A warm smile developed on his lips as he waited for her to speak and put him under pressure to force some words out of him. She lifted her hand to his cheek and used her thumb to caress his lower lip and then surprised him when she said in a warm sexy voice, "Are you sure you've got enough of those things to last today? You can't possibly have enough to last the whole weekend."
He laughed at her comment and with a sense of relief before he kissed her. "I can always get more, there's a wholesaler in town."
"I think you should contact the wholesalers supplier." She flashed him her broadest smile yet and he grabbed her and rolled onto his back taking her with him so she was on top of him. "Do you think we should schedule some time for eating, and maybe some sleep?"
"There's also an important game on at Old Trafford later..."
"Don't tell me you would rather watch football than do this with me?"
No, he wouldn't rather watch football but he did have to try and take a grasp of reality the best way he could. His world had suddenly become completely different and he was clutching at his old world for its certainty, and maybe for his survival.
Chapter 10
Daniel did end up watching the football match later that afternoon, but they did spend the entire morning exploring each other's bodies in intimate detail. Emma was glad to have the break, if for no other reason than her body needed time to settle down and get back to normal. She was happy to watch him as he watched the game, and she offered her own encouragement to the TV set as she got into the spirit of being a football supporter. She caught Daniel laughing that sexy laugh that she so loved when she shrieked and bounced up and down like some kind of fool.
He made dinner, and she teased him gently about his feminine side. He gave her a demonstration of his more dominant masculine side right there on the kitchen table just to clear up any confusion or misunderstanding. They did eventually manage to find some time to eat, and then they had an early night. They were tired and needed some sleep, but they didn't spend too much time sleeping either.
They had an energetic 'lie-in' on Sunday morning and took a drive up to Morecambe Bay allowing Leila to have a good run round on the flat sands. They took a late lunch in a pub overlooking the bay and drove back home diving straight back in under the covers for an afternoon siesta!
They had a wonderful weekend.
Part of her was frightened that the weekend would end and they would never get to experience their intimacy and closeness as deeply as this again. They had been unable to keep their hands off each other, they had laughed and played and fooled around but none of that was going to make their real lives disappear. The problems they had which were fundamental to their relationship could never be glossed over by a magical weekend, and this root problem was brought home to her all the more when she realised they hadn't had anything that resembled a meaningful conversation.
Emma felt free and happy and she could see a similar happiness in Daniel. But there was gnawing doubt within her, in spite of how well they were getting on and how happy they both felt she could only hope that the past wouldn't rear its head again and scupper their future.
But on Sunday evening they were still wrapped around each other, her body once more buzzing in a euphoric state after yet another passionate session of making love. How much she was coming to dread the fast approaching Monday morning, how she hoped that tomorrow wouldn't come because she felt that reality was about to smack her right in the face. But then, doesn't everybody dread Monday morning?
They lay in bed together. She was tucked inside Daniel's body with her back pressed against his chest, his one leg over hers and his fingertips gently caressing and teasing her breast.
"Will you be coming into the gallery tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have made appointments with a couple of artists in the afternoon." She pressed her fingers against the palm of his hand on his outstretched arm on which she was resting her head. "I met them last week over in North Wales, they both look pretty good and they are bringing me more samples of their work for display."
"So that's where you were."
"It's nice to know I was missed, I didn't think you would notice."
"I assumed you were trying to avoid me."
"That was just an extra benefit." She smiled as their hands scrunched together, his long fingers wrapping around hers. "But I think I can manage having to look at your face once again tomorrow."
She was in a dreamy trance like state as he continued his gentle caressing of her breast but she could still sense the chill of doom building along her spine.
"You do have to start behaving at the gallery."
The weekend wasn't over yet and he was already referring to her bad behaviour. "I accept that in my former life I could be naughty, but even I have always drawn the line at having sex in public."
"I am pleased to hear that." He planted a kiss on the back of her head. "But it's not having sex in public that I mean. You have this sexy, come and get me, touch me, flirty dance thing that you do, particularly when you win at poker. Now I know I am irresistible but you will need to curb it at work."
She threw her elbow backwards and jabbed him teasingly in his ribs as his laugh sent vibrations through her back.
"And that's not a complaint. I love to watch you do your dance thing, but my building team get too distracted and it's harder to get them to do any work."
She pushed her fingers in between his fingers and squeezed them together a few times contracting and releasing. She loved the idea that she had managed to irritate him by distracting his workers. "Do I detect a little jealousy?"
"I just want to get the job finished so we can move onto the next one."
"You are so unconvincing, I am going to stick with the jealousy."
"If that makes you happy then I will admit to being jealous."
She squeezed his fingers once more and curled them around his so she could pull his hand to her mouth and kiss him. His confession that he was jealous, even though she had forced him into it, delighted her. She just wanted to hold on to this magical time for as long as she could.
"I think we need to discuss Toby."
