Promises After Dark (After Dark Book 3)

by Sadie Matthews

  ‘Okay,’ I say, smiling back. ‘Let’s do it.’

  My mother’s face when we arrive in a luxurious black Range Rover is something to behold. I’m not sure where Dominic keeps these cars but he seems to have access to whatever he needs wherever we are in the world, and the powerful vehicle makes easy work of the journey to Norfolk.

  ‘Beth, what on earth . . .?’ says Mum, coming out of the house, wiping her hands on a tea towel. My brothers are out and admiring the car almost before we’ve pulled to a stop, while my father eyes Dominic suspiciously. ‘I thought you were in London!’

  ‘I’ve come back.’ I smile at her. ‘I want you to meet Dominic. He’s my . . . boyfriend.’

  It seems like a rather lame word to describe all Dominic is to me and what he’s meant, but I can’t think of any other.

  Dominic steps forward, a smile on his face and at his most charming. ‘Hello, Mrs Villiers, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Beth’s told me so much about her family, I feel like I know you.’

  ‘Mmm,’ says my mother, slightly mollified. ‘She’s told me practically nothing about you. But I’m delighted to meet you. Please come in.’

  As we go in, she puts her arm around me and gives me a half hug. ‘I was so sorry to hear about Mark, darling. We got your message. How very sad.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ I whisper.

  ‘But . . . I’m very happy to meet Dominic.’ She glances over her shoulder to where Dominic is following as he chats to Dad. ‘I take it he’s the one who gave you that ring, and that rather special glow you’ve got about you?’

  I nod.

  ‘I thought as much. He’s very welcome.’ She drops her voice down to a whisper. ‘And very dishy!’

  ‘Mum!’

  ‘Well, he is. I’m just saying. Now let’s get tea and you can tell me how long you’re staying.’

  It’s so weird to see Dominic in my family home, like seeing a film star in the local supermarket or a famous landmark at the end of the road. It’s incongruous and yet I can’t help thinking, well, why not? Dominic seems to be enjoying himself and praises everything from the tea and my mother’s very good Christmas cake to the shed my father has in the garden, of which he’s given a guided tour.

  Later, before he’s shown very firmly to the guest room, we have a moment together and I manage to thank him for charming my family so comprehensively. ‘It’s obvious they really like you!’

  ‘I really like them,’ he says. ‘And you have a lovely home – a proper home. You’re very lucky.’ He looks a little wistful. ‘Even while my parents were alive, we never had a home like this. Always diplomatic residences behind gates and barbed wire, peopled with servants and full of strangers. I always wanted something cosy and loving like this.’

  I hug him, wishing I could give him everything he wants and needs. Then I remember what’s hanging over us. ‘So – did you fix up a meeting with Andrei in New York?’

  He nods. ‘It’s the reason I need to get back. We’ll leave tomorrow if that’s all right.’

  ‘Of course. I just want to be with you.’

  ‘And I want to be with you. When all this is over, we can start our lives properly, okay?’ He reaches down and touches the ring around my finger. ‘Remember our promise?’

  I nod and look into his gentle brown eyes. ‘I remember.’

  Everything seems to run like clockwork the next day, even though I never see Dominic doing much more than tap an email or two into his phone. We leave home in the morning and arrive at the airport where a driver is waiting to take the Range Rover away. We’re quickly ushered through check in and into the first-class lounge and not long after that, we’re aboard a flight back to the States.

  ‘How do you do it?’ I ask, amused.

  ‘I have my ways,’ he says with a smile, and we settle down for the journey back. I feel I can relax a little and come to terms with some of what’s happened now that I’ve heard from Caroline. She tells me that she’ll be arranging Mark’s funeral for the first week of January and that when I get back to the office on the 2nd we can start working out what will happen next. She says nothing about her intentions, so I have no idea whether or not Mark’s business will be continuing. That means I might be out of a job. In fact, I think that’s the most likely scenario. And if Andrei’s money-laundering comes to light and Mark’s estate is investigated, that might not be such a bad thing.

  We rest, watch films and chat all the way back to America, and Dominic tells me what he has planned.

