Chapter 14: Chapter 14

And between us, we wait, eating take-out food and drinking endless coffee.

The news that Charlotte is alive and free has revived Elizabeth. And since she seems able to sleep at last, I’ve banished her to bed, simply keeping the door open a little in case she calls.

And if I’m honest, it has given me my life back too.

How could I have lived with that kind of knowledge, that degree of guilt?

But as to James and Michael….

James seems to be coping the better of the two. I'd expected it would be the other way around. He leans back in his seat, hands clasped behind his head.

“Try not to worry,” I say. “She’s resourceful, and braver than, I think, any of us realised.”

But as his face swings my way, James doesn’t looked stressed, more thoughtful. “Actually, I'm not worrying now. She’s on the move. She’s functioning, and she seems to be thinking clearly. I am frustrated at having to wait, not being able to help.”

“What are you thinking about then?”

Is he blushing?

Yes, he is….

“Something that's actually none of my business….” He shrugs, trying to brush away the conversation.

As though we have anything better to do than talk….

“Being?”

Still he hesitates.

“Come on, James. Spit it out. We’re friends, aren’t we? And are we ever going to be in a tighter situation together than this?”

He rolls eyes. “Alright, since you insist. I was wondering…. Given your situation, why you decided to enter a contract with the hotel cleaner? Beth's a beauty, but you could have taken your pick.”

For a moment, my blood boils.

No wonder he hesitated….

He holds up a hand. “Forget I asked.”

Still, I suppose it’s natural to wonder….

Then I calm down again, seeing the funny side of the question.

I chuckle. “Yes, you're right. It really is none of your business, but in fact, I have also wondered about something that is none of my business.”

Now James looks intrigued. His head tilts. “Go on?”

“How did you and Michael meet? The two of you seem unlikely friends.”

He flashes brows, scratching an ear. “Okay, fair enough. I'll tell you mine. You tell me yours. Michael and I met at the clubs….”

For a moment, I don’t understand, then, “The clubs? You mean the kind of club where I saw the three of you?”

He rubs his nose. “Yes, those sorts of clubs. We brushed by each other a few times, then one evening we ended up scening together. Afterwards, we went for a drink and discovered that we got on well outside the clubs too. We hit it off immediately. I became involved in his business....”

He did?

“You did? At his sports centre?”

“That’s right. I put up the money for Michael to expand. He paid me back early...”

“That's the kind of business partner we all like.”

“Absolutely.... Anyway, that was… um… eight years back now. We’ve been good friends ever since.

Come on, your turn. Spill the beans….”

“Oh, Lord, where do I begin? Yes, you're right. I could take my pick, and I did. And every single time, I landed myself with some money-grubbing gold-digger. The last one, Adele, was a vindictive bitch to boot. It wasn’t going anywhere, but I was trying to find a way to make it happen. So, in a final effort to have a relationship that worked for me, I arranged to see her.”

James’ eyes are alight with fascination. He stands, takes a bottle of scotch from a cupboard and pours a couple of fingers into a glass, then tilts the bottle at me.

“Yes, I will, thanks. At the time I was living in the Imperial in the penthouse. I'd gone out with, let's say, high hopes for the evening and she stood me up….”

James passes me my drink, sucking away a smile….

“…. I was in a helluva mood when I returned to the apartment. Anyway, I went to use the bathroom, and what do I find but this vision in red hair, naked in my shower.”

He’s having a hard time keeping a straight face….

“You should have seen the look on Elizabeth’s face when I turned round and saw her. She tried to cover up, and all she had was a washcloth. I mean…. what’s a man to do?”

James’ eyes are crinkling. “Judging by what I’ve heard from Charlotte, you knew exactly what to do….”

I cringe inside. “Alright, alright. I’m sure you’ve had it in graphic detail…. But…. when we talked, Elizabeth was so sweet. Everything that Adele wasn't. All I wanted was some peace and quiet in my life, a woman who would allow for the fact that I work every hour God sends and who…. who…” I reach for the words. “She's beautiful, intelligent, biddable. Everything I needed in the woman on my arm. So, I proposed a contract…. She would be…. just that…. the woman on my arm. In return, I would see she had the funding to get through college, and training to go with it….”

James chews on a lip. “Sounds weirdly familiar….”

“I can imagine…. Both your Charlotte and my Elizabeth wanted the same thing. To have control of their own lives. To have choices. Money is power. Money buys choice, and to get money in the modern world, you need education.”

“Couldn’t agree more. So, what changed a contract into more?”

“I knew she'd fallen for me. It wasn’t about the money, although she enjoyed the lifestyle that brought her. It was more than that. But it wasn't until danger threatened her that I realised I'd fallen for her.”

“What was this danger? The previous abduction you mentioned?”

“Yes, it was Adele….” His eyes widen, “…. working with an ex-employee who had an axe to grind. They both blamed Elizabeth for situations that were entirely of their own making, and tried to revenge themselves on me by kidnapping her. However, they were amateurs. The whole thing only lasted a few hours before we caught up with them….”

James turns thoughtful, sucking his teeth. “Your Adele and her cohort couldn’t be anything to do with this? With what’s happening now?”

“No, Mack Kane died at the time….” His eyes flash to mine as he sips at his malt…. “…. and Adele is sitting safely in her cell in a high-security prison. I checked. So…. like-for-like…. How did it happen with Charlotte? You’re the man that Bought-a-Virgin. And yet here you are, still with Charlotte and Michael….”

He rubs an ear. “I can imagine how that looks to an outsider, but…. It was just supposed to be a bit of fun. She was willing, and very well paid for it. And as it happened, she was doing it because, as you said, she wanted just what your Beth wanted, a shot at taking her own life forward….”

“Is that how Michael saw it?”

James stalls, and I think he’s not going to reply but then, “Michael wanted nothing to do with it to begin with. I persuaded him to get involved because….”

Not just a bit of fun then….

“Because?”

“…. because, as he pointed out, with the way my tastes run, a young girl needed someone to look out for her. Michael was Charlotte’s insurance against my possible misjudgement…. Of taking things too far with her….”

Jesus….

…. What did it cost him to admit that?

“It obviously worked. But it was still only for a week?”

“It didn’t even take that long. We both fell for her and I…. I just tried to find a way of keeping her. At the end of the week, Charlotte left, and we thought we’d never see her again. But she came back. And when she did, I did everything I could to give her what I knew she wanted.” He falls silent again, his eyes pensive.

“And what was that?”

“Eye-watering sex and a college education,” comes a voice from the door. It’s Michael. “That was the phrase you used, as I recall.” He casts an eye at James, who colours up and looks away.

“It worked,” he mutters.

“Until recently,” replies the blond man. There’s an edge to his voice.

He’s not coping well with Charlotte taking matters into her own hands.

Calm it down….

“I imagine that life with Charlotte can be quite exciting,” I comment.

Both men wince. “Exciting is one word for it,” says James.

*****