The Temptress

by C. J. Fallowfield

  ‘I can hack into their switchboard and ring him direct, saying it’s housekeeping?’ he offered.

  ‘Ok,’ I nodded. ‘Tell him it’s … Mabelle and that she’s making up his room and she’s concerned that she’s damaged his laptop, that should have him return.’

  ‘I don’t think I’ll pass for a Mabelle, I may not have the deepest manly voice, but Mabelle?’ he uttered, as he looked at me mortified. ‘Can’t I be a male housekeeper?’

  ‘Please, male stewards may be common on cruise ships, but in hotels, it’s usually always a maid. Have you seen any men going in to do the evening tidy and turn down service while he’s been staying there?’

  ‘No,’ he sighed.

  ‘So what time is she in and out by?’

  ‘She goes in as soon as he heads down to the bar at seven twenty five and she’s usually out by quarter to eight. I’ll watch from here and give you the heads up when it’s safe to go in, but you’ll have to come clean with him about what we did last week. The lifts are key operated remember, you’d have no genuine reason to have access to his floor, let alone be waiting for him in his room.’

  ‘I know,’ I sighed. ‘But he already knows I was there to lure him for money, I think proving that I’m not going ahead with that, showing him that I’ve taken down our equipment may help show that I have his best interests at heart.’

  ‘Are you going to tell him about Tristan?’

  ‘No,’ I shot back. ‘It’s too soon. I don’t know him all that well, Henry, but I know him well enough to know that if he finds out and wants to meet him, I’m not going to be able to stop him. I need time, time to build some kind of platonic relationship with him, to make sure he’s the kind of man that I want in my son’s life before I even think about telling him, let alone introducing them.’

  ‘Platonic relationship?!’ Henry chortled. ‘Please! You had a child from your first meeting, sucked face on your second, he’s sending you bouquets every day, turning up to confront you and you’re refusing a seriously large payment to entrap him because you don’t want to hurt him. This is no platonic relationship, Lulu.’

  ‘He’s married,’ I protested. ‘I’m not having a relationship, other than a platonic one, with a married man.’

  ‘Not even one that’s getting divorced?’ he offered, with a dip of his head as he looked into my eyes. I blushed, thinking of what I’d already done with Luc that was so wrong.

  ‘Her divorcing him for whatever sick and twisted reason is one thing, I’m not going to be the woman he has an affair with, because he’s too invested in their financial relationship to take that step for himself,’ I muttered stubbornly.

  ‘So, if I happened to know that on Saturday he’d been to see Ben Harding of Harding & Gains, the foremost divorce attorneys in London, that wouldn’t factor into your thought process?’

  ‘He what?’ I gasped, as I felt my heart beat a little faster. ‘No, no, no!’

  ‘This is good news, he’s obviously never had reason to leave her before, five days after seeing you again and he’s seeking legal advice? He’s got it bad for you, you have nothing to feel guilty about. He wants out and he’s not waiting until you’re an item again before doing it.’

  ‘When did you find this out?’ I demanded.

  ‘Saturday morning, why?’

  ‘Because if his phone’s tapped she’ll get that information as well, which means she’ll probably push her timetable up, for her plan to work she needs to divorce him. That means I may have even less time to try and get myself out of this mess.’

  ‘He didn’t call or email them, he turned up at Ben Harding’s house unannounced and spent two hours in his study.’

  ‘How do you know this?’ I asked, feeling confused.

  ‘Because Ben’s my brother in law and I happened to be visiting my sister Amy at the time, imagine my shock when I saw Luc standing in the hall,’ he chuckled. ‘Trust me, Ben didn’t disclose any confidences, I asked after Luc left who he was. Ben just said that he was a wealthy client with a lot to lose if news of him seeking divorce counsel came to light.’

  ‘Does he usually accept people turning up on his doorstep?’

  ‘No, of course not, but he said this man was very persuasive and offered him a fee that he couldn’t turn down, though he has no idea how he got his home address in the first place.’

  ‘People with money can buy pretty much anything it seems,’ I nodded, letting a tense breath leave my body as I relaxed a little.

  ‘I’ll go and sort your kit out and speak to Hilda, you don’t have much time.’

  ‘Thanks, Henry, I really appreciate this.’

  ‘No problem,’ he grinned as he headed out.

