Nothing Left to Lose - Part Five

Chapter Five

Another sleepless night was disturbed in a welcome way by Polly. There was an issue with her line; some of the designs weren’t fitting the models they were designed for properly. Heidi knew she had to leave, and was never more glad to have problems, and so the chance to run away. She couldn’t stay in this paradise any longer, not after the events of the last two days.

Her mother was devastated as she appeared at the breakfast table with her bags packed.

                “You’re leaving?”

Heidi sighed, “sorry, crisis...only I can solve.”

Barbara smiled, “the down side of being SO successful. I’m gutted...but I’m so glad to have had you here for just a few days.”

Heidi hugged her mother, “I’ve had a great few days, we have to do this more often.” There was a long silence as they hugged; they both knew that they weren’t as close as they should be.

                “I’ll come visit soon, it’s been a while...I’ll come and we can spend more time together, ok?”

Heidi nodded, “do you want to drop me to the airport? We can get breakfast on the way...on me?”

As she sat on the plane flying over the Med heading back to London, Heidi was contemplative about the past few days, she tried desperately to remember when she’d become so distanced from her family, and specifically her mother. Growing up, her boarding school and then University years were all faced without the direct support of her parents. They’d been based in the Cayman Isles, then Barbados, she’d holidayed there occasionally, though with her job in a fashion boutique and a nightclub, and of course her college work she rarely got the time, holidays were as busy as term time. As for her folks, they almost never travelled to Britain, which caused a bit of a stalemate. And so they’d drifted apart. It wasn’t deliberate, but it did mean that when she’d been in trouble and needed them, she couldn’t ask them, so she dealt with things alone.

She called Lucas when she finally got back to her apartment; he’d not phoned her back since she’d disturbed him a few days earlier. So she left another message and headed off to work.  As she entered the office, it was like she hadn’t been away. Carnage. Polly looked fraught and almost cried with relief when she saw Heidi stood there mouth open wide.

But the one thing she was good at was pressure, it took two LONG days to sort the fitting problems out; she virtually lived in her office. But some timely emails and diplomacy seemed to smooth over the rough edges and fraught egos. After all, it had descended into an insult slanging match between her office, the design team and the workshop. Which wasn’t great.

It was almost midday on the third day before things started to come together for her. Polly was in the process of faxing off some of the adjusted designs when Heidi was disturbed by a knock on her door. Looking up she saw her best friend Sadie leaning against the door jamb. Not even an ice cold glass of wine would be a better sight to see.

                “Hi chickadee! What the hell have you been doing? I’ve left messages everywhere for you! And if the mountain won’t come to its best friend, then the best friend has to come to the mountain!”

Heidi smiled, jumping up to hug her, “Mountain? You cheeky.....!” She didn’t finish the sentence as she fell into her friends embrace.  They separated and headed in to her office, “Sorry, after I spoke to you in Cyprus, well everything just about went tit’s up. I’ve been stuck in this office for the last three days.”

                “Is everything ok?” Sadie sank on to the sofa opposite the desk, Heidi collapsed next to her. “I mean, you said it was a bit wild, what with your mother being love’s young dream. But other than your text you’ve been absent.”

“Well I had to meet the man, didn’t I? A Greek shipping Tycoon no less!”

Sadie’s jaw dropped in surprise, “Wow! Didn’t see that one coming! I thought maybe an expat, someone the same as herself.”

Heidi laughed, “nope, a Greek millionaire who worships her, it would be sweet if it wasn’t my mother...instead I found I had sick in my mouth quite a lot.”

Her friend laughed out loud, “parents and love, the only worse thought is parents and sex!”

Heidi shuddered, “I had her sneaking out in the morning, coming home late. Just like a love struck teenager.”

                “So who is this man, you know me and my contacts, I know everyone.”

