Special Relationship (20 page)

This time there was no kiss. “Yes, Nick, don't go too far too fast,” she thought. He'd said enough comparing her to one of the most significant people in English history that a kiss would have looked excessive.

She was still thinking of a reply when Kerry arrived. Alex was really pleased to see her. Her friend and colleague who was her confidante and the person who gave her strength for her new life in London. She wondered how she would have coped without her.

Kerry gave her a quick embrace and then went to the kitchen to make coffee, shouting from there: “Tell me the gossip, girl.”

She joined her and handed her a mug. “Fuck it, Kerry, I just don't know. Yesterday was, as I said, perfect, and this morning he has sent me messages. She showed her them on her phone.”

Kerry read them. “He's besotted with you, honey.”

“But is that good or bad?” asked Alex.

“Before I fell for Luke I thought he was a pain. He irritated me so much that if I'd had a chance with anyone else I would have dumped him after a couple of weeks. Now I couldn't imagine life without him.

“What I'm saying is that starting any new relationship is tricky, but you can't go on avoiding the risks because you want to hide away from your past. I don't
know Nick, and he could hurt you, not that you haven't been hurt enough, but no one would ever love anyone if no one took chances.

“Sorry, being a bit too philosophical for this time in the morning.”

“Yes, just make the fucking coffee,” Alex smiled.

They sat at their desks to work on the documents for a new contract but Alex found it a lot more difficult to concentrate than her business partner. She was wondering yet again about the text messages and whether she could trust the man she was finding it increasingly hard to stop thinking about.

After a suitable pause she returned Nick's last text. “I loved Frank's. Thanks x”

She waited nearly three hours before receiving a response. “Sorry, meetings. I agree, Frank whoever does a fine breakfast. Call you tomorrow? ”

“Sure,” she replied.

One of Nick's meetings, albeit the shortest one, was with
Tavis regarding the security lapse in New York. “They are checking the CCTV tape now and we should have the results in a day or two,” he said. “It might be easier to find things out if you could be more specific about what happened,” he added.

“Sorry
Tavis, I can't be more specific at this stage. Let's see what the CCTV shows.”

Tavis
already knew that the CCTV showed Nick and Katherine arriving at the apartment in a manner not quite befitting of a boss-and-PA relationship.

Nick had a meeting with the board members of the fund, and a couple of conference calls before he could call Katherine to his office to discuss events on either side of the Atlantic.

“Where were you yesterday?” she asked immediately.

“With Alex,” he replied directly.

“So you were screwing me in New York one day and her in London the next?”

“Katherine
!" he exclaimed. “You said yourself what happened with us in New York was just sex. No, of course I didn't screw Alex. And what's wrong with you?”

“Well, a couple of things. First, I didn't like my text message and I'm still wondering who sent it. And even if it was just sex – and it was as far as I'm
concerned – it might be an idea to leave a decent period of time...you know, just to look polite.”

“I didn't have sex with Alex. We just had a day out.”

“And you left some of your most important clients shouting down the phone at me.”

“So I took a rare day off?”

“It's not that – you were uncontactable. Doesn't look good, Nick, when people want to speak to you and I haven't got a clue where you are.”

Nick had never seen Katherine in a similar mind-set before and he wondered what she was thinking. She was behaving like a jealous lover, rather than, as she originally claimed, the woman who just wanted a shag with a man she found attractive.

But, after the day before, he knew that as much as he liked Katherine and found her physically attractive, it was Alex who captivated him. But for the American with a mysterious past stimulating his desire for intimacy, the sex with his PA might never have happened.

“Listen, Katherine, we have to sort things out because, frankly, you are confusing me. You say that New York was just about lust but at the same time you seem upset that yesterday I spent the day with Alex.”

“No, Nick, I just wanted some respect. I know you like Alex. But to start chasing her soon after we have landed in London – after what happened - doesn't make me feel good about myself.”

“I haven't got a big history with women who work for me,” he said before realising his error.

“Yes, like Olivia, and look what a mess that caused,” she said. “So you have slept with your last two PA's and now you are working on a girl who runs a company that works for you. That seems like a decent history to me.”

“Katherine, I really do like you - a lot - and I'm worried now that what happened is going to damage us. It's not as if we haven't always got on. But I'm not clear what it is you want.”

Katherine looked at him. “Me neither, I guess,” she replied, in a more conciliatory tone before leaving the office.

Nick took it that her feelings for him were stronger than she cared to admit.

But still the next day he called Alex as he had promised. “Have you heard of Sandbanks?” he asked.

“Yeah, read about it in a Sunday magazine, on the south coast and some of the most expensive real estate in the world.”

“I've got a place there,” he said. “And...” he paused, “...I was just wondering whether you might like to spend this weekend on the beach, separate bedrooms, of course. It'll be nice to make the most of the weather while it lasts.”

“Bet you've got a boat too.”

“Don't be such a smart arse.”

“Separate bedrooms and no strings?”

“Separate bedrooms and no strings,” he repeated.

“I need to think. When do
you you plan on leaving?”

“Well tomorrow is Friday, I think that counts as the weekend. But we don't need to go until the evening.

"Just a nice weekend walking the beach, no pressure.”

“Oh Lord, Nick, you do put me in awkward positions.”

“I said separate bedrooms.”

“You really are unbelievable!”

“Thanks,” he replied.

“Back Sunday night?”

