by Juanita Kees
Cold dread and shame travelled up from his feet, curdled his stomach and encased his heart in ice. There on the front page was Arian, wrapped in the arms of a blond, muscular, athletic type with the headlines proclaiming a match made in heaven. The newspaper fluttered from his nerveless fingers.
Odys picked it up and read aloud. “Football superstar Craig McMahon attempted to prove today that absence does make the heart grow fonder. All bets were off on whether the wedding of the year between McMahon and Arian Kendrick would take place or not when an away game this year ended with him in bed with the coach’s daughter. After a month apart, Kendrick returned from licking her wounds in Mykonos to find McMahon at the airport, hat in hand and armed with an eight-carat diamond. Could it be the Bachelor of the Year candidate, McMahon, will be off the market after all? How could Kendrick refuse — hey!”
Jax ripped the paper from Odys’ hands and tossed it out through the open sliding door and over the balcony. Lightning struck the newspaper and it littered the pavement below with confetti.
“Fix it, Polemistis,” boomed Zeus. “Before I forget my forgiving nature and send you back to Purgatory where your soul will wander until Hades comes for you, and your chance to restore your honour will be lost forever.”
The line went dead and the storm cleared, leaving a pristine sky in its wake. Jax handed the phone to Helen and sunk onto the edge of the singed mattress. Pain squeezed at his heart and panic tore at his gut. If he lost Arian, he’d die. He couldn’t bear the thought of spending a lifetime at the right hand of Hades. The demon thought sulphur was an aftershave, for gods’ sake.
“I’ve changed our flights. A car will pick us up in an hour to take us to the airport. Go and get ready, Jax. There’s no time to waste.” Helen laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He stood, letting her hand slip down his biceps and come to rest on his forearm. “Yes, no time to waste.” Right now, he wasn’t sure which hurt the most, his head or his heart. Goddammit, he should have asked her to stay, to travel back with him instead.
“I’ll go and get the bags, Helen. And some clothes for Jax. We don’t want him giving everyone a heart attack in those boxers. Give him a shot of ouzo. He’s looking a little worse for wear.”
Jax sat on the carpet with his back against the bed, head in his hands, his mind filled with all the things he could have done to stop her leaving. Ermioni crawled into his lap and touched his face with a chubby, sticky hand. He wrapped his arms around the little girl and cuddled her close.
“Ermioni loves Jax,” she said.
Jax smiled sadly. “And I love you too, Ermioni.”
“Ermioni likes pretty lady.” Her big blue eyes stared deeply into his.
He pressed a kiss into her mop of curly blonde hair. “I like her too, little one.”
She wriggled out of his arms and stood to hold out her hand to him. “Come,” she said, “find pretty lady.”
Jax closed his massive hand around her tiny one and felt the power in her she hadn’t learnt to use yet. The little magic she did know showed him a glimpse of Arian looking very angry, standing at the edge of the shadows he’d seen in his dream. He hadn’t lost her yet.
***
Arian seethed as the taxi driver unloaded their luggage outside their apartment building. Pulling in behind them, the Channel Twelve media van doors banged open, and a reporter and cameraman fell over each other in their haste to nab an interview.
“Miss Kendrick … How do you feel about turning down football’s most eligible bachelor? What are your thoughts on his affair with the coach’s daughter? Do you feel betrayed?”
Penny rolled her eyes as she swung her bag over her shoulder, almost knocking the microphone out of the reporter’s hand. “Miss Kendrick has no comment,” she said.
“Who are you?” The reporter scrambled to save the microphone from falling onto the brick pavers outside the South Yarra apartment block.
“None of your business.”
“Miss Kendrick, will you reconsider Craig McMahon’s proposal? Could it be you’re jet-lagged and not thinking things through? You’ve turned down a man women are lining up to marry. Has his proposal taken you by surprise?”
So many smart-arsed responses sprang to Arian’s lips. She bit them back. The only smart-arse this whole bizarre soap opera needed was Craig. All she wanted was peace and quiet to think. What possible motive could Craig have for pulling this stunt? Except, of course, to save his butt. She swiped her security card in the lock, pushed open the door and hurled her cases into the lobby. Penny pushed it closed on the reporter, his crew and the gathering crowd.
