She woke to find herself stretched out on her face in a strange bed, her heavy hair wild and knotted hanging across her face as she blearily pushed it back and raised herself to look at the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was dark and she had no idea what time it was until she checked the digital display near the bed. 1:23. Day? Night? She groaned to herself as she pulled herself to a sit.

Last night came back to her in a sudden flash. Nick. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed at the memory of the sex. Her body ached. She pressed her thighs together and felt the burn where he had stretched her over and over again. She knew she would be sore all week. Probably another bout of cystitis - she was prone to it and energetic sex was the usual cause.

Energetic sex? This had been more like Olympic class. Nick was just... unbelievable. He knew more about a woman's body than she did herself. Up to last night Zoe had thought of herself as pretty experienced but compared to this man she was a shy little virgin. But he had taught her so beautifully and given her such intense pleasure...

Where was he?

Zoe suddenly realized she was alone. Slipping from the enormous bed, she walked to the window and opened the blinds to reveal a glorious daylight, blue sky and brilliant light almost blinding her. It was hot out and she had slept half of the day already. But then, they had made love until dawn. With a smile of contentment, she stretched her naked body in the sunlight and then wandered around getting a good look at this amazing bedroom.

The bronze sculpture held her attention. It was unashamedly graphic, a beautiful man and woman in an intensely intimate moment, both lying on their backs, the woman upon her lover, her right leg raised and flexed sensually against his thigh as he was buried deep within her exposed vagina, his balls proudly displayed as his cock disappeared into her sleek body. The couple were clearly in the throes of orgasm and just the sight of this in her erotically charged mood made her wet again, despite the tender aching in her own flesh.

She dragged herself away and peered into the bathroom whose door was open. It was cool and masculine in theme. Grey granite walls, black rough stone floor, deep white porcelain hand bowl recessed into a wall lit by hidden spots, male grooming products set in a shelf carved from the marble. To the right was a large walk in shower room, straight ahead an enormous Jacuzzi in white marble stark and hyper cool against the grey and black. The toilet was in a small side room but the door was opaque glass.

The whole effect was somewhat spoiled by the heap of wet towels lying in the middle of the room and a trail of clothes hanging from a cupboard that was clearly meant for laundry. Zoe grinned and stuffed the clothes back inside, hanging up the towels on a rail with a woman's instinctive impulse to restore order from chaos. A little more investigation found the storeroom where there were rows of neatly folded white towels. She took one and stepped into the shower.

Hitting the lever, jets instantly hit her from every angle, warm water bouncing off her body. Sheer luxury. She whirled around under the spray and washed herself with the zingy male gel that was provided in a dispenser and then washed her hair in the shampoo. Clean and revived, she wrapped herself in the large bath towel and took her time combing the tangles out of her wet hair with her fingers as she gargled her mouth and sang softly to herself. She wondered where Nick was.

She suddenly wished he had been here to share the shower with her and take her up against that cold marble wall. Sexual images bombarded her; she felt on some sort of erotic overload.

Did he take his glove off to wash? The thought crossed her mind. She wondered how he had lost his hand and what the false one looked like. She knew already he was unlikely to show her or even confide in her any further about it but that hardly stopped her from wondering. Then she progressed to the subject of if he would ever want to see her again. Her euphoric mood dissipated quickly when that harsh reality dawned on her. Last night had been what it was - a sexual adventure and nothing more. Whoever Nick was she could not imagine he was the kind of man who dated girls like her. Nick was the ultimate metrosexual, a hedonist, a man who liked to play and sample a wide variety of sexual experiences. Last night had been just a pleasant walk in the park for him, she was sure.

Back in the room, she sat on the bed, unsure whether she should just dress and leave or wait for him. He might be somewhere in the apartment but she felt too embarrassed simply to walk around and perhaps disturb him. So she slipped back into bed and lay beneath the sheets until he turned up.

It wasn't long. The door opened and in he breezed, carrying a large tray. "So Sleeping Beauty has woken up, hey? Anyone ever told you, you snore like a bear?" He grinned and set the tray down on the floor.

"I do not!" she shouted and threw a pillow at him as he pulled off his T-shirt and jeans to jump back naked into bed. He raised the sheet and crawled in at the bottom, wriggling between her legs and burrowing his face into her naked groin. Zoe struggled, giggling but he held her down and proceeded to lick languorously at her nakedness, making crude noises of satisfaction.

