Three Steps to Hell (16 page)

“I wouldn’t mind, the pool looks really inviting.”

“Go on Tom, enjoy yourself for Christ’s sake. Jackie has gone home, no-one will know but us, let your hair down a bit.”

“Okay, sounds great, thank you.”

Maria got up and left the pool area glancing back towards Tom and smiling, “See you in about 20 minutes, please, please relax and enjoy the pool, no-one is around.”

Tom went to the changing room, selected a pair of trunks that he thought would fit and got undressed. Can’t believe this, he thought to himself, Maria Peterson semi-naked, a nice dip in the pool, the boys in the office wouldn’t believe this if I told them. Tom had a good look around and found another door into the sauna. How the other half live, he pondered. Tom enjoyed an invigorating swim. When finished he borrowed one of the luxurious towelling robes from the changing room and lay on a sun lounger at one end of the pool, closed his eyes and for once was able to deeply relax.

“Tom,” Maria spoke louder, “Tom.”

She shook him gently. Tom had dozed off. He opened his eyes feeling a little disorientated then realised where he was. Maria was still in a towelling robe but had dried her hair and done her makeup. She had her hair down and Tom thought how it really suited her, such long dark lustrous curly hair. He imagined briefly what it would feel like to hold her close and run his fingers through those silky curls. Maria looked into his eyes. She had powerful, beautiful, bewitching eyes, almost hypnotic which slightly unnerved him for a few seconds.

“Bless you Tom, you must have been working too hard. Can I get you anything? A coffee, a beer, whisky or anything?”

Tom looked at his watch.

“I’m officially off duty in about 15 minutes so yes a beer would be lovely but just the one because I’m driving.”

“Go and sit at the table, I’ll get a beer, then I can tell you what Colin had to say to me. At least you won’t have to waste your valuable time trying to find him anymore, one case less eh!”

Tom felt a little uncomfortable still in swimming trunks and robe.

“I’d better get changed first”

“No hurry Tom, you’d probably be a bit hot in here in your suit, it’s very humid around the pool, change a bit later.”

Tom moved to the poolside table and sat down. Maria left the room.

Maria returned with two ice cold beers and sat with Tom at the table. She then related a completely fictitious story to him of how Colin had phoned her on his mobile from Girona to apologise for disappearing without a word. That he didn’t really know what to do because he was frightened to face her with the news that he had found a new woman. That he didn’t love her anymore and had decided to make a new life with his new found love in Italy after a short break in Girona. He was fed up with the daily struggle of keeping up with their material wealth and wanted a simpler more fulfilling life. That she wasn’t to worry about him because his new lady friend was a wealthy Italian business woman in her own right and they had met as a result of her purchasing expensive antiques and paintings from him over the last year. Maria stated that she had asked Colin her identity but he had refused to give her name. He had told her not to attempt to try to discover it by looking through his sales records as all her dealings with him had been strictly cash and not recorded. He had said that she could keep everything and continue to run the businesses as she saw fit and if anything needed signing regarding power of attorney to contact their solicitor who knew how to get hold of him. Maria knew that Tom would be fully aware that due to client confidentiality it would be a waste of him time trying to find out Colin’s whereabouts via the solicitor and she would suitably brief him anyway.

“Do you think you can cope with all the business side without his input Maria?”

Maria laughed loudly, “Tom, he’s a playboy. I run it all now and we have been far more successful since I took the helm just after we married. It’s not a problem. I told him you have taken his car to the police compound and he has asked that I collect it and bring it back here and he will fly over to collect it one day in the future.”

“How do you feel about all this Maria?”

“Relieved Tom, neither of us really loved each other in the way necessary for a totally successful marriage, I’m happy he’s okay and truly hope he will be happy in his new life. I expect when things settle I will try to contact him and visit him for old time’s sake. In the meantime good riddance. It’s only one of many love affairs he’s had Tom, I’m happy I don’t have to endure it anymore, he has been a very difficult man to live with.”

