by T A Williams
He nodded mutely and she made her exit, stopping only in Daniela’s office to collect her outdoor clothes and her car keys. She and Leo climbed into the lift and she pulled on her jacket while they travelled down to the ground floor. She asked one of the porters to look after the dog and then ran for the stairs to the garage, stopping only to replace her killer heels with her driving shoes.
Chapter 24
Sleep didn’t come easily to Annie that night. It had been a long day and a busy day, and she should have been exhausted, but her brain stubbornly refused to relax. Again and again, she found herself going over the events of the evening and, in particular, the dance and the kiss with the man in the golden mask. She now accepted that it hadn’t been Alex, but that really didn’t help. Yes, there were definitely a handful of men among the guests who were tall, dark and potential candidates for the role, but she failed to believe that a total stranger would have been able to involve her emotionally to such a degree. His touch, his scent, his body had all felt so absolutely right. How on earth could somebody she didn’t know create such powerful sensations in her? And the overriding sensation she had felt had been one of familiarity, of belonging, of companionship. As the minutes ticked by, one face kept appearing in her mind’s eye and stubbornly refused to go away. Try as she might, she couldn’t shift it: Matt.
Finally, as she tossed and turned in bed, she had to accept that he was a possibility and consider him. Could the man in the golden mask have been Matt? He was pretty much the same size and shape as Alex, and his stubbly chin and dark hair weren’t that different. She had never danced with him before, but she remembered Rita saying he was a good dancer, and the man in the golden mask had been a very good dancer. She was very familiar with him and she thought of him as a real friend so he qualified on those counts. But could it have been him?
It was surely unlikely. The last thing he had said to her earlier in the week had been that he was going to Turin to see the film people, and he might well be staying there all weekend. Anyway, even if he had come back to the valley, would he have been invited to the ball? Of course Massimo and he were old friends so, grudgingly, she had to admit that an invitation from him was a distinct possibility. But she had never seen Matt in a suit as elegant as the one the man in the golden mask was wearing, and she had never got close enough to him for long enough to recognise his scent.
But, above all, throughout all the years she had known him, she felt pretty sure that he had never thought of her in a sexual way. He had never demonstrated the slightest interest in her physically, and she had certainly never entertained the idea for one moment of becoming another notch on his rapidly disappearing bed head. Of course, over the past few weeks, she had begun to see a softer, more caring, maybe even loving side to him. He was always there for her, helping, supporting and offering a shoulder to cry on. Maybe, she found herself thinking, she had been so blinded by the sudden attraction of Alex, she had missed the signs. Could it be?
However, the most significant factor of all was that kiss. Annie could still feel it on her lips now, hours later. It had been a warm, loving kiss, devoid of open sexuality, but all the more stimulating for that reason. Whoever he was, the man in the golden mask had expressed deep and real emotion in that kiss. Surely Matt the philanderer, however caring and helpful he was to her and however good and experienced he might be in bed, could never invent something like that?
So, who the hell else could it be?
The other thing that exercised her mind over and over again as the minutes ticked by was just exactly where that left her and Alex. She had no doubt whatsoever that she had had every intention of spending the night with him after the ball. Indeed, right up to the moment he had kissed her in his apartment, that had definitely been uppermost in her mind. She found him very appealing, very handsome and very sexy. She still did. Ever since she had felt his hands on her naked body that night at her house, any doubts or hesitation she might have felt had gone, Daniela or no Daniela. She wanted him, badly.
