Take Me Now

by Nancy Jardine

  She lifted her chin to face him. “A redheaded woman came into the ladies. She didn’t recognize me. Though…” She reflected on how quickly the woman had turned away from her at the vanity, and then the darting looks the woman had made towards the door of the Piano Bar. “Maybe she did? I’m not sure. But I recognized her.”

  “I don’t understand, Aela. You’re not making sense.”

  “Nairn, she’s the woman on the surveillance video in the Glasgow hotel car park. I’m sure of it.”

  “What?”

  “It’s the wide eye sockets and distinctive eyebrows, almost plucked to nothing, and she’s got a very noticeable hooked nose.”

  When confronted with that information Nairn agreed that Stella did look like that. “But the woman in the car park had short hair, nothing like Stella’s mane.”

  She grabbed his hand and linked fingers. “She must have been wearing a wig. But that’s not all. I followed her to the Piano Bar. Nairn – her companion was the man we met today. She was all over him, and their kisses were familiar.”

  “Hold on. Which guy are we talking about?”

  “Remember when we finished the client meeting? We left the room and were still talking ten to the dozen when we rounded the corner?”

  “Sure. The short guy you knocked over didn’t appreciate his file folder being tipped out, didn’t appreciate you being so pumped up with excitement over what we’d achieved.”

  “I’m sure he’s the guy the redhead met in the Piano Bar.”

  “And?”

  “Nairn. Think! Our meeting was in a private room hired by our client. Most people come here for leisure, and don’t wear business suits, or carry business paraphernalia like that guy.”

  Nairn agreed he couldn’t fault that logic.

  “I helped pick up his papers and then he went into the room we had just vacated.”

  “You’re thinking he was a competitor who had an appointment after us?”

  “Yes.”

  “Somehow connected to Stella Grainger?”

  Unfortunately, they both agreed the man seen at lunchtime was nothing like the one who had tampered with Nairn’s bike. That guy had been a tall beanpole. The one at lunchtime, no more than five feet eight or nine, was stocky.

  But, if she was correct, the implications were horrible. The culprit of Nairn’s mishaps was right on their doorstep. Stella Grainger. What kind of trap were they in? Her head bent to his chest again, her palms making gentle circles round his spine.

  “It seems too far-fetched, Aela. Why would Stella Grainger be here?”

  What did the woman have to gain by following Nairn to the Caribbean? She herself had made the booking the night before they left, and no-one at his London office knew they were coming to the Caribbean. Prior knowledge of Nairn being on the island didn’t seem plausible, or make any sense.

  Or, she wondered, was it the man who’d lured Stella to the Caribbean? “How can we find out if it really is Stella?”

  “Mike Van Heyden might know who the guy is.”

  Their questions overlapped each other.

  Aela let Nairn explain.

  “Mike Van Heyden was initially bidding for this contract but he’s snowed under with work. I heard he’d withdrawn his proposal, though he might be aware of who else is still bidding.”

  Nairn reached for his mobile phone.

  Mike, a friendly rival of Nairn, told them two other companies were still in the running. Nairn knew one, though not the other.

  Short of ten p.m. local Caribbean time, almost two a.m. in London, Nairn dialled his office building, knowing someone was always on duty. He was delighted to find Ginny was working night shift.

  Aela squirmed in close to listen in to the conversation. He had to stay safe. Even if she became the target again, she was determined Nairn would not come to any more harm.

  The update was disturbing. Stella Grainger had tendered a letter of resignation three days previously, and hadn’t appeared at work since then. As far as Ginny knew, Robin Ellesmere hadn’t contacted Nairn about it, yet, thinking Nairn would be glad to see the back of the woman.

  “He’s not wrong about that!” Nairn almost exploded.

  Aela pulled the phone towards her. “Please hold on, Ginny. Nairn will be back in a moment.”

  She stopped Nairn’s agitation using the best method she knew of. The kiss to soothe him soon became one of desperation. Aela felt awed by the strength of her feelings for the man wrapping himself around her, a man of integrity she knew didn’t deserve any of the recent attacks. Gradually, frantic became calm, her forehead nudging him while her heartbeats regulated.

