As yet untitled ~ Chapter 5

Chapter 5


She followed him into his decadent room, her eyes took in all the opulence. She eyed the bed and imagined him sleeping in it waking up with his hair tousled on the pillows, she wondered if he would he sleep naked, the thought sent a shiver down her spine.

He walked up behind her and bent toward her ear and whispered “did you want to give it a test run?”

Her heartbeat raced, she closed her eyes, licked her lips and waited for the wave of desire that washed over her subside. She swallowed and took a breath. “I’m sure it’s been tested before.” she turned around to face him taking a step back as she did she lifted her bags to create a barrier between them “I don’t want to carry these around all day, can I trust you enough to leave them here?”

“I can trust me, can you trust you.” he drawled moving in closer to her.

She could feel the sexual tension between them, she knew it was there, it prickled beneath her skin, it was uncomfortable but alluring, dangerous but sexy and as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted him.

She took a step backward, turned, put the bags on the bed and turned back towards him “Lets go, otherwise we’ll miss out on the best that Melbourne has to offer.”

She had top get out of the hotel it was too intimate, too seductive, too alluring best to start with Chloe she thought.

They got out of the hotel and headed for the trams. “I was hoping we’d catch a W-class but there are not a lot of them around anymore which is a bit of a shame.”

“What’s a w-class?”

“It’s a type of tram they’re the green ones that Melbourne is so synonymous with. I can remember the first time I got on one, I was so excited.”

He watched the gold flecks in her eyes dance as they flickered with excitement.

“This is our stop.”

They got off and headed across the street.

“So were seeing Chloe.”

“Yep.”

She stopped outside the Young and Jackson her hand poised on the door.
“She’s in a pub.”

“Yep.”

“She’s a waitress?” he asked quizzically

She shook her head

He frowned. “A stripper?”

She laughed, grabbed his hand and pulled him inside “She’d be an old one, we have to get a beer first. You’re paying.”

He didn’t question it “What’re you having?”

“You’re in Melbourne and you are about to meet Chloe, it has to be a beer.”
“Two middies thanks.”
She laughed and poked him in the ribs “Damn Sydneysider, you’re in Melbourne we drink pots or if you’re a girl it’s a glass but most people drink pots so..” she nodded to the bartender who had a grin on his face “two pots thanks.” She said holding up two fingers.
They grabbed the drinks and Rebecca headed off in the direction of Chloe. “Well. There she is, Cheers Chloe.’ She held up her pot to Chloe.

“I don’t see anyone.”

She smiled, it was the same reaction she had when her dad bought her to meet Chloe when she was eighteen, it was a family tradition that all of her older brothers had been through when they turned eighteen and just because she was a girl she wasn’t able to escape it.

Rebecca pointed to the painting “Chloe I would like you to meet Lucas our guest for the day, he’s a Sydneysider.”

He raised his eyebrows “Chloe is a painting.”

“Oh she’s much more than that, Chloe is Melbourne. Chloe to Melbourne is the Mona Lisa to France she should be hailed a national hero, she’s beautiful.”

He sat there and eyed Chloe.

After leaving Chloe they walked down over to Federation square along the Yarra and Birrarung Marr over the footbridge where she pointed out the MCG.

“I’ve seen it in lights at night, it’s a pretty sight at night.”
“Have you been?” she asked
“To the MCG?”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
“I wish it were winter and there was a game on so I could take you for the atmosphere.”

They continued walking til they came to Fitzroy gardens and she gave the history of Captain Cooks cottage and went on a tour with Lucas being amazed that it had been transported from England to Melbourne.

“Let’s walk” she held out her arm and he took it as they walked along the grass
“Where are we going?”
“For a walk.”
“That’s all we have done”
She smiled and poked a finger into him “Someone has to walk off all that McDonalds you put into your body”

He begun to understand a little why the Lewis’s were so reluctant to let go of their company, pride and history and he wondered back to all of the other companies that they had bought out and while the majority were reluctant to let go none of them were as old as the Lewis’s company he at least knew that much.

She took a hold of his hand “Come, I want to show you something.” She walked over to a tree that had been intricately carved. “When I was a little girl my mum bought me here I fell in love with it so much. It’s called the fairy tree and you make a wish and the fairies come and collect your wishes and make them come true. When my Mum was little, her mum bought her to see it and one day I’m going to bring my own children to visit I hope that I too have a girl and give her the same wonderful memory.”

She looked up at him, she could imagine having children with him and walking through the gardens as they were now.

She blushed.

He watched her blush as she talked about having children and he felt that tug again and a knot forming in his stomach it was different to any other he had felt before not like the knots in his stomach he got when he was involved in taking over a company involved in tough negotiations, this was different.

He lifted a hand to her face to remove the strand of hair from her face, his movement was involuntary and as he touched her silky smooth skin beneath he felt the warmth run up his arm and through his body stirring in his heart. Oh boy what a day he thought as he dropped his hand.

He was close, a little too close maybe but she couldn’t move she was mesmerised by his dark eyes that were once menacing but now softened, she closed her eyes as his hand was brushing over her cheek she took in a sharp breath of air the touch of his hand sent a warm spiralling sensation around her body like fireworks just set off before they exploded, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she felt those explosions.

