The Finest Line (29 page)

They were more entertaining than
the water. They floated for a little while and then slowly sank
until they disappeared under a flood of vomit. She felt a little
concerned over the lack of oxygen for a few seconds but when it
came back she didn’t feel quite as sick.

She wasn’t even sure where she
was. With great concentration she got to her feet and enjoyed the
challenge of balancing. Opening the door was a little trickier but
she did it in the end.

There were mirrors everywhere,
thousands of them and they were calling to her. She wanted to dance
and twirl into everything else that was spinning.

Miranda caught her before she
crashed against the basin. “Mairead, are you alright?” A grin was
the only reply she received and she gently lowered her to the
floor. “I’m going to get help sweetie. Just sit there until I get
back.”

Mairead was sad to see the fairy
woman flutter away. She sounded so sweet and she was a lot prettier
than the big ogre that entered her wonderland soon after.

She tried to be nice to him and
greeted him friendly but he said nothing as he reached down and
picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. It was like flying.
She was up so high, bobbing along as he walked and she tried to
tell him that she was pretty sure they were going the wrong way but
ogres never listen.

The air became sweet and dark
and cold. She breathed in deeply and giggled as cool air caressed
her buttocks. How silly to forget your knickers. Hopefully the ogre
wasn’t peeking. He did seem preoccupied with trying to sit her down
into an annoying bright light.

Mairead said goodbye to the ogre
as she shut the door. He ignored her. But at least the light was
gone.

Someone was talking to her and
Mairead groaned loudly when she looked at Richard Lewis sitting
next to her. “You are not a nice man... In fact I would almost have
to say that you’re a fucking wanker.”

Richard grinned, “Well just for
you, I’m going to make a very special effort to be nice.” He ran
his hand softly along her thigh.

She giggled at first but then
felt a little upset. Something wasn’t right. “I’m having a party
and I want to go back.”

He continued to stroke her.
“We’re going to have a little party of our own first and then I’ll
return you safe and sound.”

She wasn’t convinced but another
party sounded kind of fun and maybe she could have a nap on the
way, “Alright but not too long.” The limousine was certainly
comfortable and roomy and she was content to shut her eyes and lean
against the horrible man.

She giggled just before she shut
her eyes. The ogre was driving the car.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Several times during the night,
Mairead dreamt of James, of being in his arms and subject to his
touch. They were dreams that retained their clarity with her
fleeting periods of wakefulness and lulled her back into deep
peaceful sleep. As the waking moments became more frequent and
lasted longer, darker thoughts were invading her mind.

One nightmare was persistent and
frightening. Her body was held captive under the weight of Richard
Lewis. His fingers were kneading her breast while his mouth was
trying to assault her own. She was void of any power to rid herself
of him and then suddenly they were both being thrown about
violently.

She was being hauled into a cold
night by some black faceless creature. Only its dark eyes could be
seen as they stared down at her. Gazing into them, she didn’t feel
afraid.

It seemed that everyone she knew
was all around her, laughing and dancing. She had been at a party,
her engagement to Mark.

Mairead bolted upright. Where
the hell was she? Her panicked survey quickly revealed a small
unfamiliar room dimly lit by a small lamp on a bedside cabinet.
There was a chest of drawers on one wall, a recliner chair in a
corner and the strange bed that she sat naked in. The faint smell
of some flowery odour lingered in the air.

There was a window behind her
and she knelt, leaning on the headboard to look out, drawing a
heavy velvet curtain aside. Daylight flooded in, temporarily
blinding her and she took a few moments to focus.

There was a paved courtyard
bordered with flowers growing in white stone pots but beyond that
in the distance the base of a green rolling hill was being
assaulted by the swell of the ocean.

She wanted to leap from the bed
but she forced herself to stay still and focus. The window could
not be opened but there was a closed door.

Whatever was on the other side
could wait. For now she was safe, with no apparent injuries except
a splitting headache.

She wondered what the room
itself could tell her. Pulling the top sheet from her bed, she made
a toga for herself and quietly began to investigate. Her clothes
were nowhere to be seen and she hoped her pretty dress was not lost
forever.

Every drawer was searched but
they were all empty. There was nothing in the low gap under the bed
and there was no where else to look. Although she was hesitant to
approach the door, she knew it was her last option to get some idea
of what this nightmare was about.

Maybe if she just listened some
voice might be heard that might be recognisable but even with her
ear to the door she could hear nothing. Slowly her hand turned the
handle but it suddenly rotated faster than she was turning.

As it swung open, Mairead
scrambled desperately to escape, tripping over the sheet and still
clutching it to her while she crawled and slid behind the
recliner.

She had never known such fear.
Trembling and unable to see, she waited to be dragged from her
refuge but for a moment nothing happened.

“Mairead, it’s alright, it’s
just me.”

Mairead began to weep, as she
recognised the calm deep tone of ‘just me’ to be the voice of
James. She couldn’t move and sat trembling as he gently moved the
chair and knelt down next to her.

She couldn’t look at him for
fear that he may just vanish if she did. Only when she felt his
hand upon hers could she begin to believe that he was real.

His face was full of concern.
“Let me get you back into bed.”

He waited until she nodded her
consent before gathering her up in his arms.

With her head still bowed she
buried it into his shoulder, still not being able to look at his
face, her arms clutching his neck. She reluctantly let go as he set
her down. She kept her eyes averted as she lay down on her side and
let James cover her up.

Only when he crouched down to
face level did she feel unable to avoid his gaze.

He smiled softly. “Are you
alright?”

She nodded and started to cry
again.

“You don’t look alright,” James
reached out and felt her head. “Just lie still. I’m going to get
you some water and some more medication.”

