"You know Ryan, you could have brought your girl friend."
"I'm dumping her."
"Oh, why is that then?"
"It doesn't matter. Anyway mum said I should come, so what's it like being 40?"
"I don't feel 40. I guess everyone says that. Thank you for cutting the grass yesterday, I still haven't paid you have I? You will come round tomorrow and tidy up, won't you?"
I take his glass and refill it.
"I don't really like champagne."
I smile at my friend's son. I go to the fridge and get him a can of beer. I pull the ring pull and hand it to him.
"I'm 18 Mrs Crawley; I can open my own beer."
"And I told you to call me Rachel; I haven't been Mrs Crawley for years."
"Do you like beer then, Rachel?"
I smile at him and nod.
He half smiles and takes a big gulp of his beer, and then he hands me the can. I open a cupboard and take out a glass.
"No drink it out of the can."
His eyes watch the slight drop of my smile. I look at the small hole on the top of the beer can. Do I really want to put my lips where his have been? Bloody right I do. I stare at his eyes as I drink.
I hand him back the beer can. He lifts it to his mouth but stops a few inches short. He looks at the red lipstick surrounding the hole. I gently push the bottom of the beer can until he starts drinking. Was that our first kiss? I smile satisfied that I've shown him I can play games with a cocky 18 year old. I turn and walk away, putting a little extra, but subtle, wiggle in my hips.
I own Lynn lingerie, and I'm used to getting what I want. This house, with its 6 bedrooms, and a large garden with a heated swimming pool with a retracting roof, has all been paid for by my success. I have two cars, and a holiday cottage in France, all paid for with my money. I divorced my husband, the cheating bastard. He ended up with our flat in Cheshire, and Β£20,000 which he grabbed with both hands, after my lawyer did his bit.
I go back to the 50 or so guest. Half of which are jealous of my success, but they smile and suck up like a dog waiting to be thrown a bone. I have a few close friends like Debbie, Ryan's mother. Debbie and I knew each other at school, and she helped me when I started up making my own lingerie to sell on a market stall. She got her reward when I made the big time. I put money in her hairdressing business, and gave her my ex husband's car. She has been married to Ian, who many think is a nice guy, but another cheating bastard, well if he hasn't cheated yet, he will. He makes eyes at everyone, including me, and he slipped his hand on my ass as he gave me a birthday kiss. I'll never let him fuck me, but teasing and flirting, well I just can't help myself.
My ex sister in law, Agatha, works for me as a supervisor where my products are made. She's a sour faced bitch, and even now she's knocking back the champagne with that evil look at me. I smile across the room at her, she doesn't smile back. She turns away and starts talking to her husband, who ran up gambling debts of a sizeable amount, which I paid off.
They sing happy birthday to me, a sea of faces which smile and cheer. I thank them all, and as soon as my little speech ends, the grovelling weasel is whispering in my ear that he really needs the money I promised him. Marcus is a hopeless case, who has put all his money in some stupid business venture. He tells me again his wife will kill him if I don't help.
"Marcus, I didn't promise you the money. I said I'd have my man look into it. He said I'd be throwing good money after bad."
"Rachel, its only Β£12,000, you can afford it...please help me, help me, I'm fucked."
"You're boring me Marcus. I'll have Tom take another look, but I don't think he'll advise me to help."
I move away leaving him angrily bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Bitch," he hisses behind me, and I hear the door slam.
Debbie comes up to me, and the silence caused by the frustrated Marcus slowly gets back to party chatter.
"What was all that about?" Debbie asks, with concern on her face.
I smile at her, but looking over her shoulder I see Ryan watching me.
"Stop fussing Debs I'm fine." I say with the continued smile.
"He asked for the money again, didn't he? I can't believe he called you a bitch."
"Yeah, anyway back to the party sweetheart."
An hour later I'm upstairs listening at one of the bedroom doors.
"No Tanya, it's over. I don't care, you kissed him."
I open the door and Ryan is sat on the bed talking into his phone. I can hear the sobbing Tanya on the other end from 6 steps a way.
"Are you alright?" I call across the bedroom in a whisper.
He nods, and I go to leave. He waves his hand at me, beckoning back in the room. I ask if he's sure and he nods. I fiddle with things on the dressing table as Tanya pleads with Ryan. I can't hear what she's saying, but that desperate tone in her voice is enough to tell me she's pulling out all the stops. Her voice is getting clearer, and when I look in the dressing table mirror, Ryan has moved towards me.
He answers her, "I told you I'm at a party. The reason you can't hear anything is I came upstairs when you called. Rachel said I could come up here when you phoned."
I didn't, but hearing him saying my name gives me a lift. I can hear her now sobbing in his ear.
"How is the fucking rich bitch, the fucking dumb blond?"
"Tanya she's hardily dumb, she's made pots of money."
I would be annoyed to be called that, but Ryan has put her straight.
"Yeah, I work in her fucking factory. She's fucking stuck up herself."
"Look I have to go."
"Yeah fancy one of those waitresses I bet. Well fuck you!"
The phone goes dead and Ryan shrugs.
"I didn't realise she works for me?"
"She's only been there a few months. Are you going to sack her?"
"If I sacked everyone who thought that about me, I wouldn't have anyone left...Ryan what are you grinning at?"
"Just something she told me once about you."
"Which was what?"
"I don't want to upset you."
"For god's sake Ryan, I've turned 40 not 14."
"She said you eat men. You use them and then cast them aside, young men too, always young men."
"And do you believe that?"
"Well, I heard you talking to mum a few months ago, about that Spanish guy. He was 22 wasn't he?"
I chuckle, "No 24, the guy before him was 22 and the guy after him, although it was just a one night stand, he was 20."