The Lethal Encounter

by Amy Alexander

  She was, and she freely admitted this to herself, the happiest she had ever been in her entire life and the reason for this happiness was obvious.

  She was in love. Absurdly, chaotically, massively in love.....and the object of her affections was just coming through the doors to the bar. He was dressed in light linen trousers and an open neck shirt that showed off his deep tan.

  He spotted her and smiled. The same smile that had enveloped her in that restaurant in Cannes and which she had grown, in a relatively short time, to adore.

  “Katie, Hi. Sorry. Just had to finish off a conference call but all done now. I am yours for the night.”

  With that Peter picked up his glass, tipped it towards her and said simply.

  “To us.”

  Katie returned the smile and clinked her glass against his.

  “To us,” she replied.

  It was a simple exchange but one that meant everything to her. They had only spent a few snatched moments after she had got out of hospital, although he had kept in constant touch. He had got back into his work with a vengeance and seemed to be either in important meetings or out of the country. She had tentatively suggested a break after finishing at Shire and, to her delight, Peter had joined her in Thailand a few days ago.

  Their time together so far had been blissful.

  “You know, I think we should go out to that island tomorrow. We can charter a boat, make a day of it. What do you think?”

  “That sounds lovely.” Katie placed her hand over his and squeezed gently. She was still finding it hard to believe the way things had turned out and shuddered when she thought that it had taken a near death (well not death maybe) experience to kick start things back on course.

  “But now some food. Let’s go to that restaurant on the beach, the one that served the amazing sweet and sour fish the other night. What do you think?”

  “Sounds good to me,” replied Katie, picking up her glass again and taking another sip. “You'll have to help me walking on the sand again…..sorry.”

  Peter smiled at her and placed his hand on her leg, rubbing gently through the thin material of her skirt. His touch inflamed her to the core and she almost suggested returning to their room before going to the restaurant.

  They finished their drinks and made their way to the edge of the veranda that bordered the hotel, before dropping down onto the fine white sand. Peter turned and Katie, with a giggle, jumped up onto his back. She clenched her legs around him and leant forward to whisper in his ear.

  “Giddy up, boy.” She gently nibbled his ear as he started walking the short way along the beach to the restaurant.

  They reached their destination and were greeted by a stunning Thai girl in traditional dress who stared appreciatively at Peter before showing them to a table. Katie sighed. She supposed she was going to have to get used to this if she and Peter were going to become a long term item (the very thought that they were not sent shivers of concern through her body). He never seemed to notice all the admiring glances, although Katie could not help but feel he must.

  They sat looking through the menus, although this was not really necessary since a sumptuous buffet was laid out all along the side wall of the restaurant. Katie was first to break the silence.

  “Are you aware that most women we encounter seem to have the hots for you?” she said.

  Peter looked up and smiled.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s just your imagination. Anyway, chance would be a fine thing.” He added - the smile on his face growing broader.

  Despite her happiness and new well being, Katie felt a tug of jealousy as she looked at the man opposite her. Here he was, a multi millionaire businessman who, up to a couple of months ago lived a playboy lifestyle and dated models, heiresses and actresses. Now he was in Thailand with plain old Katie McGovern, who had no trust fund, had not graced the cover of Vogue and had definitely not appeared in a Victoria’s Secret ad campaign. Despite the fact that he was here with her and they were having a great time, Katie kept coming back to this fundamental point. The thought of going back to London now and having to integrate into his busy social network with all those old “acquaintances” filled her with dread.

  And, to make matters worse, at that very moment, a female voice boomed out from the other side of the restaurant.

  “Peter…..oh, my god, it’s you isn’t it? What a coincidence!”

  A ravishing blonde woman in a very tight fitting dress came slinking over to Peter who pushed his chair back and rose to greet her.

  “Why, Penny, how are you? And fancy seeing you here! Who’s the lucky man?”

  Peter and Penny hugged and started talking animatedly. Katie sighed, her vague worries of a few moments before becoming more pronounced. She sighed again, a little louder. Peter picked up the sound and turned towards her.

  “Oh, sorry Katie. Penny, this is Katie, a very good friend of mine,” he said, holding his hand out towards her.

  Penny turned towards Katie with an appraising look and held out a hand.

  “Well, well. Katie, I’m pleased to meet you. How did you manage to get Peter here all by himself? Loads of us have been trying for years to do that, haven’t we Peter?”

  To Katie, she seemed to emphasize the word “you” as if to put her down and she immediately had an irrational dislike for Penny.

  “Good looks and a shed load of intelligence,” replied Katie with a tight smile, glancing over at Peter. She knew she was being a bit bitchy but she also knew that comments like that seemed to pass straight over the heads of girls like Penny. She had guessed right as the Penny smiled back at her and turned once again to Peter.

