CRISTAL AND BELVEDERE

One ... two ... three ... four!

Was it more? I lost count after the waiter had brought the fourth chilled bottle of Cristal to our table.

It was Cassie who had decided on the Belvedere Vodka chasers, Millie in full agreement, Helen reluctantly coming along for the ride ... at first anyway (after a few glasses of Cristal and shot glasses of Belvedere she was calling for the waiter to bring more champagne as loudly as anyone!).

The four of us exchanged our stories and talked in depth about the events of the past week ... how things had changed since the break in at Amanda, Oh! ... how we all seemed destined to be together, our lives intertwined by greater forces.

Cassie, as always, had done the most investigative work, she was quietly working away in the background, breaking down the facts and studying the evidence ... she had already formulated some ideas as to what could be going on ... ideas that she part shared with us, part kept to herself, she wanted to have more proof, be more sure, before she let us in on her thoughts.

As we drank, talked ... laughed and joked ... I started to sense the bond that held the four of us together, it was more than just friendship ... there was something deeper, greater ... stronger.

However, there was one thing that we all agreed on ... Trudie Hewitt was involved and the fact that Justin Gonzalez was also on the sidelines was a cause for concern.

'Justin is about to launch a new west End NightClub '... Cassie informed us.

''s'called GOTH-EX ... Picadilly ... all dungeons, whips ... you know the sort. Bondage for the rich, very exclusive I hear'.

Sounds like Justin alright, I replied, seedy, sordid and involving the pain and humiliation of others ...

When I had been married to his Father Justin had made it his mission to try and get me into bed ... his very name still made my skin crawl ...

On many levels I could see his attraction, Justin had inherited some of his Father's South American dark good looks ... and he was as rich as hell.

Yet, if you looked under the flash exterior there was something else, something dark, nasty ... hell .. rotten, about him.

It was late afternoon before the four of us poured ourselves into a taxi and made our way back to my apartment.

It was big enough for us all to chill out, sober up and just 'be togther in'.

The future was about to start ... right now.