The Scent of His Woman

by Maggie Pritchard

  ‘Yes boss, dark green top, sitting in the back row.’

  ‘Find her, bring her back here, I don’t know what excuse you need to use, just do it and do it yourself, I don’t want anyone else involved.

  Geth watched his chief of security give him an inscrutable look as he turned on his heel to obey the command. He shrugged it off, what if Owain read something into it? The young Welshman was loyal, discreet and efficient, that was all that mattered. He would find her and bring her back, and then she would find out that she made a mistake when she walked out on him. He could hardly believe his own reaction, the way he could not forget her, she was not far from his thoughts day and night, especially at night. When his body remembered hers and kept him from sleep with its aching need, but his mind seethed at her recalcitrant flight. He remembered her angry words, but that still didn’t explain why she’d sneaked out of his bed, leaving him with the unpleasant realisation that for the first time in his life Gethyn Mathias had been unceremoniously dumped!

  The memory of the first time he’d set eyes on her nearly a week ago, was burned into his brain. It had been a long day, he remembered, out on site working side by side with his construction managers planning the first exciting phase of this new development. He loved that time just after planning was granted, when he could get back to the nitty gritty of what he loved to do. Managing the project would soon consume every minute of his time but he always made time to indulge right at the beginning, it kept him sane, working in the heat and the dust with the boys, and drinking with them afterwards of course. They had fairly mobbed the little pub he remembered, filling it to its low rafters with diesel fumes, dust and testosterone. The team’s attention had been taken with the pretty barmaid, but he had been entranced by a pair of incredible violet eyes across the bar and things had not been the same since.

  Those eyes slanted almost orientally in a little pixie face, her straight little nose was dusted with tiny golden freckles and her face was framed by a mass of copper curls. It was this henna colour, as much as her obviously ethnic, slightly hippie garb that alerted him to the fact that she was part of the protest group. Not that it made any difference, he was lost the moment she flashed those lovely eyes at him, and lost was not a comfortable feeling for the boss of GLM Construction, not a comfortable feeling at all. Then when he’d leant over to take her lip-gloss he’d been enveloped in the scent of her, something clean, fresh and spiced that elicited an almost primeval reaction in him.

  He’d let her know he was interested and been encouraged to find she returned that interest. Though obviously nervous, she had waited for him to approach her outside, had allowed him to lead her to the vehicle and take her for a meal. That was when she had begun to thaw, chatting delightfully and then afterwards responding to him with easy passion. She was still responding when in his Cardiff apartment he had undressed her, the thought of her naked body made his react even now. Tiny, she was perfect, the colourful but shapeless garments he’d removed had revealed nothing less than perfection. Pale, creamy, silky smooth skin, with a delightful sprinkling of golden freckles trailing across her shoulders, long slender legs, and a tiny waist made to look even tinier by the curves of her lovely hips and breasts. He remembered the mild surprise of seeing the cluster of copper coloured curls that almost glowed at the apex of her thighs, so the hair was not hippie henna coloured as he’d assumed, and that was not the only wrong assumption he’d made that night he remembered ruefully.

  He was still unsure of his feelings about that other incorrect assumption. He’d been uncertain of her age, late twenties maybe, certainly old enough for her innocent state to have come as a shock to say the least. Would he have stopped if he’d known? He couldn’t say, deflowering virgins had never been his thing but the need to have this girl had been overwhelming, so who could say. He was appalled that he’d hurt her, even a little, but on the other hand the thought that he was the first, the only man she’d allowed such intimacy, made him feel he’d been given a precious gift. Even now he could feel the trio of emotions that had flooded through him as she’d bucked under him crying out in pain at his thrusting intrusion. Shock at what he’d irretrievably broken was quickly followed by a lusting response to her plea that he should not stop that had led him to heaven. He’d felt a rush of bittersweet tenderness at her anger, her self derision, and he’d cradled her tenderly for a long time before he’d had made love to her again and shown her just what her body was capable of. He’d held back from taking her again knowing she would be tender, he could wait, there would be plenty of time for that he’d thought. So it had come as quite a shock to wake alone the following morning. She had not long gone, the faint residual scented heat of her body in the bed told him that, but though he’d dressed and left the apartment within minutes of waking to search for her, he had not found her.

  An hour later he had stormed into his Cardiff office in a foul mood that sent his entourage scurrying to please, but his only concern was to brief his security chief and find her. He would have gone himself and searched that country hamlet until he found her, but he was booked on a mid morning flight to the states. No way could he miss this series of meetings, so he’d had to rely on Owain to find her, find out all there was to know about her and keep an eye on her until his return in three days time. Even then there had not been time to deal with her, while he had been away, the protest group had accelerated the protests at the LLan-aberth project so there had been that to deal with, along with the usual backlog of work that inevitably followed an absence from the office. So he’d had to be patient, content with reading the file Owain had prepared and intending to head off immediately following the meeting to find her.

