Opposing Forces (16 page)

The butterflies in Maisie’s stomach were multiplying at a ferocious rate.  She was sitting with Jack Greyson in the boardroom at the police station.  They were there to settle her personal injury claim.  Jack had negotiated a good settlement for her and she was pleased it was not too large as she didn’t want to appear greedy.

She was extremely nervous about running into Steffen.  It had been a few weeks since that wonderful night at her apartment. She wondered how he would react around her.  Would he be back to his usual icy demeanour?  Would she catch a glimpse of the passionate man she saw that night?

The opening of the door made her jump. Two police lawyers shuffled in followed a short while later by the Chief of Police himself.  Despite her best efforts, she could not bring herself to look him in the eye; she was too cowardly.  The last thing she wanted to see was regret or loathing.

She did not pay much attention to what was being discussed until papers were slid across the table.  Jack gave them a quick once-over before passing them to Maisie.  She started to rummage in her handbag for a pen. 

“Allow me, Miss Carrington,” his voice sent shivers down her spine, it was so cold.  He passed her his Mont-Blanc pen.

Maisie glanced up as their hands touched briefly; as she expected, his eyes were emotionless.  She signed the papers quickly and slid the pen back to Steffen, keen that they should not touch again.  Jack exchanged the signed document for a substantial cheque.   With business complete, Maisie let Jack escort her out the boardroom, with barely a word from Steffen.

She stopped to talk to Albert Dufrais on the front desk.  “All settled, Miss Carrington?”

“Yes, thank you, Albert. Hopefully this should be my last visit so you won’t need to invest in a large supply of plastic tumblers.”

He gave a mischievous grin.  “Now that would be such a shame. You always liven things up.”

“I aim to please, Sergeant,” she laughed.  “But on a serious note, thank you for your courtesy.”

Alfred watched her leave.  She really was his favourite felon!

Steffen stayed in his office for the rest of the day seeing no-one.  He was not in the mood. His only plans that evening were to get steaming drunk to try and numb the pain he had in his chest.  He knew it would not be easy sitting opposite Maisie, trying not to recall how wonderful she had looked naked. How good her body felt against his.  He was not prepared for the sadness he saw in her eyes from the brief glimpse he had. 

He was wracked with guilt. Guilt because it was a relationship that could never happen.  He was on course to become Police Commissioner.  Maisie was not suited to be the wife of that role, she was far too impetuous and outspoken.  But she had taught him to feel, to know real passion.  He was not sure he could live the rest of his life without it, having experienced it just the once.

To distract himself, he flicked through the various newspapers in his office; to his horror there was an article on his father.  He was pictured with a very trashy looking redhead who could not be much older than Sabina.  He was shocked that his father could sink so low, screwing a girl so young. She was obviously out to get what she could from him. He tossed it aside in disgust.  Hopefully his mother was behaving with a bit more dignity.

He realised he had not been in touch with Sabina since she moved into her apartment.  Talk about being a crap brother. He had been so tied up in his own personal affairs, he had completely neglected his baby sister. 

She answered on the second ring.  “Steffen, is everything alright?”

“Yes. I just wanted to check how you were doing.”
 

“I’m fine,” she sounded a little concerned.  “Is something wrong?”

“No. Does anything need to be wrong for me to call you?” He felt a little put out.

“I guess not.   But you’ve never called me before to see how I was doing.”

“You’ve not moved to a strange city before,” he retaliated.

Sabina laughed softly.  “How about I drop by later? I can debrief you fully then, Chief.”

“I’ll tell Madame Bodart to expect you for dinner.”

Sabina would put him back on track.  After listening to her exuberant chatter for the evening, he would look forward to returning to his usual cold, aloof self.  At least that was what he kept telling himself.  He was actually looking forward to seeing Sabina, he could not believe he has scarcely given her a thought when she had moved to the same city.  But she sounded happy enough.

If he had hoped Sabina would take his mind off Maisie, he was much mistaken.  His sister had moved into the building next to Maisie’s and she had spent most the evening singing the virtues of this temptress he was trying to forget. 
Maisie is just so wonderful, so full of life. You really should meet her properly. And I don’t mean when you’re arresting her.
As if he needed reminding of how delightful Maisie Carrington was. It was like she had been permanently imprinted on his mind.

He was damned and determined to fight this addiction.  He had been brought up to push all emotion aside, he just needed to find the strength to bury all thoughts of Maisie. He was a Grundberg, on course to become Police Commissioner and this golden-haired, rose scented beauty did not figure in that scenario.

