He gave her a genuine smile. "Palmer, please." He nodded at Len, and shook his hand too. "I'm so glad you could join us this evening."
"Our pleasure," Len spoke for both of them. Marika remained diplomatically silent, but she had to admit to herself that the shipping magnate exuded a genial charisma. As the small group chatted, she found herself relaxing. Resigned to her delayed plans with Rhi, she decided she'd participate in the conversation long enough to satisfy the demands of propriety and Harrison Kurst, and then slip away.
Len chose that moment to say apologetically, "Palmer, would you excuse me if I borrow Harrison for a few moments? It's an office matter that unfortunately, can't wait."
DeAndre gave an amiable wave of the hand as the two men drew away, quickly engaged in an intense conversation. Palmer focused his warm blue eyes on Marika and asked, "So what brings you to our fair city...business or pleasure?"
"Business mostly," Marika smiled. "But I've also been enjoying a bit of playing tourist. It certainly is beautiful out here."
Palmer beamed as if personally responsible for his city's allure. "You know, I've traveled all over the world, and I've yet to see anyplace that can compare. My wife, Sandra, travels extensively on behalf of our foundation, and I know she misses home terribly when she's away. She's always so glad when she gets back." He shook his admiringly. "Don't know how she keeps up the pace sometimes, but that woman is just so dedicated! I wish I had half her energy."
"She must be a wonderful person to dedicate so much of her time and energy to philanthropic endeavours," Marika commented, impressed by the man's obvious admiration for his wife.
"Yeah, she's pretty incredible," he agreed with a fond smile. He nodded across the room to a group by the window. "She's just over there, no doubt gently twisting a few arms for her latest project. She's so good at it, that they never even know what they've agreed to until she turns up at their door to collect." He laughed, then said, "Oh, here she comes now. I'll introduce you two."
His eyes lit up as he looked over Marika's shoulder. The lawyer smiled, turned to meet the paragon he was so obviously devoted to-and froze.
Approaching her was an elegant woman of average height and build, her brown hair swept back in a chignon, a beautifully styled designer dress in black and silver, with diamond drop earrings and a matching pendant. Nodding courteously at the stunned lawyer, Sandra held out her hand to her husband, smiling sweetly.
"Hello, darling. Did you miss me?"
Palmer beamed at his wife and bent over her hand, kissing it lightly before drawing her to his side. "Always, my love. I trust you were successful in prying open our friends' wallets?"
The woman laughed. "Oh somewhat, but darling, do introduce me to your lovely companion."
"Sorry, love, where are my manners? Sandra, this is one of Harrison's lawyers, Marika Havers. Marika, this is my wife, Sandra DeAndre."
Sandra reached out a hand, and Marika forced herself to meet it, mumbling an inanity as she stared into familiar muddy brown eyes. Numbly her mind tried to wrap itself around the reality that Cass was standing right in front of her.
Palmer looked more closely at the lawyer and frowned. "Are you all right, Marika? You look terribly pale."
"I...I..."
Sandra cut in smoothly. "She does look unwell, darling. There is that flu going around. Perhaps she has a touch of it. Why don't I take her to the ladies room?" Wrapping a firm hand around Marika's upper arm, she began to guide the dazed woman away, as her husband smiled at his wife's consideration. Palmer turned away to greet other guests as Sandra nodded and smiled her way through the crowd to the corridor, never loosening her iron grip on the lawyer.
Entering the ladies room, Marika saw a middle-aged society matron touching up her make-up at the mirror. When the matron saw her escort, she said, "Sandra! I was going to come find you. I have to postpone our luncheon at the club on Sunday..."
Sandra broke in smoothly. "Helen, would you mind terribly if I found you a bit later? I'm afraid my friend here isn't feeling well and may have the flu, so if you would excuse us..."
"Of course, dear," Helen said sympathetically. "I'll give you a call tomorrow if we miss each other tonight." With those words, the matron left the room and Sandra locked the door behind her.