And yet, in the space of a few minutes, everything had changed. How could that be? The kiss in his apartment had been a very good kiss. The attraction for him was still strong in her, but she had chosen to duck and run. What did this mean? At thirty-six, she knew she wasn’t looking for a casual affair. She wanted more. Nice as it might be, she didn’t just want a one-night stand or a series of them. What was it Matt had said? ‘Bonking like gerbils’ was the expression he had used and, while she could most definitely see the attraction of a roll in the hay with Alex, she needed more. She wasn’t a kid any more. And the man in the golden mask, without saying a word, had offered her more. However hard she tried to rationalise it in her mind, she just knew that the brief kiss they had exchanged on the dance floor had changed everything. Yes, she still found Alex desirable, but she also knew, without a shadow of doubt, that sex with him would be second best and, at her age and after everything she had been through in the past couple of years, she wasn’t prepared to settle for second best. The problem she now faced was to establish exactly who or what the best might be. Who the hell was the man in the golden mask? Could it be Matt?
At last her brain gave up the task and she fell asleep.
The sound of the alarm seemed to come only a few minutes later. She reached across and pressed the button. It was half past six. She had been in bed for barely five hours, but had probably only slept for about four of them. She climbed wearily out of bed and went into the bathroom. By the time she had showered and dressed she felt better; still tired, but definitely better. A strong cup of coffee and she felt better still. This was the day the guests were all departing and she knew that some of them had ordered early taxis to take them to the station or the airport. She wanted to be at the hotel to wave everybody off, so she pulled on her jacket and went out to the car.
The sky was grey and overcast and there were snowflakes in the air. Not big, fluffy flakes, but small icy particles that swirled around in the light breeze and stung as they touched her face. It was very cold and, for the first time, her little car almost refused to start. It took several tries before the engine caught and slowly began to turn over, coughing blue smoke out of its exhaust. Annie spared a thought for the new car Massimo had promised her. It looked like it was coming along at just the right time.
She got to the hotel before seven-thirty, as dawn was still stubbornly refusing to break, and took up station in the lobby. A steady stream of guests began to appear with their bags and she did her best to say goodbye to them all. From the genuine enthusiasm of most of them, Annie definitely got the impression that the promotional event had been a great success. Gradually, as the morning progressed, more and more people came to say thank you, before leaving. From time to time, Annie spotted Alex in the distance, but he made no attempt to come and talk to her and she stayed firmly on duty with her clipboard.
Twice she was approached by tall, dark-haired men who shook her by the hand and thanked her for the hospitality they had received. She studied them both closely. One was German, the other Belgian. Both were close shaven, but of course they might have had stubble on their cheeks the night before. Neither, however, gave her any sort of vibe of familiarity and as she waved goodbye to them she was quite certain in her own mind that neither had been the man in the golden mask.
Finally, at just after half past eleven, the last guest departed and Annie headed for the coffee lounge. She ordered an espresso and collapsed onto a leather sofa by the picture window. Outside, she could see a few people skiing down the main piste, but the cloud base was still low and, in spite of the luminescent effect of the white covering on the ground, the scene was murky and unwelcoming. Annie gave a sigh of relief that conditions on the two previous days had been so perfect for the visiting agents.
‘Ciao, Annie.’ She looked up. It was Massimo and he was holding something in his hand. ‘Here you go; a deal’s a deal. Here are the keys to your new car. It’s still insured until April so you can drive it away an
y time you like.’ He sat down opposite her and dropped the keys on the table. ‘You can’t miss it. It’s white and it’s the cleanest car in the downstairs car park. I’ll dig out all the paperwork and drop it in to you one of these days.’ He signalled with his hand and, as a waitress approached, he glanced over at Annie. ‘Another coffee?’ She nodded and he ordered the same for himself. ‘Anyway, apart from the keys, I’ve come to say a huge thank you to you for all your efforts. You were absolutely great and the success of the event owes a lot to you. Thank you, Annie, on behalf of all of us.’
Annie smiled back at him. ‘Thank you, Massimo. I’m just glad it all went so well. And I’m still not sure I should accept the car.’
‘What did I say? A deal’s a deal. And Alex and I are adamant. You’ve earned it.’
