The kitchen area was spotless, with white, gloss units and chrome accessories, including a state-of-the-art coffee machine. However tasteful, this wasn’t what interested Zara. After having a quick look inside his cupboards, she peeked inside an opened envelope that was sitting on the worktop. Nothing interesting though, she thought, disappointed; just a utility bill. She noticed a calendar hanging by the fridge and flicked through the months for any appointments he had. But again, nothing earth-shattering, just meetings and golf tournaments marked up. Taking in all her surroundings, she went across the hallway and into Jasper’s bedroom.
She stood for a moment and took a deep breath. Her eyes homed in on the huge king-size bed standing majestically in the centre of the room. An image of her and Jasper in it suddenly shot through her mind, their naked bodies entwined. Taking off her high heels, she moved towards it, gently lying down and stretching out her arms and legs. She turned over to breathe in the smell of his pillow and saw his bedside table.
She hesitated. Should she? She’d made it this far, so why not?
Zara opened the drawer but was rather disappointed only to find a packet of headache tablets and the latest crime fiction from Anthony Horowitz.
She got up and carefully pulled the covers straight, then opened his wardrobe doors. Dozens of immaculate suits hung before her, most of which she recognised. Her eyes looked down to the shelves, where his folded boxer shorts lay, she couldn’t resist holding a pair, then grinned wryly at the label inside – just as she thought, size L. She made sure they were put back in the exact same position. Then she made her way into his bathroom.
Again, it was pristine, all white tiles and fittings. Pulling the handle of the mirrored cabinet above the sink, she peered inside and found just what she expected – his aftershave, shower gels, shaving brushes, moisturising cream and… Oh, a packet of condoms. She paused; it had been opened. Zara quickly seized it to find how many were left. Huh, only one.So who were the others used on?she bitterly asked herself. A splinter of jealousy jabbed her hard. She put the packet back and slammed the cabinet door shut. Time to go. She’d seen enough.
Just then she heard the apartment door open and shut. Zara froze. Someone had come in through the front door. A cleaner perhaps?
Quietly stepping into the bath, she drew the shower curtain across a little to conceal herself. All the time, her heart was beating uncontrollably. Her ears strained to hear the sounds of cupboard doors opening and shutting, then water running, followed by a squelching noise. Mopping – the cleaner must be mopping the tiled floor.
Zara’s pulse raced. A layer of perspiration covered her body and she began to shake. Gulping, she stood as still as a statue and tried to gauge where in the apartment the cleaner was. Then, to her utter relief, she heard the balcony doors slide open. If the cleaner was about to mop the balcony floor, she could escape out of the apartment without being seen.
Seizing her opportunity, Zara climbed out of the bath and tentatively peeped behind the bathroom door. Thankfully, the cleaner had her back to her. Without any hesitation, Zara scurried silently through the kitchen, lounge area and straight to the door. She opened it as quickly as she could and got out fast. Very gently she closed it, hardly making a sound, and looked each way, up and down the corridor. There was nobody about, all she could see were the cleaners’ trollies parked halfway down. Zara’s chest heaved with nervous exhaustion.
Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and walked back to the stairs. Once through the secure door, her heart rate gradually slowed down and she soon regained composure. Slowly she descended the stairs, still keen to avoid using the lifts.
That had been a close shave, but it had been worth it. Zara was pleased with herself – she had successfully managed to infiltrate a part of Jasper and now knew more about the man, what he liked, what made him tick. Even seeing what was in his bathroom cabinet didn’t deter her. He was only flesh and blood after all, and once they were together, she would more than satisfy his every need.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and went back out into the main lobby area. It was busy now, with various people milling about, stood at the reception desk, or collecting post from the pigeonholes. Zara breezed her way through without a care in the world.
Chapter 20
Adira was making good progress on The Laurels. The downstairs was completed, with floors having been polished to a shiny finish, sparkling windows, rooms now dust-free, and a kitchen that was fresh, clean and organised. She had filled vases with bright flowers to add a touch of colour and just sliding up the sash windows and letting in the summer breeze had made a difference, injecting life into the place.
