The Faithless - Martina Cole [24]
It never occurred to Cynthia that her sister was actually in the know where all that was concerned. Celeste was clever enough to keep that information close to her ample chest. Jonny had never said a word – he wouldn’t, he was too nice a person – but she listened to gossip. It had bothered her that her sister had been there before her, but now she knew, deep inside, that Jonny loved her, really loved her, and she was woman enough to accept the truth of that. She only worried that her sister would find out that she actually knew the score, and thereby feel the humiliation of realising that Celeste knew and didn’t care. With people like Cynthia you told them what they wanted to hear, because it was so much easier that way. If they ever saw themselves as everyone else did, it would be too much for them to take onboard. They lived in their own little worlds, it was what made them into the people they were.
Jonny Parker walked deliberately to the table that held his lovely Celeste, as always feeling the pull of her. She was worth fifty of any other woman in his world.
‘You enjoying it, babe?’
‘Oh, Jonny, it’s wonderful.’
He looked into Cynthia’s eyes as he said seriously, ‘She chose all the décor, what a star, eh?’ Tonight he wanted to get his first conversation with her out of the way, and he wanted it to be in front of his Celeste. He had nothing to hide and he wanted to make that plain.
Cynthia smirked as she answered him. ‘That explains a lot, Jonny.’
The insult was clear and he knew it. More to the point Celeste knew it but, as ever, she chose to ignore the implication. Jonny loved her for her kindness and the fact that she only ever saw the good in everyone, including that ponce of a sister.
Cynthia looked at Jonny with her heavily made-up eyes; she could eat him as he was. Every time she saw him she could kick the fuck out of herself. What she could have had was evident in every move he made. She wanted him more than ever. If she had only known he would have achieve what he had, and in such a massive way, she would never have let him slip away from her. Unfortunately, she had believed he was no more than a fucking wanter, she had never believed he would be a getter. Just proved how wrong a girl could be. But Cynthia wasn’t going to give up – she still believed she could change the future, and she wanted Jonny Parker back badly. She felt that if she fought hard enough she might just get him. After all, what was she up against? Her sister Celeste wasn’t exactly a hard sell where she was concerned. She was a prat, and a prat of the first water.
Jonny watched the thoughts flicker over Cynthia’s face and he could read her mind. He had no intentions of giving this vicious bitch what she wanted, what she expected. True he had felt something for her once, well, her body at least – that had been spectacular and what she had promised him and eventually delivered had been the best of the best. But it had not lasted. She had expected too much for far too little. She had been a great fuck, but even then that was only because he had been her first, and that had only happened because she had wanted what she thought he might have to offer. Cynthia was like a robot, she would fuck a table if it got her what she wanted. And, as luck would have it, he had realised that sooner rather than later, seen the seriousness of his dilemma. In fact, he now thanked fuck at every available opportunity for getting as far away from her as possible. That he had met and fallen in love with her younger sister he now saw as righteous retribution. It was as if Christ Himself was making amends.
‘Come on, Celeste, let’s go and meet our clientele.’ This was said with enough arrogance for Cynthia to know that it was a barb aimed directly at her.
Cynthia watched as her sister walked away with the man of her dreams. If life was really fair