by Latham, D
"You date the wrong women," I teased, "I didn't 'demand' anything, and I have no idea how much money Oscar has, it's none of my business."
"He has billions," said Ivan, "banking is the biggest scam in the world. They create money out of thin air, through fractional reserve banking, and get paid back real money, with interest. Nice little closed cartel too."
"It doesn't matter now," I said. "He can spend it on someone else."
"What did he do to you?" Ivan asked gently.
"Nothing I'm going to share with you. Oscar and I have a deal. I stay silent, and he stays away from me. That suits us both just fine. Can we change the subject now?"
He nodded. "Sure." Thankfully the girls came racing back, both stinking of fox poo, thoroughly pleased with themselves. "Looks like we're bathing spaniels this afternoon. Girls, you both stink," he said. I giggled.
Back at the house, Ivan disappeared to run a bath, and I plugged my dead iPhone in to charge, before helping bath two wriggly, overexcited little dogs. Ivan lathered, and I rinsed, while the two dogs delighted in shaking the water out, soaking us both. By the time we'd finished, the bathroom looked like a bomb site, Ivan's hair was drenched, and my wet T-shirt had gone see through. We slid around on the wet floor, trying to each catch a spaniel to dry them off with towels, and ended up in a heap, laughing our heads off. The wet spaniels just sat wagging wet tails, spraying us both.
"That wasn't a raging success," laughed Ivan, helping me up, "you are the naughtiest girls, so don't look so pleased with yourselves." The spaniels just wagged even more.
I caught Ivan staring at my wet T-shirt, so quickly nipped back to my room to change into dry clothes. I went back downstairs to find Ivan preparing some lunch. His housekeeper had left a cold roast chicken in the fridge, and he had a pan of jersey royals boiling on the hob.
"Chicken, new potatoes and baby corn ok with you?"
"Sounds great. Anything you need me to do?"
"No, just sit and drink your wine." He pushed a glass towards me. I picked up my phone, and switched it on. There was a text from James asking if I was ok, and one from my mum, just saying hi. I quickly replied to both.
"Did Oscar check you were safe?"
"No. One from my flatmate, and one from my mum." In truth, I was a little hurt that Oscar hadn't cared about my safety. I could have been lying in a ditch for all he knew.
Chapter 16
We spent an extremely lazy and enjoyable afternoon flopping on the sofa, watching a film, with the spaniels positioned in between us, out cold, and snoring.
"One little walk, and they're worn out for the day. Lazy little things," laughed Ivan, stroking Bella's rather round, little tummy.
"They've had a busy day, walking, being bathed, eating. It's a lot for a small person." I said, before Tania let out a loud snore. We both laughed.
I discovered that Ivan was a big fan of chocolate, and we scoffed matchmakers and celebrations as we watched‘The Prince of Persia'. I loved the fact that he didn't insist on poncey chocolate, as I preferred the normal stuff. It was yet another affirmation of his lack of snobbery, which I thought was really attractive. I would never have expected 'The Russian' to have been the type to spend a day tenderly looking after dogs, and eating supermarket chocolate while sprawled out watching TV. In my mind, I'd expected him to be uptight, hyper disciplined, and a workaholic. He hadn't even had a single phone call all day, let alone done any work.
Halfway through the film, I became aware of a third snore adding to the cacophony of the dogs. I glanced over to see Ivan had fallen asleep. I stared at him, wondering if I would ever get used to how beautiful his face looked. He looked serene and boyish, at odds with his powerful, intensely masculine body. Ignoring the film, I replayed our day together in my mind. For two people who didn't know each other well, we had been remarkably relaxed in each other's company, rather like the easy relationship I had with James. I had to remind myself that he was a sharp talking billionaire who I'd witnessed sharking a client. I mentally slapped myself for thinking how nice and normal he was, when in reality he was beautiful beyond belief, and as sharp as a knife. I steeled myself against being seduced. In the meantime, I could enjoy the pretty... Ok, I was being a bit creepy with the 'staring while he's
asleep' thing, but if I was being honest, I wanted to get over his looks, and stop them affecting me, although I was puzzled as to why he hadn't made a move on me. If he did, I wasn't entirely sure I'd want to resist.
