The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (65 page)

Hennessey watched the emotions flit across her features and knew he was in luck. He knew he had said the right things in just the right way to put her at ease. Well, maybe at ease was pushing it a bit, but she was no longer afraid that he would jump her in the middle of the night. Oh, she was afraid all right, but of her own feelings not of anything he might do.

He had successfully shifted the onus onto her; put the ball in her court as it were. He had all but told her outright that the next move was hers, if she wanted to take it, and if he knew anything about women or about her, she would. He had seen hope in her eyes, she would be like a lamb to the slaughter.

He reached out and ran his fingers gently through her hair, he smiled and his voice was low and husky as he said, ‘your hair looked beautiful before, but it looks even better all mussed up like this. But then it looks beautiful whatever you do with it.’

His fingers travelled down the side of her face to her cheek, she closed her eyes and as before when they’d danced she leaned her cheek onto his palm. His other hand rested gently against her thigh but even this slight touch scorched her skin through the material of her dressing gown. She swayed slightly towards him.

But as before he suddenly leaned back then stood up abruptly. He didn’t move but stood perfectly still and she could see his jaw clenched tightly as though trying to control himself. He took a deep breath and let it out forcefully. The without looking at her said, ‘well, it’s been quite a night, so I think we ought to get some rest, don’t you?’

Without waiting for her reply he walked towards the bathroom went inside and closed the door. Adela sat for a few moments just staring at the spot where he had stood then turned and looked at the bathroom door. The closed door seemed like a symbol somehow, a sign that she had been shut out, or he had closed himself off from her. And she knew why, he had been about to lose control again, he had wanted to take it further with her; he had wanted to kiss her but believed that she would not welcome his advances. Oh if only he knew how much she would welcome them, welcome him.

She was frightened of course she was, terrified in fact, but she had never met anyone like Sterling Hennessey and knew she never would again so why not let him be the one who initiated her in the art of lovemaking, why not let him teach her all she should know about men, about herself. She liked him, oh how she liked him, he did things to her insides, to her senses, to her body that she had never imagined could be done to them and she wanted to feel more of it, wanted him to make her feel them again.

She again heard her mothers voice, “
My God, Dela you’re more stupid than I thought, how could you possibly think he’s even contemplating being intimate with you? Look at him, he can have any woman he likes and you think he likes
you
?”
Her mother’s laughter grew almost hysterical now and Adela closed her eyes tightly against it and said out loud, ‘you’re wrong, mother; he does like me, he
does
.’ She wasn’t sure whom she was trying to convince.

                                                      *********

In the bathroom Hennessey leaned against the door and once more let out a long breath.

Then he chuckled, if he had been looking in the mirror he knew he would have seen a grin that would put the Cheshire cat to shame.

He took out his phone and called Glissando. This was the part he hated most, but he didn’t want Glissando to think he wasn’t on the case, that he was losing his perspective, his edge. When the phone was picked up he said without preamble, ‘just thought I’d give you an update. I’ve come to the lady’s rescue yet again and this time I get my reward. I’m staying the night in her cabin. She’s primed and ready for it, so I’m just one small step from getting her to trust me.’

Glissando said, ‘I’m happy to hear it, Mr. Hennessey, I was beginning to think you’d never get there.’

Hennessey wanted to say fuck you, but didn’t want Glissando to think he could rile him so said calmly, ‘these things take time, Glissando, she’s not like the woman
you’re
used to dealing with. She’s inexperienced and wary,’ he picked up one of the stocking that was draped over the end of the bath where she had put it earlier, he ran his finger up and down the silky material before adding, ‘she’s not a whore or a Geisha, she’s a
lady
, you can remember what one of those is can’t you? If you’re not satisfied with my progress then send in your two goons to beat it out of her otherwise if want me to do this right then let me do it my way. After all this
was
your idea.’

Hennessey could almost felt the hatred Glissando was sending down the line. Maybe he shouldn’t push him, but he had to convince him that he was making progress his way and would have results very soon. Otherwise he would send those two idiots then he would lose his five million and all the hard work he had put into this project would be wasted. Plus, his dreams of that yacht and his own plane would be lost forever. And to be beaten to it by those two
numbskulls didn’t bear thinking about; he might even have to kill them and Glissando too, just for the wasted time alone.

Glissando said, ‘all right, but don’t take much longer, my patience won’t last forever,
Mr
. Hennessey, I want Desi back and I want her back soon, understood.’

Hennessey almost laughed, Glissando didn’t pull him up for leaving out the mister in his name and at the same time didn’t dare to miss it out of his. He said, ‘understood. I have to go now, Miss. Faraday will be cooling off, and we wouldn’t want that would we.’

He heard Glissando give what he thought was a snigger but he covered it up with a cough. He said, ‘well get to it then, Mr. Hennessey, no need for me to tell you to do your best is there.’

‘None.’ He switched off the phone. Fucking jerk. But at least he had bought more time, not that he would need much more of that. If he was the man he thought he was, and he was, and if he knew women, and he did, and if he could make Miss. Adela Faraday come to him and he could, she would be his by morning.

CHAPTER 23.

         Hennessey used the toilet then washed his face and hands then went back out to the living room. She was in the kitchen pouring a glass of water. He could see a pair of shorts and a camisole top under the bathrobe so she had changed into her pyjamas. She turned to him and said matter of factly, too matter of factly, ‘there’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet if you would like it.' He smiled not at her offer but that she was obviously attempting to hide the inner turmoil that had overtaken her before he had left the room by changing the subject.

