A Safe Pair of Hands (8 page)

The rest of the staff would make sure of that!

“
I don't have any plans at the moment, just a sense
of...”

“
What?” he asked softly.

“
Oh I don't know!” Sadie exclaimed impatiently. “It's nothing
really; just... oh it's just a passing phase, silly and pointless –
and one that I will get over!”

“
As my employee,” Nick said carefully, “I don't want you to be
unhappy in any way. I don't want you to have to get over it, if I
can help you, Sadie, then I want to help you.”

As his employee; was that all that she was to him?

Sadie was starting to feel hemmed in now, and she was
beginning to wish that she had not said anything in the first
place, it had been a little sense of wistfulness, that she had
whenever she spent time with little Pete; she knew that it would
pass in time, just like it always did.

“
It's nothing, Nick – just my body clock going, tick tick
tick!” she gave a light laugh as though she had deliberately made
up the rhyme, rather than it just being the fluke that it had
been.

But the silence that fell in the car now was almost deafening
to Sadie, it was so extreme, and the colour flooded her cheeks, as
she was once more faced with a silent, 'Oh now why did I say
that!'

“
Are you saying
that you want to have a baby?” he asked slowly, and Sadie looked
across at him in surprise, he sounded so...?

She shrugged her shoulders and tried desperately to keep her
tone light and casual. “Of course I would like a baby... at some
point. I am still quite young after all!” she finished and her tone
had risen a little at the idea of being offended.

“
Well, yes of course you are still young enough!” he laughed
suddenly and his quick sideways look was filled with genuine
amusement.

Sadie gave a little sigh of relief as the charged atmosphere
thinned, and dissipated as quickly as it had filled the
car.

She relaxed back in her seat, and Nick began to tell her of
his plans for the weekend.

It seemed like there would be very little work involved, and
quite a lot of socialising.

As she listened to him talking she mentally reviewed the
contents of her small suitcase.

She was silently thankful that she had packed her two new
dresses and one of the skirts, and a couple of the pretty tops as
well.

She was also guiltily, and naughtily pleased that she had
packed her new sexy lingerie as well.

She sat fantasising over how Nick might possibly see her new
lingerie – and not just lying harmlessly in her suitcase, but
actually covering her semi naked body.

Now that could be a very interesting scenario, she thought
with a secretive little smile.

She sat for a while without really noticing the light drizzle
that began to fall, the thick splatters hitting the windows, and
slowly sliding down the glass.

She only really became aware when the sleet thickened to
snow...

Chapter Eight

Nick had not really paid much attention to the weather
forecast. He was confident enough in his driving abilities, to be
able to manoeuvre his car in difficult conditions. And he was more
than confident in his car's ability to handle difficult
conditions

“
They did say that the snow might get a little heavy,” Sadie
murmured worriedly as she stared out of the window at the
thickening flakes.

“
Oh, it's not too bad, look there are still plenty of cars on
the road.”

It wasn't just the snow though, because the wind started to
pick up as well, and started buffeting the car, forcing Nick to
slow his speed, as the weather worsened into what was becoming a
rather ferocious snow storm.

Sadie noticed how there were fewer cars around them suddenly,
and each car was leaving wide gaps between them and the car in
front, as all of those other drivers took extra care as
well.

They continued on for a little while, and Nick slowed the car
a little more, as the weather continued to worsen.

Sadie glanced at him briefly, but Nick was concentrating on
the road, and so she kept silent rather than risking distracting
him, even for a moment.

They continued cautiously for some time, but then Nick
suddenly slowed even more, and flashing lights caught her attention
as he pulled the car to a complete halt, and allowed his window to
slide down.

Sadie shivered at the blast of freezing air invaded the car,
but the friendly face of the policeman calmed her sudden
nerves.

“
Afternoon, folks – where are you heading?”

“
Good afternoon, officer; we are trying to get up to London as
a matter of fact... is there a problem?”

“
Well, yes, there is a bit of a problem, I am afraid that the
road is blocked just past the next junction.”

Nick's lips tightened, but he kept his tone even. “Well we
have been travelling for almost three hours now, too far to
consider turning around and heading for home again – I think... so
what would you suggest, officer?”

“
I agree; this weather is set to get worse once darkness comes.
If you turn off at this next junction, rather than going straight
past it, there is an industrial park about a mile or so in. It's
got at least two travel inns – which I know of, and a couple of
cafes as well.” He grinned suddenly, as he looked past Nick to
Sadie. “But if I were you, I wouldn't hang about, with your Mrs,
like; because they will be filling up fast with other stranded
travellers!”

Nick also glanced at Sadie, who blushed but did not correct
the officer. He did not bother to correct him either.

“
Very well, officer; thank you for the tip.”

“
No problem, just you drive careful now,” he stepped back so
that Nick could wind up the window again, and set the car back in
motion.

“
I will call Mr Redding, once we've settled somewhere – and
postpone our meeting for another time,” Nick murmured as they
crawled along the road.

The wind was starting to really howl, as they left the
motorway, and visibility was almost down to zero as the snow
thickened into a blizzard.

Thankfully the industrial park was very easy to find, and the
travel inn looked warm and welcoming.

*

There were a lot of cars already in the car park, and Sadie
fretted that they might not even get a room.

