The Temptress

by C. J. Fallowfield

  ‘Yes,’ he giggled, as his one hand tangled in my hair. ‘I saw Max the elephant. I love elephants.’

  ‘I know you do,’ I laughed. ‘I’ll do my best to get home early enough to give you your bath and put you to bed with another chapter from Elmer, but no promises. Ok?’

  ‘Ok,’ he mumbled, as he snuggled in closer.

  ‘Can I let you into a secret?’ I whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ he whispered back.

  ‘I’d much rather be at home with you than at work, but this is what grown-ups have to do.’

  ‘Bryce’s mummy doesn’t. Bryce’s mummy stays at home and his daddy goes to work. Can’t you find me a daddy so you can stay at home too?’

  ‘I’d love to find you a daddy,’ I sighed, my previously melting heart suddenly hardening and shattering at the thought that he was missing out on so much love. Whatever I gave him could never make up for not having a father in his life. ‘But it’s not that easy. When Mummy meets a man that she likes, she has to make sure that he’ll be amazing with you, because you deserve that. If I find a daddy for you, he needs to be the best one in the whole wide world, because otherwise we’re better staying as just you and me.’ I reached up to wipe a stray tear that had escaped and was making its way down my cheek. Was I being selfish having broken up with Greg on Saturday night? He was almost the perfect guy, he could have been wonderful with Tristan, I just knew it, but we’d had sex again, awful sex. I’d told him that it wasn’t working for me and he’d been shocked, he’d thought it was sensational. We’d tried again, but still nothing. I’d rather be on my own than in a sexless, passionless relationship. But being on my own was affecting my darling boy as well. I looked up at the school clock and grimaced, he’d be late if he didn’t go in. We didn’t have time for a deep and meaningful conversation now. I was going to have to try and get out of work earlier than normal, to reassure him tonight. ‘Do you understand why I can’t rush this, darling? Why finding the perfect daddy for you, one that will stay with us, is better than having lots that come and go?’

  ‘I guess,’ he sighed.

  ‘We’ll talk about this soon, ok? Come on, you’ll be late for school. I love you, for the rest of my life and beyond.’

  ‘Me too,’ came his little voice. I kissed his soft hair and carefully set him down, holding his hand as we walked across the playground to one of the school assistants.

  ‘Morning Tristan, ready for a fun day?’ she smiled. He shrugged and looked at the floor.

  ‘He is really,’ I smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. ‘Especially if at reading time Elmer the elephant could make an appearance.’

  ‘I’m sure that can be arranged,’ she replied, making him lift his head and smile. He took her hand, as I gave his other one another quick squeeze before releasing it. I waited, as he headed inside with her. He turned to give me a wave and I blew him a kiss, before they disappeared out of sight. I quickly shook myself down. He’d be fine, it was me that was going to worry about him all day, on top of my usual busy Monday. Weekends were always the busiest for the girls, which meant more assessments and planning of next moves, as well as more women who’d suspected their partners had been deceitful over the weekend.

  ‘Morning, Violet,’ I smiled, as I walked into reception. I’d deliberately made it fresh and modern, but with a cosy atmosphere. Dove grey walls, white skirting and mouldings, white leather sofas with soft grey knitted cushions and a long reception desk, made out of the same white granite that covered the reception and corridor floors. Access was restricted to those of us with key cards, visitors having to use the intercom downstairs to be allowed entry. Violet was sitting behind the large desk, with a beaming smile. She loved her job almost as much as I did. I couldn’t understand how people who hated getting up on a Monday morning for their jobs, did it week after week. ‘How was your weekend?’

  ‘Amazing!’ she winked, her not so secret signal that she’d had great sex with her boyfriend Jared.

  ‘You?’ she raised her eyebrows hopefully, as she stood up and handed me my coffee.

  ‘A fabulous time with Tristan and my parents. Sadly, no winking with regards to my date with Greg on Saturday night.’

  ‘O no,’ she sighed, as she grabbed her pen and diary and trotted around to walk besides me to my office, for our usual morning briefing. ‘That bad?’

  ‘That bad,’ I confirmed with a nod, taking a much needed sip of hot caffeine. ‘So bad it’s over.’

  ‘How did he take it?’ she asked, opening the solid oak office door for me, given I had my briefcase in one hand, my coffee in the other.

