Chapter 9

Matt's smile for the rest of the week belied the amount of work he had. Jerry was quick to pick up on his good mood.

'Who is she, Matt?'

'Who's who?'

'Don't give me that. I've only ever seen you this happy when you've got some woman on the go. So who is she?'

'No one.'

Jerry tried to give Matt a stern look, but the close friends had always found it hard to be anything other than jovial with each other. His look was more comical than stern.

'Okay. Okay. Just don't look at me like that; you'll put me off my lunch. I met her in the club the other night.'

'And it's more than a one night stand? She must be nice if she meets your standards for that.'

'She is.'

'Excellent. It's good that you're not brooding over not being able to have Kelly Lakeland. That must have been a blow, and I've seen what women can do to you. I remember the aftermath of Sonia Wentworth. When do I get to meet this girl? Does she have any single friends?'

'You don't. At least not yet. I don't want to scare her off.'

'Cheers mate. I'm not that bad. Am I?'

Whittlebury Park Golf Club sat in the grounds of the magnificent Georgian stately home, Whittlebury Hall, to the north-west of Milton Keynes. Matt's Audi didn't look out of place amongst the BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsches that were scattered liberally around the car park.

Matt put the roof back up while Jerry retrieved their clubs from the boot. They were regular golf partners, or as regular as the British climate allowed. It was a good day for golf; warm and sunny but with a few clouds sprinkled in the sky and a pleasant breeze.

'I'm gonna have you today, Matt. That winning streak of yours is going, I can feel it.'

'Jerry, it's not so much a winning streak as a tradition. We play golf, I win. That's just how it is.'

'Not this time.'

'You say that every time.'

'How about a side bet?'

'Sure. You know I have no problems taking your money. How much?'

'A ton?'

'Hundred quid it is.' They shook on the bet.

Maurice and Roy were waiting for them on the putting green. Matt and Jerry made a few warm-up putts, and then the four of them hit some drives on the range while they waited for their tee time.

On the first tee, Maurice tossed a coin to determine who had the honour of the first drive.

'What are playing for, gents?' Roy asked. 'Fifty a hole?'

'Sounds fine, ' said Maurice.

'I'm in, ' Jerry agreed. 'Maurice, can I charge this to expenses?'

Maurice laughed. 'What about you, Matthew?'

'As I said to Jerry earlier, I'll be happy to take your money. Let's see, I could be, oh, nearly three grand richer by this evening.'

'There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, Matt, ' said Jerry.

'Matthew has won the firm's championship for the past three years, ' Maurice explained to Roy.

'Good. I like a challenge.'

Maurice teed off first '" a good straight drive but without much length. Jerry hit his ball further but it veered to the left and just rolled off the fairway. Roy's tee shot was the best of the three '" as long as Jerry's and as straight as Maurice's.

Matt picked his driver out of this bag and set his ball down for his shot. His swing was smooth, and he struck the ball cleanly.

'Splendid shot, Matty, ' Roy said as he watched Matt's ball bounce over his own. 'Splendid shot.'

True to form, Matt won the first three holes. He was also five shots ahead of Jerry in their side bet.

'I envy you two sometimes, ' Maurice said as they waited at the fourth tee for those ahead to finish the hole. 'I never had a chance to enjoy single life the way you do; it wasn't the done thing in my day.'

'It's not all it's cracked up to be, Maurice.'

'Oh, come now, Matthew. For one thing, you don't have a woman to tell you when you can and can't play golf. Not that my wife does you understand.'

'Of course not, Maurice. I'm sure she loves being a golf widow.'

'What about you, Roy? How does Mrs. Lakeland feel about your time on the course?'

Roy laughed. 'Ah, Kelly knows better than to complain. I mean, she's got everything she could ever want, hasn't she? No, Kelly doesn't complain no matter what I get up to. Mind you, she has no idea about half the things I get up, eh?' He nudged Jerry's arm and laughed.

Jerry laughed with him.

For the next few holes, Matt bit his tongue while Roy told them about some of the girlfriends he'd had in recent years. By the time they arrived at the seventh tee, Roy was describing his fifth woman of the day.

'She can't do shorthand, and types slower than one-handed geriatric. Her telephone manner is appalling and she makes awful coffee.'

'Not much of a secretary then, old boy, ' said Maurice.

'She does have one skill that made her stand out from the other applicants.'

