Three Women Read Free Page A

getting ready to go out, as Nikki had hogged the bathroom for nearly half an hour and Erin and Claire had been forced to beg the guys next door if they could use their bathroom. Next time they rented somewhere they were getting at least two bathrooms! As the doormen let them inside Gilbert’s, the French restaurant, and she saw the style of the place, Erin thanked heaven she had decided to put on her new jade-coloured Karen Millen dress. Most of the fashionable couples were a good bit older than them and obviously wealthier too.
    ‘Are you sure you can afford this?’ she whispered to Luke. The Michelin-starred restaurant had a reputation for being super-expensive.
    ‘Don’t worry – I got a great bonus last week!’ he grinned. The waiter led them to a table near the window and was so attentive that Erin had to try to keep a serious face. The menu was incredible and it took ages for them both to decide exactly what they would like to eat, with the waiter taking great care to explain everything they wanted to know about the dishes that were on offer. Erin went for a mixture of seafood that included lobster, crab, Dublin Bay prawns and salmon, served with some kind of oyster foam; it was absolutely delicious. Luke ordered a really good wine and the waiter kept their glasses constantly topped up as they chatted away. One course followed after another: pork belly, seared tuna, champagne and elderflower mousse, and a berry tart. Neither of them could believe it as seamlessly they were presented with each gourmet dish.
    ‘This place is amazing,’ she said. ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’
    ‘Erin, I always want to do things to please you and make you happy,’ he said softly, taking her hand. ‘You know that.’
    She nodded. Over the past few weeks their relationship had been getting more serious … they both knew it. Luke was becoming more and more a part of her life and she was structuring what she wanted to do around him, as his work schedule was kind of crazy. He was commuting back and forward to London a lot and it looked like this was going to become a regular feature.
    ‘I’m back there Wednesday,’ he said, sipping an Irish coffee.
    ‘But I got tickets for us to go and see the Frames in Vicar Street.’
    ‘I won’t be here – maybe you can bring one of the girls or sell them on the internet?’ he suggested.
    ‘I’ll bring Lilly from work. She’s a massive fan and was saying the other day that all the tickets were sold out and she couldn’t get one.’
    ‘There you go – no harm done!’
    Erin tried to hide her disappointment. She had to accept that if she had a boyfriend with a high-flying career who could afford to take her to Gilbert’s for dinner, then she couldn’t expect him to be around all the time.
    ‘Hey, let’s get a last drink and then head to Club 55!’ he suggested. ‘I think Ronan and a few of the guys from the office are going there later.’
    ‘Why don’t we just head for your place or my place instead?’ she suggested.
    ‘I’ve had a hectic week, Erin – I just feel like blowing off a bit of steam. Besides, I want to show off my sexy girlfriend in her pretty dress on the dance floor.’
    Erin laughed. He was such a bloody charmer …
    The night club was packed and they had to push through the crowds. Erin would have been happy to stay at a romantic table at the rear of the club near the door, but Luke took her hand and guided her towards the area where his friends Ronan and Conall and Ritchie were sitting with their girlfriends. Michelle, Ronan’s girlfriend, was nice and immediately said hello to Erin, but Conall was going out with an absolute wagon who was some kind of celebrity model who was on the new Dunne’s Stores ad and thought she was Kate Moss!
    They ordered some more wine and chatted for a while, then they danced, though there was barely room to stand and the floor was so sticky Erin’s shoes felt glued to it.
    ‘Let’s get out of here!’ Luke said