Twisted Love and Money (8 page)

They both had a
Gin and Tonic. Janet settled back into the leather chairs. There
were two other groups, consisting entirely of men, in other corners
of the bar. A huge log fire blazed in the hearth. Another huge
Irish Stag Hound lounged across the front of the fire.

“This is some
place,” Janet remarked.

“You would be
surprised at the high quality of some of our establishments. A lot
of Irish businessmen like to entertain. We are not all poor. And
you know there are a lot of wealthy French and German visitors to
Ireland. They come for the fishing and the shooting, and or course
the horses.”

“Indeed. I am
fond of horses myself.”

“Do you ride?”
Peter asked a salacious grin on his face.

“Occasionally.
I like something good and strong and spirited under me. Mind you
there is not much chance to ride horses in London.”

“You live in
London?”

“I have moved
to Dublin. My consultancy firm has asked me to open a branch here.
Currently I am here on my own. Quite a challenge.”

“Perhaps I will
get a chance to show you the sights?” Peter offered.

“Perhaps,”
Janet smiled. “I am very busy during the week, but it gets lonely
in a strange city on the weekends.”

Peter could
hardly believe his ears. If she was lonely, he was the man for the
job.

“Tell me about
your Company’s expansion plans?” Janet asked as she sipped her gin,
adding, “Anything imminent?”

Peter was
expansive, but cautious. “We are just finishing a takeover in
Germany. To expand our outlets. And in my jacket I have a further
takeover plan, for weekend reading, we work hard you know.”

“More
takeovers?”

“Yes. If we can
leverage the throughput of our production units we can attain a
very good return on assets and high growth.”

Peter explained
in a throwaway manner. He was quoting something John had said and
he hoped he had got it right.

“I’m impressed.
I am afraid high finance is a mystery to me,” Janet said
admiringly.

Janet had
studied the ISO documentation and had a creditable list of
questions to which she had added a subtle few of her own. Peter had
to defer on some of the detail, saying Mr. Riseley would take up
those points. However at the end of two hours she had a very full
picture of the O’Byrne organization and its key people. Crawford
would be pleased.

Peter was
enjoying himself enormously. He had the rapt attention of a very
beautiful young lady and he was able to talk about his importance
in the firm.

It was near to
four in the afternoon when they got back to the city. On the drive
back Peter made the conversation personal rather than business and
was pleasantly surprised when Janet was friendly and
responsive.

Peter undertook
to arrange an appointment for Janet to see Riseley the next day,
“his aide who would look after her needs and arrange for her to
visit the plants she wished to inspect.”

Janet expressed
her gratitude for his kind attentions.

As he let her
out of the car, she gave him her card and wrote the phone number of
her apartment on the back. “I have no office number yet,” she
explained. I will ring in to your Mr. Riseley tomorrow.”

“May I call you
also?” he asked with his best smile, “it won’t be business, maybe
to show you the town?

“All right,”
she agreed with a warm smile that sent his heart racing.

Peter sailed
away with a wave. He glanced at the car clock, too late to return
to work.

Peter had a
passion for playing squash. It was with great difficulty from his
Kildare base that he had maintained his place at the bottom number
five position on the D team in his club. However now that he was
back in Dublin he was determined not to miss a match.

Janet watched
him go.

She wondered
would he miss the report she’d taken from his jacket.

She scanned it
on her way through the lobby. It was headed ‘Proposal for takeover
of Howlette holdings.’

Stopping at the
desk she asked the receptionist to photocopy the report and send it
and the copy to her room. She’d talk to Crawford. He’d know what to
do.

Chapter
nine

Ann-Marie was
looking forward to meeting Seamus on one level but dreading the
date on another. It had become such a big deal with her family.

Ann-Marie had
permission for one late night during the week, on condition she
studied hard for her exams on the other nights. After tea on
Wednesday she went to her room. This was part of her routine when
she had a date. Sometimes she enjoyed the preparation and
anticipation more than the date.

Ann-Marie put
the snip on to lock her bedroom door. Assured of privacy she
stripped naked. First she had a shower. Then she stood in front of
the full-length wardrobe mirror. Inspection time, she thought. No
spots. Ann-Marie smiled in satisfaction. Her soft bosomed silky
skinned long legged body smiled back.

