The Finest Line (10 page)

“He’s only eight years older
than you and James has been much more than a chauffeur for a long
time. I consider him a good friend and the only man on earth that
has been able to stop you in your tracks.”

“Oh and why is that Father?”
Mairead gritted her teeth. “Maybe it’s because you gave him
permission to spank me when I was fifteen.”

For a moment Sean seemed
confused and then he laughed for a long time. “Oh Mairead, I love
you. For all the heartache you bring me, you more than make up for
it by just being my beautiful baby girl.” He leaned forward and was
smiling. “The day, to which you are referring, we heard you outside
the library and knew you were eavesdropping, so I gave James a wink
and thought I would give you a little scare. I had no idea that you
had taken me so literally. James would never have laid a hand on
you.”

Mairead felt odd. “But he did...
yesterday.”

Sean shrugged. “Something must
have made him change his mind.”

Mairead wanted to shrivel up and
die. She knew exactly what had changed his mind, her own personal
invitation. She had more or less challenged him to carry out his
threat. Even when he had given her an option to avoid punishment,
she had made it quite clear that she was quite keen, all because
she had believed in a silly joke designed to scare her and turned
it into a fantasy.

Like her father, James must have
laughed himself to sleep. How often did a silly compliant girl come
along offering him a free shot at revenge, some voyeurism and a
good feel of her backside? She had shamed herself beyond belief and
she had been foolish to believe they were really friends. Any
respect James still showed her was a product of his nature. He was
an older, wise and worldly man and she was just a spoilt, immature
girl. They couldn’t have been more different, and ever believing
that he could be her friend was just another stupid fantasy.

CHAPTER NINE

Looking at the gloomy weather
outside her window, Mairead was reluctant to get out of bed and
wished she was back on the Gold Coast. She happily imagined James
knocking on her door to bring her breakfast in. She would
graciously accept it just so she could throw it in his face.

During the night she had
practised the tirade that she intended to inflict upon him. Calmly
she would tell him how the last week had left her both physically
and emotionally vulnerable and how low and despicable it had been
of him to take advantage of her state. No decent man would have
been so inappropriate and she was deeply disappointed in him. Yet
she would be the better person and try to forgive him but it would
be quite some time before she would be able to trust him again.

Mairead grinned wickedly. She
knew James enough to know that denigrating his conduct and
professionalism would cut him to the quick and his embarrassment
would far outweigh her own or at least even the score. Maybe then
they could develop a friendship based on equal footing rather than
him having the upper hand. With this encouraging resolve Mairead
was out of bed.

Her father was outside when she
came downstairs, pacing the circular drive out front and grumbling.
“Bloody agency was supposed to have a car here twenty minutes
ago.”

Mairead looked around for the
silver BMW she had come home in. “Where’s James?”

“He’s already left and he told
me to wish you well while he’s gone.”

Mairead felt a pang of sadness.
“He didn’t say goodbye.”

“Ah, they’re here.” Sean pointed
his umbrella at the approaching car. “I’ll give those bastards a
piece of my mind.” He kissed Mairead. “I’ll see you at dinner
tonight. Behave yourself.”

Mairead nodded and watched her
father be driven away before going back inside. Joanne passed her
in the foyer and greeted her cheerfully. “Just putting a load of
washing on and I’ll be back to make some breakfast for you
dear.”

Mairead smiled. “No hurry, thank
you Joanne.”

She went to the library and sat
in her chair feeling a weight of unexpected emotion. James had
triumphed again, leaving without hearing her speech, leaving
without saying goodbye. Mairead wanted to be angry but found she
was tearful instead and somewhat relieved that she had not berated
him.

I’ll tell him when he comes
back, Mairead thought, but she knew it would never happen. What she
had wanted to say for so very long had frightened and confused her.
In the silence of the library Mairead felt driven to speak as if
James was sitting in the chair opposite.

