The Lethal Encounter

by Amy Alexander

  Josie looked at her thoughtfully.

  “Hey, whatever. It just seems a shame doesn't it? You really liked him but you feel you can't take it further? Just because of what a few gossipers in the office may say? Not much of an excuse in my book. Anyway, how's that other nice man in your life? What's his name? Hugo wasn't it? Oh, it was him who phoned you in the restaurant, was it? Well, have you done the deed with him yet?”

  Despite having dumped her thoughts with her friend, Katie was actually relieved that the subject had been changed and took another sip of her wine, determined to put the events of the last two days out of her mind.

  “He's fine. Actually he wanted to go out tonight but I could not face it really…..not after what happened last night.” Katie stopped when she saw Josie lick her finger and strike one up on the imaginary scoreboard. Despite being caught out, she laughed and bowed her head in mock surrender.

  Later that evening, after much too much alcohol and a quick pasta in the small Italian restaurant next door to the wine bar, Katie let herself into her flat and dumped her bag and coat on the arm of the settee that graced her small but perfectly formed living room. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of water before sitting down at the dining table and sorting through her post.

  She gazed around her apartment and couldn't help thinking that, although she loved her own space and time, she sometimes wished that there was someone slightly more permanent to share it with. Despite this thought, her mind was now totally confused about the whole relationship thing. Not two days ago, she seemed ready to commit to Hugo, and now she was all over the place again. What had happened really last night? Was it just a physical reaction or could it have been something more?

  She sighed and finished the water before moving into the bathroom and then to bed.

  CHAPTER 4

  Peter Jarvis toyed with the food on his plate and wondered what the matter was.

  Here he was in one of his favourite restaurants in London, with one of his prettiest girlfriends and he felt grumpy.

  On Friday, after leaving Nice, his meeting in Frankfurt had gone well. He had arrived back in the office in good time and was able to tie up all the week's loose ends before leaving the office around 8pm to enjoy a quiet dinner with some friends. Yesterday he had escaped out of London, driving up the relatively quiet M40 motorway, to enjoy a great day shooting with one of his friends in the Cotswolds, followed by an equally good and sociable dinner party with a few local associates. He had slept well and returned to his London flat that morning to finish up some paperwork and clear his e mails. Lunch with the IT expert who was developing a new application for him had gone well and he had relaxed that afternoon (unusually, it had to be said) in front of the big game on Sky.

  Now he was seated across from Anabelle, a stunning blonde who ticked all the boxes from his point of view. Her father was a German industrialist who had made a fortune digging coal out of the Bavarian mountainside and helpfully set up joint trust funds for his three daughters - whose mission in life seem to be to spend that money as quickly and as indecently as possible.

  “I mean, she was so bitchy to me. I hadn't seen her since skiing in Courchevel, so she had no right to say those things…..had she…..had she….. Peter?”

  “What, what, oh sorry, what were you saying?”

  “You have not been listening to anything I've been saying have you? What on earth is up with you?”

  “Nothing, nothing,” replied Peter. “Just overworked.....you know, a lot on the mind.”

  “Hmm, anybody would think you weren't totally enamoured with my company and smitten by my astounding good looks and wit.”

  “Absolutely.” Peter nodded vaguely, not really taking in what she was saying.

  “Absolutely what? Oh, never mind. Let's just get the bill and leave.” Anabelle's gaze softened and she reached over to take Peter's hand.

  “After all, I've got plans for us tonight.” She gave what Peter assumed was a sexy look and clicked her fingers imperiously at the waiter.

  Peter sighed. Anabelle was good company and, although they had never had a “serious” thing going, he did like her a lot and she was, after all, beautiful. But tonight he knew he was not in the mood and did not look forward to imparting this information to his companion. He would wait until they were outside before saying anything - Anabelle was known to get excitable if things did not go her way.

  Later, as he climbed the steps to his apartment in Mount Street, he was glad he had made that decision. Anabelle's thoughts of an erotic encounter had not taken kindly to being dumped into a taxi alone at 11pm on a Sunday night and the parting shot he had heard was her ordering the cab to go to a well known late night club on the King's Road. Peter knew she would quickly find another suitor and was relieved to find that he did not care a bit.

  After letting himself in, he went straight into his study and sat himself down at his computer to review any new e mails that may have arrived in the last few hours. His PA had sent him his itinerary for tomorrow and he quickly scanned it. Nothing too bad.....a couple of internal catch up meetings and a client coming in from the States, followed by dinner with his lawyer. He nodded to himself. That schedule would give him some thinking time, something he badly needed if he was going to take his company up to the next level.

  Peter Jarvis had never really set out to be hugely successful in the computer business and he would always be the first to admit that, whilst he had always worked hard both at school and subsequently in employment, he had been helped hugely by the “right place at the right time” adage. His, now ex, partner Hamish Andrews, who had set up Shire with him back in the late nineties, had been the technological genius, not he. True, it had been his enthusiasm and business nous that had commercialised the original concepts of the company and it was him who had brought in the right partners to allow the firm to grow so dramatically, but it had been Hamish's knowledge and ideas that had set the ball rolling.