Ann-Marie was
pleased with her appearance. Nobody but her would see her until she
met mister right. Well she might go topless when her parents took
her on holidays in the south of France. But not in Ireland.

Ann-Marie
usually did not fuss much more over her appearance. Once she was
scrubbed she would throw on a sweater and jeans and she was ready.
But she was unsure of what to wear on the motorbike. She had none
of the special leather gear bikers wore.

Ann-Marie had
her bathroom ‘en suite’ and as she pondered the problem of what to
wear she went back to the bathroom. She had decided to shave her
legs while she considered the problem. It was warm and relaxed and
she began to think of Seamus, his broad shoulders and dark eyes.
She discovered she was looking forward to the date.

When she
finished shaving her legs she tried the test she had seen in the
adverts on television. She had no silk handkerchief to hand but she
let a tissue slide down her leg. Smooth as silk. A fancy took her
and she began to snip at her bush with her nail scissors. That was
much neater she decided on inspection.

Then Ann-Marie
made up her mind; she knew what she would wear. She giggled, the
black stockings and garters with matching bra. She had bought them
in town with a friend when she was dared. But she had never had the
nerve to wear them.

She tried to
remember where she had hidden them in case her mother nosed around.
Top right of the wardrobe. With a giggle she got a chair and
retrieved them, still in the tissue paper.

The bra fitted
though she had grown a bit, tights were fine, what about the garter
belt. That was fiddly but she got it on. The she laughed at herself
in the mirror. What about her pants? Black silky drawers. And she
would wear her short leather skirt. That would knock his eyes out.
His soft dark eyes.

If anyone saw
her, she thought, they’d think she was a trollop, not the virgin
she was. Sod them all, he’d keep his hands to himself and she would
do as she pleased with herself.

Ann-Marie put
on her short black leather skirt a black sweater and for warmth, a
black woollen jumper. Where were her black leather boots? Final
inspection. She tossed her hair; she knew she looked a million.

Ann-Marie was
silent on the journey and asked the chauffeur to let her off in the
lower car park of the Centre. “I won’t need to be collected,” she
said with her best smile.

“Yes Madame,”
he replied with a smile.

Ann-Marie left
her leather coat in the car boot and ran up towards the
entrance.

They had
arranged to meet at the Chinese Restaurant just outside the
entrance to the Cinema Complex. Dorothy was leaning against the
wall talking to Jeremy.

‘Not very
dishy,’ Ann-Marie thought when she saw Jeremy’s short stocky build,
‘And old.’

“Ann-Marie this
is Jeremy,” Dorothy made the introductions.

“How do you do
sir?” Ann-Marie was polite and formally shook Jeremy’s hand.

“Pleased to
meet you Ann-Marie.”

Ann-Marie was
curious when she heard Jeremy’s accent, a slightly lilting in tone
with a tinge of England, but under-laid by a flat Dublin accent.
Not the product of the best schools in Dublin she deduced
instinctively. But he was neat and respectable. Ann-Marie delighted
that not only had her older sister met a man at last, but also one
who appeared to have a good suit.

“
Let’s go inside to the foyer.” Ann-Marie suggested, “It will
be warmer.”

“
Any sign of your Beau?” Dorothy asked. She had bitten back on
comment when she saw Ann-Marie’s gear, she would not give her baby
sister the satisfaction of making an impact.

“No,” Ann-Marie
replied with a slight blush, “ I said I would meet him here but he
may have gone into the foyer. He may be inside.”

Ann-Marie led
the way in. Dorothy linked Jeremy and they followed close
behind.

Ann-Marie
wondered if she would remember Seamus’s face. What if he was not in
his biker leathers, would she recognize him? They stood in the
foyer and there was no sign of him. Anxiously Ann-Marie bit her
lip.

“Have you
decided which show?” Jeremy asked Dorothy.

“Yes, Cinema
three,” Dorothy replied. Ann-Marie smiled in agreement.

“I’ll go to the
desk and get four tickets,” Jeremy suggested.

“What if he
does not turn up?” Ann-Marie could not help asking.