“Home,” breathed Arian. She eyed the row of letterboxes on the wall, found their apartment number and pulled the overflow of mail from the slot. Tossing it into her bag, she turned to Penny. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being there to rescue me.”
Penny shrugged. “Craig is still a dickhead. Nothing’s changed since we’ve been away. Still thinks he’s the next bloody star just because he’s been voted in for Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year. You’ll feel better after a shower and a nap.”
Arian felt Penny’s hand on her arm as they took a left around the corner to where the lift waited to whisk her up to the cool, air-conditioned luxury of their shared apartment. She looked out on the spectacular view of Melbourne from the glass capsule as it raced up to the sixth floor. The glitter of lights on the horizon normally relaxed her, but tonight her thoughts were on the reporter and his crew fast becoming annoying specks of trouble beneath her feet.
“You still pack a punch, Arian,” said Penny as the lift doors swished open and they tumbled out with their luggage. “I reckon he’s going to have a sore cheek for a while.”
“What is this about, Penny? Has the coach’s daughter thrown him over already, do you think?” Arian searched her handbag for the front door key.
“Either that or he’s trying to save face … or he’s been dumped from the selectors’ panel for next season. No matter how hard the board tried, they couldn’t keep the news out of the press that they’d found drugs in Craig’s locker and he’d failed his urine test.”
“True. That’s what happens when you mess with the coach’s daughter. Coach Bennett lost his job, his daughter’s been exposed to a scandal of sex, drugs and alcohol. He’s bound to be out for blood.” Arian shrugged the sense of impending doom. If only they’d stayed a little longer, they could have flown back with Jax and the others. Although she doubted that would have changed anything.
“What a bloody mess.” Penny pushed open the door and wheeled her suitcase inside. “I think a glass of wine is in order. That flight was long even in the luxury of first class.”
“Now you’re talking. I could do with one after that fiasco. Damn Craig to hell. He always has to have the last word,” she muttered as she made her way to her bedroom.
Arian scattered the clothing from her suitcase onto her bed. Craig was such an arsehole when he wanted to be, pulling that stupid stunt at the airport, throwing her into confusion and mayhem, the bastard.
“I’m a total fool,” she told the vanilla-coloured walls.
Was she being a fool over Jax too? Nervousness bubbled up her throat. Would Jax even bother with her when he got back? She pushed the doubts down. No point in dwelling on what ifs. She searched the contents of her handbag for her phone. Lipstick and a tube of sunscreen landed on top of her passport, followed by the sleep mask the air hostess had handed her shortly after take-off. She dug the mobile out from between a sales docket and a tourist map. Had he tried to contact her since they’d left Mykonos?
Pressing the silver button on the edge of the unit, she realised she hadn’t had time to turn it on between being swept through customs and having her feet knocked out from under her by Craig. The screen remained stubbornly blank. That’s what happens when you forget to charge the battery, Arian thought as she plugged the lead into the wall socket.
In the kitchen
, the house phone rang but she ignored it. Vaguely she heard Penny telling the caller to “rack off”. News-mongering journalists — perhaps if she ignored them for long enough they’d go away. Let them hound Craig and his bloody sponsors instead. The more she stayed out of it, the easier it would be to melt back into the shadows and out of the picture. With a sigh, she tossed the heap of clothes into the laundry basket and raked a frustrated hand through her hair.
Arian walked out of her room and into the miniscule kitchen where Penny had put a chilled bottle of wine on the counter. What was Jax doing now? She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. His face shimmered into view, but all she saw was his smile as he’d waved her goodbye at the airport.
Penny swept into the kitchen. “Hey, look at this. I picked up the paper someone left in the taxi and look who’s on the front page … go figure.” She handed Arian the folded newspaper, reached for the bottle of Swan Valley Classic White and poured them each a generous helping.