  I threw myself back in the sofa and covered my face with my hands. This was so not how I ever envisioned meeting Luc again. I had some romantic notion that we’d bump into each other, he’d still be single too, we’d spend ages getting to know each other, then I’d introduce him to Tristan who’d fall in love with him and we’d ride off into the sunset as a happy family. It had been a stupid pipe dream. Except it wasn’t a dream anymore, Luc was in my life again, with all of these extra complications. Granted it seemed he was doing the honourable thing and had started divorce proceedings before pursuing me, but I couldn’t let him in Tristan’s life until I was sure I wanted him in mine. Yes, the chemistry between us was undeniable, but relationships couldn’t just be physical, they needed more depth and that depth was going to take time to explore, to test. I needed to get to know him properly, to see if I could fall in love with him and him with me, before I even thought about letting him into our son’s life. I didn’t want to lie to him, but if he knew about Tristan I couldn’t imagine him not wanting to meet him straight away and how would I explain that to Tristan? Luc wasn’t patient, he wanted, he took, but would he forgive me for hiding the truth from him, while I decided if he was a good enough father for the current love of my life? And what if Luc and I weren’t meant to be? Would he fight for custody? Would he take Tristan away from me to France? I stifled a sob at the thought of losing my precious boy for even a night a week, let alone weekends or weeks at a time.

  I quickly stood and shook myself down, I couldn’t control everything, for now I had to focus on one problem at a time and tonight was the first.

  Mike dropped me at home, confirming that we had a tail, who he’d managed to shake. He offered to wait in a coffee shop around the corner while I headed in.

  ‘Mummy,’ came Tristan’s voice as I stepped through the door.

  ‘Darling,’ I beamed as I crouched and wrapped him up in my arms as he ran to me. ‘I’ve missed you today. What have you been doing?’ I asked as I lifted him up and carried him into the lounge, smiling at Claire.

  ‘Finger painting,’ he replied and held his stained fingers up.

  ‘I’ve no idea what paint they use at that school, but we’ve been scrubbing and scrubbing and it won’t come off,’ Claire advised, with an apologetic smile.

  ‘That doesn’t matter, I’m sure it will eventually,’ I reassured her. ‘So what did you paint?’

  ‘Elephants,’ he giggled.

  ‘No!’ I replied with a mock gasp, as I kissed his head.

  ‘Yes, Mummy. A family of elephants.’

  ‘Did you bring them home for me to see?’

  ‘Yes, I did it for you.’

  ‘Why don’t you go and get it to show me then?’ I suggested, as I set him down and watched him run for the stairs, using his hands and feet to clamber up them. ‘How are you?’ I asked Claire.

  ‘Just great thanks, he’s so excited you were coming home to cook.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t mind staying over tonight? I shouldn’t be really late, but I can always ask Mum.’

  ‘Of course I don’t mind, I miss him now you’re spending more time at home. Honestly, if you need me to do more nights I will.’

  ‘Are you struggling, financially?’

  ‘No,’ she laughed. ‘You pay me
well above the going rate for what I do, he’s just a lovely little boy. I have fun looking after him and seeing him growing up.’

  ‘Why do you think I want to spend more time at home,’ I smiled. We both laughed as we heard him thudding down the stairs and he appeared clutching his painting in his hands and proudly handed it over to me. ‘Tristan!’ I exclaimed as I looked at the three elephants he’d painstaking created in pink, purple and blue. It had “To Mummy. I love you. Tristan xx” in shaky letters of varying sizes in a slant along the bottom, which someone had obviously helped him with. I felt my eyes fill with tears as I looked at it, then down at his little expectant face as he looked up, waiting for my verdict.

  ‘I love it, it’s the most beautiful picture you’ve ever done for me. Can I have it framed and put it in my bedroom?’

  ‘Ok,’ he beamed. ‘The pretty pink one is you, the mummy elephant, the little purple one is me, because I’m the baby elephant and that really big blue one is my daddy,’ he nodded proudly.

  ‘Your daddy?’ I asked, a lump forming in my throat.

  ‘Yes. I know he’s lost but I wanted him in my picture. Bryce had his mummy and daddy in his picture.’

  ‘Then I’m glad you put him in yours,’ I smiled, choking back some tears as I put it down on the coffee table and grabbed him, spinning him around as I plastered his face in kisses while he giggled. How would he feel if he knew I’d been with his daddy this afternoon, that I was keeping them apart? I felt awful. I squeezed him tightly as I tried to pull myself together, with Claire giving me a sympathetic smile.

