Betrayal Read online

  “Well, you go for it. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks, Meg.” I walked up to her and gave her a squeeze.” That’s one of the reasons why we’re friends.”

  A little before three, there was a knock at the door. It had to be Jason. Meg answered it.

  “Hi, come on in. She’s almost ready,” she told him.

  I heard him say, “Hi, Meg. Thanks.”

  Jason walked in and sat on the wooden-framed sofa. Meg walked out of the main room into mine and popped her head ‘round the door.

  “He’s here,” Meg said. “Wow, you look nice.”

  “Thanks, but it’s only my jeans.”

  “Yes, I know that; it’s your hair. You don’t normally wear it down,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah. Well, I thought it would make a change.”

  10 minutes later, Jason and were out the door and headed for the mountains.

  They were breathtaking! Snow covered everything like a blanket of the softest material and fir trees spread out as far as the eye could see. The sky was a bright blue, without a single cloud, and all the birds were singing. It really was a magical place.

  “You were right. This is fantastic. I’m so glad you brought me here.”

  “Me, too.” Jason smiled.

  We carried on walking for a while. Talking about what we saw and getting to know things about each other. Soon, we started to get hungry, so we stopped off at a little café. Then we got going again. After about 10 minutes, Jason said, “Bethenny, can I talk to you a minute?”

  “Yes, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  As he talked, he walked over to me until he was close enough to pull me to him.

  “I really like you, Beth. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Well, yes, Jason; I suppose so.”

  He drew me closer until it seemed there wasn’t any air between us. Again, my heart started to beat hard. His body was welcoming; it felt familiar and his smell was inviting. As his arms around my waist grew slowly tighter, his face inched closer to mine. I knew what was happening, but I was powerless to stop him. Everything became a blur around me.

  Suddenly, his smooth lips gently brushed against mine. I felt like I was floating. My hands came up and entwined themselves in his hair. Jason understood and responded by pulling me in even harder to him. When we pulled away from each other, my cheeks were a pretty shade of rose. Jason looked at me and smiled.

  “Well, that was awesome,” he said.

  I didn’t know what to say so I just smiled and agreed. I think that I was in some kind of shock. It was getting late, so we decided to turn back and go home. The walk to the cabin was very quiet. Jason slipped his hand in mine. I didn’t complain; it felt good. When we reached the cabin, Jason turned to face me.

  “So this is goodbye again, then.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for a really good day. I think it’s been the best one so far.”

  “That got to be a good sign, then.”

  He leaned in again and kissed me. The kiss was long and lingering. Then he slowly pulled away.

  “Well, that’s getting easier,” he chuckled. Again, I could feel my face start to burn.

  “You look cute when you get embarrassed.” With the back of his hand he smoothed my hot cheek. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

  “Yes. If you want.”

  “Good. I’ll see you then.” He pecked me on the cheek and started to walk away. I turned and went into the cabin.

  “Well?” Meg asked.

  Megan sat on the sofa with her feet curled under her legs with a hot drink in her hands.

  “Well… It was good.”

  “Is that it?”

  “No. It was really good. To the point of being brilliant.”

  “What happened? Tell me everything and spare nothing!”

  “We went for a walk through the mountains. That was fantastic! We stopped at a little café and had lunch and then he kissed me. That was about it. What did you do today?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What did you say?”

  “What about?”

  “He kissed you!”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, he kissed me.”

  “Well, was he a good kisser?”

  “Yes, it was very nice.”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  “Tomorrow, actually.”

  “So, what happened to you not wanting to meet anyone? I see that went out the window.”

  “No, not at all. It’s just that I was thinking, why shouldn’t I enjoy myself for a change?”

  “Good for you, Beth. It’s about time.”

  “So, what did you and Scott do, then?” I asked Meg.

  “We just hung out.”

  “Well, that’s not like you. A young, single man, all alone with you in our cabin and all you did is hang out?”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not really into him that much. It’s all just a bit of fun until we get home.”

  “I see. Right. I’m off to bed then. ‘Night.”

  I walked in the direction of my bedroom to have sweet dreams. I was ready for whatever the next day had in store for me.

  The rest of the holiday went well. Brilliant, in fact. Jason and I were with each other nearly every day. We weren’t inseparable, but I liked to be around him. He was good company. Then the day came when we had to go home. It had come too quickly. I sat looking at Megan who sat opposite me on our beds.

  “This is so depressing,” I sighed.

  “I know!” Megan replied, whilst throwing things into her suitcase.

  I was halfway through my packing when there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it. Jason stood there looking charming. He held a bouquet of roses in his hand.

  “Jason... Hi.”

  “Hiya. I just popped ’round to say ’bye and that I’m gonna miss you and to give you these.” He held the roses out to me.

  I let out a little exclamation of delight and said, “Thank you! They’re lovely.”

  Jason said, “I got your number and address, though, and you got mine, so I’ll ring you when I get back, OK?”

  “Great. I’ll miss you too.”

  “Well, it’s only a few days. I promise that I will ring you as soon as I get back.”