“Ann-Marie,”
Jeremy said warmly. Ann-Marie noticed that he had nice kindly brown
eyes. She warmed to him as he continued, “I doubt if any young man
in his right senses would not turn up for a date with you. I’ll get
the tickets.”

They all
laughed at Jeremy’s heavy-handed compliment. And Jeremy left to get
the tickets.

“Where did you
meet him?” Ann-Marie asked Dorothy curiously.

“At a party one
weekend.”
“Seems nice.”

“Yes.”

They were
silent. Ann-Marie was about to say that Jeremy looked a bit
effeminate but decided it might not be wise to be too personal
about Dorothy and her friend.

In five minutes
Jeremy was back.

“They take
credit card bookings, I got the tickets,” he said.

Ann-Marie was
getting worried. Where was Seamus?

“I like the
gear,” Dorothy remarked with a tinge of criticism in her tone.
“Black leather suits your clear skin Ann-Marie.”

Ann-Marie
smiled. She looked at Jeremy. He hardly appeared to see her. Most
men would react and fuss. Then she caught his eye and he smiled
warmly. She relaxed.

“Your fashion
sense is right up to date young lady,” he pronounced, “I mean
Ann-Marie.”

Ann-Marie
tossed her head. “Thank you.”

“I work in the
dress business, I know my onions,” he added.

“I hope you are
not going to get up on a motor bike in that short skirt?” Dorothy
threw in. “You’ll have to pull it up to your bum.”

Ann-Marie
blushed, “don’t be crude Dorothy. Anyway I told Dad I’d taxi
home.”

And then Seamus
arrived. He was just over six feet tall, dressed in his leather
riding gear, a strongly built young man for his eighteen years.

“The Wild One,
nineteen fifty-four,” Jeremy whispered, drawing breath.

The beauty of
the young man, whose build reminded him of the young Marlon Brando.
Jeremy had tapes of all Brando’s early movies.

“What?” Dorothy
said, not liking the way Jeremy was looking almost open-mouthed at
Seamus.

“Nothing.”
Jeremy replied, “Ann-Marie is this your young man?”

Ann-Marie, who
had been standing purposefully with her back to the entrance so as
not to appear to be waiting for anyone, turned. She was angry at
being kept waiting.

When she saw
him she had a sharp intake of breath and emptiness in the pit of
her stomach. She had forgotten how gorgeous he was. Wow…

“Where were
you?” she demanded crossly, “this is no place to leave a
lady.”
“Sorry I had to drop one of the lads into Tallaght. His bike broke
down. We had to get him on the road again. The courier service
always delivers. Sorry Ann-Marie.”

He took her
hand and looked sorry.

Ann-Marie
smiled, “This is Dorothy my sister and Jeremy her friend.”

It was Seamus
who was surprised “A double date?” he managed to say.

“You owe Jeremy
for the tickets,” Ann-Marie said.

“Don’t worry,”
Jeremy protested.

“I’ll get some
chocolates,” Seamus offered and taking Ann-Marie’s by the elbow he
led them to the sweet counter.

They relaxed
and enjoyed the movie. All except Jeremy. He was a gamut of
emotions. He had been delighted to meet Dorothy again. Their
relationship was growing nicely.

However the
sight of Seamus had reminded Jeremy, if he needed reminding, that
men were physically attractive to him. As he sat beside Dorothy he
wondered what it would be like to sit beside Seamus and to have him
joking lightly to him in the manner Seamus was busy teasing
Ann-Marie. Ann-Marie was having difficulty in suppressing the
giggles and Dorothy looked a bit agitated.

Jeremy found
Dorothy’s hand and held on. She smiled at him and then turned her
eyes back to the film. Dorothy was holding his left hand and Jeremy
found his right hand gripping tightly at the seat rest as he
wrestled with his emotions.

His Partner
David, the man he loved, was coming to Dublin. They had been apart
for nearly two weeks and like any couple they would want to touch
and hold each other at the earliest opportunity. But now he was
with Dorothy.

Jeremy
desperately wanted to have an affair with a woman. He had only ever
been with David. God, he wanted to try a woman. Dorothy had not
attempted intercourse with him the night in her flat. Her gentle
fingers had brought him to an orgasm and he had been too tense to
try to move or to approach her.