by Jade Winters
‘Whatever we did or didn’t have yesterday is a world apart from what we have now. I thought you were decent. That you understood the centre’s plight—’
‘I did, I do.’
‘Really? Is that why you had us followed?’ Heidi threw the accusation at her with casual disgust.
‘What are you talking about? Who followed us?’
A frown deepened on Heidi’s forehead. Does she really not know? The need to believe her was overwhelming but the trust she once had for her was now a thing of the past. She was well aware that Vanessa was a smooth talker. That she could cast you under her spell within minutes of being in her presence. Heidi should know. Hadn’t she fallen under it herself. And I stupidly believed she wanted to help. When Heidi spoke, her words were flat. Weak. Even to her own ears. ‘It doesn’t matter—’
‘Well, it obviously does to you.’
‘What’s the point?’ Heidi closed her eyes briefly to block out the sight of Vanessa, but even when she did, she could still see the image burnt into her mind. The one of them in an intimate embrace. The memory was no longer pure. It was tainted with betrayal. I don’t want to hear any more lies. Not from her. ‘You’ll just deny it.’
‘Try me.’
Heidi’s arms automatically tightened across her chest. ‘The photos, Vanessa. Of you and me that were delivered to the centre this morning.’
‘You’ve got to believe me—’
‘And I suppose you know nothing of the letter threatening to make them public if I oppose the eviction?’
Vanessa walked over to her window and kept her back to Heidi. This dismissive action only served to wind Heidi up further.
‘Is this why you asked me out last night? To set me up? I can’t believe I nearly gave into you,’ Heidi said, hating herself for opening up to Vanessa and letting her into her life and her heart.
A look of resignation shone in Vanessa’s eyes. ‘Heidi, listen—’
‘No, I’m done listening. My first instinct was right, you’re no better than your wacko brother.’
Vanessa turned. ‘I am—’
‘You see that’s the problem, Vanessa. You’re not. No matter how hard you try to fight it, you’re both cut from the same cloth. Greed and the need to be top dog is inherent in you both—’
‘Sit down, let’s talk about—’
‘What, so you can lie to me again?’
‘Heidi, I didn’t lie to you. I said I’d help you find a new building. That’s all. Nothing more.’
‘Nothing more?’ Heidi almost yelled. The anger that coursed through her veins wasn’t all about Vanessa; it had more to do with her colleagues at the centre. It hurt they thought so little of her, and Vanessa would be the one paying for their disloyalty.
Heidi couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the one who came up with the idea in the first place. Seduce the love-struck idiot.’ Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.
Vanessa’s nostrils flared slightly. ‘Do you really believe that?’
‘What else am I to believe? It’s all “divide and conquer” with businesses like yours, isn’t it? Well, you were a great success. My colleagues think I sold them out—’
‘Heidi—’
‘Don’t Heidi me. I’ve got your number, Vanessa O’Neil. You ain’t gonna charm your way out of this one.’
Vanessa walked back to her desk and sat down, seemingly unfazed by Heidi’s outburst. When she spoke, a cold edge tinged her voice. ‘I think we’re done here, don’t you?’
‘At least we agree on something.’ Heidi made to leave, then stopped. ‘You might be too spineless to go up against your brother, but I’m not.’
Chapter Twenty
It was hard for Vanessa to know how to react to Heidi’s accusations. The calm and collected woman she spent time with yesterday now looked like she was falling apart. The stress must be really getting to her if she thinks I set up a fake date to make her look bad.
Vanessa’s first reaction was to follow her but she thought that would be pointless. Nothing was going to get through to Heidi in the state she was in. If she was going to be angry with anyone she should have directed her outburst towards Craig, after all he was the one who was responsible for the dilemma she was in. Vanessa picked up her phone with every intention of giving Craig a piece of her mind when he strolled in looking like the happiest man in the world. Vanessa replaced the handset and looked up at him through narrowed eyes.
