Chasing Rainbows (19 page)

Jo smiled at him and began to touch her hair, she knew where he was leading and said, “ George I like you too”.

He continued without hearing her.  "It is Olivia. I don't think I have ever met anyone like her. She is so intelligent and funny. So colourful, like a rainbow”.

Jo took a minute to process what was said and straightened her back before leaning across the table, a malicious look slowly clouding her demeanour. A few moments passed before she said “You have slept with her haven't you George?”

This was totally unexpected.

“
No of course not”, he gulped as he took another drink of wine.

Jo sat back in her chair and stared at him. He could see she was struggling with something.

The silence continued and became more than uncomfortable.

George ordered a brandy.  He needed a drink.  He needed to think quickly. He did not like lying but it appeared there was no option in this instance, the last thing he wanted Jo to find out was what happened that night in Hamburg.

Jo smiled as she said quietly, “ Well either you are lying or she is lying then”.

Was Jo playing games with him now?

George asked her, “What do you mean by that?”

Jo continued with a smile, “I am not going to tell you, why should I? I know what I know and one of you is lying”.

Jo asked him again, “Did you sleep with her George? She is married you know. I don't understand, I thought that this trip maybe at last you and I would come together. I thought when we were down the Reeperbahn that this would be it for us and then you disappeared”.

Oh Lord! He had to stop her once and for all. No way would he ever sleep with Jo, he would rather sleep with a pregnant pig.

George leaned across the table and took Jo's hand in his. It was time to come clean.   

“Jo, love, you are a manager in a place where I do a lot of business for the airline. We have a good professional, working relationship. We cannot ever have any other kind of relationship, you must see that? Contrary to popular belief I do not sleep with every woman who crosses my path.”

George wanted to spare her feelings as much as he could and went on to say, “That night we went down the Reeperbahn, we all had far too much to drink, Olivia was so funny and she looked beautiful and vulnerable. The outcome of the night was inevitable. She fell asleep as much as I wanted to make love to her, I didn't. I am growing very fond of her and sorting my feelings out”

George set out to come clean and at the last minute just couldn't do it. He could not betray Olivia, he thought too much of her and knew that she too would never betray him.

Jo kept her head bent and through her teeth spat, “ You are a lying fucking bastard George, I know you did sleep with her. She told me, you stupid creep. 

Shocked by the remark, George looked beyond the stream and over the fields into the distance. He was stunned by the venom that came his way.

Why would Olivia tell Jo? He would have understood if she told Heather, but why this flushed faced drunken bitch ? It didn't make any sense.

George gathered his feelings and replied, “ Do I need to ask why she told you, perhaps I should ask her?”

George had many secrets and did not like people knowing his business. He began to wonder if he had misjudged Olivia.

She didn't appear to be the sort of woman to tell people things. George was rather confused and not too sure if he was believing Jo.

Jo was downing another glass of wine and George became a little concerned as she was already quite drunk.  He might never learn the truth.

To the contrary Jo went into overdrive and was in full flow. She was hurt by Georges previous revelation about his feelings for Olivia, he had taken away her dreams.

One night would have been enough for her but she knew now that would never happen.

Jo had the power to destroy the ever popular, oh so pretty Olivia, everybody's friend. She got out of her seat and went to the lavatory. It bought her some time to think.

Jo he was going to destroy Olivia or would she destroy George instead? She hated them both so much now. She had the power to destroy them both

On her return from the ladies room and wearing a smile Jo asked, “George, can I have an espresso please? Are you sure you want me to tell you everything?” she smirked, “You won't like it!”

Jo smiled again, she was enjoying her moment and revelled in the power that was now hers.

The hatred was obvious in her eyes as she continued, “Ignorance is supposed to be bliss, but if you want to know then I will tell you”.

George nodded, of course he wanted to know. He wanted to know why this drunken bitch before him knew his business.

He prided himself on the secrecy which was his love life, or was that the secrecy of his sex life? Love and sex being different things altogether.

The words , “She did it for a dare” stung him. He felt a nasty taste rising in his mouth.

“
What do you mean?” he could not hide the surprise in his voice.

Jo proceeded to tell George about a conversation that took place the day before they reached Hamburg.

“You have a way with the ladies don't you George? I have loved you from a distance for years. Linda has too.

We have had many discussions about you in the office after your visits. Linda is very nice but a bit stupid. She always hoped that you would show some interest in her, as I hoped that one day you might take an interest in me.

She told me that she was going to try to get together with you on this trip.

Remember that night in the restaurant when you sat together a few days back? I noticed you were beginning to get cosy with her.

I had to do something, no way was she going to have you.

Olivia was easy, she played right into my hands. I knew she was a wild card but I had nothing to lose.

I got her drunk and the rest was easy. It didn't take long at all”.

Jo stopped and took a drink, she looked at George who was watching her intently, she was loving the attention.

Jo continued, “I told Olivia some white lies about you and that it was in Linda's best interests that she had you.