Eventually, Bella nuzzled him awake, and he scrubbed at his face, before checking his watch. "Ok baby girl, yes I know, it's tea time." He wandered out to the kitchen with the dogs at his heels, and reappeared a few minutes later bearing glasses of wine. The film had long finished, and I was watching a crappy game show. "Shall I show you round the house?"
I followed him down a corridor, and into his home gym. It was really well equipped, and with the pool, had everything I'd need. We carried on to the library, which was beautiful. Ivan took a piece of paper, and wrote down his wifi password for me, so I could use the Internet on my laptop.
"I'd rather you didn't use my study, if that's ok," he said. I nodded. What secrets have you got then Ivan?
He showed me how to summon security, and how to use his panic room, which was extremely well fitted out with food, water and communications. "Why all the security?" I asked.
"I made a lot of enemies over the years," was his flippant reply, "quite a few would love a pop at me, so I make sure I'm well protected."
We decided on a swim before dinner. I changed into my costume, and wrapped a towel round myself. Ivan was already swimming when I got there. I climbed in, and began a front crawl, which soon turned into a race. Ivan was a good swimmer, but I was faster. We did length after length as he tried to catch me up, never quite managing it, but the chase itself was exhilarating,
Eventually, I stopped at the edge of the pool, and waited as Ivan caught up. We were both panting and breathless from the exertion. "Are you some kind of Olympic swimmer?" Ivan asked, between trying to catch his breath.
I grinned, "no, but I do swim every day." I glided away from him, and lay floating on my back, looking up at the sky. A pair of hands shoved me from underneath, launching me into the air, before I landed back in the water with a splash. Ivan popped up from under the surface, and began to laugh at me spluttering. "That's not fair," I yelled, before diving under the water, and grabbing his feet, causing him to flail his arms wildly to keep himself from sinking.
I let go of his feet, and came up for air, smoothing my wet hair back off my face. Ivan was staring at me. "You are so beautiful Elle, you know that don't you?"
"That's really sweet of you to say, Ivan, thank you," I replied, "and you are very handsome too."
"But?"
"But nothing. You're handsome." I smiled, and swam away from him to get out of the pool. The early evening air was cool, and made me shiver slightly. To my absolute horror, my nipples hardened into bullets. I grabbed the towel and wrapped it round me, fully aware that Ivan had gotten an eyeful, as I could see lust written all over his face. For a split second, I let myself imagine what it would be like to have those lust filled sapphire eyes staring into mine, as he made wild, passionate love to me. I shoved that thought out of my head, and asked him if he was getting out.
"Give me a few minutes, and I'll be out," he said, looking uncomfortable.
"Ok, no problem," I said, turning to walk back to the house, and give him some privacy. Inwardly, I was high fiving myself.
I jumped in the shower to wash the chlorine off, and then pulled on my pyjamas and robe. Back downstairs, I poured another glass of wine each, and settled down on the sofa for Sunday night telly. Ivan took ages in the shower, eventually appearing halfway through Top Gear. He flopped down on the sofa, and gave Tania’s ears an affectionate rub, before grabbing his wine, and taking a big slug.
"What time are you leaving in the morning? I asked.
"About seven." I felt quite
bereft at the thought of not seeing him again until Friday, but given the task I had to complete in the next week, it was probably a good thing not to be distracted. If he had been at home, I would have had to stay at the Travelodge so as not to be tempted.
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
"Not really, but I could eat if you are." He jumped up, and disappeared into the kitchen. About ten minutes later, he came back carrying a tray laden with snacks. Between the four of us, we managed to demolish the contents fairly quickly. The girls getting more than their fair share. It was all very cosy and domestic, and it made me miss James, and the easy familiarity we shared.
