The Italian's Challenge - Excerpt
Chapter 1
SO this was Brisbane, Andreas mused. He watched the cityscape slide by the closed window of the air-conditioned taxi, critically, almost analytically. The skyline was no different from a thousand other cities around the world. There was a difference though. It lay in the approaches to the city, where the people lived out their lives at work, play or family. Then the commercial centre itself often bore a differing atmosphere. Business was business but attitudes and approaches to commerce were - different. New York operated at a feverish, frenetic pitch, almost as if the people knew they had a limited life span. London operated at a more sedate pace, almost as if to even think of walking at a faster pace or longer stride was the equivalent of asking the British to drink poison. Tokyo operated somewhere in between: people going about their business at almost a trot but not harried or hurried. New Yorkers tended to attack before they were attacked, Londoners were uncaring in their protocols, but the Japanese were most reserved and aware. Even here in Australia, there were differences. Sydney had been offhand, Melbourne was hassled, Perth was lax, and Adelaide sedate. It would be interesting to see what Brisbane would be. He had a week to find out.
As the city drew closer, Andreas was aware of a sensation he had not experienced for—Oh, six years now. It was an awareness of another.
I must be more tired than I think. Ruth is a lifetime in the past. The little tramp! She hammered home the lessons my parents had tried to teach me in one way or another, and far more effectively.
Still, he had never before, nor since, experienced that awareness of another on levels he had never known existed.
He sighed as the taxi slid to a halt at the hotel. That was one thing at least in Brisbane’s favour. The hotel was right in the heart of the business district. From the maps his new possible partner had sent him via e-mail, he could walk from the hotel to all his meetings. This particular associate was more savvy than usual by all reports. The detailed maps were only a part of the brief emailed to him. A complete list of hotels, prospective sites, restaurants, taxi and private car hire companies had been sent as well.
He alighted from the taxi, paid the driver with cash and added a healthy tip, before striding into the foyer. A quick glance at his wristwatch told him he had time for a quick shower if the reception staff did not dawdle over their work as they had in Adelaide, double booked him as they had in Melbourne, or lost the booking completely as they had in Perth. At least something was going right, he thought as he followed the hotel porter into his suite. He listened attentively as the man pointed out features of the room, the folder with operating instructions for the television, plugging in laptops for email and internet, the telephone and beverage making.
Andreas answered the telephone as he combed his hair. He could have stayed under the hot needle spray for another hour easily.
“Your escort has arrived, Mr Casselli” the concierge remarked politely.
“Escort?” Andreas queried surprised. That was definitely something new to him.
“Apparently the meeting venue has been changed” the concierge responded after a brief pause.
Andreas sighed. Now what has gone wrong? Just when I was thinking, everything was going right for once too. “I will meet them at the desk” he replied.
Andreas approached the desk with briefcase in hand and curiosity in check. There was no use in trying to fathom the whys of anything now. At least his associate was not leaving him standing for want of an explanation.
“Mr Casselli?” a soft voice queried. “Melissa Derwent.” A slender hand extended in confidence. “My father has asked me to take you to him.” She smiled disarmingly. “It isn’t far but the building is a bit of a rabbit warren.”
Andreas returned the smile. The girl exuded a confidence that was at variance with her youth. He guessed her age to be about eighteen. A most unusual young woman, he thought. She was dressed smartly, in a no-nonsense manner yet with a hint of femininity that was charming. He fell into step beside her. “You work in the city?” he asked noticing the smart satchel she carried.
“Not really. I have a business function later tonight and meetings with my supervisor, executive and team leader.”
“Busy lady” Andreas commented.
“Afraid so” Melissa replied easily. “Made busier by Dad’s car being in dock. Reason two why I got chauffeur duty today” she smiled, turning into a small laneway. “At least I got free parking for the day,” she added impishly. “This is the back door to the building but the quickest way to where Dad is. Uncle Paul sprained his ankle this morning and is being a pain about keeping off it. That is the reason for the change in venue.”
Andreas nodded and watched surprised as Melissa used an encoded swipe card to access the building. Still, he reflected, who would have thought the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York could occur. It was better to be over cautious and safe than arrogant and sorry.
I wish this feeling of awareness would go away.
“Here we are, Dad,” Melissa announced. “Safe and sound.”
“So I see,” James Derwent remarked dryly. “Thank you, sweetie.”
“Sweetie!” The man seated behind the desk growled in disgust.
“Didn’t you know Uncle Paul? I’m so-o-o sweet I’m sickly” Melissa reparteed. “Now behave yourself and I’ll let you take me for coffee tonight. Of course you’ll have to sit through two hours of hype and pep talk.”
“Drive carefully, Mel” Paul adjured suddenly poker faced. There was no way she is going to get me near that place. How James allowed her to con him into joining the company, I have no idea.
“You walk carefully,” Melissa returned. “Five-thirty, Dad” she added, blowing the two men a kiss. She disappeared out the door on her words and a wriggle of fingers.
“Andreas” James greeted. “My partner and brother-in-law, Paul.”
“You must forgive Mel” Paul interjected. “Her sense of humour is still in the classroom.”
Andreas’ eyebrow flew upwards in unconcealed surprise. He judged Miss Melissa to be a most mature young lady – young and youthful but still mature. A most refreshing change in this age where teenagers could be older than Methuselah and octogenarians could be younger than pre-schoolers.
“You will be there Paul, so quit trying to wriggle out of it.” James was really laying the law down to the younger man.
“Oh why?” Paul asked curiously. For all their age differences, he and James rarely fought over anything. It was most unusual for James to lay the law down to him.
“My car is in dock – broken alternator. Mel is chauffeur.”
“Oh lord! Not the little deuce coupe,” Paul almost wailed.
“Not yet. She still has the Falcon,” James said kindly. “Now to business. Andreas will think he is here on a wild goose chase and under false pretences otherwise.”
Andreas was beginning to wonder exactly that. He was swiftly disabused of the notion. The two men were very perceptive executives who knew their work and were hard negotiators. He could see where Signorina Melissa got her confidence.
The project was interesting. The men needed the cash injection and markets that he could provide and he needed a toehold in Australia, which the men could provide. The two men had spent many years in establishing and building their reputations and business, and it showed. They had done their homework superbly well.
All three men looked up as the door opened and Melissa walked in. Was it five thirty already? A swift glance at the wall-mounted clock told them that it was. Where had the time flown? They seemed to have got a lot and yet very little done.
“Aww, Mel” Paul protested. Since when have you taken to wearing red lipstick? Why does James let you wear it? What you need, girl, is a good paddling on your shapely derriere.
“Okay” Melissa shrugged. “You can stay,” she said magnanimously. Paul was instantly suspicious. “We will pick you up on our way back about eleven thirty.”
“Eleven thirty!” Paul was shocked. “Why so late?” he demanded. Why does James let a child stay up so late? At eleven-thirty, you should be sound asleep in bed.
“Coffee” Melissa returned. “Are you staying and dying of thirst or are you coming?”
“I’ll come” Paul admitted grudgingly. “But not in the little deuce coupe” he warned darkly.
“I haven’t got it yet” Melissa retorted. “And when I do get it, you can bet your last dollar that you aren’t going to drive it. Why, I may not even let you sit in it!” She turned to Andreas. “What of you Mr Casselli?” she asked. “You are most welcome to join us.”
“Won’t I throw the numbers out?” Andreas asked.
“No. It is open to anyone. You might enjoy it.”
“Mel, do use your brain” Paul scathed. “The man runs multi billion dollar businesses. What would he find interesting or enjoyable in your little business?”
“Two hours Uncle Paul” Melissa said darkly. Trust you, Paul, to be so cutting and belittling of my efforts. Why can’t you be pleased for once? You are in for a shock if ever you sat down and looked through the books. Dad and Tommy have seen to all the paper work that sees the business solely in me name, this morning. “And for your information, Mr Casselli may just enjoy being part of another’s success.”
“Give it up Paul” James said warningly. Paul desisted. James did not lose his temper very often but when it came to Janet and Melissa, he could lose it without any difficulty. It was rare, but he had been on the receiving end of his partner and brother-in-law’s temper. “It is Andreas’ decision.”
“I’ll come” Andreas said calmly. He studied the two men and the girl curiously. James and Melissa are calm, confident. Paul is fighting, struggling, with demons. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the man.
“I take it tonight is a big night for Melissa” Andreas remarked to Paul as he walked beside the hobbling man to the lift. James and Melissa were ahead of them. James was talking Melissa through a short speech.
“Yes” Paul admitted. “The company she is with has levels of achievement,” Paul explained. “Tonight she receives her first pin.”
“Her mother?” Proving, Andreas thought, you know more about Miss Melissa’s company and her progress with her career than you let on to her.
“Janet has an exam tonight. Melissa had a celebratory lunch with her. Otherwise, we would be taking a limo complete with champagne. Today is actually quite a day.”
“She is a most unusual young lady” Andreas commented. “She will go far.”
“She will at that,” Paul admitted on a sigh. Where has the little girl gone? In fact where has the giggly teenager gone?