"Nick! Nick! I'm sore..."

He threw the sheet back and lay nestled between her thighs, stroking her until she cried out. "You better be.., you got the A-grade show last night, darling...my dick feels like it's been through a grater...but don't worry...I've still got a mouth...You smell nice...showered? Good girl...I didn't fancy the rubbery taste of morning after..."

"Nick, you are so crude!"

"You love it..." he rolled back and jerked idly on his impressively erect cock. "Be gentle, love...he's a bit worse for wear this morning, aren't you, mate? You want to eat or fuck first?"

"Nick!"

"Make your mind up...the coffee's going cold..." he added lazily.

"Eat then..." Zoe gave him a cheeky face.

"...But my dick's going soft..." he complained.

"What's a girl to do?" She pushed him away and went to investigate the tray. He joined her on the floor. "Where did you get this from?"

"Sent out. A great deli across the way. They do it all. And they know me. I can get breakfast any time of day..."

It was delicious and adorably sinful eating breakfast crossed legged naked on the floor with a man she barely knew. Nick fed her, licked apricot conserve from her intimate places, wrapped a slice of ham around his dick and dared her to eat it and finally they made love on the floor in the debris of the food, lying back satiated.

"Who cleans up for you? You make a lot of mess..." Zoe observed.

"Dunno...some old woman comes in...she's scared of me...I just go 'Boo!' and she jumps. I leave her to it usually." He pulled her against him and stroked his hand down the sensuous curve of her waist and hip. "You're like a sculpture, Zoe. Just perfect. So beautiful..."

Zoe smiled and looked round at him. "You don't need to say that. Look, Nick....it's really late and I can't stay. I have to meet my Mum and Dad this afternoon. I've had a great time. You're a great guy. But...look...you don't have to...you know? I understand. It was just last night..."

He sat up. "Hey, you blowing me off?" He asked her with a curiously amused expression on his face.

She blushed. "I was just..."

"Honey...if you were just an easy lay you would have been packed off last night. Zoe...I like you. I'd like to see you again." He raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "Okay, I'm not exactly an expert in dating as I rather lack the staying power that is an essential requisite as far as most women are concerned...but...if you want to try...let's get to know each other better...you interested?"

He seemed almost shy. It was endearing. Zoe realized he thought she was going to say no.

"Know each other better? I'm on first name terms with both of your testicles not to mention that your penis and I have shared some very moving moments..." she snorted.

Nick put on a very disapproving face. "My dear girl, there's more to life than sex, you know?" They both laughed. He took her hand. "I mean it...can I see you again? Proper date. Fancy dinner, go dancing, treat you right?"

She realized she was shaking. This meant more to her than she had admitted to herself. "I'd really like that, Nick. So much..."

"That's sorted then. I'm busy tonight...got something on. I'll give you a call...maybe Monday?"

Her face must have given her away. "I will call. I mean it. Give me your number and I promise I shall call. That was not just an idle bloke comment to shut you up..."

He stood up and dragged his phone from the jacket he had discarded the night before. Zoe gave him her number.

"Is that the time? Oh God...I have to go...I can't be late...!" Jumping to her feet, Zoe hopped about looking for her clothes from the night before.

"I'll take you back?" Nick asked hopefully and then wondered why he had said such a sappy thing.

"No...I'll grab a cab..."

"Wait...I'll call down....they'll have one waiting..."

She was dressed, already as perfect and beautiful as when he had first seen her - even more so now, her lips swollen with his kisses and her body loose and aching with his love. He liked the way her hair fell in a mass of tangled curls framing her lovely face. Pulling her to him, he kissed her deeply, tenderly, a mixture of emotions he wasn't sure he understood. "I will call you...soon..."

She gave him a glorious smile and ran her hand across the bristles of his swarthy cheek. "You do that, Nick whoever-you-are. I want to see you again...soon...." And she ran for the door, leaving him alone and slightly shell-shocked.

"Well, well, well, Nicky. Ya must have been a very good boy lately..." he muttered to himself with a grin as he closed the apartment door.

