Divorced, Free, and Single

by Rosemary Lynch

  Chapter Nine

  Saturday

  She opened the door, and Alex stood there, smiling at her.

  “Yep, two secs,” she said, “Come in, I’m nearly ready,” she offered, as she dashed back into her bedroom to grab her weekend bag.

  “Nice flat,” he said, as he glanced at the kitchen and wandered into the living room. He stopped, and stared at a painting of a faery, it was beautiful.

  “Who is this painting by, it is lovely,” he called.

  “Which one?” she called back.

  “The faery, actually there are three different ones, and they are all amazing.”

  “Oh, they are mine,” she replied. He walked towards her bedroom door and stuck his head inside, where he noticed another one hanging above her bed.

  “You painted all of these?” he asked for clarification.

  “Yes, I did. I love to paint, when I can.”

  “Jane, they are amazing,” he praised.

  “Thank you, Alex. If I could make a living from it I would,” she confessed. He shook his head.

  “No, then you wouldn’t be my PA,” he said, with a smile. She gave a chuckle, as she zipped her dress into the holder. She came out of her bedroom, to see him looking at a photo of her and the boys. He turned his head towards her, his green eyes warming as he looked at her, and she felt a tingle at the base of her spine.

  “Nice photo,” he said.

  “Sorry,” she replied, taking herself out of her daydream. “Yes, it’s lovely. It was an award ceremony for Jack.”

  “You are proud of your boys,” he remarked, looking at the photos of them all over her flat.

  “Yes I am. They have both grown into fine young men.” A sudden frown crossed his face, as his eyes lifted passed her and looked beyond. She spun around.

  “Good day,” Josh said, lifting his mug of coffee. She swallowed, as he was only wearing his boxers.

  “Oh, Josh, erm, this is Alex, my boss,” she said, a little too quickly, and she could not stop the heat rising to her cheeks.

  “Alex, hmm,” he said, with a gentle nod of his head. “I’ve heard a lot about you, pleased to meet you,” Josh said.

  “You too, Josh,” he replied, his voice sounding a little disappointed as he recognised the man who had kissed her in the museum.

  “Josh, is Michael’s best friend from University, he’s staying for a few weeks during the holidays,” she said, glancing back at Alex.

  “Oh, right, good,” he said. “So, erm, are you ready, Jane, we should get going it we want to hit this meeting on time,” Alex said, turning to her.

  “Yep, I’ll just say goodbye to Michael, he’s still in bed.” She hurried out of the room and opened his door.

  “Michael,” she called. He groaned and lifted his head off the pillow. They had both been out late, clubbing and unlike Josh who appeared to have no ill effects, Michael had a stinking hangover. “I’m going I’ll see you Sunday night.”

  “Okay, mum,” he said, and his hand lifted briefly from the bed.

  “Love you,” she said, smiling at him.

  “You too,” he groaned, and she closed the door.

  “Okay, let’s go. See you Sunday, Josh,” she said, picking up her bag.

  “Here, let me take that,” Alex offered, taking her holdall from her.

  “Oh, thanks,” she said, picking up her dress and holding it her arms.

  “See you Sunday, have a great weekend, with Alex, Jane,” Josh, replied. He was leaning against the wall, a smirk twitching his lips as he watched her.

  Alex glanced between the two of them, and he was relieved when she did not kiss him goodbye.

  Jane shook her head at Josh, and hurried Alex out of the door.

  They drove to Devon in his BMW; it was smooth ride, and a warm day. They were both wearing suits, as they had an official meeting first. Afterwards, it would be more casual. Not certain what to take for a casual afternoon in a country manor, she packed a couple of dresses, shorts, t-shirts, heals and flats. Alex had said to bring a swimsuit as they had an amazing pool, and a Jacuzzi, although she was not so sure about swimming with her boss. So waxed, and faked tanned, she prepared for all events.

  “So are you going to tell me anymore about this place?” she asked, as they sped down the motorway.