  ‘So, how do you and Claire fancy my special macaroni cheese soufflé for dinner?’ I asked when I was a little more composed, knowing it was one of his favourites.

  ‘Yummy,’ he replied and he lifted his head from the crook of my neck to grin at me.

  ‘Well, why don’t you play with Claire while I get it ready?’

  ‘I want to help,’ he pouted. ‘Claire too.’

  ‘Really? Have you asked poor Claire before volunteering her to help?’

  ‘No,’ he replied, with a frown that made me catch my breath. God he looked so like his father had when he frowned at me this afternoon. ‘Claire, please will you come and cook with me and Mummy?’

  ‘Of course I will,’ she smiled.

  ‘Good boy for asking so nicely,’ I said proudly, as I kissed his forehead. ‘Why don’t you and Claire go and set the table, while I run up and get changed, then we can all cook together, ok?’ I suggested and he nodded. I set him down and watched them walk hand in hand over to the kitchen and sighed. It really was obvious to him that the two of us weren’t a normal family, but now I knew exactly where his daddy was I was too scared to introduce them. What if he liked Luc and got attached, then Luc decided he didn’t want to be a part of his life? It would kill me to see him disappointed. I picked up my picture and headed up to the bedroom to change into my jeans and a t-shirt, feeling overloaded with varying emotions.

  ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can, but you know you’re welcome to stay the night,’ I advised Claire as I found her watching TV in the lounge.

  ‘Wow, different look on you,’ she advised as she scanned me. I laughed, Hilda was insistent that as I usually dressed for work in skirts, or dresses with heels and had the whole glamorous and sexy look down pat, I needed to go casual. She was right, if Mrs. Le Grand had someone on the lookout for me, by dressing down like this, I wasn’t likely to hit their radar. I was in a pair of grey ripped skinny jeans, converse trainers, a black cropped corset, showing off my pierced toned stomach, with a black tie around my bare neck and the grey trilby from Henry, cheekily perched on top of a long, pale pink wig. With lots of black eye makeup, nude lips and a messenger bag slung across my body, I actually looked like a hip twenty something, instead of a thirty year old seductress and mother of a five year old.

  ‘Don’t ask,’ I replied, with a shake of my head.

  ‘Fancy dress party?’

  ‘Something like that,’ I nodded.

  ‘Enjoy yourself, I’ll stop over so don’t worry about rushing back. And if you pull some rampant young stud dressed like that, go for it,’ she winked.

  ‘Like that’s going to happen,’ I laughed.

  ‘Well if it does, you don’t have to worry about being home until sleeping beauty wakes up in the morning, do you?’

  ‘I guess not,’ I replied. Mike was waiting leaning against the Merc as I came out and whistled.

  ‘Hot look on you!’

  ‘Very funny,’ I replied, as he opened the back door and let me in.

  ‘I’m being serious. Always had a thing for Pink when she had that coloured hair.’

  ‘Then thank you,’ I smiled, as he closed me in and I opened the bag to extract my ear piece from Henry and check I had all of the kit.

  ‘Daddy, you know I was out with Morgan today, I can’t believe you embarrassed me by sending Giles to pick me up,’ I moaned, in my best American drawl as I approached the entrance to The Domville, pretending to speak into my phone. ‘Yeah I got your message loud and clear. I’m grounded for the next two days. I’m on my way up to the suite now for operation lockdown to commence, keep your hair on.’ I shoved my phone in my back pocket and rolled my eyes at the doorman, ‘Dad’s eh? Some holiday this is turning out to be.’ He chuckled and held the door open for me.

  ‘I do the same to my kid, don’t be too hard on him, he cares.’

  ‘I know, but there’s nothing wrong with giving a bit of freedom now and again,’ I replied, as I popped my bubble gum and strode in with no resistance. Now I wouldn’t have his eagle eye on me as I went to the lifts. I flashed a glance through the archway to the bar as I walked past and saw Luc sitting there, running a hand through his hair, his phone to his ear. I wondered if he was ringing me to see where I was. I pulled his key card copy out of my back pocket, stepped into a waiting lift and swiped the card, then pressed for his floor.