As if to prove his point she said, ‘I must have missed the mention of all this rain on the weather forecast this morning.’ She nodded towards the window where they could hear the rain still pounding against the glass.

Well if that was how she wanted to play it he would go along…for now. But he wasn’t concerned, he knew what would happen. She was on the cusp and all he had to do was wait for her to fall all the way over the edge. He just had to wait and be patient and he was good at both of those things.

He said, ‘Yeah, it’s like that here, the rain comes suddenly and takes us by surprise, and when it rains, I mean it
rains
, as you can see.’

She smiled, ‘yes, Americans never seem to do anything in small measures.’

He laughed, ‘I suppose that’s can be a good thing
and
a bad thing.’

Then to his chagrin she asked, ‘did I hear you talking to yourself in the bathroom, or were you speaking to someone on your mobile phone?  Just for the record, I sincerely hope it was the latter.’

He managed to answer casually, ‘I was calling the hotel to tell them I wouldn’t be returning there tonight.’ This was true, he had called them. ‘I hope that allays any fears you might have about my sanity.’

She laughed, ‘phew, that’s a relief.’ then as if suddenly realising what he’d said her face took on a concerned expression. He knew of course what she was thinking and he grinned, ‘don’t worry, I told them I was staying with a friend in
Biloxi.’

She looked very relieved then worried again, ‘but your car is parked in the town and people would have seen us leave together earlier.’

'I’ll get up early in the morning before anyone is about and move it. If anyone asks, like your friend old Maxwell, just tell them I put you in a cab and you came home alone. A headache or something.’

‘But that would make it look as though you’d abandoned me for your friend.’

He shrugged then grinned, ‘I put you in a cab didn’t I?’

The look she gave him was a mixture of exasperation and gratitude. He said, ‘don’t worry about what people think about me, I don’t.’

‘Well, thank you, gentleman Hennessey.’

He laughed, ‘I was taught never to compromise a lady’s moral integrity.’

She laughed out loud. ‘Your mama brought her son up very well.’

The smile faded and his face clouded, he looked away but not before she had seen his jaw clench. She wondered what she had said that had caused the smile to vanish and that closed look she had seen before to come down over his face.

He stood up and went towards the door, she looked alarmed and said, ‘are…are you leaving?’

He didn’t look at her as he said; ‘only to go to my car, I’ve left something, something important. I won’t be long; lock the door behind me.’

She watched him leave closing the door behind him; she locked it feeling suddenly very alone, despite what she had said. She desperately wanted him to stay and had been afraid for a moment that she had said something to upset him and he had changed his mind and decided to leave.

He was back in less than ten minutes carrying the box of chocolates he had given to her in the car. He handed them to her saying, ‘in out haste earlier, we forgot these.’

She smiled mostly with relief but also at his thoughtfulness. She took them from him and said, ‘thank you so much, but there was no need for you to go and get them now, they would have done tomorrow.’

He reached out to take them from her, ‘I’ll take them back then shall I?’

She held them to her chest, ‘oh no you don’t, I’ve told you, chocolates are very important to me, I’ll fight to the death for them.’

He smiled broadly but was thinking, chocolates won’t be the only thing you’ll be fighting to the death for very soon, Miss. Faraday.

She said, ‘I won’t open them now, my tongue is a little sore and I don’t want to wipe off the antiseptic you put on either.’

She saw his cheek bones move up and down as his face
hardened and knew he was thinking about how she had been injured. To distract him she said, ‘I’ll open them when I’m all alone so as not to let my good manners get the better of my common sense and feel compelled to share them.’

He laughed out loud, ‘good for you, there ought to be at least one thing we feel selfish about in our lives.’ She laughed too and he said, ‘well I don’t know about you but I’m beat.’

She said, ‘er, yes I am rather tired.’ She was suddenly uncomfortable and embarrassed again, he felt it like a psychical thing.

‘I’ll take you up on that offer of the toothbrush.’ He turned and went into the bathroom leaving her once more staring at the door.

She pulled herself together and quickly tipped the water from the glass she had been holding onto the sink and hurried to the bed. She got in still wearing her dressing gown but once under the covers she removed it, she didn’t want to but if she wore it in bed it would look as though she didn’t trust him, besides, despite the rain it was still much too hot.

She lay tense and anxious, the top cover pulled up to her neck like a shield.

She heard him turn off the tap and a few seconds later the bathroom door open.

She couldn’t decide whether to look at him and say “goodnight” casually as if having a man in her house, in her room was the most natural thing in the world, or to close her eyes and feign sleep, but then who fell asleep that quickly? No one, except perhaps a narcoleptic.  So she smiled at him as he came into the room. He smiled back, but inwardly he was laughing his head off. Just look at her, he thought, lying there like a virgin waiting to be ravished. Well little virgin, your wish is my command. But he played the game he had initiated and walked over to the bed but stopped three feet from it so as not to spook her. She looked at him wide eyed gripping the cover even tighter pulling it up so that it almost covered her mouth. He said simply, ‘goodnight, sleep well.’

She gulped before replying, ‘goodnight, Sterling.’

He stood a moment looking down at her his eyes bright and full of something her inexperienced mind could not name. Then abruptly he turned from her and walked to where the light switch was situated and turned off the lights. The sigh he heard from the bed was one of relief and disappointment, but to his satisfaction more of the latter than the former. He lay down on the sofa put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Adela couldn’t even begin to analyse the array of emotions surging through her. She was relieved that he had not taken what they had been talking about any further. Relieved because she was not sure she was ready, she did not want to disappoint him with her ignorance and inexperience in the bedroom. But she was filled with disappointed that he hadn’t made a move to come to her.