‘I take it that was that Cross woman,’ he said with a self-satisfied smirk.
‘You don’t look surprised she was here.’
‘Nope.’ He dropped onto the seat opposite her and put his feet up on her desk.
Vanessa leant over and brushed them off. ‘What do you mean, nope? Is that because you had us followed?’
‘Maybe.’
‘What the hell does maybe mean? Either you did or you didn’t.’ Vanessa didn’t know why she bothered to ask. She knew the answer. It wouldn’t be the first time Craig did something underhanded. His reputation was built on it. No doubt he had sought revenge against Heidi for rebuking his advances and now it seemed he had achieved it.
‘Would I lie to you?’
‘Do I need to answer that?’
‘No, little sister, I wouldn’t lie to you.’
‘So, you didn’t have us followed?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘Will you stop playing childish games and tell me the truth?’
‘All right, you nagging women are enough to give a man a stroke. Yes, I had you followed—’
‘Why would you do something like that?’
‘Because I knew you’d both play into my hands. It was only a matter of time.’
‘Play into your hands? What are you talking about?’
‘Don’t be coy, Nessie. Did you think I didn’t see the way you looked at her when she gave her first press conference? I’d have had to be blind to have missed it.’
Vanessa busied herself with paperwork on her desk to buy herself time. Am I really that transparent? ‘Whatever you think you saw, doesn’t give you the right—’
‘That’s where you’re wrong. Protecting this company gives me every right to do what the fuck I want—’
‘And that includes blackmail?’
‘Oh, she told you about that then.’ He grinned as he crossed his leg over his knee and sank back in his seat. ‘I thought that was quite an ingenious move on my part.’
‘You’re sick, do you know that? This vendetta you’ve got has nothing to do with protecting the company. You want to destroy Heidi because she hurt your frail ego.’
‘No one, and I mean no one, gets one over me. If you two weren’t so fucking predictable I wouldn’t have been able to get the goods on her. To be honest, I thought it would take longer than a day for you to get in her pants—’
‘I didn’t sleep with her.’
‘You know, I actually believe you. She strikes me as the frigid type so I knew you’d be right in there. Anything for a challenge, eh?’
For the hundredth time that day she found herself wishing Craig would just disappear. Vanish from her life forever. ‘Your arrogance is going to catch up with you one of these days.’
‘Not before I own all of London.’
‘Oh, I think it will a lot sooner than that.’
He looked uneasy. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning, you’ve poked the hornet’s nest this time so you better get ready for the consequences.’
‘From the dyke? Don’t make me laugh. She doesn’t scare me.’
‘I’m sure she doesn’t but public opinion should. If she gets them on side, you can kiss your project goodbye.’
‘You’d love that, wouldn’t you? So you could go play happy dykes with her. Well, you can put that dream to bed. By the time I’m finished with her, she’s never going to want to be near an O’Neil again.’
With that, he left her office. Her
head spun as she wondered what Craig had in store for Heidi next. Again, torn by loyalty to the family name, Vanessa considered calling her father, but shot that idea down immediately. The doctor had been stern about his advice—no stress.
Who else do I have to turn to? The board? She knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that they’d side with her. They were in the business to make money, plain and simple.
The thought of being stuck in the middle of Heidi and Craig had proved too much. Vanessa wasn’t one to thrive on drama and that is exactly what the whole episode had become. From today, she decided, she was going to wash her hands of the project and let them get on with it.
Desperate for something safe to occupy her mind, Vanessa put on her reading glasses and went back to work. All memories of Heidi were pushed firmly out of her mind.
***
Without a football match to draw a crowd, the pub was quieter than usual. A few men milled around the bar area drinking pints, while the barman was engrossed in something on his phone. Natalie was already seated at a table when Vanessa caught sight of her. My saviour. If Vanessa had arranged the evening with anyone else but Natalie, she would have cancelled. She felt emotionally drained and didn’t have the energy to put on social graces with anyone else.
