Topspin (15 page)

Claire wasn’t the only person in the room who currently wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from the world. Stella felt the same way, for very different reasons. She’d had a bad feeling about Ed’s takeover attempt from the word go, but of course he hadn’t wanted to listen to her objections, accusing her instead of negativity. And now that it had all gone pear-shaped she knew she’d be for it. He’d blame her for not realizing the EGM was illegal and, ultimately, for his being made to look such an inept fool.

Not that he needed much help in that respect. Sighing, Stella wondered when it had all started to go so wrong between them. There’d been a time when she really loved and looked up to Ed, admiring his fierce ambition. Besotted, she’d worked tirelessly at his side, full of optimism and hope for their future as she helped him to expand his growing property empire. Not that he gave her much credit for her efforts even in the early days, taking them for granted and being quick to criticize if she made the smallest mistake. She’d been too infatuated to recognize the embryonic signs of his abusive personality and accepted his rebukes without rancor. Much younger than him in every sense of the word, instead of making a stand as an individual with thoughts and opinions of her own, she’d meekly fallen into line and done things his way.

When they were first married, she’d been eager to start a family. Ed claimed to love kids as much as she did and Stella was convinced he’d make a great dad. She truly felt for her husband when he told her about his childhood. About how his father took out his disappointments on his only son, inflicting injuries both physical and mental that would stay with Ed for the rest of his life. Stella assured him that would never happen to them. They’d have a large family and always be there for their kids, putting their interests before everything else.

It was only after Leah’s birth that reality dawned. Ed resented the time she spent caring for their daughter, implying that he was being neglected. He hit her for the first time when Leah was less than two weeks old. But by then Stella was trapped. Still only twenty, she had no money of her own and nowhere to go. Her family had disowned her when she’d gone against their advice and married Ed. And so the way she saw it, she had little choice but to endure her nightmare situation for just a little longer. Until Leah finished school, she would continue to protect her child from her father’s uncontrollable rages and bestow enough love on her for both of them. Most important, though, under no circumstances must she fall pregnant again.

She knew she’d be in for an especially vicious thrashing tonight. There was nothing unpredictable about that. She’d made matters worse by pointedly ignoring Ed since the end of the EGM and supposed she ought to go through the motions now and try to smooth his ruffled feathers.

“What’s that all about, do you suppose?” Trina asked, joining her and nodding in the direction of Claire, who’d just dropped her glass and looked as though she was on the verge of fainting.

Stella frowned. “I’m not sure. It’s not like Claire to be clumsy.”

“It’s more than just clumsiness if you ask me. She looks like she’s in shock.” Trina chuckled. “Angela’s husband is a bit of a hunk, I suppose, but Claire’s reaction is rather over the top.”

Stella couldn’t think of a suitable response. She felt awkward chatting with Trina when her husband had just tried to oust her from the club.

“Trina,” she began awkwardly, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to—”

Trina flapped a hand beneath her nose. “I know you didn’t have any choice.” She turned to look at Stella, fixing her with an intuitive gaze. “Do you ever?”

“Do I ever what?”

“Do you ever get to make any decisions for yourself?”

“Of course!”

Trina’s expression told Stella she wasn’t buying it. “Why do you defend him all the time?”

“He’s my husband.” Stella’s gaze wandered across the room to where Leah was ensconced with Malik, Sheba, and Chris and gave her a small wave of encouragement. Stella had never seen her daughter looking so radiant, and for the first time that evening her heart lifted. Ed would say that Leah’s skirt was too short, that she was wearing too much makeup, and that would be Stella’s fault as well. But she didn’t care. At least one member of their family was having a good time tonight. “He’s Leah’s father,” she added, sounding lamer by the minute.

“That doesn’t give him the right to bully you.”

Stella’s jaw dropped. First Jack and now Trina. Did everyone know about her abusive partner? “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Stella, I worked for thirty years in a failing comprehensive. There’s not much you can teach me about relationships. Being a head teacher involves a lot more than just imparting knowledge nowadays. It’s more like being a parent, social worker, magistrate, and confidante all rolled into one. You have to be on the lookout for bullying, abuse, criminal tendencies, even possible suicide risks.” She chuckled. “You have no idea.”

“I’m sure. But you don’t know enough about Ed to understand him, Trina. He’s had a lot to put up with in his life.”

Trina rolled her eyes. “My wife doesn’t understand me so I have to thump her every so often. Oh please!”

“He doesn’t mean to. He just gets frustrated.”

“And regrets it afterward and apologizes, swearing it will never happen again.”

“Something like that.” Nothing like that, actually. Ed had never apologized for his violent bouts in his life, but Stella wasn’t getting into that one.

“Does he take it out on Leah as well?”

“God, no!” Stella lifted her shoulders, implying that the very suggestion was unthinkable. “If he did I wouldn’t stay for another second. Besides, Leah stands up for herself when he has a go at her.”

“Look, Stella, I just want you to know that if it ever gets out of hand and you need a bolt hole, you and Leah are always welcome at my place.” Trina’s compassionate smile brought tears to Stella’s eyes. “I rattle around in that huge house all on my own and would welcome the company. You’d be doing me a favor. There’s plenty of space, so you could stay as long as you need to.”

