Читать книгу The Marriage Possession - HELEN BIANCHIN, Helen Bianchin - Страница 6

THE day’s workload commanded all of Lisane’s attention, and it was mid-afternoon before news of a colleague’s promotion reached her ears.

Well-deserved, given Sue’s attention to detail and unrelenting dedication to each case she handled.

‘Celebration time. Champagne on me. Tomorrow night?’ came through via inter-office email, and over the next hour responses indicated a resounding ‘yes’, followed by Sue’s instructions re time and place.

The thought of a girls’ night out was a pleasurable one, and Lisane spent Tuesday evening making notations from various law books. Gradually, with steady persistence, she was gathering sufficient information to present a strong case. Together with covering every contingency opposing counsel might draw from.

Even so, there was that edge, the knowledge she may have slipped up on one unexpected but important detail.

It kept her up late, and resulted in pertinent dialogue with her superior next day.

Consequently it was a relief to slip behind the wheel of her car and juggle peak hour traffic clogging the arterial roads leading from the city.

She reached the cottage with an hour in which to shower, dress and be on the road again.

Basic black was ‘go anywhere’ attire, and Lisane fixed her hair into a careless knot, applied blusher and lipgloss, then slid her feet into stilettos, collected her purse, her keys, and locked the front door before slipping in behind the wheel of her silver Golf.

Traffic flow into the city was steady, and she parked beneath the inner-city hotel, then took the lift up to the Atrium lounge.

Three of her associates were comfortably settled with drinks before them, and no sooner had Lisane greeted them than the final member of their coterie arrived.

It was lovely to relax and unwind away from the office. To talk without the constant constraints of work, and they took their time before crossing into the restaurant.

Champagne was the celebratory toast of choice, and Sue’s promotion was given due merit before a waiter delivered their starters.

Fine food and drink, and good company. Who could ask for anything more of an evening spent with friends?

The amazing thing in being the fabulous five, as they regarded themselves, was the friendship they shared in and out of the office. There was no element of envy, jealousy or the desire for one-upmanship…just five young women who got along.

‘Oh, my. Look who’s just walked in.’

Someone of note, obviously, Lisane deduced as she discreetly turned her head, only to feel her stomach twist at the sight of Allegra in the company of her parents.

Dressed to kill in a red cut-away cocktail gown that ventured into the almost-too-much-skin territory, Allegra resembled a catwalk model…confident, faintly aloof, and stunning.

‘Wow.’

Sue’s hushed comment didn’t come close, and the questions followed in tandem.

‘No male partner?’

‘Maybe he’s joining them?’

‘The question is…who?’

Speculative conjecture at its best…and discretion, given it was no secret Allegra had her eye on Zac Winstone.

More than an eye, Lisane accorded silently. The female barrister was in for the kill, and didn’t care who knew it!

‘Uh-oh, she’s just picked up her cellphone.’

‘She’s smiling.’

‘The woman’s a bitch. In and out of the courtroom.’

‘OK, girls, let’s move it along, shall we?’

Sue lifted her champagne flute. ‘Sure. Here’s to women doing it for themselves.’

‘Ah…you might like to rephrase that.’

Amelie grinned. ‘Just checking you’re on the ball.’

‘Wicked.’

‘But fun.’

Truly a girls’ night out, Lisane decided with a degree of humour. Memorable, in that their jobs dealt with serious issues within the parameters of the law. Where evil intent superceded good, and justice needed to be seen to be done. Not always successfully.

Making it work was the challenge. Examining legal precedents in order to close any slight loopholes opposing counsel might offer. And above all, attempting to do one’s best for the client…whether guilty or innocent.

‘What are your thoughts on the Marshall case?’

There was a collective groan. ‘Forbidden territory. Nothing, but nothing to do with work is going to escape our lips tonight.’

There was a pause while the waiter delivered their mains, and Sue barely waited until he was out of earshot before voicing,

‘OK, so let’s have an update on the men in our lives.’

