck. Goosebumps were rising on my back, and I could feel myself shiver.
The locket lay comfortably between my breasts. Tony was still standing behind me. I let my hair drop to one side and turned to face him. Suddenly, our eyes seemed to lock. I was looking into those deep blue eyes, which were locked in a gaze with my own. For some stupid reason, I raised my hand and traced my thumb along the cleft in his chin. My heart was pounding. I felt as though he was going to kiss me. I looked at his lips and remembered them kissing me on my wedding day.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Sharon walked in with a large cloth bag, presumably full of money.
‘Here, Tony.’ She passed him the bag with some of the night’s takings in it. ‘Put this in the safe, will you? Hi, Fran. You look nice. Come on, Tony, work your magic. It’s heaving out there, and people are asking for you.’ She seemed totally oblivious to the scene before her.
The moment was gone. Tony snapped out of it, and it was business as usual.
‘Of course, Sharon. Pass it here. It looks like it’s going to be a good night.’ He kissed the bag jokingly and put it in the safe.
I headed out with Sharon. I felt my face burning with embarrassment and was thankful Sharon was so busy she didn’t seem to notice.
I walked out into the dimness of the club. What the hell had just happened in there? I reached up and touched the locket and walked towards Julie in the VIP lounge. The evening seemed to be a great success.
Tony was more than attentive when he joined us all for a drink, his arms around my waist and his hands on my bare back. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He leaned forward in the dimness of the club and whispered into my ear’. ‘As for the dress, Francesca, I think you look very sexy and very beautiful.’ The tip of his tongue touched my earlobe teasingly.
I looked over at Julie. She had a big smug smile on her face and gave me the thumbs up. She obviously felt her dress had done the trick and was satisfied.
During the course of the evening, Tony didn’t leave my side. We danced together, flirted together, and laughed together. He truly was a handsome man and made me feel very special indeed. In fact, I found myself thinking that he was truly a very handsome husband.
Julie was drinking the bar dry as usual and turned towards Ralph. ‘Ralph,’ she slurred, ‘I think Fran and Tony should come to Italy with us, don’t you? I mean the kids as well. But tell them, Ralphy, my love. They have to come.’ She was giving Ralph her best puppy dog eyes and even threw in a kiss for good measure. It was obvious; he couldn’t refuse her anything.
‘Yes, Jake and Sharon too. Let’s make it a big holiday to start the New Year with.’ Ralph was in high spirits. He loved his wife and was lapping up all of the attention she was giving him. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone was enjoying him or herself and having a great time!
Surprise, surprise, Julie had gotten her own way. Lots of the other men’s wives came up and joined us for a drink. I knew a few quite well by now, and they were all taking an interest in my locket. I showed them the photos inside and told them that Tony had bought it for me for Christmas. They all admired it. I felt like a princess, with a handsome prince beside me.
Julie and I went to the ladies’ room. It would soon be midnight, and she wanted to ‘touch up her lipstick’. With my bare legs gliding through the room surrounded by chiffon panels, I walked with her, noticing a few admiring glances from some of the men in the room. This was some confidence boost.
Julie shouted to me hurry up. I was in the toilet cubicle and told her to go on ahead of me. It was hard going to the loo, lifting up all of those panels to get to my underwear. I heard some women come into the ladies’, and they were laughing and chatting.
‘When Tony gets rid of that wife of his, the party can begin,’ I heard one say.
There was drunken laughter from a group of women. Hearing Tony’s name, I stayed in the cubicle, not daring to make a noise.
‘Roxy,’ I heard one of the women say, ‘you know Tony adores you. She’s not a patch on you. You’re gorgeous. Did he marry her to make you jealous or something? It didn’t work, did it?’
‘What did he get you for Christmas?’ They were all joining in, firing questions at Roxy about Tony.
‘That would be telling,’ I heard the woman tease her friends. ‘But I definitely got my present—from Christmas night and all the way into Boxing Day, if you know what I mean.’
There was an eruption of laughter, and then I heard the women leaving and the door close.
I sat there, stunned. Tony had spent Christmas and Boxing Day with this woman and was flirting with me just a few days later, just to please Ralph! I had fallen for it again. I had gotten caught up in the moment. Tears brimmed my eyes, and I could feel them fall down my cheeks. I was a laughing stock. Everyone knew this marriage was a sham, and I was a joke!
I had to compose myself. I stood in front of the mirror and started replacing my make-up the tears had washed away.
Julie came swaggering in. ‘For goodness’ sake, Fran. I thought you had fallen down the loo. Come on. It’s ten minutes to midnight.’ She dragged me by the arm back into the club.
While Julie was pulling me through the crowds and chatting on, I couldn’t help but survey the room. Who was that woman I had heard in the toilets? I looked for a group of women. Then I heard he name Roxy. Someone had shouted out her name. It wasn’t a common name, and so I looked across the room.