  The phone still tight in Nairn’s grip, she again pulled it up towards her mouth, “Ginny? Can you check if Stella was in the London Office every day during the last two weeks?”

  Nairn was more than happy to snuggle in while they waited for Ginny’s answers.

  Stella hadn’t been in the London office on the day of Nairn’s motorbike accident, no real surprise since it was a Saturday, but she had been present when the other incidents had occurred. Nairn thanked Ginny and ended the call.

  “Where did Stella work before she came to Adrenalinn Adventuring?”

  Nairn looked puzzled for a moment, his brows creasing as a forced recall. “I think she was an events coordinator in a hotel.”

  “That’s why she was hired, then? Because she had had a background in the leisure industry?”

  “Yes. She’d good experience organizing events and activities.”

  “Did she work for a British employer?”

  Nairn couldn’t remember, but he’d a feeling it was an international chain. “It’ll be on her file.” Grabbing her hand he dragged her to their laptops. “We need to go back to the business centre.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  A short delay ensued till the business centre was opened up for them. Once their connections were organised, Nairn’s searches began. Typing one-handed on his laptop, the fingertips of his broken arm punched numbers into his mobile. The connection made he switched hands to lift his phone to his ear.

  “Hello again, Ginny.”

  Nairn’s smile broke the tension Aela hadn’t realized was gripping her. Nairn requested Ginny access Stella’s personnel records. It was a brief conversation, and succinct.

  “Won’t Ginny think it odd of you asking for that information? Can you trust her?”

  “Absolutely! Ginny’s tight lipped about everything. She knows I’d only ask for something like this if it’s really important.”

  Nairn declared he’d look up details of the other two competitors for the current Caribbean bid.

  A short while later, Aela read the information Ginny had emailed. It was a crushing disappointment since it seemed they’d gone down the wrong line of inquiry. Stella had never worked for either of Nairn’s two competitors.

  Aela’s mood improved though when she looked at Nairn’s research. “The outfit you’d never heard of before is based in Miami. I know Miami is huge, and it might be another red-herring, but that’s the same location as Stella’s last employer.”

  Nairn passed on their hunches to Detective Woods, Ginny having been asked to locate a photograph of Stella to send on to the policeman. Till further police investigations were made, she and Nairn just had to find the patience to wait for developments.

  Aela wasn’t surprised when Nairn declared he would attend the next meeting with the client, regardless of the proximity of the maniac who’d put him in plaster, and who’d likely also harmed her. In spite of whatever machinations Stella Grainger and her accomplice were up to, Nairn told her he was going to win the contract fair and square…or not at all. She had no qualms about that, or with any of his plans.

  ***

  Paranoid though it might seem, Nairn insisted they breakfast on the fruit which was already in their villa. He gave Aela canned fruit juice from the mini fridge and then he used the coffee filter-machine provided after checking the ubiquitous co
ffee and milk packets showed no interference. He wouldn’t risk ordering room service, in case it was tampered with. He remained constantly vigilant till it was time to meet with his client at ten a.m.

  At the meeting he clarified a few more points in his bid with the Marketing Director and reviewed the pricing structure with them. Again, he felt the meeting went well, though the results were not expected immediately.

  “Shall I book the next available flight to St. Vincent?” Aela asked as they returned to their villa.

  Nairn squeezed her arm, the arm he was already clamped onto. “No, my workaholic factotum, we’re not budging our asses from this island. We both need rest. We’re booked in for one more night, and we’re staying one more night, regardless of Stella Grainger and her disruption.” He laughed at her raised eyebrows. “We’ll still watch our backs.”

  Of course the rest period only started after he checked in with both police departments. No developments yet was a disappointment to him, but not unexpected. His contact with the London office, he kept brief.

  “That’s it then,” he declared placing his phone down on the coffee table. “We’re having an afternoon holiday!”