Sabina waited for Philippe to arrive for their next date. It was ten minutes after three and she was convinced he wasn’t coming.  He had changed his mind about taking her out.  She pulled her thick fleece off and flopped down on her sofa.  Half-past three came and went.  Fifteen minutes later she put her coat back on and left to go to the University library feeling thoroughly dejected.  She walked the short distance, past the cathedral and down many flights of wooden steps to the University.  She was so very disappointed.  Perhaps Philippe had felt coerced into taking her riding and in the clear light of day, did not want to go back out with her.  At least she had made some new female friends.

She studied for four hours straight, amazed how hard her brain could concentrate on one subject when she didn’t want to think about another.  She was pleased though, she had made good progress in her battle with sculpture and her essay was all but complete. She made her way home, tired and hungry.  As she reached the top floor of her building, she saw the most beautiful bouquet of flowers outside her door.  She picked them up and opened the handwritten note. 
I’m so sorry. My shift ran way over and I didn’t have your mobile to let you know.  I really want to see you again, so if you can forgive me, please call me. Philippe.
He had left his number.

Sabina stared at the note for the longest time.  It sounded pretty genuine, so should she call him?  They were beautiful flowers so the least she could do was to call and thank him.  She took a deep breath and dialled his number. He answered on the first ring as though he was waiting for the call.

“It’s Sabina. The flowers are lovely.”

“Thank God you called,” he breathed a sigh of relief.  “I was starting to think I’d blown my chance.”

“I’ve been at the library. I’ve just got in.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“There’s a great Italian restaurant not far from you. Carlotti’s.  Can I meet you there in fifteen minutes?”

She thought for a moment.  “I was actually about to throw some pasta in a pan, so why don’t you come over and I’ll fix us something to eat.  I promise I’m a vast improvement on Francois.”

“Are you sure?”

“About my cooking expertise, yes.”

“No,” he laughed. “About dinner?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Fine, I’ll be round shortly.”

Panic set in.  She had just invited Philippe over to her apartment.  She ran around tidying the living room before returning to the kitchen in a frenzy.  A short while later, Philippe was there. 

“I really am sorry about earlier,” he kissed her cheek. 

“You’re forgiven.” She relieved him of the bottle of wine he was carrying.

He followed her into the kitchen.  “Something really does smell good.”

“Spinach and ricotta tortellini, I hope you like it.”

He slipped his arms around her waist.  “I’m suddenly very hungry.”

“It’s almost ready.  Now make yourself useful and pour some wine.”

He grinned and filled their glasses.

Sitting opposite Philippe in her kitchen, she felt quite at ease. “So what emergency did you have today?”

“Sadly, we had to deal with an armed nutter.”

“Is that a technical term?” she smiled.

He laughed.  “I could not believe I didn’t have your number, it was such a stupid thing not to get.  I was half hoping this madman would shoot himself then I could get away and take you out as planned.”

“I’m not sure whether that’s romantic or not.”

“But it’s how I felt.  Now where did you learn to cook so well?”  He had expected her to tip pasta from a packet into a pan, not to make it fresh.  It was heavenly.

“Italy.  I spent many a summer there and our housekeeper taught me to cook.”

“She did a good job.  Can you make pizza?”

“Of course, but I much prefer pasta.”

“They do say that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and they’re not wrong. What else did you learn in Italy?”

“Polo. Our villa was next to stables that specialised in it.”

“Do you speak Italian?”

Sabina nodded.  “Yes.”

“It seems you have many talents. Why did you decide on fine art for your degree?”

“It seemed a sensible course for me to do.  I already know a bit about fine art, so I figured it would set me well for the future. Now you need to tell me more about yourself. I think I’ve been interrogated enough, Officer Thevenez.”

“Sorry,” Philippe winced.  “It’s a force of habit. I’m just keen to know as much as I can about you.”

“The feeling is mutual, so now you owe me some information.  Tell me about your family.”

“You already know my family lives in Neuchatel. My father works for the city’s transport department, my sister Lauren and brother Sebastian both still live at home.”

“How old are they?”

“Lauren is twenty and studying fashion design. Sebastian is only seventeen and still at school.”

“Do you get back there often?”

“Every couple of months or so.  Otherwise my mother threatens to visit.”

“What do you generally like to do when you’re off?”

“In winter, it’s snowboarding, and in summer I love climbing and rafting.”

“What kind of climbing?  I’m not really seeing you as the type who would scale Mont Blanc.”

Philippe laughed.  “Rock climbing is my thing. No snow in sight.”

“Where do you do that?”

“I love going down to France. They have some terrific spots for it.  In fact the next place I want to go is the Vendée.”

