The Finest Line (23 page)

This immediately fired up
questions about her future which made Mairead very
uncomfortable.

“Mairead does this mean that
you’ll be making another bid to get back on the Australian
squad?”

Mairead was about to answer that
one with a positive ‘no’ when Mark interjected again.

“Mairead and I will be returning
to Australia a week from now where we will be married. We’ve made
no plans yet but Olympic gold is definitely a dream we both share
for her.”

When she was about to open her
mouth, Mark moved his arm down so he could slyly pinch a welt on
her buttock. Mairead shut up and let him bring the interview to a
conclusion. She felt that if she heard one more word she was going
to throw up.

When all the journalists had
gone, Mairead was not so quiet. “What the hell was all that about?
Moving to Australia, training for the Olympics? And what the fuck
was all that shit about my father?”

Mark sat down in an armchair and
grinned at her. “We
are
going back to Australia where I can
have you all to myself. And yes I kind of like the prestige of an
Olympic medallist as a wife. Good for business. Sportspeople make
great advertisements.”

She had plenty to say about that
but it was her father that was concerning her. “You forgot to
mention that you knew my father.”

“I don’t really.” Mark shrugged.
“I just know that it’s him that is stopping my father from getting
what he wants.”

“And you think by marrying me,
he’s going to change his mind?” Mairead’s anger was rising.

“Yes I do. In fact I’m sure of
it.” His nasty grin was back. “After all, he wants what’s best for
his little girl and wouldn’t want to see her hurt.”

The choice to co-operate with
Mark had turned sour like every other choice she had made. “You
really are a fucking piece of shit aren’t you?” Mairead’s tears
spilled over.

The grin subsided and Mark got
up and strode towards her but this time she had no intention of
being struck. As he lunged for her, she ducked and vaulted over the
couch, landing on the other side, where she kicked off her high
heels. He came again and she repeated the manoeuvre back to the
other side.

The pain of moving was
extraordinary but the consequences of being caught were worse.

His face was red and snarling,
“Don’t you fucking run from me bitch.”

He went to move again and she
moved simultaneously watching him, keeping the couch between them
and using it to launch herself from his attempts to grab her. When
he tried to clamber over it in and throw himself at her, she
dropped and rolled away to come up and stand on the other side.

The dress was a little
restrictive but her adrenaline was peaking and she had energy to
burn. She taunted him, “I can do this all day but I don’t know if
you can.”

Mark was breathing a little
heavier as he glared at her and then he grinned back at her. “It’s
only a matter of time.”

Mairead shook her head. “No
Mark, it’s not. I’m running out of options and now I’m seriously
thinking I should turn myself in and let the media beat the crap
out of me instead.”

“You wouldn’t.” His face grew
serious and she knew that she had him.

“I don’t want to because I love
my father and I know what it will do to him but I am not going to
let you hurt me.” Her voice broke a little. “I’m actually a little
fucking tired of being hurt.”

He looked at her and some of the
anger left his face. He nodded and shrugged. “Fair enough, I’ve
lost my enthusiasm anyway.” He circled and flopped down on the
couch and grinned at her as she backed some distance from him. “Are
we going to be going through this every time I want to give you a
hiding?”

Mairead grinned back, “Every
time.”

“And you were so co-operative
earlier.” Mark sighed. “So what do you want Mairead?”

If you want to continue this
charade then I get to make some rules too.”

“Like what?”

“You don’t hit me or hurt me in
anyway physically. I’ll marry you and be some sort of wife but you
are going to fucking respect me.” Her eyes bore deep into his
face.

He looked at her thoughtfully.
“You’re probably the first woman, apart from my mother, that I do
respect.”

Mairead eyed him cynically. “You
have a strange way of showing it.”

“What other rules do you
have?”

“You can forget the Olympics. It
isn’t happening. It was my father’s dream but it was never mine.”
Saying the words out loud, Mairead suddenly realised the truth of
them.

Mark shrugged. “I can live with
that, anything else?”