The theme was familiar, Lisane mused. Lack of dedication to the relationship, little if any commitment, and emphasis on sex. Two young women in their group were content with the status quo, while one appeared misty-eyed and vowed she wanted the ring, marriage and family.

‘Lisane?’

‘Pass.’

‘Not good enough. Answer the question.’ Sue’s teasing mockery brought some light laughter, and Lisane entered into the spirit of the game.

‘Sorry, counsellor. Privileged information.’

‘Damn.’

‘Don’t look, but a serious hunk of a guy is being led towards Allegra’s table.’

Lisane controlled the desire to check. Common sense reassured her that it couldn’t be Zac. But just for a few seconds the possibility didn’t seem beyond the realm of reality. The Winstone and Fabrisi families were legal and social equals, dedicated to charitable causes, and were frequently seen in each other’s company.

Surely Zac would have told her if he intended to join Allegra and her parents this evening…wouldn’t he?

Allegra had developed manipulation into an art form, and possessed few, if any, scruples where Zac was concerned.

‘Wonder who he is?’

‘Family friend?’ Sue ventured. ‘The parents are greeting him like a long-lost son.’

The waiter cleared their plates and took an order for dessert…sinful choices in the name of celebration, and warranting some serious time in the gym to compensate.

Coffee followed, and they lingered a while, then took care of the bill and made their way to the powder-room.

Lisane was the last to leave, and just as she opened the door it swung in, causing a hasty few steps back to avoid a collision.

The last person she wanted to see up close was Allegra…but there was no avoiding a confrontation. One Lisane opted to make very brief.

‘Allegra.’

‘He’s my cousin, darling.’ Words spoken without preamble, and the woman’s smile held a brilliance that was totally at variance with the cool glitter in her eyes. ‘On a brief visit from Perth.’

‘How nice for you.’ She stepped around Allegra in a bid to leave the powder-room, only to have her passage blocked.

‘He’s serious eye-candy, and does service as a social handbag.’

Lisane held the young woman’s gaze and successfully masked her disquiet. ‘My friends are waiting for me.’

‘Another minute or two won’t matter.’ Allegra smoothed a hand over one slender hip, then she speared a lacquered nail in the air a few inches from Lisane’s face. ‘Take note. Zac is mine.’

It took two to fight, and she wasn’t about to go there. ‘If that’s true,’ she managed evenly, ‘why is he with me?’

Allegra’s eyes became ice. ‘You must know Zac will never marry you.’

She needed an exit line, fast! ‘Did it occur to you we might be content with the relationship,’ she waited a deliberate beat, then added quietly, ‘the way it is?’

‘Not for long.’ The woman’s triumph was tainted with evil satisfaction. ‘Any time soon his ring will be on my finger.’

‘Really?’ How could she sound so calm, when inside her nerves were shredding? She held Allegra’s gaze as she took a determined step forward, silently challenging the woman to step aside.

For a moment it didn’t appear as if Allegra was going to move, then she lifted one eyebrow in a gesture of disdain and shifted slightly.

Lisane stilled the urge to rush out the door, choosing a measured, unhurried pace, and braced her shoulders against the nervous tension feathering icily down her spine.

‘We were about to initiate a rescue mission,’ Sue declared quietly as Lisane joined the group of four young women lingering a few feet distant. ‘Are you OK?’

‘Fine.’ She managed a warm smile. ‘Let’s go, shall we?’

It wasn’t difficult to keep up a carefree façade as they took the lift down to the car park, and she kept the smile in place until she slid in behind the wheel of her car.

Allegra’s taunts echoed inside her head, and she almost wished she’d told the woman to get a life…except common sense had silently warned of the possibility of professional repercussions.

Allegra Fabrisi held a degree of power…a word here and there, an unfair criticism, and it could result in the speculative attention of Lisane’s peers.

Roll on Saturday!

Three weeks’ absence in Sydney would provide a welcome breathing space. There were the final planning stages, the wedding itself and a lovely break in which to visit the beach, check out the shopping malls, and just relax.

Lisane collected the sack of groceries from the seat of her car and carried them indoors.

