“Of course not.”
Rooting through her luggage, Tanya pulled out her blue bikini. Tanya felt Serge’s gaze as she climbed out of her clothes. She smiled and tossed her knickers at him. “Hey, cheeky.”
“Can’t resist.”
“Sure you don’t want to come?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me?”
“I can’t wait to get in the pool.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m fighting my belly.”
“Fine, go and have your swim. Just stick to rules.”
“I do.”
Serge’s voice was layered by a serious tone. ”You already told them two nosey gits that I’m a farmer from Perth. That’s bang out of rights.”
“Sorry.”
Serge sat up so he could stare directly into Tanya’s eyes. “Look, that’s the sort of thing that can make our life even more difficult.”
“I’m sorry. I just got excited at talking to new people.”
“Never mind.” Serge fell back on to the bed. “Sorry for snapping, I’m just in need of some sleep.” He yawned. “Anyway, we’re here to relax. So go and have fun.”
Malcolm surfaced from the water. Two manicured feet stood at the edge. He brushed his hand across his face, clearing it of excess water. “Hey, Tanya. Good to see you again.”
“Hi, Malc.”
Settled in OK?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t mind me. Just de-stressing myself with some exercise.” Malcolm climb out of the pool and sat on the edge. “Where is Serge?”
“He is asleep. He worked late all week. So I thought I would check out the facilities for myself.”
Malcolm glanced into the crystal turquoise pool. “It’s quite a nice pool, isn’t it?”
“Amazing.”
Malcolm laughed and pointed at the large marble statue. “I do believe that is the Greek god Poseidon, God of all waters and the oceans…. Just in case you thought it was me.”
“You might have a figure, but you’re not quite God like.”
Malcolm shook his head as he gazed into the turquoise water. “Nothing like honesty to bring a man back to earth.”
“So how did you come to buying this place?”
”I’m a local lad you see. Never saw the place open, apart from this gym. After I had my injury I did a lot of my rehab here.”
“This place must have cost a fortune to buy, it’s massive.”
“I got it at a really good price. Catch was, it needed a lot doing to it.”
“Looks magnificent now.”
“Apart from the East Wing, it’s looking how we imagined it to be. We haven’t stopped working on it since we bought it.” Malcolm stood up. “That’s three years next month. As you can see, a lot of love and care has gone into it.”
“This pool is fantastic. It reminds me of the one where I used to live.”
“A woman of some affluence, I see.”
“Me…? You’re joking.”
Malcolm folded his arms and stepped up to Tanya, “To have a pool, you must have had a few bob. You become more interesting with every conversation.” He watched as she bit her tongue.
“Not my money.” Tanya’s laugh was nervous. “A former boyfriend lived in a lavish complex that had a gorgeous pool. He had a few bob all right.”
“Brings back old memories, huh?”
“Nothing better than a few long lengths in the morning.”
“What?” Malcolm burst out into laughter, stepping back, he held his muscular abs as tried to catch his breath. “Sounds like Serge has his hands full with you.”
“Oh that came out wrong, sorry…. Grow up Malcolm.”
“Sorry, I’m very childish when it comes to things like that.” Malcolm took a deep breath and composed himself. He watched as Tanya took off her towel and laid it on the lounger. Feeling awkward, Malcolm didn’t know where to look as Tanya tied back her blonde hair. His eyes marvelled at her athletic figure tucked inside a navy blue two piece bikini.
Tanya walked to the edge of the pool. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Malcolm. “Getting back in?”
“No, no. Been in long enough.” Malcolm showed Tanya the palm of his hand. “See, all my fingers are pruned.”
Tanya giggled and dived into the pool. She cut through the water like a mermaid, reaching the far side of the pool like an Olympian swimmer.
Malcolm collected his towel and paperback book from his lounger. He dragged his feet as he walked to the exit and was thus happy when Tanya stopped for a breather. Walking to the edge of the pool, Malcolm threw his towel over his shoulder. “We finished our own suite last.”
“Good for you.”
“We have invited a few friends over. Why don’t you and Serge join us? ”
Tanya rubbed the chlorine water from her eyes. “Oh, you don’t need to.”
“Look at it as a sorry for messing up your booking. If you need a little persuasion, we have the old grand suite, basically the whole top floor of the East Wing.”
“Really, the whole top floor?”
“Yeah, most of the stuff is Victorian. It was like a time capsule when we found it. There are all kinds of preservation orders on it and last tenant couldn’t afford to renovate it.”
“I’ll ask the boyfriend then.”
“Just dial the room number into the phone. It’s 105.”
“I’ll never remember that, sorry—dyslexic.”
Malcolm sighed as he tore a page from his book. “There you go, room 105…. See, the main character is called Malcolm, too.”
“Really?”
“Just call it fate.” Malcolm watched as Tanya laughed out loud, her white teeth reflected the pool lights.
“Thanks.” Tanya kicked off the wall and swam backstroke.
“I’ll put it with your towel then.”
“OK.”
Malcolm gazed at Tanya’s body as she gracefully stroked through the pool. “I hope to see you both tonight.” He shook his head and turned to walk away.