  ‘Great American accent,’ came Henry’s voice in my ear.

  ‘Thanks,’ I chuckled. ‘One of the girls in my Business Studies class was from Texas.’

  ‘Hat’s working, can’t see anything but a white blur on screen. Keep your head down as much as possible, just in case it draws the attention of the security team. The maid’s just finishing up in the bathroom, if you walk slowly, she should be out by the time you get there.’

  ‘Got it,’ I confirmed, as I quickly ejected the sickly sweet bubble gum from my mouth into its wrapper and shoved it back in my bag. I left the lift and casually sauntered up the corridor, pretending to text on my phone as I went, leaning on the wall when Henry told me to hang back for a few seconds. I saw the maid come out of Luc’s room and push the cart laden with towels and toiletries to the next suite.

  ‘Ok, going in. Make the call Mabelle, but whatever you do, make sure you get him up here.’ I quickly opened his door and stepped in, quietly closing it behind me. I reached into the bag and pulled out the frequency jammer, flipping it on to counteract any recording equipment, which meant I’d lose contact with Henry as well. Luc had better get my clue with the name Mabelle. I activated the scanner and started a sweep of the lobby first. I’d been right, I found devices that weren’t ones that Mike had planted. I then moved into the lounge and made a start. I was halfway done when I checked my watch, the suite was bigger than I’d anticipated, I thought I’d have cleared the whole thing by now. If Luc was on his way up, he’d be here any minute. I quickly grabbed a piece of hotel paper and a pen and scribbled a message and ran to the suite lobby and stood behind the door. My heart was racing, being out in the field was exhilarating, I really missed it, but tangling work with my private life made it that more tense. I heard the key card in the door and prayed it wasn’t the maid coming back, holding my breath until I saw Luc step in and the door swung closed behind him. I cleared my throat and he jumped and swung around startled, his eyes wide and his fists bunching up at his sides. I quickly held up my note and put my free index finger to
my lips.

  Revelations

  Luc

  ‘Merde,’ I bit, as I jumped out of my skin to hear someone behind me cough and spun around ready to fight. I’d been perplexed at the bizarre message I’d received while I was sat at the bar, from someone purporting to be my maid, but Mabelle had a distinctly masculine edge to her voice. Also my evening maid’s name was not Mabelle and she was currently busy cleaning another room, I’d heard her singing next door as she’d propped the door open, so I’d already deduced that something was not right. I was surprised to see a young woman holding up a hand written note, shaking her head with a finger to her lips.

  Lulu? I looked back up at her again frowning, and took a gasp of surprise as I saw her bright amber eyes looking back, pleading with me. I wouldn’t have recognised her if I hadn’t just seen those. I flexed my hips, to accommodate my swelling cock as I scanned her body in this outfit. Her jeans clung to her like a second skin, her flat stomach had a piercing that wasn’t there when we’d spent the night together in Paris and that corset she was wearing just enhanced her naturally voluptuous breasts. I growled and stepped towards her, forcing her back into the corner. I was going to pin her face down on my bed and spank her creamy flesh a hot shade of pink for this intrusion, then I was going to fuck her. It was six years overdue. I gasped as she slapped me when I got too close. I glared at her as I rubbed my cheek, if she thought that was going to diminish my need to punish her, she really had a lot to learn about me. She thrust her note in my face again and pointed to the “trust me” part of it, then turned it over.

  I didn’t understand why my room was bugged at all, but I nodded reluctantly. She’d better give me some answers when she was done. She rolled her eyes as she saw mine drift back down to her chest and I reached down to squeeze my erection, but I saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks before she disappeared into my suite, which had a small smile play on my lips. I paced in the lobby like a caged tiger. Not only did I need to know what the hell was going on, but to think I had her alone in my suite had all of my blood pooling between my thighs. Five years without sex and the woman who had been my masturbation muse was only separated from me by a single door. I was beyond impatient and I wasn’t known for having much as it was. So, Myrtille was behind this, though what she had to gain by spying on me, or sending Lulu after me was anyone’s guess. She hated me, I could never understand why she hadn’t filed for divorce and left me years ago, putting us both out of our misery. Mabelle! I suddenly got it, it was Lulu trying to get a message to me, ma belle, Mabelle. If my suite was bugged it seemed she didn’t trust my phone or approaching me in the bar. She had a lot to explain.