The Finest Line

by Catherine Taylor

  Absolutely nothing, Mairead thought, but in the safety of a crowded plane, she was determined to push a few buttons. “Oh nothing really... maybe a little outdated.”

  “Outdated?” James expelled that long breath. “My suits are tailored annually and I see a hair stylist that won an international award for cut last year.”

  Mairead was impressed but there were still a few buttons begging to be pushed. “Oh dear, I think I have made a mistake.”

  James eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Ray Sanders wanted to know if you had a gay twin brother and I said...”

  “Before you continue Miss Kavanagh,” James looked at her with one eyebrow raised, a tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth. “Be aware that the arm rest between us folds up and your well-being could be in jeopardy.”

  His humour had returned along with some tingles in her backside. However mortifying, his threats were still powerfully arousing. She’d given up trying to convince her body that it was acting terribly unnaturally.

  For now, she just wanted to hear his voice. “So James, are you sure your parents were married before your birth?”

  During the rest of the flight, she learned more about him. Like her, he was an only child and he spoke fondly of his parents. His father was a high school teacher and his mother owned a bakery. He usually flew home to be with them at Christmas.

  He was still reluctant to speak about his army life but she learnt that he had joined at the early age of sixteen and was barely twenty when he gone to Afghanistan. It was an uncomfortable reminder that at the same age Mairead was leading a much more immature life. Hopefully that would change when she got home and maybe she could make something of herself that James might grow to respect. Maybe she could take her gymnastics training seriously and even become that Olympic champion her father dreamed her to be.

  The plane touched down in Auckland and they were home by mid afternoon. She had been well received by the media and general public at the airport but she was anxious about the reception she would get at home.

  James had refused to allow her to sit in the front of the car with him. Mairead smiled as she remembered James leaning against the car with his arms folded as he waited until she had got out of the front and into the back. Her stubbornness became boring after twenty minutes and James had won again.

  Her smile vanished when she saw her father come out of the house. Sean Kavanagh was no small man, only slightly shorter than James but a little more rounded. Mairead had thankfully inherited her mother’s slight figure.

  She had often heard her father complain about politicians and their eating habits. “If we were rolling up our sleeves instead of having discussions over dinner, something might get done in this country and I wouldn’t be on blood pressure pills.”

  James opened her door and Mairead got out and walked towards the house. Sean was frowning as he watched her approach and she steeled herself for the explosion. Joanne emerged from the house and ran past Sean to receive the first hug.

  “Welcome home Mairead.” Joanne kissed her warmly. “We missed you so much. Your father has been restless all day waiting for your return.”

  The frown on his face said otherwise. When Joanne finally released her, Mairead walked quietly towards him.

  When she was at arm’s length the frown suddenly became a huge smile as Sean picked her and hugged her tightly.

  Mairead giggled. “Daddy put me down. You’re embarrassing me.”

  “No I won’t,” He shook his head. “Not until you promise me you will never leave me again.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Mairead embraced him tightly. “Besides, you’re the only one who will have me.”

  Sean set her down, hugged and kissed her and then grinned at James who was standing by patiently, hidden behind his sunglasses.

  Sean shook his head, “Above and beyond James... again.”

  “Not at all Sir,” James shook his hand. “If you have no further use for me Sir, I would like to make some preparations for my holiday.”

  Mairead gasped quietly. “Are you leaving so soon James?”

  James nodded, “Tomorrow morning Miss Kavanagh.”

  “James cancelled his leave voluntarily when we hadn’t heard from you for a few days.” Sean smiled at James. “I was deeply grateful.”

  Mairead sighed. “Oh god Dad, is this the preliminary for the oncoming lecture?” She trudged up the front steps. “Hang on, I’ll go and prostrate myself in the library, ready to hear the riot act.”

  “Mairead Kavanagh!” Sean’s roar vibrated every nerve in her body but Mairead kept walking and didn’t stop until she was safely curled up in her favourite leather recliner in her father’s library.

  She had been tempted to go straight to her bedroom but it would have only delayed the inevitable. At least this way, she was choosing the time and place to hear all about his disappointment and how badly she had treated everyone.

  He kept her waiting for half an hour, but when Sean entered, Mairead was puzzled by his composure. Sitting in an adjacent recliner, Sean sighed deeply and remained silent for a few minutes.

  He began quietly. “Mairead, your behaviour outside was extremely rude. Do not talk to me like that again.”

  “I’m sorry Dad,” Mairead sulked. “I just didn’t want you going off at me in front of Joanne and James.”

  “I had no plans of ‘going off at you’” Sean shook his head. Mairead detected a smirk on his face. “As far as I am aware, James quite clearly delivered my message.”

