Lost and Found - 12

12

Saturday 22^nd March 2008

Friday had been a long day, she’d been glad to disappear as soon as she could after the meal. She’d chosen the more demure of the two dresses she’d had delivered via Marilyn’s contacts earlier that day. Clay had looked her up and down almost indecently when she’d finally emerged in the black dress with spaghetti straps, a cut away back and a skirt that ended mid thigh.

                “Wow! You really are a woman!” He announced with a smile.

Sarcastically she had grimaced at him before heading out into the snow. True to his word Jeff sat her next to him, but by pure chance, Cole was directly opposite her. By dessert he was playing footsie, grinning as he entertained Mary the West coast manager, but all the time making lewd suggestions with his feet. When she’d finally looked up Clay was glaring between her and Cole with distaste spread across his face.

She’d humoured Jeff for as long as was necessary then when everyone made for the bar; she sloped off, hoping that no one would notice she was missing.

Amelia had been curled up in her pyjamas with her book when she heard the lodge door open. After some shuffling and movement, she heard a gentle tap on her door. Reaching out she flicked off the light and feigned sleep, she had been in no rush to enter in to a debate with him now. There were a whole host of reasons why Cole flirting with her was a bad idea, but she’d had no intention of discussing that at night.

Now as she stretched in bed, she was ready for a new day. The house was in silence, she knew there was a gym and spa on site, but she hadn’t brought any gear with her, so once again dressing for a day of winter sport, she left her room to head for the main building and the restaurant.  As she opened the front door she heard a noise and turning saw Clay stood there, in just a pair of cotton pyjama trousers. Amelia was a little shocked with his tousled bed hair and his surprisingly muscular and tanned chest; he looked more like a replete lover than her super efficient boss.

                “Hey Amelia!” he offered with a still sleepy croak. “You going for breakfast?”

She nodded, “I’m starving! All this fresh air, hey?”

Striding across the lounge to her he reached for her arm, “sorry for being a little hostile last night. Cole Stirling is a serial womaniser, and I just suddenly had the thought of him causing chaos. I don’t want to lose you...OR his father’s contract! But you’re a big girl, and you don’t need me over policing you!”

Amelia chuckled, “at least you’re honest Clay, and I’m well aware of the type of man Cole is, but to be honest this quality of snowboarding lessons would cost me a fortune! And two can play his game, can’t they?”

Clay was still guffawing with uncontrolled laughter when she closed the door behind her.

Eating breakfast in the large pristine, Alpine style restaurant alone felt luxurious to Amelia, whilst she did occasionally feel lonely, she also loved her own time and space, that said, she did smile when she saw Cole weaving through the tables towards her.

She’d been sat at a table at the window overlooking a snow covered valley, the morning sun shining down onto the white tablecloth, but now as Cole sat opposite her with a smile, she found the glare quite blinding. Squinting a little she smiled back.

                “Sleep well?” he asked as he sprawled against the chair. He paused to ask the waitress for orange juice, coffee and over-easy eggs, then turned his eyes lazily back to her. “The beds in the cabins are supposedly the best you can get; I’ve only ever stayed in the main hotel so I can’t comment.”

Amelia waited for the gushing young waitress to deliver his drinks before replying, “I think I could’ve slept standing up last night, but it was very luxurious to lie there this morning, so you’ve achieved your objective.”

He sipped his OJ before nodding knowingly, “my father doesn’t cut corners with anything, luxury is just that!” Once the food was laid in front of him he tucked in ravenously, then smiled, “so we up for lesson two today?”

Nodding Amelia leaned across the table, “your father told me that...and I quote him, ‘snowboarding is for pussys’, so I guess you’ve got the pressure of me dazzling him and his guests with my new found skills to prove that neither you or I are one!”

Cole leaned in to meet her whisper, “my father’s an expert, he spends his whole life looking for or at too many of them, so he knows we’re neither...but I am more than happy to convert you further to the beauty of the board!”

Amelia let the needle sharp hot water of the power shower blast her body, she’d never felt so tired, bruised and cold, she’d battled for hours to stay on her feet, the snowboard had other ideas, but in the battle for supremacy she had come away with the upper hand. Several times as she was brushing the snow from her arse after yet another spectacular fall, Clay had whizzed past on his parallel skis shouting words of encouragement in a rather sarcastic tone. But she’d seen out the day, six hours at least of hard graft.

                “Hurry up in there Parkin; we’ve all got cold today!” Clay was obviously back and knocking on the bathroom door, that was the only downside of these cabins, the single bathroom, but they were so clearly designed for a family, that more than one would be a waste of space.

Reluctantly parting with the invigorating hot water, she towelled dry, wrapped her wet hair up in a towel, then dressed in the robe provided by the resort.

                “Keep your hair on Brinkworth!” she mock snarled as she passed him, chuckling by the time the towel he’d thrown hit her legs.

An hour later she was dressed for the second dinner, the dress Marilyn had really selected was red, with a strapless ruffled bodice and a floaty skirt that fluttered around her knees. Her heels killed her feet, but there were times when a girl had to put up AND shut up! And this was one of them, after teasing her hair into some sort of calm; she came into the lounge ready for action to find Clay struggling with his tie.

He cut a fine sight in his dinner suit, ebony and fitted with satin lapels, the accompanying shirt snow white, but the bow tie hung limp around his neck as he let out an expletive.

                “Struggling?” she asked, making him jump. “Let me!”

                “I hate these bloody things!” He surrendered. “You look awesome!”

Fastening the tie in a satisfying bow, she stepped back and twirled, “good enough to represent your company?”

Narrowing his eyes he whispered, “Good enough is right! Now let’s go!”