“I tried to do something for my
life without you and I couldn’t do it. You’re the sole reason I
have achieved anything and only because I wanted you to be proud of
me. I’ve never allowed a man to touch me, because I wanted you to
be my first, my only. I love you and it hurts so much because I
know that you could never love someone like me, a total
fuck-up.”

When Joanne came to get Mairead
for breakfast, she found the girl in hysterics. Quietly she sat on
the arm of the chair and drew Mairead into her arms.

“You mustn’t cry like this
Mairead. Everything is going to be fine. You’re home now with the
people who love you. We missed you terribly, your father especially
of course, but James and I too. Three months without our
Mairead.”

Mairead sniffed back tears.
“Best holiday James has ever had.”

Joanne laughed. “Are you
kidding? He was more grumpy and irritable than ever. Every day
without fail he would be chasing me up. ‘Have you heard from
Mairead?’”

Mairead looked up. “James was
asking about me?”

“Except when you left the gym
squad,”

She grinned at Joanne. “I got
kicked out Joanne but thank you for putting it so nicely.”

“Stupid Australians had no idea
what talent they were losing.” Joanne frowned. “They had no right
to say all those horrible things about you.”

“Most of it was fairly
accurate.”

Joanne would not be persuaded,
“Well they are singing a different tune now, aren’t they?” Her tone
altered crossly. “Don’t you ever do that again Mairead. I was
terrified watching you in that video.”

“So what did James have to say
about my expulsion?”

“He was angry,” Joanne shook her
head. “Read every story a dozen times, muttering and grumbling away
and then when you went missing... all hell broke loose.”

Mairead waited for her to
continue. “What happened?”

Joanne shifted uncomfortably.
“You mustn’t tell them I told you because it has all been resolved
now.”

“What’s been resolved?”

“Your father and James had an
argument, a huge argument.”

She could scarcely believe it,
“What about?”

“James told your father he had
no right to speak to you so unkindly. Your father disagreed. James
went ahead and booked tickets to come find you and told your father
that he didn’t expect to have his job when he returned. He rang
every hospital and police station and was the first to hear where
you were. Sean was devastated and inconsolable. It was James that
saved him, promising him that he would bring you back.”

Mairead couldn’t speak, to think
that she had ever doubted that he cared about her. No wonder he had
been so angry. He had punished her for exactly the reason he had
given her. The question still remained of how much he cared for
her? Could it even be possible that he felt about her, the way that
she felt about him?

James would be away for two
weeks and she was certain that she couldn’t wait that long to find
out. As an idea took shape, Mairead spent the rest of the day
making arrangements and announced her plans to her father at
dinner.

Sean banged his fork down on the
table and gaped at Mairead. “Wellington. You just got home. What
the hell are you going to do in Wellington?”

“I’m going to stay with Kylie
for a couple of weeks. I haven’t seen her for over a year and I’m
looking forward to catching up.”

There was a long silence before
her father spoke again. “Mairead, I don’t know how much more I can
put up with. I’ve supported you through everything you’ve wanted to
do, often at great detriment to my own ambitions, not to mention my
finances. Right now, I believe you are being terribly selfish and
what you should be doing is staying here and contemplating your
future.”

Mairead’s enthusiasm waned as
she heard the hurt in his voice. She knew he was right and she had
no desire to hurt him but somehow she knew that the turning point
in her life was waiting in Wellington.

She spoke quietly. “Daddy, I
know how much I’ve hurt you and I’m so sorry but I need you to give
me one more chance, even though I don’t deserve it. In Wellington,
I have plans to do something really positive and something that you
will genuinely approve of. I don’t want to tell you what it is just
yet but...”

“Mairead” Sean sighed and
nodded. “Wellington is where I conduct eighty percent of my
portfolio. To be part of the Beehive, a politician’s skin must be
thicker than armour, but lately I feel that I’ve had a few layers
stripped away.” From his coat pocket, Sean took out a credit card
and tossed it to Mairead. “Make sure you eat well and stay
safe.”

Tears ran down Mairead’s face.
“I’m going to get it right this time. You just wait and see.”

