Behind the Facade (13 page)

Michael sat in a lap dancing club with Harry on one side and two
of his most loyal employees on the other. He sipped his drink and feigned
interest in the naked young women gyrating around the poles in the middle of
the floor.

One of the men sitting with them was Sebastian and Michael noted
the way his eyes avidly moved over the girls glistening bodies as he
unashamedly rubbed at his crotch. Sebastian suddenly looked his way and Michael
was unable to disguise the contempt in his eyes. He quickly slapped an
agreeable smile on his face, but Sebastian glared at him with unfiltered
animosity. For both men, it had been loathing at first sight. Sebastian hated
the way Michael had so easily won Harry's approbation and there was something
else that bugged him about the man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Perhaps it was the man's jarring American accent or his unconventional good
looks. But most of all, it was just an unshakeable sense that he could not be
trusted.

Harry turned to Michael saying, “Do you like these girls, Mick?
You don't look very impressed. Is this too tame for you or is it perhaps that
you prefer them a little younger?”

His coal black eyes assessed Michael as he asked this and he
reminded Michael of a spider waiting to strike. This felt like some sort of
test. Was it possible that the survival of their business relationship could
rest on the answer?

Michael met his gaze unflinchingly. “I was raised by a strict
Catholic family so sexual freedom was discouraged.” He watched Harry's eyes
narrow at this but he continued unperturbed. “I'm rather conventional in my
tastes but I don't think anyone should be made to suppress their natural
predilections.”

Harry smiled slyly, “Quite
so, Michael, quite so.”

Michael hoped he had given the right answer. Harry lit an
expensive cigar and blew the smoke out of the side of his mouth, still watching
Michael like a predator eyeing up its latest prey. He appeared to abruptly
change the subject.

“We've made some good
deals together, haven't we Mick?”

“Yes, we have,” Michael
answered, wondering where this was leading.

“We've made some good
money, haven't we?”

Michael replied again in
the affirmative. “I knew we would,” he added confidently.

“How would you like to
make a lot more money?”

This was evidently a
crucial question. “It depends,” Michael answered.

“On
what?”
Harry asked, taking another deep suck
on his cigar.

“On how easy it is and on
how big a cut I get.”

Harry laughed loudly at this and slapped Michael on the
shoulder. “I knew from the start you were my kind of guy! How would you feel if
I told you that in comparison to the money you'd make, it's as easy as
pie.
”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Michael answered. “I take it we're
not talking strictly legal here. And, knowing you Harry, I'd bet it's nothing
so
mundane as drugs. ” 

“
Mmm
,”
Harry murmured non-
committally
.

Michael risked speculating further and continued with “I'd also
rule out weapons. You don't strike me as a man who would deal in destruction
when you clearly appreciate the beauty of things.
Which
leaves me only one answer.
”

“And what's that?” Harry challenged.

Michael made a sweeping motion with his arm, encapsulating the
room with this gesture. “Sex,” he responded.

Harry grunted. “The business done in this place is a far cry
from anything I would associate with.”

“Sex is sex, isn't it?” countered Michael.

Harry appeared offended by this remark. He gripped his arm and
leaned close to him, to whisper harshly in his ear. “Selling sex is sordid. I
sell something much more refined, much more exclusive.”

“You intrigue me,” Michael
responded mildly.

He now sat back, eyeing
Michael speculatively, and seemed to change the topic of conversation yet
again.
“Divorce.
Have you ever been through it,
Michael? I’ve no experience of it myself but it’s a nasty business. Even with a
pre-
nup
the wife gets far more than she should
expect. After all you make a pre-
nup
in the full
flush of love. You don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Michael chose only to say “Never been through it, Harry. Simply
haven’t been able to devote enough time to any relationship.”

“Ah! Your business comes first.
Commendable
Michael.
There are men, prosperous men, however, who succumb to
marriage. They naturally want to please the woman in their life and to stamp
their claim to her. Unfortunately for them, they end up paying dearly for it.”