Lying on the bed, Serge rubbed sleep from his eye while he watched Tanya dry her hair with a towel. “That must have been a deep sleep.”
“Ah, you’re awake, I can put the dryer on.”
“Great.”
Serge could see Tanya’s smile as she dried her hair with the dryer. “What are you so happy about?”
“That nosey couple you were talking about earlier.”
“Oh you didn’t bump into them again?”
“Well, I bumped into Malcolm.”
Serge sat up and rested his back against the head board. “I saw a ring on his finger before you get any funny ideas.”
“Oh no, he’s too flashy for me.”
“Too flashy for you? You dated Vladimir for years. His middle name was flash.”
“I was young and stupid.” Tanya winced as her comb caught a knot. “Where was I … Oh yeah, they have invited us for tea tonight with some of their friends.”
“What? We’re invited out?”
“Yes.”
Serge sighed as he rubbed his face. “Why can I smell trouble?”
“Please. I think it will be a nice change for us to socialise.”
“We do have friends. You’re forgetting about Beatrice and Bruce.”
Tanya switched off the hair dryer and turned to face Serge. “I’m not forgetting about Beatrice and Bruce. I’m grateful to know them and everything they have done for us. But….”
“But what?”
“Just, these are young, like us.”
“Like you, you mean.”
“Like us.”
Serge’s whined like a spoilt child. “But I thought this weekend was about me and you.”
“It is.”
“So?”
Tanya grabbed Serge’s shoulder and stared into his eyes. “I don’t mind just me and you. But it would nice to have few drinks with fresh faces. Just for a weekend, we could forget our worries…. Just this weekend.”
“But p
eople ask questions … Questions get us into trouble.”
“You like history.” Tanya kissed him on his cheek. “They live in an amazing historic suite. Malcolm said it’s like a time capsule.”
“You sound like you’re getting bored of me.”
“I’m not.”
“Right, just this once. OK?”
“Thanks, Serge.” She rubbed his chest. “I’ll make it up to you a few ways.”
Serge’s face suddenly smiled. “Oh, I wonder at what you mean.”
“By doing the ironing … obviously.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Rain rattled the large leaded windows. Hand in hand, Serge and Tanya walked through the large state rooms of the redundant East Wing. Only temporary electric lights lit the rooms, and hung precariously from the scaffolding. Large buckets caught drops of rain as the old leaking ceilings bled water. The furniture was gathered to the far side and covered under protective sheets of white cloth. Holding tightly to Serge’s hand, Tanya thought it would ideal for a film set for a low budget horror film. “You thought they would have come to walk us through, rather than let us make our own way.”
“They certainly have their privacy living at this end of the place.”
At the foot of the wing sat a well-lit room. In the centre of a walnut double door was a brass plate stating the room number ‘105’. Tanya glanced at Serge “That’s it.”
Serge knocked on the door and it immediately opened. “Malcolm.”
“Hello.”. A smiling Malcolm waved them through. “Come through, come through.”
“The only thing this place is missing is a few ghosts.”
“We do hear the odd bang in the night.” Malcolm turned to kissed Tanya’s cheek. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.”
The walnut panelled walls were separated with tall arched windows. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high mosaic painted ceilings. Tanya marvelled at her surroundings. “Could be in one of those period dramas you see on the TV.”
“The place is gorgeous. Really, quite something.”
Julia walked in from an open door. “Hello, again.” She held a tray carrying whisky glasses. “I hope you are enjoying your stay with us.”
“Whisky?”
“Yes, please take one. It’s tradition here.”
“That’s a generous measure as well.”
“It would be rude for it not to be.”
Serge passed the glass under his nose. “I’m not a whisky drinker, but even I know that smells expensive.”
“I’m sorry about the walk through the East Wing.”
Tanya reached across and tapped Julia’s arms. “No, don’t be. It was quite atmospheric.”
“Damn power failed again this morning, so had to use the generator.”
Serge nodded as he sipped from his whisky glass. “So, you two seem to have taken on a huge project here.”
“Massive. Malcolm made up his mind that he wanted this place. I had no choice but to follow.”
“You sound a little resentful.”
“Yup, I was dead against it, but I love him, and knew he was quite brittle at times.” Julia put the flat of her finger against her nose. “He needed something to focus on … and boy did he get it.”
“I don’t mean to pry, but this place must have cost a bomb.”
“It cost a fair whack … still is costing a fair whack.” Julia took a sip from her glass. “Anyway, a slight change of conversation. So, how did you two meet?”
“Through friends.”
Tanya spoke at the same time as Serge, “Online.”
“Which?”
Tanya rested her hand on Serge. “Sorry, through Serge’s friend, he got him to go online, and we met up.”
“Lovely, how modern.”
Serge nodded at Julia. “What about you two?”
“I worked in a local paper, I covered his rise to fame. He was very much a local celebrity when we started dating.” Julia blushed. “I wasn’t doing it to better my career …. I’m still at the same shitty paper before you ask.’’
“We weren’t making any assumptions.”
“That’s what a few people seemed to think at the time.”