It was a strange situation she found herself in. Despite the initial flurry of enthusiasm for her work project, Vanessa had spent most of the day thinking about Heidi and the effect she was having on her life. She had tried to erase her from her thoughts after the episode in her office, but found it near enough impossible.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ Vanessa said, giving Natalie a long hug.
‘You’re not. I’m early. After the day I’ve had, I need this,’ Natalie said, picking up the bottle of white wine and pouring Vanessa a glass.
‘That bad, huh?’
‘Worse.’ Natalie rolled her eyes. ‘Angela moved back in.’
Vanessa dropped her bag on the floor and slumped onto the empty chair next to her. ‘What? Why?’ Vanessa asked, confused. ‘I thought—’
Natalie held up her hands in defeat. ‘I know, I know. She’s still a hormonal cow, but … and this is the problem, the make-up sex is so damn good.’
‘So why the sour face?’
‘Because it only hits me when we’re not having hot and sweaty sex, that we’re so much better apart. Oh, Nessie, tell me what to do,’ she pleaded like a child.
Vanessa took a sip of her wine, savouring its crisp freshness. ‘Believe me, I’m the last person you want advice from.’
Natalie pouted. ‘That’s not true. You always know what’s best for me, even before I do.’
‘I wish I could say the same for myself,’ she said miserably.
‘Aww what’s up?’ Natalie draped her arm around Vanessa’s hunched shoulders.
‘I’ve just had a shitty day.’
‘Someone upset you?’
Was Vanessa actually upset or just pissed off with the situation she found herself in? In hindsight, Vanessa accepted the fact that Heidi had every right to be angry. What she didn’t accept was being made the scapegoat. Why was she the one who always got caught in the crossfire? She shrugged, more so for the thoughts running through her mind than Natalie’s question. ‘Heidi—’
Natalie barely gave her the chance to utter another word before she interrupted her.
‘Oh my God, I knew it.’ Natalie shuffled her seat closer to Vanessa’s. ‘Come on, tell all you sly fox.’
Vanessa ran the tip of her finger along the stem of her glass. ‘I only wanted to take her out for a drink—’
‘Whoa, forget the boring part,’ Natalie said rubbing her hands together in glee. ‘Get straight to the juicy bits.’
Vanessa gave a short laugh. That was Natalie all over, straight to the main event; forget any chance of titillating foreplay. ‘Okay. So I went back to her place.’
‘And?’ Natalie pressed excitedly.
‘And,’ Vanessa looked upwards as the memory washed over her, ‘we kissed.’
‘What! I knew it, I knew it.’ Natalie propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her open palms. ‘So, what was she like? On a scale of one to ten.’
‘As a kisser? Hmm,’ Vanessa said thoughtfully as she imagined Heidi’s beautifully shaped lips. ‘Definitely a plus ten.’
‘Nice one!’ Natalie had a wild gleam in her eyes. The one she always got whenever she thought or talked about sex. ‘And in the sack?’
‘We didn’t actually get that far.’
‘What?’ Natalie gave her a sceptical look and sank back in her chair. ‘That’s so lame. Why would you let an opportunity like that pass you by? Are you crazy?’
‘It wasn’t me. Heidi didn’t want things to go that far. She thought it was best not to muddy the waters.’
‘Beautiful and sensible,’ Natalie said, topping up her own glass before taking a sip. ‘Not a good combination if you want to get your leg over.’
‘Tell me about it.’
‘Are you going to see her again?’
‘Doubt it. I think she sees me as the number one enemy now.’
‘Now?’
‘Oh, I didn’t tell you, Craig had us followed.’
Natalie pulled a face. ‘Is he for real?’
‘Afraid so. He had someone take pictures of us together, which he is now trying to blackmail her with.’
Natalie stared at her with a slight tilt of her head. ‘Sorry, babe, but he is one sick fucker. Your own brother?’
