‘Sure,’ Oxana says.
Buse inclines her head sideways. ‘You know what I think?’ She smiles conspiratorially at Oxana. ‘I think we need to know more about you. I think you need to reveal something about yourself.’
‘Something like what?’
Buse considers. ‘Like… what’s like the dirtiest, sexiest thing you’ve ever done?’
Oxana allows her eyes to widen in surprise. She touches her tongue to the scar on her lip. ‘I’m afraid I’m… I’m not very experienced in that way.’
‘Oh for fuck’s sake, woman. Spill.’
‘Well. I…’
‘Go on.’
‘I did sort of… have an affair with Jason Lark.’
At the mention of the actor’s name both girls peer sharply at her. ‘Interesting,’ Buse says. ‘Veryinteresting. Tell us more.’
‘I was the nanny for their family, in London. And you know she’s an actor too, the wife, although obviously not a big star like he is. Anyway, one evening, she was out, working late on some TV series. I’d put the children to bed, and Jason asked me if I wanted to watch his new film, which hadn’t come out yet.’
‘Which one was it?’
Oxana’s mind races. ‘Death in Sonora, I think.’
‘Oh my God, yes,’ Defne says. ‘So good.’
‘So what happened?’ Buse asks. ‘We want full close-up detail.’
‘Well. We were sitting on a couch, watching the film, which wassuper-violent, which I’m really not good at, and at one point I hid my eyes, and Jason put an arm round me, and I totally froze. I mean, his wife could come back literallyany minute, and beside that it was just wrong, and a terrible idea, and the kids were upstairs, and?—’
‘But you fancied him, right?’ Buse says.
‘Not really.’
‘Oh, come on. He’s a big star and you were like thenanny… I mean, get real.’
‘I don’t think he was in the slightest bit interested in me. He was just one of those men who literally have to have every woman they see. Like they owe it to themselves.’ Oxana lets her imagination run free. ‘I just happened to be there. I could have been anyone, and before I knew it he was kissing my neck and his hand was up my jumper, and I said, “Jason, please, I don’t think this is a good ideaat all.”’
‘His hand was up your what?’ Buse asks.
‘My jumper. Navy-blue lambswool, from Marks and Spencer.’
‘Good to know. Go on.’
‘Obviously, he didn’t stop, and before I knew it…’
‘Yes,’ says Defne breathlessly.
‘I was… We were…’ Oxana pauses for effect. ‘We were basicallydoingit.’
Buse’s eyes widen. ‘Was he enormous?’
‘Um… imagine two Coke cans end to end.’
‘Minibar size, surely?’
‘No, Waitrose.’