Battle Lines. (2 page)

“I did… honest.” Why wasn’t Amanda convinced?

Marsha left the room leaving Amanda alone with her thoughts once again.

She should have stayed in London. She had been making a go of things there. Had made some money. She wasn’t rich but she was able to feed herself, clothe herself and keep a roof over her head.

That was more than most people could claim. It was more than she had been able to claim for a while.

She shook her head and opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out an old photograph

She stared down at her fifteen-year-old self. Deep in concentration, hunched over a pool table, cue in hand ready to take a shot. She smiled sadly.

She had moved back to Henley-on-Thames because she had missed home. The lure of those she had loved and left behind becoming too much to ignore.

She had missed her family, well her mother anyway. She had no other family than that. Except…. No, he was no family of hers, she told herself. Not now. Not then. Not ever.

Sighing she reached down and picked up the other photo. She stared down at the only two people in it. Her Dad had taken it, in a restaurant. The two oblivious to anything else other than each other.

She sighed heavily, perhaps it was best not think about the past, she warned herself, it never did any good and always left her feeling sad.

She replaced the frame of her at the pool table back in the drawer and then after another moment the other frame followed and she closed the drawer on her memories.

Amanda sighed deeply, sadly, as she got up from her chair and grabbed her coat before she also left the office to make her way home. For the first time ever, Amanda actually wished that she had had more paperwork to do.

She set the burglar alarm and began the ten-minute walk to her home, or at least, the place where she had been sleeping for the last six months. She was renting it. It wasn’t much but it was somewhere to go back to after a long day at work.

The rain had stopped now, which was just as well, she had not brought an umbrella out with her. Though she did not much care if she got wet. Perhaps she would get pneumonia and she would not be able to attend the fund raiser tonight.

Who was she kidding, she never had that kind of luck.

Chapter 2.

Thankfully, the evening was beginning to wind down to a close and Amanda was more than glad about that.

She had managed to be fashionably late, not by choice as it turned out. But, she had still had to endure three hours of it.

Three hours that had dragged painfully slowly by. She had spent that time talking with people and handing out business cards whilst keeping one hopeful eye on the exit all evening but she still had not managed to slip away.

She hated these things as a general rule. However, it hadn’t been a total loss. The evening had offered up some enter-taining moments so it had been far from dull.

Already a couple had mortified themselves by having a very loud domestic in the middle of the dance floor. The upset woman had slapped the man across the cheek before storming off.

One drunk man had propositioned her with a rather disgustingly vulgar suggestion and a drunk diplomat had to be helped home after he fell off the stage into the orchestra pit.

Luckily his fall had been broken by the tuba player. It hadn’t been a pretty sight. And the tuba player was going to need a new instrument.

Amanda sighed loudly but the music swallowed the sound up as quickly as it had left her mouth.

“Amanda darling… coo-ee…” Amanda groaned inwardly and closed her eyes. Lady luck was really pushing the boat out this week on her behalf.

Someone else she had been trying to avoid all evening. Gloria.

Amanda looked up toward the high cream ceiling and asked silently. Why me? However as always she received no answer. So she asked if Gloria could be struck by lightning instead but, still there was no answer and still Gloria was bearing down on her position like a vulture.

Thoughts of ignoring the voice and pretending that she had not heard flashed through her mind but then she quickly chased them away. Gloria would only hunt her down.

She turned then and forced a sorry excuse for a smile on her lips as she watched the petite, well-manicured, blonde sway towards her in a cloud of frilly pink and silk lace. Extra thick heavy make-up and a cloud of perfume that could have easily sunk a battleship.

Gloria reminded Amanda of an incarnation of the Barbara Cartland fan club. Stop it… she derided herself. “My dear, I am so glad you could make it. When I couldn’t find you I started to get a little worried.” Gloria leaned in to kiss both of Amanda’s cheeks, without actually kissing them.

“Sorry, it has been a good turn out.” She said to the older woman.

“Hasn’t it just. Not to worry I have found you now. These things are usually so boring without engaging company. Don’t you agree?” Wow, that perfume was something else. Amanda gave a delicate cough and raised a hand to her nose.

“I agree. I wasn’t going to come. I have a barrage of work to do.” Amanda lied to the bubbly small blonde woman.

“Oh darling…” Gloria shrieked out in a wail that split through Amanda’s ears painfully. “That would have been such a terrible thing. How could you think such sinful thoughts?” Oh how indeed. Amanda thought, but she did not say it.

