Opposing Forces (17 page)

“There is one person I have seen who you certainly must meet,” Pierre smiled knowingly.

“Who’s that?” Bettina was curious.

Pierre led her over to a stunning blonde lady who seemed vaguely familiar.

“Maisie, my darling, how are you?” Pierre gushed.

“Good, thank you, Councillor Rosselin.” She kissed him cordially on both cheeks.  “You’ll be glad to see I only have champagne in my hands tonight but I don’t believe our mutual acquaintance is here.”

Pierre laughed heartily and wrapped his arm around Bettina’s waist.  “Maisie, this wonderful lady here is Bettina Laroque.”

Maisie extended her hand.  “A pleasure to meet you, Madame Laroque. I’m Maisie Carrington.”

Bettina’s face lit up, Maisie was indeed even lovelier in person than the photo she had seen.

“It is good to meet you, Miss Carrington. I have heard much about you.”

It took a few seconds for the penny to drop.  “Laroque? Are you Sabina’s mother by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”  She was aware Sabina wasn’t using Grundberg as her surname here. 

“Sabina reminds me so much of myself when I started at the Sorbonne, but she has settled in to University life with great ease.”

“You live in neighbouring buildings, don’t you?”

“Yes, I see a good deal of her.  She’s doing very well with her degree too.”

“I’m just going to get us some drinks.” Pierre thought he would leave the two women talking for a moment.  “Can I get you another, Maisie?”

“I’m fine, thanks. I plan to stay very sober tonight, I’m offer to Budapest in the morning.”

“Do you travel much?” Bettina asked.

“I’m afraid so. Of late I seem to be spending most of my time in Eastern Europe which has been quite an eye-opener.”

“Pierre said you are the Events Director for Chateau Villette?”

“Yes, for my sins.  It sound fun and quite decadent but it is also hard work.  Each event has to be just right.”

“I understand from Sabina that your mother is Swiss.  From which part?”

“She comes from Lucerne.”

Bettina beamed.  “So do I. What was her maiden name?”

“Gastion.  Monique Gastion.”

“The name rings a bell, I think perhaps we might have met, a lifetime ago though.  Does she ever go back?”

Maisie shook her head.  “Rarely.  She prefers to dedicate her time to larger cities like Paris or New York.”

Bettina laughed.  “I understand.  But to me it will always be home. Especially as I have now moved back there permanently.”

Maisie was not sure whether it was polite or not to talk about someone’s divorce when you barely knew them.  She thought perhaps it was best to steer clear of that subject.  “So how do you know Councillor Rosselin?”

“We have met a few times at political functions over the years, but we found we were staying in the same hotel in Lucerne a while back when I had just bought my house and I guess our friendship struck up from there.”

Pierre appeared with three glasses of champagne.  “I ignored your request to stay sober, Maisie.  Unfortunately, no Perrier Jouet though.”

“Is that your preferred drink?” Bettina asked.

“I do have a certain fondness for it,” Maisie grinned.

“Maisie has twice made the front pages of the national press clutching a bottle whilst in handcuffs.  In fact when she attends a party, the Police Department’s insurance company starts to cry.”

“Trust a politician to get his facts incorrect,” Maisie scowled in jest.  She turned to Bettina, “It is only when I host a party that the insurers for the Lausanne Police Department start to worry.”

“I don’t think they can afford to arrest you anymore,” Pierre chuckled.

Maisie shook her head.  “Don’t listen to a word he says.  He’s making me out to be a major felon.  Just a couple of noise violations that went a little array. Not to mention a car accident.”  Out the corner of her eye, Maisie could see Gabrielle Duval heading towards them.  Gabrielle was a woman well into her fifties, with dyed red hair, dressed like she was in her twenties and never failed to make a play for Pierre Rosselin whenever she ran into him.  The poor man was lucky to make it out of a party alive when she had a mind set on trapping him.

“Gabrielle warning at ten o’ clock,” she signalled to Pierre. She leant a little closer towards Bettina.  “There is a rather unpleasant shark about to launch an attack on Pierre, so you might want to be on the defensive if you wish to keep his honour intact.”

Bettina laughed and turned around to see this hideous woman making a beeline for Pierre, who looked quite horrified.

“Pierre, my darling,” her fleshy arms wrapped themselves around him.  “I have not seen you in an age.”

Pierre extricated himself from her grasp.  “I’ve been away, Gabrielle.”

“What could possibly have kept you away so long? I thought you were going to take me out,” she pouted.

“I’m sorry, that would be my fault.” Bettina stepped in and rested her hand on Pierre’s shoulder.  “Once I found out what a God Pierre was in bed, I just had to keep him.” She gave him a lingering kiss on the lips.  “He’s therefore not available any longer, are you my darling?” She looked lovingly into his eyes.

Gabrielle turned bright red and scuttled off.  Maisie stared at Bettina in awe. “That was quite brilliant. I have never seen Gabrielle turn and run so quickly.”

Bettina burst out laughing at the shocked expression on Pierre’s face.  “Sorry, I thought my brief was to rescue you.”

