by Anna Edwards
"It certainly does."
They removed their boots and left them by the bike rather than on the mound of flip-flops.
"Ganesha is the god of wisdom and intellect, isn't he?"
"Yes." Matthew looked at Sonia as she questioned him.
"Are you hoping that maybe this visit gives me more wisdom to follow your high intellect and rules?"
"I think you might need to stay here for a month for that to happen."
Sonia whacked out a hand into his hard bicep.
"Hey!" They walked into the temple together, and the hum of people worshiping filled their ears. Matthew looked over to Sonia and saw a look of wonder on her face. She often looked so lost, but when she smiled she was the most beautiful woman on the planet.
"Do you think they will mind if I take a few photographs?" She pulled out her phone.
"Of course not. I will make a substantial donation when we leave, so we can do anything we want here within reason." Money still talked in India.
"I left my rupees in my bag on the bike."
"It is fine. You can pay me back later."
"Thank you." Sonia smiled again and turned to take her photos.
Matthew stepped back against the wall and tried desperately to focus on something other than her tight backside in her skin-tight leather trousers as she wiggled away.
"Oh my God. There is an elephant in here." Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Sonia, who instantly turned a bright shade of red. Matthew just shook his head before pushing off the wall.
"Sorry, the first time she has seen an elephant." The staring crowd murmured and returned to their worshipping. "You want to go and see the elephant. It is actually the reason I brought you here." He held his hand out to her, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she buried her head in his broad chest. Matthew felt his breath catch.
"I feel so stupid.”
"It is okay." Matthew stroked her hair. "They are probably used to it. They don't advertise the fact there is an elephant in the Temple!"
Sonia, lifted her head, and he met her questioning eyes. He wanted to lean in and kiss her; her lips were so inviting, so tempting.
"Sorry." Sonia pulled away from him and nervously fiddled with a strand of her hair. "Yes, let's go see the elephant. What is so special about it?"
Matthew coughed as he stepped back to try and draw air back into his lungs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some rupees.
"Go up to him and wait. Hold this flat in the palm of your hand."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Okay, but if I get trampled I will come back to haunt you."
"Go!" Matthew laughed, the unease of moments earlier lost as they both strode over to the elephant and Sonia stood in front of it as she was told to. Matthew watched as the elephant brought its enormous trunk up and swiped it over Sonia's face. The elephant then took the money, gave it to its handler, and turned its head to the next patron. Sonia turned back to him, a baffled expression on her face.
"Ok, what was that?"
"You were just blessed by an elephant."
"Blessed? I thought he was giving me a wash."
"He is only slobbery with the ones he likes."
"That is good to know." She laughed and wiped her face on the cuff of her jacket. "Do they do this in many temples?"
"Sometimes elephants, sometimes cows. Animals are sacred and worshipped here."
"I actually think I enjoyed that more than my holy communion."
Matthew just shook his head again before calling over one of the priests.
"Hi, I have a new bike outside. Can we get a puja for it please?"
He pulled out his wallet and handed a wad of rupees to the priest.
"Of course, Sir. I will arrange it at once." The man scurried off.
"Um. What is a puja?"
"A way of making sure we get back to Bangalore in time for the plane tomorrow. James can be rather stressed if I make him late. Follow me."
Sonia followed as Matthew grabbed her hand again and he led her back outside the temple. A man was placing a flowered garland over the front of the bike. He then threw a handful of petals over the rest of it. Matthew pressed his hands together and presented a courtesy Namaste greeting to the priest. Matthew felt Sonia tense beside him as the priest picked up a coconut shell and set it alight. He then chanted as he waved it over the bike. He blew the flame out and smashed the coconut on the ground.
"This is the fun part." Matthew handed Sonia her helmet and boots and put his back on. "Back on the bike." Matthew manoeuvred the bike to ride off but waited until the priest had placed limes under the wheels. "Hold on!" He switched the engine on, and the bike sped away, crushing the limes. He could hear Sonia chuckling behind him.