She once again had Cole’s undivided yet unofficial attention all night. This time he was sat next to her, she had Walt Smith the other side of her, the middle aged pleasant man who managed the East coast affairs. As he told her about his home, his family in Connecticut, she almost spluttered in his face, a finger had run along her left thigh, brushing under the hem of her dress. Maintaining her composure, she glanced to her left to see Cole sat talking to his father opposite, leaning over the table to express an enthusiastic point, but his right hand was hidden under the table.

Deciding to ignore it, she turned back to Walt and they discussed mutual acquaintances in London, and her new life in New York, something she was both excited and enthusiastic about. But when the finger touched her thigh again, she was ready, her hand, resting in her lap struck out and snared the offending digit in its grasp. Ignoring the yelp of pain from her right, she maintained her tight blood-restricting squeeze as she talked to Walt about the amount of travelling she’d done in the US, very little, and his suggestions on placed worth visiting, Washington DC and Seattle, topped his list.

Smiling politely she turned to Cole who was trying to talk whilst squirming in discomfort, he couldn’t make a grand gesture of snatching his hand away, as he’d give himself away, so he was having to tolerate her position of torture for a few minutes more.

                “Would you like to dance Cole?” The four piece band were playing ‘It had to be You’ and it was the first piece of music she’d recognised all night. They were all in the process of drinking coffee, so it wasn’t against the etiquette of the situation.

When he nodded, “sure”, she released his finger then stood.

                “Please excuse us,” then graciously she made for the dance floor.

There he pulled her into his arms, her eyes level with his jaw, so she could drop her head and giggle at the stiffness in his posture. Finally she tilted back her head and smiled, “learned your lesson?”

Cole’s eyes twinkled, “you mean am I put off by a little pain?” He shook his head, “I find you quite exciting, this weekend...” he hinted towards the table, “this is not the place, what with my Pa, and your keeper Clay we have no chance.”

She almost laughed, “The only thing that has no chance is you Mr Stirling!”

Raising an eyebrow he swung her into a turn, “Oh Miss Parkin, I’ll come a-calling when I get down to the City next, I guarantee to show you the sights. You deserve to see the best place in the World through the eyes of someone who loves it!”

                “We shall see, we shall see!”

Cole’s father and several of the other men cut in for dances, before she found herself facing Clay.

                “My turn?” he asked, before taking to the floor.

She at last relaxed. With Clay she wasn’t pretending to be a high flying business woman or financier, wasn’t fighting off the advances of a rather indulgent child. Nope here, with Clay she was Amelia again.  Until this weekend she hadn’t seen him in anything but a suit, and whilst he looked great in anything, this tux really suited him, he looked chivalrous and smart, but that unruly hair, that he struggled to keep in order, was so endearing. He was a nice guy, she’d suspected that before, but as he filled her in on all the gossip of the evening and the day on the slopes she appreciated his confidence in her.

Monday 24^th March 2008

Fatigue was like jetlag as Amelia battled home from work, she’d had a great weekend all things considered, and this morning Clay had taken on Jeff Stirling as a client. Then they’d had a champagne lunch to celebrate. Again she decided against walking, and against public transport, something that was becoming far too regular an option, she dived into a taxi that spotted her waving arm.

Lounging in a scented bath, face pack on and cucumber on her eyelids, she was almost asleep when her house phone rang.  This had happened too often, so she was glad she’d purchased a cordless phone a few weeks earlier.

                “Hello?”

The excited voice of Li burst through the handset, gushing.  She listened to her friend’s joy, not only was the date for the launch fixed, but she’d been on yet another date with Daichi, the owner of the Sushi bar, and he’d asked her to move in with him. After whooping with excitement, they both shared a moment of sadness that the home they’d shared for five years was about to be abandoned, but they’d both moved on so much since those days, succeeded so well.

Then the conversation turned to Amelia’s weekend and she told her friend all about the antics in the ski resort.

                “So you have two men chasing you?”

                “No, just one, and that was only whilst I was convenient.”

Li sighed, “So are you sad he hasn’t called you yet, this Cole? I presume you don’t think that Clay is interested?”

Did she think that? And was she interested in any of them? Amelia sighed, she’d sworn off men when it all dissolved with Sol, but months had passed, and she was a healthy woman with needs and desires of her own. Her honest thought was Clay was too close, and he was becoming a good friend, she really didn’t think he looked at her romantically, or even sexually. Cole...he was a player, and if she wanted to be another bedpost notch then she could just carry on and entertain him a little more. Saying that, she was a woman of the world, and maybe she could use him equally, for her own means.

                “So when’s your launch? You haven’t said!” she changed the subject, not liking where her mind was going.

                “The fourth of June. I really hope you can come!”

Amelia hadn’t thought about Sol all weekend, but now she’d had him in her mind twice in a conversation. She wanted to support Li, but couldn’t see him again, not with his wife. At least she presumed they’d married, she’d not spoke to him since that fateful day in October, who knew? But the fact that he hadn’t tried to call her spoke the real truth.

                “I have to wait and see how things are in work Li, but I promise if I can, I’ll be there. I swear.”

Friday 4^th April 2008

                “You’ve got a visitor Amelia, are you free to see him?”  Wayne the office manager had buzzed her from his central desk to inform her, she’d been hoping for an early finish, so the appearance of a client this late in the day brought a huge sigh to her lips.

                “Ok, thanks Wayne.”

She leaned back in her seat regretting that she’d turned her PC off a little too early, watching the door. The last person she’d expected to burst in, grin on his face was Cole.

                “Cole! What are you doing here?”

He was still smiling as he came to her desk and bent to drop a kiss on her cheek, “I told you I’d look you up when I got back to the City, I’ve been in Canada, a slight hiccup that took some ironing out. In fact,” he dropped into the seat opposite her, “I thought I’d not make it here for another few days, otherwise I’d have called. Are you free for dinner?”