  ‘Not well. He begged and pleaded, but a relationship without great sex is no relationship at all. Not for me anyway. I’m better off with my ever expanding drawer of vibrators,’ I advised, with a wry smile.

  ‘I’m sorry, Lulu. How are you handling it? Not the drawer of vibrators, the end of the relationship? I know you had high hopes with Greg.’ She closed the door behind me, as we walked across to take our usual seats on the white leather sofas, matching the ones in reception, that were set out into a U shape against the back wall of my office, with a perfect view out over the London skyline. I preferred a relaxed environment, rather than speaking to someone from behind my desk.

  ‘I’ll be fine, but I need to try to get away early tonight, well by five-thirty at the latest. Tristan was upset this morning that I may not be home for bedtime. He asked why I had to work, why he didn’t have a daddy that could work, so I could stay at home like his best friend’s mummy does.’ I gave her a sad smile and she pulled a sympathetic face, before grimacing.

  ‘Shit, I’m so sorry, but I made you an appointment for six o’clock.’

  ‘With who?’ I uttered, my heart sinking.

  ‘A Mrs. Le Grand. New client.’

  ‘Vi,’ I sighed, with a shake of my head. ‘You know six o’clock is an emergency appointment only, for VIPs, and never on a Monday night. After the weekends, it’s the night he feels the most separation anxiety, suddenly being back at school again without me.’

  ‘I know, of course I know, but it was your special weekend, so I wasn’t able to get hold of you to discuss it and I took a calculated risk. She was very persistent on the phone, saying it had to be Monday at six p.m. and all of the other girls on duty tonight already have field assignments.’

  ‘Well you’ll have to call her and tell her that I’m double booked, I’ll see her another night,’ I replied firmly.

  ‘I did some research on Mrs. Le Grand before I agreed to the appointment, as I knew you wouldn’t be happy. She’s the wife of Mr. Le Grand, CEO of France’s largest investment management company, worth millions. As if that weren’t enough, her maiden name is Bouchon, she’s the daughter of the head of the Bouchon banker family. Their lineage goes back centuries, they’re one of the largest and most financially secure banks in the world. Land a client like that and we step up to the worldwide premier league, we could open a chain of Sweet Temptations, just like you always dreamed of. Imagine the referrals we’d get off a woman of means like that?’

  ‘God damn it,’ I uttered, as I plonked my coffee down on the table. Violet was right, landing a client like that would elevate my profile substantially. We already did well, but clients of that calibre were hard to come by. Not only did they have money to burn, but they had a lot to lose by means of a standard divorce. Proof of infidelity always ensured a larger pay out, because they were wise enough to have written it into their prenuptials. Honeytraps were an ever increasingly competitive market. I had the London market cornered, but branching out to Paris and potentially other major cities in the world, had been in my business plan for some time. As my right hand woman, this was something that Violet was privy to, so now I understood why she’d taken the gamble and made the appointment. ‘I’ll see her anytime, just not tonight. Can’t she come in this afternoon?’

  ‘No, she has her plane scheduled to bring her from a meeting in Paris, that she said she can’t get out o
f.’

  ‘Why the urgency today? Why not another night?’

  ‘Apparently her husband comes to London on business on a Friday and stays until he returns to Paris early on a Tuesday morning. She told me that all efforts so far, to prove that he’s having an affair, have failed. She says that she’s heard of our track record and needs our assistance. I get the impression that a leak of an affair would bring shame to her family.’

  ‘Why don’t you take the meeting? Find out this Mr. Le Grand’s type and pick an appropriate girl,’ I suggested. She shook her head firmly.

  ‘She’s been on our website, saw your profile and says it has to be you. She says that she knows that you’re his type, that if he is going to cheat, he’ll definitely do it for you.’

  ‘God damn it, Vi,’ I moaned, as I covered my face with my hands. I couldn’t afford to turn a woman of Mrs. Le Grand’s standing down, but my darling boy was starting to notice that being in a one parent family wasn’t the norm. It was an issue I needed to start addressing, before it became something more.

  ‘It’s one night, if he really is cheating and you’re his type, you’re The Temptress. You’ve never failed. You can wrap up this case in one night and get the accolade from a woman who has the means to let you retire in a few years. Talking to Tristan can wait one night, this can’t,’ she coaxed.