Andreas waited patiently for Paul to manoeuvre himself into the front seat of the Falcon. He handed James the crutches to place in the boot of the car and then slid into the seat behind Paul.
“Where are we going?” Paul grouched.
Andreas hid a grin. Paul was showing the classic signs of a teenager in love for the first time. When a thirty-year-old male exhibited those signs, he was fighting a losing battle and knew it.
“Springwood” Melissa replied. She neatly and expertly turned the car into the traffic. “Do you like Thai food, Mr Casselli?”
“Andreas, please” Andreas remarked. Mr Casselli made him feel like Methuselah. “And yes, I like Thai food.”
“What would you have done if he hadn’t?” Paul sniped.
“There’s always hamburger’s!” Melissa spat back.
Paul desisted. Melissa had dragged him into McDonald’s on more than one occasion. He had to admit that she deserved everything she asked for tonight.
Andreas looked around the crowded room. He sat beside Paul who was sitting between James and himself. The noise level was high. How anyone could hear whoever was speaking to him, or her, was a mystery. Most of his business gatherings were more – subdued. That could have been because they were held in a larger room, or because there was not the level of emotion present. He frowned thoughtfully. That prickling awareness was assailing him again. It was worse than before - stronger, more intense. This time it was a prickling at the nape of his neck, and in his thumbs. He shrugged. No doubt, he would come to some conclusion about it before the night was over. He was operating on autopilot as he acknowledged greetings and introductions, shook hands with both male and female, and partook in glorious chitchat that did not tax his brain. Jetlag and hectic schedules were catching up on him fast. Melissa was an able guide and hostess, deflecting most of the curiosity about him and keeping the talk on most incongruous subjects.
He sat through the half-hour hype session as the emcee spoke about the company. He frowned thoughtfully, listening carefully. It was a concept he had heard about but not in any detail. It was an attractive model - not a suitable form of company for his business but still an interesting idea.
He started as music, over-loud as usual, blared out and people started to leave their seats and move towards the front of the room. Melissa was one. He watched the tall straight back move along the line of well-wishers and congratulators. He had to admit the atmosphere was energising. Melissa was correct. It was pleasing to share another’s success. What was even more pleasurable and surprising was seeing others sharing that success. It was very different from other award nights he had attended. Perhaps he could borrow the format and adapt it to his business. He tended to forget that others worked for him and with him to make Anselli the success it was.
A chestnut head moving along the far side of the room caught his attention. There was something familiar about it.
Those curls look as if they are made for running hands through – a man’s hands, spreading it over his silk covered pillow, his dark hair-covered chest, wrapping it around his wrist, clenching fistfuls of it in the throes of passion - just as he had Ruth’s short cap of glorious locks. Ruth. What was the tramp doing now? Probably conning some other poor sucker with her sweet and temperate ways that hid a heart of stone.
That prickling awareness had intensified, spreading from the back of his neck and thumbs to his belly and loins. Even the arches of his feet, the backs of his knees and the palms of his hands were prickling.
He watched as Melissa moved across the line, exchanging hugs and air kisses, and then crossed to the woman who had caught his attention. He watched as Melissa bent down to the smaller woman and stood patiently while she fiddled with her lapel. The hugs the two women exchanged were warm and showed a depth of emotion that appeared to be missing from the others. Together they turned and faced the room.
He stilled into perfect motionlessness. Through the sea of heads, his dark chocolate brown eyes met green-grey eyes. Other than a brief widening of green-grey eyes and an even briefer moment of stillness, not a hint of recognition was betrayed. In fact, Andreas could doubt if she had even seen him. The chestnut head turned slightly to Melissa and a brief word exchanged as well as a bunch of flowers and a tiny gift-wrapped present. What Melissa and the others said in their brief speeches Andreas had no idea. His attention focused solely upon the small woman by Melissa’s side. The two women walked back down the far aisle amongst the small crowd of achievers. He watched them as much as he could without betraying his interest.
Ruth… Here in Brisbane. I’m sure she said she lived in Sydney. How well does Melissa know her? I need to talk to her about her – friend. I also need to develop a strategy in regards to Ruth. Am I strong enough to meet her and not fall into her clutches again? Oh, yes. Knowing Ruth is like being immunised against measles. You may catch the illness but it is never as severe.
The evening formalities over, Melissa fetched Paul a cup of coffee and introduced more people to her three guests. She was aglow with more than the attainment of a goal.
“Lovely flowers, Melissa,” someone, a woman Andreas noted, commented. “I thought Rhu did not believe in buying flowers.”
“These are from Adrianna and Bianca” Melissa replied with a smile. She touched the petal of a flower with a gentle finger. She had unceremoniously placed the flowers in Paul’s lap for safekeeping.
“Ah, their garden” another remarked.
“Adrianna’s garden and Bianca’s craft box” a third corrected. “Didn’t Rhu stay?”
“No. Her mother is not well” Melissa replied.
“Are you joining the company, Andreas?” the first woman asked.
“No” Andreas replied. Why did he feel he was being hunted? His own business was still in need of more attention than he wanted to admit, and he was neglecting the family’s companies to the extent that he had already taken a call from his cousin and eldest sister expressing their concern. Vincenzo he could accept for the older man was genuinely concerned about him, personally, rather than the business. Lucia was a different matter, being more concerned with the amount of income she was not getting and in danger of losing.
“What business are you in?”
“Personally I am in finance” Andreas responded. Would any one of them make the connection? He doubted it. Melissa had merely introduced him by his Christian name.
“Look Anna, we will have to fly” Melissa smiled at the woman. “Andreas only flew in this afternoon and Paul went on the injured list this morning.”
With an aplomb that was worthy of his ancestress, the Greek Princess, she swept the three men out of the room and into her car. Andreas smiled at her gratefully. Anna had a most predatory gleam in her eye. He was also amused to hear her call Paul, Paul and not Uncle. The loud chiming of “Happy Birthday”, midway through her speech, she had explained away as a ‘reminder to someone that circumstances change’. He had no doubt that the message was deliberately aimed at Paul. Melissa is no longer a little girl, but a woman. Paul, my friend, you are a hunted man.
“And is Rhu’s mother ill?” Paul asked as he fingered one of the blooms in his lap.
“Yes” Melissa replied guiding the car through the maze of back streets and back into the stream of traffic on the freeway. “A cold” she elaborated. “The doctor’s want to operate and this cold has set the operation back at least three months. Rhu is milking it for all its worth.”
“Ruth is an old fashioned name” Andreas remarked idly.
“Not Ruth, Rhu” Melissa corrected. “Pronounced the same way as the herb but spelt R-h-u.”
“Unusual” Andreas remarked glad of the shadows in the car to mask his surprise. ‘My name is not Ruth, but you can call me that if you like.’ He could hear his Ruth’s words as clear as crystal. He had teased her about the Biblical Ruth.
“She is an unusual lady” James replied with a soft smile. Rhu had saved his wife and his marriage.
“So what is your next step, Mel?” Paul asked.
“A few more achievement pins” Melissa replied lightly.
“Not the Little Deuce Coupe?” Oh, Lord. I will never hear the end of it if when she wins that sports car she has her eye on. She will kill herself in it. What imbecile dreamt up the idea of a car for an achievement award?
“Still a few months away. Cheer up Paul. Next year I might take you to the States for a holiday.”
“Oh, really?” Paul scathed.
“Yes really” Melissa returned. “Here we are Andreas,” she added turning into the customer set down area of the hotel.
“Thank you Melissa” Andreas smiled stepping from the car. “I enjoyed tonight. Congratulations again.”
“Thank you” Melissa smiled. “Call me if you need a chauffeur.”
“I will” Andreas smiled. He watched the car pull away. Paul, you may as well surrender to the inevitable, he thought. Melissa is going for the kill and will not be satisfied with anything less than a lifetime commitment. She is truly a mature young lady. It is a great pity other females, no matter their age, are so immature –sister Lucia included.
He entered the hotel and rode the lift to his floor. It was time he caved into the inevitable and took some action himself. The question was, what was the best way to go about it, rather than when. Any number of scenarios presented themselves to him as he rode the lift, entered his suite and showered. Finally, he reached for his mobile. There was always a place to start and the more information he had the better he could devise strategies. He punched in a series of numbers and waited patiently for the call to connect.
“Rourke” he greeted. “I want some personal information on someone,” he announced.
“Really?” Rourke said dryly. “It couldn’t wait for a more reasonable time?” he sighed. “What kind of information?” he went on.
“Address, family, lovers, employment.”
“Ah, the usual,” Rourke remarked. “And I suppose you want it last week too” he scathed.
“Yes” Andreas replied. Rourke was one of the best.
“Some details would be a help. Like a name” Rourke scathed lightly. Honestly, some people think I have ESP.
“Rhu Davenport. Rhu is spelt R-h-u. She lives in Brisbane.”
“Australia huh? I heard you were making a move in that direction. Anything else?”
“No. Just whatever you can find out no matter how trivial it is.”
“Email or fax?”
“Email and destroy.”
“Okay” Rourke said easily. “Get off the phone and let me work.”