It was dangerous for her to be feeling anything for Lucas he was from Sydney he would be leaving the next day and she should not be falling in love with him, she knew she was or maybe it was lust, but she had been in this position before, falling in love. Didn’t she promise herself to not go there again, that it was too hurtful to love. No, it wasn’t the loving that hurt, it was the losing them. So how was she going to not fall in love? She smiled up at him.

Rebecca Peterson was the girl who fell in love and got married.
Becky Peterson had a damn good time and didn’t think about the consequences, she lived for the moment and today she was Becky.
“Make a wish.” She whispered and closed her eyes
And so he did.
She looked at him and smiled as he held his eyes closed, not many men would make a wish at the fairy tree.

She grabbed his tie “Come on there’s still so much to see.” she skipped off down the path.

As his tie slipped through her fingers and she skipped off down the path he briskly walked to try and keep up with her, he frowned at the woman who dressed in sunshine yellow and shoulder length auburn hair had just given him a glimpse of marriage, home cooked meals, children and she now skittered away like a frisky foal.

He watched as she twirled around in the sunshine as she called for him to hurry up, it was probably a good thing that she had skipped off because it was far too dangerous for him to be thinking about marriage, what the hell had he been thinking about that for?
He frowned. Marriage? Kids? Where the hell had that come from? Shit, he couldn’t even keep a girlfriend let alone a wife, and kids. His stomach wound itself up in knots. Just as well she wasn’t his type.

After a few tram rides Lucas was glad that she knew where she was going, as they past certain spots she would point out things to him tell her of things she did with her family or her school and her memories of them, it warmed him and a glow in the centre of his chest expanded.

Walking around the Old Melbourne Gaol Rebecca unconsciously hooked her arm through his he looked down at it and wondered if she had done it deliberately or if it were natural to her. He was surprised that he asked himself because she was natural and beautiful.

“I’ve always wanted to come here at night.”

“Are you crazy?” he stopped and looked at her with surprise

“Maybe, they say there are ghosts that haunt these walls.”

“I bet, and you want to come here at night.”

“Yeah they have a night tour, if you were staying longer I’d make you come with me.”

“Not a hope in hell”

She laughed she never thought that tough businessman Lucas would be afraid.

“There’s one more thing I want to show you.” She said as she tugged him along

Again they boarded a tram “If we’re lucky we will catch Phar Lap.”

“You are crazy.”

“He’s in the museum we may just make it.”

And make it they did just in time

“We shall be closing in fifteen minutes Miss.”

“That’s all it will take I just want to show my Sydneysider friend here Phar Lap.”
Lucas scowled at her introduction of him as s Sydneysider, even though she meant it as a joke.

The man behind the counter smiled “Way you go miss, enjoy.”

As they stood in front of Phar Lap and she had seen him before, she couldn’t help but feel pride welling inside her as she did each time she visited, Phar Lap was a national icon, a hero and here she was standing in front of him.
Lucas couldn’t believe that he was standing in front of Phar Lap, he didn’t even know that Phar Lap was in Melbourne yet here he was standing before him
“We are closing please make your way to the exits” came the overhead voice.

They ambled out of the museum and Rebecca smiled it had been a whirlwind afternoon but even so, there was still so much that she could show him, that she wanted to show him, to experience, Melbourne gave and had so much that even she had not experienced it all.

“Are you hungry?” she asked

“I am a bit.”

“I know just the place.” she said with a smile on her face

“I don’t think I like that idea.”

“Oh you’ll like it.” She said as she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket dragging him along.

A few more tram stops they entered a building and rode the elevator to a café called Kiosk 88 where they ate muffins and drank coffee Rebecca contemplated telling Lucas what she had planned for him next but thought best that she leave it for a surprise.

“Finished?”

“Yeah.”

“Come along with me.”

They walked along a little further and came to a desk where she purchased some tickets, Lucas thought that maybe they were going to the movies.
“This is ‘The Edge’”
“You want me to go out there.” he said pointing
She stifled a giggle at his horror and held on to his arm “You’re not scared are you?”
“No!” yes, petrified. “Just surprised, I wasn’t expecting to walk out hundreds of metres off the ground.” He replied uncertain

Rebecca got the response she was hoping and if he was scared he didn’t show it as they walked out on the glass that was suspended three hundred metres in the air.

But Lucas was surprised once he got over his initial fear and treated the glass beneath his feet as a floor he was ok and he began to enjoy the view it offered.

“It would be beautiful at night.”

“Yes I believe it would”

“You haven’t been at night”

“I haven’t been here at all this is my first time”

He smiled that just as he was experiencing something new in Melbourne so was Becky and it enthralled him that they did it together and again he felt that warm glow within him a sense of excitement swirled around in him, he wanted to kiss her, he leaned closer to her.
She took Lucas by the arm and looked up at him as he leaned in, she knew what he wanted, she didn’t want to go there, not really she was afraid that she wanted it too much, but the pull, the magnetism was there, the fire, the heat the excitement, the anticipation was there “Let’s go find a restaurant that’s on terra-firma.”