  ‘Fine,’ I sighed. ‘I’ll want Frankie as my back up, she’s the best.’

  ‘You definitely are stressed. I already told you none of the girls are free, and I’m not exactly an “in the field” girl. I’ve roped Mike in.’

  ‘Mike? Dear God,’ I sighed as I pinched the top of my nose. ‘Excellent driver he may be, the ability to infiltrate without being seen and work off the cuff? Not so much. I’ll be charging this Mrs. Le Grand extra for short notice and inconvenience. So, do I have anything in my wardrobe here that will satisfy the husband of a wealthy woman, who can’t keep him satisfied?’

  ‘That sexy black dress that hugs all of your curves with the slit up the side to show off your amazing legs, teamed with your gold Choos. You still have your custom made wigs and the coloured contact lenses, I’d go with blonde hair and brown eyes. I checked the expiry date on the lenses on Saturday and they’re still ok. I can’t believe you’re going back into the field, it’s been forever,’ she clapped, excitedly. ‘I can’t wait to tell the girls.’

  ‘If they start a bet on whether I’ll succeed or not, stick £100 on for me to win,’ I smiled, noticing how the thought of being back out there had excited me a little. ‘I’d better ring Claire and ask if she can stay the night with Tristan.’

  ‘I’d better go and get Ian to run the background checks on the Le Grands as a matter of urgency. I’ll come back to run through the updates from the weekend, if that’s ok?

  ‘Great, thanks Violet,’ I smiled.

  Claire had her own room at my house, opposite the guest room on the top floor, but only used it if an overnight stay was requested. Since I’d given up field work, it was rare for me to ask. She’d covered on Saturday night, after I’d put Tristan to bed, while I’d been on my painful last date with Greg, if it was too short notice, I’d have to give Mum or Dom a ring. Tristan loved his Uncle Dom. In fact, that made me change my mind. Maybe having a man in the house tonight would be better. I propped up my iPad and FaceTimed him. It didn’t take long for him to answer.

  ‘Hey, baby sis, how’s it going?’ He gave me his trademark swoon-worthy smile, I responded in kind.

  ‘I’ve had better days. So Mum tells me that you’re in love again? Since I saw you last week?’ I raised a suspicious eyebrow.

  ‘Please, you make it sound like I have no control over the needs of my heart,’ he pouted, making me laugh.

  ‘Needs of your cock more like, your actual heart has never come into it. When will you realise that not every man you get a hard on for, is the love of your life? Love is so much more than hot sex, Dom.’

  ‘Says the woman who won’t see a guy longer than her three month rule, because none of them live up to her hot Parisian fling from years gone by. Besides you know hot sex is as good as love, maybe even better, you’ve been there, Lu.’

  ‘I refuse to believe that,’ I announced stubbornly. ‘Just because you mistake hot sex for love, doesn’t make it true. Actually being in love, on top of hot sex, has to be even better.’

  ‘Good luck, Indiana Jones. That’s the Holy Grail you’re searching for. I’m quite content to settle for believing that this is as good as it gets. Ask Coco, she stayed over last night and was banging on the wall to tell me to keep the noise down.’

  ‘You had a night out without me?’ I protested.

  ‘It was your special weekend, we know nothing interferes with that, unless you have a hot date.’

  ‘You’re right,’ I nodded, with a sigh. ‘We need to sort something for this weekend, just the three of us. I could do with letting loose.’

  ‘What’s wrong, baby sis?’ he asked, his face softening. I smiled, he was only a few minutes older than me, but he loved playing the protective big brother card and I loved when he did.

  ‘Greg didn’t make it past the sexual hurdle. In fact he fell flat on his face the minute he left the starting blocks. Tristan wants to know why he doesn’t have a “Daddy” to go and earn money, so that I can be at home with him every night and I’ve got to go back out into the field tonight.’

  ‘Triple trouble, a serious blow! I told you the first time that I met him, that Greg would be shit in bed, you could have saved yourself all that hassle,’ he shrugged, with a knowing look and shake of his head.

  ‘How did you know? There’s only been four that have made it to that stage, since I had Tristan and every one of them you knew.’ I suddenly gasped, my hand flying to my mouth in horror. ‘O my God, you didn’t fuck them all first?’

