by J. A. Kerr
It would be the start of an unhappy period in Benedict’s young life. The loss of his mother would damage him forever, and he was shocked when his father remarried within a year. At first his step-mother tried to win Benedict round, but they clashed spectacularly and tensions in the house only got worse with the arrival of his baby half-sister, Ellie. He grew to hate his step-mother, who was cold towards him. She mistook his grief for behavioural problems, and Benedict, now sullen and withdrawn, couldn’t help but antagonise her. At her wits’ end and with a demanding baby to care for, she retaliated by taking away the only thing he still cared about; his twin.
Benedict’s introduction to boarding school was inevitable; his step-mother having persuaded his father it would be good for him, arguing he would thrive without the worry of his twin and a screaming baby sister. Making excuses, his apologetic and weak father left him in the vast unfriendly building that would be his home for the next five years. The feelings of rage and betrayal engulfed Benedict as he unpacked in his dormitory, the ability to control his life taken from him.
With his face shuttered, Benedict began to detach himself from what little remained of his feelings. He decided he wouldn’t think about his twin, the only person who understood him, the only person he still loved. He thought about regaining control; he would be eligible for his inheritance at eighteen. His mother had passed the bulk of her wealth to her boys, leaving his father a manageable sum, and that kept Benedict focused. For the first time in his life he felt entirely alone, a feeling unfamiliar to most twins. He would never forgive his family for putting him through this ordeal.
His brother Alexander had tried to build bridges, but only his fifteen-year-old step-sister Ellie evoked any genuine emotion in him. Her soft, hesitant voice melting his heart as she shyly asked him if he was free for lunch. Not wanting to disappoint her, he always rearranged his diary. It was her new pastime, but Benedict sensed it wouldn’t last. She would move on to other diversions like all young girls do, but for now he’d never disappoint her.
He had kept contact with his father to a minimum, but had gone home for visits when he’d been at boarding school. Delighted, his twin had rushed to give him a welcoming hug, only to be crushed by his brother’s stiff and unresponsive body.
Benedict had taken to his room and shut the door, refusing to eat with his father and step-mother, whom he loathed. Just a toddler, Ellie was inexplicably drawn to Benedict, clapping her chubby hands delightedly. Thrilled to have two brothers to play with, she would run to Benedict, arms outstretched, her face wreathed in smiles.
“Ellie has mistaken Benedict for Alexander,” his step-mother gasped in horror.
She would stand before Benedict and demand he lifted her up, and he would give in. His little shadow, she made his time at home bearable…just. Crawling into his lap, content just to be with him, she would start to cry, big fat tears spilling from her large blue eyes if Benedict didn’t put her to bed. His step-mother’s anguish at this bond only made it sweeter.
His father was racked with guilt for failing his son, and asked him if he would prefer to come home and attend a day school, but Benedict could not be around Jessica, his step-mother. Alex was devastated by his twin’s constant absence; this made Jessica realise she’d made a terrible error by sending Benedict away, and she bitterly regretted it. She’d also made a formidable enemy. It frightened her; the power Benedict had over her young daughter. She had done everything to make amends, but she knew he hated her. Alex had been so miserable without his brother she had contacted the school without hesitation, telling Benedict he could come home, that it had been a mistake to send him away. She would never forget his cold voice, telling her he was happy and settled where he was. Despite numerous calls from his brother and father, Benedict had chosen to remain at boarding school.
But suddenly Siena was there in his mind, memories of catching her as she fell and his heart racing as he dialled that number. He couldn’t believe he had dealt with it so calmly, considering what he had gone through with his mother. She even had diabetes like his mother…he hadn’t known at the time, but it troubled him now. He had been in shock and was hugely relieved when they had arrived at the hospital.
Siena was the first real connection he’d had with those games. Confused and smitten, it had been like a blow to the head when he found out she was married! The betrayal still stung. Benedict knew all about betrayal. He would never forgive his father or brother for letting that woman into their lives.
It had been then that his previously happy life had turned into a nightmare. He wasn’t sure he remembered how it was before, when his mother had been alive, it seemed so long ago. He couldn’t see his mother’s face as clearly as he used to. His boarding school memories overwhelmed him again and he winced. It was still there bubbling beneath the surface, the rage, the hurt, and pain, not wanting to go home for the holidays and see that woman take his mother’s place. Unlike some of the other boys, whose misery abated as they dreamt of running away into the arms of their mothers, Benedict had no such relief; he just got on with it. He ran his fingers over the card and wondered if there was a message for him, then stopped. Benedict received a number of invites to charity events; he made a donation but never attended. This one would be no different. Siena was a blip in his life; he would remove her like he removed other obstacles that got in his way. Hardening his resolve, he buzzed for Trish; she would take care of the details…and send his regrets.