“
I am sure that they won't see us out on the street,” Nick
tried to reassure her, as she voiced her concerns.

They took their luggage in with them as well, since the
weather was just getting worse all the time.

The lady at the reception desk, was all smiles and concern as
she picked up a phone, and asked for hot drinks to be brought out
whilst she sorted out some accommodation for them.

“
Two rooms, if you can manage that?” Nick asked as he pulled
his credit card out of his wallet.

The receptionist looked at him in surprise. “Oh I am sorry,
sir; but I am under instructions to only give out one room to each
party, I thought that you and the lady were...” she trailed off and
looked distinctly uncomfortable for a moment.

Nick glanced at Sadie who was also looking uncomfortable, but
he also saw a little sparkle of what he guessed to be excitement in
her eyes, as their eyes met and locked for a moment.

It left a sense of anticipation deep within him, even as he
wondered whether that look was more about wishful thinking on his
part, than actual fact.

“
We will manage with just the one room, then – if you can make
it a twin bed room?”

The receptionist practically gushed at him. “Yes, of course
that is no problem...” she hesitated as she took his credit card
from him. “And would you like to be booked into the restaurant for
tonight as well, sir?”

“
Yes, please; we have been travelling for quite a while, and I
for one am getting hungry.” He glanced again at Sadie, who nodded
in agreement.

“
Would seven o’clock suit you both?”

Nick glanced at his watch, it was only three thirty, and seven
o’clock seemed a long way off.

“
Could you make it a little earlier?”

“
I am sorry sir, but the restaurant does not open until seven,”
she paused again and her eyes slid past them for a moment, and then
fixed back onto Nick. “The room will need a little while to be
prepared for you, and so if you leave your luggage here, and just
take a seat over there, there is a hot pot of coffee, and some
sandwiches and cakes for your enjoyment, whilst you
wait.”

Both Sadie and Nick beamed at the young receptionist. “That is
very kind of you, thank you.”

The table with the tray was situated just by one of the
windows, and as they sat down, Sadie glanced out of the
window.

All that she could see was thick heavy snow, being blown
around by the strong gale force winds.

She gave a little shiver, as she appreciated the warmth and
comfort of this place.

“
I am sorry about not being able to get a second room, Sadie,”
Nick said a little uncomfortably. “If you wish to, we could try the
other hotel; I don’t think that it is too far from
here...”

Sadie smiled in what she hoped was reassurance and not
eagerness. “I really don’t fancy going out there again today, and I
suspect that the other hotel will be using the same policy of one
room per party.”

“
So you are not too upset about it?”

She lifted the heavy pot of coffee, so that she would not have
to look at him. “No, Nick; I am not upset... we will make do – I
think.”

The sandwiches and little cakes, certainly filled the empty
spot in Sadie’s stomach, and the hot coffee was absolutely
delicious. But neither of these things could take away the excited
butterflies that tickled at her insides, giving her eyes a glitter,
and her lips a shine – as she licked them without even realising
what she was doing.

It had Nick almost shaking with longing to just touch her. She
was so incredibly beautiful, so absolutely desirable, and just so
god damned sexy!

“
Your room is now ready for you, sir.” The receptionist walked
over to where they were just finishing the last of the coffee,
having demolished the plates of sandwiches and cakes.

She held out a key card to Nick, and after he had taken it,
she offered one to Sadie as well.

“
The elevator is just behind the reception desk – to the left
of it, and you are on the third floor, room three zero
eight.”

*

Nick carried both of their cases with ease, since they were
both only small overnight ones, and they found that the elevator
was already on the ground floor, and the doors opened as soon as
Sadie pressed the button.

There was no one around at the moment, and the place had a
strange sense of hushed expectancy about it. Almost as though it
had just sucked in a breath, and was now simply, waiting to
exhale.

The room on the third floor was a fairly small room, with twin
single beds sitting side by side, with just a little gap in between
them. They took up most of the space in the room, but there was a
small chest of drawers besides each bed, and the one next to the
bed, which Nick was now sitting on had a tray on it, with cups and
a kettle, and tea and coffee making facilities.

Fixed to the wall at the foot of the beds was a small flat
screen television set, and the remote control for the television
was in a little folder thing that was also attached to wall, right
next to the television, and so Nick stood up again and walked
across to picked it up.

He pressed the button, and the television hummed and
flickered, and then the news came on, and of course it was all
about the weather.

Nick had put Sadie’s case on the first bed, nearest to the
second door of this room, which she guessed led to their
bathroom.

She glanced at her watch, to see that it was nearly four
o’clock and decided to take a shower, and freshen up a little after
hours spent in the car.

She told Nick as much as she flicked open her case and began
to pull out items.

Nick flashed a quick smile. “You do that, and I will make us
another cup of coffee, once I have given Mr Redding a
call.”

“
Thank you,” she could not keep the surprise out of her voice,
that the boss of the company that she worked for, the domineering
Nicholas J Hargreaves – MD was offering to make her a
drink.

He grinned across at her as he easily read her
expression.

“
I have lived on my own for most of my adult life,” he told her
a little ruefully, “You would be surprised at how useful I am
around a kitchen... and other rooms too, for that matter,” he
finished a little suggestively.

“
I don’t doubt that for a minute,” Sadie couldn’t resist saying
as she grabbed her toiletries bag and bolted for the
bathroom.