Later that afternoon after she had bathed, she dressed in a cool floaty dress, the kind of thing she knew her Dad liked her to wear. An uneasy sensation of guilt crept over her. Her parents were not exactly puritanical about sex but she knew that they would have been pretty disappointed had they known about last night's little adventure. It would seem tawdry and sordid to them. To pick up a guy - a guy quite a bit older than her at that - and then let him do more or less whatever he liked, even going to his apartment. He might have been some kind of creep. They simply wouldn't understand. Her dad would freak - the idea of him ever finding out about it made her feel like throwing up. He would probably find Nick and kill him or something like that.

She sat and looked at herself in the mirror, her elbows on the dresser. He had thought she was beautiful. She stared at her face and tried to see it as he did. It was a pretty enough face but she had never really felt too easy about her looks.  Since she had been a little girl, she had thought her mother the most beautiful woman in the world. She still did really. Even at fifty, her mother was so elegant and attractive that men always stopped and looked at her. Compared to her mum, Zoe thought she was pretty ordinary - her mouth was too pouty; her eyes were not quite on a level and she wished her nose was a bit shorter. Her shoulders were too broad as well. Thanks Dad, she smiled.

But Nick had told her she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen...

....In the darkness, he had suddenly looked into her eyes, his cock deep within her body as she arched back in his arms. "I have never seen eyes that colour...they are like coral waters...Christ...I feel like I just dived into a warm blue sea...you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..." Her lips parted to speak but he moved inside her, flexing and then withdrawing to slide deep again and rotate his slim hips until she cried out. He groaned. "Beautiful woman...deep blue sea..."

...With a start she jumped and saw herself in the mirror again, wondering how long she had been dreaming. Shaking out her hair and applying a pale gloss to her lips, Zoe grabbed a purse and jacket and ran for the door. She felt that she had spent the entire day running.

"You sure you're quite alright? Not enough sleep? Hangover?" Annie smiled over at her daughter who was sprawled on her bed as she slipped out of her robe and into the black dress that she was wearing for dinner. She smoothed it down over her hips and took a look at her profile. She was still pretty slim but next to her daughter she felt flabby. No matter how good your shape was at fifty you couldn't compete with the twenty year olds and their naturally taut skin and flat stomachs.

"Hmmmmm?" Zoe replied, miles away, lost in another erotic memory.

"Zoe! What is wrong with you?" Her mother laughed and went to the fridge, taking out a bottle of Cloudy Bay and opening it, pouring out two glasses. "I think you need a tongue loosener...come on...who is he?"

Zoe sat up crossed legged, her dress rolling up and her panties on display and accepted the glass of chilled wine. Annie thought she didn't seem much different than when she had been a little girl, sitting on her Mum and Dad's bed watching while her Mum got ready to go out. "What do you mean 'Who is he?'"

Annie snorted. "You are on another planet today, sweetie. Only men do that to intelligent women. Tell me all. I need to get my pleasures vicariously these days..."

Zoe flopped back on the pillow. "I just met this guy...it's probably nothing but..."

"...But...?"

"Well, he's rich, I think...he's got this great apartment...."

"You slept with him?"

"Mum!"

"Well, have you? Or did you just go to his flat to admire the drapes?"

Zoe burst out laughing but didn't answer. "He's gorgeous. I mean seriously gorgeous...he's about 35..."

"Thirty five?" Annie gasped.

"It's time I had an older lover..." Zoe retorted.

Annie gave her that one with an impressed smirk. Her baby was growing up.. "So you have slept with him...if he's your lover..."

"I didn't say we were lovers...yet...I only met him last night!"

"What? You met this guy last night and went home with him?" Annie exclaimed.

Zoe rolled over. "Is that really bad? I mean...it was just...he was so...Mum, have you ever met a guy who was just so much a man that he blew you away and you couldn't stop yourself...?"

Annie snuggled up next to her daughter. "Yes. Actually I did once..."

"Tell me all!" Zoe shrieked.

"He walked along my corridor wearing a pair of jeans with the zipper half up and nothing else and said 'Where's the bathroom?' in this sexy deep voice- and I thought I had died and gone to heaven."

"Did you have sex with him?"

"Oh yeah."

"Really? Right there and then?"

"Well, we did get married first..."

"Mum! You mean Dad?  Don't even go there...anyway, that's a lie. There is no way you didn't shag Dad until you were married...I am not having that...!"

"Shag? Don't talk about your father like that. Okay, we might have forgotten ourselves once or twice before the vows..." Annie added with a grin.

