Second Chances (5 page)

Arthur scratched his head and then rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension building in his neck. People thought he had an easy life, enjoying himself because his father was one of the most powerful men in the country. The truth was that collecting drinks and women was just a way to ease the pressure. God knew he needed the release after working twelve hours a day, six days a week to live up to his father’s standards of excellence.

“Mr. Pendleton? Your father on line 2.”

“Thanks, Lucy.”

Arthur pressed one key and his father’s strong voice filled the room.

“Where do you stand with the Foundation?”

No greetings, no polite introduction from Robert Pendleton.

“I—”

His father interrupted before he could even start a full sentence.

“I want the fraud exposed ASAP, Arthur. This little commerce can’t go on. You asked to be in charge of the case, I’m expecting that you close it, and fast. What about the Mercia contract?”

“Nearly done. You’ll want to review some items about quotas and income taxes. It’ll be completed tom—”

Robert cut in again. Arthur felt a pulsing on his temples, announcing the headache.

“I need that tonight.”

Tonight. It was five already. Arthur shook his head to clear it of the louder pounding.

“Yes, Father.”

“Regis and his daughter arrive tomorrow morning. I count on you to escort Isobel to the welcoming cocktail party.”

There they were.

“I already have a date for the event, Father.”

The silence on the other end of the line weighed tons. And it lasted longer than was comfortable. Arthur swallowed. Long silences from his father were rarely a good thing.

“I see.”

Sharp words. Icy tone. He was glad Robert was on the other side of the country rather than in front of him.

“Have that contract and the tender documents sent by eight tomorrow morning.”

The characteristic sound of a rough hang-up reverberated in his head, already heavy with the new-born migraine.

No good-bye, either. Arthur searched his drawer for aspirin. Finishing both the contract and the TD for the Mercia deal by 8 AM meant working around the clock; again.

Colin was supposed to have dinner with Gavin’s parents, yet he would cancel if asked. Arthur gulped two pills with the rest of his coffee. He would achieve more work if he flew solo.

***

Of course he hadn’t called. She had expected him to, for some time, before she tired of postponing her evening projects in case the phone rang.

Maya signalled to the driver she was getting off. If Arthur thought she was going to bend to his every command and make herself available for last minute plans, he was sorely mistaken.

She stepped off the bus and crossed the street carefully, keeping her head down to avoid stepping into the melted snow.

“Hi.”

Maya glanced up, startled. His face held the marks of a restless night, no doubt partying until dawn. He wore a different shirt and tie, so apparently he had gone home to shower and change; yet she wondered if he had slept at all.

At least his breath when he lightly kissed her cheek didn’t smell of alcohol. His hold on her was a little rough. It reminded her of a child seeking comfort. More likely the exhaustion was wearing out his control.

Maya mastered her instincts that were yelling at her to step back as quickly as possible.

“Can I offer breakfast to make up for not calling?”

The suggestion amazed her. He almost sounded sincere. Almost.

“You should go to bed. You look terrible.”

The young man took her arm to escort her towards the building, whether vaguely amused or annoyed, she couldn’t tell.

“You think I was out clubbing all night long, don’t you. Sorry to disappoint, Edana. My father needed some documents early this morning.”

Robert had nicknamed her Edana, “little fire” in Irish. Maya chased away the bittersweet memory, and returned her attention back to Arthur who was holding the door. It was just past eight. How late had he worked? She felt a little bad to have automatically presumed the worst of him.

“The cocktail party is at the Grand Hotel. Hopefully father won’t make a scene with a crowd around. It starts at six-thirty but…”

“Slow down a minute, will you? What cocktail party?”

Impatience flared in the blue eyes and dismissed all ideas of offering coffee.

“We are attending the annual cocktail party Pendletons & Associates holds for its major clients tonight. First, the cocktail party and next week, the Ball. You can’t have forgotten that much about us.”