Maria even amazed herself at times with her acting skills as she managed successfully to look forlorn, vulnerable and weepy at this juncture.

“Are you okay Maria?”

“Yes, don’t worry Tom, it’s been a strange couple of weeks, honestly I’m pleased it’s over. Not quite how I had imagined everything would turn out but I am a very positive and practical person so I have to now look forward to a new life alone until some gorgeous new man comes along and sweeps me off my feet. Trouble is I’m quite a powerful woman now and I think a lot of men find that scary or intimidating.”

“But I think there is a soft tender loving side in there somewhere Maria.”

“Oh trust me Tom, there is but no man has found it yet!”

“Perhaps things won’t work out between Colin and his new woman and he’ll be back asking for forgiveness.”

“No Tom, people don’t get a second chance with me. I wouldn’t have him back if he came begging. He has made his choice and that’s it. He knows me well enough to understand that there is no return to this marriage now.”

Tom could hear his mobile phone ringing from the changing rooms. He got up and walked towards the changing room to retrieve it. It had stopped by the time he got there. He took the phone back to the table and could see from the screen that it was a missed call from the office.

“That was the office Maria, will you excuse me while I give them a call.”

“Of course Tom.”

Tom returned the call and spoke to Dave Sweeting. He was just checking that Tom was okay as he was due off duty any moment and they hadn’t seen him. Dave spent a little time updating Tom on the results of some other enquiries they had been doing that afternoon.

Whilst he was on the phone Maria went to the changing room gathered up Tom’s clothes and took them to one of the guest bedrooms. She laid them tidily on a chair in the corner of the bedroom and returned to the pool and sat back down. Tom was just finishing on the phone.

“Okay Dave, thanks for the call, I will go home directly from here so book me off and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay Sarge, behave yourself out there.”

Tom ended the call and quickly called Jenny Ryan to check that Misty would be okay with her for the evening.

“Sorry about that Maria.”

“Is everything okay Tom?”

“Yes, just the lads in the office checking I’m okay. Apparently Colin’s mobile phone company have been in touch with some details of calls made from his phone so I can look at those tomorrow.”

“I don’t suppose there is any need to do any more now Tom, now that he has phoned me and we know he’s okay.”

“To finish off a missing persons enquiry we have to see the person and do a quick interview with them Maria to ensure that they are alive, well and okay. Otherwise we can’t close the file. Not even by a phone call. We have to see the individual physically in person.”

Maria’s heart sank, she hadn’t expected this and was suddenly very angry with herself for not considering this possibility.

“But we don’t know where he will be living Tom, I expect he will be in Italy, will you have to go over there?”

“No, I will try to get him via his mobile and then ask either the Spanish Police or Italian Police, depending on where he is, to meet him and quickly interview him, they can do that on my behalf and then we can close the file.”

Maria suddenly felt a little happier as both she and Carlos had very powerful connections in Spain and Italy with some important police contacts on the casual payroll who would probably be quite willing to invent such an interview with Colin for the right fee.

“Oh I see, what if you can’t get hold of him or he doesn’t co-operate?”

“Then the file unfortunately has to stay open until we do, that’s the procedure.”

Maria felt it was time to change the subject.

“Another beer Tom?”

“Well, I’m off duty now, I shouldn’t really, but yes, go on, I’ll live dangerously, I’ll get changed first though.”

“I have moved your clothes up into one of the guest bedrooms Tom, it will be much more comfortable for you getting changed there and you can use the en-suite. There is everything in the en-suite that you might need to shower and freshen up. If you’re off duty why don’t you stay and have dinner with me? Jackie has made the most gorgeous shepherds’ pie, far too much for me on my own.”

One of Tom’s weaknesses was homemade shepherds’ pie, his favourite meal.

“I would love to,” he replied.

They got up from the table and Maria led him into the main body of the house and upstairs to a palatial guest suite. Tom walked to the window and took in the breathtaking views over the rocky coast and out to sea.

“What a view!”

“Yes, that’s why I loved this house so much Tom, the views from up here over East Point are priceless.”