  Mairead’s mouth opened widely. “Dad, are you hearing yourself? You sanctioned a beating to your daughter by the chauffeur. That’s not only perverse and abusive, it’s damn bloody criminal.”

  Sean laughed heartily. “I must admit, I did have a momentary change of mind but then I thought... what the hell.” He laughed again. “Poor James, I don’t pay him enough.”

  “Poor James,” Mairead was incensed. “Poor James just about branded your message on my arse.”

  Sean chuckled again. “I know and frankly I was a little surprised. He had told me quite determinedly that he would lose his job before laying a hand on you, but then he rang me last night to let me know that you were safely in bed with a good sore backside.”

  Mairead yelled with frustration. “I am twenty years of age! I am not a child and you and James are lucky I’m not pressing charges against both of you.”

  Sean laughed heartily. “I don’t know what changed his mind, my lass, but I can tell you this. I laughed myself to sleep, just knowing that for once, you got exactly what you deserved. I often wish that lad would hurry up and marry you and then he can deal with you permanently.”

  For a moment Mairead was speechless until she could calmly speak again. “Dad, whatever world you are living in, there is no way on God’s living earth that James and I are ever going to get married.”

  Sean nodded. “Yes, the lad is a bit slow on the uptake which is quite surprising considering how intelligent he is. You two will work it out for yourselves.”

  “There is nothing to work out. James is just some old chauffeur with a bad temper and definitely someone I have no interest in.”

  “He’s only eight years older than you and James has been much more than a chauffeur for a long time. I consider him a good friend and the only man on earth that has been able to stop you in your tracks.”

  “Oh and why is that Father?” Mairead gritted her teeth. “Maybe it’s because you gave him permission to spank me when I was fifteen.”

  For a moment Sean seemed confused and then he laughed for a long time. “Oh Mairead, I love you. For all the heartache you bring me, you more than make up for it by just being my beautiful baby girl.” He leaned forward and was smiling. “The day, to which you are referring, we heard you outside the library and knew you were eavesdropping, so I gave James a wink and thought I would give you a little scare. I had no idea that you had taken me so literally. James would never have laid a hand on
you.”

  Mairead felt odd. “But he did... yesterday.”

  Sean shrugged. “Something must have made him change his mind.”

  Mairead wanted to shrivel up and die. She knew exactly what had changed his mind, her own personal invitation. She had more or less challenged him to carry out his threat. Even when he had given her an option to avoid punishment, she had made it quite clear that she was quite keen, all because she had believed in a silly joke designed to scare her and turned it into a fantasy.

  Like her father, James must have laughed himself to sleep. How often did a silly compliant girl come along offering him a free shot at revenge, some voyeurism and a good feel of her backside? She had shamed herself beyond belief and she had been foolish to believe they were really friends. Any respect James still showed her was a product of his nature. He was an older, wise and worldly man and she was just a spoilt, immature girl. They couldn’t have been more different, and ever believing that he could be her friend was just another stupid fantasy.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Looking at the gloomy weather outside her window, Mairead was reluctant to get out of bed and wished she was back on the Gold Coast. She happily imagined James knocking on her door to bring her breakfast in. She would graciously accept it just so she could throw it in his face.

  During the night she had practised the tirade that she intended to inflict upon him. Calmly she would tell him how the last week had left her both physically and emotionally vulnerable and how low and despicable it had been of him to take advantage of her state. No decent man would have been so inappropriate and she was deeply disappointed in him. Yet she would be the better person and try to forgive him but it would be quite some time before she would be able to trust him again.

  Mairead grinned wickedly. She knew James enough to know that denigrating his conduct and professionalism would cut him to the quick and his embarrassment would far outweigh her own or at least even the score. Maybe then they could develop a friendship based on equal footing rather than him having the upper hand. With this encouraging resolve Mairead was out of bed.

  Her father was outside when she came downstairs, pacing the circular drive out front and grumbling. “Bloody agency was supposed to have a car here twenty minutes ago.”

  Mairead looked around for the silver BMW she had come home in. “Where’s James?”

  “He’s already left and he told me to wish you well while he’s gone.”

  Mairead felt a pang of sadness. “He didn’t say goodbye.”

  “Ah, they’re here.” Sean pointed his umbrella at the approaching car. “I’ll give those bastards a piece of my mind.” He kissed Mairead. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Behave yourself.”

  Mairead nodded and watched her father be driven away before going back inside. Joanne passed her in the foyer and greeted her cheerfully. “Just putting a load of washing on and I’ll be back to make some breakfast for you dear.”

  Mairead smiled. “No hurry, thank you Joanne.”

  She went to the library and sat in her chair feeling a weight of unexpected emotion. James had triumphed again, leaving without hearing her speech, leaving without saying goodbye. Mairead wanted to be angry but found she was tearful instead and somewhat relieved that she had not berated him.