'What was that?'

'She sucks cock like no one else I've ever met.'

Maurice and Jerry laughed. Matt kept his thoughts to himself, but he doubted that anyone was as talented in that area as Roy's own wife.

'Seriously. At the interview, she said that her CV was a complete lie, but would I give the job if she sucked my cock.'

'And you said?' Jerry asked.

'I said that I'd have to see how good she was. She dropped to her knees and I gave her the job twenty minutes later.'

Matt gripped his driver tighter. Roy treated chasing women like a sport. He had no respect for the women he pursued, or for his wife. Matt's dislike of him grew stronger. He couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

'Roy, I don't understand. You know how I used to feel about Kelly, and fair play to you for doing what I never could by asking her out. She's witty, intelligent, and beautiful. Why do you feel the need to cheat on her?'

'Matty. Old pal. I wouldn't expect you to understand, because you don't have to deal with the problems that I have to deal with.'

'Which are?'

'The money. Money attracts blonde, busty bimbos like flies around shit.'

Appropriate metaphor, Matt thought.

'And when women throw themselves at you ... well, it's not just hard to say no, it's positively rude.'

Roy started laughing big, hearty guffaws. Jerry and Maurice joined in. Matt was stoic.

'But after all the two of you went through just after you got married, it seems a little heartless to tell you the truth.'

'How do you know about that?'

'I spoke to Laura at the reunion.'

'Interfering cow! She needs to keep her nose out of my business. If Kelly had listened to me in the first place, then she wouldn't have had anything to do with Laura, she wouldn't have gone to that stupid party, and they wouldn't have been involved in that accident.'

'They were best friends, you couldn't expect her not to go.'

'She is my wife! I expected her to do as I said, especially since she was carrying my baby.'

'I still don't understand why you chase these other women. Surely, Kelly needed you then and now, more than ever before. What with not, well, you know what I mean.'

'Matt. This really isn't any of your business, anyway. And I didn't want to say anything because I know you used to have a soft spot for Kelly. You probably wouldn't want to hear this, but after the accident, she went right off sex. We've done it probably a dozen times in the last six years, if that. She's as frigid as an ice box. And frankly, if she can't supply me with an heir, then she's not much use to me. The only reason I don't divorce her is that it'd cost me too much money. Now, It looks like they've holed out down there and I believe that you have the honour, again.'

For the first time that afternoon Matt hit a wayward tee shot.

On the walk down the fairway, Maurice took Matt aside. 'Matthew, I realise that you and Roy are old school friends, and I accept that will affect your relationship with him, but please remember that he's a client, and we don't go around upsetting our clients. Understand?'

It took Matt several holes to calm himself down and get his game under control. He reasoned with himself that if he couldn't punish Roy for his treatment of Kelly by punching him, then taking his money would have to do.

He was forced to endure more of Roy's stories in the clubhouse after the game while they settled up. Roy then insisted that he buy them all a meal. He seemed to have forgotten the argument on the seventh tee. Matt couldn't forget it. He hated Roy.

After the meal, Matt drove Jerry home and they settled their private bet.

'I thought I had you for a while there, Matt. But you came back strong, as always.'

'Better luck next time, Jerry.'

Jerry retrieved his clubs from the boot and then came back around to speak to his friend. 'I thought you'd blown it this afternoon, Matt.'

'What d'you mean?'

'With Lakeland. Pushing him like that. I mean, I know you couldn't have like the way he was talking, I know I didn't, but he is a client. You shouldn't have spoken to him like that.'

'Maurice said the same thing.'

'Luckily, Roy didn't seem all that bothered. He forgot about it pretty quickly, thank God. You know, Matt, the more time I spend with the man, the less I like him '" but I'll put up with if means I get my partnership.'

'Maurice seems to get on well with him.'

'It's the money that Maurice gets on well with. Still, watch yourself, Matt. If Maurice has made friends with Lakeland, you don't want to upset either of them. I hope like hell they don't find out you slept with his wife.'

'I didn't know she was his wife then, did I?'

'Even so, I hope he doesn't find out.'

'I doubt he'd even care.'

'Maybe, maybe not. Look, fancy a few jars?'

'Another time, there's somewhere I need to be.'

'I see. The mystery woman comes first does she?'

'She comes as often as she wants, Jerry. My girls always do, you should know that by now.'