A soft buzz in Andreas’ ear told him Rourke had gone. He strolled over to the window and looked out over the neon lit city. His thoughts turned to Rhu.
What had she been doing in the last six years? Did she still like to wander along the beach in bare feet because she hated sand in her shoes? Ach! Why worry?
Rourke’s report would tell him the cold, hard facts in minute detail.
He turned towards the bed. He may as well get some sleep in. No doubt, Rhu will be sleeping soundly. He had never known anyone who could sleep like Ruth. She slept through alarms, smashing beds, and thunderstorms. He was convinced she could sleep through a bomb explosion.
Rhu looked into the large bedroom and smiled softly. Light from the bright moon outside the window and from the landing, lit the room well enough for her to see her bed clearly. She walked into the room and tucked the little arm back under the sheet.
“Mum-mum” was the sleepy greeting.
“Yes sweetie” Rhu replied softly. “What are you doing here in my bed?” she asked softly.
“B’anca not happy.”
The girls had never explained what caused Bianca, the youngest of the twins, to have these fits of mild melancholy. However, she had noticed that Bianca was more empathetic to herself and Adrianna than most other children were to their mother and siblings.
“Is that why you are cuddling her?”
“Yes.”
“Good. She will feel better then. You go to sleep too. Okay?”
“’Kay” was the sleepy reply.
Rhu smiled and brushed the soft forehead of her eldest-by-an-hour daughter. Adrianna was not a mother hen by nature, but when Bianca was ill, she was almost manic. Both girls often sought refuge and comfort in her big bed. With a sigh, she undressed, donned a nightgown and cleaned her skin.
She made her way back downstairs to the kitchen. “How were they?” she asked her mother. She took the mug of peppermint tea with a smile of thanks.
“Exhausting,” admitted Julie. She studied her daughter carefully through a bout of coughing. There was something – odd, unsettled about her.
Rhu got up, went to the fridge, and drew out a tray of bottles. She shook several tablets into her hand and then handed them to her mother with a glass of filtered water. “Try them Mum,” she instructed.
“You know that is a lot of rubbish” Julie scathed lightly.
“I know you believe it, but I also know that the girls and I do not go down with half the colds and flu that others do. You know it too. Will it really hurt?”
“I guess not,” Julie conceded. She took the tablets and swallowed them.
“Do you want to stay here or go home?” Rhu asked.
“Oh home” Julie replied with a smile. “There is nothing like home.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Thanks anyway darling.” Julie paused, collecting her thoughts and choosing her words with care. “How was the evening?” Rhu had been torn between going and staying. She had to pull the ‘I-know-best’ stern mother stunt to get her to go.
“Okay” Rhu replied. “Everything went according to plan. Melissa spoke beautifully. Paul is a haunted man though.”
“He’ll survive” Julie retorted. “He is not the first man to fall for a younger woman.”
“You tell him that. At least he isn’t as old as her father.”
“That is true. Now tell me what else happened.”
“Nothing. I arrived in time for the pinning and left straight after as I intended.”
“You may hate being late, but not to this extent” Julie retorted.
Rhu grimaced. Mothers! I hope my own daughters do not say the same about me. “Mum, I knew I was going to be late” Rhu said gently. “And nothing happened.” It was the literal truth anyway. “Mel loved the girls’ flowers.”
“And your gift?”
“I told her to open it at home,” Rhu admitted. “That is the third yawn you’ve smothered.”
“A gentle hint?”
“Of course. You’re the one who wants to go home!”
“A distance of what? Fifty metres?”
“About that” Rhu laughed. It was less than that but her mother always exaggerated the distance. “I’ll send the girls over in the morning with some more pills.”
“Below the belt, darling.”
“Because you can’t tell them a lie? Off you go. I have some work to do. Then I’m for bed.”
“Night darling.”
“Night Mum.” Rhu sighed as the door closed behind her mother.
She entered her office, sat at her desk, and turned the computer on. With steely determination, she applied herself to the bookwork. That completed and up to date, she turned to the Internet. What she was looking for should not take that long.
Two hours later, she gave up the attempt to sleep. With a daughter snuggled into each side of her, she let her mind rove.
What the hell was Andreas doing here in Brisbane? Well that one was easy to answer – business. Andreas lived and breathed work. He always had. He was a high achiever naturally even if his family hadn’t expected it. Oh boy, was he a high achiever. At twenty-two, he was assistant manager of a five star hotel and looking to work his way through the ranks to a directorship and a place on the board. He had probably made it too! Finance had always been an interest to him and he taught me the very basics of share trading.
Tonight, seeing him across the room had thrown her. She had honestly thought their paths would never cross again. His life was in Italy, hers in Australia. She had no intention of visiting Italy again – ever. Her one and only trip resulted in a holiday romance that had had far-reaching consequences for her. Not that it had ended in a fit of anger, recriminations and accusations. Oh, nothing so melodramatic. There was no jealous fiancée, or lover, telling her lies. Her holiday, visa and money were always of a set and limited duration. She had been under no illusions of grand romantic love with promises of undying love and long-term commitment. She had, perhaps, the idea of exploring the relationship further through the medium of letters but that was a different story.
Her holiday over, she had flown back to Sydney, spent the weekend with her parents before travelling to Brisbane where she worked as a waitress. Within two weeks of returning, the restaurant had closed; within two months, she had known she was pregnant. Within two days of that discovery, she had been served with one weeks’ notice to vacate her studio apartment. In shock she had spent the next week frantically finding somewhere to live, fighting off morning sickness, that lasted twenty-four seven for three months, and looking for work. Even so, she had managed to write a letter to Andreas. When it returned, unopened, she had tried to contact him one more time. When that letter too returned unopened, she had accepted the message and got on with her life.
Could I have been mistaken tonight? No way, Jose.
Andreas had always had a presence about him that preceded him like a sci-fi force shield. People watched him approach before he was close enough to see. The man was really quite short, standing about five foot five inches. It went beyond charisma. It was almost as if angelic heralds trumpeted his arrival in readiness.
She had always known when he was near. Her skin tingled as if a thousand fireflies were doing a minuet just beneath its surface. If they were together, she could swear they could read each other’s thoughts. Oh yes, it was Andreas all right.
No other man on earth had eyes the colour of dark chocolate. Those eyes could melt frozen rock with their warmth or freeze flaming volcanoes with their coldness. Besides there was not one nuance that she did not see regularly in her daughters in spite of their platinum blonde hair and peaches and cream complexion.
So what to do now? Try to contact him again? He sat between Paul and James. Melissa would know where he is staying. What reason could she have for doing so? Old times sake? Not likely. Andreas was no monk. He was in fact a damn good lover. Such was his skill, she doubted if he realised she had been a virgin. Every girl should have an Andreas as her first lover. She doubted if that holiday romance even impinged upon his memory.
One thing for certain, he is not going to find me a push over if he wants a fling while he is here. Nor is he going to get within speaking distance of my babies – if I can help it. Her arms tightened slightly in fierce protection around each small body snuggled into her. They had been the centres of her life since the moment she had become aware that she was pregnant. Everything she had done since then, she had done with them in mind.
Andreas read his email from Rourke even as the small printer printed it out. He read the details for a third time.
Name: Rhu Annabelle Davenport. Age: twenty-three; So the little tramp had been seventeen when she had bedded him!. Address: Kurwongbah; Where was that?. Employment: Unknown. Income: Unknown believed to be investments. Relationships: Currently single and not involved with any person. Family - parents: Frederick John Deceased (three years ago, he noted idly) and Julie Kathryn. Twin daughters Adrianna Constance and Bianca Pleasance aged five years… My daughters? The times were right enough.
His brain reverberated with the shockwaves. The bitch! She had stolen his seed and kept his daughters from him. He felt as if an iron fist had punched him in the stomach. A hole he never knew existed suddenly opened in the region of his chest and stomach and it was sickening.
My daughters. She had my babies and hadn’t bothered to inform me of it. What did she plan to do with them? Turn up in twenty years time and demand their share of my wealth? They are my heirs! How dare she keep them from me? My daughters are heiresses to more than my personal fortune! They are heiresses to my family’s wealth and titles.
He scanned the report once more looking for a contact phone number. Rourke would not have overlooked that bit of information. He reached for his mobile phone. How best to handle the bitch of a slut? He would not reveal his knowledge of his daughters. That would be his trump card. However, the bitch would pay, and dearly, for that. With impatience, he waited for the phone to connect. Damn, an answering service.
“Hello. You have reached Rhu’s phone. Please leave your name and contact number and I will get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Rhu, meet me at midday sharp.” He named one of the five-star hotels in the heart of the city. There, that should do it. Useful things - answering machines. Now the big questions is - will she show? Oh yes. She would show, if only to discover how much he knew.
Rhu snatched up her mobile phone just as the message ended. Blast! It hadn’t taken him long to find her at all… one short night in fact. I should have known he would be staying at the best hotel in town. At least she would be dressed for it. She was meeting a prospect at Strathpine at ten o’clock and then she had a presentation tonight that she needed to prepare for this afternoon. With a little luck, she could do it.