Mention of Alex reminded Annie of what had been troubling her since the previous night. As it was now clear to her that Alex was not the man in the golden mask, that irrevocably changed the nature of their relationship. Of course she still liked him; liked him a lot. But she wanted more. There was no doubt in her mind. She would have to tell him, and she was dreading doing that. He was clearly very fond of her and expecting their relationship to move on the next level. Hearing that there was somebody else would be bound to hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her second coffee, closely followed by a cold wet nose. Leo had clearly been out in the snow and his legs were white. He came charging over and would have climbed onto her lap if she hadn’t managed to keep him at bay. Instead, he collapsed onto the floor, rolled over and waved his legs in the air. She smiled and reached down to tickle his ice-covered tummy.
‘Ciao, Annie.’ She looked up and saw that it was Alex. The blood rushed to her face and she knew he would notice. She cleared her throat.
‘Ciao, Alex. Glad it’s over?’ As Massimo was with them, she spoke to him in Italian. In fact, it made things a little easier. Somehow, speaking to him in Italian kept things a bit more formal. Then it suddenly occurred to her that her question to him might be open to a different, more personal, interpretation, and she avoided looking at him by focusing her attention on the dog, whose back leg was now running in mid-air as she scratched him.
Unaware of any possible double meaning, Massimo looked across at Alex and smiled. ‘Ciao, Alessandro. I was just telling Annie how grateful we are to her for everything she’s done.’
‘Yes, definitely. Annie, you were wonderful.’ Annie had to look up now and she caught his eye, unable to miss the expression of bewilderment still there from the previous night. The waitress appeared a few seconds later with coffee and he took a seat on the sofa alongside her. ‘And you’ve more than earned your Panda.’
Annie made a few protests but he waved them away. After taking a mouthful of coffee, he turned and gave her a closer inspection. ‘You look tired. In fact, you must be tired, after getting so little sleep last night.’ Presumably because of Massimo’s presence, he kept his comments opaque and his tone even. ‘You were quite right to get off to bed straight away last night. We all need our sleep.’
Massimo nodded. ‘We’re all tired, but the main thing is that it went so well. In fact, I don’t think it could have gone any better.’
Annie met Alex’s eyes for a moment and then looked back down at the dog again. ‘You’re right. It couldn’t have gone any better.’ Regaining her courage, she glanced back at the two men again. ‘In fact, unless I’m needed for anything else, I think I’m going to go home and sleep for a few hours.’
Massimo nodded. ‘Me, too. I’ve just had a double espresso, but I’ve no doubt at all that I’ll be asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.’
Alex nodded. ‘The same with me. Annie, I was wondering you if you felt like coming round to my place for dinner tonight.’ He sounded unusually hesitant. ‘Would you like that?’
Annie realised she was in a tricky situation. With Massimo there, she didn’t want to attempt to start explaining what had happened the previous night so she took refuge in a little white lie and prevarication. ‘That sounds lovely. I’ve just got to check on some stuff at home first. I’ll give you a call this afternoon, if that’s all right.’
Before she got up to leave, she dropped down on her knees and made a real fuss of the dog. She scratched him, rubbed him, tickled him and hugged him. As she did so, she realised that the change in the status of her relationship with Alex might mean she would see much less of her favourite Labrador. In its own way, this was as sad as the knowledge that her relationship with Alex had irrevocably changed. Finally, she bent down and kissed his hairy head before standing up and heading for the garage.
Annie drove home in her new car. Massimo had been true to his word and it was in immaculate condition, even smelling like a new car. Although she felt rather sorry as she left her old Panda in the hotel garage until she could dispose of it, she quickly realised just how nice it was to drive a practically new car. It felt familiar, but different. As she drove down the road to her chalet, she couldn’t miss the parallel with the mysterious man in the gold mask; familiar but different, and oh so appealing.
