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Tasha Evanoff and I agree to e I arrive five minutes before our appointed tihtaway Butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth, a blue-eyed blonde Russian beauty with an inner core of pure steel

She’s the opposite of h on the outside, but she’s delicate inside Soe of worry I’ll stand at the atching her feeding her birds and she seems so far away, so unreachable that it ht and fuck her so I’m inside her, I’m part of her

So that there’s nothing else in her head and mind except ether I haven’t left her alone for a single night I take her everywhere with o I don’t trust anyone else with her No Better safe than sorry

‘Tasha Evanoff?’

‘Hello, Mr Eden Thank you for taking me to see him’ Her accent is pure upper-class, the best thatschools she must have attended would have told her it was not necessary, and extends her hand She is dressed in an expensively understated and very conservative blue top and skirt, but there’re a lot of secrets going on behind those wary eyes

I take her hand She has never done a day’s work in her life ‘Jake Eden No need to thank me It’s a pleasure,’ I say

She bites her bottoht?’

‘Other than suffering from a broken heart, yeah’

She smiles

‘That’s better’ I look down at the table She has nearly finished her latte

‘Would you like so to drink?’ she asks

‘Actually, no I’m parked on double yellow lines’

She picks up her purse and follows me out There is no ticket on the windscreen I open the passenger door and help her get in She picks a toy from between her feet

‘You have children?’

I smile ‘Three’

‘That’s nice’

‘Yes, it is’

I start the engine andnow’ I put her on speaker and edge into traffic

‘Daddy You won’t believe what Tommy has done,’ she says furiously

‘What has he done?’

‘He’s put a bucket of sand down my toilet and now it’s stuck’

‘What did you do to him first?’

‘Nothing’

‘Are you sure about that?’

‘Well, he started it’

Tasha giggles

‘Who’s that with you?’ she asks instantly

‘You don’t know her,’ I say

‘How do you know? I ht,’ she says impertinently

Tasha laughs again

‘Does mummy know her?’

‘No, mummy doesn’t know her’