  ‘We’ll stay at my rented apartment,’ he says, ‘although finding a more suitable place is going to be something I want to get on with as soon as I can. I’ve arranged to meet Andrei on the 29th and I hope that we’ll be able to resolve everything that day. Obviously now that Mark is no longer with us, there isn’t the same urgency, but I still need him to back off and leave me – and you – alone. Then we can relax together and go to this ball on New Year’s Eve. What do you think?’

  ‘It all sounds great,’ I say stoutly. But it depends on whether Andrei plays ball or not. And it’s hard to imagine how I can be too cheerful and merry on New Year’s Eve considering that I’ll be flying home to Mark’s funeral straight afterwards. I try to put that out of my mind for now. Before then, I have many long and happy hours to spend with Dominic, so that’s what I’ll think about until real life comes back to get me.

  Dominic’s apartment is just as I remembered: bare and soulless. I wish we could be back at Georgie’s home, where I felt cosy and comfortable despite the short time I spent there. But, I remind myself, this is just temporary. Maybe I can persuade Dominic to move away from the palatial glass type of apartment and towards something a little warmer and more welcoming.

  ‘You don’t like it, do you?’ he asks as he puts our bags in the bedroom. It’s still barely furnished, with just a bed, chest of drawers and a lamp.

  I wrinkle my nose. ‘Not really, no. It’s kind of cold.’

  He looks about. ‘I know what you mean. Come on. We won’t stay here. Georgie’s still at my aunt’s, I think. She won’t mind if we use her house. Would you rather go there?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ I say happily. ‘A home!’

  Dominic laughs. ‘A home it is. Let’s get going.’

  Less than thirty minutes later, we’re in the welcoming warmth of Georgie’s brownstone. It’s so much more cheerful to see books and pictures, and to sit on a cosy sofa with plump cushions.

  ‘Are you sure your sister won’t mind?’ I call to Dominic, who’s taking our bags up to the guest room.

  ‘Of course not,’ he calls back. ‘She’s always on at me to stay more often. She’ll be delighted.’

  I sigh with happiness when we’re together in the sitting room, sipping proper British tea from Georgie’s mugs, music playing on the sound system and the fire lit.

  ‘You know what,’ Dominic says hesitantly as if unsure whether or not he should broach the subject, ‘maybe this is a good time for a fresh start.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Of course it’s terrible that Mark has passed away. But change was in the air already, and I’m going to be in New York for months at a time. Maybe you could think about joining me here.’

  I think about this for a second as I sip my tea. It’s what I’ve longed to hear, but it can’t be that simple, can it? ‘If you’re here for half the year, where are you going to be for the other half?’

  He shrugs. ‘London, mostly. Plus some other travelling. It will always be like that, it’s the nature of my business.’

  ‘Then even if I move to New York,’ I say reasonably, ‘I’m still going to be away from you for half the year, so what’s the difference if I’m in London?’

  He sighs. ‘I suppose so. I just want us to be together as much as possible.’

  ‘Well, it seems like the only way that can happen is if I give up working altogether so I can be with you all the time. I can’t do that. I need an identity of my own. I’m young and I want to work
, explore my interests and learn as much about art as I can. I love it. I can’t give it up.’

  Dominic looks at me seriously. ‘I wouldn’t ask you to. But let’s think about ways that we can spend as much time together as we can. Do you want that?’

  I gaze at his beautiful face. ‘Of course I do. You know I do.’

  ‘Okay.’ He smiles at me, his full lips curving up into a smile. ‘Then let’s keep thinking about our options, okay? And I’ll get a decent apartment that you actually like as soon as I can. I want you to help me find a place in London too. These are going to be our homes, not just mine.’

  I lean over and kiss him. ‘Thank you. For everything.’

  He smiles at me. ‘It’s just the beginning.’

  That night, in the very comfortable guest suite, we make delicious, tender love. Dominic knows that I’m carrying the weight of sadness and that I have an unspoken burden of guilt over Mark’s death. I don’t have to say anything, he knows. He understands instinctively that tonight is not the right night for a scene. Tonight I need delicate, sweet, comforting love. When we’ve shuddered to our orgasms, I start to cry, and he kisses the tears away and holds me in his arms until I’m calm again and ready to face another day.