  “Peter, I’m with Mike Potter, who know, the chap who runs that racing company. You must come over and speak to us later. Anyway must go.” She turned again to Katie.

  “And lovely to meet you, er, Katie.” With that she swayed off, but only after giving Peter’s arm a conspiratorial squeeze.

  Peter sat down, seemingly unaware of Katie’s reaction to the impromptu visit.

  “An old girlfriend?” Katie enquired, her stomach churning slightly at the thought of Peter and Penny together.

  “Oh, I’ve known Pen for ages. She’s kind of one of the social crowd in London. A real go-getter. Mike’s even richer than me.”

  Katie gritted her teeth. The way Peter talked about his life sometimes made her wonder if there could ever be a real future for them together. Whilst her relationship status could be summed up in a couple of serious long term partners and some fun flings in between, Peter’s scene seemed to be a group of rich businessmen passing a group of highly sexed girls around as and when they felt like it. No wonder he was so fucked up when it came to commitment.

  “Have you any idea how that makes me feel?” she said quietly.

  “What?” replied Peter with a slightly resigned look on his face.

  “It makes me feel small, insecure, ugly and pathetic…..and the pathetic is for even thinking about it. I’m sorry but I’m just not used to boy friends being the subject of group female adoration. I don’t know how to handle it.” Katie stopped and looked apologetically at Peter. She knew these thoughts were irrational and she knew she would have to get used to them, but she was determined to tell him how she felt.

  “God, Katie. Don’t be like that. I told you, I’ve known Penny for ages. What do you want me to do…..ignore her?”

  Suddenly the evening had taken a different course. From feeling amazing a few moments ago to feeling sick with jealously and insecurity, Katie just want to jump up and leave.

  “Anyway, if you really want to know, we never actually went out - so does that answer your question?” Peter added as an afterthought.

  Katie nodded, although she knew that he did not really understand what she was feeling. “Never really went out” could mean anything, and she was pretty sure that, sometime in the past, Peter had probably slept with Penny.

  She tried to imagine meeting one of her casual encount
ers again and what that would actually mean. Pretty much nothing, if truth be told, she reasoned with herself. So why did the thought of Peter’s past flings make her feel so…..terrible?

  “Yes. I’m sorry. Let’s just eat shall we?” Katie said in a small voice.

  However much they tried to pick up the mood of earlier, something was missing and they made their way back to the hotel some time later feeling deflated. Katie retired to the rest room just off the bar and Peter went to order a nightcap.

  As she washed her hands at the ornate sink, Penny made an entrance and moved to stand next to her in front of the mirror.

  “So how long have you known Peter?” she asked, as she applied her lipstick. “It must be a new thing, because I had not heard he had a new squeeze.”

  Katie pushed her hands together under the flow of water from the tap and considered her response.

  “Not long really. We met at work.”

  “At work eh? Do you run one of these IT company things as well then?”

  “Oh no,” Katie laughed. “I’m just a lowly employee, but when the boss starts sniffing, well, you just have to toe the line, don’t you?”

  Penny stared back at her. Katie thought she detected a new look of respect dart across her face, but it was gone as soon as it had arrived.

  “Good for you. Peter is an adorable man. He’ll be a great catch for someone, that’s for sure.” With that, Penny turned and disappeared into one of the cubicles that lined the back wall.

  Katie smiled to herself. Despite her inner turmoil, she felt she had won that particular exchange and, after shaking her hair and straightening her dress, hobbled out of the restroom to return to the bar.

  Peter, she saw, was deep in conversation with a well dressed man she guessed was in his early forties. As she approached, they both turned to look at her with, and she noticed on this occasion, admiration on their faces.

  “Katie, this is Mike. He’s here with Penny. You may have heard her say.”

  Katie reached out and clasped Mike’s proffered hand.

  “You devil, Peter.” Mike said. “You always end up with the most attractive, sexy and gorgeous girls. How do you do it and where have you been hiding this particular beauty?”

  Peter smiled and hooked his arm around Katie’s waist, an action that pleased her greatly after her earlier worries.

  “Well, she sort of found me if truth be told. It’s a long story.”

  “No matter. Come and sit down with me Katie darling.” Despite Mike’s comments, Katie could not help but like this smiling, jovial man and, with a backward glance at Peter, she went to sit down at one on the many chairs dotted around the bar. Mike sat down beside her and took her hands in his.

  “Katie, Katie. Come away with me. I will make you happier than you have ever known. Leave Peter. I insist. Now.”

  Katie laughed and felt better. Peter came over to the table with their drinks and she took hers gratefully.

  “Well, Mike, that’s a nice invitation but I hardly know you and you must realise I’m not that sort of girl.” She joked back, immediately recalling the night in the hotel in Cannes when she had, very nearly, been exactly that type of girl!