Michael murmured in assent, muttering “Women can be fickle
creatures.” This encouraged Harry to continue.

“I give them a solution, Michael,” he continued enigmatically,
pausing to let Michael consider what this might be. Michael narrowed his eyes
in concentration and chewed over what he had said, sensing he was about to
discover the answer to a puzzle he had long been troubled by. The bespoke car
business was profitable but he was convinced Harry had a side-line in view of
his very affluent lifestyle.

“I take it you provide a
woman?  In other words, I was right to start with.”

“Correct, Michael,” he conceded, waving his cigar, nonchalantly.
“Not that it took a genius to work it out, but I don’t just sell them the
temporary satisfaction of sex. They could get that easily enough for
themselves. I sell a much fuller package. I provide the companionship,
commitment and devotion they seek, without the risk of an expensive and messy
divorce. I get paid a lot of money as a result. Of course, the terms are much
more favourable than marriage, and the costs are a fraction of what they would
pay in a divorce. Everyone’s happy!”

“Is the woman happy?”

Harry guffawed at this. He
then recovered himself and smiled.
“Of course!
She is treated
well Mick and given a life of comfort. How could she possibly complain?”

“In essence then Harry,”
he queried, “these women are mistresses? Why would these men pay you for
something they could secure so easily for themselves?”

“Ah!” said Harry, “but even mistresses are costly and difficult
to get rid of once they find a foothold, often looking for some commitment.
This arrangement precludes marriage and involves a single, one-off payment.
What’s more, we do the leg-work of finding the woman that fits their
requirements exactly–no cutting corners, no second best, no making do.” He
smiled smugly after this pronouncement.

“So, it’s an expensive
dating service?”

Harry
scowled,
seeming affronted at
this suggestion, but then broke into a laugh. “I suppose you’re right!” he
acknowledged. “To an extent, that is. We have strict eligibility criteria. It’s
not open to any Tom, Dick and Harry. And we guarantee 100% compatibility and
satisfaction with the first offering. If not, we will look at providing a
replacement free of charge, providing there’s an immediate and valid complaint
- but that is very rare.” His face inexplicably darkened at this last
declaration. He lapsed into silence and appeared to be dwelling on something
unpleasant.

“Very much a public service
then Harry, huh?” prompted Michael.

Harry liked this and his mood brightened again. He looked around
for a waitress, but not immediately spotting one, turned to Sebastian saying
“Get this man another drink!” 

To Michael he said, “We've had a prosperous and legitimate
business partnership for some time now, Mick. I like you. I know you have a
knack for bringing in customers and I believe you deserve to have a share in
this venture. It's much like our bespoke car
business,
it's just the commodity that's different. What do you say?”

Sebastian had been sitting
glaring with antipathy at Michael, as if resentful of Harry taking him into his
confidence. He remained belligerently where he was after Harry’s
directive.  Harry suddenly noticed this and broke off to abrade him. “What
are you playing at? Didn’t you hear me?”

Sebastian’s eyes
blazed.  “I’m not his bloody waiter!”

“You’ll do exactly as I
say, or get out of my sight.” Sebastian showed no signs of moving.  “For
good,” added Harry sternly.

Sebastian rose grudgingly
to his feet, but Michael actually motioned him to sit back down. “I’ll go
myself. I need to visit the men’s room, anyway,” he said. “I’ll get us a bottle
of champagne, celebrate a new business alliance?”

Harry smiled. “Great! Come
to my office next week, Mick. Make arrangements through my secretary. We’ll
discuss the details then. Make sure you’re in a position to make a decent
capital investment. I want you tied in as soon as possible.”

“Sure thing,” returned
Michael as he left them.

Harry surveyed the room, his eyes coming to rest on one of the
more voluptuous dancers. “Now let’s start having some fun,” he rubbed his
hands, “and leave business to look after itself.”

 Sebastian still
seethed resentfully. The man had made him look a fool and ingratiated himself
further with his boss in the process.