  I’ll tell him when he comes back, Mairead thought, but she knew it would never happen. What she had wanted to say for so very long had frightened and confused her. In the silence of the library Mairead felt driven to speak as if James was sitting in the chair opposite.

  “I tried to do something for my life without you and I couldn’t do it. You’re the sole reason I have achieved anything and only because I wanted you to be proud of me. I’ve never allowed a man to touch me, because I wanted you to be my first, my only. I love you and it hurts so much because I know that you could never love someone like me, a total fuck-up.”

  When Joanne came to get Mairead for breakfast, she found the girl in hysterics. Quietly she sat on the arm of the chair and drew Mairead into her arms.

  “You mustn’t cry like this Mairead. Everything is going to be fine. You’re home now with the people who love you. We missed you terribly, your father especially of course, but James and I too. Three months without our Mairead.”

  Mairead sniffed back tears. “Best holiday James has ever had.”

  Joanne laughed. “Are you kidding? He was more grumpy and irritable than ever. Every day without fail he would be chasing me up. ‘Have you heard from Mairead?’”

  Mairead looked up. “James was asking about me?”

  “Except when you left the gym squad,”

  She grinned at Joanne. “I got kicked out Joanne but thank you for putting it so nicely.”

  “Stupid Australians had no idea what talent they were losing.” Joanne frowned. “They had no right to say all those horrible things about you.”

  “Most of it was fairly accurate.”

  Joanne would not be persuaded, “Well they are singing a different tune now, aren’t they?” Her tone altered crossly. “Don’t you ever do that again Mairead. I was terrified watching you in that video.”

  “So what did James have to say about my expulsion?”

  “He was angry,” Joanne shook her head. “Read every story a dozen times, muttering and grumbling away and then when you went missing... all hell broke loose.”

  Mairead waited for her to continue. “What happened?”

  Joanne shifted uncomfortably. “You mustn’t tell them I told you because it has all been resolved now.”

  “What’s been resolved?”

  “Your father and James had an argument, a huge argument.”

  She could scarcely believe it, “What about?”

  “James told your father he had no right to speak to you so unkindly. Your father disagreed. James went ahead and booked tickets to come find you and told your father that he didn’t expect to have his job when he returned. He rang every hospital and police station and was the first to hear where you were. Sean was devastated and inconsolable. It was James that saved him, promising him that he would bring you back.”

  Mairead couldn’t speak, to think that she had ever doubted that he cared about her. No wonder he had been so angry. He had punished her for exactly the reason he had given her. The question still remained of how much he cared for her? Could it even be possible that he felt about her, the way that she felt about him?

  James would be away for two weeks and she was certain that she couldn’t wait that long to find out. As an idea took shape, Mairead spent the rest of the day making arrangements and announced her plans to her father at dinner.

  Sean banged his fork down on the table and gaped at Mairead. “Wellington. You just got home. What the hell are you going to do in Wellington?”

  “I’m going to stay with Kylie for a couple of weeks. I haven’t seen her for over a year and I’m looking forward to catching up.”

  There was a long silence before her father spoke again. “Mairead, I don’t know how much more I can put up with. I’ve supported you through everything you’ve wanted to do, often at great detriment to my own ambitions, not to mention my finances. Right now, I believe you are being terribly selfish and what you should be doing is staying here and contemplating your future.”

  Mairead’s enthusiasm waned as she heard the hurt in his voice. She knew he was right and she had no desire to hurt him but somehow she knew that the turning point in her life was waiting in Wellington.

  She spoke quietly. “Daddy, I know how much I’ve hurt you and I’m so sorry but I need you to give me one more chance, even though I don’t deserve it. In Wellington, I have plans to do something really positive and something that you will genuinely approve of. I don’t want to tell you what it is just yet but...”

  “Mairead” Sean sighed and nodded. “Wellington is where I conduct eighty percent of my portfolio. To be part of the Beehive, a politician’s skin must be thicker than armour, but lately I feel that I’ve had a few layer
s stripped away.” From his coat pocket, Sean took out a credit card and tossed it to Mairead. “Make sure you eat well and stay safe.”

  Tears ran down Mairead’s face. “I’m going to get it right this time. You just wait and see.”

  From the outset Mairead took great care to avoid any attention by dressing casually in jeans and t-shirt, sweeping her hair into a bun hidden under a cap and wide sunglasses hiding her face.

  All her effort nearly came to naught when at her arrival to Wellington Airport, her name was screamed out with considerable enthusiasm. Mairead grinned to see Kylie looking fabulous in a black and white sleeveless short dress which showed off toned arms and legs.

  Mairead was crushed into a hug against her friend who was taller by several inches and very strong. Upon release, she looked at Kylie in amazement. “Wow great tits!”