  When he’d spotted her in the back row of the conference room it had come a surprise, a pleasant one, no need to go chasing after her after all. He would get the meeting over with and then she would find out that women did not walk out on Gethyn Mathias. Some of the worlds most glamourous women numbered amongst those he’d enjoyed on his own terms, for just as long as he dictated, months if they were lucky, days if they failed to please. When he made it quite clear the relationship was over, he always did that with an expensive little consolatory gift, before moving on to the next dalliance. Hell would freeze over, he vowed, before he would be kicked into touch by any female, let alone a prickly little hippie like this one!

  A plan was already forming in his head that would possibly kill two birds with one stone. He would get Ms Alexandria Owen back in his bed and jumping delightfully to his tune for just as long as he dictated and she would also provide just the diversion he needed to get his mother off his back. He loved his Mam, there was no doubting that, but just recently she had become obsessed with matching him to one of her friends horsey daughters. Convinced marriage and children would be the making of him. Normally he just kept his distance, busy with work it was not often he spent any significant time at the farm anyway. The problem was that his parents ruby wedding anniversary loomed and a big family celebration followed by a party was planned in a weeks time. The thought of spending a long weekend avoiding the joint efforts of Mam and her crony to pair him off with said cronies' daughter Sally was enough to make him seriously consider being out of the country. But of course he couldn’t do that, he would have to be there. Now if he turned up with a fiancée on his arm, he could be sure to put paid to their plans. Yes indeed Ms Alexandria Owen would be the answer to his problem and at the same time she would provide a delectable little diversion.

  He looked up sharply as Owain re-entered the room carrying a big saggy cotton bag in bright yellows and greens, prettily decorated with glass beads and sequins. Icy eyes narrowing, Geth looked inquiringly at the young man for explanation.

  ‘No sign of her boss, but this was left in the conference room.’

  ‘Is it hers?’ His boss’ terse question made him nod in answer,

  ‘Yes I’ve checked look here are her purse and driving license.’

  He proffered the documents to
Geth, but he had turned to walk across the room to

  stare out of the long narrow Georgian window at the teeming city below.

  ‘So she went with the rest of them? We can catch up with them at the village, ring

  down for my car will you?’

  ‘No boss, she’s not with the rest of the group, I found them alright, just around the

  corner, they were loading back onto a minibus but she wasn't with them, I watched until

  they drove off, she never made it back to the bus.’

  Geth turned sharply to look at the younger man, concern making his voice hard. ‘So she’s alone in London with no money, nothing? Get the boys out there looking

  for her, she can’t have got far, when she finds the rest have left without her and

  remembers where she left her bag she’ll try to get back here. It shouldn’t be too hard to

  catch up with her’

  Owain dropped the bag onto the big desk before leaving the room, leaving Geth to

  thoughtfully pick up the garish bit of cloth filled with her bits and pieces that he hoped

  would bring her back to him. Then without thinking he pushed it out of sight into one of the

  deep drawers of the desk.

  Lexie hurried, pushing her way through the throng of visitors and shoppers’ enjoying

  a day out in London, even in this wide street with its generous pavement it was hard going.

  She began to worry she was lost and panic made it harder to focus, harder to remember what the building looked like, what it was called. It was getting late, if she did not find it soon there was a good chance it would be empty, locked maybe if its staff had left at the end of their working day, then she really would be in trouble. She stopped in a doorway for a second to catch her breath and calm down. There’s no need to panic, she told herself silently, no need at all and it doesn’t help. All you need to do is walk carefully back the way you came and you will find it. It’s a building not a needle in a haystack, think and concentrate. Anyway if the worst comes to the worst, all you need to do is find a policeman and he will help ring a sister or two, who can be entirely relied upon to race to the rescue. Feeling calmer and less breathless she regained the pavement and began to walk steadily, studying the buildings as she passed them. It was between two big shop fronts, she thought she remembered, but she had no idea what was displayed in them. She did however remember the doorway was wide, stepped, with a huge black painted door standing open, there had been a brass plate too with the building name on it, but try as she might she couldn’t remember what that name was. She was just beginning to worry that she’d gone too far when she saw it, she was sure this was it, Corporation House, that

  was it, how could she have forgotten such an unimaginative name for an office building? The door was still open and she hurried inside fully expecting to be challenged by a

  doorman or some other GLM employee, she would just explain, maybe her bag had

  already been found and handed in. She remembered the wide spacious foyer with its

  marble tiled floors and walls, it was empty now though and the big clock confirmed her

  fear, its hands showing the time as five forty five, quarter of an hour past clocking off time

  for most, so she hurried on up the wide staircase to the room the conference had been

  held in. Pushing open the door she tentatively looked around, all the chairs were still in

  place but there was nothing under any of them. Lexie stopped in her tracks, worry flooding

  through her, don’t panic, it must have been found and handed in, that was it, it was safely

  stowed away in some office somewhere waiting for her to collect it, all she had to do was

  find someone to direct her to the right place.

  Turning to retrace her tracks she stopped dead and her eyes widened in alarm, her

  way was blocked in the worst way. Geth stood looking at her, filling the doorway with his

  bulk, an unfathomable look in his amazing steely blue eyes.