The minutes that he was gone
seemed to last forever and Mairead feared he would not return. The
sound of his stride back in the room was wonderful to her ears.

She watched as a bottle of water
and some foil packets were placed on the bedside cabinet. Her head
was hurting as she tried to sit up, holding the sheet to cover
herself.

James handed her the bottle of
water. “Sip it slowly.”

She was tempted to guzzle it
back as the cool water refreshed her dry mouth. She waited for him
to hand her the pills.

James grinned awkwardly when he
saw her look at them. “Not that kind of medication. They don’t go
in your mouth.”

As she grasped what he meant,
Mairead’s face filled with horror but James spoke up quickly.

“Before you start complaining,
I’ve already administered several doses during the night.” He
continued explaining as she opened her mouth. “I could barely get
water into you. If I hadn’t had Vanessa with me, I would have taken
you to the hospital. You threw up everywhere, you were burning up
and I had to spoon feed you water...”

He paused and she could see that
he was trying to compose himself. She was humbled deeply and
reached out to touch his arm.

“It’s alright. Just do it”

James sighed and took the foils
removing two large oval tablets.

Mairead winced inwardly. “They
look too big to swallow anyway.”

James grinned. “This was easier
when you were half asleep.”

He got her to lie on her side
and curl up. Her embarrassment was quickly overcome as she felt his
hands upon her body. Her arousal was instant and only grew stronger
as he performed the very intimate procedure. As humiliating and
uncomfortable as it was, she was almost sorry when he had finished
and was covering her up again.

“I’m just going to wash my
hands,” James looked awkward again. “Not that I’m bothered... it’s
just handling things... hygiene...”

“Just wash your fucking hands
James,” Mairead shook her head.

He leant down to bring his face
close to hers. “Don’t use profanity. In spite of what has occurred
between us over the last several days, I will still quite happily
tan your backside.”

Mairead grinned when he had
gone, comforted by his threat. He didn’t hate her and he still
cared enough to discipline her. Maybe their friendship could be
restored, even if their intimate relationship was beyond
repair.

During his absence a thousand
questions flooded her mind and she was quite sure he had questions
of his own but how did she want to answer them? Nothing had really
changed as far as she was aware and yet everything had changed.

He had held her and she never
wanted to be torn from his arms again, but if he knew what she had
done to Josh, he might despise her and that would be even worse.
That and with what she had done with Mark, some of it willingly,
how could he ever feel the same about her? He might stay with her
for pity’s sake but he would never love her as he once did.

He had spoken so cruelly to her
at the party. What had changed between then and now? The questions
were piling up, as was the reality of her future.

Here with James, her happiness
knew no measure, but the very real prospect of being separated from
him again was terrifying. It was torturous and her heart was
overwrought with grief.

James returned carrying a bowl
of water, towel and facecloth and placed them on the cabinet.
Mairead tried to calm herself as she sat up and took the facecloth
from him.

“Thank you,” Mairead pressed it
against her face trying to force back the tears. Her face was still
hidden when the first question tumbled out.

“Why am I here?”

She heard him sigh deeply as
James sat down on the bed. “I brought you here... after I got you
out of the car that you were in with Richard Lewis.”

Her tortured mind snapped at the
mention of that monster. What had he done to her? Mairead broke
down in gasping sobs. James went to hold her but she fought to push
him away, overcome with shame.

“Mairead,” he was shouting at
her above her struggles. “He didn’t touch you. I got you out five
minutes after you got in the car.”

He had to repeat his words until
she was finally listening to him, and no longer fighting. When her
body slumped against him, he relaxed his hold on her and stroked
her hair. In time she stopped crying and sat staring down, seeing
nothing but ugliness.

“You’re wrong James,” she told
him quietly, her heart beginning to steel itself for his rejection.
“He did touch me. They both did in every part of my body. Short of
fucking me, Mark has used me in everyway imaginable and I let him.
I even managed to find some perverse enjoyment of what he was doing
to me and once I actually instigated it myself.”

James did not let go of her but
she felt his grip tighten on her.

He responded calmly. “I had no
illusions of what would be happening Mairead, though I can’t help
be a little relieved that you didn’t fuck him. Not that it would
have changed anything. Contrary to what you believe, my feelings
towards you remain completely unchanged”

It was hard to hear and Mairead
breathed tremulously with a fresh onslaught of tears.

“That’s not even possible,” she
shook her head incredulously. “You can’t be unaffected by what I
did. I saw your face that night in the car park and then again last
night. You hated me.”

“What you saw was what you had
to see, to keep you safe,” James turned her to look at him. “I
didn’t believe for one minute that you loved that bastard, but you
were with him for some fucked up reason. He had something on you
and I couldn’t get you out until I knew what it was.”

Mairead trembled as her heart
grew icy. “You know what I did?”

James looked at her, sighed and
shook his head. “I know more than you think but no, I don’t know
what could have been so bloody terrible that you could walk away
from what we had shared into the arms of that arsehole.”

She buckled under the pain she
could see in his face. “But you got me out anyway.”

“I had to,” James wiped his eye
with the back of his hand. “The night in the car park, I saw those
bruises on your back. If I hadn’t been so outnumbered I would have
taken you there and then. Instead I had to wait for the first
available opportunity.”

Now was not the time to tell him
that bruises on her back were self inflicted. “How did you know
that Richard had taken me?”

“Kylie rang me. When Miranda
informed her of the state you were in, she ran to find you and saw
Richard’s henchman carrying you out.”

“And you magically appeared to
rescue me?’

James grinned. “I haven’t been
any further than my car away from you since you announced your
engagement. Vanessa has used all her feminine skills to extract
information from anyone who had contact with you or Mark. Your
father and your friends have been my eyes and ears, but you never
left the building without me right behind you. I even bought a tie
to match your dress.”