He risked haranguing
Harry. “How do you know you can trust him?  He’s a fucking Yank. The
Yank’s only ever look after
their own
interests.”

Harry tapped his nose,
“I’ve had him checked out Sebastian,
don’t
you worry.
I’ve been looking for a partner and Michael could offer us a way into America.”

His face then abruptly tightened and he grabbed Sebastian’s hand
and ground out his now spent cigar into its tender underside. Sebastian
struggled, but failed to pull away and yelled in pain. 

When Harry finally released him, he snapped “Don’t you ever
question me
again.
Do you hear? And if you ever
embarrass me again in front of an associate you’ll have more than
your
fucking hand to worry about.”

It was some time before Kate got the chance to see Michael
again. She didn’t know where he lived and, even if she had, she couldn’t
exactly go storming round there to challenge him about his bizarre attitude
towards her. Then a thought came to her. She worked for the altruistic arm of
her father’s company and she was responsible for organising the Christmas
charity ball. Michael was bound to be someone her father wanted to invite so
she asked Harry for his contact details and added him to the guest list. Having
sent him an invitation, she was tempted to follow it up with a phone call but
was worried that he would deliberately avoid attending anything to do with her.

The ball was being held in the Premier Suite of the city’s top
hotel and many local business people, dignitaries, footballers and other VIPs
were in attendance. The large room was decorated with miniature Christmas
trees, fairy lights and garlands. Kate was satisfied that it gave the place the
right seasonal effect without being too ostentatious or tacky. The band playing
on the stage, who had donated their services for free, was clearly being
appreciated and Kate should have been feeling happy and relieved. She’d treated
herself to a long designer dress, cut low at the back. It was a shimmering
sapphire material that fitted her beautifully. It flattered her slim figure and
revealed a tantalising glimpse of leg as she moved. She’d received many
compliments, on her own appearance as well as that of the venue. However,
although her father had made the effort to make a brief appearance, there was
no sign of Michael and so she felt unreasonably disappointed.

Most people had arrived
and she was due to give her welcoming speech. She waited a little longer but
the food was due out and prize draws were soon to be announced. Making her way
to the small podium at the front of the room, she launched into her formal
opening address.

As her eyes moved around the room, she caught a flicker of
movement at the back. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she recognised
the latecomer entering the room: it was Michael. She privately berated herself
for being affected so easily. However, she could not prevent the perceptible
pause in her words when she spotted the woman who had entered with him and whom
he was attentively guiding towards an empty seat. The woman’s tall figure and
golden hair were unmistakeable; she was the famous ex-wife of a top class
footballer. 

She managed to finish her speech without any obvious hiccups but
her mind was a maelstrom of warring thoughts. How did he know that woman? What
was she to him? But then she rebuked herself.  So he had a girlfriend – so
what? He’d been bloody rude to her and made it clear he wanted nothing to do
with her. Why had she let herself get so unsettled by him? She’d better put him
out of her mind and start making the most of the evening.

She began making her way around the tables, speaking to the
guests, checking that the food and drink was up to scratch and generally
attempting to be a convivial hostess. She pointedly avoided Michael’s table,
but couldn’t help catching him out of the corner of her eye. He was clearly
enjoying himself; talking animatedly to the other people on his table and
laughing at a whispered comment from the blonde bombshell beside him.

She walked towards the bar area, the dazzling smile on her face
belied by the hands clenched stiffly by her sides. She only noticed she had
been doing this when she reached the bar, lifted an arm and spotted the deep
crescent marks her nails had made in her palms. She sighed. What was wrong with
her?!

She mentally shook herself, forced the smile back on her face
and allowed an old friend of her father’s to buy her a drink, ignoring his
slightly surprised expression when she ordered a double brandy. She let the
cognac trickle it’s warmth down her throat but she still felt like an icy hand
had a determined clutch on her innards. Her disconsolate mood was worsened
when, as she scanned the room, her blue eyes met the rapacious gaze of
Sebastian.