"Bet you did him the first night..."

"...I thought you didn't like to think of your parents having sex? As a matter of fact, I tried - but he turned me down. Twice in fact. He got an attack of the Prince Charmings when I wanted his Casanova..."

"That is so gross...bet he was really sexy though...what did you do? Grab his groin?"

Annie shook her head. "Is that the best a young women can do to seduce a man these days...? As a matter of fact, I did. Bloody frightened me to death as well..." The two women burst out laughing. "Now...details. This guy...dark or fair...skinny or beefy...cut or uncut...how big?"

"You are the most disgusting mother I have ever met! I am not dishing all that...! Oh, go on...black hair, swarthy, hairy but not gross....tall, broad, buff and lean...uncut...and big...perhaps not the jumbo trunk that our Liam tries to stuff into his boxers, but a pretty fair size..."

At that moment the door opened and Terry Thorne walked in, throwing off his shirt. "You planning to sit there while I strip off, Zoe, or can I have some privacy?"

He was answered by hoots of laughter from the two women.

"You two on the booze already? What is it this time? Being rude again?" He smiled at them and unzipped his pants menacingly. Zoe got the message, picked up her wineglass and danced out.

"I'm just off... I'm too innocent for all this..."

Terry smiled as his daughter left the room. Dropping his jeans, he walked through to the bathroom. Annie whistled. He still liked to go commando when he could. Throwing her a wry look over his shoulder, he said, "What brought on this sudden good mood? Thought the tragedy queen was back judging by her mood up to now. She was dripping around like Ophelia in Hamlet before..."

Annie snorted. "New fella. You know what they're like at that age. Unless they're talking about their love life then they say nothing..."

"I don't want to know..."

"Not gonna tell you..." she grinned as he disappeared into the bathroom to shower.

On the last minute as ever Liam Thorne jogged down the corridor, leaned on the doorbell of the suite and burst in when his sister opened it. "Oh it's you," Zoe greeted him fondly.

"Missed you too...Jesus...why does every plane I board get delayed?" He laughed, dumping his holdall on the floor and picking her up anyway to give her a sloppy kiss.

"Put me down, you big lug. You better get ready. Dad's gonna be out any minute and you know what he's like..."

Liam snorted. "This is gonna be a barrel of laughs...a night with the rellies. Just what New York's famous for. I'm leaving early. Want to see a bit of nightlife...you coming?"

"Liam...this is Mum's 50th birthday party!"

"Her birthday was last week. I sent her flowers."

"Big deal. Come on, she deserves it. She misses you so much - God knows why..."

He flopped down on a chair and helped himself to some fruit from a bowl. "Yeah, well, Mum's Mum...she knows how I feel about her." He raised his arm and sniffed. "Ya reckon I need a shower?"

Zoe pushed him off the chair. "You are so disgusting. How do these women stand you? You must stink half the time...Shower, shave and wear a tie..."

"Tie? I bloody hate ties..."

"You manage when you're modeling Armani..."

"It wasn't Armani. It was Hugo Boss. Pay me ten thousand bucks and I'll wear a fucking monkey suit..."

"Ten thousand? They paid you ten thousand to prance around on a catwalk? You cannot be serious!"

Liam ripped off his sweaty T-shirt and dropped his pants. "Where's the bathroom in this place?"

"Liam!!!" she shrieked, and pushed him away, his groin too near her face for comfort and his tight briefs not leaving much to the imagination.

As he strolled through to where she pointed, he pulled off his shorts and threw them over his shoulder jauntily. Zoe groaned, but the sight of his powerful shoulders, the lean honed muscularity of his broad back, the narrow hips and curve of his well-shaped buttocks gave her a worryingly erotic sensation. She shook herself. Everything seemed to charge her up today - even the sight of Liam naked- and she'd seen that vision often enough. He was hardly known for his shyness.

...Nick had risen from the bed, leaving her lying sprawled amongst the wreck of his sheets. He told her to stay there. He'd be back. Zoe had watched as he walked away, admiring the interplay of his muscles as he moved. He was lithe and strong, covering the ground quickly but with an elegant grace, light footed and economical in his movements. He opened a cupboard and she realized it was a refrigerator - he took out a bottle. As he bent to retrieve it, she saw the swing of his penis and balls between his legs and the soft curve of his parted cheeks, a thick line of hair bristling from the crease between. He was so unashamedly masculine. Every part of him fascinated her.

