The Gamble (D'Arth Series Book 3) Page 8

  And then it was time to repeat the journey there in reverse so they could be back in London for New Years, where they joined the crowd down by the Thames to view the fireworks. There was nothing like London when it was celebrating. The whole city was out having a good time, and Marco and Alex found a seat at the base of a statue and shared a bottle of champagne with plastic glasses, and just watched the scene passing before them, waiting for midnight.

  "I think this coming year is going to be the best," Alex said, snuggling into Marco. It was starting really well and she could see them spending the year together—travelling, exploring and just enjoying each other's company.

  "To a good year," Marco said, placing his plastic cup out for a toast.

  Alex was so excited when the old year counted down, she was jumping on the spot. The roaring cheer filled the banks of the river then the New Year finally came, and Marco kissed her as the fireworks started. Although low key, this was probably the best New Year's celebration she could remember. And she had such high hopes for the coming year. They walked through the crowd for a little while after the fireworks had ended, before slowly making their way back north, wandering through the streets, through Piccadilly and then northwards to Kings Cross. The transport system was overwhelmed and it was nicer to walk, even though it took them an hour to get to Kings Cross. When there, they squeezed into a bus heading to Angel.

  The food court in Harrods was packed by the time Marco got there. Everyone seemed to be out enjoying the post-Christmas sales and it took ages to get anywhere. He spotted his sister sitting at a small table and he walked through the obstacle course of café furniture and people to get to her. "Sam," he said and she looked up.

  "Marco," she beamed and rose to embrace him. It had actually been a long time since he'd seen her—over two years. "Meet Esme," she said, indicating down the side of the table, where Marco spotted a little doll, just managing to stand. He got a rush of surrealism when he saw the little girl, staring at the newcomer.

  "I still can't believe you're a mum," he said like he did every time the baby was mentioned. He'd seen pictures of her, but it was strange to see the real girl.

  Sam sat down and she smiled as she watched the girl venture a few unsteady steps away. To Marco, the little girl seemed like an animated object rather than a real human being. It was inconceivable that human beings could be so small, and even more so that this little creature was related to him—his sister's child. She made him feel uncomfortable, along with the knowledge that she was such a big part of his sister's life and completely foreign to him. He and Sam used to know each other better than anyone else on earth, but now she had this life that was effectively unknown to him.

  "It's good to see you," Sam said, her blond curls a bit shorter than the last time he’d seen her. She did look good; her cheeks were rosy with the cold weather. Even though they were twins, you couldn't tell by looking at them. Marco was dark, taking after their father, while Sam was blond, more like their mother. Most people were surprised to learn they were twins. "What's it like living in London?"

  "Good," he said. "Work's good. New city and all that. There is so much to do here.”

  Sam looked out the window, down onto the street below. "I can't believe how busy it is. There are people everywhere.”

  "When are you heading to the airport?"

  "This afternoon. We'll probably leave in two hours—take the express out from Paddington.”

  Marco nodded. Sam was heading off to New Zealand to see their mother for a month and was transiting through London.

  Marco looked down at the strange little creature holding a set of plastic keys, while struggling to remain standing.

  "So we're getting married," Sam said after a while.

  Marco's eyes snapped to her as he took in the alien concept she was uttering. "Married? You're twenty-four.”

  Sam shrugged. "Sebastian is quite traditional, and his family even more so.” Sam was looking down at her coffee, absently stirring it with a spoon, then stopping to reach down and pick up the little girl, who was staring at him intently. "He's a great guy and I love him to bits.”

  "He's so much older than you.”

  "And we have a family together. It's going to be a spring wedding—in three months. You will have to come, of course.”

  Marco didn't know what to say. How had his sister gone, in the blink of an eye, from a snotty teenage girl, who rolled her eyes at everything he said to having a baby and getting married? It seemed utterly insane. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said.

  "When you find the one, things just click into place—rather quickly in my case. And Sebastian is awesome. He dotes on Esme. He's a wonderful father and I can't believe how lucky I am to have met him. I understand you're seeing someone at the moment.” Marco was appalled that his relationship with Alex was referred to in the same context. Unlike Sam, he wasn't trying to grow up all in one go. "Who is she?"

  "Just a girl.”

  "Does she have a name?"

  "Alex," he said, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't want to put Alex in this conversation. He wasn't ashamed of her or anything; he didn't want to give Sam the idea that he was heading in the same direction as her.

  "What happened to the one in New Zealand?"

  "Didn't work out.” He knew he was being a bit obtuse, but he felt slightly freaked out at the moment, and the baby was still staring at him. "Should we eat?" he asked, moving the conversation on so it didn't settle on his relationships.

  "I can't believe the amount of choice offered here," Sam said, looking around the food hall. "It caters for every taste, doesn't it? It all looks scrumptious.”

  After lunch, they spent an hour walking around Kensington High Street, before Marco took them to Paddington Station.

  "I'll see you in three months," Sam said, turning to him after they bought her ticket for the express to Heathrow. "And I expect you to bring your girlfriend.”