Whirling, she grabbed Marika's jacket front and slammed her against the door. Shocked, the lawyer blinked at the abrupt change. The benevolent philanthropist was gone, and in her place stood the woman who'd held her in thrall for almost a year. Flat, malevolent eyes pinned her, as the strong grip held her in place.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Cass hissed, rage flickering in muddy depths.
Marika shook her head. "I didn't know...my senior partner insisted I come."
"Jesus Christ! Of all the fuck-ups!" Cursing, Cass released Marika and paced back and forth a few steps. Marika didn't move, though her body vibrated with tension and fear. She knew from experience that she didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity when Cass lost her temper.
Her eyes tracked the other woman warily, her mind reeling at the realization of Cass' double life. When the angry woman stopped and faced Marika, the lawyer instinctively tried to shrink back, but her back was already flat against the door.
Cass advanced on her, eyes glittering. Her left hand shot out and wrapped around Marika's neck. The lawyer gasped, but made no move to escape.
"You're not going to say a word about this, are you, Marika?" The words were almost casual, but there was no mistaking the implied threat as the pressure tightened around her neck. The lawyer shook her head slightly, unable to tear her eyes from the other woman's face.
"Good," Cass crooned. "That's my good girl. Because if you did, I'd have to punish you." Shuddering, Marika could see the rising excitement in the sadistic eyes. "And my baby doesn't like being punished, does she?"
Marika gasped as Cass' right hand unbuttoned her suit jacket and deliberately pushed it aside. A small grin crossed the other woman's face as she viciously twisted the lawyer's left nipple, leaving her hand clamped over the tortured breast. Biting back a groan, she held still, knowing it would be far worse if she resisted.
Behind her the doorknob rattled as someone tried to get in. Cass frowned. Narrowing her eyes at her victim, she instructed, "I'm leaving now. I don't care what you tell your boss, but you're going to get your ass out of here and I don't want to see you back again, got that?"
Swallowing against the constrictive hand, Marika muttered her acknowledgement. Cass released her throat and carefully re-buttoned the jacket. "Good," she purred, "just so we understand each other."
Her hand flashed out in a brutal strike across the lawyer's face. Marika cried out, and Cass grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. "We do understand each other, don't we?" she snarled in a low voice.
Unable to stop the tears welling in her eyes, Marika just ducked her head in agreement. Cass pushed her aside and, straightening her dress, unlocked the door. As she stepped out, the lawyer heard Sandra say, "Oh, Marge, do give it a moment, will you? I'm afraid someone's been a bit sick in there, and I think we should give her a few moments to clean up."
Marika heard the murmur of agreement and the door closed, leaving her alone. Trembling, she sank into a chair, clutching her arms around her body and trying desperately to regain control. It was only when she heard someone turning the knob that she stood, and on shaky legs made her way out of the ladies room, averting her face from the two women entering. Keeping to the edge of the corridor, she made her way to the elevators. Luckily one had just arrived, depositing more partygoers, and she hastily boarded it and punched the button for the fourth floor.
Riding the elevator down, she stared blindly at the doors. She felt her mind beginning to retreat into itself, protecting and hiding her. When the lift stopped, she stumbled down the hallway to her room, shaking fingers inserting the keycard. Once inside, she barely made it to the bed before collapsing and curling into the tightest ball she could. At a dista
nce, she could hear a voice calling her name, but she shut it out and closed her eyes.
* * *
Rhiannon was lying on her bed reading when she heard her boss' door unlock through the open connecting door. Surprised, she glanced at the bedside table. Marika hadn't even been gone an hour. Grinning, she sat up and tossed the book aside, delighted that they'd be able to head for Gastown sooner than she'd expected.
The grin vanished when she got to the door only to see her ashen-faced boss stumble past her, unfocused eyes staring right by her. Her mouth open, she watched in amazement as Marika collapsed on the bed, her knees rising tightly to her chest and her arms tucked tightly against her body.
"Marika?" Rhi advanced slowly into the room, her worried eyes fixed on the fetal form on the bed. "Rika? Are you okay?"