  ‘Well well, look who it is, a little pixie with a penchant for early morning disappearing

  tricks’, he drawled caustically. ‘Looking for something sweetie, me perhaps, with an

  explanation to impart?’

  Lexie faltered for a second, before squaring her shoulders and answering.

  ‘No actually I don’t have time for this... for you, I’ve lost my bag and I need to find someone

  to help, please just get out of my way, will you?’

  She watched a ghost of a smile play around his mouth and had to firmly put the unbidden memory of what those devastating lips were capable of out of her mind to focus on what he was saying. Far from moving aside as she’d asked he had simply stepped further into the room and pushed the door shut behind him. It clunked shut with a sound that made her panic return making it difficult to breath.

  ‘There is no bag here as you can see, maybe my staff picked it up and locked it away for safe keeping before they left for the day, it can be sent on to you if you leave your details. For now there is something else we need to talk about, don’t you think?’

  ‘No, you don’t understand,’ she was almost shouting now, ‘I need my bag, I need to catch the others and get the bus home. I need my bag...’

  She finished lamely, knowing in her heart it was too late, that the bus must have left by now. He knew that too, she could tell by the smug look on his handsome face. Well I’ll give you smug buster she thought and made to push past him, muttering ‘to hell with you then’ as she did so. He stopped her, grasping her upper arm in a firm grip that changed to vice like when she tried to pull free.

  ‘Let me go’ she demanded ‘I have nothing to say to you any more than you have to me, I just want to go home.’

  Not releasing his grip on her Geth turned and opened the big door behind him, propelling her forcefully out of it in front of him he made a beeline for his office. There he shut the door firmly behind them and pushed her into one of the big leather chairs in front of his desk.

  ‘Sit there and be quiet while I sort this out for you, as I said we will forward your bag if it can be found, in the meantime I need to get you home, but not before you explain your little disappearing act of the other morning.’

  Geth sat across the desk from her, picked up the phone, jabbed at the buttons and then spoke tersely into the handset.

  ‘I have a young lady here looking for a bag she left in the conference room. Yes of course, well check tomorrow and we can make arrangements to have it returned if indeed it has been found. In that case Owain, arrange for my car to be brought round will you?’

  Then replacing the receiver and looking intently at her he spoke.

  ‘As I thought , your bag has not been found, it may turn up...’ he shrugged.

  ‘In the meantime I will take you home and on the way you can explain the other morning.’

  ‘What is there to explain?’

  Lexie was calm now, this was no different from all the other times when she’d put up her safety barrier, just face him out girl, she told herself, face him out. Deliberately making her voice hard she snapped at him.

  ‘We had sex, I went home, what more did you expect, fireworks? You were good, but not that good buster!’

  Suddenly he was on his feet and had rounded the big desk in a split second, she could hardly believe such a big man could move that fast. Looming over her, he blocked out the light and for a moment she quaked. Big hands grasped her, pulling her up from the seat and she was crushed against the brick wall of his chest, she put out her hands to push him away but had no chance. He was holding her almost off the ground so there was no choice but to cling to him.

  ‘You thought I was good did you? Well I would be really interested to know just what comparison chart you are using sweetie. We both know it doesn’t hold much in the way of data, don’t we?’

  His silky soft voice contrasted with hard grip he held her in, an
d Lexie knew he intended to kiss her, she also knew she would be lost if he did. Struggling to break free, she twisted her face away to avoid his mouth. The ease with which he manipulated her was frustrating, one big hand slipped to the small of her back, supporting her against him, while the other firmly cupped her face and turned it back to him.

  ‘Afraid of me?’ He questioned gently, ‘you know all you fear is your own response, your own need, relax and let me show you everything will be ok, I promise you it will be.’

  Then his mouth was on hers and for a moment everything was indeed alright as he softly coaxed a response from her. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t think at all. Nothing existed but the pressure of his mouth on hers, gently tasting and teasing until her lips parted, allowing him entry. It seemed to go on forever until she lost all sense of time or place, until he finally lifted his head and his eyes, smoky with desire stared down into hers.

  ‘Still afraid?’ he asked ‘Or do you see now how right this is, it’s right because you belong with me, you did from the moment I set eyes on you cariad.’

  Geth paused, trying to analyze his own words, not his usual style of chat up line, so why did they sound so right? As right as breathing in the intoxicating scent that was uniquely her.

  Reluctantly, Lexie forced herself to come back down to earth and focus.

  ‘No,’ she forced out the word, ‘you used me. Got me drunk and used me to get the upper hand over the protest. I don’t know why you didn’t stop once you had the information you needed. Were you just in need of a casual fling? Or were you just out to do an old maid a favour? How you must have laughed at that, have you shared the joke with the boys? Is that what this is about, another notch on your bedpost to brag about?’

  He released her so abruptly she almost fell, icy blue eyes sparking, he returned her anger.

  ‘What the hell! Is that what you think? Well let me tell you lady I am not in the habit of extracting information from unwitting females drunk or otherwise and then bedding them for fun, let alone discussing sexual conquests with my employees. Not even when those conquests turn out to be so very intriguing.’