‘I know. I don’t even know why I was surprised. Anyway, Heidi came to my office and had another go at me, accusing me of all sorts.’
‘Why you?’
‘Apparently, I’m in cahoots with Craig.’
‘I hope you put her right.’
‘To be honest, I didn’t know what she was going on about. By the time Craig admitted it, it was too late.’
‘Then why haven’t you told her the truth?’
‘I don’t know if I can be bothered with all the drama.’
‘Drama caused by your brother,’ Natalie reminded her with a wry smile. ‘I think I’d be pissed off as well if he had someone follow me.’
‘It’s not just that. She frightens me.’
Natalie’s forehead creased in confusion. ‘In what way?’
‘I don’t know.’ An intense feeling of uneasiness came over Vanessa, causing her to shift her gaze to the window. ‘When I’m with her I can’t think of anything but her and when I’m not with her—’
‘You’re still thinking of her,’ Natalie finished for Vanessa. Her voice had an undertone of understanding. ‘And that’s a bad thing because?’
‘I’m not ready for anything deep at the moment.’
‘I’m sorry to be the one to point this out to you, but you’re thirty now—’
‘Thanks for reminding me.’
‘Which means it’s time for you to stop acting like a hormonal teenager. Do you want to be alone forever?’
‘Of course not, but—’
Natalie laughed. ‘Why is there always a “but” with you? I’ve noticed you never use that word when you talk about work, yet as soon as things become too personal “but” is in most of your sentences.’
‘Only because I know my work inside out; the workings of another woman’s mind, I don’t.’
‘Well there’s only one way to figure it out. Get your arse round to her place—’
Vanessa looked at her blankly. ‘But—’
‘Shhh, you’re doing it again. Just go.’
‘What about you?’
Natalie tapped her wine glass and smiled. ‘I have all that I need right here. Now shoo. Go, and keep me updated.’
Vanessa drained the rest of her wine in one gulp. ‘I hope I’m not going to regret this.’
Natalie took on the expression of a wise owl. ‘In this life, you can only regret the things you never got to do. Don’t let this be one of them. Now go.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Heidi was too wound up to return to work after her showdown with Vanessa. Instead she went home, where she could curl up and lick her wounds before she had to face the world again. As always, Vanessa dominated her thoughts. Does she really think I’m that naïve? That I would believe her protests of innocence? Love sick she might have been, but a fool? Never.
If Vanessa wasn’t in on it as she claimed, what other explanation could there be for a photographer knowing exactly where they would go to eat and the exact time? The more Heidi thought about it, she wondered if the whole tyre slashing incident had been made up. Heidi hadn’t actually seen the car. For all she knew Craig could have picked it up after they’d left the centre.
She gazed down onto the road from her window seat. The normally busy street now only had a few people milling around outside the take-away shops. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. A quick look at her watch and she was shocked to see it was 7pm. She swung her legs onto the floor and went in search of her boots and jacket. Though she couldn’t really afford it, dinner would have to be a kebab tonight. She didn’t have the energy to be standing in the kitchen all night cooking.
Heidi swung open the front door, and gasped at the sight of Vanessa.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I nearly didn’t find this place. I was just about to give up,’ Vanessa said with a faint smile. ‘I couldn’t remember the number—’
‘You still haven’t answered me.’ Heidi wasn’t about to be taken in again, no matter how alluring Vanessa appeared.
‘Why do you think I’m here?’
Heidi stared hard at her. Wanting her to get the message loud and clear. That Heidi had meant what she had said in Vanessa’s office. Every last word.
‘I’m not a mind reader, Vanessa. Just say whatever you’ve got to say. I’m on my way out.’
Vanessa raised her eyebrows. ‘On a date?’
‘No, to get food. I haven’t eaten today; I’ve had too much on my mind.’
‘Me?’
‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ Heidi said as she stepped onto the landing outside and pulled the door shut behind her.