  “No, wait until you see it,” he said, mysteriously.

  “So this is Jack Trent’s place,” she probed referring to the author they were to have their meeting with. He shook his head.

  “No, I will give you that. It is not his place but he is staying there for the weekend too. His house is being renovated, so I said it would be easier to have it at Brooke Manor.”

  “So whose house is it?” she asked.

  “Not telling,” he said, with a chuckle. She huffed and he laughed.

  “Wow, you do not like surprises do you?” he said.

  “No, it kills me,” she confessed.

  “You wait and see, Jane, it is an amazing place.”

  Two hours later, they arrived and pulled up outside magnificent, iron gates. Alex opened his window and pushed the buzzer.

  “Hello,” a man’s voice answered.

  “It is Alex,” he said. The gates began to open and Alex drove the car slowly as they went through.

  “Holy cow,” she said, stunned by what she saw. He glanced at her and smiled.

  “I told you it was amazing,” he said.

  “No, that is more than amazing, it’s beautiful,” she said, now thinking perhaps her dresses were not going to be posh enough, as she looked at the sprawling manor house.

  “Do not worry, Jane,” he said. She glanced over to him and he grinned at her, so she grinned back.

  “I’m not. Hey I’ve got you to look after me, right?” she said. He laughed and his hand briefly left the steering wheel as he patted her knee.

  “Right,” he replied. Heat seared through her at his touch, and she drew a breath and glanced out of her window. How was it possible for someone’s touch to do that to you? She thought she would be okay, getting through their first weekend together, but now she had her doubts. They had managed to get through their first few weeks working together, and Alex often had her in stitches. Every day they fought against their attraction to each other, they avoided touching each other as best as they could, but now he had broken their unspoken rule, he had touched her and fire tore through her core.

  As they pulled outside the front of the house, a man, no a butler, approached the car.

  “Good morning, Madam, Sir,” he said, as he opened her door.

  “Good morning,” she replied, with a cheery smile, as she stepped out of the car.

  “Morning, Richard,” Alex replied, as he opened the boot of the car. The butler went to the boot and took out their bags. She unhooked her dress from the back of the car, and followed him into the amazing arts and crafts manor house. As she stepped into the foyer, she gasped.

  “Ah, here you are,” she cheered, as she walked across the marble floor towards them.

  “Mrs Hartley-Stone,” she said, surprised to see his mother.

  “Mum,” he said, throwing his arms around her, and giving her a hug. The look of surprise must have shown on her face, as Alex chuckled.

  “Welcome to our home, Jane,” his mother said, with a smile.

  “Your home,” she mumbled, looking at Alex. He winked at her “You live here, in this amazing house?” she asked.

  “Yes, Jane, we do, and thank you, it is indeed an amazing house. Richard will show you to your room, and Alex can give you the tour?” she said, looking at her son.

  “Of course I will, all in the plan,” he said, with a grin. “Is Jack here yet?” he asked.

  “No, not yet,” she replied. “I will have tea sent out to the patio for about half an hour, that should give you enough time to show Jane the house,” she said. Her mother glanced at her and gave her a weird smile. She smiled back and thanked her.

  As they followed Richard up the st
aircase, she ran her hand up the beautiful oak handrail. There were portraits everywhere and a few of them looked old. She stopped and looked at one of a small boy, she glanced at Alex, and he lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes, it is me, I was twelve.”

  “It’s lovely,” she said, he looked cute at twelve, she looked back at him, and gorgeous at forty.

  “This is your room, madam,” Richard said, and she smiled at him calling her madam.

  “Wow,” she gasped, as she entered the stunning room. A four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room, a huge window, let in plenty of light, in front of them. She walked over to it and looked out at the amazing view, and it looked over formal gardens.

  “Thank you, Richard,” Alex said, dismissing him. She put her dress down on the bed.

  “Alex, I can’t believe I have worked for you for a whole month and you have never mentioned this place.” She lifted a hand to the oak of the four-poster and swung on it. He walked over to her, and the way he gazed at her shook her heart.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” he said.