Luck, ha! She had learnt that whatever luck befell her came from her own hard work. She had worked hard and long building her business. Building her confidence, self-esteem and image had taken even harder and longer work. Andreas would not be able to steam roll his way into her life. She was no longer a love struck, unsure, gangly seventeen-year-old, with more arrogance than bravado. She was now a businesswoman, and a mother.
“Mum-mum” Bianca called tugging her hand.
“Yes, darling?”
“B’anca sad.”
“Are you?” Rhu smiled down at her daughter. “What has made you sad?” Bianca had a unique way of expressing ownership.
“Don’t know” Bianca remarked.
“Is it a sick sad?”
“No.”
“Is it a school sad?” Bianca was not overly fond of school even though she liked some aspects of it. The school had separated the two girls and placed them in separate classes. However, the two girls became upset, and had mounted, what one teacher described as, a terror campaign. Bianca had never forgiven the teachers for it. They were happy enough in separate groups so long as they could see and reach each other.
“No.”
“Do you want time to think about it?”
“Yes.”
“With Adrianna?”
“Yes.”
“On the way to school?”
“’Kay.”
“Then let’s go eat breakfast and get your bag packed” Rhu smiled down at her.
“Adri not like lunch” Bianca commented on her way down the hall to the kitchen.
“So I saw,” Rhu remarked. Adrianna preferred fresh vegetables and fruit while Bianca preferred pre-packed food. She had learned to pack them the same lunch and to ignore all pleas to the contrary. The little terrors were quite capable of swapping each other’s lunches.
“You have meeting Mum-mum?” Adrianna asked, already half way through her breakfast.
“Yes” Rhu replied.
Adrianna was most independent and liked to get her own breakfast. She had more fruit pieces than cereal in her bowl. About two-thirds more, Rhu noted ruefully. Bianca was more balanced, though she too tended to eat more fruit than cereal.
Rhu walked into the hotel exactly on time. She walked to the concierge desk, ignoring the appreciative looks sent her way by the staff and other customers. With crisp conciseness, she asked for Andreas.
Andreas walked into the lobby to find Rhu studying a painting. He watched her unobserved for a brief moment. This older Rhu was even more attractive than the younger Ruth. Back then her glorious hair had been short and a riot of curls. Now it was longer, shone with health and vitality, and enchantingly tamed into a curtain of rich silk. Delicious. He liked it. It begged to have a man’s hands playing and tangling in it. Her clothes too, bore no resemblance to those of the young Ruth. That Ruth wore cheap and nasty for the sake of fashion. This Rhu wore more expensive and better quality attire, with greater attention to versatility and to what suited her.
Rhu turned, catching him off guard. “Hello Andreas” she greeted calmly.
“Ruth” Andreas returned. Had her voice always been so pleasantly husky, so – so - melodious? That was the word he was seeking. He did not recall it being so cultured though. Neither of them extended a hand in greeting. “I have a table reserved. Shall we go in?”
“By all means” Rhu returned. “Curiosity begs, what are you doing in Australia? As far as I knew, your interests were predominantly European with a dash of Arabia and Near East.”
“That is true” Andreas replied. “We have diversified over the past five years and into more non-European countries.”
“Watch the US,” she warned.
“Oh why?” he asked amused. Rhu would not have insider information on the American economy and political climate. It would be interesting to hear her reasoning.
“No one has ever called it an empire but that is what it is. Like empires all over the world before it, it will come tumbling down.”
“I will keep it mind” Andreas remarked dryly.
“You do that,” Rhu returned. It would be interesting if anyone really listened to her, and then give her credit for forecasting it. “So what brings you to little old Australia?”
“And Brisbane in particular? Business.”
“With James and Paul? You were always interested in property development and not just hotels.”
Andreas shrugged. My, she was good. He had not realised she knew him so well on two weeks acquaintance. He saw her seated at the table. The waiter handed her a menu. He watched as she scanned it quickly and then promptly closed it.
“A fruit platter and peppermint tea, please” she smiled.
That smile rocked Andreas. It was friendly, warm and definitely non-sexual, but how it knocked the socks off him. The waiter would no doubt be walking on Cloud Nine for the rest of the day. He now, was not going to be comfortable for some time – physically and mentally, he admitted to himself. He had never felt such possessiveness with another female like he did with Ruth, and that possessiveness appeared to have transferred to this new Rhu.
“So Andreas” Rhu said calmly. “What was so important that you couldn’t leave a telephone number? What was so important that we just had to meet again?”
Andreas drew a sharp breath. Ruth had definitely changed. She had never been so confident or so much in command. “Why no contact, Ruth?”
“The name is Rhu,” Rhu corrected gently. “Let me put it this way Andreas. You knew I was only on holiday, had my return flight booked, and had very limited money. There was no way I could afford to miss that plane.”
He was silent as the waiter expertly placed their orders before them. “That is true,” Andreas admitted grudgingly.
“Good. Just to put your mind at rest. I did write to you on my return. I sent the letter to the hotel where you worked. It returned, unopened, with ‘Not known at this address’ on it. What was I suppose to do?”
Andreas frowned. He had worked at the hotel for another two months after Rhu had left. Then he transferred to the Head Office. Mail was sent on to him. “Are you certain?”
“Oh yes. I wrote a second letter before I had received the first back. It too, returned unopened. I took it to mean I was a pleasant interlude, but out of sight out of mind and you had moved on.” She shrugged dismissingly with a nonchalance that spoke of acceptance. “So I moved on too.”
“So I see.”
“I doubt it,” Rhu bit back. He would never know the struggle she had weathered in the twelve months after her return from that holiday.
“How did you meet the Derwents?”
“Janet fainted at my feet. Melissa was almost manic with fear.”
“Do you see them often?”
“No. I have a business relationship with Melissa.”
“How long have you been in business? Melissa told me you were her sponsor and team leader.”
“Put it that way, yes.”
“You haven’t answered the first part of the question Ruth.”
“My name is Rhu not Ruth. Please to remember it.”
Andreas was amused at the rebuke but accepted it easily enough. The Ruth he remembered was no longer in evidence he had to admit.
“As to how long I have been in business,” Rhu continued smoothly, “six years. I’m surprised your spy didn’t find that out.”
“Now why do you think that I have a spy?”
“Let’s see. Andreas Casselli, CEO of Casselli Enterprises, MD and owner of Anselli Finance, second son of Caesar Casselli, Conte of some place I cannot pronounce. Does that sound like a man who would not have a spy to check out clients? You did not get to where you are by being trusting and innocent.”
“And your spy is?” he asked curiously. He was shocked by what she had found out about him.
“The Internet. Cut to the chase Andreas. What do you want? I need to leave in ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“I have a train to catch and a business commitment I need to prepare for.”
“I want my daughters.”
“Really?” Rhu said politely. “I suggest you go seek talks with whoever has the care of them.”
Andreas laid a piece of paper in front of her. He watched as she read it through carefully. She handed it back to him.
“What makes you think my daughters are yours?”
Andreas handed her another sheet of paper.
“Your spy is good” she remarked handing him back the paper. “It still doesn’t explain why you think my daughters are yours.”
“Give it up Rhu,” he advised silkily. “There isn’t a court in the world that would not give me custody of them. My wealth alone would ensure it.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Rhu returned smoothly. “You know, Andreas, wealth is no longer an issue in itself. Courts now tend to look at other criteria. It may come as a surprise but Australia is about the safest place on this earth to live.”
“I want to see them” he remarked. “I’m not stupid enough to think I can take them to Korkrates tomorrow without causing them harm.”
“I’m pleased to know you can think of others’ welfare before your own,” Rhu bit out. “Think carefully Andreas. You are supposedly good at that. Regardless of what you or I want, children’s needs and rights come first. One thing you are going to have to prove is paternity of my daughters. Two slips of paper from your spy aren’t going to be enough for the Courts. A fortnight’s fling isn’t convincing enough for the Courts.”
“A blood test should be enough, but I’m willing to undergo DNA testing. In the meantime, while you struggle, there can be no harm done if I meet them. Surely they have met friends of yours.”
“Yes they have” Rhu admitted. “Very well. Come for lunch on Sunday. You need to catch the Caboolture train to Petrie. Phone me when you’re on the train and I will be there to pick you up when you arrive.”
“No tricks” he warned.
“Why would I want to play tricks on you?” Rhu asked calmly. “Catch the eleven-o-eight train from Central. Church will be over by the time it arrives at Petrie.” She left him before he could accept or make a comment.
So, Rhu thought she was in control did she? Andreas mused, watching her move through the lunch-time crowd. To be honest, she has more control than I do. It is a piquant situation. Ruth would have been flustered, upset, and totally out of her depth; Rhu is calm and in control. Ruth would have been totally out of place in this restaurant; Rhu has the presence and confidence to order something not on the menu. Ruth had drunk nothing but cola drinks; Rhu ordered peppermint tea. Ruth would have caved in and admitted that her daughters were his, but Rhu insisted that her daughters are hers and her alone. It is as if she is advocating the Immaculate Conception all over again and no man, himself in particular, had anything to do with her daughters’ creation.