She looked away quickly
but it was too late. He bore down on her, put his arm round her possessively
and whispered in her ear, “Let’s dance.”

Before she had time to try and resist or voice any protest, he
had her on the dance floor and was whirling her round. When he pulled her
towards him, his grip on her was so fierce it was painful. He ground himself
against her at every opportunity, so she could be in no doubt about how
concupiscent he was. She closed her eyes, willing the song to end quickly so
that she could escape his libidinous manoeuvres and his vice-like
embrace. 

The song seemed to go on forever and when she did open her eyes
again, it was to find Sebastian’s face advancing on hers, clearly moving in for
an uninvited kiss. She wasn’t certain what happened to her after this. As with
the dress, this seemed to trigger something hidden in her subconscious. It was
as though an unseen wave had crashed over her, as she heard the blood rushing
and thundering loudly in her ears.

Sebastian’s face transmogrified in front of her eyes, melting
like wax, first into that of her kidnapper and then into that of a leering
monster. She screamed as the apparition faded and lights burst in her vision.
She didn’t faint completely but she found herself on the floor, semi-conscious,
with tears streaming down her pallid face.

There was some commotion and she heard someone growl, “You stay
away from her, you bastard!” She had a brief image of Sebastian, his eyes
blazing murderously over a hand held to his nose with blood trickling out
between his fingers. Then she was gathered up in some powerful arms and carried
out of the room.

When she allowed herself to look at her “saviour”, she wasn’t
too astonished to discover it was Michael. He wasn’t looking at her but was
looking straight ahead, as he navigated some stairs. She lowered her eyes
though, abashed. Whilst she had secretly wanted to meet him face to face again,
she certainly hadn’t planned on grabbing his attention in such a melodramatic
way.

Michael had pretended to ignore Kate’s presence, just as he had
on first meeting her. However, even whilst chatting and socialising, his eyes
had been drawn to her as if pulled by a magnet. When he noticed her on the
dance floor being mauled by that brute of a man, it took all his strength of
will not to get up then and there and intervene.

Kate seemed to be tolerating Sebastian’s “dancing” though and he
knew he couldn’t very well abandon his companion and barge in there like a dog
on heat. When she screamed however, all his already highly alerted instincts
went into overdrive. He didn’t pause to ask questions but just threw his fist
into Sebastian’s face, assuring himself that this came from necessity. Refusing
to acknowledge either the primal satisfaction this gave him or the realisation that
this would certainly put a seal on their enmity.

Michael entered a room in
the hotel and lowered Kate gently on to the large bed. “I’ll go get you a glass
of water,” he muttered.

 When he returned
with the water, Kate was sitting up and looking rather nervous. She accepted
the water with an uneasy “Thank you,” and took a small sip. “You didn’t have to
hit Sebastian, you know,” she said. “I know it looked bad but it was all just a
misunderstanding.”

Michael looked at her
sharply. “If it was just a misunderstanding, why did you scream?”

Kate flushed at this and
took another sip of water. “I don’t actually know,” she confessed. “I’m sorry I
made such a fool of myself. And now I’ve not only made a debacle out of the
whole evening but I’ve made you hurt Sebastian for nothing!”

Michael just shrugged. “I
wouldn’t worry about Sebastian. That prick’s had it coming a long time.” 

Kate’s eyes widened at
this.

Michael suddenly looked
horrified. “He’s not your boyfriend, is he?” he asked.

“No!” Kate asserted.

“Then why did you let him
put his hands all over you?!”

She stood up then,
flustered but also perversely flattered that he had noticed.

“He did save my life once,
you know,” she argued.

Michael’s expression was a
picture of scornful incredulity.

Kate frowned and went on
the defensive. “What’s it got to do with you anyway? You have a beautiful
girlfriend and ever since you met me you have done your best to embarrass me. I
appreciate you coming to my aid but I simply had some kind of panic attack and
I don’t need any more rescuing thank you.”