She shrugged, “not sure, do you know I didn’t even get his surname! Cesare, not the tallest, a little stocky, dark hair. I probably have a photo on my phone. I’ll check in a minute. Since I’ve been back I’ve been on borrowed time trying to make things work here. I’ve been flat out, all work, travel and no play!”

                “So here am I calling in like a fairy godmother?  I’ve got a spare ticket to a book launch in the Regency hotel tonight. Cocktails and canapés! Which means high class free food and drink, and plenty of chance to network for me, and observe your best friend in action whilst drinking champagne for you!”

Sadie was a gossip columnist for a National paper; she was always inundated with invites to all manner of parties and promotions, and always took Heidi to the best ones. And her knowledge of anyone and everyone was amazing; she didn’t forget a name, a face or an occasion.

                “I’m SO knackered.” Heidi sighed, “I’ve barely set foot in the flat. I need to go back...”

Sadie shook her head, “wrong answer. I haven’t had a gossip with you in more than a week. No excuses. We’re going.”

Rolling her eyes, Heidi knew her friend was right, and she needed some time out, “ok, ok. Shall I see you there?”

                “I’ll be in the reception for eight thirty. Plenty of time for you to get ready. Black tie darling, so glad rags ahoy!”

As she stepped into her home after a traumatic day, Heidi fought the desire to take a long hot bath and have an early night, instead she had an invigorating shower, lathered herself in a citrus body crème that usually boosted her mood and energy, then guzzled a quick coffee.  She had the perfect dress, lined up for just an occasion, another of her own creation dresses, a teal taffeta number that was strapless and tight around the bust before falling to mid thigh with a puffball hem. It was simple yet devastating and Heidi’s almost unfashionably curvaceous body filled it to perfection. She slid on shoes that had been dyed to match it exactly, then headed down to get a taxi.

Champagne and canapés were being circulated lavishly, she took a glass and a crouton topped with smoked salmon and rich hollandaise sauce, it was just a mouthful, but she savoured every crumb, smiling as she washed it down with the ice cold champagne. Sadie had arranged to meet her in the reception, but she was a little early, so Heidi text her and Sadie had replied that she was already there, already circulating. Moving into the room, she meandered along the fringe of the group gathered, looking for her glamorous friend, her face broke into a smile when she finally spotted her head and shoulders above the room. At six foot she had the makings of a model, with staggering features to match. As Sadie waved an elegant hand, Heidi started to battle across the room towards her.

                “Wow! I LOVE the dress chickadee. It’s an original I presume?”

Heidi smiled, looking at her traffic stopping friend; she wore ridiculously high spiky shoes, a sheath of tight black material that clung to every inch of her supermodel-esque curves, “whereas you’d look stunning in a bin bag!”

The two girls hugged, and a large proportion of the gathered crowd noticed the two visually stunning women, Heidi with her glossy dark hair, heart shaped face and wide blue eyes, Sadie a younger version of Jerry Hall, long blonde hair and striking cheek bones.

The two women had met three years earlier when the budding journalist Sadie interviewed Heidi for an item on London Fashion Week.  The interview had gone on into the early hours, and the women, who were polar opposite instantly gelled, yet had been best friends since. Sadie was the spark and the madness to Heidi’s diligence and loyalty, two halves of a whole.

“So tell me about everything.”

They perched at the bar on stools and Heidi turned to Sadie. “Well I met the step daddy, and he’s absolutely devoted to my mother, it’s quick, but I’m fairly sure they’re not rushing into anything too ridiculously. This might be a good thing for her.”

                “Jeez H! They’re in their fifties; they’re hardly sexually experimenting naive teenagers. And if you follow your mother then she’s hardly going to fire headlong into anything! Maybe now you can stop feeling so much misplaced guilt towards her and get on with your own life?”

Heidi spluttered on her drink, “What does that mean?”

                “Well you’re hardly Miss Free-and-easy are you? I mean how many boyfriends have you had? How many lovers?”