He paid the bill and asked the waiter for directions to Central Station.
SO this was Brisbane, Andreas mused. He watched the cityscape slide by the closed window of the air-conditioned taxi, critically, almost analytically. The skyline was no different from a thousand other cities around the world. There was a difference though. It lay in the approaches to the city, where the people lived out their lives at work, play or family. Then the commercial centre itself often bore a differing atmosphere. Business was business but attitudes and approaches to commerce were - different. New York operated at a feverish, frenetic pitch, almost as if the people knew they had a limited life span. London operated at a more sedate pace, almost as if to even think of walking at a faster pace or longer stride was the equivalent of asking the British to drink poison. Tokyo operated somewhere in between: people going about their business at almost a trot but not harried or hurried. New Yorkers tended to attack before they were attacked, Londoners were uncaring in their protocols, but the Japanese were most reserved and aware. Even here in Australia, there were differences. Sydney had been offhand, Melbourne was hassled, Perth was lax, and Adelaide sedate. It would be interesting to see what Brisbane would be. He had a week to find out.
As the city drew closer, Andreas was aware of a sensation he had not experienced for—Oh, six years now. It was an awareness of another.
I must be more tired than I think. Ruth is a lifetime in the past. The little tramp! She hammered home the lessons my parents had tried to teach me in one way or another, and far more effectively.
Still, he had never before, nor since, experienced that awareness of another on levels he had never known existed.
He sighed as the taxi slid to a halt at the hotel. That was one thing at least in Brisbane’s favour. The hotel was right in the heart of the business district. From the maps his new possible partner had sent him via e-mail, he could walk from the hotel to all his meetings. This particular associate was more savvy than usual by all reports. The detailed maps were only a part of the brief emailed to him. A complete list of hotels, prospective sites, restaurants, taxi and private car hire companies had been sent as well.
He alighted from the taxi, paid the driver with cash and added a healthy tip, before striding into the foyer. A quick glance at his wristwatch told him he had time for a quick shower if the reception staff did not dawdle over their work as they had in Adelaide, double booked him as they had in Melbourne, or lost the booking completely as they had in Perth. At least something was going right, he thought as he followed the hotel porter into his suite. He listened attentively as the man pointed out features of the room, the folder with operating instructions for the television, plugging in laptops for email and internet, the telephone and beverage making.
Andreas answered the telephone as he combed his hair. He could have stayed under the hot needle spray for another hour easily.
“Your escort has arrived, Mr Casselli” the concierge remarked politely.
“Escort?” Andreas queried surprised. That was definitely something new to him.
“Apparently the meeting venue has been changed” the concierge responded after a brief pause.
Andreas sighed. Now what has gone wrong? Just when I was thinking, everything was going right for once too. “I will meet them at the desk” he replied.
Andreas approached the desk with briefcase in hand and curiosity in check. There was no use in trying to fathom the whys of anything now. At least his associate was not leaving him standing for want of an explanation.
“Mr Casselli?” a soft voice queried. “Melissa Derwent.” A slender hand extended in confidence. “My father has asked me to take you to him.” She smiled disarmingly. “It isn’t far but the building is a bit of a rabbit warren.”
Andreas returned the smile. The girl exuded a confidence that was at variance with her youth. He guessed her age to be about eighteen. A most unusual young woman, he thought. She was dressed smartly, in a no-nonsense manner yet with a hint of femininity that was charming. He fell into step beside her. “You work in the city?” he asked noticing the smart satchel she carried.
“Not really. I have a business function later tonight and meetings with my supervisor, executive and team leader.”
“Busy lady” Andreas commented.
“Afraid so” Melissa replied easily. “Made busier by Dad’s car being in dock. Reason two why I got chauffeur duty today” she smiled, turning into a small laneway. “At least I got free parking for the day,” she added impishly. “This is the back door to the building but the quickest way to where Dad is. Uncle Paul sprained his ankle this morning and is being a pain about keeping off it. That is the reason for the change in venue.”
Andreas nodded and watched surprised as Melissa used an encoded swipe card to access the building. Still, he reflected, who would have thought the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York could occur. It was better to be over cautious and safe than arrogant and sorry.
I wish this feeling of awareness would go away.
“Here we are, Dad,” Melissa announced. “Safe and sound.”
“So I see,” James Derwent remarked dryly. “Thank you, sweetie.”
“Sweetie!” The man seated behind the desk growled in disgust.
“Didn’t you know Uncle Paul? I’m so-o-o sweet I’m sickly” Melissa reparteed. “Now behave yourself and I’ll let you take me for coffee tonight. Of course you’ll have to sit through two hours of hype and pep talk.”
“Drive carefully, Mel” Paul adjured suddenly poker faced. There was no way she is going to get me near that place. How James allowed her to con him into joining the company, I have no idea.
“You walk carefully,” Melissa returned. “Five-thirty, Dad” she added, blowing the two men a kiss. She disappeared out the door on her words and a wriggle of fingers.
“Andreas” James greeted. “My partner and brother-in-law, Paul.”
“You must forgive Mel” Paul interjected. “Her sense of humour is still in the classroom.”
Andreas’ eyebrow flew upwards in unconcealed surprise. He judged Miss Melissa to be a most mature young lady – young and youthful but still mature. A most refreshing change in this age where teenagers could be older than Methuselah and octogenarians could be younger than pre-schoolers.
“You will be there Paul, so quit trying to wriggle out of it.” James was really laying the law down to the younger man.
“Oh why?” Paul asked curiously. For all their age differences, he and James rarely fought over anything. It was most unusual for James to lay the law down to him.
“My car is in dock – broken alternator. Mel is chauffeur.”
“Oh lord! Not the little deuce coupe,” Paul almost wailed.
“Not yet. She still has the Falcon,” James said kindly. “Now to business. Andreas will think he is here on a wild goose chase and under false pretences otherwise.”
Andreas was beginning to wonder exactly that. He was swiftly disabused of the notion. The two men were very perceptive executives who knew their work and were hard negotiators. He could see where Signorina Melissa got her confidence.
The project was interesting. The men needed the cash injection and markets that he could provide and he needed a toehold in Australia, which the men could provide. The two men had spent many years in establishing and building their reputations and business, and it showed. They had done their homework superbly well.
All three men looked up as the door opened and Melissa walked in. Was it five thirty already? A swift glance at the wall-mounted clock told them that it was. Where had the time flown? They seemed to have got a lot and yet very little done.
“Aww, Mel” Paul protested. Since when have you taken to wearing red lipstick? Why does James let you wear it? What you need, girl, is a good paddling on your shapely derriere.
“Okay” Melissa shrugged. “You can stay,” she said magnanimously. Paul was instantly suspicious. “We will pick you up on our way back about eleven thirty.”
“Eleven thirty!” Paul was shocked. “Why so late?” he demanded. Why does James let a child stay up so late? At eleven-thirty, you should be sound asleep in bed.
“Coffee” Melissa returned. “Are you staying and dying of thirst or are you coming?”
“I’ll come” Paul admitted grudgingly. “But not in the little deuce coupe” he warned darkly.
“I haven’t got it yet” Melissa retorted. “And when I do get it, you can bet your last dollar that you aren’t going to drive it. Why, I may not even let you sit in it!” She turned to Andreas. “What of you Mr Casselli?” she asked. “You are most welcome to join us.”
“Won’t I throw the numbers out?” Andreas asked.
“No. It is open to anyone. You might enjoy it.”
“Mel, do use your brain” Paul scathed. “The man runs multi billion dollar businesses. What would he find interesting or enjoyable in your little business?”
“Two hours Uncle Paul” Melissa said darkly. Trust you, Paul, to be so cutting and belittling of my efforts. Why can’t you be pleased for once? You are in for a shock if ever you sat down and looked through the books. Dad and Tommy have seen to all the paper work that sees the business solely in me name, this morning. “And for your information, Mr Casselli may just enjoy being part of another’s success.”
“Give it up Paul” James said warningly. Paul desisted. James did not lose his temper very often but when it came to Janet and Melissa, he could lose it without any difficulty. It was rare, but he had been on the receiving end of his partner and brother-in-law’s temper. “It is Andreas’ decision.”
“I’ll come” Andreas said calmly. He studied the two men and the girl curiously. James and Melissa are calm, confident. Paul is fighting, struggling, with demons. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the man.
“I take it tonight is a big night for Melissa” Andreas remarked to Paul as he walked beside the hobbling man to the lift. James and Melissa were ahead of them. James was talking Melissa through a short speech.
“Yes” Paul admitted. “The company she is with has levels of achievement,” Paul explained. “Tonight she receives her first pin.”
“Her mother?” Proving, Andreas thought, you know more about Miss Melissa’s company and her progress with her career than you let on to her.
“Janet has an exam tonight. Melissa had a celebratory lunch with her. Otherwise, we would be taking a limo complete with champagne. Today is actually quite a day.”
“She is a most unusual young lady” Andreas commented. “She will go far.”
“She will at that,” Paul admitted on a sigh. Where has the little girl gone? In fact where has the giggly teenager gone?