Adira had also arranged for all the chimneys to be swept and had winced at the amount of debris which had been collected. Gone was the slight whiff of damp and now the air was filled with the scent of roses, lilies, peonies and stocks. The beams of sun blasting through the windows no longer illuminated all the dust, but made the cut glass and chandeliers twinkle cheerfully. The rugs looked new, having been vacuumed and washed and all the cabinets and wooden mahogany panelling shone.
Now for the second floor. Adira stood at the bottom of the stairs contemplating where to start. Probably Fletcher’s bedroom. She had already cleaned the family bathrooms, but all the bedrooms and the landing needed bottoming. This was a little trickier than downstairs; bedrooms were personal after all, and she wanted to run a few things past Fletcher first, plus Jasper, as he was using the eaves bedroom and she had thought of leaving that till last. Possibly after he had returned to Dubai.
Although she was reluctant to acknowledge it, the thought of Jasper’s eventual departure left her feeling somewhat empty. Since his kiss, they had only exchanged pleasantries, bright smiles, cheery hellos and plenty of compliments for the hard work she had done on The Laurels – but nothing else. Which left Adira thinking maybe Jasper didn’t recall what had happened in the massage parlour. Had he been in such a state of relaxed oblivion that he hadn’t been conscious of reaching out and lowering her face to his? Did he remember how his lips had sought hers and how his tongue had sensuously probed? Because she certainly did.
Her face flushed at the memory of it. And yet, for Jasper it seemed to be business as usual, as though he’d been totally unaffected by the whole incident. Adira decided to follow his lead. If pretending the kiss had never happened, so be it. She would be as composed as he.
Overhearing him on the phone in the library told her he was definitely preoccupied with the estate. He was certainly keeping Colin on his toes. The broken windowpanes had been replaced and the whole of the roof was being inspected within the next few days, which meant scaffolding was due to be erected. The Laurels had never seen such industrious activity.
Fletcher was in his element, sitting back and letting it all go on around him, very much the embodiment of the lord of the manor. Even Lilly was rather enjoying her ‘tea breaks’, which meant once the odd bit of ironing had been done, she would join Fletcher for afternoon tea. As promised, Jasper’s coffee machine had been delivered and all of them had delighted in the cappuccinos and lattes which it bubbled and hissed to produce. The four of them rubbed along quite happily, each going about their business in The Laurels.
Now and again, the experience was tinged with a wave of sadness for Fletcher, knowing it wouldn’t always be this way. Soon Jasper would return to Dubai and Adira would move on. It struck him as such a waste; he was convinced the pair made a good couple. He’d seen the way they looked at each other, at pains to be discreet, yet the attraction was glaringly obvious to him. He felt like shaking some sense into Jasper, but this wasn’t the way. Fletcher knew more than most how restricting affairs of the heart could be. Hadn’t it been the same for him many years ago?
Faded memories of a beautiful face with a kind smile passed through his mind; of a delicate, lithe body dancing on his lawn in a lemon taffeta silk dress, her dark hair smoothed up in an elegant chignon. How he had longed for her… and how forbidden she still was. His heart had been broken, his desire locked captive in a cage. Only once had it been released and he would treasure the utter bliss forever. But this had also been Fletcher’s downfall. For as glorious as the moment had been, it had also set the bar – way too high. Nobody was ever going to compare to her, not ever; and as a result, Fletcher had remained alone. His eyes filled at the sadness of it all when Lilly entered the drawing room carrying a tray.
‘Time for our tea break, Fletcher.’
‘Ah, yes, very good.’ He sat up and rubbed his hands together, shaking himself out of his reverie.
Meanwhile, Adira had made herself a cappuccino and was at the kitchen table with her laptop. She wanted new bedding and towels to replace the old, rather worn ones and was going to ask Jasper to order them, when in he came.
‘Jasper, I was going to suggest we buy new bedding and towels. What do you think?’
He ducked down to see the items she had chosen. Adira inhaled his tangy, citrus aroma and could feel his breath on the back of her neck.
‘Looks fine to me. Order it now, on my credit card.’ He made a coffee, then sat down next to her and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. She could feel him watching her as she typed in the order.
My God, she was pretty.Seeing how she chewed her bottom lip in concentration, his mind flashed back to how he had explored her mouth. His pulse quickened.