There was no answer from the stricken woman, and Rhi approached the bed carefully. "Rika? Hey, boss, what's going on?" She was shocked as she saw the dove gray eyes that had regarded her so warmly only an hour ago, horribly blank and unseeing. She was almost relieved when Marika closed her eyes, but then, studying her friend, she saw the angry red mark on her colourless cheek and frowned. She'd seen that mark on her own mirror image often enough to know that someone had hit the older woman--hard.
Dropping to her knees, she reached out tentatively to stroke the pale blonde hair gently. "Hey, Rika, c'mon talk to me. You're starting to worry me here, boss."
There was no response at all from the silent, unmoving woman, and after five minutes of coaxing, wheedling and caressing the pallid cheek, she looked over to the bedside phone and bit her lip nervously. This was way beyond her experience, and she wondered if she should be calling someone. The question was...who? Aside from the angry mark on her face, her boss didn't seem to be physically harmed, and she was pretty sure that Marika wouldn't appreciate anyone seeing her in her near-catatonia.
Deliberating for a long minute, Rhi came to a decision. Standing, she whispered, "Hang in there, Rika. I'm going to get some help."
Returning to her room, she half-closed the door, leaving it open enough to hear if her friend called. Crossing to the phone, she noted the instructions for long-distance and, blessing her eidetic memory, placed a call.
"Hello."
Rhi sighed in relief at the familiar hearty voice. "Lee? It's Rhiannon."
"Lady Mouse? Where the heck are you? Are you guys back from Vancouver already?"
"No, we're still here. But Lee, there's a problem, and I don't know what to do."
Lee's puzzled voice sharpened. "What's wrong? Is it something with Marika? Is she okay?"
"I don't think so." Rhi's voice began to tremble. "Lee, I think there's something really wrong with her."
The voice on the line soothed her. "Okay, hon. It's going to be all right. Now start from the beginning and tell me everything."
Rhi quickly ran through the events of the evening. "And all I can see is the mark on her face, but she isn't moving and she won't talk to me. It's like she's not even in there, sort of spaced out and all."
There was a long moment of silence, but Rhi took comfort in it, knowing her big friend was analyzing the situation and completely confident that her Madam Dragonslayer would come up with the right solution.
"Did you try touching her? Did she respond at all to that?"
Rhi shook her head, even though Lee couldn't see her. "No. I patted her hair and her cheek, but there was no response." She heard the deep sigh come over the line.
"Okay, Rhi, Dana and I have seen this before. I'm not sure if the cause is the same-I don't see how it can be-but if you do what we did, then it should work again."
Relieved, Rhi broke in, "What? What should I do?"
"Basically you're going to wait, but at the same time, talk to her, touch her, even hold her. Once she starts to come around, just let her know that you're there for her. Don't press her to talk about whatever it was unless she's ready."
"I can do that," Rhi said solemnly, then hesitantly she added, "Lee? Can you tell me what's going on? Why she's like this?"
"God, where do I start? Whatever happened tonight traumatized her, and this is just the way she protects herself mentally. She basically shuts down until she can handle it. The last time this happened, at least that we saw it, involved a woman who abused her. I don't see how she could've run into her out there, but if she did...Rhi, this woman is evil."
Rhiannon was startled at the depth of loathing in her amiable friend's voice. Shaken, she asked, "Should I be calling security or something, Lee? Do you think if it is that woman that she'll come after Rika?"
"No, that's not the way the bitch operates. She gets Rika to come to her, though damned if I know how!"
"What!?" Rhi couldn't believe what she'd heard. Rika went willingly to someone who left her in this condition? Something was very wrong with this picture.
"Look, I don't know if it's even the same thing, but when she starts to talk again, listen up for a mention of 'Cass', okay? Don't let her know you know what's going on, but tell me, all right?"
"Yeah, I will. I'm going back in there now. If I get a chance I'll call you later. If not, I'll talk to you when we're back in Calgary. And Lee...thanks."
"You did right to call me, Rhi. Rika is very lucky you're there. Now go look after our friend and I'll talk to you later."
