The Naughty Girls Book Club. Sophie Hart

      ‘Something more modern would be good,’ Rebecca chimed in.

      ‘Yes, what is going to be our next read, Estelle?’ Sue asked politely.

      Estelle looked up to find everyone watching her expectantly. Even Reggie had stopped taking notes and was staring at her.

      ‘Umm …’ she hesitated, stalling for time. She glanced at the notebook in front of her, where she’d written:

       Next week: Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

      Oh dear, Estelle panicked. If they thought Tess of the D’Urbervilles was dull and old-fashioned, what were they going to make of Crime and Punishment? She’d thought she couldn’t go wrong with classic, literary texts, but obviously she’d been mistaken.

      Estelle badly wanted this venture to do well – she knew it was ridiculous, but to her it was almost symbolic of Cafe Crumb’s fate. If she could make a success of the book club, then perhaps the cafe might have a future.

      Right now, though, she was standing on the brink of failure. Estelle could see the way everyone was looking at her, doubt and scepticism in their eyes, and she knew she had to do something drastic.

      Quickly, she grabbed her handbag and began to rummage through. She’d written down some other ideas before she finally settled on Crime and Punishment – perhaps one of those might provide the magical answer she was looking for.

      Damn, thought Estelle, ploughing through old tissues and emergency tampons and Joe’s letters from school. Where was the list she’d made? She finally spotted it, crumpled at the bottom, and hastily tugged it out, bringing most of the contents of the bag with it. Suddenly, the floor beside her was littered with faded receipts, loose change, packets of chewing gum – and, she realised, a feeling of shame creeping over her, a very battered copy of Ten Sweet Lessons.

      ‘What’s that?’ asked Sue, craning her neck to look around Reggie.

      ‘Ten Sweet Lessons!’ burst out Gracie, looking shocked.

      ‘Wait a minute, isn’t that …?’

      ‘Is that what you’re reading, Estelle?’ demanded Rebecca.

      Estelle looked up, her face glowing like a beacon, to see them all staring at her accusingly. Oh, this was so humiliating! Here she was trying to run a serious book group, and now she’d blown her cover, revealing that all along, she preferred mass-market, low-brow erotica.

      ‘Sort of …’ Estelle began slowly, trying to brazen it out. But her brain no longer seemed to be connected to the words that were coming out of her mouth, and she heard herself say, ‘I was actually testing it out in advance of the next meeting. It’s going to be our next read.’

      Trying to regain her dignity, Estelle bent over and picked the book up off the floor, placing it squarely on the table in front of her. ‘Yes, that’s right,’ she continued more confidently, ignoring their shocked expressions. ‘Ten Sweet Lessons by CJ Jones. I hope there are no objections?’

      There were gasps from around the table as they stared at her in disbelief, shock written across their faces.

      ‘B … But that’s … porn,’ Sue burst out, whispering the word under her breath.

      ‘Erotica, I’d say,’ Estelle replied thoughtfully. ‘Although it’s a very fine distinction – something we could discuss at the next meeting, perhaps?’

      ‘Well I’ve heard that it’s deeply misogynistic,’ Gracie began furiously. ‘And that it sets feminism back fifty years.’

      ‘You could always read it and make up your own mind,’ Estelle couldn’t resist saying, her eyes sparkling mischievously. ‘I’d love to hear your opinions next time.’

      ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing what all the fuss is about, actually,’ Rebecca admitted shyly.

      Estelle smiled at her, grateful for her support. ‘Thank you, Rebecca. Reggie?’

      Reggie said nothing, his cheeks crimson as he stared at the ground like he wanted it to swallow him up.

      ‘Good, then that’s settled,’ Estelle said firmly, feeling a remarkable sense of calm now that she’d taken control and made her decision. ‘The next read for the Cafe Crumb book club will be Ten Sweet Lessons by CJ Jones. The meeting will be held two weeks today, and I look forward to seeing you all back here to find out exactly what you thought of it.’

      4

      Reggie carefully placed his spaghetti bolognese in the microwave, setting the timer impatiently.

      The kitchen was a bombsite as usual, he realised, glancing around. He lived with five other students that he’d met through a house-share advert in the local paper, and they occupied one of the large Victorian houses on Pembroke Road in Clifton. Although he made an effort to keep his own room relatively clean, the communal areas were out of control. The sink was filled to the brim with used crockery floating in grimy, grey water, and old takeaway cartons were piled precariously on top of the overflowing bin that no one could be bothered to empty. The cleaning rota that he’d stuck to the fridge with a novelty magnet was torn, stained and ignored by everyone.

      As the plastic tray circled endlessly in the microwave, it struck Reggie that there were more exciting ways to spend a Friday night. Perhaps he’d go crazy and open a bottle of wine – there was that nice Shiraz he’d picked up, the one that had been on special offer at the local Co-op, and—

      Reggie jumped as he heard the front door bang. A few moments later, a young woman burst into the kitchen, wrapped up tightly against the cold. She had shaggy blonde hair with long dark roots, and wore skinny jeans with chunky boots, a cropped leather jacket and an enormous ethnic scarf wound several times around her neck.

      ‘Hi Reggie! How are you?’ It was his housemate, Selena, an MA student reading Sociology.

      ‘I’m fine. Just … um … cooking,’ he said bashfully, indicating the microwave.

      ‘Ah. Tesco’s Finest?’ Selena guessed.

      Reggie shook his head. ‘Marks and Spencer.’

      ‘Well, it is Friday night. Why not treat yourself?’ Selena joked, dropping her bag on the floor and unwrapping the gigantic scarf, before shrugging off her jacket to reveal a skimpy, low-cut vest top.

      Reggie blushed and quickly averted his eyes. Selena was undoubtedly a very attractive woman, and Reggie wasn’t quite sure how to deal with one of those.

      ‘Hey, I just had a text from Alex,’ Selena told him, as she checked her phone. ‘He’s in the pub with Matt and Josh. I’m heading out to join them if you want to come.’

      ‘Thanks, but I’ve got the … er …’ he trailed off, gesturing at the microwave once more.

      ‘No rush. I’m going to grab a shower first, so you’ve got time to eat.’

      ‘Um …’ Reggie stalled. ‘I’ve got a few things that I really should be … you know … getting on with.’

      ‘Sure, no problem,’ Selena shrugged. ‘We’ll be in the Rose and Crown if you change your mind.’

      Reggie felt bad for refusing. He hardly ever joined his housemates on their regular nights out, but pubs and clubs weren’t his natural territory. He always felt uncomfortable sitting in a large group, especially one dominated by blokey-blokes all talking loudly about football and rugby, or trying to outdo each other with dirty jokes and laddish banter. Reggie usually ended up sitting silently in the corner, nursing a pint, wishing he’d never come out in the first place.

      No, tonight he would just stay in and a