She was back home in her bed just after noon and she went out like a light, only awakening over three hours later. As she lay cosy and warm under the duvet, she looked out through the window at the grey, cold remains of the afternoon outside. Part of her just wanted to lie there and relax, but there were things she definitely had to do. And the first of them was to carry out her promise to go and visit old Signor Lago in hospital. The other thing was more complicated. She had to tell Alex she liked him, liked him a lot, but could no longer see the relationship developing. Ever since the appearance of the man in the golden mask, everything had changed for Annie and she was dreading trying to explain this to Alex, not least as she didn’t really understand it herself. First things first; she had to see the old man. She threw back the covers, stretched and got up.
After getting dressed again she made herself a cup of tea and some toast and phoned Janet.
‘Hi, Annie. How did the masked ball go? I’m dying to hear.’
Annie told her all about it, right up to the interlude with the two masked men. Janet was clearly intrigued.
‘So you’re saying that the man in the golden mask wasn’t Alex?’
‘Definitely.’ Annie really was sure of that, even if nothing else made sense.
‘And you really have no idea who it might have been? Erm, Annie, have you considered Matt?’
Annie hesitated. ‘Yes, I have. But I can’t see how it could be him. All right, so he and Alex look fairly similar, but Matt’s not interested in me in that way.’ She paused for thought, uncertain and unsettled. ‘At least I didn’t used to think he was.’
‘And now you’re coming round to thinking he might be?’
‘Oh, God, Jan, I don’t know. I’ve spent years thinking of Matt like a brother. It’s hard to see him in any other light.’
‘And so you’re saying he thinks of you like a sister?’
‘I always used to think so, yes. But now I’m not so sure.’ Memories of things he had said and done over the past few weeks came back to her; his dumping his girlfriend, his telling her he would happily give up climbing for her, his kindness and genuine affection towards her.
‘I’m not so sure, either.’ Janet hesitated. ‘I really think you should ask him.’
‘What? Ask him if he was the man who kissed me so tenderly that my legs went bandy and I almost fell over? He’d laugh himself silly.’
‘But then, at least, you’d know.’
It was a busy Sunday afternoon in the centre of Santorso so Annie parked the car in the big car park near the school and walked along to the hospital. She found Signor Lago dozing and decided to visit Daniela first, to tell her how everything had gone with the tour operators. It turned out her visit was unnecessary. Daniela already knew.
‘Ciao, Annie. Congratulations. I heard that it all went p
erfectly.’ She even held out her arms and Annie bent down to kiss her cheeks. In spite of her decision to break the news to Alex that she no longer wanted their relationship to develop further, she felt a brief stab of jealousy as Daniela went on to tell her how she had heard the news.
‘Alex came to see me an hour ago and told me all about it. Look.’ She waved proudly towards the bedside table. ‘He brought me these.’ A gorgeous bunch of dark red roses in a white china vase looked very fine indeed. Why, Annie found herself wondering, did they have to be roses? Daisies or chrysanthemums would have been much less suggestive. She shook her head and told herself sternly that Alex’s choice of flowers was of no interest to her now that things had changed so radically between them.
She stayed with Daniela for ten minutes before going back to Signor Lago, her jacket under her arm as it was so very warm in there. She found him awake this time and looking quite content. As he spotted her he held out his hands and she went across to kiss him on the cheeks. She sat down beside his bed and told him all about the ball; everything, that was, apart from the masked man whose identity was giving her so much food for thought. He smiled broadly. ‘Alex tells me he’s already heard from a Russian operator that they’re booking a whole load of beds. It looks like it was a great success.’
He lay back against the pillow, a happy smile still on his face. Annie wondered how happy he would feel when he heard that she and Alex were going to just be good friends, rather than anything more profound. But, at least, for now, she was happy to see him smiling and she told him so. He nodded.
‘Of course I’m happy. Any minute now I’m going to see my daughter. Teresa phoned a moment ago to say she’s just arrived in Santorso and she’s in a taxi on her way here right now.’
‘Oh, well, then I’ll get off and leave you two together.’
Signor Lago wouldn’t hear of it. ‘No, please don’t go. I’d very much like you to meet Teresa and I know she’ll enjoy meeting you.’