Andreas waited patiently for Paul to manoeuvre himself into the front seat of the Falcon. He handed James the crutches to place in the boot of the car and then slid into the seat behind Paul.
“Where are we going?” Paul grouched.
Andreas hid a grin. Paul was showing the classic signs of a teenager in love for the first time. When a thirty-year-old male exhibited those signs, he was fighting a losing battle and knew it.
“Springwood” Melissa replied. She neatly and expertly turned the car into the traffic. “Do you like Thai food, Mr Casselli?”
“Andreas, please” Andreas remarked. Mr Casselli made him feel like Methuselah. “And yes, I like Thai food.”
“What would you have done if he hadn’t?” Paul sniped.
“There’s always hamburger’s!” Melissa spat back.
Paul desisted. Melissa had dragged him into McDonald’s on more than one occasion. He had to admit that she deserved everything she asked for tonight.
Andreas looked around the crowded room. He sat beside Paul who was sitting between James and himself. The noise level was high. How anyone could hear whoever was speaking to him, or her, was a mystery. Most of his business gatherings were more – subdued. That could have been because they were held in a larger room, or because there was not the level of emotion present. He frowned thoughtfully. That prickling awareness was assailing him again. It was worse than before - stronger, more intense. This time it was a prickling at the nape of his neck, and in his thumbs. He shrugged. No doubt, he would come to some conclusion about it before the night was over. He was operating on autopilot as he acknowledged greetings and introductions, shook hands with both male and female, and partook in glorious chitchat that did not tax his brain. Jetlag and hectic schedules were catching up on him fast. Melissa was an able guide and hostess, deflecting most of the curiosity about him and keeping the talk on most incongruous subjects.
He sat through the half-hour hype session as the emcee spoke about the company. He frowned thoughtfully, listening carefully. It was a concept he had heard about but not in any detail. It was an attractive model - not a suitable form of company for his business but still an interesting idea.
He started as music, over-loud as usual, blared out and people started to leave their seats and move towards the front of the room. Melissa was one. He watched the tall straight back move along the line of well-wishers and congratulators. He had to admit the atmosphere was energising. Melissa was correct. It was pleasing to share another’s success. What was even more pleasurable and surprising was seeing others sharing that success. It was very different from other award nights he had attended. Perhaps he could borrow the format and adapt it to his business. He tended to forget that others worked for him and with him to make Anselli the success it was.
A chestnut head moving along the far side of the room caught his attention. There was something familiar about it.
Those curls look as if they are made for running hands through – a man’s hands, spreading it over his silk covered pillow, his dark hair-covered chest, wrapping it around his wrist, clenching fistfuls of it in the throes of passion - just as he had Ruth’s short cap of glorious locks. Ruth. What was the tramp doing now? Probably conning some other poor sucker with her sweet and temperate ways that hid a heart of stone.
That prickling awareness had intensified, spreading from the back of his neck and thumbs to his belly and loins. Even the arches of his feet, the backs of his knees and the palms of his hands were prickling.
He watched as Melissa moved across the line, exchanging hugs and air kisses, and then crossed to the woman who had caught his attention. He watched as Melissa bent down to the smaller woman and stood patiently while she fiddled with her lapel. The hugs the two women exchanged were warm and showed a depth of emotion that appeared to be missing from the others. Together they turned and faced the room.
He stilled into perfect motionlessness. Through the sea of heads, his dark chocolate brown eyes met green-grey eyes. Other than a brief widening of green-grey eyes and an even briefer moment of stillness, not a hint of recognition was betrayed. In fact, Andreas could doubt if she had even seen him. The chestnut head turned slightly to Melissa and a brief word exchanged as well as a bunch of flowers and a tiny gift-wrapped present. What Melissa and the others said in their brief speeches Andreas had no idea. His attention focused solely upon the small woman by Melissa’s side. The two women walked back down the far aisle amongst the small crowd of achievers. He watched them as much as he could without betraying his interest.
Ruth… Here in Brisbane. I’m sure she said she lived in Sydney. How well does Melissa know her? I need to talk to her about her – friend. I also need to develop a strategy in regards to Ruth. Am I strong enough to meet her and not fall into her clutches again? Oh, yes. Knowing Ruth is like being immunised against measles. You may catch the illness but it is never as severe.
The evening formalities over, Melissa fetched Paul a cup of coffee and introduced more people to her three guests. She was aglow with more than the attainment of a goal.
“Lovely flowers, Melissa,” someone, a woman Andreas noted, commented. “I thought Rhu did not believe in buying flowers.”
“These are from Adrianna and Bianca” Melissa replied with a smile. She touched the petal of a flower with a gentle finger. She had unceremoniously placed the flowers in Paul’s lap for safekeeping.
“Ah, their garden” another remarked.
“Adrianna’s garden and Bianca’s craft box” a third corrected. “Didn’t Rhu stay?”
“No. Her mother is not well” Melissa replied.
“Are you joining the company, Andreas?” the first woman asked.
“No” Andreas replied. Why did he feel he was being hunted? His own business was still in need of more attention than he wanted to admit, and he was neglecting the family’s companies to the extent that he had already taken a call from his cousin and eldest sister expressing their concern. Vincenzo he could accept for the older man was genuinely concerned about him, personally, rather than the business. Lucia was a different matter, being more concerned with the amount of income she was not getting and in danger of losing.
“What business are you in?”
“Personally I am in finance” Andreas responded. Would any one of them make the connection? He doubted it. Melissa had merely introduced him by his Christian name.
“Look Anna, we will have to fly” Melissa smiled at the woman. “Andreas only flew in this afternoon and Paul went on the injured list this morning.”
With an aplomb that was worthy of his ancestress, the Greek Princess, she swept the three men out of the room and into her car. Andreas smiled at her gratefully. Anna had a most predatory gleam in her eye. He was also amused to hear her call Paul, Paul and not Uncle. The loud chiming of “Happy Birthday”, midway through her speech, she had explained away as a ‘reminder to someone that circumstances change’. He had no doubt that the message was deliberately aimed at Paul. Melissa is no longer a little girl, but a woman. Paul, my friend, you are a hunted man.
“And is Rhu’s mother ill?” Paul asked as he fingered one of the blooms in his lap.
“Yes” Melissa replied guiding the car through the maze of back streets and back into the stream of traffic on the freeway. “A cold” she elaborated. “The doctor’s want to operate and this cold has set the operation back at least three months. Rhu is milking it for all its worth.”
“Ruth is an old fashioned name” Andreas remarked idly.
“Not Ruth, Rhu” Melissa corrected. “Pronounced the same way as the herb but spelt R-h-u.”
“Unusual” Andreas remarked glad of the shadows in the car to mask his surprise. ‘My name is not Ruth, but you can call me that if you like.’ He could hear his Ruth’s words as clear as crystal. He had teased her about the Biblical Ruth.
“She is an unusual lady” James replied with a soft smile. Rhu had saved his wife and his marriage.
“So what is your next step, Mel?” Paul asked.
“A few more achievement pins” Melissa replied lightly.
“Not the Little Deuce Coupe?” Oh, Lord. I will never hear the end of it if when she wins that sports car she has her eye on. She will kill herself in it. What imbecile dreamt up the idea of a car for an achievement award?
“Still a few months away. Cheer up Paul. Next year I might take you to the States for a holiday.”
“Oh, really?” Paul scathed.
“Yes really” Melissa returned. “Here we are Andreas,” she added turning into the customer set down area of the hotel.
“Thank you Melissa” Andreas smiled stepping from the car. “I enjoyed tonight. Congratulations again.”
“Thank you” Melissa smiled. “Call me if you need a chauffeur.”
“I will” Andreas smiled. He watched the car pull away. Paul, you may as well surrender to the inevitable, he thought. Melissa is going for the kill and will not be satisfied with anything less than a lifetime commitment. She is truly a mature young lady. It is a great pity other females, no matter their age, are so immature –sister Lucia included.
He entered the hotel and rode the lift to his floor. It was time he caved into the inevitable and took some action himself. The question was, what was the best way to go about it, rather than when. Any number of scenarios presented themselves to him as he rode the lift, entered his suite and showered. Finally, he reached for his mobile. There was always a place to start and the more information he had the better he could devise strategies. He punched in a series of numbers and waited patiently for the call to connect.
“Rourke” he greeted. “I want some personal information on someone,” he announced.
“Really?” Rourke said dryly. “It couldn’t wait for a more reasonable time?” he sighed. “What kind of information?” he went on.
“Address, family, lovers, employment.”
“Ah, the usual,” Rourke remarked. “And I suppose you want it last week too” he scathed.
“Yes” Andreas replied. Rourke was one of the best.
“Some details would be a help. Like a name” Rourke scathed lightly. Honestly, some people think I have ESP.
“Rhu Davenport. Rhu is spelt R-h-u. She lives in Brisbane.”
“Australia huh? I heard you were making a move in that direction. Anything else?”
“No. Just whatever you can find out no matter how trivial it is.”
“Email or fax?”
“Email and destroy.”
“Okay” Rourke said easily. “Get off the phone and let me work.”