“I want an engagement party and
I want to invite my father and my friends and get really hammered
and have the best time of my life.” Mairead was loosing the
strength in her voice. “And then when we go to Australia, I never
want to come back to New Zealand again.”

He stared up at her. “I’ll throw
you the best party you’ve ever had. Is Saturday night too
soon?”

“Sunday night is better. My
friends don’t work.”

“Sunday night it is.” Mark got
up and approached her. This time she didn’t move, even when he
kissed the top of her head. “Who knows, Mairead? Maybe one day we
might even like each other.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,”
Mairead said grimly, “I want to ring my father before this story
breaks.”

“There’s a phone in the
bedroom...Our bedroom.” She nodded and walked away, with Mark
smiling as he watched her. “Are you sure you have your period?”

“You can always pull on the
string and find out,” Mairead called back and smiled when she heard
his moan of disgust.

Talking to her father proved
difficult. As she expected he was angry when she told him of her
engagement to Mark Lewis.

“This is what you call something
positive for your life?” His voice boomed into the receiver. “How
the hell could you have thought I would approve? His father is a
lunatic and the son can not be much better.”

Mairead did her best to convey
the guise of a love-struck girl. “I love him Daddy and he’s so good
to me. He’s even going to help me get back on the Australian
squad.”

“And what does he want for a
wedding gift? Let me guess... that development in West Auckland.”
There was silence for a moment and Mairead knew that he was trying
to calm down. “His father has used bribes Mairead. I’ve had members
of my own party turn against me and I’m holding on to the slimmest
of margins to stop that development going ahead.”

“Maybe it will be a good thing
Daddy...”

“How can the displacement of a
lot of struggling families be a good thing?” His anger was back.
“Is that what he’s been telling you? People are going to suffer
Mairead. Is that what you want?”

Mairead wanted no such thing but
if everyone learned about Sean Kavanagh’s daughter, he would lose
anyway. Sometimes she wished that her father was an unscrupulous as
other politicians but she loved him so much more because he
wasn’t.

His voiced softened again. “The
last time I spoke to you, James was with you. I didn’t ask why and
you sounded so happy and I just thought...”

“Dad,” Mairead had to crush the
dream for him as much as it had been killed for her. “James is my
chauffeur and nothing more. I keep telling you that. I love Mark
Lewis and I’m going to marry him regardless of your approval.” It
was all the feigned anger she could summon. “But I really wish you
would come to my engagement. It’s on Sunday night at the Grand
Vista.”

There was silence again for a
long time before Sean spoke again. “Is this what you want
Mairead?”

Mairead held back her tears.
What she wanted was to be in James’ arms and in his bed and being
loved by him. She wanted her father to be proud of her and she
wanted so much to be happy. She took a deep breath and answered,
“This is what I want.”

“You’re lucky,” Sean grunted. “I
had to be in Wellington on Monday anyway. I’ll bring my flight
forward and you’d better organise a room for me.”

When she had finished talking
with her father, Mairead went back to the lounge where Mark was
just concluding a call on his cell phone.

“Yeah Dad, I agree. Anyway, I’ll
see you on Sunday.” Mark tossed his phone on the couch and looked
at Mairead. “I take it Daddy wasn’t overly thrilled.”

“He’s coming anyway.” Mairead
answered quietly as she sat gingerly in the nearest chair. “What
about your father?”

“Couldn’t be happier,” Mark
grinned. “Now my bride to be, how would like to spend the rest of
this romantic day?”

As far away from you as I can,
Mairead thought but answered, “I need to pick up my gear from my
friend’s house after five.”

“I’ll drive you there later
after dinner,” Mark got up and went to her, holding his hand out.
“Right now, I’d like a shower and I want you to join me and I’m
going to tend to your wounds. I think you’ve suffered enough
today.”

Mairead felt nauseous, but she
took his hand and followed him to the bathroom. She accepted his
ministrations indifferently, not bothered by his touch or aroused
by it. Only the application of some antiseptic cream brought any
real pleasure.

