“Belt up!” Colin chortled, before putting on his own seatbelt.
He put his foot on the accelerator, keen to make an impression. It wasn’t often that he had such an attractive woman in his car, apart from his wife.
Rosa’s mini-skirt rode up as she sat back into the sporty seat, giving Colin a good view of her long slender legs.
“How old are you, Rosa?” Colin’s words rolled out of his mouth subconsciously.
“I am twenty-one but soon I will be twenty-two.” She flashed a smile across at him showing her pearly white teeth off to their best advantage.
Colin could feel himself becoming aroused. This Spanish girl was an absolute cracker. He fancied himself as something more than a father figure to the girl. Young women nowadays were far more mature than when he was in his twenties.
His eyes wandered up her legs again as he stopped at another set of traffic lights.
“Have you got a boyfriend in Spain?” He couldn’t control the words as they continued jumping out of his mouth.
“Yes, well, I did have a boyfriend. He was thirty-two but not with a good job. I like older men but they must be a success.” Rosa batted her eyelids carefully at Colin.
Colin could feel his erection harden as the car behind beeped him to move – the lights had turned green.
“I think you are right,” he nodded. “Women are more mature than men and should look for an older partner.”
Rosa ran her right hand up and down her thigh slowly and rhythmically, causing Colin’s breath to quicken.
“We are almost at Connolly Station,” he announced, half relieved that he she was getting out of the car. He hadn’t felt as aroused in a very long time.
“You have a very nice car, Colin,” Rosa said as she stepped out. “I will see you this evening?”
“Yes, Rosa.” Colin panted slightly and craned his neck to look out through the passenger door. “See you later. Have a good day!”
Colin parked his car in his personal space in the IFSC car park and walked awkwardly to his shiny office on the seventh floor. Carrie sat at a desk outside his room and watched her boss loosen his collar and tie.
“A cup of coffee, Carrie, please,” he said as he passed her by.
“Of course Mr Hamilton,” she replied dutifully. He didn’t usually come to work so ruffled.
* * *
Rosa flicked through the rails in G Wear on Grafton Street. She had to find the right top – definitely a plunge line. He would be putty in her hands before the week was out. She put a red jersey halter-neck up to her chest and smiled. That was the one. She had a smart black mini that would finish it off perfectly. Her wedge heels made her much taller and her long legs would have him hypnotised. He was certainly dim enough to fall for her. She made her way over to the counter to pay for her purchase.
The cream paper bag swung freely in her hand as she sauntered down the street.
“Hello, dear!” a voice called from behind. “Rosa?”
She turned around and saw Lily waving at her from a few yards back.
“Hello,” Rosa said with a saintly smile and flutter of her eyelashes. “I was buying some clothes.”
“That’s nice,” Lily said. “I was just looking to see if there was anything in the midseason sales myself.”
“It is so nice to meet a friendly face.” Rosa smiled naively.
“You poor dear, are you homesick?”
“A little,” Rosa shrugged.
“Would you like to go for a cup of tea?” She paused for a minute thinking that her company might not be appreciated. She was more than a generation too old to make good company for Rosa.
“Yes, that would be nice. I miss my grandmother so much.”
Lily’s heart melted. What a sweet girl!
“Now this is my treat,” she insisted as she slid the tray of lush pastries and tea along the self-service counter of the Kilkenny Design Centre. “This shop has lots of typically Irish handmade products.”
“It is very nice,” Rosa nodded.
They took seats at a table overlooking Nassau Street and Lily talked incessantly about her daughter and son-in-law.
“She is such a lucky girl, my Annabel, but I wonder at times if she appreciates her Colin.”
“He is a nice man but Annabel is a good person.” said Rosa.
“Yes, yes,” Lily agreed flippantly. “But I worry about Annabel. She is never happy. For all she has, she seems to drift through her life and there is always an absence of joy about her.”
Rosa smiled inwardly. It was as she had expected. There was no great love between Colin and his wife. It appeared that it had never really been there.
Chapter 12
Kate packed her suitcase resolutely. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before she returned to her oasis in the mountains. The week had flown by and she wasn’t nearly as organised as she had hoped she would be before returning to Ireland. She did have a lot of the groundwork of her divorce sorted so that was one positive thing. Stefan was going to be co-operative. The tiredness that went with pregnancy wasn’t abating and she hadn’t done any painting. She had cancelled the exhibition until some time later. The curator of the Gallery in Paris was very nice about it but explained that he had a business to run and didn’t have any space on his calendar for at least fourteen months. A German lithograph artist had filled her allocated space in November already.
Her mobile rang out. She knew it was Shane. She had only been able to speak to him sporadically all week.
“Hi, you!” she called lightly down the phone.
“I’m so looking forward to seeing you. What time is your flight in?” he asked anxiously. “I changed my shift around so I could collect you.”
“That’s sweet of you, Shane, but my dad’s collecting me.”
“Kate!” he groaned. “You can’t do this to me. I told you I wanted to get you.”
“Please, Shane,” she sighed. “I have to see to my mum first. I will call you when I get settled.”