That party in Marbella; Siena had obviously been there too. Was she the one who’d kissed him? He shivered as an idea formed in his mind. He was visiting his latest project today. If it was designed properly it had tremendous potential, hence the need to meet with a private financier and potential partner. Benedict needed serious funds to achieve his dream of turning the shell into a private members club, giving him premises for The Braille Club that was to become his obsession. Working flat out on the drawings and proposals, something triggered in his mind. He opened the drawings and pored over them, quickly calculating what amendments would be needed. Yes, it was possible; in fact, this blueprint was perfect; a huge basement area would allow for underground parking and the upper floors could be developed in phases.
Benedict understood what he wanted, and got to work altering the plans ahead of his on-site meeting with GFH Ltd, scheduled for three p.m. that afternoon. He loaded the drawings, his laptop, and phone into the Porsche Cayenne, the firm’s pool car. He needed a big jeep, with space for all the kit that coped with varying ground surfaces. Many of his projects involved large muddy sites, but today’s location was urban. The difficulty would not be driving but, in fact, getting parked, so he would be taking Ava with him. She could drop off his equipment and park the car further afield if necessary. Ava was a junior architect within the firm, ambitious and popular amongst their clients.
Benedict had interviewed her, impressed by her credentials. He didn’t have a vacancy, but employed Ava to stop his rivals from doing so. He’d been right; she’d ruffled the male feathers in the office, in particular Marcus, who’d been the previous junior until Benedict had promoted him. This had led to some of the best work his firm had ever produced, but even Benedict was getting tired of the infighting and rivalry; Ava was trouble.
Today she wore tight navy slacks which hugged her perfectly rounded bottom, and a cream silk blouse, which in his opinion was open one button too far; he saw a flash of lace as she leaned over and popped the car door open. Her black hair was pulled off her face in a professional looking bun, scarlet lips parting in a smile of welcome before she pulled sunglasses over her eyes. Benedict almost did a double take; she resembled a model in a Porsche commercial. She reminded him of someone; yes, Naomi Campbell, very sexy.
“Do you know where the site is?” he asked her politely.
“It’s in the Sat Nav and I’ve scouted suitable parking in the surrounding area,” she said crisply.
Benedict smiled as she put the car into gear and pulled out into
the busy traffic. He continued to work, making calls and dealing with clients. Ava did not engage him in conversation, and he was grateful for this, however, often stopped in traffic, she took every opportunity to look at Benedict, because he was simply the best looking man she had ever seen…bar none. Thrilled when he’d hired her, she hadn’t lied when she told him of the other job offers she’d received, putting just enough emphasis on Rennie Associates, knowing they were his biggest rivals, and he had taken the bait. She’d had to employ her best acting skills, appearing not to be interested one way or the other. Inside she was drooling, her palms damp with moisture and her heart doing somersaults while outwardly she appeared unmoved.
Desperate to work for him, she sensed he would bring out the best in her work. And she badly wanted to get to know him better. He was so aloof; she knew he was single and had a little sister because everyone in the office had told her, and that he was a twin. She found that hard to believe, and wondered if they were identical. The car moved forward, crawling through the London traffic, but they were making good progress and would arrive hopefully within the next fifteen minutes.
Chapter 27
THE BRAILLE CLUB
Braille Club, London, Present Day: All E Key Holders are demanding, famous, and extremely rich. They splutter and complain about the inflexible booking system and timed access codes. Spoiled and pampered, they are used to getting what they want…when they want. The Braille Club is a shock to their system. Benedict’s response is to shock them further…termination of membership and a full refund should they fail to comply. Outraged, they toy with the idea, but with the taste of Braille on their lips, they ultimately acquiesce.
London, 2012
Siena
Siena saw Benedict arrive, driven by a stunning girl, and gasped as she leaned over him, thinking she was about to kiss him, but instead she popped the door open. Siena was the private investor. She had been working on the project for over six months now and hoped to become Benedict’s future partner. GFH Limited was her company; a broker had introduced her to Benedict’s proposal. He needed funding and a financial partner, and she needed a new venture. She hadn’t connected Benedict with the project as he had formed a new company. Her interest was aroused when she received the plans of the proposed redevelopment of the large building to a private members club. Braille was also on her mind. The design was remarkable, and Siena felt excited by the project. She employed the best risk assessors to compile viability reports; it was feasible, but the build had to be competitively priced.
Benedict had expanded into construction over the last few years and his track record for bringing builds in on time and on budget was the best in the industry. Nervous and unsure, Siena wondered what would happen when Benedict saw her…well, she’d soon find out. The empty building was chilly, and she wore a long coat to keep her warm. Her phone started to vibrate, and she saw with annoyance it was Nick; this was the tenth time he had called her today. Between that and randomly dropping into her office, she was beginning to feel like he was checking up on her. Her voicemail kicked in, and after a couple of seconds, another vibration indicated a message. With a sigh, Siena clicked on her phone to listen, but couldn’t make out what he was saying as his voice kept breaking up. She put her phone away in her bag. She felt her stomach flip over but steeled herself to continue, her hand outstretched.