Later in the bedroom, as she
dressed for dinner, she couldn’t help think about how different his
sexual attentions to her were from those of James. In the shower,
Mark had the capacity to be quite gentle and had constantly kissed
her while his hands explored her body, though they had stayed well
away from the bleeding zone. His only insistence had been for her
to use her hand to bring him to climax.

Mairead wondered how James would
have reacted to her having her period and pondered that it probably
wouldn’t have bothered him. He was far too earthy and primal. Blood
would have been no deterrent from him fucking her. Her nipples
hardened just at the thought, which was something that had not
occurred once during her time in the shower with Mark.

Mark was calling her. “We’re on
the news.”

Mairead came out and looked at
the screen. They did look like the perfect couple and she imagined
how so many romantics would be wishing it was them and how wrong
they would be. The miserable expression that she wore would have
easily been mistaken for the demure face of a bride to be. The
camera really did lie.

Upon entering the dining room of
the Grand Vista, they received a round of applause from the patrons
and hearty congratulations from the staff. It reminded Mairead that
this was merely the beginning of the farce and the quicker she fell
into character the easier it might get. Maybe some day she would
get to like him if she pretended long enough.

He certainly liked spending
money on her and she obliged him by ordering big and expensive.
There was nothing wrong with her appetite and food tasted even
better when washed down with an eight hundred dollar bottle of
champagne. Dessert was amazing and she scoffed it back like it was
gold. Having bypassed sweets most of her life, she indulged
greedily and wondered if he would divorce her if she got fat. One
could only hope.

Mark did comment. “Are we a
little hungry tonight my love?”

“Famished,” Mairead sculled back
another glass, liking what the champagne was doing to her
senses.

“Then eat up. You’re going to
need your strength for Sunday.”

Mairead agreed, “I’m quite
looking forward to our party.”

“Me too,” Mark was leering. “I
might be drunk enough to fuck you even if you are still
bleeding.”

The food rose in her stomach and
she hid a gag behind a napkin. When she was sure she would not
throw up, she smiled. “That’s what I like about you Mark, that
hopelessly romantic thing you’ve got going.”

Her appetite destroyed, she
fidgeted with her utensils and sighed several times. “Can we just
go get my gear?”

“We can,” Mark got up and came
round to hold her chair. “The quicker we get it, the quicker I can
tuck you up in bed.”

On the drive to Kylie’s place,
Mairead felt apprehensive about seeing her friend. She was sure
that the news of her engagement would have filtered through to her
by now and she worried what volatile reaction to expect.

It certainly wasn’t the quiet,
reserved one she received when Kylie let them in. Her friend was in
a dressing gown and wore no make-up which was unusual in itself.
Kylie rarely got ready for bed until the last minute. Her face
looked almost fearful as she smiled at Mairead. She avoided looking
at Mark, which was probably a good thing since his own expression
was contemptuous.

“I didn’t think you were
coming.” She turned and indicated her suitcase. “I repacked it all
for you, washed a few things. All in there.”

“And my other stuff?” Mairead
hoped Kylie would understand her meaning without mentioning
James.

“About that...” She was cut off
by a knock on the door. “Like I said, I didn’t think you were
coming.”

Nothing could have prepared
Mairead as she looked at James as he entered. His presence
enveloped her and she trembled. Every fibre of her being wanted to
throw her self into his arms and never leave him. She had never
wanted more than she did at that moment.

His face was stony as he looked
at her and then at Mark who was beginning to make his own
observations.

“Aren’t you going to introduce
us Mairead?” he asked her coolly.

She couldn’t speak and it was
James that saved her. “I’m James, Miss Kavanagh’s chauffeur. Her
father instructed me to retrieve her luggage and take it to the
Grand Vista but I see my services are redundant.”

Mark looked at Mairead. “You
bring your chauffeur when you go on holiday?”

She found her voice, “He’s kind
of like a bodyguard too.”

“Oh I can see that,” Mark smiled
at James. “You’ll be relieved then that I’m now the one guarding
her body.”