“Of course,” his voice dropped with disappointment.
“This is going to be a hectic time, I did warn you. Mum is deteriorating much more rapidly than we expected. I don’t know how I’m going to find her.”
“Look, if you need me –”
“I know where to get you,” she interrupted. “I really have to go now. I can hear Fabian at the door.”
“Okay, talk later.”
She didn’t say goodbye as she turned her phone off. Fabian wasn’t at the door yet but she needed some time on her own. She brewed up a pot of tea and sat and sipped while she did a mental check that she had everything.
* * *
Shane bit at the nail on his ring finger. It was a habit that he hadn’t given in to in years but it seemed like the only thing to do at present. All of his calls to Kate had been awkward since she returned to France and it had only been a little over a week.
“Who was that?” Natasha asked on entering the kitchen.
Shane jumped backwards, startled. “One of the guys from work,” he mumbled. “I was meant to be playing racket-ball with him this afternoon.”
“Shane, I think we need to talk,” Natasha’s voice was quivering. “What’s going on?”
Shane was motionless. There was nothing he could say to Natasha at present. The woman he needed to talk to was brushing him away. It made him yearn for her even more. Instead of the initial joy he felt after their first week together, the week away from each other was breaking him apart.
“Shane, are you even listening to me?” Natasha’s eyes filled. “What is it?”
Shane looked at his beautiful wife – her skin like porcelain and hair like honey. It had taken him years to find her. Natasha filled the gap that Kate had left vacant. But with Kate back in his life he saw his wife in a different light. He used to enjoy the constant demands she made on him.
“I need some time on my own,” he blurted out. “I’m not happy.”
Natasha panicked. “Shan
e, what –”
“It’s not you, it’s me, I’m so sorry,” he stumbled over the words. “I’m just not happy with me.”
She moved forward until she could touch his arm but he took a step back.
“I need some space at the moment,” he appealed.
Natasha started to shake. In the five years she had known Shane Gleason, she had never seen him like this. She was always the one in total control in their relationship. He had recently been promoted to captain and she was in her second month in Airjet when she first set eyes on him. Plenty of the other stewardesses had made a play for him but she was the lucky one, the one that he wooed so charmingly. Their wedding was perfect. Her dress had cost nearly as much as the reception and he was insistent that nothing was too good for her. They made such a handsome couple. Everybody agreed. Everybody said they were the perfect couple.
She had turned their four-bedroom cottage in Dalkey into a home fit for the pages of Home and Country magazine. Even her spies still working in Airjet were adamant that he wasn’t like the other captains. He never swapped rooms during the overnights and he was always polite but businesslike with the stewardesses that threw themselves at him.
Shane’s face was pasty and pale now. He was almost like a statue, his gaze showing no emotion.
“Please, Natasha, I just need space to work something out.”
There was no way she would plead or beg. She just wasn’t used to him wanting something on his terms and it irritated her immensely.
“I’m calling my mother!” she erupted. “I’m taking her to Eternal Springs until you find yourself!” Her brow furrowed, putting five years on her pretty face.
Shane let out a loud sigh. The beauty farm was a regular retreat that she and her friends visited. “That’s probably for the best at the moment.”
“I can’t understand you, it’s like living with a stranger this past couple of weeks,” she sobbed, then turned on her heels and stormed out of the kitchen. Her pride was seriously dinted and she would do what she usually did when she was cross with him. Visit Josh!
She was right of course. Shane had been a different person. Kate was back in his life. He felt deliriously happy when he was in her company and confused and lonely when they were apart. Telling Natasha that he had changed made him feel like he was doing something proactive – moving his relationship with Kate on a little bit more. But if he was doing that why wasn’t he feeling better? He hadn’t felt this miserable in years.
* * *
Damien rushed up to his daughter as she walked through Arrivals. He leaned forward and gave her cheek a brief kiss.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, love,” he replied, the strain of minding Betty was showing on his face.
“How’s Mum?”
“She’s very subdued and tired. I suppose it’s to be expected.” Damien took his daughter’s suitcase which was a lot bigger than the one she had brought only two weeks before. Kate had an open ticket this time, neither of them knew when she would be returning to France.
Kate watched the fields of maize flash by as they sped along the M50. She hadn’t felt very creative for the past few weeks. She tried to recall what it was like to see the world through an artist’s eyes.
“I met Annabel at the market in Howth. She’s after setting up a stall,” Damien chuckled in an attempt to make light conversation.
“I don’t want to talk about her,” Kate retorted.
“I think she is keen to be friends with you again.”
“Well, I didn’t –” Kate stopped. She really didn’t have the energy to go into it with her father right now. Her brain had gone to putty since she discovered that she was pregnant.
Damien looked across at his daughter in the passenger seat. “Kate, you look exhausted. Are you sick?”
“I’m sick of Annabel and I don’t want to discuss her again.”
“Whatever you wish.” Damien grimaced as he changed gear on approaching Raheny village. “Your mother sleeps through most of the afternoons.”
“That will be the drugs,” Kate replied in a matter-of-fact manner. “How is the nurse working out?”
