The Only Way is Up

Part Five

Chapter Five

Max looked at the message and couldn't hide the smile that took over his face. He suddenly had a very vivid image of Nicole on the plinth in Stacey's grimacing as she worked the tired muscles. A sports massage could be a fine line between pleasure and pain, there was an almost sadistic streak needed to go sometimes, but the rewards the next day were often immeasurable. She'd been struggling to walk leaving the gym; he knew that she'd have been ten times worse the following day.

He quickly replied, "There is a fine line between pleasure and pain. But you will reap the rewards of your money."

Pocketing his phone he snuck in the back entrance to the building that housed the apartment he was currently renting, safe in the knowledge that no one and followed him, he'd taken a dozen pointless deviations on his motorbike, and then using the back door was unseen by anyone staking out the front door.

His father's secretiveness knew no boundaries, and he'd hate that he'd lost track of him. There were a couple of rooms above the gym, it wasn't the greatest location, but he may be able to hideout there to avoid the old man.

Opening the door he left the light off deliberately. If he avoided the lounge no one would know he was in. Closing the front door, he made for his bedroom, it was late, it was dark, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Why didn't Kim warn her that the day after SO much exercise would hurt so much? By midmorning, Nicole was tempted to call her and vent her anger. But the hectic preparation for the late afternoon meeting meant that she didn't have the time literally. Lisa was confident that they were ready for the meeting, but she wasn't so sure.

They were meeting at one of the up market London hotels, a business meeting to discuss all the proposals, and then dinner in the restaurant in the dining room afterwards. The Franklins were a family run business that had a property portfolio alone that ran to at least fifty million. They weren't on the scale of the accounts that Vincent now handled, but they were a huge force and as such were looking for as many benefits and shortcuts in order for them to renew their interest, their use of her bank. There were a lot of things they could offer, but they weren't all legal, and whilst she appreciated her job, Nicole had no interest in putting her freedom on the line for either the client, or her bosses. Which meant finding as many loopholes to exploit, and corners to cut as possible.

It went reasonably well, the terms that both parties offered were surprisingly generous...until Vincent's name was mentioned. It stunned both women almost into silence. Since he'd left the bank, two years after they had married, he'd not done this, poached a client, though as she sat there watching the financial directors almost laughing at the way they squirmed, she was amazed that he hadn't. He had always been ruthless.

"If you let us see his offers, can we have a couple of days to match them?" There were umms and ahhs in response, but rather than leaving the dinner meeting on a high, Lisa and Nicole stumbled out shell shocked.

"This could see us lose out jobs, blowing a huge client like that."

Nicole nodded in agreement, "I know, bloody Vincent. Anyone else and I'd not be so bloody angry."

Lisa sighed, "we need a drink, come on."

It was against Nicole's instinct as she wasn't in the mood for drinking, she wasn't a happy drunk, and being morose to start had to be a bad thing. But she had nothing else to do, and she hoped that she and Lisa would have time to make some desperate plans.

She was wrong.

The bar that her colleague took her to was filled with associates and work friends, and whilst she wasn't in a rush to share the fact that she had been outdone so royally by her estranged husband, Lisa was both a sharer of detail, and uncaring of the effect on Nicole, so that anger added to her already simmering mixture of emotions.