  Peter got up from his desk, left his study and went into the large living area that formed the main part of his flat. He retrieved a bottle from the fridge in the well fitted out kitchen area and poured himself a glass of wine. Although it was relatively late, he wanted to have a few moments of relaxation before going to bed, alone as it turned out.

  He sat down in one of the large swivel chairs, crossed his legs and looked out of the large windows that were the showpiece of his top floor apartment. He remembered coming to see the flat a few years ago and immediately falling for its mixture of period and modernity, in particular the huge shafts of sunlight that had been pouring in through the windows on that day. It was a large place for just one person, and he would be the first to admit that it lacked a few home comforts, but it had a good atmosphere and feel about it.

  As he looked out on the night sky, all he could see now were the jagged edges of the neighbouring buildings and, beyond them, the lights of London that never seemed to dim. The noises of the city gradually winding down after a hectic weekend soothed his somewhat morose mood and he took a large sip of wine.

  In truth he was frustrated and, to a large extent, annoyed with himself. It wasn't the premature ending to this evening or the sudden lack of companionship that had caused this perplexing state, it was his encounter with that Katie last Thursday. And, he admitted to himself, he could not really explain why it had caused such a reaction.

  Peter had been lucky enough to enjoy his share of beautiful women, and had always relished their company both in and out of his bed. But, from the moment he had laid eyes on Katie in the restaurant, he had felt irresistibly drawn to her. He recalled the moment well and could see her in his mind's eye, sitting alone at her table, casually eating in a manner that exuded a self confidence and inner belief. When their eyes had met, he had felt a jolt go through him and, from that moment, he had been totally unable to concentrate on anything his friend and colleagues were saying. All he wanted to do was to turn back in her direction and stare.
When her mobile had gone off he had noted out of the corner of his eye her obvious embarrassment and it amused him as he strained his ears to catch just the faintest hint of her voice. When their eyes had met a second time, he knew that he had made an impression on her and it pleased him greatly…..to the extent that he almost got up at that moment to go over to her.

  Her rapid departure from the restaurant had left him annoyed and empty but he knew that he could not realistically get up and follow her, so he shrugged his shoulders to himself and finally tuned back into the conversation around him. His concentration was shot to bits though and he recalled moving dinner on at an almost rude pace, hurriedly paying the bill and suggesting a nightcap back at the hotel.

  His heart had leapt almost uncontrollably when he spotted her in the bar later and he knew that he would have to go and speak to her…..normally something that he would have found very easy but, in this instance, he felt a fluttering in his stomach as he approached.

  Looking back, he felt that the encounter had gone well. He remembered being mesmerised by her look and the way she gently flicked her hair out of her eyes with her slim fingers. She had obviously been nervous to begin with but had slowly relaxed as they talked. He also remembered the jolt that had gone through his body when their hands had touched. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed just chatting like that to a woman.....and chatting about nothing in particular. He felt they had a connection that he rarely felt when it came to the opposite sex.

  The physical contact later in the room had been one of the most exciting sexual encounters he had ever had and, as he thought about it, he felt himself grow hard inside his jeans. God, she had been hot…..a veritable volcano ready to explode. He knew that if things had not been cut short, the sex would have been mind blowing.

  Peter shook his head in frustration and took another large sip of wine. He could not understand his feelings because he just could not come to terms with an acute sense of loss he felt…..whatever that means when it comes to sexual encounters. God, it wasn't just that....he had enjoyed his fair share of gorgeous, and sexy, women and he knew that it wasn't just the absence of sexual fulfilment that bugged him so.

  No, in just a few short hours, Katie McGovern had got under his skin and he was pissed off. Pissed off that he hadn't had mind blowing sex, but even more pissed off in the knowledge that he would probably never see her again. He somehow felt that he was about to miss out on a huge opportunity and, however much he tried to reach out to analyse what exactly that might be, it hovered annoyingly beyond his reach.

  With a deep sigh, he finished his drink, rose from the chair and headed towards the bathroom.

  As he lay in his bed later he wondered if he could do some detective work and find out where she worked. She had said she was in the computer software business, so it should not be too hard to trace her. He could maybe use the same resources he had used for some company investigations in the past. But, as he turned off his light and turned over, he resolved to move on and forget her. Thanks goodness it was work tomorrow. He needed something to focus his mind on.

  CHAPTER 5

  Monday morning was cloud free and the sun shone brightly as Katie walked from the tube to work. She stopped at the local Starbucks to get a coffee and recalled the pleasant trip to her parents the previous day. It had been good to see them and the time had gone quickly, terminating in a long walk in the local countryside with her mother and their aging black Labrador, Maggie, who still seemed to have considerable life left in her as she waded in and out of the river that bordered the path along which they were walking.