As she ogled him, he turned and carried over the bottle - champagne- and opened it. He did it carelessly, allowing it to fizz and spill and as it did, he held it against his groin lewdly. "Ya wanna taste?

He poured the cold wine down his belly. Zoe watched it pool in his hair, drip onto the floor, trickle down his legs - and then he took a palm full of it and wiped the length of his cock. "Suck me..."

"That Liam? About bloody time..." Terry walked into the lounge and Zoe jumped. "You alright? You look a bit flushed..."

She mumbled something about wine in the afternoon but he didn't appear to be listening. "Where's your brother? Or should I just follow the trail of dirty clothes?" Terry grinned and wandered into the bathroom.

Liam was standing there naked looking at his face in the mirror. "Hi Dad...should I shave?"

"Shave. Your Mum prefers it. Either grow a beard or don't. What kept you?"

"Plane was delayed. And they gave me a grilling at immigration. Bastards..."

Terry grinned. "Doing their job, mate. I'd give you a grilling if I was in charge. How's things?" He sat on the edge of the bath, his pleasure at being with his son evident.

"Great. How's Mum?"

"Beautiful as ever. She's been looking forward to this...you should have come over this summer..."

Liam groaned as he ran the blade over his cheek. "I can do without the guilt trip, Dad. Give me a break. You want me to live my life or what?"

Terry said nothing, pursed his lips and watched the boy. No, he thought to himself. Not boy. Man. At least physically. Where had the years gone? That beautiful child lost for ever in this brash young stud. "How's Sophia Loren?"

Liam washed the soap off his face; his father threw him a towel. "She's okay. Pretty cool actually. And her name's Gabriela."

"Yeah?" Terry grinned. "So...she been teaching you a few tricks of the trade?"

Liam flashed him a look. "She's not a hooker, Dad..."

"So you not learnt anything new? Tut tut...I hope you're not wasting this educational experience..."

At that Liam snorted. "Jesus, Dad...Older women, hey? No hangs up and plenty of experience... plus...so bloody grateful... and she introduced me to a few of her friends..."

"Christ, what are you, a stud service?"

"There are worse ways to die, Dad. Haven't wanked in months..."

Terry pulled a face. "I did so want to share that with you...just don't let me hear you talking like that before your Mum. Or Zoe. She's floating around, head in the clouds again. Some bloke she's met, no doubt. Don't wind her up. For once let's have you two smiling and behaving for your Mum. OK?"

Liam smiled sweetly. 

"Now get some pants on. Your Mum does not want a flash, you got that?" he remarked as he went out to return with Liam's bag and throw it at him. "You've got five minutes..."

"Dad? You got a tie I can borrow? And some cologne?" 

A few minutes later, Liam sauntered back in and was greeted by his mother's whoop of pleasure. He picked her up and spun her round. She was so light. He remembered when he used to sit on her knee or hang off her neck as she carried him around. It was so good to hold her again. He had forgotten how much he had missed her. There was no one in the world that felt quite like she did. For an instant he wondered if some of the stuff he'd been involved in this summer would upset her if she knew about it. Things had gotten pretty wild at the estate. Drink, drugs and orgies. He'd been careful. Always used a rubber and didn't take anything stronger than an occasional joint. He liked to look after his body and wasn't interested in that shit on the whole.

But he'd seen some stuff. Done some stuff too. His mother would die if she knew. His father would kill him if he let her find out. Liam shook the uneasy sense of guilt from him as young people do. It was his life. His body. Up to him what he did with it. Life was for living.

They were ready. First time they had all been together since last Christmas. He looked around. Zoe was staring into space. His mother was stroking back his hair and fussing with his tie. Dad was just leaning against the wall watching them all. For a second he felt like a kid again, back in the warm safe embrace of his family. It was an oddly comforting notion.

Dinner was in a private room, separated from the main restaurant. The style was modern: dramatic red walls, black leather-topped dining table, water lilies fringing the doorway and carefully placed oriental art and decorative pieces about. The table was exquisitely set but the company was relaxed and informal. The setting was for nine.