“It was, and you were fantastic,” he recovered himself.  “I just think we need to work on that kiss again.” 

Bettina turned a little pink. “Not in public.”

Pierre sighed heavily and pulled her towards a secluded alcove.  Maisie felt all warm and fuzzy; it was nice to see that you were never too old for romance.

Bettina had kissed Pierre without thinking and now, when she was expecting it, she was extremely nervous.  But it felt good, very good.  Crushed in Pierre’s embrace, she was starting to feel like a teenager again.  He had her pulse racing and she was starting to get feelings she had not felt for decades. 

“How do you feel about continuing this in the privacy of your suite?” he murmured in her ear.

“It has been such a long time since I was last with a man, Pierre.”  She was too embarrassed to tell him it had actually been twenty years.

He kissed her again with a little more urgency.  “It has been a while for me, too, Bettina.  But you have stirred up feelings I thought I would never experience again.”

She looked up into his deep brown eyes.  “How about we return to my suite and just see what transpires.  I may not be ready for this.”

He nodded.  “That’s fine with me. I’ll not rush you into anything you don’t want to do.”

The short taxi ride back to the hotel seemed to take forever.  As did the lift up to the fifth floor of the hotel.  Bettina was a bundle of nerves.  She took his hand and led him into the bedroom.

“Why don’t you warm up the bed whilst I slip into something more appropriate.” She darted into the bathroom before having a panic attack.  God, did she really want this?  Yes, she did.  Pierre was not only very handsome and charming, he was also a true gentleman.  It had been such an age since she had felt a man touch her body, could she really do this?  Yes, she told herself strongly. She had earned the right to be here.  She slipped off her beautiful emerald dress and found a stunning cream silk slip.  That was all she was going to wear.  There was no point putting anything else on as it would be removed fairly shortly. She released her hair and it fell wonderfully around her shoulders.  Taking a deep breath, she returned to the bedroom. 

Pierre was propped up on one elbow and pulled the duvet back on the bed as she approached.  She slid in next to him.  As the intensity of their kiss grew, all Bettina’s worries dissipated.  She was only too ready of this, her body reacted wonderfully to his touch and she seemed to have the same effect on him.  It was shaping up to be a very good night.

“How about I order something from room service?” Bettina smiled guiltily.

“That would be an excellent idea. You have quite worn me out.”

She rang the butler service on her floor and ordered champagne and seafood pasta.  She slipped out of bed and grabbed a couple of silk robes.  “I’m sorry it’s not more manly.” She threw one at Pierre. 

The butler arrived with the champagne within minutes, which he opened and poured.  “The dinner will be with you within the next ten minutes, Madame Laroque.”

Pierre sunk down on a sofa and pulled her down next to him.  “What just happened in your bedroom was incredible, Bettina.  I did not think I could ever enjoy sex again after Simone died.  But you seem to have brought me back to life.”

“You are only the second man I have slept with,” she admitted bashfully.

He twisted a lock of her hair in his hands.  “Well, I am sincerely grateful that Hubert was such a fool, otherwise I would not have had this wonderful experience.”  He handed her a glass of champagne.  “I very much hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship.”

“It is good to finally feel like a woman again.” Bettina look a large slug of champagne. 

“How do you feel about making our relationship a little more formal?” 

Bettina choked on her champagne. Pierre laughed.  “I didn’t mean I was about to propose.  I meant just enter into a proper relationship, where we are seen to be a couple.”

“You mean dating?  Although that doesn’t sound right for people of our age.”

“Yes.  We both have our own lives but I visit Lucerne regularly and you also have an excuse to visit Lausanne.”

“We can certainly give it a try,” Bettina beamed.  The thought of regularly getting into bed with Pierre was most attractive to her.  “Would you prefer me to stay here in the hotel when I come to Lausanne?” She was only too aware that he still lived in the house he had shared with Simone.

He smiled warmly at her.  That was one of the reasons he liked her so much, she was so full of compassion and understanding.  She did not want to take his dead wife’s place.  “I would like you to stay at my house.” He stroked the side of her cheek, she really did not look her fifty-four years.  “And to put your mind at rest, the bedroom furniture has been replaced.”

“How would your children feel about it?” They might be grown up but Simone was their mother.

“I am sure the children will be thrilled I have found someone wonderful I want to be with. And someone who is most definitely not after my wealth.”  Bettina was probably worth four times what he was.

She kissed him softly.  “Very well, my answer is yes.”

He let out a low growl and pushed her back on the sofa.  “You are too damned enticing, Bettina,” he murmured in her ear as his hands created havoc on her body.  He let out a frustrated groan as there was a loud knock at the door and a few seconds later the butler appeared.

“Would you like this set at the table, Madame Laroque?” the butler asked politely.

“Yes, please, Gaston. That would be perfect.” 

“What did you think of Maisie Carrington?” Pierre asked out the blue.

“You’re right, she is stunning and also the exact opposite of Steffen.”

“It’s fascinating to watch them together. It’s the body language that gives their true feelings away.”