She glared at him now, her
blue eyes glittering defiantly. He gazed back at her.

“Shit!” he exclaimed.
“Don’t look at me like that! I find it hard enough to breathe around you as it
is.”

He turned towards the
door. “Right, I know when I’ve outstayed my welcome. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Kate
entreated.

He turned back to her.

“You can’t keep making
enigmatic comments like that and then leave me driving myself crazy wondering
what you mean!”

He couldn’t help a smile
tugging at his lips. “So, I’ve been driving you crazy?” he asked.

She marched up to him,
eyes still flashing.  “Yes!” she admitted.

She poked her finger into his chest. “And you’ve no right! I’ve
barely even met you! And don’t you think I’ve enough reasons to go crazy as it
is?”

Her expression suddenly crumpled and the vulnerability he saw
there pierced through any resolve he may have had not to touch her. He brought
his hand up to her face and with an aching tenderness traced a finger from her
brows down to her jawline.

She trembled violently
under his touch, as if electrified. When his finger reached her lips he
flinched, as though recovering himself, and began to bring his hand away. But
she grabbed it before he could do so, her azure eyes huge and intense.

“Don’t stop,” she
whispered.

When her eyes locked on
his, he was lost.

He pulled her towards him and sank his mouth on to
hers, kissing her with
a fervency
that was akin to
hunger long denied. She opened herself to him, matching his passion and sighing
as she felt a lambent need incandesce inside her.

He broke away from her, breathing
heavily, his eyes dark with desire. She moved towards him again but he put his
hand out as if to ward her off and shook his head.

“No,” he
gasped. “We can’t do this!”

Kate stared at him, still shaking from the
overpowering longing he had provoked in her. Her first instinct was to refute
his statement but then she read the consternation in his face and she backed
unsteadily to the bed and sat down. 

“You’re
right,” she said. “This isn’t right. You have a girlfriend.”

“It’s not
that,” Michael disaffirmed. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

 Kate raised her eyebrows disbelievingly and, seeing
her expression, he admitted, “Yes, the woman I brought here tonight was my
date….but she’s not my girlfriend.”

Kate looked at him, frowning and fighting the tears that
prickled from the undeniable sense of rejection she felt. “You’re not still
worried about damaging your relationship with my father are you? He obviously
likes and trusts you. Why do you think he would mind if you started a
relationship with me?”

Michael sighed and came and sat down on the bed with her, but he
kept his distance, as if even being close to her was too much for him. “You
don’t understand,” he said. “I’ve got so much going on at the moment. I can’t
afford any distractions.”

Kate glowered a little at
this but he wouldn’t look at her. “Is that all I’d be? A distraction?” she asked,
her voice rising slightly.

He looked at her now and her mounting annoyance was quenched by
the gravity of his gaze.

“No!” he contradicted. “But that’s exactly it! You deserve so
much more and I just don’t have time to devote to a relationship right now.”

Kate remained perplexed.
“You can’t expect to kiss me like you did and then just go back to ignoring me
can you?”

Michael shrugged unhappily
and looked down at his hands.

Kate
moved closer to him and put her hand over his. “I like you,” she began. “I know
you feel the same connection I do.” Michael was unable to suppress a rueful
smile at this.

"I've felt numb for so long,” she continued.
“Something happened to me when I was younger that I've struggled to recover
from. But you seem to have reawakened something in me. I'm not prepared to let
this pass.”

Michael was concerned by this revelation and pushed
up from the bed, still shaking his head. “I'm way too old for you!”

Kate followed his lead and rose from the bed
herself. She ignored this comment and pressed on with her plea. “I wouldn’t
make any demands on you. Can’t we at least be friends for now?”

“Friends?”
Michael
murmured.

“Yes,” Kate stated with conviction. She walked
around the bed and came back with a pen she’d found. She pulled up the cuff of
his sleeve and wrote something on his arm.

“That’s my mobile number,” she said. “You don’t
have to take me out or anything like that. It would just be nice to talk to you
sometimes.”