***
Benedict
Benedict was also a little nervous about today’s meeting. He would prefer a finance partner going forward, to give him continuity and reliability as opposed to dealing with various banks and financiers all looking for different sorts of criteria. Today was his first face to face meeting, and he wanted to make a good impression. He noticed the figure at the end of the room and was a little surprised it was a woman. How did he feel about that? Very positive in fact, he enjoyed working with women; but felt his smile falter as the figure turned around and approached him. Surprise made him freeze.
“Benedict, how lovely to see you again,” she said. When he took her hand, a shock passed through him, such was his reaction.
“Siena, you didn’t tell me you were involved with this project.” His voice was stiff and brittle.
“You never gave me the chance,” said Siena coolly. “You made a request, and I followed it,” her voice sounded hurt.
“What’s your role within GFH Ltd.?” Benedict asked coldly.
“It doesn’t matter, I can see working with me would cause problems for you,” Siena replied angrily.
It was at that moment Ava strode into the room holding three large coffees, stopping in front of Benedict. The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense, and Ava hesitated before giving Benedict his cup. Smiling, she turned towards Siena, proffering the coffee. Siena didn’t return the smile and didn’t take the coffee.
“I won’t take up any more of your time, Mr. Harrison,” she said, reaching for her bag as she tried to ignore her crushing disappointment. She turned and strode towards the exit, her face burning; she could feel tears threatening, and it took every piece of control not to break into a run.
Benedict stood there, his brain unable to process what’d happened. He quickly tapped GFH Ltd. into his phone, but his signal was weak, and the internet wouldn’t load. The broker he had been dealing with was meticulous in protecting the investor’s identity, assuring him that full disclosure would be forthcoming if all went well with the face to face meeting. In fact, the company name had only been revealed to him today, when the meeting had been scheduled. Benedict felt angry; almost six months of work for nothing. He was back to square one, and he wasn’t happy.
“Er, Benedict, are we waiting for anyone else?” asked Ava nervously. She could tell something had gone badly and her boss was in a foul mood.
“No,” he said tersely. He glanced around at the shell he hoped he would be refurbishing and felt another surge of anger. “Let’s go back to the office.”
Ava helped him gather up his drawings and lifted his laptop. They left and made their way to the car in silence, Benedict barely noticing the traffic as he searched the internet for any information on GFH Ltd. As he read, he couldn’t get Siena's hurt face out of his head. Ava navigated the car through the traffic. Benedict was preoccupied and moody. They rode together in silence. She covertly looked at him whenever she could. Ava pulled up at their building and Benedict got out and slammed the door, not even saying thank you or goodbye as he walked inside. She was left to park the car and lug all the kit upstairs. Her face like thunder, Ava staggered out of the lift, her arms full.
Benedict was on the phone in his office, desperately trying to contact the broker. GFH Ltd. was not only highly successful, but cash rich, a developer’s dream, and he had just sabotaged his chances of funding. As it was now after five p.m., Benedict reluctantly put the phone down. His office worked eight-thirty till five, his staff happy to work later when needed. He had seen himself working till after midnight if deadlines were looming, ordering take out for any employees who had stayed on to help. This didn’t happen very often; he wanted his employees fresh and motivated, not drained and exhausted. The office began to empty, and Ava popped her head round his door.
“Fancy a drink? A couple of us are heading round to the local,” she said breathlessly.
She had changed out of her office clothes. Benedict admired her skin-tight jeans, killer heels, and the chiffon blouse that revealed the lacy bra he had spied earlier. Her lips coated in gloss, her dark hair loose around her shoulders in soft waves, she was stunning. He hesitated, but office affairs were not a smart move, even he knew this, although his attraction to Ava surprised him. He declined the offer, real regret in his voice; he could do with a drink right now. Disappointed, Ava mustered a weak smile.
“Well, you know where we are if you change your mind.”
“I might just do that,” said Benedict, smiling, knowing he wouldn’t.
Ava beamed at Benedict. She couldn’t stop smiling as she turned and closed
the door, pausing to check her reflection before joining the rest of the team.
Benedict lifted his mobile and scrolled through his contacts until he found Siena’s number. He owed her an apology; he had been shocked to see her at the meeting, especially after the complications of Marbella. But if she was a genuine investor, he would have to overcome their issues. Why did she keep popping up in his life?
He needed to speak with her, get everything out in the open, though still furious about her treachery—could he even trust her? He had so many unanswered questions. He sighed as he heard her voicemail, and he left another short message asking her to call him but felt instinctively that she wouldn’t.
An idea was forming in his head as he walked through to Trish’s domain. He knew her system; she had three trays marked high priority, priority, and low priority. Old fashioned, no one he knew even had mail trays anymore, but Trish swore by it, and to date it had never let her down. He started to rifle through the low priority pile until he saw the cream envelope and pulled it free from the rest of the papers. He left a note telling Trish he needed it after all and slipped it into his pocket. Turning out his office lights, he locked up and headed into the elevator, missing Ava by seconds.
Chapter 28
