CORAL (A Romance Trilogy, Book 1) (15 page)

“Nothing, just ignore me.” I say
wafting my hand, staring up in wonder at the spotlighting above the centre
console.

“That’s impossible,” he whispers.
My mouth pops open in shock. I stare back at him with wide eyes. I can't
believe he just said that!
Maybe Rob is right?

We gaze at each other for the
longest time; the room seems to charge with something electrical. I feel it
buzzing through my veins, heating my blood. I feel like I’ve been electrocuted?
I suddenly feel very hot and flustered.

The agent walks back in catching
us unawares. “Shall we move on?” he asks.

“Coral.” Tristan holds out his
hand to me again, I take it without thinking about it this time and we head
towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms. As we make our way up, I subtly
shake my head and smile internally, not one of the stairs creak, not like my
place; I guess it’s all about the finishing touches.

As we reach the open-plan
landing, the agent takes us to the left, showing us the first bedroom with
en-suite, which is just breathtaking, floor to ceiling tiling, bespoke
furnishings. Then back out in the hallway, he leads us forward and shows us two
further bedrooms with en-suites. Both these rooms are bigger than the first,
but in all honesty, all of these bedrooms are bigger than my little studio.
Oh,
to have this much space!

I’m going to feel so
claustrophobic when I get home tonight. I wonder if I should stay with Gladys
instead? We move on to the next bedroom which is the largest, so I’m guessing
this must be the master bedroom? Then my mind confirms it. It has to be, it has
a walk-in closet/dressing area.

Then the agent brings us back out
into the hallway and we climb another set of stairs I hadn’t even noticed were
there.

As we reach the top floor the
agent opens the door. “Master bedroom, large en-suite bathroom, ceiling height
patio doors, leading onto balcony...” I gasp in shock – It has ceiling height
windows too, and the view....
Wow, it’s even more breathtaking up here.

I turn around and take in the
huge room, set back against the wall so you would wake up to this magnificent
view is the huge bed, and either side of the bed are two doors.

The agent walks over and opens
one up. “Separate walk in closets.” He closes the door, walks diagonally across
the room and opens a door to my left. “Master en-suite, comprising of double
shower, bespoke bath, double sinks, W.C and bidet.”

Tristan lets go of my hand and
follows the agent into the en-suite, I turn and stare out at the view. I’m
starting to feel very overwhelmed –
So this is what money can buy?

I take a step forward and I’m
lost in a magical world. I feel like a princess in a fairy tale who’s just
found out she owns a beautiful, elegant, house at the top of a hill – “Coral,”
I hear his footsteps approaching me, pulling me out of my secret little
fantasy.

“Yes,” I whisper staring out to
sea.

“That has to be the most
beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he says.

“Yes, the views are
just...stunning,” I whisper, agreeing completely.

“I wasn’t talking about the
view,” he softly says.

My breath hitches hearing him say
that. I close my eyes for a moment –
Me?
He was talking about me? No,
surely not? He must have blinkers on or something? I swallow hard and slowly
turn to stare at him with wide, cautious eyes. He’s casually leaning up against
the wall with his hands in his pockets, gazing at me, looking every inch, the
millionaire mogul –
Man, he’s sexy
...

I swallow hard against the lump
in my throat and look away, trying my best to fix my gaze out to sea. In my
peripheral vision I see him walk towards me –
Oh God, what does he want?
As
he reaches me, he stands directly aside me, just staring down at me. I can hear
him breathing, he’s that close. He leans down towards me, and as he does, I
hear his breath catch.
What’s he doing?

I keep my frozen, wide eyed gaze,
fixed firmly ahead. If I look at him, I swear I’ll just become putty in his
hands.

“Mr Freeman?” The agent calls
out. Tristan sighs heavily, I feel like I have no choice but to look up at him.
He closes his eyes briefly in annoyance then looks down at me; his look is
heated, hot -
Oh Crap!