Stella was too overcome to respond and merely enfolded Trina in a fierce hug, suddenly feeling a whole lot better about herself. She had people who cared about her, and Leah was old enough to understand if she decided to leave Ed. She brushed her tears away, impatient with them, feeling that something inside her had changed. She’d been feeling worthless for years. Her husband had told her so many times that she’d be nothing without him that it hadn’t occurred to her to doubt it.

But not anymore. Thanks to Trina and Jack, she was starting to regain a little self-respect and was no longer willing to act as Ed’s punching bag. It came as something of a shock to realize that it had taken just a few minutes to come to the decision that had been years in the making. If Ed did start in with his fists tonight, then it would be the last time. And she would tell him so. She wasn’t going to stick around and wait for him to put her in hospital. Or worse.

Claire stared at Rod in dumb stupefaction. His lazy smile implied that women made a habit of throwing their drinks in front of him and that it was no big deal. The merest hint of a challenge lit his amused expression as he appraised her.

Claire experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions. Surging anger at his sang-froid attitude and the havoc he was so carelessly wreaking swiftly replaced her initial embarrassment. Aware of the conversations around her stalling as people transferred their attention to her, she struggled to regain a modicum of composure and concentrate upon damage limitation.

“Are you all right, darling?” Joe asked anxiously as he guided her to the nearest chair. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Oh no, I’m fine.” She made a supreme effort to pull herself together. “It must be all the excitement of the EGM. It’s not every day that we get to witness such theatrics.” She gave a little laugh that came out sounding high-pitched and artificial and fanned herself with a napkin. “And it’s very hot in here.”

“Would you like to go outside for some air?”

“No, darling, just some water and I’ll be fine.”

Claire somehow got herself under control and allowed Joe to lead her to their table, where she found Rod already occupying the seat beside hers. She forced herself to converse with him as though they were strangers. Claire hoped she was the only one who could detect the ironic smile in his eyes as they innocently rested upon her face. And all the time his hand, not quite so innocently, caressed her thigh beneath the table. He was treating this as one big game of cat and mouse and was probably getting turned on by it.

A wave of virulent anger washed through her but she struggled to keep it in check. Jack was seated on her other side, watching her interaction with Rod, and she didn’t want him getting suspicious. She forced herself to continue doing what she did best and chat to the whole table about inconsequential matters, keeping the conversation flowing. But all the time she was trying to detect Rod’s true motives for being there, wishing his bloody hand would let up and stop distracting her so that she could think straight.

As soon as the meal came to an end the lights were dimmed and the tables moved back to make room for dancing. Joe was ensconced with a group of men at the bar and Claire took the opportunity to escape to the ladies’ room. She dallied in there for as long as she could and then wandered outside. The path behind the swimming pool led to a wooded area set with rustic tables and a large barbecue overlooking the first tee. She headed in that direction, needing time to recover from the ordeal of spending two hours at the same table as her husband and her lover.

But it wasn’t to be. Almost immediately she felt a hand on her bare shoulder and knew at once who it belonged to. She spun around, free at last to let rip at him.

“What the hell are you doing here, Rod?”

“I’m sorry, Claire, I didn’t mean to spring this on you.”

“What, your being Angela’s husband?”

He looked shocked. “Surely you didn’t think I wasn’t married? You never asked.”

“Don’t play games with me,” she hissed furiously. “You knew I was a member here and must know Angela.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t seem relevant. Angie and I don’t get along, in case you hadn’t noticed. She won’t have me back.” He adopted the little-boy-lost expression which usually excited her maternal instincts. Today it left her feeling cold. Cold and ashamed of what she’d become. “She’s no threat to you and me.”

“What you and me?” She glared at him with open contempt. “Do you think I’d come near you again after this? I know you don’t have much of an opinion of me, but even I have standards.”

“Do you?”

His eyes glistened with sexual challenge as his fingers gently traced the outline of her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. Claire had expected him to do something like that but was still unprepared for his teasing touch to generate such a visceral sexual hunger deep within her core. When she made no move to stop him, his fingers crept into the top of the dress, searching out a nipple. She froze for a moment, indulging in the explosive sensations which only Rod seemed to stimulate.

“Don’t!”

But she sounded half-hearted. Rod obviously thought so too because his fingers didn’t even pause. He was barely touching her, but she could already feel fire building inside her and couldn’t prevent a small moan from escaping her lips.

“Why?” His lips tickled her ear as he whispered the word and squeezed her nipple a little harder. “You want me to touch you. It’s all you were able to think about when we were in there and we both know it.”

“You’ve overstepped the mark, Rod, and it’s over between us.”

She forced herself to move away from him, trying to disguise her growing excitement at thoughts of what he could do to her right here in the open air. They both knew she wouldn’t try to stop him, and Claire was disgusted with herself for being so easily aroused. It was unspeakably sordid, and she simply had to call a halt to it before things really got out of hand. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and glowered at him. As though reading her indecision in the rigidity of her shoulders, Rod grabbed them, turned her to face him and propelled her against a tree. She froze, the breath escaping her in a fierce hiss as she waited to see what he’d do next.

Half of her wanted to call out for help.

The other half just wanted.

Rod laughed as he pulled her toward him and ground his groin against her pelvis, forcing her legs apart.