My eyes stopped at a group of women, all laughing and drinking champagne. In the middle of them was a woman sitting on a high chrome bar stool, answering to her name. Although she was sitting down, she still looked very tall, with very long legs. Her straight long blonde hair fell down her back, and the mini sequinned dress she was wearing showed off her suntan and her very expensive boob job. She was everything I wasn’t. We couldn’t be more opposite.
Tony had had a large television screen installed in the club so that everyone could watch London’s famous Big Ben clock chime in the New Year. Julie was still chatting away, but I wasn’t listening. My eyes were fixed on this beautiful leggy blonde waiting for my departure, so that she could be with my husband!
The crowds in the club were standing around waiting for the clock to strike twelve. I felt Tony standing behind me. His arm was around my waist. I felt sick inside. I also felt he was holding me a little too tightly and pressing his body against me. I wasn’t imagining it. I was sure I could feel his growing arousal pressing against my thigh. I stepped forward to loosen his grip, bloody cheek. Was I the warm-up act before he spent the night with his girlfriend? No way!
Thankfully the club was dark. So I made a point of stepping a little closer into the crowd, while they were all shouting out the countdown from ten. Then Big Ben struck midnight. Everyone was waiting and cheering for the first chime of the New Year.
Without being noticed, I moved aside. I took out my phone and dialled my mam’s number. I wanted to hear a friendly voice. I also wanted to wish her a happy New Year.’
Among the cheering as the clock chimed, Tony had turned to kiss Francesca and suddenly noticed that she wasn’t there. He tried looking around the room, but it was manic. Everyone was hugging and kissing and dancing around; it was impossible to see her. People were shaking his hands and wishing him a happy New Year, and although he smiled and wished them well, he scoured the room for Francesca.
Where had she gone at a time like this? He had organised a massive firework display, and everyone was standing outside on the club’s balcony looking up at the skies filled with explosive colour.
Jake came up and shook his hand and hugged him. ‘What’s wrong, Tony?’ During all of this drunken happiness, Jake noticed that Tony looked preoccupied—in the midst of all of this.
‘Have you seen Francesca?’ Tony shouted close to Jake’s ear.
Jake nodded. ‘Yes. She’s over there by the exit. I just passed her. Why? What is wrong, Tony?’
‘Later, Jake,’ said Tony. He walked to where he could see Francesca standing. When he got there, he noticed she was on her mobile phone. She had her finger in one ear so she could hear above the crowd. He stood at the side of her, waiting for her to finish.
‘Where the hell did you disappear to? I turned around, and you were gone.’ Tony couldn’t understand what had changed so suddenly—what had made me want to leave his side.
It didn’t help when he was rudely interrupted by Julie. ‘Francesca, come here.’ She flung her arms around my neck and kissed my cheeks. ‘I love you, Fran.’
Ralph was hot on her heels. Holding her up, he steered her to a chair, before she fell down.
Tony shook his head. He could see Ralph had his hands full.
‘I think we had better call it a day, Tony. You don’t mind if I take Julie home, do you?’ Tony shook his head and smiled, secretly pleased. Most people would be leaving soon, and then he could get to the bottom of whatever was bothering Francesca.
Pulling me to the side, Tony started to question me. ‘What’s wrong? Why did you walk away? I wanted to see the New Year in with you first.’ He had actually seemed genuine, but then he had proved to be a good actor.
‘I’m surprised you even noticed I had gone. Anyway, I wanted to telephone my mam. and I am also ready to leave if you will tell the driver. Then you can enjoy the rest of your evening.’
Tony frowned, and he stared at me. There was a moment’s silence, which seemed to last forever. He reached his hand out for mine, and I pulled it away.
‘I don’t do games, Francesca. Don’t tell me there is nothing wrong when obviously something is wrong. So just spit it out, will you?’
‘You promised me that you wouldn’t humiliate me,’ I said. ‘That was part of our deal, but you have tonight. Your girlfriend Roxy over there’—I waved my arm in her direction, and although no one but Tony noticed, I don’t think he would have cared if anyone had; his face was set in stone. ‘She was in the ladies’, Tony, boasting to all of her friends about getting rid of me so that you can both enjoy your evening—you know, like you did on Christmas night and Boxing Day.’ Without realising, I had started shouting, but I had started, and I was damn well going to finish. I saw Tony’s face go red. Whether with embarrassment or anger, I didn’t care. ‘Stay at arm’s length in future, will you? And keep control of whatever that was pressing into my thigh.’ I pointed to his trouser crotch. ‘Here, take this.’ I pulled the locket from my neck and put it into his open hand. ‘Your employees must love you, Mr Lambrianu, giving away Christmas presents like this,’ I snapped. I felt my own face flushed with anger.
