by Debbie Flint
But Sadie was proud. After much deliberation – and much playing dress up – she put all but the bare essentials that she would need for the few days she would be here back in their packages and with a heavy heart picked up the form, holding a pen. Her hand ticked just a few of the boxes on the list until she reached one pair of pumps – which had a heavy price ticket, but she had loved them so much. She would pay him back, every damn penny, if it was the last thing she did. She couldn’t become ‘one of his women’. She wouldn’t.
Soon after the valet had collected what she didn’t need, she got a call from Alexis to meet in the lobby, where everyone was waiting to get on a little coach which would take them off on a surprise excursion. Most of Mac’s team were bleary-eyed and rubbing their temples, necks or eyes. Sadie looked around and saw Mac coming from the other direction with Alexis hot on his heels, and BJ hot on hers. She held up a hand to wave at him but Mac didn’t see. He just bid Alexis goodbye and went off with BJ.
Alexis strolled over. Sadie noticed she wasn’t wearing her usual high heels, but a pair of pumps. When she got closer, Sadie was shocked to see they were exactly the same as her own.
‘Oh, snap,’ said Alexis, getting nearer and seeing Sadie’s shoes.
‘Where did you …?’
‘Mac’s so generous, isn’t he?’ Alexis drawled. The spark in her eye put Sadie on alert. Was she lying? Or was this another one of Mac’s traditions? Does he buy all his female staff shoes in times of need? Whatever. Alexis was talking about how wonderful a night she and BJ had had and how Mac and they had met for breakfast and how she was looking forward to seeing the plant.
‘Perhaps you can tell me some of that science stuff,’ she cooed. ‘I hear you’re very good at it? Guys love an intelligent woman, don’t they?’
‘Sure,’ said Sadie, making sure she was sitting as far away from Alexis as possible when they boarded the coach. It pulled slowly away around the huge curved driveway in front of the hotel lobby and Sadie saw BJ getting into a big car, the same black car she’d seen a couple of times before. And Mac standing there bidding him goodbye. As her coach went by, he looked up, and seemingly without thinking, he blew her a kiss, then looked embarrassed and turned back to BJ. Sadie smiled to herself, and saw Alexis two seats down waving and blowing a kiss back towards the car. Or to Mac, she couldn’t tell.
Peter had arranged a tour of his pride and joy, the Frish bottled water plant. Plus a token bit of sightseeing, including a trip to a local organisation supported by the Galloways’ company, FrishCo.
Peter explained that this tour would be vital in understanding fully the scale of the investment stated in the business plan. Particularly the patented process. Sadie didn’t mind – she was fascinated. Knowing that she’d be an integral part of the process to formulate the scientific research plan, she was given pole position on the coach and was kept at the front of the party for the tour of the plant.
Sadie was a little frustrated, however, as she checked her new mobile continuously. Mac had even had her number transferred already. How the hell do the super-rich do stuff like that?
She was awaiting the latest performance results from the early trials on the water samples she’d sent for analysis last week. They were due any moment, before everyone went to bed in England. Her old cash-strapped uni friends had been working on it day and night for her, and in return she’d promised this lentils and tofu brigade a steady supply at wholesale prices. Intellectuals could get very creative with a bit of couscous and some soy sauce. She was envious of them in one way at least – salivating at the thought of getting back to doing some solid research work. She’d missed being a geek.
‘Boo,’ said a voice over her shoulder. It was Mac. ‘Have I missed the floor show?’
‘No, you just arrived in time for the star attraction,’ Sadie said, annoyed that she could feel herself beaming back at him like a schoolgirl. Before he could reply, the guided tour began.
A bottled water plant tour was a new experience for Sadie, but she kept being distracted by Mac who was catching up with several employees as they walked around. Sadie started taking notes and making observations, taking it all in. She casually looked around as they stopped once more at the next point of interest and saw Mac, looking like he was dictating some business letter or something to Alexis, who had been trotting along beside him. Sadie hung back a little, and pulled at the frumpy net cap covering her hair – standard issue for the sanitised interior of a plant like this. An oversized, starched white coat had also been issued to each of the group – compulsory wear for everyone stepping inside the plant itself.