  Georgie comes back from her aunt’s the next day, and is full of excitement to see Dominic and me again. She greets me with a huge kiss and gives Dominic a mock stern look.

  ‘I can almost forgive you for leaving me alone on Christmas Day with Aunt Florence now that you’ve brought Beth back to stay,’ she says, and we have a very happy day together, venturing out for a walk around the neighbourhood and ending up at a favourite local restaurant for dinner.

  I try to enjoy myself as much as I can but I’m nervous about the coming day. In bed later, in Dominic’s arms, I can’t sleep.

  ‘Hey, Fidget,’ Dominic says, yawning. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I’m scared. Tomorrow you see Andrei, don’t you?’

  Dominic pauses and then says quietly, ‘Yes.’

  ‘Where are you meeting him?’

  ‘At his office downtown.’

  ‘Will you be safe?’

  ‘I’m sure I will. He won’t try anything in his own premises. And he’ll know that plenty of people will be aware of my whereabouts. Besides, I’ll be wearing a wire and my driver will be nearby. He’s ex-SAS and quite tidy in a tricky situation.’

  I raise myself up on an elbow and look at him anxiously. ‘You think there might be a fight?’

  ‘I’m sure there won’t, but I intend to be prepared.’ He grins at me, his white teeth gleaming in the half-light, and the brown surface of his skin glimmering where the moonlight falls on it. ‘That’s why I was such a good Boy Scout.’

  I want to laugh about it all but I can’t. I know how dangerous Andrei Dubrovski is, and I don’t believe for a second that he’ll listen to what Dominic has to say and simply become all docile and go off like a little lamb, content to leave us alone.

  ‘Beth. Don’t worry. Andrei is a businessman, first and foremost. He’ll want to act in in his own best interests and when he sees that cooperation is his only way out, that’s what he’ll do. I know him very well, believe me.’ He yawns again. ‘Now, I’ve got to get some sleep.’

  I lie back down, staring into the darkness. Dominic might think he knows Andrei but he hasn’t witnessed the way that Andrei spoke to me. I remember the passion in his eyes when he spoke about the life he thought we could have together. I know that it cost a proud man like Andrei a very great deal to make the offer to me, the one to share his life and build a family with him. To have it rejected must have been unbearable. Surely he must hate Dominic even more now, knowing that not only has his one-time employee become his rival in business, but also that he’s won the battle for my heart.

  I just wish he’d never decided that for some reason I was the one! Couldn’t he tell I wasn’t interested?

  But I know that it was precisely because I wasn’t interested in his wealth or influence that Andrei was drawn to me. The fact that I loved Dominic made me even more irresistible.

  The damned competitive instinct.

  More than ever, I want tomorrow to be over and for Dominic to be safely back with me. I hate the idea of his walking into Andrei’s office, into Andrei’s power and control.

  Who knows what the hell Andrei might have planned?

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Dominic goes off not long after breakfast. He looks heartbreakingly handsome in his tailored Kilgour suit and a camel coat. Not only does he radiate strength and determination, he also looks in a happy mood.

  ‘I’ve waited a long time for this,’ he says, finishing his coffee as Georgie and I eat our breakfast at the kitchen table.

  ‘For God’s sake, be careful, Dom,’ warns Georgie. She butters a piece of toast carefully. ‘Dubrovski’s a slippery customer. Don’t take it for granted that you’ll be able to best him.’

  ‘Hey, I’ll be fine. Candy from a baby!’ he says, and winks to show he’s joking as he drops a kiss on his sister’s cheek. ‘I’ll see you later,’ he murmurs to me as he kisses me goodbye. ‘Go out shopping, take your mind off it. I’ll keep in touch and be back as soon as I can.’

  Once he’s gone, driven away in one of those sleek long motors, Georgie and I swap worried glances but we make an unspoken decision not to dwell on it. While we wait for the time to pass, she shows me through old photo albums and tells me about her and Dominic’s childhoods. It’s lovely listening to tales of the past and imagining Dominic as a small boy but I find it hard to concentrate.

