I Thought I Knew You: Prelude Series - Part Four

by Meg Buchanan

  He’d said he wanted to make love to her. That’s all it took.

  And she knew how it would go if she tried to tell him to treat her with more respect.

  He’d just laugh and slide his hand between her thighs and push his fingers into her and stroke gently.

  “Like this?” he’d ask, his eyes teasing her. And she’d respond. In seconds her thong would be in his pocket and her skirt hitched up around her hips. They’d tumble onto the carpet or couch or the grass, or she’d be bent over something and they’d fuck.

  Or if they were in the car, she’d have him unzipped and she’d be sitting astride him in seconds just to feel him inside her. To feel him love her. To reassure herself he really did.

  She looked around the room at the rolls of material in shelves now. Strange to think she’d only see him on stage twice more, and in a few days he’d be gone. At least for three months. But she suspected if he got what he wanted, it could be forever.

  She was nearly finished. Just paper rubbish, empty cardboard rolls and scraps too small to be bothered keeping lying around now.

  She’d go home and come back Friday afternoon after class finished and do the final clean up. Luke would be back on Friday, and she’d make sure they talked.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By late afternoon he had all the signatures on all the appropriate pages. He scanned them and emailed the copies to Chapman. He slid the folder into the large stamped addressed envelope Tiffany had given him and posted it.

  Rose wasn’t home when he got there. He showered, and his T-shirt went in the washing machine with a pile of other clothes he’d found in the laundry basket, so all signs of Tessa on him were washed away. Now he was hanging the clothes out.

  Rose arrived, ran over and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Luke, I wasn’t expecting you until later.”

  “I got everything done and came back early.” They walked, his arm over his shoulders, hers around his waist, back into the house. “I got the wood in and lit the fire.” Funny how helpful he got when he was feeling guilty. He shook the feeling off. He’d got through the last couple of months by allowing no overlap between the way he felt about the two of them. He wasn’t going to spoil things by changing that now.

  He smiled at Rose. “What’s for dinner?” he asked. She was a bloody good cook, and what she made was always worth eating.

  “Chicken and mushroom pie. I know you like it, so I made an extra one. It’s in the car.”

  “I’ll get it for you.” He kissed her again and wandered over to the car to get the pie. Too helpful again. He’d better rein that in before Rose started to get suspicious.

  Later, he leaned back against the headboard of Rose’s bed, linked his fingers behind his head, and tried to talk Rose into acting sexy.

  “Strip for me,” he suggested. Not that this was any sort of test or audition to see which one he’d choose. But it had been fun with Tessa.

  Rose hesitated and bit her lip. “I don’t know, Luke,” she said.

  She’d changed into one of the soft flowing velvety dresses she wore around the house. And then she’d cooked dinner for them. They’d had a nice few hours together, and now he wanted to play again. They’d turned him into a bloody rabbit. He should be tired, but that session in the fabric room with Tessa had invigorated him. Now he wanted to do it all over again. Except with Rose. He suspected he’d sleep afterwards.

  “I want to see you slowly unbutton that dress and push it down. Then I want you to turn around, so I can see that perfect body and reach behind you and unclip your bra and release those magnificent breasts. I want to see them in all their glory.” He tried to wrap words around her like he could with Tessa to get her to do what he wanted.

  Rose still hesitated.

  “Or lift the dress up and over your head and throw it on the floor. Then hook your thumbs under the elastic and slide that luxurious silk down your legs and step out of it.” He waited, watching her think about it.

  “No,” she said in the end.

  He wasn’t surprised. And he wasn’t sure whether he was more disappointed she hadn’t done it than he would have been if she had. She had always been harder to convince to do anything than Tessa was. She was always sweet and loving, and he liked her shyness. He reached for her and pulled her onto the bed with him. They’d make love the way she liked it, slow and romantic. He curved over her, and she looked up at him, those unusual green eyes still hesitant.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “It’s fine,” he said and kissed her.

  Rose lay beside Luke. They’d made love and he’d been wonderful as usual, caring more about her pleasure than his own. Now he was asleep, and she was still awake wishing she’d done what he wanted.

  Why couldn’t she be sexy and strip for him when he said that was what he wanted? She’d let him down. She should have done it. She rehearsed in her mind, slowly undoing the buttons, pushing the dress off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. She knew she was wearing beautiful underwear. She’d bought it especially. But it was just impossible.

  But Luke didn’t seem to mind. He’d just laughed and pulled her onto the bed and made love to her unhurried and tender. It was perfect.

  She turned over and stroked his cheek, then the shape of his lips. He didn’t wake up. He must be tired. Poor Luke. So much rushing around to make sure the contract was signed in time.

  Jilly had surprised her when she told her about Luke lying.

  She said Luke wanting to keep Mr Chapman’s offer a secret until he was sure of it was understandable. They’d looked Oliver Chapman up on the computer and he looked like the real thing. Jilly had said Luke always wanted Stadium to make it big, and it must look to him like it might happen now.