  He grinned at Aela’s incredulous expression.

  “I bet you’ve never taken a real holiday in ages, Nairn Malcolm.”

  He whipped up her phone and set it down beside his own. “Okay. We’ll keep them switched on but we’re definitely not initiating any calls.”

  Aela teased him as she whipped off her clothes. Shrugging into a bikini, she skipped out to the pool leaving him shouting his frustration while he lounged on the bed, awaiting her return.

  Deciding to eat out that evening took some deliberation but since there was no way he was going to entertain anyone delivering poisoned food, he reckoned it safest to be random patrons at the first restaurant they came to. They walked along the widest and most well lit paths and he took every care he could, before he chose a table amongst the throng rather than being on the periphery. He didn’t want to even glimpse Stella Grainger again…or her sidekick.

  Back at the villa, he concluded if Stella’s malicious doings were to stop him from winning the present bid then the danger phase had to be over. It was incredulous to believe Stella would have gone to such devious lengths to prevent him from being successful with the Romala Corporation. Aela could think of no better conclusions than those he’d suggested.

  Nairn woke first the next morning determined that the beautiful woman in his clutches would never be free of him. While Aela slept on, he contacted hotel reception and arranged a surprise for her.

  “Get up, lazybones!” He greeted her from the side of the bed, bouncing a pillow at her head. “You are so beautiful, and you tempt me so much but…”

  “You’re dressed already? Why didn’t you wait for me to wash your hair properly?” Her hands reached out and fingered his dripping locks since all he was able to do was dunk his head in the washbasin.

  “No, Aela Cameron, I’m not going to be diverted by your fabulous hands. Get up. It’s time to rise.”

  “Slave driver.” He watched her scrabble to her feet to head for the shower. “Who are we meeting now?”

  “Nobody.” He followed her, unable to resist patting her bare behind. “Dress comfortable casual. Shorts would be good, bikini underneath and wear your soft sneakers, not flip flops.”

  “Such orders, sir. Going to brush and braid my hair too?”

  The noise of the shower drowned his mumbled threats of exactly what he’d be doing with her when his casts were gone.

  “Promises! Promises!” Aela chirped, and reached for the soap.

  A few minutes later, she joined him at their Gazebo table, her glass of juice already poured, since he knew that was how she preferred to start her day.

  “Given the choice, Aela, what would you most like to do today, since we have six hours before we head back to Barbados for our London flight?”

  As Aela pondered, he hoped and prayed he’d read her correctly over the days he’d known her. Her pretended huff was spoiled by her big grin. “My first choice would be to jump back into bed and…”

  The smirk he felt spreading across his face wasn’t discouraged by her waving finger.

  “No, no, not that,” she chortled. “You made me get up, so my next choice would be to spend some time flying over these fabulous islands, over this sparkling sea and discover the delights of the landscape from a little way up. Absolute heaven and a total dream, I know, but you did ask.”

  Nairn pulled her onto his one good knee and put his arm around her. “How about we go for a limp on the beach instead?”

  Aela didn’t look disappointed; she actually looked eager to join him in a lurching hobble. “Good plan. Let’s hop the sands.”

  As they walked the length of their infinity pool, he heard the approaching drone of a seaplane engine. It coasted to a halt in front of them.

  Aela looked suspicious as she turned to confront him. “You didn’t?”

  When he simply replied “I did” her glee was unmistakeable.

  Her answering whoop and bear hug almost toppled him but it was worth it to witness her delight.

  A magical few hours were spent exploring the area, Aela having had a fast induction from the pilot who handed over to her, giving her details for local flying. Nairn itched to get at the controls himself but the next best thing was to have Aela fly him around. She was his competent woman of so many talents. He now loved them all. He bided his time though. He still wasn’t sure she was quite ready yet for him to declare his intentions.

  Nairn’s cell phone chimed. “Answer that for me, Aela, please?” he mumbled as he wielded his battery driven razor. Packing almost completed, they were readying to leave.