"That was mad!" She spoke into the microphone in her helmet, and it echoed in his.
"It is bonkers but very important. Did you enjoy that place?"
"I loved it. I can't wait to see more of Pondicherry."
Matthew turned the bike on what would probably be a B road in England into the French District of the city. He pulled up outside a whitewashed villa neatly erected on a set grid place. The French Quarter was formally laid out.
Matthew stretched and flexed his neck as he got off the bike. It had been a long ride, and he needed a warm shower. He grabbed his bag and handed Sonia's to her.
"I feel like I am in France, not India."
"It really does feel like that doesn't it?" Matthew guided her towards the entrance to the hotel.
"Ma'am, you must go this way, please."
They both looked up to the attendant dressed in traditional dress.
"Of course, you have to go with the woman. It is only for the start, they need to do a quick security check, and then we can meet when we get in there." Matthew had forgotten about the segregation in some places in India.
"Why can't we go together?"
"Women are respected for virtue in this country. Their dignity is maintained when they have to be searched. It isn't done everywhere, but this hotel apparently chooses to do so." He pointed towards a little curtain. "I will wait for you just the other side. Please, don't worry."
"Okay."
Matthew breezed through his security check, he had left his gun back in Bangalore. He felt naked without it, but he didn't need it here. His hands were more than a capable weapon. And the knife that he had hidden in his boot wasn't picked up. He strode to the desk and gave them his name. He might as well get the keys to their rooms, Sonia might be a while, stuck behind a woman with three children in the queue. He always felt it a little unfair that the children frequently ended up with the woman while she was trying to get herself checked and them, surely her husband could have taken one of them.
"Welcome, Mr. Carter. Can I get your credit card, please? I have put you in your usual room."
"Merci Sabine. Where is Miss Anderson's room?"
"Miss Anderson's room?" Sabine looked confused. "I had the message that you wanted one room. I am so sorry. We are fully booked."
Sonia appeared behind him.
"I can phone around a few hotels for you Mr Carter but there is a big festival on tonight, and the city is very busy."
"Does the room have a sofa or twin beds?" Sonia asked
"It has a sofa."
"I will take the couch."
"You’ll not!" His protective side came out. "I will take it."
"You won't fit."
"I could see if we could get an extra bed put in the room, Mr Carter?" Sabine interjected.
"See to it at once, please." Matthew picked up the key card and stomped to the elevator.
"Matthew, I don't snore, you know. And I will even wear PJ's, so I don't give you a fright."
"I am sorry. I didn't plan this."
"I know. It is just an error; we didn't exactly know we were coming here till a few hours ago."
"Thanks for offering to share. If they can't find a bed, then I will take the couch." Ma
tthew was going to be adamant on this. He was responsible for her safety while she was here and he wouldn’t allow her to sleep on a couch.
"If they can't find a bed, we can share the double together. Come on, let's get changed, and then I want to find some French food. I have had enough of curries for this trip!" Sonia swiped the key from his hand and ran ahead to the bedroom. Matthew let out a long exhalation of air. It was going to be a long night. A very long and very tortuous night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sonia
Sonia stepped out of the walk-in shower and wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body. After five hours on the back of a motorbike, in often very dusty and hot conditions, she really needed to have a wash. She hadn't minded the journey though as she had seen so much of India. This area was famous for its old ambassador cars and she had definitely seen a lot of them. The poverty in the country had struck her, though. It was everywhere, there was an immense divide between the rich and the poor. She wondered if it would ever really change.
Her ears pricked up as she heard Matthew on the phone. Matthew hadn't been joking, he really was married to the job. He was obviously talking to James on the phone from the nature of the conversation. Even when he was given a day to himself, he was still checking on his boss and making sure everything was safe and in place for him.
Sonia took the purple A-line dress from the coat hanger on the back of the door and put it on. She really didn't know why she had let Amy talk her into bringing it. She shoved her feet into a pair of high heels. She put a little bit of blusher on her cheeks and some mascara over her eyelashes. A quick towel dry of her hair and a comb through, and she was ready. Tentatively, she opened the door, Matthew turned his head to her and stopped speaking.
