She clasped his hand and shook it. Hers was small and delicate and unbelievably soft. The smile he’d abandoned earlier returned without his bidding.
‘I don’t think I need to tell you my name again, do I? I think, after today, you’re never going to forget it.’
‘You don’t look like a Serena.’
‘You don’t look like a Charles, either. Why Jake?’
‘Boys called Charles got punched where I grew up. Some of my friends shortened my last name and it stuck. It was easier, anyway. I’m named after my father, and it was a relief to have a way to tell us apart.’
‘You didn’t fancy Junior, then?’
Her smile was warm and easy. He didn’t mind her teasing him one bit. Somehow it made him feel welcomed—part of an elite club where they were the only two members—rather than putting him on the defensive. People didn’t normally get away with ribbing him like this.
‘Don’t say you think it suits me!’
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Her chocolate-brown eyes held him hypnotised. It took the waiter appearing for their drinks order to break the spell.
They both ordered something non-alcoholic. Thank goodness he’d remembered he was driving before he’d downed that Scotch in one! The waiter moved away unnoticed.
‘Your turn to spill the beans,’ he said.
‘Which beans would those be?’
‘You could tell me your name.’
She frowned. ‘It’s Serena. Don’t you believe me? Do you think I’m really called Mildred or Ethel?’
‘Of course I believe you. I just want to know the rest of your name. You can’t be just Serena.’
‘Why not? Madonna only uses her first name.’
‘But she has a last name too—she just doesn’t need to use it. The same thing wouldn’t work for you. If I tried to look up Serena in the phone book, I’d never find you. You’ve got to give me a bit more. For all I know you could disappear again, like you did last night, and I’d be none the wiser.’
She looked thoughtfully at the tablecloth. ‘Oh. I see.’
‘So? Serena…what?’
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. ‘Sorry, Charlie, that’s on a need-to-know basis only.’
He leant forward and stared straight into her eyes. ‘What if I really need to know?’
‘I’d have to be really convinced.’ She laughed and waved her hand in the air. ‘Telling you my last name is too much of a commitment; I don’t like to be tied down. But don’t worry. If I think you can handle it, I’ll tell you.’
Jake smiled. A girl on his wavelength. No ties. No strings. Just seeing what the future brought, minute by minute. She was right: he would find out her name. He liked her style—she was keeping him on his toes. It was very refreshing.
Talking to her was easy. He hardly noticed the first course slip by. She was funny and articulate, and he found himself talking back in a way that would have surprised his business associates. Sure, he could turn on the charm when it suited him. It was hard-wired into his genetic make-up. He used it as a mirror, reflecting anything that tried to pierce his armour, so no one got below the surface. Yet as he talked to Serena he found himself giving away little snippets of information he didn’t normally make public. Nothing big, just stuff he didn’t normally share: what book he’d read most recently, what kind of music he liked. Silly things.
Halfway through their main course he stopped eating and watched her butcher her steak. When her mouth closed round the fork, her eyelids fluttered shut and she let out a little sigh of satisfaction. There was an air of primal sensuality about her. And for some reason he wasn’t feeling totally civilised himself at the moment, either. It was as if all the layers of varnish he’d carefully applied over the years were peeling away, leaving him feeling like the gawky teenager he’d once been. He should be scared of that feeling.
She looked up at him as she finished chewing her mouthful, her eyes questioning.
‘I didn’t realise six ounces of sirloin could be so riveting.’
Caught red-handed—or red-faced, to be exact.
He said the first thing that popped into his head. ‘I’m just surprised to see you demolishing it with such gusto. You look more of a beansprouts-and-tofu kind of girl to me.’ He didn’t know why. Perhaps it was the long hair, the intricate earrings that dangled from her ears, or the skirt that swooshed when she crossed her legs.
She dropped her knife and fork and scowled at him.
‘I’ve had enough beansprouts to last me a lifetime, believe me! My parents were dedicated vegans until—’ Her breath caught for a second. ‘Never mind. Let’s just say my love of animal flesh is probably teenage rebellion that’s way past its sell-by date.’ She grinned. ‘Since I was fourteen I’ve been a true carnivore. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I’ve never met a bit of cow I didn’t like.’
She speared the next piece of steak and blood oozed out of it.
Jake shuddered, unable to tear his gaze away.
‘Aren’t you going to finish your swordfish?’
He picked up his cutlery and shoved something from his plate into his mouth. He didn’t taste what it was. He just had to remind himself to keep cutting and chewing until his plate was empty.
Serena eyed the dessert menu when her plate had been taken away. ‘Aren’t you having any?’
‘Not for me. I don’t really eat dessert. I think I’ll just have a coffee.’
‘Mmm. Perhaps I should too, but that chocolate concoction looks—’
Her mobile phone trilled.
‘Excuse me. I forgot to turn it off. I won’t be a second.’
‘No problem.’
He leaned back in his seat and took the opportunity to study her while her attention was elsewhere.
‘Hello? Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry, but I’m in the middle of…No, don’t do that! Just stay put, will you? Yes, but…Look! Just give the phone to Benny…Let me talk to Benny. I’m not getting any sense out of you…’
She mouthed ‘sorry’ at him and her cheeks flushed an appealing shade of pink. He shrugged. It was nice to see he wasn’t the only one who could lose his cool.
‘Just keep him there, will you, Benny? I’ll be there as soon as I can…Yes…don’t worry…Just don’t let him punch anybody else…’
Jake’s ears pricked up.
She snapped her phone closed and exhaled long and hard.
‘I’m sorry, I need to go. It’s an emergency.’
‘Anything I can do to help?’
‘No, I’ll be fine. I just need to get to Peckham as soon as possible.’
Peckham? Why on earth was a rich girl like her going there?
‘What for?’
‘I’ve got to find a pub called The Swan.
She stood up, skirted the table, and gave him an absentminded kiss on the cheek. ‘Thanks for lunch. I really enjoyed it.’
And before Jake could argue she’d rushed out through the door and onto the pavement.
He dug in his pockets for his credit card and paid as quickly as he could. By the smile on the waiter’s face, he guessed he’d left a ridiculously large tip. But he couldn’t be bothered to do the maths,