A soft buzz in Andreas’ ear told him Rourke had gone. He strolled over to the window and looked out over the neon lit city. His thoughts turned to Rhu.
What had she been doing in the last six years? Did she still like to wander along the beach in bare feet because she hated sand in her shoes? Ach! Why worry?
Rourke’s report would tell him the cold, hard facts in minute detail.
He turned towards the bed. He may as well get some sleep in. No doubt, Rhu will be sleeping soundly. He had never known anyone who could sleep like Ruth. She slept through alarms, smashing beds, and thunderstorms. He was convinced she could sleep through a bomb explosion.
Rhu looked into the large bedroom and smiled softly. Light from the bright moon outside the window and from the landing, lit the room well enough for her to see her bed clearly. She walked into the room and tucked the little arm back under the sheet.
“Mum-mum” was the sleepy greeting.
“Yes sweetie” Rhu replied softly. “What are you doing here in my bed?” she asked softly.
“B’anca not happy.”
The girls had never explained what caused Bianca, the youngest of the twins, to have these fits of mild melancholy. However, she had noticed that Bianca was more empathetic to herself and Adrianna than most other children were to their mother and siblings.
“Is that why you are cuddling her?”
“Yes.”
“Good. She will feel better then. You go to sleep too. Okay?”
“’Kay” was the sleepy reply.
Rhu smiled and brushed the soft forehead of her eldest-by-an-hour daughter. Adrianna was not a mother hen by nature, but when Bianca was ill, she was almost manic. Both girls often sought refuge and comfort in her big bed. With a sigh, she undressed, donned a nightgown and cleaned her skin.
She made her way back downstairs to the kitchen. “How were they?” she asked her mother. She took the mug of peppermint tea with a smile of thanks.
“Exhausting,” admitted Julie. She studied her daughter carefully through a bout of coughing. There was something – odd, unsettled about her.
Rhu got up, went to the fridge, and drew out a tray of bottles. She shook several tablets into her hand and then handed them to her mother with a glass of filtered water. “Try them Mum,” she instructed.
“You know that is a lot of rubbish” Julie scathed lightly.
“I know you believe it, but I also know that the girls and I do not go down with half the colds and flu that others do. You know it too. Will it really hurt?”
“I guess not,” Julie conceded. She took the tablets and swallowed them.
“Do you want to stay here or go home?” Rhu asked.
“Oh home” Julie replied with a smile. “There is nothing like home.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Thanks anyway darling.” Julie paused, collecting her thoughts and choosing her words with care. “How was the evening?” Rhu had been torn between going and staying. She had to pull the ‘I-know-best’ stern mother stunt to get her to go.
“Okay” Rhu replied. “Everything went according to plan. Melissa spoke beautifully. Paul is a haunted man though.”
“He’ll survive” Julie retorted. “He is not the first man to fall for a younger woman.”
“You tell him that. At least he isn’t as old as her father.”
“That is true. Now tell me what else happened.”
“Nothing. I arrived in time for the pinning and left straight after as I intended.”
“You may hate being late, but not to this extent” Julie retorted.
Rhu grimaced. Mothers! I hope my own daughters do not say the same about me. “Mum, I knew I was going to be late” Rhu said gently. “And nothing happened.” It was the literal truth anyway. “Mel loved the girls’ flowers.”
“And your gift?”
“I told her to open it at home,” Rhu admitted. “That is the third yawn you’ve smothered.”
“A gentle hint?”
“Of course. You’re the one who wants to go home!”
“A distance of what? Fifty metres?”
“About that” Rhu laughed. It was less than that but her mother always exaggerated the distance. “I’ll send the girls over in the morning with some more pills.”
“Below the belt, darling.”
“Because you can’t tell them a lie? Off you go. I have some work to do. Then I’m for bed.”
“Night darling.”
“Night Mum.” Rhu sighed as the door closed behind her mother.
She entered her office, sat at her desk, and turned the computer on. With steely determination, she applied herself to the bookwork. That completed and up to date, she turned to the Internet. What she was looking for should not take that long.
Two hours later, she gave up the attempt to sleep. With a daughter snuggled into each side of her, she let her mind rove.
What the hell was Andreas doing here in Brisbane? Well that one was easy to answer – business. Andreas lived and breathed work. He always had. He was a high achiever naturally even if his family hadn’t expected it. Oh boy, was he a high achiever. At twenty-two, he was assistant manager of a five star hotel and looking to work his way through the ranks to a directorship and a place on the board. He had probably made it too! Finance had always been an interest to him and he taught me the very basics of share trading.
Tonight, seeing him across the room had thrown her. She had honestly thought their paths would never cross again. His life was in Italy, hers in Australia. She had no intention of visiting Italy again – ever. Her one and only trip resulted in a holiday romance that had had far-reaching consequences for her. Not that it had ended in a fit of anger, recriminations and accusations. Oh, nothing so melodramatic. There was no jealous fiancée, or lover, telling her lies. Her holiday, visa and money were always of a set and limited duration. She had been under no illusions of grand romantic love with promises of undying love and long-term commitment. She had, perhaps, the idea of exploring the relationship further through the medium of letters but that was a different story.
Her holiday over, she had flown back to Sydney, spent the weekend with her parents before travelling to Brisbane where she worked as a waitress. Within two weeks of returning, the restaurant had closed; within two months, she had known she was pregnant. Within two days of that discovery, she had been served with one weeks’ notice to vacate her studio apartment. In shock she had spent the next week frantically finding somewhere to live, fighting off morning sickness, that lasted twenty-four seven for three months, and looking for work. Even so, she had managed to write a letter to Andreas. When it returned, unopened, she had tried to contact him one more time. When that letter too returned unopened, she had accepted the message and got on with her life.
Could I have been mistaken tonight? No way, Jose.
Andreas had always had a presence about him that preceded him like a sci-fi force shield. People watched him approach before he was close enough to see. The man was really quite short, standing about five foot five inches. It went beyond charisma. It was almost as if angelic heralds trumpeted his arrival in readiness.
She had always known when he was near. Her skin tingled as if a thousand fireflies were doing a minuet just beneath its surface. If they were together, she could swear they could read each other’s thoughts. Oh yes, it was Andreas all right.
No other man on earth had eyes the colour of dark chocolate. Those eyes could melt frozen rock with their warmth or freeze flaming volcanoes with their coldness. Besides there was not one nuance that she did not see regularly in her daughters in spite of their platinum blonde hair and peaches and cream complexion.
So what to do now? Try to contact him again? He sat between Paul and James. Melissa would know where he is staying. What reason could she have for doing so? Old times sake? Not likely. Andreas was no monk. He was in fact a damn good lover. Such was his skill, she doubted if he realised she had been a virgin. Every girl should have an Andreas as her first lover. She doubted if that holiday romance even impinged upon his memory.
One thing for certain, he is not going to find me a push over if he wants a fling while he is here. Nor is he going to get within speaking distance of my babies – if I can help it. Her arms tightened slightly in fierce protection around each small body snuggled into her. They had been the centres of her life since the moment she had become aware that she was pregnant. Everything she had done since then, she had done with them in mind.
Andreas read his email from Rourke even as the small printer printed it out. He read the details for a third time.
Name: Rhu Annabelle Davenport. Age: twenty-three; So the little tramp had been seventeen when she had bedded him!. Address: Kurwongbah; Where was that?. Employment: Unknown. Income: Unknown believed to be investments. Relationships: Currently single and not involved with any person. Family - parents: Frederick John Deceased (three years ago, he noted idly) and Julie Kathryn. Twin daughters Adrianna Constance and Bianca Pleasance aged five years… My daughters? The times were right enough.
His brain reverberated with the shockwaves. The bitch! She had stolen his seed and kept his daughters from him. He felt as if an iron fist had punched him in the stomach. A hole he never knew existed suddenly opened in the region of his chest and stomach and it was sickening.
My daughters. She had my babies and hadn’t bothered to inform me of it. What did she plan to do with them? Turn up in twenty years time and demand their share of my wealth? They are my heirs! How dare she keep them from me? My daughters are heiresses to more than my personal fortune! They are heiresses to my family’s wealth and titles.
He scanned the report once more looking for a contact phone number. Rourke would not have overlooked that bit of information. He reached for his mobile phone. How best to handle the bitch of a slut? He would not reveal his knowledge of his daughters. That would be his trump card. However, the bitch would pay, and dearly, for that. With impatience, he waited for the phone to connect. Damn, an answering service.
“Hello. You have reached Rhu’s phone. Please leave your name and contact number and I will get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Rhu, meet me at midday sharp.” He named one of the five-star hotels in the heart of the city. There, that should do it. Useful things - answering machines. Now the big questions is - will she show? Oh yes. She would show, if only to discover how much he knew.
Rhu snatched up her mobile phone just as the message ended. Blast! It hadn’t taken him long to find her at all… one short night in fact. I should have known he would be staying at the best hotel in town. At least she would be dressed for it. She was meeting a prospect at Strathpine at ten o’clock and then she had a presentation tonight that she needed to prepare for this afternoon. With a little luck, she could do it.