  Jilly had also suggested they all go to Hamilton tomorrow night and watch Stadium perform. She was sure she could manage the birthday party and the christening on her own. Then Rose could spend the whole weekend with Luke.

  She touched his lips again. And he’d noticed she’d burned her hand and had been really concerned about it. He was nice. She might do it. She’d go over to Hamilton tomorrow night and surprise him. She’d be sexy and willing and everything he wanted her to be.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The morning arrived, and he headed for work. Only his mother was in the office. He looked through the connecting window into the factory. A nearly finished kitchen sat on the factory floor.

  “I thought that was meant to go in today?” he said and picked up the clipboard with all the information. Yeah. It was due to be installed today so the top could be templated tomorrow. What was Steve playing at? He should have it on the truck and be gone by now.

  He looked back out onto the factory floor, plenty of people there working, but no Steve, no old man and no Isaac.

  “Where’s the boss?”

  “Out the back with Steve and Isaac. A broken sash came in yesterday, Steve wants Isaac to handle it.”

  Isaac was right, Steve did give him all the shit jobs.

  His mother tapped on the computer keys as she talked. “Your father said he thought we already have the cedar Isaac will need. They went to the stacks to get it.”

  “Three of them?” His mother nodded. Weird three men to get one piece of timber.

  He looked around the office for the cylinder the plans for the retirement village lived in. He’d deal with those first.

  “Where are the plans?” he asked. They weren’t on his desk where he left them.

  “I think Steve has them.”

  “Steve? What’s he doing with them?”

  His mother shrugged and concentrated on her work. He’d go and sort this out. Luke pushed on the doors that lead onto the factory floor. The noise from the machines whined louder.

  He found Isaac, Steve and his father in the back room pulling lengths of timber out of the racks.

  The cylinder of plans was balanced on a couple of sawhorses. For some reason they’d brought them
out here.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  His father glanced up. “Just waiting for you to finally get to work.”

  Luke looked at his watch. He was three minutes late. The old man was being an arsehole.

  “Why?” He’d let him have his moment.

  “We need you to help Reg load that kitchen and install it. The plans and specs are on the desk.”

  Luke looked at his father puzzled, and then turned to Steve. Steve had a smirk from ear to ear but didn’t comment.

  The old man answered for him. “Steve’s coming with me to Auckland. We’re going to talk to a few subcontractors for the village work, and then I’ll take him to the site to catch up. It’s a pity you didn’t let us know about your plans earlier. It would have saved the wasted trip you did on Monday.”

  “Steve’s the project manager now?” He’d have given the job to Isaac. Not his business. He was leaving. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll get onto it.” The old man was always going to get some revenge. It looked like his last few days at the factory were going to be harder than he thought.

  He headed back to the factory floor and over to Fred.

  “We’re doing the installing.”

  The older man nodded. “So, I hear. What did you do wrong?”

  Reg wasn’t stupid. He’d seen his father grooming him for the building foreman role.

  “Stepped out of line. I’ll back the truck into the loading bay, and we’ll get started.”

  Reg nodded. “I’ll bring the tools over while you’re doing that.

  Once the truck was waiting in the bay, with its sides down, Luke went over to the kitchen. Reg had all the installation gear stacked up beside the pillars and was sliding the first unit away from the rest. He was moving awkwardly and not lifting it the way he usually would.

  “Are you hurt?” Luke asked.

  Reg straightened up and stretched. “Just my back playing up a bit.

  Great. A huge kitchen to be installed on the second storey, and the other guy can barely move. He’d be lucky to get it in and finished by late tomorrow afternoon.

  “Okay. You load the small stuff. I’ll manage the units. Then we can both tie it down.”

  “Sorry about this, Luke,” said Reg.

  “No problem. You can’t help being hurt.”

  When he first started working here, Reg had covered for him if he made a mistake and didn’t want his father to know. He could return the favour today. He wrapped his arms around the unit, lifted it, carried it over to the truck and slid it on the tray. He leapt up and wrangled it, so it was sitting against the cab. One down eleven to go.

  He saw Steve and the old man wander through the factory talking seriously about something. He kept working. If that’s the way the old man wanted to play it, good luck to him.

  By the time his father and Steve had gone to Auckland, they pretty much had the truck loaded.

  Isaac was still running cedar through the thicknesser to make the sash. Luke watched him walk to the other end of the machine and guide the long narrow piece of timber until it was run and then take it over to the bench. Luke looked at Reg, still moving slowly and stiffly as he loaded the tools onto the back of the truck.

  This made no sense.

  “Are you up to making and fitting a sash?” he asked Reg.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Right.” He went over to Isaac. “You want to swap jobs with Reg? He’s hurt his back.”

  “Yeah. It’d be good to get out of the factory.”

  Luke walked back to the truck with Isaac. “I think if we worked late, we’d could get most of this done today. Just finish the last bit tomorrow and then head for Hamilton.”

  Isaac nodded. “Good idea.”

  “Yeah. I don’t want to be stuck there finishing off and arriving late at the pub for our last weekend.”