“But…”

“I’m tired Maya, and I’m not in the mood for a fruitless argument. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Arthur brushed her cheek again, and left her gawping in the hall. Maya composed herself quickly, hoping no one had noticed the scene. She wanted to stamp her foot. Why hadn’t he told her the previous day? How was she supposed to be ready by seven? This arrangement was impossible. HE was impossible!

Chapter 8

Maya fumbled with her clothes once again. She had already searched her closet three times trying to find an appropriate outfit, to no avail. In desperate need of advice, she had called Colin twice, getting his voicemail both times. Moira, who often shared her own extensive wardrobe with her baby-sister, had flat out refused to help. “I don’t want to hear about your mess with the Pendletons.”

Tristan knocked and entered with two mugs. Maya took hers gratefully, and wrapped her fingers around the hot cup.

“Help me! I don’t know what to do…I obviously can’t wear pants and the only dress I have is just plain…”

“You’re nervous.”

The tea threatened to spill when she jerked, readying herself to contest his statement. She was not nervous! She was…Fine, nervous. A little. A lot. Horribly. Oh boy…

Tristan examined her flaming face an instant before he spoke again.

“You should withdraw. This whole arrangement is not a good idea.”

“I thought you came to help?”

Maya burned her tongue sipping her tea and put it away to cool. Her dress lay on the bed and she held it in front of her, looking at the effect in the mirror. Tristan tried again.

“I understand you gave your word, but I don’t want to see you hurt…”

“Robert can’t do or say any worse than he already has.”

“I’m not worried about Robert.”

Tristan being Tristan, he could not make it clearer to whom he was referring. His comment brought up a smile, chasing away the nerves.

“Arthur won’t do anything improper. He promised to behave. You know him; he considers honoring his word to be sacred, as if he was chairing the Round Table or something.”

“If you say so.”

“He offered twice the amount Matthew needed, you know.”

Her cousin didn’t insist. Maya was apparently resolved to overlook Arthur’s faults for the time being and keep her part of their strange bargain. He could only hope their little plot would not turn her world upside-down. Maya’s heart was too soft not to fall into the trap if Arthur decided to add some side benefits to his original plan. Which he was perfectly capable of.

Tristan chose to change the subject.

“With a scarf and your mother’s pearls, you’ll look fantastic.”

Maya beamed; then her smile faded.

“Oh no…Moira borrowed the pearls. She was supposed to hand them back, but we both forgot…”

“You’ll be lovely, anyway. You always are.”

He paused an instant before asking, smiling back at the delightful grin the compliment had brought forth: “What time is Arthur coming for you?”

“He said seven…Oh Lord, it’s already six-thirty. Out!”

Maya pushed her cousin out of the room and hurried toward the bathroom.

***

When Maya entered the living-room a little after seven, Tristan and Arthur were engaged in a glacial exchange of banalities. She could hardly tell which one of the two contestants was the most relieved to see her.

Tristan moved first, offering his arm. She appreciated the gesture. Arthur was looking at her with an unreadable frown.

She looked…intriguing. She had chosen a simple black dress with a discreet square neck. The white scarf fitted on her bare shoulders enhanced the fact she wore no jewels, except the small pearls at her ears. The lack of jewels didn’t bother him. In fact, the way her discreet looks appealed to him was unexpected and uncomfortable.

Arthur realized he was staring and glanced away, playing with the keys in his hand while Tristan helped her with her coat.

“I’ll stay if you want.”

The offer had Arthur reacting instantly.

“I don’t know what time I’ll bring Maya home.”

“I don’t mind waiting.”

Tension grew between the two men again, this time their jesting growing less civil by the minute. Maya squeezed her cousin’s arm gently.

“I’ll be fine, Tristan. It’s just a cocktail. What can go wrong?”

***

A lot could.

First, she had felt totally overwhelmed by the loud crowd after the flashes from the official photographer had blinded her. Afterwards, Robert had turned bright red when he had caught sight of them. Then, Arthur had disappeared—God only knew where—just minutes after their arrival; not that she missed his company, anyway. And then, Maya suddenly realized she wouldn’t be able to eat anything from the buffet because everything seemed to contain seafood, to which she was allergic. And of course that stupid scarf kept sliding, so she had to stay with her elbows glued to her sides to maintain it in place.

