Deceit of Angels (13 page)

She
reached the door and listened, but detecting no sound, turned to go back along
the corridor. It was then that she noticed a small sliver of light under the
door. Her heart leapt and she knocked very gently. There wasn’t any answer, but
wanting to be certain that Jason was actually home, she twisted the handle and
put her head round.

The
room was empty, but there were signs of occupation, since the small bedside
light was on and Jason’s watch lay next to it. His jacket hung on the back of a
chair and on the seat lay a buff folder. Looking around, she suddenly realised
she could hear the noise of running water coming from an adjoining room and the
knowledge he must be taking a shower, made her smile with relief.

She
crossed the room, picked up the folder and made herself comfortable in the
chair, waiting patiently for him to finish.  The folder intrigued her and
although not wanting to be inquisitive, she opened the flap and slipped the
papers out.  After all, she was Jason’s personal assistant and they would
probably land on her desk sooner or later.

All
of them were about the merchant vessel The Lucky Lady just arrived from Iran
with a cargo of carpets and leather goods. Most were customs and excise
documents and various other permits relating to the shipment and as Anna read
them, she realised that Jason must have had a nightmare of a day, trying to
sort out the problem.

She
grimaced and looked towards the bathroom, where the noise of running water had
now stopped.  If he was totally exhausted and chances were he would be, then he
would want to sleep as soon as possible.  Her presence was going to delay this
and anxious not to cause him undue fatigue, she decided to go.  Now she was
satisfied that all was well, she was content to leave their reunion until the
morning.

As
she reached out to turn the handle, the bathroom door opened and Jason strode
into the bedroom, a towel round his waist, another one about his neck. At first
he didn’t see her, since he was busy drying his face, but then his head turned
and he gave a cry of delight.

“My
goodness! You’re a sight for sore eyes.  Come here!”

She
was propelled towards him as though he were a magnet. Her arms entwined round
his neck, and he covered her face and lips with wonderful warm kisses.

“I
thought you were never coming home.  I was looking out of the window, but I
fell asleep for a few minutes and didn’t hear your car.”

“So
you thought you’d come and track me down.  Oh, it feels so good to hold you
close after the day I’ve had!”  His arms tightened round her as he pulled her
nearer.

“Was
it very bad?” she asked breathlessly.

“Well,
it could have been better. Who would have thought a ship named The Lucky Lady
could be so unlucky.”

“Why
was she held up?”

“Just
red tape, really. You’d have thought we were gun running instead of importing
carpets and leather goods. But things are so tense in the Middle East that
everyone gets jittery.  The client was with me and he was getting very annoyed.
I thought he was going to punch one official on the nose.”

“Would
you have stopped him, if he’d tried?” said Anna, smiling.

“No
way!  He had a great deal of money tied up in the shipment and his lorries and
men were standing around idle, so he had a right to lose his temper. We were
all relieved when the cargo was released for unloading.”  He gave a small
chuckle.  “And none more so than the captain and his crew.  They were keen to
get home to their families as soon as possible. Anyway, enough about me. What
have you been doing today?”

“Just
this and that really.  I missed you so much.”

His
lips brushed hers briefly, before he lifted his face and smiled mischievously. 
“Hey! You’re in my room!”

“I
know that.  So what?”

“But
wasn’t that a dangerous thing to do? Coming to my room in the dead of night.”

“Well,
my intention was to make sure you were home safely. I don’t know what your
intentions are.” He raised his eyebrows, but disappointment crossed his face
when she added coyly, “But I know that a gentleman like you, would never take
advantage of a lady just because he had the opportunity.”

“Then
you’d better go back to your own room, before I forget I’m a gentleman!”  In
spite of his words, he didn’t let go.

She
swallowed painfully. The thought of going back to her lonely room didn’t appeal
to her at all, now that the anxieties of the day were finally at an end.  She
wanted to stay with him, to feel his body close to hers, to satisfy the deep
yearning that had been building up inside her. She pressed her cheek into his
shoulder and hung onto him for a few seconds more. Tomorrow she would have to
tell him everything, but until then there was still tonight.

“Jason.”

“Mmm!”
Eyes closed, he was resting his face on top of her head.

“Can
I stay with you tonight?” she whispered.

He
stood quite still as if contemplating some insurmountable problem.  “Do you
really mean that, Anna?  I told you I can wait.”  He rubbed his cheek against
her hair.

“I
want to stay with you.  That’s unless you don’t want me to.  I mean, you’ve had
such an awful day and you must be tired out.”

His
hand moved gently down her back and he gave a low moan.  “Sweetheart,
invitations like that have a habit of chasing away any tiredness a man might
have, believe me!” His arms tightened as he pressed light, soft kisses on her
face and neck. “Lord, you smell nice.  I could eat you!”      Clinging tightly
against him, her body started to tingle as he manoeuvred her over towards the
bed.  Once there, they both toppled on top of the duvet and she peeled off the
kimono, letting it fall to the floor. His kisses became more demanding and
spread to her shoulders and arms and then finally back to her lips. They
slipped between the sheets. Jason threw his towels across the room and helped
her out of her nightdress.  “You’re so beautiful,” he moaned, his mouth moving
to her breasts, his tongue stimulating her nipples so they hardened under his
touch. His arm slid under the small of her back, raising her up, as his kisses
spread to her stomach.

At
first everything seemed so wonderful and she drifted along with the sweet
sensation of being loved and desired, responding to his caresses.  It was only
when his lovemaking became much more sensual and intimate, Anna heard the voice
of her husband screaming inside her head,
“How dare you criticise me, when
your behaviour is no better!”

