Kelly frowned. It seemed Jordan was confirming what Laura had already told her. ‘Do you make a habit of being drunk?’
‘Not a habit, no. Now are you going to take off the rest of your clothes or not?’
‘Not,’ she told him firmly.
‘Then I’ll take them off for you,’ and he began to do so, easily holding off her flaying fists. ‘You deliberately got into the bath this morning,’ he continued to talk as he undressed her with studied determination, ‘just so that you didn’t have to speak to me.’ He had her naked now.
‘Why should you care?’ she spat the words at him.
Jordan’s mouth tightened. ‘I want to know the name of the man, Kelly, the lover you keep telling me doesn’t exist.’ He held both her hands in one of his as he finished unbuttoning his own shirt. ‘His name, Kelly!’ His hold tightened on her.
‘Go to hell!’ she said vehemently. ‘I’ve always believed in equality in marriage. What’s good enough for you is good enough for me.’
‘What are you talking about now?’ he demanded impatiently.
‘Don’t pretend with me any longer, Jordan. I’m neither naïve nor blind.’
‘You’re bloody incomprehensible, that what you are, he said angrily. ‘You don’t make sense half the time.’
‘Well, make sense of this!’ Her eyes blazed as she kicked him hard in the shin.
‘You little wildcat!’ He let go of her with a groan. ‘You vixen!’ he exclaimed furiously, beginning to come towards her.
Kelly ran. She locked the bathroom door behind her, leaning heavily back against it, jumping nervously as he rattled the door-handle. ‘Go away,’ she told him. ‘Go away and don’t ever come near me again!’
‘Kelly,’ his voice was huskily persuasive. ‘Kelly, open the door.’
‘So you can finish what you started?’ she gave a scornful laugh. ‘No way!’
‘I won’t touch you, I swear it.’
‘You said that yesterday,’ she reminded him.
She heard him sigh. ‘Come out and we’ll talk, nothing else. I think it’s time we talked, Kelly.’
‘And I think we’ve run out of time. Talking between us always ends the same way, and physical infatuation just isn’t enough for any marriage.’
‘Is that all it is, physical infatuation?’
‘You know it is,’ she said bitterly.
There was silence for several long seconds, then Jordan spoke again. ‘If that’s what you really think then you’re right, there’s no point in us even talking.’
‘I’m glad you realise that at last.’
‘Finally and completely. I’m going now, Kelly. Come out of there before you freeze to death.’
‘Not until I’m sure you’ve gone!’
‘You can be sure,’ he said heavily. ‘I won’t bother you again.’ The door closed as he left.
Kelly waited several more minutes before daring to emerge from the bathroom. The room was empty, only her ripped clothes scattered on the floor to show Jordan’s savagery had taken place. Tears streamed down her face. It was all over between them, finally and completely, as Jordan had said.
* * *
Jordan kept his word and didn’t come near her again. Kelly met Laura for lunch twice during the next couple of weeks, although the dinner had to be cancelled for some time, as Jordan s
uddenly had to to away on business for a few weeks.