After All - Part Twelve

Chapter Twelve

                “Well, it was an absolute pleasure Ms Davies,” Adam Costrel had been charming personified, from his well groomed hair, to impeccable suit that his manners matched, Mattie had shown him around along with two of his associates, and he’d been really interested. So much so that she started to believe this could work out...again. She’d not spoken to Paul since he’d decided to sell, he was obviously embarrassed at not telling her himself and now he was hiding from her. She could understand it all to some extent. He had to put his family first; he owed her nothing, not really.

But if he had done everything in the right way he wouldn’t be so ashamed. That was the truth.

Slumping back in her seat she once again thought about the man she’d showed around the hotel the previous day. Adam would have been a fleeting encounter, Mattie wasn’t someone to be easily flattered or affected by a handsome man. But things changed, or more importantly, the phone call ten minutes earlier asking her to meet him in a very swish London hotel to discuss projections for some changes he had in mind had swung perspective. He was handsome, charming, and it was a VERY swish hotel. What woman wouldn’t say yes? And some poor attempt at sparking jealousy in Dylan doesn’t come in to it, she told herself, why the hell would he be?

Sarah sat across the board room table for her later that afternoon.

                “So are you going to meet him?”

Mattie was unloading her quandary on her friend, she was desperate to prove that this was an entirely business related decision, but in her quiet moments she thought back to the prolonged glances, the smiles, the way that he had stepped back in a chivalrous fashion to let her through doorways, yet his hand had lingered a little too long on her lower back. With someone else she’d be offended, have questioned him, challenged him. But there was something about Adam, suave, tall, blond and handsome that made her accept the flirtatious behaviour.

                “Well we need someone in here owning this place; it’s the only way to secure our jobs.” She could feel herself blush as she said it.

Sarah laughed, “you dark horse. You DO like him!”

Mattie sighed, “he’s handsome, charming...he’s asked me out to dinner, who wouldn’t? But I’m taking this at face value, dinner to discuss business.”

Still grinning Sarah reached for her coffee cup, “I think you’ve got it bad.”

Mattie sat back and contemplated things for a moment, “it’s a long time since I’ve had a man interested in me. I’m not sure how to read things, not sure how to play it.”

Covering a hand with hers, Sarah grinned, “just be yourself, see what he wants. If it’s more be prepared for what that means, if it’s purely business, then charm the pants off him.”

Grinning Mattie refilled both their cups, “put that simplistically what am I worried about?”

A big black storm cloud called Dylan Wallace, that’s what. She was beginning to hate her subconscious.

Dylan strolled in to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon, he was still on NYC time, but that wasn’t worrying him, he needed to be back in the hotel to broker this deal to anyone BUT Adam Costrel. That was his new agenda, and he had organised back to back meetings with several prospective buyers in the business suite of the City hotel in the Docklands. It was his big plan, take the hotel to the heart of the city and force the big players to stand up and take note.

It filled him with confidence, and when he entered the reception he had a smile plastered on his face.

                “Hermione, how nice to see you! Is Matilda in her office?”

For a moment he didn’t spot the look of embarrassment on her face for a few seconds, then flustered she mumbled, “she’s not here. Sarah is.”

Dylan tried to ignore the sensation of concern that immediately washed through him, Hermione was shifty, that much was obvious, she was usually so calm and the consummate professional. With a curt nod, he headed to Sarah’s office.

With only the briefest of knocks, he threw the door open and was rewarded with a look of shock on Sarah’s face as she looked up from her desk.

                “Dylan,” she stood nervously. “You ok? We weren’t expecting you back today.”

He shrugged, “wanted to get back before tomorrow, did Matilda get the details of the open day I’ve organised tomorrow?”

Sarah shrugged, “I’m just reading it now, I’ve forwarded it to her again in case she missed it.”

                “She’s not here?” He jumped on her indecision.

Sarah smiled, “she’s been talking to a buyer in London. He seems keen and she has a meeting with him to discuss options.”

He glanced at his watch, “at five o’clock?”

Avoiding his gaze she shuffled with something on her desk, “it’s a dinner.”

Dylan hated how he felt knowing that, “with Adam Costrel?”

                “You know?”

He laughed, “she mentioned Costrel was sniffing around...but I didn’t think that was literal. Have you any idea what this man is like?” Sarah gasped and again that pleased him, “look him up, look up his tactics, his record...his history...with businesses AND women! That bloody woman will be the death of me. Where are they dining?”

Sarah was undecided; he could tell that she wasn’t sure who she should trust, “Sarah...as your indirect boss I am telling you that I HAVE to be at that meeting.”

Half an hour later he was in his car cutting through the worsening London traffic, as much as he hated public transport, he knew that at least he’d get to his destination unscathed, but whilst he was cutting up taxis and lane jumping he felt as though he was doing something. The Mayfair address Sarah had given him was the complete opposite direction to where he had entered the city, and it seemed as though hours passed before he spotted the liveried valet stood in the street smiling.

Jumping out he tossed his keys and a large denomination note towards the young man, then burst into the hotel.

Mattie was blushing at the attention, Adam Costrel was everything she remembered, clean shaven, immaculately groomed, and a voice with perfect intonation that beat any member of the royal family. He was also well connected, well read and VERY persuasive.

She’d entered the plush hotel full of nerves; it was a long time since she’d been involved in business decisions like this, this reminded her of her previous life, but then she’d been confident, relaxed in the cutting edge of finance. Now she was a shadow of that woman. But on being shown to the restaurant, a large airy room that was modern yet classy. She was perusing the menu, where the cheapest entree was more than twenty pounds and the wine started at forty pounds a bottle. This was way beyond anywhere she was used to eating, though she hated remembering earlier in her life when Dylan had loved to treat her, she’d had no idea that he wasn’t paying for these decadences but that she would spend years doing just that.