Eight people were already standing about, most sipping champagne cocktails and nibbling on the hors d'oeuvres being passed around by waiters dressed Nehru-style in linen suits. This place had some mish mash pan-Eastern theme which was either eclectic or absurd, depending how you viewed it. Terry Thorne had already observed that he would reserve judgment until he had actually eaten the bloody food.

Mel Lapenti was complaining loudly that Annie was still a size six and should be force fed until she reached the same dress size as every other woman of her age. Her husband, Dino, was trying to flirt with Zoe but almost giving up on her monosyllabic answers; even he was ready to admit defeat this time. Either this girl was on something or he was seriously losing it. Liam was teasing Madeleine Lapenti, Mol, as she was affectionately known. She was ten and had a mad crush on him. Nate, her brother, was deep in conversation with Terry telling him all about the summer camp he had been on. Terry was listening fondly, eyes crinkling at the boy's fast paced delivery so reminiscent of his father.

Zoe smiled wanly at Dino, accepted another drink and felt relieved when he moved over to talk to her mother and his wife. She loved her Uncle Dino but was simply not in the mood somehow. Her mind kept drifting from the conversation. She wondered where Nick was now. Was he getting ready for another night on the town? Had he meant it when he had said he would call? Maybe tonight he would meet a more beautiful girl and she would slip from his mind. It occurred to her that Nick was probably a little unreliable, charming but feckless, easily distracted, saying the first thing that came into his head and then forgetting it as quickly when someone else offered him some kind of immediate sensory stimulation. She knew the type. She ought to be wary. But he was just getting to her in a way she couldn't quite fathom, much less control.

She flopped down onto one of the seats at the dining table and ran her hand over the textured leather surface. Leather. It made her think of the feel of Nick's hand encased in the soft kid glove. It had been remarkably flesh-like to touch although cold. No not actually cold - just not body temperature. But it hadn't been unpleasant or creepy. Zoe thought that he had probably lost his hand in a car accident or something like that; he was the type to be an adrenalin junkie, driving too fast or doing some crazy stunt.

...She had been on the bed with him lying on his side next to her. They had already made love, talked, made love some more and now both of them were sleepy and relaxed. Nina Simone was singing softly in the background. Nick had let his hand encased in its glove trail down her naked torso. He watched her as he did. This was the first time he had 'used' this hand sexually. Zoe had smiled tentatively at him and then followed the path of his fingers as they stroked her breasts. The limb was uncannily real, tactile, supple, as flexible as real flesh, but it had a latent strength. There was a hint of malevolence about the slow path he traced across her delicate, exposed body.

The contrast between her pale gold skin and the black glove enhanced the erotic moment. As his hand slipped further down the flat planes of her slender stomach, she felt the tiny hairs rising, her nerves jangling; she held her breath. There was an issue of trust here. Say he was a nutjob? Who's to say he couldn't appear perfectly charming and then suddenly reveal a darker more sinister taste? What could she do to stop him if he wanted to harm her?

His leather clad fingers rustled through the curls between her legs, ruffling them up and then smoothing them down. He reached further, gripped her right thigh with his good hand and prised her legs open. Then he sensuously slid his gloved palm along the moist cleft of her vagina and in a sudden thrust inserted his middle digit. She gasped, whimpered, shuddered as he masturbated her slowly, his thumb flickering over the already tender flesh of her exposed clitoris. The leather, although soft, was coarser than skin. The finger, although similar to the real thing, felt different, denser, less fragile. She grasped at his hand to stop him and then found herself pushing him deeper, gripping the thickly haired forearm and writhing on his captured limb.

"Oh God...it feels real...but better..." she muttered.

He laughed to himself as he pleasured her. Taking her other hand, he wrapped it round his erect penis. "This is real. This I can feel. I know I am touching you with that hand. But I cannot feel it. When you come, I won't know...imagine that?"

She pulled him to her and kissed him lewdly, feasting on him as she felt her orgasm rise on the brutal pleasure of this extraordinary tool. As she came she sucked hard on his tongue until he grunted with the pain - and then let him go. "Did you feel me coming then? Did you feel it, Nick?" she had whispered throatily...

"Who's the extra one? There's room for nine here. Harry in town?" Dino settled down next to Zoe and nudged her. She looked vaguely over at him, having failed to hear a thing he had said.

"Harry?" She repeated inanely.

"Your brother. You lost your wits, honey? Burning the midnight oil?"