  “Well, I am surprised,” she replied. “It is so beautiful, is this where you go at the weekends?” she asked. He often said, he was going ‘home’ for the weekend, so she assumed it was somewhere other than his apartment in town.

  “Yes, I come home whenever I can,” he replied.

  “I don’t blame you, I would too,” she said, as her eyes took it all in.

  “Come on, I will show you around, before Jack and the producer get here.”

  She followed him out of the room, down the corridor, and back down the stairs.

  “Okay, this is the ‘drawing room,” he said, lifting his hand in speech marks. “Mum’s best room, for visitors,” he added, with a smile. A formal room, it had large sofas drawn around a fireplace and beautiful antiques everywhere. There were family portraits hung on the walls, and Jane compared it to a stately home. They continued to walk through one room after another.

  “This is the snug, and it is where we usually crash of an evening and watch TV.” Although still a lovely room, with floor to ceiling windows and heavy, green drapes, it was much more casual. Big, sky blue comfortable looking sofas, which she could imagine snuggling into on a cold winters evening, were placed in front of a huge fireplace, and an even bigger widescreen TV. She wandered around and picked up a couple of pictures off the mantelpiece.

  “How cute,” she said, “I take it this little baby is you?” He wandered over to her

  “Yes, that is me,” he confirmed. She turned her head towards him, and his gaze pierced through her, creating an ache that spiralled down her body and caused her inner thighs to clench. Her breasts heaved, as she took a deep breath.

  “Erm, your blouse - is undone,” he said, nodding with his head.

  “What,” she said, following his eyes and glancing to her shirt, and she found her top button undone, and it revealed her white, lacy bra, and cleavage.

  “Oh, shit, sorry,” she said, quickly doing it back up. For a moment, he continued to stare at her. Please look away, she begged, before she did something she would regret, like throw herself at him, and kiss those wonderful lips.

  “Right, shall we continue,” he asked, holding his arm outstretched towards the door.

  “Yes, please,” she hurried, and she exited the room. He continued the tour, showing her the billiard room, the kitchen, the study, and the library. Until they ended up on the terrace, where his mother sat waiting for them with tea, laid out across a wooden table.

  “So, Jane, how do you like our home?” his mother asked, as she sat.

  “It is wonderful, Mrs Hartley-stone,” she said.

  “Please, Jane, call me Elizabeth,” she said.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth,” she said, as she passed her a cup of tea.

  “God, it is so hot,” Alex, moaned, loosening his tie. “I cannot wait to get this damn suit off.”

  “Alexander, mind your language,” his mother scolded.

  “Sorry, mother,” he apologised, and he sneaked a quick look at her. Jane smiled at his embarrassment. It didn’t matter how old you are, mothers could always do it.

  They turned to the sound of cars coming up the gravelled driveway.

  “Ah, looks like they are here. Jane, come with me and I will take you to the board room, so you can get ready,” Alex said, and he gulped his tea, and stood.

  “Do you want me to do refreshments or anything?” she asked, her normal task if the meeting had been at the office.

  “No, dear, my staff will see to that,” Elizabeth said, as she rose with them. “I will be in the orangery if you need me, Alex,” she said.

  “Okay, mum. We should be done for lunch about 1.30 if that is okay.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said, and she walked off around the other side of the house.

  “I don’t think I have ever met a film producer before,” Jane said, a little nervously as she entered the boardroom. “Wow,” she said again, as she looked at the oak panelling and the massive table that had already been set with pads, and pens and a projector screen at the front.

  “He is okay I have met him a few times. Just take the minutes, Jane, you will be fine. Right, back in a minute,” he said, straightening his tie and going into work mode as he left the room.

  She settled herself down in the chair next to where Alex would sit, by his side. The visitors soon filled the room, and greetings done, they began the meeting.