Luck, ha! She had learnt that whatever luck befell her came from her own hard work. She had worked hard and long building her business. Building her confidence, self-esteem and image had taken even harder and longer work. Andreas would not be able to steam roll his way into her life. She was no longer a love struck, unsure, gangly seventeen-year-old, with more arrogance than bravado. She was now a businesswoman, and a mother.
“Mum-mum” Bianca called tugging her hand.
“Yes, darling?”
“B’anca sad.”
“Are you?” Rhu smiled down at her daughter. “What has made you sad?” Bianca had a unique way of expressing ownership.
“Don’t know” Bianca remarked.
“Is it a sick sad?”
“No.”
“Is it a school sad?” Bianca was not overly fond of school even though she liked some aspects of it. The school had separated the two girls and placed them in separate classes. However, the two girls became upset, and had mounted, what one teacher described as, a terror campaign. Bianca had never forgiven the teachers for it. They were happy enough in separate groups so long as they could see and reach each other.
“No.”
“Do you want time to think about it?”
“Yes.”
“With Adrianna?”
“Yes.”
“On the way to school?”
“’Kay.”
“Then let’s go eat breakfast and get your bag packed” Rhu smiled down at her.
“Adri not like lunch” Bianca commented on her way down the hall to the kitchen.
“So I saw,” Rhu remarked. Adrianna preferred fresh vegetables and fruit while Bianca preferred pre-packed food. She had learned to pack them the same lunch and to ignore all pleas to the contrary. The little terrors were quite capable of swapping each other’s lunches.
“You have meeting Mum-mum?” Adrianna asked, already half way through her breakfast.
“Yes” Rhu replied.
Adrianna was most independent and liked to get her own breakfast. She had more fruit pieces than cereal in her bowl. About two-thirds more, Rhu noted ruefully. Bianca was more balanced, though she too tended to eat more fruit than cereal.
Rhu walked into the hotel exactly on time. She walked to the concierge desk, ignoring the appreciative looks sent her way by the staff and other customers. With crisp conciseness, she asked for Andreas.
Andreas walked into the lobby to find Rhu studying a painting. He watched her unobserved for a brief moment. This older Rhu was even more attractive than the younger Ruth. Back then her glorious hair had been short and a riot of curls. Now it was longer, shone with health and vitality, and enchantingly tamed into a curtain of rich silk. Delicious. He liked it. It begged to have a man’s hands playing and tangling in it. Her clothes too, bore no resemblance to those of the young Ruth. That Ruth wore cheap and nasty for the sake of fashion. This Rhu wore more expensive and better quality attire, with greater attention to versatility and to what suited her.
Rhu turned, catching him off guard. “Hello Andreas” she greeted calmly.
“Ruth” Andreas returned. Had her voice always been so pleasantly husky, so – so - melodious? That was the word he was seeking. He did not recall it being so cultured though. Neither of them extended a hand in greeting. “I have a table reserved. Shall we go in?”
“By all means” Rhu returned. “Curiosity begs, what are you doing in Australia? As far as I knew, your interests were predominantly European with a dash of Arabia and Near East.”
“That is true” Andreas replied. “We have diversified over the past five years and into more non-European countries.”
“Watch the US,” she warned.
“Oh why?” he asked amused. Rhu would not have insider information on the American economy and political climate. It would be interesting to hear her reasoning.
“No one has ever called it an empire but that is what it is. Like empires all over the world before it, it will come tumbling down.”
“I will keep it mind” Andreas remarked dryly.
“You do that,” Rhu returned. It would be interesting if anyone really listened to her, and then give her credit for forecasting it. “So what brings you to little old Australia?”
“And Brisbane in particular? Business.”
“With James and Paul? You were always interested in property development and not just hotels.”
Andreas shrugged. My, she was good. He had not realised she knew him so well on two weeks acquaintance. He saw her seated at the table. The waiter handed her a menu. He watched as she scanned it quickly and then promptly closed it.
“A fruit platter and peppermint tea, please” she smiled.
That smile rocked Andreas. It was friendly, warm and definitely non-sexual, but how it knocked the socks off him. The waiter would no doubt be walking on Cloud Nine for the rest of the day. He now, was not going to be comfortable for some time – physically and mentally, he admitted to himself. He had never felt such possessiveness with another female like he did with Ruth, and that possessiveness appeared to have transferred to this new Rhu.
“So Andreas” Rhu said calmly. “What was so important that you couldn’t leave a telephone number? What was so important that we just had to meet again?”
Andreas drew a sharp breath. Ruth had definitely changed. She had never been so confident or so much in command. “Why no contact, Ruth?”
“The name is Rhu,” Rhu corrected gently. “Let me put it this way Andreas. You knew I was only on holiday, had my return flight booked, and had very limited money. There was no way I could afford to miss that plane.”
He was silent as the waiter expertly placed their orders before them. “That is true,” Andreas admitted grudgingly.
“Good. Just to put your mind at rest. I did write to you on my return. I sent the letter to the hotel where you worked. It returned, unopened, with ‘Not known at this address’ on it. What was I suppose to do?”
Andreas frowned. He had worked at the hotel for another two months after Rhu had left. Then he transferred to the Head Office. Mail was sent on to him. “Are you certain?”
“Oh yes. I wrote a second letter before I had received the first back. It too, returned unopened. I took it to mean I was a pleasant interlude, but out of sight out of mind and you had moved on.” She shrugged dismissingly with a nonchalance that spoke of acceptance. “So I moved on too.”
“So I see.”
“I doubt it,” Rhu bit back. He would never know the struggle she had weathered in the twelve months after her return from that holiday.
“How did you meet the Derwents?”
“Janet fainted at my feet. Melissa was almost manic with fear.”
“Do you see them often?”
“No. I have a business relationship with Melissa.”
“How long have you been in business? Melissa told me you were her sponsor and team leader.”
“Put it that way, yes.”
“You haven’t answered the first part of the question Ruth.”
“My name is Rhu not Ruth. Please to remember it.”
Andreas was amused at the rebuke but accepted it easily enough. The Ruth he remembered was no longer in evidence he had to admit.
“As to how long I have been in business,” Rhu continued smoothly, “six years. I’m surprised your spy didn’t find that out.”
“Now why do you think that I have a spy?”
“Let’s see. Andreas Casselli, CEO of Casselli Enterprises, MD and owner of Anselli Finance, second son of Caesar Casselli, Conte of some place I cannot pronounce. Does that sound like a man who would not have a spy to check out clients? You did not get to where you are by being trusting and innocent.”
“And your spy is?” he asked curiously. He was shocked by what she had found out about him.
“The Internet. Cut to the chase Andreas. What do you want? I need to leave in ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“I have a train to catch and a business commitment I need to prepare for.”
“I want my daughters.”
“Really?” Rhu said politely. “I suggest you go seek talks with whoever has the care of them.”
Andreas laid a piece of paper in front of her. He watched as she read it through carefully. She handed it back to him.
“What makes you think my daughters are yours?”
Andreas handed her another sheet of paper.
“Your spy is good” she remarked handing him back the paper. “It still doesn’t explain why you think my daughters are yours.”
“Give it up Rhu,” he advised silkily. “There isn’t a court in the world that would not give me custody of them. My wealth alone would ensure it.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Rhu returned smoothly. “You know, Andreas, wealth is no longer an issue in itself. Courts now tend to look at other criteria. It may come as a surprise but Australia is about the safest place on this earth to live.”
“I want to see them” he remarked. “I’m not stupid enough to think I can take them to Korkrates tomorrow without causing them harm.”
“I’m pleased to know you can think of others’ welfare before your own,” Rhu bit out. “Think carefully Andreas. You are supposedly good at that. Regardless of what you or I want, children’s needs and rights come first. One thing you are going to have to prove is paternity of my daughters. Two slips of paper from your spy aren’t going to be enough for the Courts. A fortnight’s fling isn’t convincing enough for the Courts.”
“A blood test should be enough, but I’m willing to undergo DNA testing. In the meantime, while you struggle, there can be no harm done if I meet them. Surely they have met friends of yours.”
“Yes they have” Rhu admitted. “Very well. Come for lunch on Sunday. You need to catch the Caboolture train to Petrie. Phone me when you’re on the train and I will be there to pick you up when you arrive.”
“No tricks” he warned.
“Why would I want to play tricks on you?” Rhu asked calmly. “Catch the eleven-o-eight train from Central. Church will be over by the time it arrives at Petrie.” She left him before he could accept or make a comment.
So, Rhu thought she was in control did she? Andreas mused, watching her move through the lunch-time crowd. To be honest, she has more control than I do. It is a piquant situation. Ruth would have been flustered, upset, and totally out of her depth; Rhu is calm and in control. Ruth would have been totally out of place in this restaurant; Rhu has the presence and confidence to order something not on the menu. Ruth had drunk nothing but cola drinks; Rhu ordered peppermint tea. Ruth would have caved in and admitted that her daughters were his, but Rhu insisted that her daughters are hers and her alone. It is as if she is advocating the Immaculate Conception all over again and no man, himself in particular, had anything to do with her daughters’ creation.
He paid the bill and asked the waiter for directions to Central Station.