Maria showed him where she had put his clothes and where everything was in the en-suite area.

“What a beautiful room. How many bedrooms have you got here?”

“Eight Tom. It’s a nightmare for poor Jackie though, eight en-suites to clean! Just before I leave you alone to get washed and changed Tom, could you do me a favour?”

“Yes, of course.”

Maria went into the en-suite and from the cupboard below the sink took a bottle of coconut body moisturiser cream. She returned to the bedroom.

“Every time I swim the chlorine really dries my skin out Tom, could you put some of this moisturiser on my back then I’ll leave you in peace?”

Tom felt a little unnerved by this request but the pure excitement of being around this gorgeous woman pretty much cancelled it out completely. Maria stood near the bottom of the king-sized bed, turned away from Tom and dropped her robe to her waist. She had no bra on and pulled her long curly hair forwards in front of her shoulders and waited.

Tom poured some of the moisturiser into the palm of his hand and started gently massaging the cream across Maria’s shoulders and the top of her back. She had perfect olive silk like skin and an incredibly shapely and beautiful back. Tom’s original nervousness had quickly subsided and an excitement that he hadn’t experienced for a very long time filled his body. He became more experimental with his hand strokes across her shoulders and around the nape of her neck and noticed that it was giving her goose pimples.

“You have a hidden talent Tom, magical hands, don’t forget my lower back will you?”

At this she dropped her robe to the floor revealing nothing but a skimpy red silky thong embellished at the back with a small diamante heart. He finished her back.

“All done Maria.”

She turned round to face him revealing the most incredible body Tom had ever set his eyes on. She looked deep into his eyes and smiled as she undid his robe. Once again Tom was semi hypnotised by her astonishing eyes. By this point he could not hide his excitement. Maria’s hand ventured into his open robe, pulled down his trunks and she took him into her hand.

“Well, Tom, what do you suppose we should do with this?”

Tom couldn’t speak. Maria dropped to her knees in front of him and took him in her mouth slowly sucking and licking his erection. She stood up again and manoeuvred him to a sitting position on the end of the bed and completely removed his robe and trunks.

“You have a fine body Tom.”

He held her hands, pulled her close towards him so that her breasts were directly in front of his face. He gently sucked and teased at her nipples with his tongue and caressed her buttocks gently with his hands. He slowly removed her thong drawing it down over her silken thighs. He could feel her excitement. He looked up towards her face, her eyes had changed, open wide and aroused. He stood in front of her face to face, embraced her naked body and they kissed hungrily and passionately. Maria pushed him backwards onto the soft bed and once again took him into her mouth. She sensed he was nearing orgasm so stopped, moved forwards and sat astride him. She felt him deep inside her and rode him gently and deeply until both had reached climax. Tom had never had such an amazing orgasm. They embraced and lay side by side on the sumptuous bed. Neither spoke.

Tom suddenly had a pang of conscience. What the hell have you done, you will regret this, it’ll all end in tears and many other thoughts of how unprofessional his behaviour had been and how it might affect his job if it ever surfaced at work how he had spent his afternoon at East Point.

Maria looked at him, stroked his chest and said,

“Tom, stop thinking, I never imagined you to be such a worrier, you always seem so strong and confident. Please don’t worry because that was very special.”

“I’m just having a pang of conscience, that’s all.”

“Well stop it, that was amazing, I enjoyed every minute more than you can know.” She kissed him gently on the lips.

“It certainly was Maria, your beauty is purely staggering. I would never have thought you could be so passionate and sensitive.”

“There you go Tom, not the stern business woman after all eh?”

Tom put his arms round her, drew her close and kissed her with incredible tenderness, after which they laid quietly together revelling in the incredible experience they had just shared.

After a long period of silence, Tom raised his body off the bed, lent over, kissed Maria and said,

“I’d better have that shower now Maria. I don’t know what to say other than that was one of the most wonderful and most exciting sexual experiences of my life.”

Maria smiled and replied,

“Well Tom, perhaps we will have to repeat it sometime.”