  “I’d better get back to packing. Our taxi will be here in an hour.”

  He gripped both my hands and kissed me hard on the lips. My legs started to turn to jelly. Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped, and he withdrew.

  “I’ll see you later.” He walked away, back to where he came from. I went back in and closed the door.

  “Who was that?” Megan called from the bedroom.

  “Just Jason.”

  “What did he want?”

  “To say ‘bye.”

  “Oh.”

  With a sigh, I went back to my suitcase to finish the job I had started. It was getting on and we had to be out by half past 10. Sure enough, the taxi was late, so at 25 minutes past we dragged our bags out into the street and with one last check, closed the door. Megan went back to the reception house and handed the keys in. Then, from down the bottom of the hill, I heard the sound of an engine. As the taxi came into view, I could also see Meg walking back. We jumped in and the taxi rushed off to the airport.

  Arriving back in England was sad. It was a cloudy day and looked like rain. We walked to the taxi rank and waited for the next cab to pull up. It wasn’t long until a black cab stopped next to us.

  When the cab came to a halt outside my house, I got out. I hugged Megan goodbye and told her I would ring her later. It drove off and I walked to my door. I turned the key in the lock. I shut the door behind me and dropped my bags. I was tired, so I went upstairs and had a shower. When I had finished, I walked downstairs. Feeling refreshed, I walked into the living room and turned on the television. My eyelids were very heavy, so I shut them. I started to drift off with the sound of the telly in the background.

  The sound of banging on the front door woke
me up. Well, it sounded like banging when I was half-asleep. When I was properly awake, I realised that someone was only knocking on the door. I got up, wiped my eyes and went to see whom it was.

  I opened the door and blinked at the evening sun. It hurt my eyes a little. I heard a voice that I recognised.

  “Oh, sorry, Beth; did we wake you?”

  My eyes focused properly. Before me stood my little sister Sam and Russell.

  CHAPTER 4

  With as much composure in my voice as I could muster, I greeted them both.

  “Hi. No, of course not; come on in.” Showing them through, I closed the door. “Sit down. Would you like a drink?”

  “A cup of tea would be nice, please, Beth.”

  I turned to Russell. “Would you like anything?”

  “Sure. Coffee would be great.”

  I went into the kitchen and put on the kettle.

  “When did you get back?” Sam shouted from the living room.

  “Oh, um, about four.”

  By this point, Sam was out in the kitchen watching me get the cups ready.

  “So how was it?”

  “What, the holiday? Yeah, it was good. Nice to get away. Different scenery. So, did you get up to anything while was away?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, we did. Russell and I are now proud renters of a house!”

  “Wow, cool. Congratulations, Sam. So, no more living with Mum and Dad. You must feel like a grownup!”

  “I know. I can’t believe it myself.”

  “So, what’s your place like, then?”

  “It’s really nice. Two bedrooms, living room and dining room. It’s just nice to have somewhere that we can be alone together.”

  “Yup. I’ve been telling you that for years.”

  “Well, better late than never. You’ll have to come over to see it.”

  “That would be nice.”

  The kettle boiled, so I finished the tea and took it in. When everyone had a drink, I sat down.

  “So I hear that you have a new place now?” I asked Russell.

  “Yeah. It’s not bad. We’ve got a lot of boxes everywhere, though,” he said.

  “Tell me about it. I remember what it was like when I moved in here.” I laughed. At that moment, my phone started ringing. I picked it up. The screen said Jason. “I’ll just be a minute,” I told them.

  I pressed the green button and said, “Hi… Yeah, alright. No, I haven’t forgotten you… Yeah, the flight was OK, thanks… I miss you, too… Me either… OK, see you then… OK, ’bye.” I put the phone back in my bag.

  “Who was that?” Sam asked.

  “Jason. I met him on holiday.”

  “Tell me more. Is he your boyfriend?”

  “I guess you could say that. He’s really nice though.”

  “How old is he?”

  “33.”

  “He sounds really nice. Good for you, Beth. Well, we’d best go,” Sam said. “It’s getting late. See you later?”

  “That was a quick visit, but thanks for coming ’round. It was good to see you both.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to tell you about our new place. I bet you’re tired from the flight.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I yawned. “ ’Bye.” I waved them off and shut the door. “Right; time for bed,” I said to myself.

  I walked back up the stairs to my room. It had been a long day. I thought about seeing Russell again. Well, I thought that those feelings would be gone, especially with Jason in the picture now. However, I was wrong. What to do now? I decided I would avoid him. When I couldn’t, I would ignore every thought of him and fight every feeling.

  That would have to do. I couldn’t do anything else, as he was my sister’s boyfriend. That single kiss had been bad enough. I went to bed that night with a lot on my mind.

  The next day didn’t go very well, either. I woke up with a headache. The washing I had put in all came out pink and someone had keyed my car! I obviously had no lucky Irish blood. Still, I carried on with the day. I had to make the most of it as I had to work the next day.