“Excuse me,” he says, gently
touching my elbow then walking off to find the agent. I exhale slowly, not
realising I’d been holding my breath and try to gather my scattered thoughts.

In a daze, I head into the large
en-suite. Wow it’s huge, and the furnishings...they look so nice, so new. I
walk over and stare down at the huge, egg shaped bath,
oh what I wouldn’t
give to have a place with a bath.
I close my eyes and imagine I'm taking a
long hot soak, on cold winters night, candles surrounding me, music softly
playing in the background – I sigh inwardly, feeling melancholy.

“Coral?” Tristan calls.

“In here,” I shout. I hear
Tristan approach me, then he stops standing directly behind me and places his
hands on my shoulders. I should freak out at this interaction. I don't like
strangers touching me, especially men.

He chuckles lightly. “You like
this bath?” he asks.

“Of course,” I snort and turn to
look up at him. “Who wouldn’t, it’s huge. This whole place is huge...” I say
throwing my hands up in the air.

Tristan gazes quizzically at me,
I laugh and shake my head then walk out the en-suite, back into the bedroom,
and drift off towards the bi-folding door. There’s a very wide balcony running
along this level too. Not that I’ll be going out there, I’m not so good with
heights.

I gaze out at the view, it’s just
so stunning. I mean, I like boats and the sea, but all you can see up here is
deep blue sparkly ocean. I feel I’m floating up in the air somehow?

“Do you like it?” Tristan asks
pulling me from my musing.

I burst out laughing at his question;
it seems such a silly one. How anyone can say they don’t like this house, is
beyond me. Then I really start to laugh, so hard in-fact that my stomach starts
to hurt. Tristan soon joins in; laughter is too infectious like that.

“What’s...so...f-funny?” he asks
between gasps for air.

I finally stop laughing so hard,
just a trickle of chuckles are escaping me. “Tristan, I think this place is
magical.” I say mopping up the laughter tears that are streaming down my
cheeks.

“Magical?” He says, his smile
disappearing and a look of confusion spreading across his face.

“Yes,” I breathe. “To me this is
magical, like a dream...” I smile my first bona fide smile at him. His eyes
instantly widen just as his lips part and his breath hitches. I can tell he’s
breathing heavier, the room suddenly charges, and yet again I cannot pull my
gaze away from his eyes, there so...so?

I suddenly become very aware that
we are alone...which send my heart into a mad frenzy. My hands and forehead
instantly feel clammy...
Ugh!
I feel hot, agitated; unsure of what to do
as we stare at one another. Then his mobile buzzes – saving me.

He looks down, breaking the
connection, then he rolls his eyes in annoyance, clenches his jaw and pulls his
mobile out of his trouser pocket. I think he’s cursing under his breath? He
stabs his mobile forcefully with his forefinger, I think he’s annoyed with the
interruption, and forces it back into his pocket.

“Sorry about that.” He says,
walking over to me, as he reaches me, he silently holds out his hand for me to
take it. I move forward, feeling a little apprehensive at how easy it’s
becoming and place my hand in his.

“Do you like it?” I ask. “After
all, it’s you who’s got to live here.” He smiles oddly at me and we start
heading down the stairs. “Tristan?” I ask, wanting to know his answer.

“I...” He turns and looks up at
me, stopping on the stairs. “I...I like it has a pool,” he answers soberly. “I
like to swim.” He adds then tugs on my hand for me to follow him.

“Me too,” I smile, then frown –
Something’s
wrong with Tristan?

When we reach the first floor, we
walk through the kitchen, and back into the entrance hall. I clock the agent,
he’s beaming from ear to ear, no doubt hearing our previous fit of giggles.
Then I think he’s probably smiling because he thinks he’s made a sale already,
but with what Tristan just said...I don’t think he likes it that much, which I
think is weird.
How can anyone not like this place?

Following the agent, we make our
way down the set of stairs that lead to the ground floor. I’m trying as hard as
I can to listen to the agent, but I’m watching Tristan intently, he seems to
have withdrawn into himself and I can't help wondering why. Maybe it was
something I said? Maybe there’s something about this house that he doesn’t
like? I’m not sure, but I don’t know him well enough to ask him either.