That magical feeling was toned down a little. "Toby? What do you mean?"
"I've been having sex with his sister all weekend and it could be a little awkward."
She understood the point he was making and figured that would make an interesting conversation for a fly on the wall. But what was the real point he was trying to make?
"So, from tomorrow morning do we have to go back to despising each other?"
"That's not what I mean."
"So what do you mean? Do I have to pretend I haven't seen you all weekend?"
"It's not really anybody else's business who you've seen this weekend."
She moved her head so she could look behind her out of the corner of her eye whilst trying to keep her voice soft and calm. "So this weekend is something to hide from everybody else?"
He moved his hand from her breast and gently caressed her chin whilst leaning forward so he could briefly examine her face. "Is this the beginning of an argument?"
Deep down she knew that she didn't want to be arguing, and least of all did she want the weekend they had just spent together to be the cause of an argument. She released his hand and rotated herself around to face him. She put her hand on his shoulder and brushed her lips against his. "Is this secret sex that we're having? It all sounds so-"
He wasn't going to let her finish the sentence and he felt he needed to put her straight immediately. Frowning he said, "Don't make it sound sordid or something that we should be ashamed of."
She opened her mouth instinctively without knowing what it was she was going to say. She knew she wanted to say something because she didn't think that there was anything sordid about the weekend and nor did she have any regrets or shame. "I am here because I want to be here, and I most certainly do not think there was anything sordid or shameful about this weekend."
He sp
read his hand across her back pulling her tighter to him then leaned his head into hers and kissed her into silence. The conversation got lost as her memory of it was temporarily erased by the passion.
"I never liked for my private life to be common knowledge to all and sundry, that's all. If things go wrong and it all ends then we don't have to put up with the entire universe doing a post-mortem."
She understood that what he was saying made perfect sense. But she lost a little more magic of the weekend as she realised that their time together was being described in a way that made it a short term affair. That just made her want to cling on to the weekend all the more as she pressed herself against him and squeezed his waist with her hand.
She kissed him some more and began touching him all over as she sought to keep the weekend alive. It was as if her happiness was ticking away as each moment passed and she was doing all she could to hold on for every precious second. Oh how she hoped that the countdown which was now happening in her head wasn't the countdown to the end.
In just a few short days they had come from complete adversaries to a union in which she was totally happy and blissful, and if she could see nothing more in the future the very least she had was hope. And if hope was what she had then it was hope that she would hold onto for as long as it was there.
The morning came all too quickly and it was a stark contrast when Emma discovered the new and different Daniel. How much different he seemed to the weekend Daniel. He leapt out of bed much earlier than he did at the weekend and was straight into his early morning routine, with no intention of being distracted by Emma's presence. He rushed around and ordered her about like she was a child he was having to prepare to send off to school. By the time she got to the kitchen he had eaten his breakfast and there was cereal and toast waiting for her. She ate alone as she heard him charging around upstairs, before he reappeared to enquire if she was ready.
"You can come into the office with me and I will be able to get you a list of apartments which you can go and look at."
"I never said that I..."
He glared at her as he opened the front door and ushered her out to the car. He unlocked the car remotely and she got in as he closed and locked the door to the house. By the time he got in the car beside her she had already decided that midweek Daniel was not somebody she liked.
"Seatbelt!"
"Do you mean; Would you put your seatbelt on? Or maybe a please would be nice."
He did at least take the time to talk to her, she felt that he might run round to her side of the car and pull her out throwing her into the back of his flat-bed truck instead. That was the kind of thing the old Daniel might have done when she was provoking him.
"I have lots of things to do today and we need to get going."
"The first thing you should do on Monday morning is take a chill pill. To be honest with you, the Monday morning Daniel is an absolute pain. Nothing like the weekend Daniel who I do admit, I liked much better."
Daniel looked straight ahead and shook his head from side to side and folded his arms as if to adopt the posture of Buddha. "I have to say that I much preferred the weekend Emma more than the Monday morning Emma as well. Now please, pretty please can you just put the seatbelt on so we can get going. I have three days of work I need to get finished by today."
"There." She fastened herself into her seat. "When you ask nicely it gets done in no time."
They had been driving for just a few minutes, when bang on eight o'clock, his phone started ringing. With the first call he turned to Emma and put his finger to his mouth indicating she should stay quiet. He was using the speaker phone.
"Cowley's saying they cannot get the scaffolding to the Macclesfield job before Thursday now."
"That's the second time they've let us down in the last two months. Tell them that the third time they let us down is the last and I don't care how much cheaper they are than Grey's. Everything is ready to go on that job this morning and now I will have to pull them off for three days."
"We've had four phone in sick on the Baker Street job; think they're all genuine there's a flu bug going around. I've already moved the team from Macclesfield there, on the way over there now to cover. I've also grabbed the joiner from Knutsford to join them because he's about finished."