From the outset Mairead took
great care to avoid any attention by dressing casually in jeans and
t-shirt, sweeping her hair into a bun hidden under a cap and wide
sunglasses hiding her face.

All her effort nearly came to
naught when at her arrival to Wellington Airport, her name was
screamed out with considerable enthusiasm. Mairead grinned to see
Kylie looking fabulous in a black and white sleeveless short dress
which showed off toned arms and legs.

Mairead was crushed into a hug
against her friend who was taller by several inches and very
strong. Upon release, she looked at Kylie in amazement. “Wow great
tits!”

Kylie smiled proudly and
swivelled back and forth. “Aren’t they just, and they feel amazing.
I can’t stop playing with them.”

It warmed Mairead’s heart to see
Kylie looking so beautiful, confident and happy. Only six years
before she had befriended the terribly shy Maori boy who rarely
smiled or talked. It was difficult to believe now that they were
the same person.

Kylie drove them into the city
rolling cigarettes at every stop light, dancing and singing to the
thumping music and chatting about her life in Wellington. Her
exploits had Mairead laughing until tears rolled down her face.

At one stop light, Kylie turned
the stereo off, grabbed Mairead’s hand and gave it a slap. “You’re
a bad girl Mairead, very bad but absolutely fucking amazing.”

Mairead looked innocent. “I
don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh don’t give me that Miss
‘Watch me walk across a beam, ten storeys high and tell death to
kiss my ass.’”

Mairead laughed.

“And how the hell did you fall
in love with the butler? James used to scare the shit out of me.”
Kylie bounced in her seat. “Remember that time he caught us smoking
a joint behind the gymnasium?”

Mairead winced with the memory.
“Oh god that was so embarrassing.”

“That was just cruel and unusual
punishment.” Kylie shook her head. “What type of tyrant drives two
stoned kids into the KFC car park and makes them wash his car while
he sits and eats a bucket of chicken.”

“Everyone was laughing at us
like we were a couple of weirdos and we were so fucking
hungry.”

Kylie sighed dreamily. “The
aroma of fried chicken... I blame that man for my addiction to fast
food.”

Her face softened as she reached
over and grasped Mairead’s hand. “I also remember the same man
opening a car door for me, when I first dared to wear a dress to
our school ball, telling me how absolutely lovely I looked.”

Mairead nodded. “I love him
Kylie and I have to tell him because I’m never going to know how he
feels about me, if I don’t.”

“Don’t you stress girlfriend.”
Kylie bounced about. “I’ve text his pic to every poof, drag queen
and whore that I know and if that man is here in this town then we
are going to find him.”

For the next few days, Kylie
reminded Mairead what being young and having fun was all about.
They shopped, watched movies, and ate loads of junk food. At night
they shared a bed and giggled and gossiped well into the night. On
the fourth night in Wellington, they ventured into the city to a
gay bar.

“You just let your hair down
girlfriend.” Kylie told her. “You aren’t going to find any
journalists or reporters in here.”

The place was indeed liberating
and Mairead danced and drank and simply enjoyed the company of new
found friends. It was just before midnight when Kylie screamed out
loudly.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my
god,” Everyone fell silent and looked at her. Kylie looked at her
cell phone and beamed at Mairead. “We’ve found him.”

Mairead swallowed her heart back
to her chest and waited for Kylie to speak again.

“He’s in a bar about fifty
metres down the road.” Kylie looked at her phone again. “Oh that
naughty boy, he’s in
Silver Dreams
.”

Mairead shook her head. “What’s
Silver Dreams?”

“A strip bar.” Kylie grinned at
the shock on Mairead’s face. “It’s a very classy establishment of
course. I know all of the girls there.”

Mairead was having trouble
getting her head around the image of James sitting in a strip bar.
It wasn’t exactly the setting she had imagined for where she wanted
to declare her undying love.

“Are you sure it’s James?”

Kylie frowned and dialled her
phone, walking away from the music which was the only other sound
in the club. Everyone had taken an active interest in the events
unfolding especially after Kylie’s interpretation of Mairead’s
plight.