  ‘No!’ He let out a deep belly laugh, making me giggle. ‘Like I’d let my little sister sleep with a guy who loved cock, particularly mine. I don’t know, I guess there’s something in the way a guy holds himself, the way he walks and sits, as well as a glance at his crotch. It’s like an extra sense, let’s call it a fifth sense, it’s cockdar.’

  ‘Cockdar is a very apt description, but it would actually be a sixth sense, seeing as how you were already born with the other five intact,’ I grinned, with a shake of my head.

  ‘Seriously? Five already? Taste, smell, sight and sound. What’s the fifth?’

  ‘For someone who does so much of it, I can’t believe you left out touch,’ I laughed.

  ‘Holy shit, me neither,’ he uttered, looking embarrassed. ‘O God, of course cockdar is a sixth sense, I remember now! Definitely a sixth and not seventh, as I don’t see dead people for my sixth one.’

  ‘Thank God! Or you’d be haunted by the ghosts of broken hearted lovers you’d ditched after confessing your undying love. And that list is a lot longer than my four, plus the pre Luc guys.’

  ‘It sure is,’ he grinned, with a twinkle in his eye. ‘So, you need cheering up?’

  ‘I’ll be fine, but I need you to cheer Tristan up. He was really down this morning. Any chance you could stay over tonight, or at least until I get in, though I’ve no idea what time that may be.’

  ‘Sure, I’m on a shoot in Covent Garden this afternoon, so if Claire can pick him up from school, I’ll take over as soon as I’m done and I’ll stay over.’

  ‘Will you be taking Calvin over with you?’ I asked. I had no problem Tristan seeing his uncle holding hands with another man, or kissing him on the cheek, but lip locks, gropes and hearing them have sex was too much at his young age.

  ‘No, his arse and mouth need a break from my monster cock anyway,’ he chuckled.

  ‘Ewwww, TMI, big brother, TMI!’ I exclaimed, quickly covering my eyes.

  ‘Get a sitter for Saturday night and I’ll take you and Coco out to Krave. A night of dancing and alcohol, with no heterosexual men coming on to you, will do you the world of good.’

 
‘Sounds fabulous, darling,’ I teased.

  ‘Don’t you just know it, bitch,’ he replied in his campest voice, making me laugh.

  ‘You have a memory like a sieve though, Saturday is Eloise’s wedding,’ I reminded him. She was our old neighbour and used to hang around with us when we were younger. I’d been asked to be bridesmaid, Coco too, making this my fourth time as a bridesmaid. What was that saying? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride? ‘Mum has Tristan for the weekend. Can we go out Friday night instead?’

  ‘For you we can go any night, leave it with me, I’ll organise Coco. Be great to have the two maids of honour throwing up as they walk up the aisle.’ His eyes glittered with evil intent.

  ‘You wouldn’t dare let us get that drunk?’

  ‘I hate weddings, so do you, that’s why you suggested going out the same weekend. They’re so boring, turning up still pissed would liven it up.’

  ‘Especially if I puke on Eloise’s three foot train,’ I chuckled. ‘She could wander about with it on the back all day with no idea, wondering where the smell was coming from.’

  ‘Has she invited any cock for me?’ he asked.

  ‘You’re already “in love,” besides, aren’t you bringing Calvin as your plus one?’

  ‘Please,’ he scoffed. ‘Hot wedding sex is on the pre-approved top three list, in place of one of the celebrities. It’s the new black, darling. Get with the program.’

  ‘So in the space of one phone call weddings are boring, but have also suddenly become the new black?’

  ‘O go join MI5 Miss Lulu Jessica Fletcher McQueen. Anyone would think you had a talent for espionage, you’re that sharp.’ He mimed cutting his finger on a knife, making me laugh.

  ‘I’ve missed you, Dom.’

  ‘You too, so we’ll catch up if you don’t get in too late, or do it in the morning over breakfast, when you can make me a full English for my troubles.’

  ‘Sure, thanks again.’

  ‘No problem, I love my little man. Good luck tonight, not that The Temptress needs it.’

  ‘You’re all tempting fate by calling me that. There’ll come a day that I’ll fail, you know.’