  I went to get some repair quotes for my mutilated black Clio Sport. After the disappointment of the quotes, I went shopping for some new knickers and bras; my present ones were reduced to near-rags. I finished the day off with housework and the rest of the laundry (from which I made sure this time to separate the coloured clothes from the white.) I settled into bed by 9:00 to read my book before falling asleep.

  My alarm rang at eight a.m. My first appointment was at 9:30. I had always enjoyed my job as a hairdresser, right from when I had started doing it at 16. They say you either love it or hate it; there is no in-between. That was true, but I had always loved it. For me, the pay was nice, too. I mean, I had a car and a house, didn’t I?

  Arriving at Mrs. Baxter’s bungalow, I knocked on her door. The door opened to reveal a lovely and bright-eyed 72-year-old woman.

  “Hello, dear. Come on in.”

  “Thank you. How are you Mrs. Baxter?”

  “Well, my legs are playing up again; but apart from that, not too bad.”

  “Good to hear that. Just a wash and set today, is it?”

  “Yes, love.”

  Mrs. Baxter’s hair didn’t take too long. It never did, as it was thinning on the top.

  “Well, take care, sweetie. See you next week.”

  “Yes, and you,” I replied.

  As I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see her waving goodbye, like she always did, until I was out of view. I had another five ladies to go and then I was finished for the day. When I got back home, I was really tired, but I heard my phone ringing. I answered it before going up to bed.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Hi, gorgeous! It’s me, Jase.”

  “Oh, hiya. Whose number are you on?”

  “My house phone.”

  “Oh. You’re home from Switzerland early.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. So I thought ‘sod it’ and jumped on the next plane out of there.”

  “Cool. So what are you up to?”

  He said, “Nothing, you?”

  “Well, I was going to bed.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “But I could stay up a little longer and talk. If you aren’t in a rush?”

  “No way. I’m never in a rush for you.”

  It was two in the morning by the time we finished our conversation. I was exhausted! I was meeting Jason tomorrow for a drink, so that was something to look forward to.

  All the next day I couldn’t stop thinking of him. I rushed through the ladies I had for the day and went home to make myself look presentable. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t think I looked too bad. I set off in my car to where we had agreed to meet. When I walked in, I looked around and sure enough, there he sat in one of the corners. As I walked up to greet him, he saw me and a huge smile spread across his face.

  “Bethenny!” Jumping up at me, he locked me in his masculine tanned arms. “I’ve missed you loads!”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Before he let me go, he brushed his nose against mine and kissed me on my forehead.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked.

  “Yes, please. I’ll have a coke.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes, I’m driving.”

  “OK. Wait here and I’ll go and get it for you.”

  With that, he was off to the bar. I watched him walk away, took my compact out of my bag and checked my make-up. I reapplied lipstick.

  “Here you are,” Jason said, placing the drink down. He sat back in his seat. “What have you been up to while I was still in Switzerland?”.

  “Just working. I was too tired to do anything else.”

  “Did you miss me?”

  I looked into his eyes. All of a sudden, they seemed a piercing blue. They sparkled in the darkened lighting.

  “Yes; of course I did,” I told him.

  “Good, ‘cau
se I missed you loads.”

  This conversation was starting to feel a bit needy. Perhaps it was the fact that I wasn’t used to close relationships. I just shut my mind to it and enjoyed the rest of the night. The date went on until midnight. I asked if Jason would like to come back to mine for a coffee. Now, I know how people normally take that, but I actually meant a coffee.

  “Yeah, of course I would!”

  With that over-enthusiastic sentence, I got a little worried that I had said the wrong thing. Still, I stuck to my word and drove him back to mine. When we got there, he jumped out and ran around to my side of the car to open my door for me. This lad definitely had manners; or was it that he just couldn’t wait to get inside? That was my cynical internal voice again. I went in and flicked on the kettle. I put the telly on for some background noise.

  We sat down to drink our drinks. Jason was next to me on the longest sofa. He put his coffee down, and twisted me round from gazing the television to face him. He held one of my hands and with his other one, he started to stroke my hair.

  “I’ve really missed you, Bethenny. More than you know.” He moved closer to my face. “I’ve wanted to do this since you left the resort.”

  The hand that had been holding my hand now moved to my knee. At first, I protested slightly. Then he leaned in and tilted his head so his lips were brushing against my neck. As his hand started slowly moving up, all I was aware of was his warm breath. His lips descended and he started to kiss the skin on my throat. I liked what he was doing. My heart was pounding and my body was hot; it wanted him.

  “Not here.” I whispered heavily.

  Grabbing his hand, I pulled him towards the stairs. He followed without question. The next day, I woke up, turned over and there he was. I stared at his face for a while, looking at his sleeping profile. I don’t know why. It felt good. It felt comfortable.

  As quietly as I could, I got out of bed, dressed in my robe and downstairs. I fixed some cereal and started to wolf it down as fast as I could. Suddenly, I felt two arms wrapping around me like vines.

  “Hello,” the soft voice behind me said. “Hungry,” he whispered in my ear.

  I turned in his arms to look at him. Again, his eyes were shining and he was smiling.

  I said, “Yes, sorry. I must look like a pig.”

  “Not to me. You look lovely.”