  Marco felt like rolling his eyes, but didn't. "Say 'Hi' to mum for me. And take her these if you can fit them," he said, handing her a box of expensive chocolates he'd bought at Harrods. His mother was a sucker for expensive Belgian chocolates, which made her easy to buy for.

  Sam kissed him on the cheek, then picked up Esme's little hand, who sat on her mum's hip, and gave a wave with her tiny hand. "Isn't she just the best thing in the world?"

  "Yeah," Marco said, watching the complete adoration in his sister's eyes. "She's pretty cute.”

  "See you soon, Marco," Sam said and went through the ticket barrier to the platform. "Be good.” Marco watched her go, still trying to understand what his sister had become.

  * * *

  Chapter 12:

  * * *

  "And this is Alex Channing," Alex heard and looked up, seeing Elise Blanket from HR and a girl Alex had never seen before. "This is your desk," Elise said, indicating to Lacey's empty desk.

  Alex stood up and shook hands with the girl, who looked really young. The girl beamed with enthusiasm and Alex wondered if this was her very first job. "Kate," she said. "Fowler.”

  "Kate is a new research co-ordinator," Elise cut in. "Kitchen is over there. You're set to meet Peter Dunham at eleven. I've organised a meeting room for you. Here is your password.” Elise handed Kate a piece of paper. "Your account should be set up.”

  Elise walked away and Kate looked lost for a moment, before putting her bag down on her new desk and smiled. "I'm from Kent. I just moved here.”

  "New Zealand.”

  "My, you're far from home," Kate said with surprise. Alex guessed she really was recently arrived in London as only people outside of London would be surprised at finding Australians and New Zealanders around.

  Kate looked sweet, dressed in a new suit with her hair tied back. She logged into the computer and looked pleasantly surprised. "It worked. I have email and everything.”

  Alex smiled and returned to her work, wishing she could take more time to welcome Kate, but she was delivering her p
itch to the client in a few days and there were still so many things she needed to go through. She really should have worked through Christmas, but she couldn't bring herself to—not when there was this new exciting relationship to explore. She couldn't give over her entire life to work. Besides, Marco wasn't working either. Grabbing her laptop, Alex hurried from her desk to a meeting with her project team so they could make some final decisions on the production parameters.

  Even a few days before returning to work, a deep set nervousness had filled her and she had moments of sheer panic. It was still incredibly exciting, but she knew how much was riding on this pitch. The client was coming in next week for her presentation and following that, after reviewing all the material she and her competitors send in, the client would make a decision—one which Alex's future was riding on. It was strange to consider that her gain would be Marco's loss. She tried not to think about it. She couldn't blow her chances to help him. That was just the way it was—they were competing and one of them would win. She just hoped it wouldn't creep into their relationship.

  Alex invited Kate to lunch and they went down to a café across the street from their building. Alex bought a sandwich and a coffee and they sat down at one of the small round French tables squeezed into the small store.

  "Peter is hot, isn't he?" Kate said with a sparkle in her eyes. "Is he single?"

  Alex groaned. Peter had struck again. She didn't know how he did it, or how these girls didn't see through him. "He's a man-whore," Alex said. "And you should stay away from him. Far away.”

  Kate blinked repeatedly and it looked like she was about to say something, but couldn't quite form her words.

  Alex bit into her sandwich and looked out the window. Perhaps girls would always fall for guys like Peter, although there was no reason she should be complicit. Kate had been warned.

  On the Tube home that evening, Alex thought back on their Christmas vacation. It hadn't been quite as idyllic as she’d hoped, but it had been nice. They'd gotten to spend a lot of time together, but it might have been better if there were more activities they could have tried. Instead, they were shut in the hotel due to the bad weather. New Years had been awesome though and she still smiled when she thought of it.

  Marco came over shortly after she got home and they headed out to the movies, stopping for a souvlaki on the way. Sitting on bar stools, they ate the wrapped meal rich in flavour and warming in the cold winter air. Alex held onto his arm as they walked down Angel's high street, loving being in his company. He was funny and sometimes arrogant—cheeky. He always made her laugh.

  "Some of the girls have suggested that we take a few days in Crete over the long weekend in a couple of weeks," Marco said.

  "Crete?"

  "It should prove a cool trip.”

  "You really are getting a bit of a travel bug, aren't you?"

  "I still have all of Europe to explore.”

  Alex had been the same when she'd first arrived in London. She'd already been to Crete, but a trip would be nice. What Marco was referring to was a trip with the whole gang—requisite with dramas and drunkenness. But there was also shopping with the girls, early morning walks while those with hangovers recovered. It wouldn't be warm enough to swim as Greece was quite cold in winter. Alex could tell that Marco really wanted to go. "Alright. Email me through the details and I'll book my trip.”

  "Cool," Marco said and pulled her head over into a kiss.