"Good move. Did the engineers make it on time for their flight to Lagos?"
Oh he is something isn't he? Emma was thinking to herself. She had already forgiven him for his seemingly harsh tone just ten minutes previously as his hectic, busy business lifestyle was becoming all too apparent. She was finding his business life as sexy as weekend Daniel.
"Haven't heard from them so I think it's safe to say they are on their way. Oh, whilst I think about it; Ken Platt wants you to check out the office block on the London Road project, he wants to know what the access is like and will we need to broaden it."
"What? Today?"
Emma felt she was seeing a man who she didn't even know. It was like she had discovered some kind of superhero or a man who led a secret life. She had noticed this phone ringing when he was at the gallery but she'd never taken any notice of who he was talking to. She did notice when he wasn't there; she knew exactly when he left and when he arrived and she knew when he had taken a half day away from the gallery. But she had no idea that his business was so busy or indeed was worldwide.
But she hadn't noticed because she had been so intrigued by him in his working clothes, hadn't she? She couldn't help wondering why he spent so much time working at the gallery, if he was as busy as this.
"Okay, tell him I'll be there at one o'clock." Daniel threw a quick glance at Emma and gave her a broad smile. "Can you get hold of Julie in lettings for me, ask for a list of apartments; two bedrooms, on the ground floor preferably, with a garden or a park nearby. Somewhere close to North Cheshire. I will be there in about twenty minutes for them."
Emma tried to make herself look serious, at least as serious as you can make yourself look while sitting in a car. She turned towards him putting her back against the car-door and folded her arms across her breasts in a deliberate way. "Daniel, I never said-"
Once again he put his finger to his mouth to indicate that she should be quiet. The cheek. It's one thing shushing her because he has a phone call, but now he is shushing her because he's not permitting her to have her own opinion.
"Call Dave O'Connell."
She could hear the phone auto dialling after his command. She sat and listened as he arranged for Dave to go round her place with a van that evening to move her things. "Thanks, Dave."
"And what time can I have lunch, and what am I having?"
"Pardon?" He frowned at her and looked confused.
"You seem to be taking control of my life and organising every second. Just thought I'd ask what it is I am having for lunch today."
Daniel gave out a laugh because he thought she was telling a joke, but she wasn't; she was being very serious. He really didn't know that he had just walked into a whole load of trouble.
"I do not want my things moving this evening and I keep telling you I do not need an apartment. I have paid a deposit and three months advanced rent so if I do move it will be some time yet."
She felt that she had made her point, fairly and reasonably and she hadn't raised her voice. By way of further reassurance she unfolded her arms and gripped him by the upper arm. "I don't need you to rearrange my life for me, I really don't. I'm actually pleased that I can do things on my own. I do appreciate what you're trying to do and I thank you, but it's all unnecessary."
Daniel remained quiet, he stayed focused on the road ahead and she studied him and watched him as he was thinking. She felt she was really getting to know him after the last two days and the more she watched him the more she felt she understood him.
The car slowed to a stop as they reached a queue of traffic waiting at a junction. He turned to her and looked straight into her eyes. "You are really serious about this independence of yours, aren'
t you?"
"I have to prove it to myself, it's important."
"No help from your family, and no help from anyone else?" His tone rising at the end to turn the statement into a question.
"It has to be under my own terms."
"What does that mean?"
For Emma this was a big question. It was also a very long answer and it was an answer which meant going deep into the past to the very place she wanted to avoid returning with Daniel. It was the past which caused them so much difficulty, which created friction between them and which she did not want to remind him of. She took in a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks forcing the air out again. "Well-"
Daniel realised it was a tough question and where it might lead, so he interrupted quickly.
"I guess that's a big answer."
She raised her nose and pursed her lips. "I guess it is."
He turned his attention back to driving as it was his turn next to pull out onto the main road. Did he think that she didn't want to talk to him? She didn't want him to think that nor did she want him to think that his opinion on something wasn't important to her. Or maybe he didn't want to know, and that would be worse.
This relationship was beginning to feel like hard work, she had never had a relationship before which had seemed so complicated.
"My independence is important because it is about me getting to make choices."
"You want the freedom to make your own choices?" He turned and smiled at her. "Okay, you can choose when you want to move your things and I'll let you arrange that. But as for the new flat I am giving you a list of choices and it is up to you to choose."
"I understand that, but-"
"It's just not safe living where you live right now."
She loved the fact that her safety was of concern to him so she gave him a large smile. It reminded her of earlier times when he had always been there for her, and reliably so, even when she had got herself into heaps of trouble. At times she had considered him to be the one solid point of safety and comfort, the one thing that had prevented her from falling into the abyss. She felt that he didn't appreciate just how much difference he had made to her young life and how much damage he had prevented her from inflicting on to herself. But then they had kissed, and that had been all the excuse she needed to break free from him.
Secret Affair With A Billionaire Page 13