  They chatted about the usual get-to-know-you things and Katie spotted that Penny had returned to the bar and had caught Peter just as he was about to join them. They were now engrossed in some deep conversation and she saw Penny’s hand repeatedly come up to touch Peter as she emphasized points. She wondered, with a certain amount of returning despair, what they were talking about. A couple of times, she saw them glance towards her and Mike and she wondered if the girlfriend swapping thing was, in fact, a reality.

  “Peter seems totally enamoured with you Katie, I’ve never seen him so besotted.” Mike’s comment dragged her back to reality.

  “And how on earth can you tell that? Sometimes I even wonder myself.” She found herself opening up to this virtual stranger.

  “Oh dear, another insecure soul! I had kind of set you apart from the usual suspects. You seem different.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong Mike,” said Katie, reaching out and touching his hand. “I’m probably the most sensible and level headed girlfriend (she hesitated before using THAT word) he has ever had but there’s something about him that just makes you feel so, so…..lonely. That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it? After all, it’s me he’s here with and no one else.”

  As she said that, she saw Penny whisper something in Peter’s ear at the bar and they both laughed. Katie felt a tear prickle up and she hated herself for it. She turned back to her present companion.

  Mike squeezed her hand sympathetically. She looked into his eyes and saw some understanding.

  “Look, Katie, I don’t know you at all and I don’t really know Peter that well personally, but he has a fearsome business reputation and has succeeded pretty early in life. That, combined with his amazing good looks of course, makes him a target for every man-hunting girl out there…..and there are lots, just like dear Penny.”

  Katie stared at Mike, who continued.

  “He has been totally driven to grow his business and that really leaves little time for social niceties. Combine that, I’ve no doubt, with boarding school at an early age, and probably stand offish parents, and you get a man who is totally inept at any sort of real intimacy. We are all the same really…..and it just takes someone like you to snap us out of it. Don’t you forget all that, my dear,” finished off Mike. “That’s the end of my lecture, here come the others.”

  Peter and Penny joined them and took up adjoining seats. Peter sat next to Katie and picked up her hand in his.

  “I’ve just been telling Penny the circumstances under which we met,” he said.

  “Yes, not his usual stomping ground, it must be said,” added Penny.

  Katie felt a stinging retort rise up but then it disappeared just as quickly. She squeezed Peter’s hand and was reassured when she felt him respond.

  Despite the fact it was not late, she felt very tired and stood to make her excuses and leave. Peter jumped up as well.

  “Good idea, come on Katie, let’s leave these two young lovers together.” With that he leant forward to kiss Penny’s cheek and shook Mike’s hand.

  Katie noticed the look of disappointment on Penny’s face and, as they left the bar, she saw her eyes following them. She bit her lip and said nothing - knowing that there was little point going over that ground again.

  Nonetheless, looking back, she found Mike’s words intriguing and they had made her feel better about her position in Peter’s life.

  They reached their room and went inside. Peter pulled her to the bed and sat her down.

  “I know you feel bad when women like Penny come up to me, but you have to understand they have been part of my life for a long time and I can’t just shut them out. The important thing now is that you are here with me. You have to believe that.”

  Whilst Peter was talking, he was stroking her hand and now his fingertips gently moved up her arm to her shoulder. She looked at him.

  “I’m sorry for being so pathetic about it all. It’s just that I’m not used to people like that…..they are so different to me.”

  “And that’s why I love you, not them…..” responded Peter gently.

  Katie’s breath held in her throat. Despite all their previous intimacy, Peter had never actually mentioned THAT word and she was overcome with happiness, although she did not really feel ready to return the endearment. Instead, she reached for his face and touched him gently on the lips with hers.

  “Good,” she said. “Now prove it.”

  Peter kissed her hungrily and hoisted her astride his lap. She sank down onto his thighs and could immediately feel his hardening penis beneath the cloth of his trousers. As they kissed long and sensuously, she slowly ground her pelvis around on top of him until the pleasure started to mount. She broke free and let the top of her dress fall to reveal her breasts. She guided his head down and he took first one nipple a
nd then the other into his mouth, licking and gently biting the growing tips. Arrows of desire shot from her chest down to her loins as she rubbed her hands through his hair and pushed his head harder into her breasts. They stayed like that for what seemed like an age until Katie could stand it no longer.

  She reached down between them to find the top of his trousers and slipped the first button undone. Then she slowly pulled down the zipper, all the while glorifying in the pleasure he was giving her with his lips on the tips of her breasts. Her hand snaked into the newly formed opening and she found his penis lying caught under his pants. With a gentle tug, she freed it and it sprung, hot and hard, into her hand. She brought it up between them and moved her body so that the front of her pubis was resting against the shaft. Slowly she began to rock, back and forth.