By ten I was yawning, so said my good nights, and headed up to bed. Ivan took the girls outside for their final wee, and I heard him talking to them as the three of them headed to his bedroom. I lay in the darkness, trying not to think of him laying, possibly naked, just across the hall. Was he laying awake thinking about me? Or was he thinking about the date he sent home on Saturday night? I allowed myself to fantasise about him coming to my bedroom, declaring that he just had to have me. I knew he would never behave like that, but I still held my breath as I heard the bedroom door creak open.
I felt the bed dip slightly, and a cold, wet nose nuzzled my hand. I couldn't see which one it was, so I just gave her ears a little rub, and listened to her snuffly breathing as I fell asleep.
As per usual, I was up bright and early. I discovered that Tania had spent the night with me, and looked as though she had no intention of getting up early. After pulling on shorts and a T-shirt, I ventured down to the kitchen to make tea. Sitting on the patio, sipping my cuppa, I focused my mind on the day ahead. I decided not to tackle Mrs Smith about her less than complimentary description of me to Lady Golding, as I figured that we had enough rope to sack her at the disciplinary hearing we had planned, failing that, I knew that we could make her position so difficult, she'd beg to retire. I drained my cup, and headed into the gym, and straight onto the treadmill. I needed to clear the cobwebs of the difficult weekend away, and work off some of the food I'd eaten. I could hear Ivan talking to the dogs in the kitchen as I used the weights machine.
I did my workout, headed out to the pool, and was just finishing my swim, when Ivan appeared, dressed in a navy suit and crisp, white shirt. He was fresh from the shower, and his hair was still damp, and slightly tousled.
"Just off. Thought I'd come and say goodbye."
"Have a good week, and I'll probably see you Friday, although I'm sure I'll speak to you before that," I said, switching into professional mode, which was tricky when I was just wearing a swimsuit. Ivan just stood there, as if he wanted to say something, he frowned slightly.
"Er yes, ok, Friday. Be good." He turned tail and left. I finished my swim, and dried off, before going back into the kitchen. A small, dark haired woman was wiping down the surfaces.
"Hello, you must be Ms Reynolds," she said pleasantly, "I'm Ivan's housekeeper, Mrs Ballard, but please call me Jo."
"Nice to meet you, please call me Elle. Has Ivan gone?"
"Yes, about ten minutes ago. Now, what would you like for breakfast?"
"Some toast and a latte would be great thanks, but I can make it, I don't want to put you out."
"Not at all, it's lovely to have someone here during the week. I mostly just clean the house, and get it ready for the weekend, so it's nice to actually do some cooking for someone. Ivan tells me you're working at the big factory near Derwent all week?"
I sat down on a stool, "yep, sorting out their antiquated systems. No doubt I'll be dusty and cross by tonight."
"My brother works there. He is delighted that it's finally being sorted. He was always paid by cheque, usually wrong or late, then had to wait five days for it to clear, so anything will be an improvement." She placed a coffee in front of me, and began buttering my toast.
"Funny enough, none of the employees have been difficult about it, apart from the old lady who currently runs personnel, she hates my guts, although, to be fair, I did shout at her and make her cry."
"Marion Smith? Hmm, maybe you should have a look at what she's been hiding," said Jo, rather cryptically, "she had an affair with the managing director years ago, and has always been strangely untouchable despite being rubbish at her job. All the employees have complained about her, and nothing ever got done about it." Interesting..
"I'll keep my eyes open," I said, before starting on my toast. Jo changed the subject, asking me my food preferences, as she would be preparing my meals all week.
It was nice to chat to someone normal, who wasn't wealthy, posh, or beautiful. While I sipped my coffee, she told me about her husband, and two grown up children, and I felt a pang of homesickness for the normality of a working class life. Rather reluctantly, I made my way upstairs to shower, and prepare myself for the day ahead. Roger was picking me up at half eight for the ten minute journey to the factory. It all felt very leisurely and relaxed compared to a normal Monday morning.
Roger was in a good mood, greeting me with a cheery 'good morning', and humming along to the radio. I asked him about Saturday night, and he rather evasively answered that 'Mr Porenski sent me on an errand to Surrey'. I didn't question further, not wanting to embarrass him, or put him in an awkward position. We pulled into the car park, and I steeled myself for the day that lay ahead. Just to add to the madness, new filing cabinets were being delivered that day, so that when we were done, the paper files could be stored properly, and neatly, rather than on the rickety shelves. It was going to be a testing day.