  Alex booked her trip the next day. There was a certain excitement about going on a trip, but she'd done this before, travelled in a group for short stints, exploring the nightlife of whatever European town they ended up in—it was pretty much the same thing, no matter where they went. The idea of a proper trip was more exciting, like three months in South America or even North America. Marco had just gotten here and he was probably not ready to leave just yet, making Alex wonder if she was moving in that direction. People just seemed to reach the point where they'd had enough and they started moving away from here, meandering their way closer to home. But then other stayed; eight years wasn't unheard of—some even married and settled down. Alex wasn't sure she was a stayer, but who knew. If this relationship with Marco worked out, she would be staying in London for a while, probably another two years, if not more.

  Marco was going out with the boys that evening to a sports bar. Not so long ago, Alex would definitely have taken up the invitation, but now, a sports bar just didn't have that much appeal. Instead, she'd stay home and watch TV, cooked dinner with her flatmates and pulled on some soft and stretchy clothes.

  "Come for a drink, Alex," Stephen whined as he pulled on his coat at the end of the day. Stephen had a thing about walking into the pub alone. Once he was there, it was fine, but he hated walking in on his own.

  "Fine, just one.” A drink while the worst of rush-hour passed wouldn't be bad, and it could be nice to actually speak to her colleagues as opposed to being completely absorbed by her computer screen.

  They ran across the road, between unmoving cars, waiting to crawl down the street, dodging the rain. Rain always made the commute harder.

  The pub was bright and lively, inviting compared to the miserable street outside. Stephen ordered them drinks and they stood by the bar waiting for them to be poured.

  "What do you think of the new girl?" Stephen asked.

  "She seems nice," Alex said. "No idea how she'll work out, but we'll see. She seems clever enough.”

  "She's cute.”

  And the vultures were circling, Alex thought. When she'd started, she'd just thought everyone was super nice; it hadn't occurred to her that the guys were all checking her out. She knew better now.

  Getting their drinks, they joined the group of people from their firm. The group changed in consistency, but there always was one, and it was quite comforting to know that there was, without fail, a group there to join if she felt like it—very predictable.

  Peter was there, sitting in his dark, expensive Italian suit with his arms crossed and Alex had to squeeze in next to him. His hair was a little shorter. He'd had a haircut recently.

  Slowly, he leaned over. "I heard you've been calling me a man-whore," he said.

  Bitch, Alex thought. She hadn't anticipated that Kate would tell him. "So? Can you argue with the supposition?" A bad relationship with Peter would be very detrimental to her career at Grossman Altitude. A smart person would have kept their mouth shut, but she couldn't stand by and say nothing, and now she had to stand by her actions.

  "I didn’t know you were running around trying to ruin my chances with the girls?"

  "Yes. Someone needs to warn them about you.”

  "That's not very nice of you.”

  "You're not very nice to girls.”

  "I am completely charming to girls," he said and flashed his smile at her; the smile that girls fell for. “Makes me wonder if you are trying to keep me all to yourself.”

  "Please, I would not keep you in any conceivable way. Do you really think I am stupid enough to fall for you?"

  "Most are," he said and picked up his drink. He wasn't angry with her—amused maybe, and she didn't know if that was more worrying or not.

  "You really hurt Lacey," she said, growing more serious.

  "Lacey is a big girl. She knew exactly what she was getting into.”

  "And that justifies it, does it? You chased her out of the country.”

  Peter stared at her for a moment and Alex couldn't really tell what he was thinking. He wasn't showing pride over the fact, but he wasn't showing remorse either. "She accepted the deal, which she shouldn't do if it wasn't what she was ready to do.”

  "Did you not care for her at all?"

  "Lacey was alright," he said. A little frown crossed his brow, which was the only emotion she'd seen from him on the topic, but then it was gone.

  "Just leave Kate alone.”

  "The question is if Kate will leave me alone. I have to go somewhere, Alex. As much as you would like to store me in a
box and forget about me. You can't guard the world's innocent girls from me. And believe me, more often than not, they are doing the chasing.”

  "So is that what you do—here to teach girls that they can't trust guys?"

  "I never lie to girls. I never promise more than I deliver, which is more honourable than what most guys will tell you. I just don't do happily ever after, and that is more honest than most guys. Relationships are a fallacy—a comedy of lies, delusion, and misbehaviours, and if you think anything else, you're the one deluding yourself.”

  "How did you get so completely cynical?"

  "Disney movies have done you a great disservice, my dear. Reality is this: I fuck girls. I love to fuck girls.”

  "Come on, Peter. You toy with girls.”

  "And your cheating boyfriend wasn't?"

  "He's my ex because of it.”

  "Only because he got caught. I'm truthful. It's what girls ask for, but they don't like it when they get it.” Peter shrugged. "I hate this smoking ban," he said impatiently. "Things were better before. I'm dying for a fag.” Rising, he moved past her and went outside. Alex could see him through the warped glass of the pub window, which looked like frozen ripples from something dropping onto the surface of water. Damn it, he was working on her, she realised, as was his nature; he always managed to get a grip, pulling her into an argument, into thinking about him and why he did things. Alex huffed and finished her drink. She had better things to do.