P I Honeytrap Read Free Page A

for a good, no-holds-barred fucking, as long as it suited them both. And it did seem to suit them both, so why change things? No questions asked. She had no intention of becoming emotionally involved with him. No man was ever going to have that power over her again.
    Suddenly she felt uncomfortable being here. She pushed Reuben off her and he complied, rolling to one side and getting to his feet.
    ‘Are you OK?’ He sounded genuinely concerned.
    God, she hoped he wasn’t going to start going all guilt-trip on her. ‘Fine. I had a good time. Now I’m going home.’ No point giving the guy any ideas. They both knew she’d be back soon enough.
    He passed her a big towel and she wrapped it around herself as she rose. It was as if she couldn’t bear him to see her naked now. And he’d just touched her everywhere his fingers could reach. She’d just fucked the guy. But it wasn’t her body she wasn’t comfortable revealing.
    Reuben certainly wasn’t uncomfortable with his either. He walked around her, fully exposed, as he wiped his oily hands and stomach on a towel.
    ‘We’d better go take a shower, before we get oil on everything,’ he said.
    We? He’d better not go thinking there was any we . She came here to work out. And to get a physical from him. OK? They both knew the score. But that was all it was. Although Reuben wasn’t a lowlife, like the ones she came across in her working day, he was a man. And she didn’t have time for any of them …
    Suddenly Hayley became aware of the voice on the far side of her daydream. The young woman across the desk was sniffing a lot and had a whole heap of wet Kleenex bunched up in her hand.
    ‘So that’s why I need to hire you, to check things out.’
    Hayley trawled through her brain to dredge up any snatches of the woman’s story she could recall hearing amongst her recollections of last night’s lust with Reuben. She pieced together the puzzle, but thought she ought to check she’d got it straight.
    ‘So let me just see if I’ve got this right. You say you’ve been married for nearly a year?’
    ‘That’s right, and if he’s going off with other women already –’ Mrs Smith started sniffing again.
    Hayley ignored the tears and continued. ‘You’ve noticed money going out of your joint bank account that you can’t explain and he won’t try to. But he knows you know about it?’
    ‘I think I must have married a mean man. But I love him.’
    Hayley resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the weeping started anew. She pushed the box of Kleenex further over the desk top again. Where did all those tears come from? She’d be damned if she’d waste her tears on any worthless male.
    ‘OK. And he’s acting weird all of a sudden, you say.’
    ‘Like he’s found the love of his life. All happy and excited. Just like when we first met. But he’s got no cause for it. It’s not like I’m pregnant or anything.’
    Clearly she wanted to be. The fresh cloudburst just proved that.
    ‘And your cousin told you she thought she saw him at the shopping mall in town, when he was supposed to be at work?’
    ‘He must have been waiting for some woman. Or buying new clothes to go out with her.’
    ‘Have you seen these new clothes?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘OK. I think I’ve got it.’ Hayley could see Mrs Smith was a pretty wee thing. Although that didn’t stop men straying, she knew that. That one, you could take for granted. She couldn’t believe the number of times she had discovered husbands cheating on beautiful, intelligent, attractive women, with someone who couldn’t hold a candle to them. But there was no figuring out most men. And she wouldn’t even try. But that wasn’t this. She’d stake her reputation on it.
    ‘Now listen to me, Mrs Smith …’
    ‘You’ll take my case?’ the young woman interrupted.
    ‘Have you come to me because you believe I know what I’m talking about?’
    Mrs Smith nodded. ‘You come highly recommended.’
    Hayley could just