Chapter 3

"What is wrong with you?" Katherine shrieked at her retreating boyfriend, her veins bursting out of her face and her hands curled into fists. "That slut flashes her knickers and you decide to fuck her?"

Sam opened his mouth and closed it. "It wasn't like that," he responded and ran his hand through his greasy black hair. "It wasn't like that at all. She just came on to me."

"Ahh, such a hard life," Katherine cried. "For you to say no. You get sex with me. Or you used to." Katherine's eyes sparkled dangerously as she fought anger and distress inside her.

"Well, I'm sorry," Sam said in a quiet voice and looked at his furious girlfriend. "It meant nothing." She picked up the nearest item to hand, a cup and threw it at him. The contents, half a mug of stale tea sprayed out of the vessel as it left her hand and Sam ducked, watching as it smashed against his wall.

"Oi," he yelled but Katherine was already picking up her items from his desk. "Katherine, please, it doesn't have to be like this."

She scowled at him. "Yes, Sam, it does," she screamed and Sam put his hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, really I am, I had a bit to drink, and I did something stupid. I won't do it again."

Katherine clenched her fists and pushed the hand of her boyfriend away, her normal smiling face gripped by fury. "Get off me."

"But Kat. Come on, talk to me."

Katherine smirked. "OK. You are a self-obsessed, cheating, lying, nasty piece of scum with a small cock and an unhealthy obsession with my underwear. You don't wash properly so you smell. You don't think. You run like a girl and throw like a spastic. You fuck middle-aged sluts like Emma Roberts and I hope she's given you something nasty." She hummed for dramatic effect and looked at him. "Yeah I think that covers it." Sam went to speak and she glared at him. "Oh no, sorry, and you're single so you will probably be a bit of a wanker as well."

"Kat," Sam squealed but Katherine picked up her bag and walked out of Sam's bedroom. He called her, chasing her down the street, but she ignored him and walked across the park, breaking into tears the moment she got home.

"You OK?" Her mother called from the laptop and Katherine grunted, before following it with, "yeah, fine" and storming upstairs and slamming the door.

Sam "texted" her repeatedly over the following day and as much as he tried to apologise to her, Katherine ignored his impassioned pleas, an attitude that her best friend Rachel, wholeheartedly agreed with. Sam was a "dirty cheating bastard" she said with a snort and having just split up with her own boyfriend for similar reasons a few weeks earlier, the girls were able to comfort each other.

Katherine was still upset, she felt down and joyless and instead of celebrating her eighteenth birthday at the weekend with her boyfriend, she would have to resort to doing something with her friends, which as she thought about, wasn't such a bad trade-off. Rachel and her could go clothes shopping!

Sam may have been apologetic but she failed to detect much remorse and a swift slap in the face the following day as he tried to follow her home as she left College showed him that she wanted little more to do with him. There was a crowd of people watching as Katherine dispensed her justice and slamming her hand across her ex-boyfriend's cheek and they listened intently as she ranted loudly and publicly about his failings: it was a public display of humiliation that showed Sam once and for all, Katherine was no longer his.

Matthew sat down in the bank and stretched on the uncomfortable chairs, looking up at the bright strip light in the ceiling. "Mr Styles," a voice called and he turned and nodded. "Can I get you a drink?"

Matthew declined the kind offer and followed the suited gentleman into a small interview room before explaining the nature of his visit. Matthew had been saving up for a deposit on a property for four years and with his savings now reaching over twelve thousand pounds wanted to put them somewhere that could give him instant access if the right property came onto the market, but still give a good tax-free rate of return.

The adviser suggested a few products that tied his money up for months or years but in the end Matthew opted to leave his money where it was and after buying himself his lunch and meat for his dinner idled back to the office, glancing and seeing his manager with talking to his secretary in their private office.

Joseph put his hand across her shoulder, gliding over her bosom and then pointing a sentence on the document. "There," he said softly and pushed his body alongside hers. Sarah, his PA and admin assistant looked up from her seated position out of the corner of her eye.

"OK Joey."

He snorted. "I wish you wouldn't call me that in the office," he said in a low whispering voice and stood up, moving away from her. "And is the room in London booked?"

Sarah hesitated. "Your favourite little hotel? They are full, only have a twin room left."

Joseph shrugged. "Well that'll do," he replied brashly and looked at his PA.

"Err, and where I am staying then," she asked.

"Well it is a twin room. I don't mind sharing."

Sarah's lips curled. "Well I might do. You might snore, or wander around naked. Or your wife might object."

Joseph snorted. "I wasn't going to tell her. Look, it's up to you. I don't mind sharing with you but book somewhere else if you want."

Sarah giggled and waited until he was at the door. "It's OK. I've already booked it." Joseph smiled and she looked up. "But no peeking at me in the shower."

Paul pushed past Matthew and opened the door loudly and then closed it throwing his arms up in the air. "Can you effin' believe it. The Bank want all sorts of ID for a measly little bank transfer," he ranted as he crossed the small private office to his desk and threw it open.

"Do you need my signature," Joseph asked and Paul looked up.

"No, just every form of fuckin' ID I have. Just so I can send some money to the Caribbean."

"Caribbean?" Joseph asked and Paul stammered.

"Fuckin' game companies. Everything's offshore for tax dodging ain't it." He slammed his drawer shut holding a handful of papers and strode out of the office. Sarah looked at Joseph and smiled.

"If we are sharing a room together then surely there is enough money in the budget for you to take me to a nice restaurant."

Joseph chortled. "OK."

Sarah returned his grin. "Good, I've booked the table for eight thirty."

"So eez this a date?" Anna asked as she walked through the park with Lewis.

Lewis spluttered. "Well," he started. "It's just spending time with you." Anna giggled and put her arm through Lewis's.

"I think you are ... perfect gentleman." Lewis smiled at the long-haired beauty walking along side him, and she pulled out a small photograph from her pocket. "This. This is my brother, I told you about. He in Russian Army now."

Lewis looked at the topless man, his muscles clearly defined and his eyes piercing through the photograph at him. "Oh he's ummm..."

"Nutter, yes," Anna finished for him. "He loves boxing. Ma thinks he get killed but he always wanted to join army."

Lewis and Anna stopped outside the bus stop and he held his hand out to let her take the only seat that wasn't smashed or defiled. "Your English is better," he told the au-pair and she nodded.

"Yes, but I be here for year now."

"Really?" Lewis gasped and Anna looked down the road.

"Yes, my visa expire in August."

"Oh," Lewis uttered, his heart dropping. He liked spending time with Anna, and over the year she had consoled him when his girlfriend had dumped him, taught him chess and even allowed him to join her once in "the big house" when she was child-minding.