Rhi bade Lee goodbye and walked quickly back to the other room. She discovered that Marika hadn't moved a muscle in her absence. Regarding her with a tiny frown, she contemplated her options. Finally, with a little shrug, she crawled up on the bed and curled up behind the rigid body. Wrapping one arm around the woman and settling her other hand on the soft hair, she snuggled close and began to talk. Keeping her voice low and soothing, she chatted about nothing and everything as she held her tight and stroked her hair.
It felt like hours later, but finally Rhi felt a relaxation in the body she held. Marika didn't say anything, but she did straighten out her limbs and settle back into the small, strong arms that held her.
"Welcome back, my friend," Rhi murmured, relief flooding through her. She fell silent then, her throat aching from the unprecedented marathon of talking. Mentally exhausted, she eventually dropped off, still pressed tightly to the slender relaxed body beside her.
When she woke hours later, she found that Marika had rolled to face her. Through half-open curtains, the city lights threw enough illumination for her to see soft gray eyes regarding her steadily. Still mostly asleep, she gave her friend a bleary smile. Marika reached a hand up and gently caressed Rhi's cheek, running a finger lightly down to her jaw line. She made to withdraw, but Rhi instinctively reached for her hand, drawing it to her and closing her eyes again. As she drifted back to sleep, she felt the long fingers curl around her own and tighten.
* * *
"It went well this evening, don't you think, darling?" Palmer DeAndre laid his hand on his wife's shoulders as she sat at her dressing table, removing her diamonds.
She patted his hand and smiled into the mirror at him. "Very well, my love." She stretched and yawned. "It was a long night though, and you do have to be in the office tomorrow. Why don't you go pour us a nightcap?"
DeAndre dropped an affectionate kiss on his wife's hair and left their bedroom. She watched him go, then stared into the mirror unseeing. Her mind worked furiously, considering and discarding options until she settled on a course of action. She'd successfully kept her lives separate for years now, and the unexpected appearance of Marika at the reception had shaken her more than she'd thought. She'd known from the beginning that consorting with the refined blonde was not wise, but the woman was so far removed from the usual trash Cass used, that she hadn't been able to resist the challenge.
Her eyes narrowed in memory and a half smile lifted the corner of her lips. The lawyer had proved so...unexpectedly amenable to Cass' darker proclivities, and the predator has instinctively known how to exploit every hurt, every pain that the other woman had ever suffered to turn Marika to her
pleasure.
She knew that now that Marika was aware of her other life, she should pull back, cut any further ties, but she found herself strangely unwilling to do so. The blonde so...enlivened her periodic trips through Calgary. She was fairly certain that she had the lawyer cowed, but to cover her bases...
Pulling open a drawer, Cass quickly pulled out a cell phone and, glancing at the door to ensure that her husband hadn't returned, placed a call.
"I have a job for you. The instructions will be waiting for you tomorrow. And Gao---this job gets top priority."
Flipping the small phone shut, she rose and greeted her husband with a smile as he returned to the room with two large brandy snifters in hand.
Chapter Eighteen
RHI LET THE remnants of her dream slip away as she reluctantly opened her eyes. She'd been walking beside a waterfall with someone whose face she couldn't remember, but whose presence filled her with contentment. Reluctant to leave such a sweet dream, the young woman had resisted until she couldn't hang on to it any longer. Opening her eyes, the events of the previous evening slowly came back to her.
She was alone, the bedspread neatly folded back and tucked around her. Glancing down, she saw she was still wearing the clothes she'd donned the previous evening in anticipation of going out with Marika.
Letting tired eyes search the room, she saw her boss' clothes tossed across a chair and realized that she'd been hearing the shower running in the washroom. Yawning and stretching, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Running a hand through short, tousled hair, she stood and walked through the still open door between their rooms.
Leaving the door open behind her, she rummaged in her suitcase for the clothes she needed and went to shower. Ten minutes later, she was clean and dressed for the trip back to Calgary. Going back to the dividing door, Rhi didn't see Marika and decided her boss must still be in the washroom. Closing the door firmly now, she returned to the bed and picked up the phone.
Moments later, Lee's familiar voice came on the line.
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