“Yes hello it’s me again…….hi!.........look I need your help. We need to meet”
As everyone prepared for the Newton’s party, Connor sat in the window of his apartment with a photograph of his family. They were on holiday in Spain but as much as he racked his brain he could not for the life of him think where it was. It was a long time ago and a lot had happened since then but deep down he didn’t care. All that mattered to him was it was a picture of him in the company of
the people he loved most. As he studied it the picture seemed to almost come alive, like they were watching him. Even though he himself was in the picture he imagined that the other three were waiting to see the outcome of his years of planning and plotting. They were all cuddled together smiling and holding each other with the sun setting on their faces and the glimmering sea behind them. Connor guessed that he must have been about three years of age because his mother and father also looked younger than he remembered. The throbbing and aching in his throat that told him his emotions were getting the better of him and his heart pounding at the sight of his family happy and smiling, increased. Connor sat on his father’s lap and Molly on her mother’s and even now Connor could feel the secure feeling of his father’s arms around him. The sound of their voices rang in his ears as did the laughter and joyfulness of the occasion. Before any tears escaped, Connor’s mood changed again as the thought crept into his mind of what his younger sister Molly must have thought whilst she tried to escape their father. How scared was she as the shots rained out around her and the house.
The fear must have suffocated her, as it had him.
Guilt now surfaced as he wondered whether he could have done more to help her. Perhaps being the elder she was on her way to save him and paid the price. As the thoughts grew darker Connor placed the photograph back on the table and began to focus on the party tonight. Whatever the outcome there would be no turning back and Connor Chevaal would not have to hide anymore.
Hugh was nowhere to be seen as Sarah answered the door to the first guest.
“Hi Isobel how are you?...….wow you look stunning”
“Thank you so do you”
Isobel was dressed in a long figure hugging maxi dress that was almost see through. Against the sunlight it was possible to see her underwear underneath even though there wasn’t much there. This coupled with her long dark hair flowing over her shoulders and down her partially naked back had even Hugh staring at her as he reappeared from the garage.
“Wow!! Hi Isobel”
“Hi Hugh how are you?”
“Yeah” was his only distracted reply.
“So who have you got your eye on tonight then?” asked Sarah whispering so Hugh would not hear.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh come off it you must have your eye on someone. You look great although to be fair you always look good. You smell gorgeous and your hair is just fantastic”
Isobel’s expression was saying she could not hide the truth from Sarah for long and it only took a few minutes for her to give up and confess but not before Sarah took a guess.
“It’s James isn’t it?”
“What….. James oh my god no not James”
“Who then?”
Isobel giggled almost childlike as she put Sarah out of her misery.
“Promise you won’t say anything to him tonight” pleaded Isobel.
“No I won’t say anything Just tell me who?”
“It’s Connor”
Sarah’s smile disappeared instantly and was replaced with a frown.
“Connor……our Connor Rogers……really”
“You seem surprised” said Isobel still smiling but looking slightly deflated.
“Well yes I am sort of surprised……I mean he’s nice but James seems more……I don’t know”
“James is more of a slag you mean”
“I would not have put it like that myself but yeah……Connor seems a bit of a wimp but hey I’m pleased for you. So are you going to say anything tonight to him?”
“I wouldn’t say he’s a wimp……………let’s just say he seems in touch with his feminine side which is something I like. He seems kind and caring. The type that wouldn’t hurt a fly and of course he is so good looking and looks like he has got a great body”
Sarah was all smiles again as she poured them both a glass of wine.
“Wow you do really like him. Go for it girlfriend. I do like Connor but like I say he’s not my type. Oh I can’t wait to see what happens. I will go and see where Hugh is”
At that Sarah left Isobel in the lounge whilst she searched in the garage for Hugh. As Isobel looked at the pictures on the wall, in particular the one with the family on Hugh’s father’s yacht, she couldn’t prevent a comment leaving her wine stained lips.
“Yeah Connor is not your type because he’s not rich”
Hugh and Sarah appeared just as the doorbell rang and Sarah opened it to greet Keith and Rachel. As they entered Hugh mumbled something to Isobel which made her smile to herself.
“You brought two bottles of wine to the party and look what they have brought. Nothing as usual”
Rachel entered in her usual manner making Isobel smile even more.
“Hello everyone we’re here” she cried at the top of her voice.
Hugh even managed a smile when Rachel realised they were one of the first to arrive and there wasn’t a crowd to greet them. Although this was a minor setback she knew she would have plenty of time to show off her feathers like a peacock when the rest of the party showed up. Again Isobel smiled when Hugh asked Rachel if she had been abroad because of her tan, knowing dam well she hadn’t. The smear marks were there for all to see.