  Aela popped her head inside the bathroom door and relayed the call was from New York. An established client of his on the Eastern seaboard wanted further water sports upgrades, an extension to the order of kayaks he’d successfully supplied only six months previously.

  “Great news. Tell him we’ll detour to New York tonight and meet up with him tomorrow.” He grinned at her feigned disgruntled expression before she trotted back to relay his instructions.

  “Excuse me a moment, please.” He heard Aela respond to his client before she put down his phone and scooted back to the bathroom door. Her next words were a stage whisper at him. “Nairn Malcolm! Do you ever stick to travel arrangements already made?”

  “No sense in going all the way home to come back to the Big Apple in a couple of days.” He repositioned the razor for a different angle of sweep to get under his raspy chin. “The order will be signed off after one meeting. Make it eleven a.m., at his New York office, if that’s good for him.”

  He continued shaving, leaving her to arrange it, and was haphazardly packing up his kit when she returned with an update.

  “Client can’t make eleven, asked for nine. I know it’s early, but I agreed it since it’s the only time he can make it tomorrow. Otherwise, it would have to be three days from now as he’s heading off somewhere.”

  “Good thinking.” His good hand smoothed on his shaving cooler, the woodsy smell redolent of the lime and cedar Aela seemed to love so much that she couldn’t resist a little sniff, followed by a peck at his cheek.

  “Will you be staying at your New York apartment, or shall I book somewhere else for you?” She pulled away from him before he could start something they didn’t now have time for.

  “The apartment.” He grabbed her and kissed her soundly. “Call my housekeeping service and have it made ready. Number’s in my phone. They’ll freshen it up and stock the refrigerator.”

  “Did I tell you I’ve never been to New York?” Aela smirked as she bracketed her hands on his cheeks, forcing his attention.

  His let his eyes linger on her lips.

  “Are you going to tease me this time about whether or not I’m coming?”

  “You’re definitely coming. And you’re sleeping in my bed.”


  This time he made their kiss last a lot longer but practicality ruled as Aela slid herself away from his clutches. He trailed a pathway down her long hair, grasping it back to him, sniffing its fragrance. “You’re definitely my Snow White,” he murmured, soft and sexily. “I love…your hair!”

  Aela looked momentarily stunned before she sidled well away from him, her hair eventually dropping from his light grasp.

  “We’ll stay for three days,” he declared to her retreating back. “I’ve nothing really urgent on the calendar have I?”

  She halted and turned back to him, one eyebrow raised theatrically. “You always have something urgent, Nairn Malcolm.”

  “I certainly do, but I don’t want you driving me around New York. Order my usual limo service.”

  “What? Don’t you trust my driving, Nairn Malcolm?”

  “Aela, I don’t even trust myself driving in New York. New York drivers scare the shenanigans out of me.”

  “I don’t think anything ever scares you, Nairn.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  The thought of her staying on the North-American continent terrified him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The insistent trill of the alarm startled Aela from deep slumber.

  “Shall I book your ride now?” she mumbled some ten minutes later as she slurped down a quick coffee from the drip machine that had been pre-programmed. Propped up against the countertop in her underwear, she’d had a really quick shower, but Nairn was still stumbling around naked in a sleepy daze. Yet even with plaster casts he was the most gorgeous hunk of man she’d ever clapped eyes on. It had taken such a short time for her to be so familiar with him.

  The coffee suddenly tasted vile.

  His answer was dozy as he cradled his coffee mug. “Sure. So long as you come and help me button up quickly.” He toddled off to the bathroom to wash, yawning so widely Aela wanted to join in. He really didn’t need her help anymore but still insisted on it.

  As Nairn expected, the client meeting was straightforward, and brief. Her job was easy as Nairn negotiated a good price which would net a sizable profit. His local office was their next stop. Twenty-seven stories up in a huge tower block it was only one large room. Two out of five desks were currently being manned, the staff of five servicing the office on a 24-7 basis. She appropriated an empty desk opposite Nairn, and for the first time in days they had to be circumspect. Employer and employee.