In big black letters, the headline screamed Dastardly Demon Deeds and underneath it, Football’s star Demon, Craig McMahon, is in hot water over drug allegations as the Demon Dodgers reconsider their line up for next season. McMahon, a nominee in this year’s Cleo Bachelor of the Year contest, is said to be in a downward spiral after split from girlfriend Arian Kendrick, and the scandal that rocked the football community over his affair with Coach Bennett’s daughter. Read the full story on page two.
“Serves the bastard right.”
Penny pulled a packet of crackers from the pantry cupboard, opened it and dipped one into her glass of wine. “Too right, mate. I guess that’s the reason for the media hoo-ha at the airport?”
“He needs to show some remorse or respectability to stay on the team, I guess.”
“So he ambushes you at the airport, and … what? Pretends everything is hunky dory Down Under?” She sucked on the damp end of the cracker, closing her eyes as it disintegrated in her mouth. “That’s a bloody good wine.”
“You can tell it’s a good wine when it’s soaked through a cracker? Sounds like a waste of wine to me. If the board’s trying to cover up the scandal and smooth things over with the club, he might need a fiancée in time for the charity game on Saturday.”
Penny stopped mid-sip and looked up. “The salt in the cracker enhances the flavour, and Craig is a fool,” she said, swallowing the wine. “What the hell was he thinking pulling that stunt? Let him dodge his own demons for once. Pardon the pun.” The plastic wrapper rattled as she pulled another cracker from the box. “What about Jax, the Almighty Greek and the allusions of Paradise? Has he tried to get a hold of you?”
Arian admired the colour of the classic white and focused on the bubbles caressing the glass. She downed the wine and allowed her head to spin in response to the taste of alcohol on her tongue. Maybe if she stayed drunk today, things would look rosier in the morning. Tears pricked her eyelids, a response to the mix of jet lag and wine.
“I don’t know yet. It was good while it lasted but was it the real thing? I’m so confused right now. What if it was simply a holiday fling for him? It all happened so quickly …”
“Time will tell. You have — what? ... twenty-four hours, give or take — to wait for a reunion.” Penny leaned over the counter and patted Arian’s hand. “Don’t write him off yet, okay?”
Arian propped up her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. “I don’t know. What if there isn’t a message from him?”
“Will you be devastated?”
Arian thought about Jax, the feel of his skin on hers, the intensity and passion in his eyes, the gentle stroke of his hands and the magical words he’d whispered between them. “Shattered. What am I going to do, Penny?”
“About whom … Craig or Jax?”
Arian’s sigh echoed around the room. “Both, I guess.”
The sound of glass against glass tinkled between them as Penny topped up their glasses. “Right, let’s put this in perspective before those crackers soak up the wine. Which one should we dissect first — Craig or Jax?”
The liquid swirled in Arian’s glass as she turned it in circles on the bare counter top, her mind miles away from Melbourne. “Huh?”
“Jeez, stay with me here, hon. Which one do you want to talk about next — Jax or Craig?”
“I don’t know. It shouldn’t be complicated but it is. I am so attracted to Jax, but I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.”
It was Penny’s turn to sigh loudly. “Listen up, my lady Arian. When you and Jax are together sparks fly, fire alarms go off, you see heaven in his kiss and God knows what in his bed — you still need to tell me about that, by the way. What did you feel when you saw Craig again?”
Arian swallowed a sip of her wine. “Nothing ... absolutely nothing …”
“He’s a cheating bastard. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“No, you’re right, he doesn’t. I just have this nagging voice in my head that I should give him another chance.” A voice that filled her with apprehension not guilt, repulsion rather than allure … no, she’d come too far to turn back now. The only way was forward.
“Well, bloody ignore it. You’d be crazy to go back to that snivelling little bastard, and I know you’re anything but crazy. You know he’ll drop you faster than a slippery ball on a muddy field as soon as some groupie waves at him through the goalpost. Wait for Jax to find you.” Penny reached across and squeezed Arian’s hand. “He will find you. When he looks at you, his face lights up and even I can hear his heart pounding. Then I look at you and see those feelings mirrored on your face, and I know you’re meant for each other.”
