own Christmas the day after Boxing Day and it was going to last all the way into the New Year.
I went back up to the bedroom and found the sim card of my old phone in a dresser drawer. Who would I call first? Stella? No, she was forthright to the point of abrasive. I’d leave her until I’d eased myself in a bit. Who was easy to talk to and undemanding and unjudgemental?
Rosie.
I found her number and dialled it, my fingers slippery over the metal rectangle. I was insanely nervous. I wondered if I’d even be able to talk.
It rang twice and then I heard a kind of gasp on the other end.
‘Oh, my God, Sarah, is it you?’
‘Rosie. I’m really sorry, so sorry, it’s been ages, I know …’
‘You changed your number! I tried and tried to call you.’
‘I know, I’m so sorry, but I was getting calls all day and night on that old number so …’
‘I bet you were!’
I stalled, suddenly aware of how noisy it was at Rosie’s end. She was in a pub or a café or something by the sound of it.
‘Sorry, are you OK to talk now? Are you busy?’
‘Oh, fine,’ she said. ‘Just having a coffee with friends.’
‘Ah, London life,’ I said wistfully.
‘Yeah, it’s brilliant, you’ll have to come up.’
‘I’d love to. Or you could come down here.’
There was another pause.
‘To … Jasper Jay’s place?’ she asked, as if in disbelief.
‘Sure. I mean it’s my place too. Oh, God, we have too much to talk about. Let’s meet up soon.’
‘I couldn’t believe it when that story came out,’ she said eagerly. ‘I’d been wondering where you were – all I’d had from you was a text about starting your new job back in September – and then, last month, bam! All over the papers, up close and personal with a famous film director. How did you swing that one?’
‘It turned out that house I was employed to work in over the summer was his,’ I explained. ‘And he came back early from filming and we … got to know each other.’
She snorted. ‘Just a bit,’ she said. ‘Anyway, you’re not the only one who’s been making new friends.’
‘You’re seeing someone?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘Rosie! That’s excellent news! Tell me all about him.’
‘I would have put him on to speak to you, but he’s just been called away to talk about something in the office.’
‘Office? I thought you were having coffee with friends?’
‘Yeah, some of the friends kind of own the place. That’s who he’s talking to. Anyway, he’s called Dimitri and he’s dreamy as fuck.’
‘Dimitri?’
‘He’s Russian. A moustachioed Muscovite.’
‘Oh, wow, that sounds …’ Actually, I wasn’t sure how it sounded. ‘Amazing,’ I finished.
‘He is, take my word for it.’ Her voice tailed off into a sigh and then I heard something that sounded oddly like a whipcrack.
‘What was that?’
‘What?’
‘That noise? Was that you?’
‘Oh, no, somebody at another table,’ she said vaguely.
‘Where are you?’
She giggled.
‘Believe me, love, if I told you I’d have to kill you. Although something tells me you’d be cool with it.’
‘Rosie!’ I was too intrigued now.
‘Sorry, got to go. Dimitri’s coming over and he looks as if he has big news. I’ll call you back, OK?’
‘OK. I think Jasper’s coming out of his office anyway. Call me when you get a moment.’
I pressed ‘end call’ and went into the hall to intercept Jasper.
‘How did it go?’ he asked politely.
‘What?’
‘Your friend – did you call her?’
‘Oh … yes. She was a bit distracted though. How about you?’
‘Success. My friends at the BDSM club know the very people to play our body doubles. And I’ve decided to invite them down for a couple of days over New Year. What do you think? A bit of a party perhaps.’
I wasn’t sure what to think. What kind of party would four kinky people have? It all sounded rather alarming.
‘Not that kind of party,’ he said, seeing my ambivalence and putting a hand on my arm. ‘Unless …’
‘I don’t think so,’ I said hastily. ‘So, who are the people? Actors? Or just kinksters?’
‘Both, as it happens,’ he said, escorting me into the drawing room with a hand between my shoulder blades. ‘The woman is very experienced; she’s done a lot of spanking movies, reputable ones, plus she’s got an Equity card from being in the chorus line of a couple of shows.’
‘Does she look like me?’
‘From behind, I daresay she might,’ said Jasper with a grin. ‘She’s blonde, apparently, but we’ll get her a wig.’
‘And the man?’
We sat down together. Jasper put his feet up on a low table and clasped his hands behind his head.
‘A new talent, I’m told,’ he said. ‘Russian. Very popular at the club and he’s had quite a few bit parts. You know the kind of thing. “Eastern European patient” on Casualty and so forth. Nothing big yet, but he hasn’t been in the UK that long.’
‘Russian? Wow.’
‘He’s called Dimitri.’
I stiffened a bit, thinking this was something of a coincidence.
Jasper noticed.
‘What? Do you know him?’
‘No … just … my friend said she had a new boyfriend called Dimitri. Also Russian. From Moscow.’
Jasper