She
stiffened and put her fist to her mouth, pushing the knuckles against her
teeth. Tears began to trickle down her face and she let out a mournful sob. 
Jason had felt her body tense and stopped his caressing.  Taking her in his
arms, he let her work the tears out of her system, while he kissed her.

“I
knew it was too soon,” he sighed.

She
sobbed into his shoulder.  “I did want us to be together tonight. I don’t know
what’s the matter with me.”

They
clung together, while he stroked her shaking body and murmured words of comfort
in her hair.  Eventually, the tears subsided and she became still. When he
raised his face to look at her, he found she had fallen asleep with complete
exhaustion.

He
kissed her lips gently.  “I know you have a secret, Anna. When are you going to
tell me?” he whispered.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

I
n the
early hours of the morning, Anna suddenly awoke and was horrified to see she
was lying naked in bed next to Jason. She remembered the previous hours and the
disaster of their lovemaking, but most of all she was filled with a great sense
of propriety and the desire not to be discovered in such a compromising
situation by Margaret and the others.  His arms were still tightly round her
and although she wanted to stay warm and comfortable, she decided she must go.
She leaned over and tenderly kissed his sleeping eyes before slipping out of
bed.  She found her kimono and wrapping it round herself, left the room,
closing the door quietly.   

The
journey back was filled with shadows that jumped out at her as she groped her
way along the wall. Only the small night-time noises could be heard, but they
were enough to cause her to hasten her steps.  Once in her own room, she jumped
straight into bed.  The sheets were cold against her bare flesh and she
shivered.  And then she closed her eyes.

It was nine
o’clock when Anna finally stirred from sleep.  She jumped out of bed and
crossed the room to open the window and breathe in the cool, fresh country air;
the glory of the day spread before her. The rain had stopped and the sun shone
brightly in a brilliant blue sky.  The branches on the trees swayed slightly
with the breeze and she could smell the sweet moisture of the grass.

There
was a knock on her door. Closing the window, she reached for her robe and
covered herself, since she was still in the same state of nakedness she had
been in when returning to her own bed.  Jason was standing in the corridor,
already up and dressed and carrying an oyster-pink nightgown over his arm.

“You
left this last night.”

“Oh,
you haven’t come here carrying my nightie, have you!” she cried in alarm,
looking out to see if there was anyone about.

“Everyone’s
at breakfast, Anna.  They’ll be off to church soon.  It was quite safe.”

“But
what would’ve happened if your mother had seen you!”

“You
do worry about what people are going to say, don’t you.  Is that why you left
me last night? Because you didn’t want anyone to see us in bed together.”

Grabbing
the nightgown from his arm, she pulled him into the room, astonished at his
brashness.

“Shhh!
Someone might hear you!”

“We
are consenting adults, you know. What we decide to do is nobody’s business but
our own.”

“I
know it is, but I’d feel embarrassed if they found out.”

“Really? 
And there’s me thinking of telling them at breakfast.”  He was teasing her, but
Anna stared past him, her expression serious.

“I
don’t want to offend your mother.  She’s been so good to me,” she explained
anxiously.

“And
she likes you a lot.”

“When
did she tell you that?”

“Yesterday
morning, before I set off for Bristol. In fact, she said I should consider
settling down again since being forty, time is not on my side.”

“You’re
having me on!  She wouldn’t say that so soon after Kiera.”

“Well,
Mother has a habit of moving on with life.”

Anna
felt a coldness pass over her.  Was he going to ask her to marry him? The
explanation of her situation was awkward enough as employer and employee, but
after last night it had become distressing now they had become romantically
involved. 

She
decided to get rid of him.  “Go away, Jason!  Let me get dressed.  I’ll be down
in ten minutes.”

She
pushed him out of the room, but failed to avoid his sudden grasp and the kiss
he placed firmly on her mouth.  Then he was gone.

Anna
took her time getting dressed and before she left her room, she scrutinised
herself in the long mirror.  She pulled out her tongue at her reflection and
sighed sadly.  It was a special day in more ways than one, but who would know
that?  She went down to breakfast.  Margaret, Ben and Mrs Wilby were leaving
for church. They all kissed her and wished her a good morning, before
disappearing out into the sharp morning air.

In
the dining room, Jason sat on his own, reading the paper.

“Don’t
you want to go to church?” she asked him, as she took her place and poured
herself some coffee from a silver pot.

“I
only go if I’m forced to.  Anyway, I’ve more important things to do today.”   

Anna
felt overwhelmed with disappointment. After the events of the previous day, she
had hoped to spend a little time with him and get this awful business out of
the way.  If it had to be delayed any longer, she would become a gibbering
idiot.

“Do
you have to go somewhere?” Her question came in a small voice, her eyes not
daring to meet his.

“Not
exactly.  I want to give you your birthday present,” he said nonchalantly.  He
looked up and smiled.  “Happy birthday.”

Anna
almost choked on her coffee.  “How on earth did you know it was my birthday?”

“First
of September.  It was on your CV,” he said turning the page of his newspaper. 
He took her hand and kissed her fingers.  “After you’ve had your breakfast
we’ll go and find your present.”

Her
mind started spinning. What did he mean ‘find it’? She nibbled some toast and
held back the overpowering desire to ask him more questions. He, on the other
hand, became absorbed in his paper and didn’t look up once.

Breakfast
over, they stood and he took her hand.  “You’ll need your jacket.  We’re going
outside and it’s a little chilly this morning.”