Sadie squirmed awkwardly, conscious of how glamorous Alexis had somehow made hers look. Like a forties siren. Even in lab gear and the identical flat shoes, the damned woman looked stunning. Sadie contemplated also turning up the collar and rolling up the sleeves slightly, and cinching the white coat in at the waist. Then she remembered that her waist and the word ‘cinch’ had parted company years ago, and decided just to stew a bit more instead.
There she goes purring along at Mac’s heels like a hungry tabby cat.
But Alexis could purr all she liked – Mac’s ‘small print’ would still be out of bounds.
Hah!
And anyway the woman was supposed to be engaged to BJ who had apparently taken the private jet back to his next charity function in California, leaving his ‘fiancée’ behind to tie up any loose ends and what-not. Right now, it looked like it was Mac’s loose ends she was trying to tie up, and she almost certainly had her eye on his what-not.
Still, what do I care? Business, not pleasure … business, not pleasure.
The plant and machinery hummed in the background, and the group trotted along obediently amidst a quiet buzz of conversation, but Sadie wasn’t quite far enough behind Mac to be out of earshot.
‘So did you agree with my choices for our local area visit, Mac?’ Alexis said.
‘Yes.’
‘Hope you approved.’
‘They’re fine.’
‘You see Bill Galloway gave us some options and BJ said you’d probably want to go see the children’s home, so I requested a detour – even if only to show your face.’
‘You don’t just “show your face” at a children’s home, Alexis, but, yes, I approve.’
‘A-ha-ha, of course.’
Mac just sighed and nodded and glanced back towards Sadie, who suddenly took an inordinate amount of interest in endless rows of empty plastic bottles whizzing along past them at high speed towards the filling station.
‘And, Mac, I sent for your surfing gear just in case you fancied having a ride out yourself. I gather you’ve been missing out on some of your important training so I took the liberty. I did it to … please you.’
‘Well, I … okay. Thanks.’
‘Well, you did enquire about local surf times yesterday,’ she said, coming round in front of him and walking backwards, to talk more confidentially. Sadie found herself masochistically inching closer to listen.
‘And it has been a while, hasn’t it? Since we went surfing?’ Alexis said, leaning in towards Mac, who instantly leaned back slightly, so she had to raise her voice just a little louder than she’d intended. ‘It’s been ages since you bared that chest of yours, and it’s so worth baring.’ With that Alexis caught Sadie’s eye, and merely smirked. A smirk that could only mean one thing.
What the …?
He’s slept with her!
After all he said about business and pleasure, the lying, cheating so-and-so had slept with her.
And he’s bothered about me bending the truth, Sadie thought. Waiting for the reply that never came, Alexis had continued to blabber on. Sadie stopped walking, her jaw falling wide open.
A couple of the others overtook her. She shut her mouth but began to flush a little.
; Mac was scouring the group looking for something, then he saw Sadie watching. He smiled and jerked his chin towards her. Come here?
Sadie looked around her as if to say who me?
He did it again.
Bloody cheek.
Indignant at the summons, she rose up on her newly purchased comfortable pumps and trotted towards him like a dog in beg position, hanging out her tongue. When she reached his side, and stood there panting, Alexis backed off a little, giving Sadie a weird look.
‘And today, we are being …?’ said a bemused Mac, walking on.
‘Can’t you tell? Today, “we are being” summoned by the master. Obviously. Pant pant.’
Mac furrowed his brow. ‘Who are you and what have you done with Sadie?’
‘It’s like you say, what Mac wants, Mac gets, right? You called, so here I am. Obedient pet. Pant pant.’
Mac looked bemused and went to reply, but just then the local plant manager walked up to them.
‘Hello, Kaha’i, is it time for lunch yet?’ Mac joked.