  Katie had fielded the usual demands for intimate details of her private life and then they had discussed the health of her father for the rest of the time. Katie loved the way her mother still seemed to dote on him and the thought of anything happening to either filled her with horror. Her father certainly was not as mobile as he used to be and his breathing often seemed laboured, even when he was doing relatively small physical tasks. Still, her mother assured her that he had received a clean bill of health at his last check up and Katie felt somewhat reassured.

  The drive back to London had been uneventful and, Katie realised as she soaked in a deep and luxuriant bath later in the evening, she had hardly thought about Peter Jarvis at all. For some unknown reason she found that in itself, whilst a relief in general, left her feeling disconsolate. This, combined with a nostalgic residual from the visit to her parents, left her going to bed in a slightly down state.

  She turned into the main office reception and waved a cheery good morning to the receptionist who she knew fairly well. She climbed the stairs to the second floor and settled into her work station before switching on her computer and logging into outlook to review her in tray. She had a busy day ahead organising timelines and confirming details of the agreement with Logistics France.

  A ping from her inbox alerted her to a new meeting that had been scheduled in for her and the team at 11am. The heading on the alert box indicated that it was to go through the details of the agreement and to decide the team members who would handle the account. Katie had a sudden feeling that she might be taken off the job…..maybe someone had found out about her liaison with Peter Jarvis the previous week and decided she should not continue with the project. She mentally shook her head to herself. No one knew and that was a paranoid thought! She clicked on the accept tick and returned to her paperwork.

  The Logistics France contract itself involved creating a new digitised backup and security platform for the large data processing company headquartered as it was on the south coast of France. Whilst Katie understood the top level technical requirements, the detailed infrastructure required would need the input of a technical team and, even though they were a separate department, they would be working closely with Katie for the next six months.

  She had just managed to sort out her notes when a meeting reminder appeared on her screen. She quickly printed out a one page summary, gathered all her paperwork and walked swiftly towards the staircase that would take her one floor higher to one of the conference rooms.

  There was only one other person in the appointed room when she arrived and also Judy, the ever present and always helpful catering lady, who was just finishing the distribution of coffee cups around the huge table.

  “Hi Judy,” said Katie cheerfully. “How are you?”

  “Not so bad, my dear,” replied Judy smiling fondly at Katie. “Just finishing up here, and then I'll let you lot get on.”

  “No hurry.....and thanks for this.” Katie sat herself down one chair away from the other occupant of the room who seemed to be studying a raft of papers in front of him.

  “Hi David.”

  “Oh, hi Katie,” replied David Keenly, one of the tech team leaders. David was a man in his mid forties and was a seasoned IT professional. Often teased as being a classic “geek”, David was nonetheless an excellent executive. Katie had worked with him before and hoped that he would be leading her tech support team on this deal.

  Katie and David made small talk as other people trooped into the room. Sue, Katie's direct boss, sat opposite and the department head, Julie Cantor, sat at the end of the table. In all there were eight people present and they were in the process of helping themselves to coffee and biscuits from the tempting plateful left by Judy when Julie Cantor, after taking a sip of coffee, opened the meeting.

  “Thanks for coming everyone. I want to put preliminary plans in place for the fulfilment of the deal with Logistics France and I also want to congratulate the sales team for closing the deal…..particularly you Katie.” Julie nodded acknowledgment to Katie who smiled and felt a bit self conscious as all eyes swivelled towards her. “We have short timelines and so I want to appoint teams as soon as possible. Sue, can you fill in some details?”

  “Sure, Julie thanks,” said Sue, sitting up straighter in her chair. “We're going to need Katie to give us a lot of the relevant information, but first I want to put in place
personnel.....”

  Just as Sue was speaking, the door at the end of the room opened and none other than Peter Jarvis walked into the room. Everyone's head turned in his direction and Sue's voice faltered into silence.

  “Oh please, don't mind me,” said Peter, totally oblivious to the stir he had caused. “I just wanted to sit in on this one and who knows, I might even be able to add something.” He sat down in one of the spare seats and confidently placed his hands on the table in front of him.

  “Oh, fine. Hi Peter. Great to see you. I think you probably know everyone here. Sue, why don't you continue?” said Julie. Whilst she obviously knew Peter well, she was not used to him coming uninvited to her meetings and his arrival clearly shook her.

  “Fine. Hi Peter. We're just about to discuss the plans for fulfilling the France Logistics contract that Katie completed last week.” As she said this Sue inclined her head towards Katie and Peter Jarvis turned his head towards her for the first time.

  If Katie's mood had been good to middling at the beginning of this meeting, Peter's arrival had changed all that. As the door had opened and Katie had turned her head, it was almost as if the world had gone into slow motion. She had seen his hand grasp the door jamb and then watched as he had emerged around it. He was wearing a dark brown jacket, a crisp white shirt open at the collar and a pair of dark blue jeans. His hair was swept back and his face looked fresh and bright, even though there were small dark rings under his eyes. His smile was exactly as she remembered and his twinkling eyes seemed to reach out to everyone in the room.