Heidi was laughing, “Look Miss Yoyo-pants, not all of us are sexual predators, and anyway, counselling you on all your disastrous conquests means I am both disillusioned with men, and put off sex!”

Sadie’s eyebrow lifted, “so you haven’t slept with Casey?”

                “Of course I have, we’ve been together six months, I’m not immune to men, but I don’t like to see him more than once or twice a week, any more and I get bored. I don’t think I’m made to be in a long term relationship!”

Sadie sipped on her cocktail, then turned to the barman, “two more Cosmo’s please!”

At the unexpected use of the word, Heidi’s mind instantly flashed on the sexy man she’d met a few days earlier. Sadie spotting the blush came close and smiled, “Oh my God! That is a look of shame! What the hell happened to make the Ice Maiden blush? What the hell happened in Cyprus?”

She slapped Sadie’s arm, “I am NOT an Ice Maiden!”

Her friend laughed, “you don’t ever do anything to be embarrassed about, yet now you are blushing like a tomato. Spill!”

Heidi shook her head, “I’m human Sadie, that’s all.”

                “So?”

                “It’s nothing,” she took her drink from the barman, “just that I was introduced to Cesare’s son-in-law when I was away, he’s called Cosmo, and is the finest specimen of  a man you could ever see...”

She smiled knowingly, her mind racing, “and he’s what married to your future stepsister? You dirty dog!”

                “Nothing happened really, he flirted, I was overwhelmed by him...then against my better judgement, I had a few drinks with him, and he kissed me! Can you believe that? I stopped it, and I walked away...” She was babbling, but didn’t seem able to stop.

Sadie merely chuckled, “wow! So it IS truth that it’s quiet ones you have to watch out for! How was it?”

Heidi punched her arm in mock indignation, “call yourself a friend? And it was fantastic; he is wonderful...but very married.”

                “Ooooh tell me more you Scarlet Harlot!”

“Bitch!” Heidi shook her head trying to hide a smile. “But you’re right, it was wrong; I don’t do things like that. I need to not be thinking about him, but that’s the problem!”

She gave a potted version of the day at the beach, then the night that they had a few drinks together, all ending with her rushing home in a taxi, covered in sand and shoeless. Heidi hated exposing her bad ways, but Sadie was her best friend. When she finished her tale, they both knew there was far more to it.

Sadie watched her for a moment then gave a little nod, “this conversation isn’t over.”

They drank a bit more observing the people in the room, and whilst the author of the book was exactly a household name, the audience gathered was a mixture of both famous and influential people. Both women chuckled as they observed sights and sounds that Sadie would try to wind into her gossip column, enjoying a pleasant evening, before it all came crashing to an end.

                “So this is ‘visiting your mother’!”

Heidi turned at the angry snarl to see a very angry, very drunk Casey stood behind her.

                “I got back a couple of days ago.” She offered staring at him, “you have no right to speak to me like this. Making a scene.”

                “You didn’t bother to call? I thought we were in a relationship...you selfish bitch!”

                “Hey!” Sadie squared up to Casey; she’d only met him a couple of times, but could instantly sense this wasn’t going to end well. “Leave her alone!”

Heidi sighed, hating this public display, “Casey, please. I came back to work hell, I’ve been really busy. I’ll call you tomorrow. I promise.”

He laughed, an ugly sound, “just like that? What when it suits you? Oh no!” he was shaking his head, “No way. I want to ‘talk’, and I want to talk NOW!”

Reaching out for her, he grabbed Heidi’s arm, and started to pull at her, Sadie slid off her seat ready to launch to her friend’s defence, but another calm yet controlling, and very heavily accented voice spoke from somewhere behind her, “you heard the lady! Let go of her, and go before I have to make you!”

Heidi froze for a moment, then turned slowly, unable to believe that she was hearing that voice. Only one man breathed, talked, damn – smelt that good. She looked up to see Cosmo, absolutely delectable in a dinner suit, his jaw tainted with stubble the only blemish to the perfection that he was.