Sighing she was watching a waiter approach, about to ask her what she wanted to drink when a voice from her left spoke.

                “Champagne every time, the Cristal here is the best.”

Mattie glanced to the side and rewarded with the sight of Adam, smiling, impeccable but with eyes that studied her more intently than anything ever had. She hated that she could feel a blush sweep over her, hated that he knew his studying had an effect on her. He was devastatingly powerful, and he knew it. That intimidated her rather than attracted her, but he was still managing to overwhelm her senses from the moment he appeared at her side.

                “Miss Davies,” he took her hand and placed his lips to the rear of it in a prolonged and rather extravagant gesture. “You look as delightful as ever.”

She smiled, “you flatter me Mr Costrel.” She paused as he sat opposite her, “you wanted to discuss the hotel...”

He laughed, “first things first...this place does THE greatest dinner, it’s sacrilege to have serious discussions before eating.”

Picking up the menu Mattie smiled, aware that his eyes were constantly on her. Her one downfall was that she LOVED food, and the menu did look delicious, so she ordered well, scallops to start, roast duck for main, then sat back as the champagne arrived and was poured. She wasn’t good with that; she’d need all her wits about her in the company of someone so slick.

The food was impeccable, but so was the company. Adam asked searching questions without being too direct, or too obvious. Mattie was a closed book in most aspects of her life and wasn’t about to start opening up to this man. She skirted over school, college but wasn’t happy to dive deeper into her past.

Adam was pondering over his main course, she could tell that. “So why does an ex London Business School graduate and young bank executive manage a small hotel complex Mattie. That’s the one thing that puzzles me.”

He’d been sidestepping around the issue all through the meal; she already knew that he knew things about her. Placing down her knife and fork she sat back and stared at him, the question was did she want to share this with him? In all honesty if he took over the hotel he’d become her new boss, she had to deal with him then, but here over a dining table she wasn’t keen to divulge this. She didn’t know him.

                “My mother was taken ill, passed away. I decided to get off the financial merry-go-round.” It was safer than the truth, that she lost her job two-fold, her sustained absence from work as she nursed her mother was only compounded when the debt and court judgements appeared against her, a definite no-no for the world of finance.

His eyes widened, “living life for today?”

She nodded, “something like that. Plus I like running a team creating things, growing...banking didn‘t give me that satisfaction. It was all about numbers, profit margins.”

He sighed, “finance is a cut throat world.”

                “Ain’t that the truth.”

Lifting her cutlery she got back to eating and closed that conversation, and lowered her eyes out of his intense scrutiny.

They were just deciding whether or not to order dessert - no from her, she was far too stuffed, but yes from Adam as he had a sweet tooth, when a voice spoke from behind her.

                “Costrel! I had no idea you’d moved onto demolishing hotels these days.”

Before she looked up, the hair at right angles to the skin on her spine told her who was behind her even if she didn’t recognise the overly familiar voice, she looked at Adam who had lounged back in his seat, a smug look on his face.

                “Wallace...sniffing around the same deals as me again?”

Mattie turned to look at Dylan, he looked angry, but it was contained, his eyes blazed, his jaw was tight, only someone who really knew him could spot those signs, her heart surged at the thought that he was jealous. That much quashed part of her that wanted to gloat, to hurt him like he’d hurt her raised its head with a groan of satisfaction.

“Not at all. I’m the official broker of this sale. So by courting the manager of the hotel you are both undermining protocol, and at risk of jeopardising any sale.” He smiled, “but then you KNOW that Costrel.” He gave an apologetic smile in Mattie’s direction before adding, “have you told her your track record? Have you explained what your plans for the hotel are? Because at this moment Matilda here is planning to work under you if you purchase her place of employment. But it won’t be like that, will it?”

Adam looked a little flushed, only for a moment, but it was long enough for her to realise that whatever Dylan knew was both right, and a contradiction to whatever the other man was offering her. As she made to speak to her ex husband, he lifted a hand to silence her.

                “Don’t say anything Matilda; I don’t want to completely ruin your dinner. I’ll leave you both in peace. I’ll be dining in the lounge next door if you need me. Ok?”

With that he walked off, a confident bounce in his step.

Mattie was silent for a moment as she tried to compose herself. When she looked up Adam had regained his composure.

                “Mattie, don’t listen to him...”

She shook her head, “what do you do Adam? What do you intend to do with this hotel?”

He shrugged, “I haven’t looked into it enough yet to decide.”

                “Which means there are other options than running it like a business?”

Again he shrugged in a non-committal manner.

                “Mr Costrel.” Her anger had caused her to revisit formality, “you have asked me here to discuss the future, MY future, and the hotel’s future. Now, after days of you asking me questions, after this dinner, YOU are considering OTHER options. I don’t understand.”

                “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

That made her laugh, “what more than one way to buy a hotel and make profit? Is that it?”

He looked uncomfortable, his lips pursed as though he was sucking lemon, his cheeks pink, even his hair seemed unkempt suddenly, “look I run a business, I’m not a charity case.”

She shook her head, “you planned to sell the hotel off in bits? To the highest bidder?”

He shrugged, “If that’s what it took.”

Shaking her head she reached for her jacket and started to slide it onto her arms, “why waste my time if all this is bullshit?”

Reaching for her hand he sighed when she snatched it away, “it’s not a waste, I want to get to know you better, you’re a very clever woman...”

She silenced him midsentence with a raised hand and an evil glare, “really? Are you calling me an asset now? Are you planning to separate me from the hotel?”

He shrugged, “you’d be a welcome bonus to my team.” He didn't even have the grace to look embarrassed.

She stood, “Adam Costrel, you are a bastard. I have no doubt about that.”