They moved to the living room after Philippe had cleared his plate, the remainder of hers and anything that was left in the pan.  Either he hadn’t eaten for a week or he really liked fresh pasta.  Curled up on the sofa, Sabina felt decidedly chilled. 

“Have you had to fire your gun many times?” Sabina continued her questioning.

“A few times,” he shrugged.  “Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”

“Says who?” Sabina raised an eyebrow.

“The one with the gun,” Philippe retorted.

“You’re armed?” Sabina sounded horrified.

“No,” Philippe laughed. “I’m joking.”

Sabina leant over and swatted his arm.  “It’s not fair to tease a Swiss German. We don’t understand humour.”

“You must break the mould then.  Which country is on your list to visit next?”

“I’d love to go to Costa Rica.”

“An unusual choice. Why there?”

“The rainforest in the centre of the country is amazing.  I’d love to spend a week there, recharging at a luxury spa, not living with the local wildlife, then ride to the coast and spend a few days chilling on a beach, water-skiing and diving.”

“When are we going?”

Sabina giggled.  “Maybe after the end of my first year.  But it’s good to have a dream.”

“Do you have lectures tomorrow?” Philippe asked.

“Yes, quite a full day.”

“I won’t keep you up too late.  But first there is something I really need to do.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Kiss you,” his voice had become quite husky.

He pulled her gently to him and kissed her until she was quite breathless.   Sabina was very tempted to take it further, but she was not ready to have him stay the night, although the thought was very appealing. She was keen to discover just how wonderful his body was.

“I really need to leave else you will have a hard time getting rid of me,” he murmured in her ear.

She kissed him once more.  “You’re right, we should stop this now.”

“We should,” he groaned rolling off the sofa and taking her with him. “But I don’t want to.” He pinned her beneath him and proceeded to raise her heart rate a little more.  A short while later, he jumped up.  “Sorry, you’re just too enticing.” He helped her up off the floor.

Sabina’s heart was pumping wildly, she was glad at least he had managed to exert some self-control.  “And you are not as sweet and innocent as you appear, Officer Thevenez,” she gave him a steamy look.

He slipped on his jacket and grabbed his helmet.  “Thank you for an amazing dinner.” He kissed the tip of her nose.  “Are you free this weekend?”

“Depends when and what you have in mind,” she was non-committal.

“A group of us are headed over to Evian for the evening.  Please come?”

With those wonderful soft eyes staring at her, there was no way she could say no, even if she wanted to. “Sure. I’ll come.”

“I’ll call you, now I have your number.” He kissed her once more before tearing himself away. 

Philippe glanced up at the top floor of the building as he put his helmet on, he could not stop grinning.  He was so very attracted to Sabina, in fact he had a hard time keeping his hands off her.  There was a vulnerability about her that brought out the protective streak in him. But that vulnerability meant he had to take things a lot slower with her, he didn’t want to frighten her off.  He started his bike and headed off home.  This was one relationship he really did not want to screw up.

Waiting in the lobby of the Beau Rivage hotel, Bettina was aware of the looks being cast her way.  She had seen her own reflection in the mirror and at first had not truly recognised herself.  She was wearing a dark green evening dress that fitted her like a glove.  She was not used to showing off her curves, but now it felt truly liberating. Her hair was held up with two elaborate, emerald encrusted hair pins.  With her long black evening gloves and clutch bag, she looked like she had just stepped out of a haute-couture salon in Paris.

“Bettina, you look positively divine,” Pierre beamed, kissing her cheek.  “In fact I think I’d prefer to take you back upstairs rather than to this dull party.”

Such a tempting thought, Bettina mused.  Actually the thought terrified her.  She had only ever slept with Hubert, and the last time was almost two decades ago.  She was pretty sure she could remember what went where, but it was the thought of someone seeing her naked body that scared her.  Twenty years ago when everything was still perky and pointing upright was one thing, but now having a man she greatly admired seeing her when she was no longer at her best was so depressing.

She slipped her arm through his.  “You are quite shameful, Pierre. Now let’s go before we’re late.”

“The party has barely started, Bettina,” he groaned.

“You’re forgetting that I’m Swiss German and we are sticklers for being punctual.”

“And I’m Swiss French and a stickler for being fashionably late,” he grinned. 

The party was at the Chateau Mirabelle which was not far from the hotel and it was in full swing when they arrived.  Being used to Hubert leaving her side the second they arrived anywhere, it was so comforting to have Pierre remain with her.

She recognised quite a few people from government.   It was fun to see the look on their faces when Pierre introduced her as Madame Laroque; she could see their confusion.