  Two and a half hours later, they emerged and Alex was extremely happy. The meeting had gone well, and the producer had agreed that he wanted to turn the book into a mini-series. The author, Jack, was thirty-two, and this his first novel, a crime thriller, set in the 1940’s, in war-torn Britain. She had read it, and had to agree it was good, and would make a fabulous series.

  “That went well,” she said to Alex after they said goodbye to the producer and his team.

  “Yes, I am pleased. This is a great contract for the company.”

  “Do you want me to type up the minutes now?” she asked. He shook his head.

  “No, work mode is officially over, now it is the weekend. It can wait until Monday. I am going to go and get out of this suit, I suggest you do the same,” he said. “It is going to be a hot one today.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, and she followed him up the stairs.

  “See you in a bit,” he said, going the opposite way to her, down the hall. Her eyes followed him for a moment, and she wondered what his bedroom would be like. Did he sleep in a four-poster, as she had, all the time? Did he have a modern room, or was it still traditional. She entered her bedroom and took off her jacket. Jane opened her holdall, and pulled out a sundress. A little crumpled, she shook it out and tried to smooth it down with her hands. The other dress, hanging in the bag, was for this evening as Alex had told her to bring an evening dress for dinner.

  She took off her shoes, her blouse, and slipped off her skirt and went into the en-suite. She grabbed her deodorant and freshened up. As this was a thin-strapped summer dress, she took off her bra, as she would not be able to wear one, and wandered back into the bedroom. Startled, she screamed and threw her hands to cover her breasts, as standing in the middle of the room was a young man of about seventeen.

  “Who the hell are you,” she yelled. Her door flew open and Alex stood there with a look of sheer panic on his face.

  “Jesus, Alex,” she cried, as the heat rushed to her cheeks. For a moment, he looked stunned, as he stared at her almost naked in the middle of the room. He shook himself together, and grabbed hold of the young man and dragged him outside.

  “Shit, sorry,” he yelled, as he slammed the door shut.

  “What was that all about,” she muttered to herself as she pulled on her dress. She took about two minutes to fix her hair, and she slipped on her sandals, grabbed her sunglasses, and opened the door. Alex was leaning up against the wall, waiting for her. He turned to her, and her knees almost gave way. She had never seen Alex o
ut of his suit. He wore jeans, a t-shirt that hugged his muscular frame, and a pair of sunglasses pushed up on his head, scuffing up his normally perfect hair. God, she thought, he looked gorgeous.

  “Jane,” he said, pushing himself off the wall. “I am so sorry about that,” he apologised.

  “It’s okay, who is he?” she asked.

  “It is my cousin, Tom. He is here for the weekend with my Uncle Joe. Tom’s, well, you know a bit simple, he would not have hurt you, I promise. He was just curious.”

  “It’s okay,” she assured, and he gave a deep sigh.

  “I will introduce you to him and he will leave you alone, if that is okay with you?” he asked.

  “Of course it is,” she agreed, and she followed him down the stairs. They entered the dining room to find Jack chatting away about the deal with his mother. To say Jack was excited was an understatement, as he would be making a great deal of money. When he saw Alex, he started practically kissing his feet. He looked at Jane, and his face changed.

  “Well, if it is not the super, sexy secretary,” he said, as he wandered towards her.

  “Excuse me?” she replied, a little taken back.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, you are a beautiful lady,” he complimented.

  “Oh, well thanks,” she said, not sure how to take that. Alex’s ears had pricked up and he glanced towards Jack.

  “So, do you fancy, you know, hooking up?” he asked.

  “Erm, thanks, but no,” she said, taking a step back from him. He took a step towards her.

  “Hey, come on, I am going to become rich you know,” he pushed.

  “I don’t care if you are a multi billionaire, I still don’t want to go out with you. Thanks,” she said. He smiled a slow devilish grin, his eyes drifting from her face, to her neckline, before dropping to her breasts. Her hands twisted in the folds of her dress uncomfortably. She did not want to upset him, and blow the contract for Alex, but she could not let this man ogle her, it was disgusting.