  The next morning, when he pulled up outside the factory, Isaac had just arrived too. They’d worked on the kitchen well into the night, but they’d got it done. Just the template for the top to do, then install the temporary bench, and they’d be finished.

  “You’re cutting it fine too,” said Isaac as he got out of his ute.

  “Yep.” Luke slammed his car door shut and hit the button on the keyring to lock it. “Had trouble getting up this morning.”

  “At least we got it finished.”

  “What time do you want to leave this afternoon?” They wandered to the factory entrance. The machines had already fired up.

  “No need to go too early. We’ll just do what we usually do.” He pushed the door open and went into the office. Isaac followed behind him.

  His mother was sitting in front of the computer. Wages time again.

  “Hey, Mum.”

  “Good morning. If you two want to get paid, you’d better fill these in.” His mother patted the two clipboards on the desk beside her.

  He grabbed them and gave one to Isaac. They should probably have done this last night before they left, but it had got too late and they just wanted to get home.

  Isaac had a pen out and was filling in the timesheet. “What time did we leave, last night?”

  “Eleven thirty?”

  “No wonder I’m tired.” He handed the clipboard over.

  Luke’s mother took the timesheet just as his father came into the office.

  “I hear you took Isaac not Reg yesterday?” The question was abrupt.

  “Yeah.”

  “You were told to take Reg. You took Isaac away from work Steve had given him.”

  “Making and fitting a bloody sash. Reg can do that in his sleep.”

  “It wasn’t his job. Steve wanted him on the installation.”

  “I worked that out, but they’re big units and the living area’s upstairs. Isaac’s fitter than Reg, and younger. That’s why I took him, and we worked late to get it finished. If I’d been working with Reg we’d have been there all day today as well.”

  “Steve’s the foreman. You do as he tells you.”

  “Fuck,” said Luke. “I’m only here another couple of days, and it all got done didn’t it?” He’d reorganised things in the past when it suited him. He’d never got pulled up for it. In fact, the old man encouraged him to do it.

  His father turned and walked away from him. “If you’re not going to do as you’re told for the next week, there’s no point in you being here.”

  So, this was all about him leaving. He was being put in his place.

  “If you don’t want me, I can finish now,” he said to the retreating back. So much for avoiding confrontation and making sure he was on good term with everyone when he left.

  “Your choice.”

  Suited him. He could use the next week to organise things. He’d get the top templated, send it off to the manufacturers, install the temporary top, tidy up his bench, lock up his tool box, and in a couple of hours he’d be free.

  Two hours later he was finished. The old man hadn’t talked to him again. Just took off for Auckland with Steve again. It looked like he might keep up the silent treatment.

  Luke had just parked the truck in the loading bay and was shutting the door when he saw Rose’s car pull up outside the office. He wandered over trying to look casual. Since the old man didn’t want him here next week, he’d be able to spend all Monday and Tuesday with Rose.

  He leaned against the door, and Rose wound the window down. He wouldn’t tell her, He’d keep it as a surprise.

  “Hi,” Rose said.

  “Hi, you skipping work?”

  Rose shook her head. “No, just slipped out for minute. Are you coming around tonight before you go to Hamilton?”

  “I wasn’t going to. Me and Isaac are going soon.” She could have texted him to ask that. “Why?”

  Jilly wants a girls’ night out. I wasn’t going to go with her if you were coming around.”

  Strange. She’d never checked whether he was coming around after work on a Friday night before. He’d never done that
anyway. She was always busy at the café, so he said goodbye to her Friday mornings and left for Hamilton from the factory.

  Luke shook his head.

  Rose smiled and turned the key. She tilted her head expecting him to kiss her. He went in for a brief brush of the lips.

  She smiled as she put the car into gear. “Still no kissing when you’re at work I see.”

  Luke laughed and waved her off.

  Chapter Eighteen

  He drove over to Hamilton on his own. Jess had decided to come for the weekend so Isaac went with her in their ute. It was good. It gave him time to think. Funny how he was hardly ever alone. Maybe he worked it that way so he didn’t have to think.

  He drew in a deep breath. He’d thought when he got the chance to escape he’d feel free. But it felt like things were closing in on him.

  No, he was just down because his old man had taken the news he was leaving so badly. Who would have thought his father would just cut him off like that?

  And worse, replace him with Steve. Who would have thought he’d just quit and make things between him and the old man worse? He’d quit! Just like that, after working there for years.

  And he wasn’t sure Steve had the brains to the run the contract.

  If his father was still talking to him, he would have told him that.

  He might have to put a bit of spadework in with the olds next week. See if he could get them on side. He didn’t like upsetting people. He liked it when they liked him. That’s probably why he’d made such a mess of this thing with Rose and Tessa. He liked them both. Maybe even loved them both. Who could tell? But he didn’t want to hurt either of them.

  In a week he wouldn’t have to think about it.

  He scrubbed at his cheek with his fist. Should have shaved before he left but where? It would have felt like breaking into his mum and dad’s house the way he was getting cold shoulder. And he’d told Rose he wouldn’t be back. If he didn’t get time to shave when he got to Tessa’s, designer stubble would have to do at the pub tonight.