It doesn't matter what I said to her about you. She knew her job depended on what she did next. Everybody has their price George, you know that.

I found her Achilles heel, it was easy.

I dared her to sleep with you, told her why she needed to get you before Linda did.  

At first she said, "No, she was not a whore."

She was wrong, as that is exactly what she is. You think she liked you?

No she did what she did as a dare and to keep her job.

You're not as good as you think you are George, in fact I think perhaps I had a lucky escape”.

Jo could not stop, the horror on Georges face fed her power. “Did you know you have a nick name, it is 'airport chipolata', not even the size of a sausage. Funny, hey?

You are not smiling now George are you? You could have had me and I would never have told a soul”.

The expression on Georges face showed that Jo hit the nail on the head with her lies.

Part truth was that she had discussed Linda's crush on George with Olivia and she dared her to get him before Linda did.

However, she was not prepared for Olivia's reply, which put Jo firmly in her place and was rather embarrassing.

Georges face told Jo that following her hunch she was right. He had given the game away.

Jo now knew for sure that George and Olivia spent the night in Hamburg together, even though she had suspected the next morning when they entered the dining room together.

“
So you see George, your little Miss Popular is nothing but a gossiping, cheating whore. I planned it all and you both fell into my trap”.

Jo sat back with a sigh; a job well done. She crossed her fingers under the table, hoping that George did not now confront Olivia.

She worried that she might have her plans scuppered by the truth.

Jo added one last nail to Olivia's coffin lid, knowing that she would now be buried forever by George.

“
She bragged about it to us , even told the guys.  How about that George?”

George didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was lost for words, something that rarely happened.

“
My God,” he thought, “If this is true Olivia is truly a work of art and she seemed so sweet.”

Had he read her wrong? He must have done, he got it very wrong. He felt the fire that was smouldering in his guts for her, begin to go out.

He had no reason to disbelieve Jo, surely she wouldn't be that malicious, it must be true.

Jo was honest about her feelings for him and told him about Linda's feelings too.

George's rainbow was fading fast, the colour was fading quickly.

He reaffirmed his old belief. Never trust a woman!

George trusted Olivia, had warmed to her. She hit a chord and played music in his heart.

All the while she was doing it for a dare? George shook his head, how wrong he was about her. She was just another bitch bag like all the rest.   Olivia was no different.

“Come on Jo, let's get back, the others might wonder where we have got to”. George took Jo by the arm and helped her up.

She looked into his sad eyes, “ You know it's not too late for us George. I would never lie to you, I have waited so long”.

Jo watched as a hard look replaced the sadness and George's face set in an expression she could not find a word to describe. It was a fixed mask of stone.

As she put her hand on his arm Jo sealed her fate.

“
I'm sorry I told you , I had to, you deserve better. It was only for one night. You never know she probably sleeps around anyway. I hope you haven't caught anything off the whore. I have known she was a man hunter all along.”

George looked at Jo with horror, how could someone be so malicious to the point of evil?

He needed to escape from this one. He needed to make sense of the drunken ramblings of this spurned woman.

How much was truth and how much had she made up out of spite?

Back in his room George sat by the window. He watched as a rainbow formed through the afternoon drizzle.

He looked away, disappointment bringing tears that were alien to him. He was a stranger to this feeling and did not welcome it.

A solitary tear escaped and trickled down his cheek.

He swallowed hard. In just one night Olivia got to him, entered a sacred place he kept locked for many years.

She walked into his private space and played with his feelings, then she betrayed him.

He could still not be sure as to the truth. He was not willing to give the benefit of the doubt and so he closed the book which was Olivia.

He closed the book on what might have evolved into a happy unknown future with her.

This would never, ever happen again with anyone.

George's sadness turned to anger.

He was used and abused by the woman he let into his heart.

They say what goes around comes around. George was now feeling the way the women he had picked up and let down must have felt. It was not nice, not nice at all.

He made a mistake with Olivia, he would not make a mistake again. He did not know what he would do next or how he would react the next time he saw her. 

That remained to be seen.

George lay down on his bed, closed his eyes and tried to get some much needed sleep, only to be haunted by Jo's terrible words and the images of Olivia laid beneath him moaning and whispering his name.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Olivia pressed the button above her head and waited patiently for the steward.

She was feeling all but patient now. The attendant came from the back of the plane.

“Yes love, what can I do for you?” the steward asked.

“
Not much”, she thought.  Was she looking at the double of Shaun from Coronation Street? 

Olivia had a quirky sense of humour that saw his 'campness' and it was hard to hide a smile.

Olivia asked the stewards name, she always wanted to know who she was talking to.

Had she not been strapped into her seat she would have surely fallen off it when he answered, “Shaun, what's yours?”

She replied, “Olivia and could I have a brandy please? Err..... no make that a double please”.

On his return Shaun asked her, “Do I know you, I am sure I have seen you somewhere before?”

Olivia told him no, this was her first trip to America.

Shaun pulled a quizzical smile , wobbled his head and continued up the aisle to bring Olivia the sandwich she ordered previously.