Annie reached over and answered Dino. "She's in love. Take no notice of her. Her brains are addled. You remember Nick Costello? Terry asked him to join us. I always had a soft spot for him and he's just back after a long haul. I haven't seen him for years..."

Dino smiled. "Costello? He still alive? That's one crazy dude, man. Surprised someone hasn't wiped the smirk of his face long ago."

"Nick? Uncle Nick?" Liam had overheard. "Christ, I haven't seen him since Chile! I was about nine or ten...What's he up to these days?"

It was precisely that moment when the door opened and Nick strolled in, dressed all in black. It was precisely that moment too when Zoe let the name sink in and remembered with startling clarity the handsome young special forces officer whom she had once drooled over, much as Madeleine was doing over Liam tonight. The fact that the last time she had seen him, almost twelve years ago, he had just recovered from some terrible mysterious accident in which he had lost his hand came to her in sudden flash. Her head shot up. The lazy smile froze on his face. Their eyes met.

"Nick! Late as usual..."

...Their eyes met. He pulled away to deftly snap on the condom and then returned to her as she lay arching before him. Their eyes met. He pushed against her warm, soft wetness. Heat radiated from her as he let the tip of his cock slide inside, bathing in the moisture. She was so wet. So hot. So tight. So soft. He sank inside, felt the strong embrace of her internal muscles and their eyes met. Dark brown on deep turquoise blue. Like diving into a warm coral sea. Down, down, down...

"Yeah, mate...y'know me...never wear a watch..." Nick recovered with startling speed, his shock betrayed by little more than a rapid blinking of his eyes. As he greeted the family party, he realized with a blinding comprehension why this girl had seemed so familiar. He had thought she was somehow meant for him, an absurdly romantic notion. In fact, his brain had recognised her because, as a little girl, she had once followed him around like a pet dog.  Because he had seen those eyes a thousand times before. She was Terry Thorne's only daughter.

"So, where've you been, Nick?" Dino asked as they settled down to the first course. Nick's arrival had caused a stir. Mel had almost choked on her champagne. "Jesus Christ - you never told me he was that hot!" she muttered to Annie.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Behave! Nick's Nick. He's strictly look but do not touch. The guy's a walking hard on. He goes through women like you go through tissues."

"He can go through me anytime..."

"If I thought for a moment you meant any of that... but, Good Lord...he sure is eye candy...have you seen his eyes....they are like chocolate velvet..."

"Eyes..? You crazy? You seen that package he's carrying...?"

"...So where've you been Nick?"

Nick smiled and gave a little lift to his eyebrows as he helped himself to the olives marinated in oil and pesto. "This is so good...like Momma used to make it... I thought this place was Japanese? Hey, Lapenti... where've I been? Here and there...you know how it is..."

Liam broke in, still falling into the old hero worship of years ago, "...Top secret? You can't discuss it?"

Again Nick smiled. "You know...it's just not very interesting. We like to pretend it's all secret agents....but it's just the same old, same old...now Thornie here...he's the one who seems to be very secretive about what he does with his time..." Liam looked bemused, Dino laughed, aware that Nick had got out of that one nicely and Terry just pulled a face.

"I live in the Dordogne, mate. The most confidential thing I do is eat foie gras and hope my daughter here doesn't find out and give me yet another lecture on the obscene practice of force feeding ducks. Give me a break."

But Annie and Mel saw the look the three men exchanged and lowered their eyes. The conversation was on dangerous ground and they were as keen as Terry to divert it to something more anodyne.

Zoe barely heard anything that was said. She certainly failed to rise to the bait of her father's comment. Her heart had not stopped pounding since Nick had walked in and their eyes had met. And he had simply acted like he had never even seen her before. As if he had not spent the night before making love to her. She wasn't sure whether to be impressed or disgusted at the ease with which he had carried it off.

Since he had arrived they had ignored each other. Zoe had kept her eyes averted; Nick had taken no notice of her. She played with her salad. She sipped at her wine. She sat in complete silence.

"Something wrong with you?" Liam muttered. "Snap out of it. What's up...? You gonna eat that salad...?"

She pushed her plate over to him; he swept the food onto his and tucked in, giving her a bemused look. Zoe was a moody cow. "That time of the month?"

She kicked him under the table. He reckoned it probably was.