“I changed my mind.” She tried placating.

“Amanda my darling girl I do not know what I would have done had you not been here tonight. I cannot believe that you would even think about abandoning your dearest friend in such a fashion.” Gloria playfully slapped Amanda’s arm.

“Well… as you can see I changed my mind because here I am…” Amanda tried to appease the other woman again and then for good measure she gave her a flash of a false smile, a smile that showed her white even teeth, and all her own, unlike Gloria’s.

Amanda winced and closed her eyes for a moment as a little voice inside her head told her off sternly. Put those sharp-ened claws away dear.

“Of course you are. I knew of course that you wouldn’t let me down.”

“Of course.” She agreed.

“Pay no attention. I have been looking through this crowd all evening for you.” And it was a pity she found her, Amanda reflected.

“Well you finally managed to find me.” She told the other woman with the biggest artificial smile that she could muster.

“Yes I have and I am not disappointed. You look positively divine. You are as radiant as ever. That particular shade of blue is a fantastic colour on you. You are really working that dress.” Gloria exclaimed in animated excitement. “You must tell me where you got it from.” Did people really talk like that anymore?

“Thank you.” Amanda tilted her head slightly in acknow-ledgement.

The dress in question was of a turquoise blue. It was simply cut with no fancy detail. It’s low cut showing off her ample cleavage and it skimmed down her body clinging to her curves along the way and finished at mid-calf.

After many attempts, Amanda had finally managed to, kind of, tame her wild flame red hair into a loose bun. But, within a short time, tendrils of her hair had escaped and had formed a frame around her face. She thought it looked untidy, many would beg to differ.

She had grudgingly worn heels for the evening, she hated them with a passion and often avoided them whenever she could.

Make up was another thing she often went without or used very little of. But tonight she had layered it on to create a good impression, it had been teamed with a small clutch bag in the same turquoise blue as her dress. The end result was elegant, maybe a little flashy, but not as flashy as most in this room tonight.

“I must introduce you to a friend of mine darling, before I forget. You will simply love him sweetie.” Amanda was just about to protest. But, Gloria was already pulling her along in excited animation.

She was completely oblivious that she was dragging Amanda along behind her. “Peter.” Gloria shouted waving her other hand erratically in the air. Her chest wobbling and almost falling out of, what there was of her dress, to get the man’s attention “Peter… Peter, sweetie, you must come and meet Amanda. She is simply divine. You are going to love her.”

Talking of divine, Amanda wouldn’t have minded some divine intervention right about now. She held her breath… wait for it. No, it was not going to happen, lucky me. She thought acidly.

The man up ahead turned at the sound of Gloria’s shrill voice, and he grimaced as Gloria and Amanda came closer. “Did I not tell you that she was the most exquisitely beautiful woman you have ever seen? Like a perfect china doll. I did tell you that I never exaggerate. And… what do you think of her dress? Isn’t it just to die for? Of course, Amanda has the right figure for it. Don’t you think?” Gloria smiled at the man and he visibly paled.

“Ah…” which was as far as he got because Gloria was off on her tangent again.

“Oh, where are my manners this evening? Peter…” Gloria patted his arm “… this is Amanda. Amanda this is Peter. This man is a financial whiz. I am sure the two of you will have so much in common. He has the most adorable little place and, to top it all, he’s single. What luck? Can you believe that this catch has not been caught yet, in fact, if I wasn’t already so very much devoted to husband number seven I might have taken a run at him myself.”

Peter coughed and choked. The poor man, Amanda thought but then revised her thoughts to the lucky man. “Peter is only thirty-six, I know he looks much younger, and he simply loves children and animals.” Gloria turned to Amanda briefly. “Every girl’s dream is it not? I can tell that you two would make a fantastic couple. Oh, listen to me carrying on and not letting you youngsters get to know each other. My husband keeps telling me I need to slow down a bit.” Amanda groaned inwardly.

Gloria was beginning to sound like one of those dating service advertisements. Or at the very least that she was trying to sell Amanda.

Thank God the days of slavery were long gone. Gloria would have been so good at it, however, there was always e-bay she guessed, “Now seeing you both together I definitely think that you two would be the most perfect match for each other.” Subtle Gloria was not.

“How do you do?” Amanda put out her hand gracefully and Peter took it in his own small hand.

“Hello, Gloria has been telling me about you for weeks now. Finally, we get to meet.” He let go of her hand and he smiled warmly at her. She dutifully smiled back but it did not reach her eyes.

