The Decoy Date

Chapter Twenty Three

Imogen stood in front of her shop feeling like an idiot, she was shivering in her coat in the slush waiting for Jack Livesey to arrive. Jess was huddled next to her in a coat, scarf, gloves and hat; Imogen loved the snow when it first came down but as soon as it turned to ice and slush the city turned into a standstill and it wasn't so pretty anymore. It had taken a lot of persuading from Jess to get her out here, she really didn't want to go on this date with Jack, when Jess had rung she didn't think he'd want to go out on the same day but one of his business clients had cancelled and he had a restaurant reservation booked.

"Why did we decide to wait outside again? It's bloody freezing!" She shivered as she looked at Jess leaning against their shop front window, she scowled and pulled her coat around her tighter. A flashy sports car pulled up at the curb beside them, as the driver's window went down she saw Jack looking at her smiling. She'd forgotten how handsome he was since she'd last seen him, however as she looked at his carefully placed hair and clean shaven chin she couldn't help comparing him to Charlie and his rugged sexiness that she had grown to love.

"Good Evening Imogen. I'm glad you called me earlier." Jess moved up next to her and peeked inside the car at her date for the night. "Who's this beautiful woman you're with?" He smiled at Jess with a twinkle in his eye and she could hear her friend gag next to her, he was too charming and smarmy. She was looking forward to this date even less now than she had been earlier.

"This is my friend Jess." Jess stuck her hand through the open window and shook his, quickly pulling it back like she would get covered in oil and grease if she left it in his for too long. "She's just going home." Imogen gave her a meaningful look as she walked around the back of the car to the passenger side. "Call me later Im." She motioned a phone with her fingers and walked off up the road.

Imogen watched her until she went around the corner before climbing into the car, the interior was made up entirely of leather; leather seats, leather control panel, leather steering wheel. It all felt too ugh, sticky and sliding, not what she would choose for the inside of a car. "You're friend seems nice, how long have you known each other?" Jack looked at her before moving the car away from the pavement smoothly.

"22 years, we met at primary school and have been friends ever since." Imogen looked around the car feeling completely uncomfortable, she didn't belong in a car like this. It was for middle aged men going through a mid-life crisis or someone trying to make up for his lack in the trouser department, definitely not a car for a first date. Who the hell drives a car like this if they don't want to show off?

"Wow that's a really long time, I don't think I can even remember anybody I went to school with, university buddies yes but school no." He smiled at her glancing quickly in the direction of her legs before turning back to the road.

"So where are we headed?" Imogen asked to fill the awkward silence that descended in the car as they made their way through the centre of London.

"Sauterelle, in the city. I was supposed to be having dinner with a collector but his flight from New York was delayed. It's lucky you called otherwise I'd be having dinner on my lonesome." She felt like shuddering at his smarminess, this is not how she remembered him from the exhibition; then he'd been easy to talk to and kind, mildly flirtatious. Now he was just over the top and cheesy, exactly the type of guy that turned her off. "He's flying in tomorrow instead, he's — "