"So Liam...you've grown a bit since I last saw you. Lost it yet?" Nick sniggered. Nate looked up, his eyes wide, hoping to pick up something adult. Terry cleared his throat.

"Stick with the covert stuff, Costello...look round the table...use your head...."

Nick raised his hands in apology, reached out to help himself to the nearest bottle of wine and then refilled the ladies' glasses. He left Zoe's until last and then slowly trickled wine into the goblet, staring at her. She refused to meet his gaze. "Well, haven't you grown up nicely, Zoe? You the same girl who used to ride on my back?"

Her cheeks flamed and she did not reply. Annie looked across and wished she could strangle her daughter. The rest looked confused. "Excuse me, I need the bathroom..." Zoe lurched from her seat and all but ran from the room.

Terry leant over to Annie. "Is there something wrong with her? Her behaviour's bizarre."

Annie shook her head but she was worried. She was beginning to wonder if her daughter was on anything. Surely not? She'd always thought Zoe a responsible girl. Now, Liam...well, you never knew with Liam.

The waiters came to clear the tables and the activity served to break the moment of tension although Terry was still sitting there pursed-lipped, angry that his daughter seemed to be doing her best to ruin the evening for her mother. Annie put down her napkin to follow Zoe. Terry put a hand on her arm. "No. Not tonight. Let her stew in it."

Nick slipped out while attention was elsewhere and sauntered over to the men's room. A woman was leaving the ladies' powder room opposite.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for my mother - is there an older lady in there?"

She smiled at Nick. "No...just a youngish woman..."

"Much obliged." He gave her the full smoulder and then ducked into the Men's room, counted to ten and then came out and went straight into the ladies. Zoe was sitting on a chair her head in her hands.

"You okay?"

Her head shot up. "Get out of here!"

Nick knelt by her side. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "I threw up."

He slipped down the wall and sat beside her. "I'm sorry. It must have been a shock..."

"How could you not have known! I told you my name! I said my father had been a soldier. You should have worked it out!"

Nick snorted. "Whoah, love, back up there... You're not the only Zoe in the world. Last time I saw you, you were what? Ten? I think of the two of us you've changed the most. Look at me. I look much the same. I've still got only one fucking hand..." he looked sardonically at her; she blushed and averted his gaze.

He sat with his knees raised, rested his arms and hung his head. "I didn't want for this to happen but it did. Zoe, I want to see you again. I think you want to see me again too....what does it matter who your father is? He need never know. I respect that. But, for Christ's sake, I'm still the same men you had sex with a few hours ago..."

Zoe leapt up and stormed across the room. "What are you suggesting? That we just go on meeting behind their backs? Are you crazy? My Dad invites you into the bosom of his family and you sneak about debauching his daughter? Jesus Christ!"

Nick sprang up. "Debauching?  You turning this into me taking advantage of you? Baby, you couldn't wait to get your hands down my pants...you came on to me, remember. Don't you try and make me out as some prick..." he stepped close, she backed away.

"GO AWAY! Leave me alone! I never want to talk to you again. Do you hear? NEVER!"

Running for the door, she pulled back the handle to hear his parting comment. "What is it between you and your Dad anyway? You just a little princess too spoilt to live your own life without his approval? I thought you were something else, Zoe Thorne. I thought you were the most perfect woman I had ever met...I forgot...there is no such woman..." he laughed bitterly as the door closed on him.

It opened almost immediately and an elderly lady entered. "You're in the wrong room, buddy," she quipped.

Nick sighed and smiled an apology. "Not so sure about that. Think she just ripped my bollocks off before she left..."

He missed her wry grin as he stormed off. Out in the corridor he leaned against the wall for a few seconds to gather his composure. Zoe was ahead of him in the main body of the restaurant, talking to Mel, who must have been on her way to the ladies. Thank God she hadn't seen him exit.

The two women parted and then Mel strolled up. "Hello there, Nick. Taking the air, are you?"

"No, just having a squirt," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mel grinned. "Need a hand?"

He snorted. "I only got one left and I have to take care of it. Somehow I don't think it would be attached to me for long if your old man heard that...but, the offer was appreciated. Now, go powder that pretty nose of yours..."

He breathed out slowly and walked back into the lion's den, wondering when might be a suitable time to excuse himself and leave. Then try and forget that he had just lost the best thing that had ever walked into his life.