The dinner menu she’d planned for Friday evening was relatively simple, and she toed off her stilettos, then quickly assembled ingredients and began preparations.

An evening meal timed for seven enabled her to cook, then shower and change and set the table.

She made it with a few minutes to spare, and she slid the herb bread into the oven as the doorbell rang.

Zac’s familiar tall frame filled the aperture, and the mere sight of him sent the beat of her heart into overdrive.

‘Hi.’

He’d discarded a professional business suit for black tailored trousers, a white chambray collarless shirt and a black butter-soft leather jacket.

Wow seemed an inadequate description.

‘Come through,’ she managed steadily, and she stood aside so he could precede her down the hallway.

With considerable ease he paused to drop an overnight bag in her bedroom, shrugged out of his jacket, then he gathered her in against him and took possession of her mouth in a leisurely kiss.

Oh, my, was all she could think when he released her.

He’d brought wine, which he took into the kitchen, uncorked and let breathe while he admired the finishing touches she’d made to the room.

‘Would you like a drink?’

Zac turned towards her. ‘Just wine with dinner.’

Lisane checked the herb bread, saw it was beginning to crisp, and enquired about his day.

‘Fact-gathering, validating authenticity, a conference call.’ And one intriguing brief he had yet to decide whether to accept. ‘You?’

‘Nothing out of the ordinary.’ Just a pile of paperwork she’d needed to shift before day’s end, notations for ongoing cases ensuring the colleague taking over her workload for the next three weeks was au fait with current files.

Last night she’d packed her bag ready for the flight to Sydney. As bridesmaid, she’d also assembled games and prizes for Solene’s bridal shower party, and the hen-party. All she needed to do in the morning was add last-minute essentials before Zac drove her to the airport.

The food with its delicate sauce was a hit, and she took pleasure in Zac’s compliment.

She was far from a domestic goddess, but she liked making her home attractive, cooking good food and presenting it well. It seemed to be a family trait, for Solene read cookbooks as others read…books.

Dessert comprised a fresh fruit salad jazzed up with wine and accompanied by whipped cream drizzled with crystallized sugar, and afterwards they took coffee in the lounge.

It was comfortable having him here like this. Her territory, with its easy familiarity.

She was going to miss him, miss this, being with him, sleeping with him…forget the sleep part, making love with him.

For her it was love, not simply the act of sharing physical sex. Had he guessed how it was for her? In a way she hoped not, for it would only increase her vulnerability level.

Tonight was special. She’d set the scene with fine food, and soon…soon he’d take her hand and lead the way to her bedroom.

It was there they’d indulge all the senses, and make love long into the night. Her imagination took flight, creating images which heated the blood and set her pulse racing to an increased beat, until the wanting became need.

He knew. Had to, and the warmth of his smile held sensual promise as he rose to his feet.

His kiss possessed warmth, then heat, and she leant into him, absorbing his strength as she kissed him back with hungry passion.

A hunger Zac returned in kind as they moved towards the bedroom, shedding clothes along the way.

Naked, he cupped her bottom and lifted her high against him, then he lowered his head and took the peak of her breast into his mouth, nipping the hardened aureole with his teeth until she reached the brink between pleasure and pain.

Lisane retaliated with a love bite to the sensitive curve at the edge of his neck, felt his body tense, then he shifted his attention to her mouth in a possession that shredded every nerve-cell in her body.

Just as she thought she might need to communicate a need to breathe, he positioned her to accept his hardened length and surged into her moist heat, filling her as he released her mouth and buried his lips in the hollow at the base of her throat.

She was with him, part of him, body and soul, and she began to move, slowly at first, then with increasing abandon until she became almost a wild thing in his arms.

It wasn’t enough, for there was so much more, and together they fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter, to love each other again and again through the night until exhaustion overcame passion and they drifted to sleep in each other’s arms.

The alarm sounded loud, too loud, and Lisane groaned, hit the off button, glimpsed at the darkened room and buried her head beneath the pillow.