"James, I have to go." Matthew hung up. "You look beautiful."
"Amy made me borrow it. I should have just brought some trousers and a top. I feel silly."
"Why?" Matthew was dressed in a pair of tailored black casual trousers and had a short sleeved shirt on. As he stepped closer, Sonia could smell his spicy aftershave filling her nostrils. She loved that smell, it was quintessentially Matthew.
"I don't really wear dresses."
"You should. Honestly, you look beautiful." Matthew was directly in front of her now. Sonia bit lightly on her lip as she felt Matthew's eyes travel all over her body.
"I will just get my bag, and I will be ready to go."
"Yeah." Matthew almost ran back over to his side of the room and grabbed the room key and his wallet. "The restaurant is a couple of minutes’ walk. It is called the Hotel Du L'Orient and is set in a little courtyard. Very typically French.
"I am looking forward to it, however, if the menu isn't in English then you’re telling me what is on it!"
"No worries. Je vais vous assurer que vous mangez les escargots." Matthew smirked at her.
"Ok, what did you say?"
"I will make sure you eat the snails."
"I think I will ask the waiter to translate instead!"
"Fine, if you want les cuisses de grenouilles."
"Oh God. What is that?"
"Frog's legs!"
"Ok, I think I might ask for a curry."
"Honestly the food is good. They have fantastic steaks."
Sonia's stomach rumbled at the thought of a steak; its juices oozing from within a pepper sauce.
"Let's go. I am starving!" She grabbed her handbag and stamped her foot impatiently as Matthew messed around with his shirt.
"Patience. It is still early!"
"Unless you want me to start gnawing your arm off then I suggest you hurry up!"
"Women!" Sonia watched as Matthew tucked his wallet and his phone into the back pockets of his trousers. "Come on, then!"
Matthew was indeed right about the restaurant. It had food that melted in Sonia's mouth and tantalised all her senses. For her dessert, she had had a Pineapple Ravioli with a salted caramel crumb. She had felt like she was floating away in a warm hug of deliciousness. Matthew had laughed as she had moaned her satisfaction and questioned whether she was acting out the scene from When Harry Met Sally.
As well as the mouth-watering food, the company was pleasant, and Sonia was extremely surprised to find the normally closed-book Matthew opening up. He was still very cagey, but she had managed to learn that he had grown up in Hampshire to a father who was a lawyer and a French mother, who was a teacher in the local secondary school. He had one brother, Christopher who was a lawyer like his father. She had the feeling Matthew was a bit of a black sheep in the family. She asked him about his time in MI5, but he had become more reserved, so she had changed it to their hobbies. Both of them were big Star Wars geeks, and when Sonia found out James had taken Matthew to watch the last one being filmed and even got him a small part in it, she was extremely jealous. The closest she had ever gotten to anything like that was a Star Wars convention in London where she had dressed up as Princess Leia and had a photograph taken with an Ewok.
As they returned to the room for the evening, another bed still hadn't been set up.
"I will get on to the reception." Matthew picked up the phone with an angry frown on his face.
"Matthew, honestly don't worry. We need to be up early in the morning to get back to Bangalore in time for the flight. It has already gone ten; if you call them, it will take another hour at least. The bed is more than big enough for two. We can put a pillow in the middle. I trust you with my virtue!"
He put the phone down. "You trust me, but I’m not sure if I trust you. I mean, look how sexy my body is." Matthew turned and wiggled his backside at her. Matthew was always so imposing and stern when on duty, but this relaxed version was really tempting.
"Oh God. I don't know if I can sleep in the same bed as that gorgeous arse and not want to bite it." She pretended to roll her eyes.