“Well.” Gloria exclaimed impatiently. “Did I not tell you that you would not be disappointed?” she beamed at Peter.

“Yes you did.” He agreed.

“And.” Prompted Gloria.

“And no, I am not.” He said.

Amanda smiled again but deliberately made sure that it was devoid of all emotion. She did not want anyone getting the wrong idea. All she really wanted was to go home and go to bed… alone. On her own. With no one else.

She certainly did not want to be set up on a blind date by some old superficial plump Barbie doll. Amanda winced at her own thoughts and she instantly berated herself.

“So, why don’t I leave you two love birds to it?” Gloria smiled at them in turn and then winked at Peter before adding. “Just tell me the details tomorrow.” And then she was gone, swallowed up by the crowd leaving an awkward silence behind her.

“This is a… little uncomfortable.” Peter acknowledge with a nervous little cough. You think. Amanda thought but she did not say it.

“I have had worse encounters, trust me. After all Gloria is a friend of mine.” Peter smiled and his shoulders relaxed a little. “Don’t mind Gloria, she really cannot help herself. She is happy with husband number… seven… at least at the moment she is. She wants other people to be happy right along with her.” Peter nodded his head in acknowledgement. “So what do you do peter?” She asked him. She decided that it would be best to keep him busy with idle chit chat for a while and then leave.

“Me, oh…” He cleared his throat. “Nothing special really. I work for Michelson Industries. Perhaps you have heard of us?” Amanda ears pricked up at those words, her stomach lurched and plummeted painfully into her feet suddenly making her feel nauseous.

Oh yes, she had heard of Michelson Industries. It wasn’t a name she ever wanted to hear again, Amanda swallowed hard. What was that thought she had had earlier about bad luck? Of all the rottenest luck, it could not get much worse than Mr Jake Michelson.

“Michelson Industries… wow. That is interesting.” It wasn’t not to her, but she had to show some interest.

“Oh I am just an accountant, one of many I’m afraid.” Peter continued avidly.

“You should not put yourself down, I am sure you do a fantastic job.” Amanda assured him courteously and Peter blushed and shuffled from one foot to the other.

“Perhaps…” he agreed reluctantly. “But… Jake Michelson, my boss, now he is a real whiz. He built the company from almost scratch. He inherited it from his father you know, but it was almost bankrupt when he took over the reins. I don’t think anyone else could have saved that company. He slogged over that place for years before he managed to turn it around.” Peter sipped at his drink.

“Well… it’s nice when one’s boss is so dedicated. It gives the employees someone to look up to… and… for one’s boss to revel in the glory.” She said though clenched teeth. Jake was here to save the day, she thought waspishly.

“Uhh… yeah… the company has even expanded over the last couple of years. We seem to be going from strength to strength. Nothing can touch us. Or so it seems.” Peter was saying in excited tones.

“So business is doing well then.” She smiled dutifully. Of course it was. Nothing in the universe could function without Jake.

“Oh yes, huge profit margin last year. Everything Mr Michelson touches seems to turn to gold. An absolute genius.” Of course he was. If there were no Jake in the world it would probably stop spinning on it axis and fall out of the universe. Oh stop it she derided herself sternly. You are beginning to sound like an old bitter twisted woman.

“That is enthralling. So… is the mighty Mr Jake ‘Midas’ Michelson at this shindig.” Her venomous cynicism was completely lost on Peter.

Probably just as well really. She really did not want to have to explain to some stranger about past afflictions. Most especially, when those afflictions involved Mr super Jake the wonderful.

“Umm… he is around here someplace.” What. Amanda’s heart tripped over itself in its haste to break free from her body and she broke out in a cold sweat.

She wasn’t counting on him actually being here. He never turned out for these things. He hated them with a resentful passionate vengeance.

Oh that good old luck again. Why on earth had she asked? Why had she come? She wasn’t ready to come face to face with him just yet.

She had to leave now before he saw her. She needed a way out and fast. Amanda’s eyes scanned the room frantically until she spied the patio doors across the other side of the room.

She could slip out quietly, get a cab and go home. Jake would be none the wiser that she had been here, panic over.

“Excuse me would you.” Her voice sounded weak and foreign even to her own ears. Focus on the patio doors, she told herself, nothing else matters right now.

“Are you okay?” she heard Peter asked her. “You have become quite pale. Do you need to sit down?” Peter’s forehead creased with concern as his hand went to her upper arm to hold her steady.