‘No, Mr Anderson, not even, how you Brits say, elevenses. Just to let you know that the information you were asking for will be sent to your room at the hotel by tonight.’ He was a genial, white-coated chap with a kindly face, and eyes that smiled even when his face didn’t. They all looked like a happy bunch of workers, noted Sadie, apart from when Peter was around.
‘Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you once I’ve read it,’ said Mac and Kaha’i left. Mac saw Sadie was looking quizzical.
‘He said he’d find out which of the competitors in my next Ironman were being supplied with Frish,’ teased Mac, a sparkle in his eye, but before he could continue, a loud, pompous clapping noise sounded from a small gantry in front of where the group had come to a stop.
‘Oh God. Cue the sermon,’ Mac said.
Peter Galloway, pumped up and full of self-importance, stood on high, holding his hands up for silence. Then he raised his voice so he could just be heard above the rising whir from the two huge stainless steel cylinders behind him.
‘And this, my friends, is where the magic happens. It is here, in these very chambers that we produce our fabulous life-giving water. It’s here with the addition of our top secret ingredient, we create a miracle …’
‘Does he think he’s preaching to a congregation?’ said Mac, leaning so close to Sadie that his breath tickled her ear. He smelled fresh, intoxicating and his hand had slid to her shoulder blades in a gesture of intimacy. Or was it just to be heard more clearly? Despite herself, the corner of her mouth quirked. Then she remembered she was miffed with him for lying – again – and unquirked it.
Then she remembered that it doesn’t matter. Men don’t matter, Sadie Turner. Not for now.
Then she remembered to breathe.
‘They contain the secret process that changes ordinary water into Frish …’
‘All Praise Father Peter for he hath created a miracle,’ Mac whispered, nudging Sadie. She elbowed him back. Peter looked down in their direction.
‘A-hem!’ Alexis said from just behind them, tut-tutting. Sadie snapped back to the real world and slid away from Mac. She moved to the front of the group to listen more carefully to Peter, who then directed his ‘sermon’ at just her for the next few minutes.
‘Ten thousand litres an hour, filtered to zero milligrams per litre, then energised to seventy electron volts higher than usual at room temperature. This, my friends, is no ordinary water …’
Mac joined Sadie again. ‘You understand all this, boffin?’
‘You obviously don’t, numpty,’ she whispered back.
‘There we go with those school nicknames again. I thought you’d—’
‘Shhh! I’m trying to listen.’
‘We use reinforced PCP with a lower migration factor and then finally we pack our masterpiece into double-boxing, drop-tested to twice the normal standard …’
Sadie was fascinated, admittedly loving the science, but not as much as she was loving Mac’s attention. ‘Kaha’i already explained most of this,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘Shhh, Mac.’
‘Did you know Kaha’i means “the one who tells”?’
‘No, I didn’t. Shush, Mac.’
‘Hawaiian names are very meaningful, they—’
‘Mac, please!’ Sadie said, trying not to giggle, and moved slightly away, play-acting annoyance with him. Peter was now explaining the purpose of the big cylinders, and Sadie was back in her element, lapping up the science as she listened to him going on about ‘cavitation’. She was, however, not too engrossed in the commentary to feel Mac’s mood suddenly change.
She felt the frostiness from a foot away.
Oh, no, have I overstepped the mark? Shit.
But when she turned round she saw why Mac had stopped joking around. He was looking into the distance, stony-faced. Following his gaze across to the entrance of the huge chamber, she saw a thin, designer-suited executive-type in heated discussion with Bill Galloway. And it wasn’t Simon.
‘Tremain,’ growled Mac. ‘What’s he doing here?’