My trainees were all in and at their desks by ten to nine, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Their cases stored ready for the minibus to the hotel that evening. As the first employees came filing in, we scrambled to find their paper files, and deliver them to the correct people to begin the arduous process all over again. Mrs Smith eventually showed up at twenty five past nine, huffing that the traffic had been bad. "In Sussex? Traffic?" Was all I replied. She seemed nervous and edgy around me, but we were too busy for me to take much notice of her. The disciplinary meeting was scheduled for Friday afternoon, when, hopefully we would be finished processing the employees.
Laura had emptied all the boxes of loose papers, sorted the ones that had to be added to employee files, and put the remainder in alphabetical order. It cleared space for the new filing cabinets, which arrived at eleven.
With Marion finding files as we needed them, I was free to input the data we missed on Friday. All the employees we had already processed turned up with their ID and bank details, as requested, and I was able to close the files on them. I called Lewis to assure him everything was going well, that we would be done by Friday, ahead of schedule, and asked him to approve two weeks off at the end of July.
"Knew you'd be fine," he said, "I'll check on those holiday dates, but I can't see why not. I'll call you back in an hour." I got back to work, inputting the salary details from the vast ledgers into the employee files on the computer. It was arduous and painfully slow work. The manager had placed a pencil line through every employee already entered, so I did the same. He was dealing with suppliers all day, so had escaped the presence of the irritating and bumbling Mrs Smith. I had to stop myself being snarky with her over her constant whining about being tired, too hot and her bad back. If she said that the new system wouldn't work one more time, I would have to nail my hand to the desk to stop myself slapping her.
At quarter to twelve, she picked up her bag, and announced that she was going to lunch. I was about to challenge her, when Lewis called to tell me the dates I'd requested for my holiday had been approved. By the time I'd finished on the phone, the old cow had disappeared. I noted the times and dates down in my iPhone as further ammunition to oust her on Friday. I also text James to tell him I'd booked two weeks off, and ask how his new job was going.
Just as I put my phone back down on the desk, Roger popped his head round the door, "Lady Golding is here to see you. She requested to speak to you in private, is th
at ok?"
I groaned, "yes, would you mind showing her into room 16 please?" What the hell did that old bag want? I picked up my phone and handbag, and trotted down the corridor to the spare office. Bracing myself, I strode in confidently, my impassive, professional, don't-mess-with-me face on. She stood when I walked in. I shook her rather limp hand. She looked nervous.
"Lady Golding, how nice to see you, I wasn't expecting you. Please take a seat. Can I offer you a tea or coffee?" She sat down in front of the desk. I sat behind it.
"Tea would be nice, thank you," she replied. I stuck my head out of the door, and asked Laura, who was passing, to bring two teas. "I came to see if you were alright," she said, uncertainty clouding her features, "and to thank you for your help on Saturday morning."
There was a thick silence until Laura arrived with our drinks, setting them down on the desk, and disappearing quickly. "Why don't you tell me the real reason you're here?" I said, taking a sip. She looked uncomfortable, and shifted in her chair.
"Oscar told me what happened. He's in a terrible state over you. I've never seen him like this, and I don't really know what to do. I'm so worried that he'll go back to his old ways." Her words came out in a rush, and in a moment of clarity, I saw that she was just a mother worried for her son, and not the mean, vicious old harridan I'd assumed she was at first meeting. She fished around in her bag for a hanky, and dabbed her eyes.
"I doubt very much that he told you the truth of what happened. I'm certainly not going to tell you. I'm sure Oscar will be over me, and onto the next girl fairly quickly," I said, wanting to shut the conversation down.
"He told me you caught him with Darius, in an unmentionable act," she said. My mouth dropped open. "Then he said he offered you money to stay quiet about it, but that you were disgusted that he thought you would blackmail him, that if he left you alone, you would never speak of it. Is all of that the truth?"