“Maya!”

Colin’s voice seemed like the most delightful sound she had ever heard. Her friend was holding two plates and offered one, but Maya shook her head.

“I can’t… Seafood.”

The young man jumped back, pulling the plates as far from her as possible, and she chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I am not going to suffer anaphylactic shock just because I smell shrimp.”

He blushed and put one plate away to attack his smoked salmon blinis.

“Where is Arthur?”

“Some matters required my son’s immediate attention.”

The freezing voice of Robert startled her and Maya tightened her grip on her scarf instinctively, before she looked around.

The matters in question were a bald man and a pretty blonde in a pink dress, on the other side of the room. Given Arthur’s stiff demeanor, she supposed he was paying his respects to the intended blushing bride…

Maya tried a quiet smile; though she was sure it looked more like a pout.

“Good evening, Robert.”

She went completely rigid when he embraced her. The murmur in her ear was nothing like his apparent welcome.

“Your dirty operations are a shame to your father’s name. Enjoy your power while it lasts as we will wipe you out of business, whatever the cost. Arthur will come back to his senses soon enough. You won’t be able to bewitch him so he forgets his duty. Besides, he tends to tire of pretty things rather easily.”

Maya pushed away from her godfather as discreetly as she could.

“But you don’t tire, do you Robert? Why do you hate me so much? I am your ward, you are supposed to lov…”

“Love me”. “Protect me”. “Support me”. “Be happy when I am”. She stopped mid-sentence, and turned her head away without waiting for an answer; tears of anger and hurt glimmered in her eyes. Arthur, who had apparently decided his date was worth his attention after all and reappeared by her side, wrapped one arm around her. Maya had to make an effort not to slap his hand away.

She wished he’d said something, presented apologies for his father or his own desertion but his face was blank. Maya tried to compose herself so she could smile at him like the loving girlfriend she was supposed to be, but failed.

Robert just shrugged his shoulders and left without a word.

Colin, who was in fact responsible for Arthur’s sudden reappearance, reacted first to save the situation.

“Maya, you’re awfully pale…Tell me you didn’t try the mousse. There’s shellfish in that, your allergies…”

He elbowed Arthur hard in the chest; the young man was finally shaken out of his immobility.

“Are you okay? Do you need your anti-histamine drug?”

Playing along with their scheme was easier than pretending she was all right.

“I didn’t eat anything but I don’t feel that great...I’d like to sit a moment…”

“Of course.”

Maybe the charade held some truth…She was feeling light-headed...Maya had to lean against Arthur for balance and she hated needing him. The grasp on her waist as he helped her up the stairs to a quieter area was hard and she wanted to qualify it as unpleasant. She rejected the idea his warmth was comforting. The fussing was just a fake and it’d better stay that way.

***

While Colin went down to the kitchens to ask for something she would be able to eat, Arthur settled her on a couch in the nearly empty rotunda of the hotel, and sat near her, turning so he could face her.

He could guess well enough what his father had murmured in her ear. “We will see that your masquerade of a charity is reduced to dust. Arthur is just playing with you. You will regret the day you refused to listen to me.”

He had had his share of the lecture, hissed in an empty room only minutes after they arrived.

“Is that how you intend to find your way to their dirty operations?”

“I thought you had learned by now not to mix pleasure with business.”

“The Finnegan sisters are nothing but liars and cheats.”

“Enjoy her bed, she is attractive after all, but keep clear of her poisonous ways.”

All remarks were equally insulting. Arthur wondered why it was taking Colin so long to obtain some chopped vegetables and fruit.

Maya had briefly glanced at the falling snow through the impressive bay-window, before returning her attention to him. Arthur chose to break the silence before her stare disturbed him further. His traitorous mind came back to the more personal comments about Maya and he dismissed them quickly. Only the fact that Robert had swallowed the bait was important.

“My father bought it.”

She frowned at the self-satisfied tone in his voice.