“We went away for a few days to the south of France. Just a quick trip”
“Very nice! Did you have a good time Keith?”
Keith gave his well-rehearsed answer whilst heading straight for the huge flat screen television.
“Yeah! Hey Hugh I’m just going to put the TV on to see how the match is going”
Rachel headed towards the kitchen where Sarah was preparing the remainder of the food.
“Sarah have you spoken to Connor?”
“No not today why?”
“I happened to see him in town earlier and apparently he is bringing a friend tonight. I reckon it’s a girlfriend”
“Really do you think so? Has Connor got a girlfriend?” asked Sarah glancing towards Isobel who looked intrigued at where the conversation was going.
“I don’t actually know if he has a girlfriend but let’s be honest…..I would”
Rachel said this quietly whilst glancing around in Keith’s direction but Sarah gave her the same answer as she did Isobel but this time in a whisper.
“Not my type I’m afraid”
More guests arrived including James and the party eventually got under way. People mingled and chatted, drank, inspected Hugh’s collection of cars and made headway into the mountains of food that was piled on the island in the kitchen. Isobel remained on edge and kept glancing at the door during various conversations, waiting and hoping for the arrival of Connor. She prayed he would be alone and that Rachel’s speculation was just that, speculation. Unwanted attention regularly came her way from the single men at the party, including James. The sound of the doorbell ringing made Isobel’s heart do summersaults as the guy who was chatting her up was trying to look down her cleavage. Isobel watched as Sarah made her way to the door, opened it and greeted another couple in. It wasn’t Connor and his so called girlfriend so Isobel breathed a sigh of relief as she used the opportunity to escape the unwanted pursuer. Before she reached the kitchen where Rachel was pouring herself another drink and before Sarah had chance to shut the door the doorbell was heard again even though the front door was open.
“Would you like a drink Isobel?” asked Rachel who was concentrating on pouring the wine half drunk and not looking at the door.
“Yes red wine please” answered Isobe
l whose focus never left the doorway as she waited to see who would enter.
“Hi Connor we thought you weren’t coming” said Sarah as Isobel’s face lit up and hiding her smile became a struggle.
“Rachel I said red wine not white. Are you ok, you have gone a little pale?” asked Isobel.
Isobel turned around when she heard Sarah asked Connor who his friend was and didn’t see the expression on Rachel’s face when Connor introduced him to her. She was too busy feeling pleased that the person Connor had brought to the party was a man and not his girlfriend.
“Hi I’m Sarah”
The sound of a glass of wine being dropped onto the kitchen floor had most people glancing round in Rachel’s direction as Connor’s friend introduced his self.
“Hi Sarah I’m Pete”
“Hi you’re the doctor from town aren’t you?”
“Yes that’s right Dr Carr”
“Hi nice to meet you, grab yourself a drink”
Although he didn’t have to look who had broken the wine glass because he knew who it would be, Connor looked anyway at Rachel who now looked like she was going to throw up over the food. A distorted smile tried to surface but he managed to hold it back. There was one person who did draw his attention away from cowering prey and for a split second Connor could look at no one else in the room. Isobel stood, still waiting for her wine and held Connor’s gaze for as long as could.
Chapter 16
“Hi Connor how are you?” asked a beaming Isobel as at last she had managed to get Connor alone.
“I’m fine how are you……it’s Isobel right?”
“Yes that’s right. You remembered my name then”
“Well the one thing I have got is a good memory so yes I do remember”
As much as Connor was focused on the night ahead he could not keep his eyes off Isobel. Especially when the setting sun shone through the large sliding patio doors or when they ventured into the garden. This made her pert and bra-less breasts visible as a silhouette and gave away the fact she was wearing a white lace thong exposing her bum cheeks. She had certainly set out to get her man but not in a sleazy sluttish way. The long multi coloured maxi dress she was wearing was pretty conservative and only exposed her desirable body when she wanted it to. She also guessed right because Connor would never have shown an interested if she had dressed say like Rachel, with almost everything hanging out. Up until now she had managed to distract Connor but Isobel had perhaps chosen the wrong night to try and seduce him.
Somewhere else in the house another scene was being played out but this one was not so friendly.
“What the hell are you doing here? You told me we should never meet in public and now here we are with Keith sat over there. Are you out of your mind?”
“Excuse me, Connor invited me so I don’t really see why it has anything to do with you”
Rachel looked even more exasperated and shocked at Dr Carr’s answer, her expression growing ever darker.