“She’s a nice girl and your mother likes her, so that’s the main thing.” Damien pulled the Saab into the driveway and turned to his daughter. “When are the boys coming over?”
“Sunday.”
“I can’t wait to see them,” Damien said and he really meant it.
“Neither can I,” Kate nodded.
* * *
Saturday had gone from being one of the quieter days in the Hamilton household to one of the busiest. Taylor was at horse-riding and Rebecca was at ballet. Sam was on a day’s orienteering excursion to the pine forest and Colin was upstairs getting ready for golf.
“I’m popping out to get some more ingredients for tomorrow. The weather forecast is good so it’s going to be busy at the market,” Annabel told Rosa as she routed out the shopping bags from under the stairs.
“I will stay here until the children return,” Rosa nodded.
“Thanks so much,” Annabel smiled. “They are both being dropped back by their friends’ mums.”
“Okay.”
“Bye, Colin!” Annabel called as she pulled the front door behind her.
Colin was intent on giving himself a close shave and didn’t reply. A well-worn yellow towel covered the lower half of his body and was wrapped loosely in a cumbersome fold around his waist.
Rosa crept quietly up the stairs. She slipped into her bedroom and stripped off her clothing, then grabbed a white fluffy bathrobe that Annabel had lent her before setting off on her mission. Colin usually used his en-suite to shave but this morning had brought all his paraphernalia into the main bathroom after taking a bath. The door was ajar and Rosa took a deep breath before giving a gentle knock. Thankfully she had left a bottle of conditioner on the second shelf of the storage cabinet.
“Yes?” Colin grunted.
“Excuse me, Colin,” Rosa said shyly. “I left my shampoo in this bathroom. I need to take a shower.”
Colin’s eyes wandered over the draped robe that every now and again showed flashes of bare tanned skin. Rosa’s black curls were wild and tangled around her shoulders. He stared at them as she reached up to the cabinet, longing to touch them. Rosa turned around and lowered her head, flashing an acquiescent glance.
“Colin!” she gasped. “You have a lot of muscles!”
Colin straightened his shoulders. “I try to do a bit in the gym,” he chortled.
Rosa stood rigid – she had no intention of moving. Now was her chance. She loosened the belt on her robe until her peach-like breasts were visible.
Colin’s mouth dropped. He wasn’t sure how to react. Apart from the odd lap-dancing club trip with the guys from work and the odd prostitute while he was in Europe on business he had remained faithful to his wife. An opportunity like this didn’t often come his way and his initial reaction was to pounce on the picture of beauty in front of him. It never occurred to him to wonder why such a beautiful voluptuous young woman would desire a middle-aged man with a wide midriff.
“Where’s Annabel gone?” he asked.
“To buy some things for the market.”
Colin grinned and slipped his hand under Rosa’s bathrobe. He firmly cupped her right breast in his left hand.
“You know, I think that market stall of Annabel’s is a great idea,” Colin sniggered as he lurched forward and slipped his tongue into Rosa’s mouth.
Rosa let the rest of her robe slip off her shoulders until she was completely naked.
“Take me to your bedroom,” she whispered into his right ear.
Colin didn’t need telling twice. He walked backwards, holding her as they stumbled into the room and flopped onto the bed.
“You’re like an angel,” he muttered as she slithered down the bed and took his penis firmly in her hands before wrapping her lips around it.
Colin moaned and groaned his way to orgasm. When he was fini
shed Rosa politely wiped her mouth on his yellow towel that was now flung on the bedroom carpet. She crawled up the bed until her naked body was next to his.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on,” Colin panted.
Rosa smiled. Her plan was going perfectly.
* * *
Kate wasn’t ready to speak to Shane yet. She was in Dublin seven hours but had ignored his four attempts to call her. She felt cruel but needed to get clarity in her own head before she did anything.
“Kate, could you bring up a hot water-bottle?” her mother called.
“Coming, Mum!” Kate would have to try hard to be the dutiful daughter and not let her own condition affect the care she needed to provide for her mother.
As she poured the water from the kettle into the narrow opening at the top of the water-bottle, her mobile rang out again.
She knew she had to answer it this time. She stretched across the worktop and grappled with the phone.
“Hello.”
“Kate, I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”
She quivered on hearing his voice. “Sorry, I’ve been with Mum. The nurse has gone and Dad is out.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, fine,” she sighed listlessly. “Look, I’ll call you back later tonight.”
“Kate, I really need to talk to you,” the urgency was clear in his voice. “I’ve told Natasha I’m not happy.”
Kate froze. She didn’t need this type of pressure at the moment – especially when she didn’t know what she was doing with her life. “Come out in the morning then.”
“I can’t, I’m going to Edinburgh twice. But I should be back by two o’clock.”
“Okay, two. Come at two.” Deep down she loved him and wanted to tell him that she was pregnant, that she was needy. But she couldn’t.
“I can’t wait to see you, Kate!” Shane’s voice lifted now that they had an arrangement made.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said truthfully.
Two Days in Biarritz Page 15