The guests had started to arrive and waiters walked the room offering canapés Tanya stood with Julia as Malcolm took Serge on a tour. Sipping from her glass, Tanya said, “You seemed quite annoyed earlier when you mention people thought you were with Malcolm for the wrong reasons. Does it still grate you then?”
“Yes. I shouldn’t let it get to me.”
“I think people probably think that about me and Serge, considering the difference in age.”
“There is nine years between us.”
Tanya felt she had to do her best to seem surprised. “Is there? “
“Yeah, I’m nearly forty.”
“What’s it like dating a younger man? So I get an insight into Serge’s world.”
“It can seem like kindergarten at times.”
“Oh … Great.” Tanya laughed. “So the gap causes problems for you two as well?”
“He has his moments, yes. But I know to handle him.”
“What’s the secret?”
“Well, men are men. They think with their balls. He flirts, especially after a drink. So I save my anger until the moment is right.”
“Right?”
Julia glanced over to Malcolm who stood talking to Serge across the room. “When he thinks he’s gotten away with it, I give him both barrels.”
“Why wait?”
“Just gives you time to think. I think we wouldn’t have lasted if I didn’t.”
“You have plenty of arguments then?”
“No more than most. He knows I’m the boss.”
“I would like to think I was the boss.”
Julia gushed with pride as she rolled her tongue. “I knew him from the age of sixteen until he was twenty-three, he was touring the world, surrounded with female tennis players as well and all kinds of famous models and actresses. Yet he always remained interested in me.”
“Sweet.”
“So I have no doubt he loves me. That’s why we married.” Julia held Tanya’s hand and walked her through the bedroom. “Here put this on.” She passed her a fur coat.
“You sure?”
“Yes. You’ll need it.” Julia smiled at Tanya. “I was dead against buying this place. But the evening Malcolm brought me up here, I was sold.” Julia pushed the double door open. A blast of North Sea wind gushed through the door, whipping the curtains into a wild frenzy. Julia wrapped her coat tightly around herself as she stepped out onto the balcony.
Tanya rested her hands on the granite wall. She stared out on the moonlit sea. The snow top mountains circle the large bay. Despite the fact midnight was approaching, the harbour below was a hive of activity, as fishing trawlers were unloading their evening catches. “Amazing, I can see why you loved the place.”
“I did. Despite our worries, I don’t regret taking it on.”
“Worries?”
Julia sat on a chair and gazed across the bay. “All Malcolm’s earnings went into this place, every single penny. We were relying on future revenue to get us through. Put the last two summers have been wet.”
“Oh dear.”
“”It really has put us on the edge.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
The pair listened to the crashing waves. The breeze fluttered Julia’s golden curls. She lit a cigarette as she leaned over and watched the street below. “Looks like people are starting to leave.”
“I better get going then.”
“No don’t, not yet.”Julia grabbed Tanya’s arm. “You sure you’re not one of those models I was talking about earlier?”
“No, I never knew any tennis players.”
“You sure?”
“Promise.”
“I sure know you from somewhere.”
Tanya shrugged “Have you lived in London?”<
br />
“No.”
“Well, I hadn’t left until last month, so there you go”
Julia laughed. “Well that’s that then.”
The room had long filled with guests. The drinks had been coming thick and fast. Serge had lost track of Tanya. Standing up from his armchair he felt lightheaded. Walking across the room he felt himself swaying and decided to take a seat. Bringing his hand to his face, he felt his forehead. “How did this happen?”
Malcolm found Serge sitting in the chair. “How are you finding the whisky?”
“Rather effective.”
Malcolm topped Serge’s tumbler. “There you go.”
“You really shouldn’t have.”
“Why? You’re our guests. It’s our duty to keep you entertained.”
“And pissed it seems. Seen Tanya?”
“She was on the balcony with Julia. Want to join them?”
“I would if I could, but I feel glued to the chair.”
Malcolm slapped Serge on the back. “That’s it, Sergie boy. We’ll both be feeling that way shortly.”
“As long as it’s not glued together.”
“Whatever floats your boat.”
“Sorry, I’m taken.”
“So, Tanya, how did you bag her? She’s quite a steal.”
“A man never reveals his secrets.” Serge sniggered as he peered down towards his crotch.
“I see … She likes the larger things in life.”
“I’m saying nothing.”
Malcolm gazed about a room filled with guests. His eyes set on a chubby brunette. “You know what? I miss being single.”
“I’ve just finished a twelve year stint as a single man. So not exactly missing it just yet.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Julia, but man I would love to shag a fatty right now.”
“A fatty?”
“A meaty girl.” Malcolm laughed. “Come on, every man loves a fatty once in while.”
“I know what you mean. It was rare to see a fatty in Moldova. There wasn’t enough food for a start. But came to England, and I lived on fatties for few years.”
“Really?”
“My flat was outside a burger bar, so I did my dating there coz it was cheap.”
Malcolm couldn’t stop laughing. “Amazing.”
“Good times.”
“You just said you grew in Moldova? But I thought you said Russia earlier.”
BREAK ME FREE Page 13