“Done deal. I'll get the transport organised.”

“What had she done,” she thought as she hung up and quickly ushered Kerry into yet another meeting in the store room. When she learned that Alex was going to spend the weekend alone together with Nick
Hensen she was both really excited for her friend and partner, jumping up and clapping her hands, laughing loudly.

“Yes!” she said.

“Kerry, I don't think you are invited.”

“I'm so happy for you,” Kerry said. “Boy, he is a quick worker.”

“I guess he can afford to be,” she replied. “But, listen, we agreed to separate bedrooms so it's just like going away with a friend, like you.”

“Ah no, babe, we sleep in the same bed,” she responded .

“But nothing happened," Alex smiled

“I've still got the texts to think about and, of course, my past, so nothing is going to happen outside a pleasant weekend at the seaside.”

“Best hit the shops later, though,” replied Kerry, mischievously.

Ever since Kerry had found out what had happened she longed for her friend to be happy again. Even now she was the only person to be told her full story. And she was very hopeful if not convinced Nick was the key for her to at last find some peace in her life.

In encouraging Alex, she herself was taking chances. If it all went wrong and he was not what he seemed, she dreaded might want happen to her. The change in her over the last couple of weeks, from one enduring life to one starting to enjoy it again, was palpable in the eyes of the person who knew her best.

The pair did indeed hit the shops that night and laughed hysterically when they debated lengthily about whether a swimsuit or a bikini was most appropriate.

“You've got the figure for it, honey, just buy it,” but Alex won the argument and bought a conservative but classy Seafolly swimsuit, black with art deco white styling.

“You Americans are such prudes,” Kerry said. “Heard you don't even go topless on the beach.”

“I do - but not on this occasion,” Alex replied.

“I want you to stay outside this time, Kerry,” she said as she walked into a jewellers.

“A bit early for a ring, isn't it?” Kerry laughed.

She was taking
ages. Kerry looked in the windows of other shops and kept returning to find she was still in there. She sat down on a bench and sent a text home to Luke and their child minder, apologising that she would be late.

When her boss finally returned she was carrying a gift-wrapped glossy red box in white ribbon.

“You have bought him a ring!” Kerry laughed.

“No,
Kels, this is for you.”

“What...What for?”

“For being my best friend, a great business buddy and the person who saved my life.”

Both were tearful and of the two Alex was doing her best at composing herself in a busy shopping centre where passers-by were starting to look back at them. “Open it then!”

Kerry undid the ribbon and pulled apart the paper.

“These have got to be Triple A,” said Kerry as she pulled the pearl necklace from the box. “The
y must have cost a fortune. Take them back!”

“You don't like them?”

“I love them, I love all pearls, just I've never had expensive ones before, but...”

“Like I said Kerry, it's just that I wanted you to know
...” She paused trying to control the tears. “I just wanted you to know, well, how much I appreciate you.”

They hugged. “If Nick
Hensen hurts you in any way I personally will bring you his balls on a plate,” Kerry promised.

Alex took a taxi to work on Friday as her bags were too heavy to carry on the Underground.

"Anywhere nice?" asked Adrian after she had struggled through the door. Today his message to the world , according to his T-shirt, was to 'stand back or be blinded by his awesomeness'.

"Seaside," she replied.

"What, two weeks?" he asked looking at her luggage.

"No Adrian, just the weekend."

"If I were going away for the weekend I could fit everything in a sandwich bag."

Alex laughed.

"Which seaside?" he asked.

"Sandbanks...it's in Dorset, I think."

Adrian whistled. "Nice. And, erm, am I allowed to ask who you are going with?"

"Nick."

"The rich Nick we work for?"

"Yes Adrian, the rich Nick we work for."

"Well that's something I can tell my mates in the pub tomorrow, like my boss is in a relationship with one of Britain's richest men."

"We are not in a relationship Adrian so behave," she said, pinging an elastic band at him that missed by a foot.

"Can't let the facts spoil a good story," he said, pinging it back and hitting her right on the nose.

"Are you going to be winding me up all day?

"No, I'm too busy helping the Hensen company dominate the world."

Kerry came in wearing the pearls that Alex had bought her and immediately went to her to give her a hug. "They look fantastic," she said.

"I remember your CV. Under what you liked were cinema, reading and pearls," Alex whispered, out of Adrian's hearing.

"They are beautiful, thanks so much," Kerry said. "Nick tonight?"

"Yes, the car is coming at six...I think it's about four hours to Sandbanks what with the traffic on a Friday night."

She
smiled at her. "I'm so happy for you." she said.

"Don't,
Kels. There is plenty of time for things to go wrong and I'm still not sure that I should even be going."

"You'll have a great weekend. Enjoy, and ring me with updates when you get the chance."

"I'm scared," Alex admitted.

"No need,
hon, everything is going to be great," before adding "that's provided Nick has ordered a jumbo jet for your luggage."

"Oh shit, I thought I was overdoing it. Does it look like I'm trying too hard?"

Kerry suggested, as diplomatically as possible, that she had the rest of the day to dump some of her stuff and hinted that it might be as well to travel more lightly.

"You are right."

Nick thought it unwise to ask Katherine to deal with the arrangements for the weekend, and was worried that her assistant Alice Bexley might just go straight to her boss, asking why he'd gone through her. So he called Christos and asked him to sort transport and not to tell anyone at the office.