  After a while I get up, unable to keep still. ‘I’m sorry, Georgie, I’m going to have to go out for a walk. Is that all right?’

  ‘Of course. Will you be okay? Do you want me to come with you?’

  I shake my head. ‘No. Really. I think I need to be on my own for a bit. I’ll be back before too long.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll get some lunch ready for us. And maybe this afternoon we can go out and look for something for you to wear to the New Year ball.’

  Maybe. But if we haven’t heard from Dominic by then, there’s no way I’m going to be able to think about shopping.

  I put on a jacket and go out into the cold wintery day outside. The sky is low and a marbled grey colour, with little in the way of sunshine. It seems to reflect my own mood and I walk along the blocks of brownstone houses, staring at my feet and my mind miles away. I can’t help wondering what’s happening this very minute between Dominic and Andrei. Are they facing each other down? Yelling? Grappling? Or are they giving one another frosty stares across a desk, keeping their emotions in check as they play the ice-cool businessmen?

  This waiting is killing me!

  For the hundredth time I take out my phone but there’s nothing there. I wish I knew how long I was going to have to wait. Then at least I could think about something else.

  I walk for a long time and I suddenly realise that I’ve made my way almost to Central Park. I decide to go in and find a place where I can have a coffee. I’ll message Georgie too, and tell her I won’t be back for a while.

  I find a café in a small clearing and sit down at one of the outside tables. There aren’t many people about; perhaps it’s too cold for families or perhaps they’ve gone away for Christmas like so many Londoners do. A waitress comes up and I order a latte. It arrives a few minutes later in a takeaway paper cup, which I wrap my fingers around, grateful for the warmth. When they’ve defrosted a little, I’ll text Georgie where I am and explain I’ll be a little late for lunch.

  ‘Do you mind if I join you?’ The voice is harsh, gravelly and unmistakable. I look up and find myself staring into the pale blue eyes of Andrei Dubrovski.

  I gasp and half stand up in surprise. ‘What?! What are you doing here?’

  He sits down on an iron chair, his coat incongruously smart against the worn surface of the seat. ‘I want to talk to you.’

  I’m astonished, breathless. I can hardly believe my eyes.
‘But you’re supposed to be with Dominic! Where is he?’ I look wildly about, as though I’m going to see Dominic struggling in the bushes, kept a prisoner by Andrei’s henchmen.

  ‘Don’t worry about him,’ Andrei says calmly. ‘He’s at my office as we arranged.’

  ‘But he’s been there hours. Aren’t you having your meeting?’

  ‘My lawyers are keeping him very busy while I have this little rendezvous with you. I know that Dominic has something to tell me and I have an instinct what that might be. But I want to hear it from you first. I want to hear it from your mouth.’

  I gape at him as I sink back into my seat, not knowing what to say. This isn’t something I’m ready for. How do I tell a man like Andrei that I know he’s busted, a criminal whose activities are about to be exposed?

  Andrei is looking at me, his eyes scanning my face, and I realise that there’s something like pity in their chilly depths. ‘I heard about Mark,’ he says. ‘I’m very sorry.’

  ‘Really?’ I spit back. ‘Because I got your charming Christmas card. The one with the press release explaining how you were going to hang Mark out to dry and make sure he was completely ruined in the process. Are you sorry he’s dead, or are you just sorry that you’re not going to be able to make him suffer the way you’d hoped?’

  His face goes flinty. ‘Of course I’m sorry. I was fond of Mark. Do you think I’m pleased that he’s dead? Do you think I’m a monster?’

  ‘You know what? I really don’t know! I don’t want to think that, but you’ve done your best to show me that you’re cold and ruthless so I’m beginning to believe that’s what you are!’

  ‘I know what I want and I try to get it. I don’t wish people to be hurt in the process but it sometimes happens,’ he snaps back.

  ‘Maybe it would happen less if you didn’t involve innocent people in your money laundering!’ I retort.