Peter was just ending his spiel, and waved his arm to begin the filtration process. As the cylinders whined up to maximum volume, a high-pitched whirring sound filled the huge plant with noise and vibration. As he stepped down from the gantry, Mac was waiting for him. He shouted something into Peter’s ear. They both looked over to the new arrival, Mac shaking his head and saying something that didn’t look like ‘good speech mate’. Then both men stomped off towards the entrance, where the new arrival was waving away a white coat from a lab technician and standing in a proprietorial pose, arms folded, braced for Mac’s onslaught. Sadie couldn’t see much of Mac’s adversary, but she could tell by his walk that this meant trouble. But before Sadie could react, Alexis was at her elbow.
‘I’ll go,’ she said to Sadie. ‘You stay here and follow the tour – it’s more important that you don’t miss the science, right? I’ll take care of Mac.’ And she set off hot on their heels, leaving Sadie with the plant manager, Kaha’i, shrugging his shoulders then holding out his arm to say ‘shall we continue’ on the final part of the tour, including a reluctant Sadie whose arm he took while he continued the running commentary.
Sadie could only look over to the commotion, longing to know what was going on. She saw more arms being waved, knew there was something heavy going down, but had no choice but to stay with the rest of her group, all of whom had noticed the furore in the corner.
If Alexis hadn’t already trotted along so keenly, Sadie might have been tempted to go over there. But she had to keep things in perspective. Mac was a womaniser and a playboy billionaire and she was a cog in a wheel. That’s all. A bloody irritated, frustrated, curious cog, but a cog nonetheless. She wasn’t even high enough up to look after anyone’s small print. So better let them get on with it – she’d have to wait for the update from Mac later. So she plastered the smile on her face once again and continued the tour, and another hour of watching boxes whizzing round in a cling-film machine, hearing about hermetically sealed purification technology rooms, and listening to more water jokes from their guide in sixty minutes than she’d heard in a lifetime.
Slumping in the back seat on the coach again, she thought of home, wondering how her girls were getting on. She’d called from her room this morning, around their suppertime. Abi had been fine, busy with her work as ever, but Georgia had used four minutes fifty seconds of her five-minute allocation to moan about Nana. First for cooking food the ‘wrong’ way and mixing up chopping boards. Then ‘dumping’ her and Abi with a neighbour while Nana went to dinner ‘with some stupid, boring, old grey guy’. The final whinge was that Nana had been refusing to help her revise for a ‘really, really, like super-important test’ the next day. ‘And then, Nana told me that she th
inks German is a stupid language and I’ll never need it anyway.’
After saying goodbye, a powerful pang of missing home had hit Sadie hard. Guilt crept insidiously under her skin, creating a ‘bad-mother’ cloud hanging somewhere between her shoulders.
It sat not far from the ‘jealous ex-lover’ puddle that had just taken up residence in the pit of her stomach.
And quite near the ‘broken family’ millstone, ever-present around her neck.
She shook her head, unscrewing the bottle of Frish she’d been handed on the way out of the plant and drinking it straight down. The coach started up but there was no sign of Mac. No Alexis. And no Peter. What on earth was going on?
Oh God, this had better not be bad news.
This was the biggest, most important deal of her life, and if it didn’t work out, she didn’t know what she was going to do.
Half an hour later, the diminutive local guide was playing the role of Pied Piper to the MCA group, winding their way along a clean, white corridor. Sadie was totally distracted, lagging behind. They were at the children’s home, and there was still no sign of Mac. She wasn’t really listening to any of the information the guide was relaying, as she was too concerned about Mac. What was that commotion she’d witnessed back at the plant? She hated being out of the loop.
‘So without the steady supply of public contributions we could not have provided the care needed to help so many unfortunate orphans, specially following the 2011 Tsunami,’ the guide was saying, as the entourage turned a corner and disappeared from view. Sadie, however, did not follow them, because something had caught her eye through a window – something that had her heart pounding once again.
There, out in the yard in the middle of a makeshift soccer pitch, with beaten up metal goalposts and a battered old football, a heated game of soccer was being played. A dozen boys and a few girls of different ages were running rings around a tanned, shirtless older guy who kept falling to the floor when tackled, laughing and rolling about in the dirt.