Arian laughed, the combination of wine, jet lag and emotion making her head spin. “Oh my God, Penny, you’re going all soft and gooey on me.”
“Maybe … or maybe I have an ulterior motive.”
“And what would that be?”
“I need you to find Jax so I can see Odys again. I rather liked riling him. We had fun with them, didn’t we?”
Arian nodded and smiled vaguely. “Yes, it was fun. You’re right, if Craig persists with this nonsense, I’ll tell him to get lost. When my phone’s charged, I’ll send Jax a text to see how he’s doing. Thanks, Penny. Where would I be without you?”
Penny grinned. “Halfway to paradise?”
Chapter Seven
Jax tried dialling Arian’s number before boarding their flight but got no response. It went directly to voicemail. He left a message and hung up, switching off his phone in preparation for the flight. She was probably sleeping, exhausted after the flight. He could picture her in his bed. The soft fall of her lashes against her flushed cheeks, the little pout of her lips as she breathed, the warmth of her body snuggled into his. The vision had his heartbeat racing and his body hardening. Sex — he couldn’t let it be more than that. His heart and mind were dedicated to being the greatest of all chieftains in Zeus’ army. No woman would ever own his heart or mind again. Not even a beautiful Faerie Queen...
Surely the newspapers had it wrong. The media sensationalised everything when celebrities or sports stars were involved. Yes, it had to be a misunderstanding, the truth lost in translation by the Greek newspapers.
“Don’t know why Zeus couldn’t have teleported us. What’s the point of being a god when we still have to use airplanes?” Odys grumbled as he stuffed their hand luggage into the gaps left in the overhead compartments.
“Stop whining, Odys. I doubt he’d want to attract any more attention after that storm today. It’s all over the news about the unseasonal weather.”
“Well, he could at least have let us fly first class. Economy seats weren’t made for two great hulking blokes like us.” He leaned heavily against Jax as he searched for the lock-in end of his seat belt. “Ermioni, glykó mou, wouldn’t you like to swap seats and sit next to Grumpy Theio here? Your company might cheer him up a little.”
Helen shot Odys a warning look while Jax stared aimlessly out the square window, ignoring them bo
th. He simply didn’t care that his friends had tried to cheer him up, distract him with their friendly hedging. In the place where his heart once pounded an icy hole had formed, as deep, dark and cold as the water well in the Enchanted Garden.
“Jax?” He felt the light touch of Helen’s hand on his where he gripped the back of her seat, knuckles white. “Can Ermioni sit with you, so Odys the Whiner has more space to fidget for twenty-six hours?”
“Sure.” No matter how much his heart hurt, he couldn’t deny himself little Ermioni’s company. Rather an aching heart than a sore head, which he would undoubtedly have if Odys whined all the way home to Melbourne.
He opened his arms to the warm bundle of ruffled skirts, picked up Ermioni and plopped her into the seat next to him. As he secured her into her belt, she planted a sticky kiss on his cheek and grinned. He smiled back as she gripped his cheeks with chubby hands and stared deep into his eyes.
In his mind he saw Arian, a wispy figure with sad eyes, standing with a man built for a forward and hands big enough to grip the slippery leather of a football. There was no happiness between them, only agitation. Craig McMahon’s heart was no bigger than a ferret’s but his ego blossomed over his aura. For that, Jax was glad. Surely Arian could never love a man who loved himself more than anything else in the world? Her voice whispered through his mind. Jax …
“Thank you, Ermioni, precious child.” The vision she’d sent him melted the ice around his heart a little and allowed hope to take root. She blew him a wet raspberry and hugged her blanket closer.
He sat back in his seat and waited as the engines of the Boeing A380 powered up beneath his feet. In a little over a day, he’d be home and one step closer to freedom. The thought should have cheered him up, instead it left a hollow in his gut.
***
Arian heard the chirp of her phone as she headed for her bedroom for a nap. The combination of jet lag and wine had taken their toll. She sighed. Two voicemail messages but no text message from Jax. Her heart tugged as she dialled in to her voice mailbox and listened to the dull, expressionless tone of the mailbox host. You have … two … new voice messages.