The agent continues. “Entertainment
suite on the garden level with a heated indoor swimming pool which is equipped
with swim against tide, cinema room, gym and bi-folding doors leading to the
lawned and decked rear garden.....”

I decide I have to ask, it’s
eating away at me what’s going through his mind. And even though he’s assured
me I keep my job, I’m panicking I might have said something wrong and he’s
changed his mind. It’s also made me realise that it’s going to take a very long
time for me to get to know him as a boss, to trust him to be honest with me, so
I don’t get suddenly sacked one day for going too far.

“Tristan,” I whisper and pull on
his hand so he follows me out into the beautiful patio area. “Are you ok? You
seem kind of...off?”

He looks down at me and I can see
worry etched across his face.
Shit!

“Is the company in trouble?” I
blurt.

He frowns deeply at me. “No.”

“Are you upset about something?
Have I upset you?” I ask my voice a slight tremble. “Is’ – “Coral, stop!” he
bawls, making me flinch slightly. Then I see his shoulders relax a little.
“It’s not you or anything you’ve done,” he adds, he seems very tense.

I look away from him, then I
glare at the agent, he seems to be hovering, trying to eavesdrop. I guess he
thinks we are having a fall out and he’s losing his sale.

“Do you want to see the gardens?”
Tristan asks, his tone clipped; his eyes dark and heated.

I shrug. “Sure, why not.”

As we walk across the lawned area
I look up at the back of the house, I can see what they’ve done with it now.
From the back you can see all four levels, but from the front it just looks
like two, it’s clever and I like it. The flooring of the alfresco dining area
is a different tiling it’s got a lemony colour to it, it’s nice, but not as
nice as indoors. The whole area is en-cased in a huge ceiling that juts right
out, propped up by four gigantic pillars, but as I turn to Tristan to ask him
what he thinks, I notice he looks miles away, which is making me feel nervous,
anxious.

I bite down on my bottom lip,
suddenly feeling lost and insecure. I don’t know this man at all, which is
making me feel increasingly uncomfortable. I think I want to go home now.

“Want to look at the cinema
room?” Tristan asks pulling me out of my musing. I shake my head, pull my hand
out of his and cross my arms. I want to go home.

“Alright then. Lunch?” He asks.

I shake my head again.

“Coral, please, have lunch with
me. The next viewing isn’t until 2pm.” I look at my watch and see it’s twenty
to twelve, and I already feel hungry again. I always do when I’ve been drinking
the night before. “Please,” he begs again, his eyes going lighter, the colour
of milk chocolate.

My resolve falters. “Ok,” I squeak.

Tristan holds out his hand again,
ready for me to accept or reject it and as I seem to feel safer that way,
protected, I take it willingly. Then I think how strange it is that I’m
allowing him to, and that I’m willingly doing this.

We head back towards the agent,
as I look up, I see the agent smiling nervously at Tristan. We quickly reach
him, Tristan seems to be in a hurry to leave.

“Mr Freeman.” He takes out a
handkerchief and wipes away the sweat. I know it’s hot for England but
Ew!

“I’ll be in touch,” Tristan
simply says.

“O-of course Mr Freeman.” The
agent looks crestfallen, he takes Tristan’s hand and shakes it, and before I
have chance to move, he has grabbed my free hand and is shaking it.

I die a thousand deaths – his
hand feels all hot and clammy, just like his hands used to when I was a
child...an innocent fucking child; bile rises into my throat...
Oh no!
I
think I'm going to be sick.

I yank my hand out the agent’s,
turn away from him, and clamp my hand over my mouth. I close my eyes in an
effort to stop the sickening, queasy feeling, then I hear Tristan walking the
agent away from me.

I hear George in my head,
‘Anger
is better than fear. Fear will hold you back make you feel small, anger will
pull you out if it’