"You can eat all you want, babe!" Sonia gulped as she saw Matthew's eyes darken. She wasn't sure if Matthew sensed her nervousness, but he bowed his head and handed her the pyjamas she had left on the bed earlier. "I have some calls I need to make to check everything is ready for Mr North in the Maldives. You head to sleep; they have a work area; I can make the calls there so I don't disturb you."
"Okay." She turned towards the bathroom. The door silently clicked behind her.
In silence, Sonia got ready for bed, trying to understand what had just happened. Did she want Matthew? Had he really sensed she was worried about being alone with him? Or was she just not his type? Sonia was the daughter of a murderer. She had lank brown hair which just hung there, and she could do nothing with it. Her bottom and hips were too big, and her breasts were almost non-existent. She wasn't beautiful as Amy was. She was plain, and then there were her scars.
Yes, just one look in the mirror told her that she was someone Matthew could never be interested in. She climbed into bed and cried. She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew was Matthew tapping her lightly on the shoulder.
"Sonia, I am sorry to wake you, but I want to show you something. This is one of the main reasons I come to Pondicherry."
She turned over and rubbed her eyes, still sore from crying. "What time is it? It is still dark."
"It is just before six. We have to leave at eight to make sure we get back. Are you okay to get up?"
"Yes, it is fine, I’m just a bit achy after the bike ride yesterday. Been a while since I have done that. What is it you wanted to show me?"
"Come to the window." Matthew got out of the bed, and all he was wearing was a pair of tight boxer shorts. Every other inch of his muscular body was on display. Sonia felt that view right between her legs. He did indeed have a backside she wanted to sink her teeth into. "Come on, you don't want to miss it!"
She pulled the blankets back, swung her legs out of the bed, and strode to the window. The hotel was on the seafront, and the sun was coming up, its pink, purple and amber tones appearing over the horizon. It was vast and unimpeded by clouds like it would be in England
. It felt like she could almost reach out and touch it. In fact, she brought her hand up against the window pane. Matthew moved in behind her, and she felt his warm breath on the back of her head. His hand slid over the curve of her hip. His pressed his body into her, and she could feel his cock starting to twitch awake against her back. She turned in his arms and looked up at him. Neither of them spoke.
Matthew brought his lips down on hers. Sparks of electricity surged through her body as she parted them slightly. Matthew lifted her off her feet, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Jesus. His cock was rock solid underneath her. He laid her out on the bed and climbed on top of her. He made sure not to bear any weight on her, but his lips never left hers, not until he pulled back to look into her eyes again.
"You’re perfect, Sonia. You’re so beautiful. I want to make love to you. I don't ever want to stop."
Perfect? She wasn't perfect. She was far from it. Fear washed suddenly over her, and she pushed Matthew away as hard as she could.
"No!" She leapt from the bed, her arms wrapped around her body trying to protect herself. "No, I can't do this."
"Sonia." Matthew reached out to her, and she could see the worry in his eyes. "Sonia, it is okay. I won't hurt you. We don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Sonia turned on her heels and fled into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her.
"Sonia, please. Talk to me."
"Look, give me half an hour. I want to shower and get dressed. Go and get us some breakfast."
"Sonia, that isn’t going to happen. I am not leaving you."
"Matthew, please." She needed him to leave so she could think this through. "I promise you, I will be okay. I won't be able to calm down while I know you’re out there." Or do what she had to do.
"Okay. I will go to a place nearby that does croissants and come straight back here. If you haven't opened the door by then, I will break it down."
"I will have. I promise."
Sonia heard the door close. She quickly scrambled to her feet and started to rifle through his shaving bag. He had an old-fashioned razor and she had never been so grateful. She pulled her PJ bottoms down. Her heart was beating so fast; it was like it was trying to escape her chest. She had gone six months without doing this. The first time had been just after she had been transferred to her fourth adoptive home. None of her foster parents could cope with her, she was a loose cannon after her mother's death. She could be sane and sensible one minute then climbing off the walls and smashing things the next. She got into fights and swore and shouted at her foster parents till they shipped her out to the next one and it all started again.