“I didn’t even know you were friends with Connor. How long have you known each other and what the hell are you doing here?”
“I think you’ve already asked that question. As for how long I have known Connor…..well let’s just say we go back a long way” replied Pete smiling at Rachel who was now beginning to look even more concerned.
“Does he know about us?”
“Maybe!” said Pete shrugging his shoulders.
“You bastard he does know. Shit I can’t believe this is happening”
Pete’s mannerism changed as he leant towards Rachel and whispered calmly but sternly into her ear.
“Well it is happening so you had better get fucking used to it. That’s why I am here………it’s over Rachel, we’re finished.”
Rachel’s eyes gave away how fearful she was as she tried to study Pete to figure him out.
“I don’t understand what is going on. One minute we have something between each other and then the next minute you are treating me like nothing happened and telling me it’s over. Why are you doing this? I have never seen you like this. We only spoke a few hours ago on the phone and virtually had phone sex. Why are you treating me like this?”
“Believe me I’m not doing anything it’s just the way it is”
Rachel stormed off and Pete checked his watch then signalled to Connor that it was time for him to leave. Connor nodded and as Pete discretely disappeared from the party ahead of a handful of drunken guests Connor drifted around the room pretty much unnoticed. The only people who kept their eye on him were Isobel and Rachel. Everyone else was pretty much absorbed in conversations involving money, property, holidays and how expensive their vehicles were.
Connor watched as the doorbell rang again but before the door was answered a figure appeared and made their way to Hugh, who was stood holding court with various guests.
“Hi Hugh I came as quick as I could” said the guy who looked like he had already been drinking.
“Hi Paul thanks for coming mate. We should find somewhere quiet to talk. Grab yourself a drink and I will come and find you in a bit” said Hugh as they shook hands.
Connor knew who the guest was and studied him intently as Hugh got dragged to one side by Sarah who seemed agitated by the arrival of the guy called Paul. He had not been left alone for a few minutes and already he was knocking back large glasses of red wine with vodka chasers and leering at random guests.
“Hi Connor are you ok?” asked a nervous Rachel.
“Yes I’m fine how are you?”
“Yeah ok, listen about Pete and me it’s not what you think”
“I’m sorry have I missed something. What’s happening with you and Pete?”
All Rachel could do was put her hand on her mouth and mumble mild obscenities under her breath.
“Is everything ok Rachel, do you want Keith?”
“No! no, I’m fine”
“Keith I think Rachel wants you”
“No I don’t”
“Is everything ok babe?” asked Keith as he came over and put his drunken arm around her.
Rachel didn’t answer him and just let him cuddle her as Connor used the opportunity to carry on drifting around the room, studying everyone mulling over his thoughts. It was almost like he was circling his prey waiting for the right time to drop onto them. His eyes grew darker as he studied the
mouths of each person in the room, lip reading their conversations. James was telling one of Sarah’s friends how he was going to whisk her away to a beach somewhere. Hugh had now been accosted by another group of friends and he was bragging about how much money him and his father had made in investments and with the money he was going to buy another car and a house in the Caribbean. Connor smiled at this conversation.
His gaze was drawn to the gorgeous looking Isobel who seemed to be the subject of the drunken Paul’s advances. The guy’s body language was betraying what his lips were saying. His demeanour seemed calm and charming but when Connor read his lips it told a different story. He seemed to be threatening her with violence and derogatory comments. Connor was reluctant to interfere but she seemed to be getting more upset. Connor remained at a distance and watched as Isobel gave as good as she got, telling him where to go. This is when Connor decided to do something. As soon as Isobel’s lips had stopped moving the guy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the garage where Hugh’s prized possessions were kept. Connor followed but before he reached the door it slammed in his face and the sound of the lock being turned made Connor go cold. Giving a quick glance up Connor pulled the key he had had especially made out of his pocket and checked that no one was going to follow him through the door.
Unlocking the door quietly he slipped into the garage, locked it behind him and managed to use Hugh’s ghastly Range Rover sport as cover. He didn’t have to lip read this time as the heated discussion had grown louder.
“Look Paul you’re drunk so don’t do anything stupid. If you want I’ll leave”
“Don’t keep
fucking telling me what to do you silly bitch. You know these are my friends so what the fuck are you doing here. I told you before when we split up. You dump me, you dump my friends. That’s the way it is”
“Right ok I’ll leave”
“Go on then”
Connor watched as the guy called Paul moved aside to let Isobel leave but Connor had that uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and knew something was going to happen.
“Thank you” said Isobel sternly as she attempted to leave.
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