Chapter 18

Siân arrived on Sunday afternoon to a rapturous welcome from Evan and a welter of nonsense syllables from Bethan, whose grin more than made up for her lack of intelligible conversation. Siân had brought warmer weather and her own warmth and affection with her.

They were sitting in the living room after the evening meal and after the children had been put to bed.

“So tell me everything again about your cold war with Celia,” she said with an encouraging smile.

He told her the whole story – her accusation of incest and near rape of an innocent, and his counter accusation of her snooping round his room, and interference in his private life, culminating in him accusing her of deception with Alex and telling her to keep out of his private life in future, as he had been repeatedly told by her to keep out of hers.

“I would assume things since then have been even cooler between you?” she suggested.

“She’s stopped talking to me almost completely. Bare minimum needed to run the house.”

“As you told her.”

“Siân,” he said with an air of irritation, “I don’t mind her being professional. I’m professional at work with my PA, but we chat about things apart from work. She often asks how things are going at home. We discuss the weather, the news. It makes for a warm working relationship.”

“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully, “that cool, eh?”

“Bordering on icy.”

“So she snapped at you a while back when you tried to ask about her time off. ‘Keep out’?” Siân said, it was more a statement than a question.

“More or less, yes. She suddenly started taking every bit of her entitlement to time off; it had been pretty sporadic before, I just wondered aloud to Alex if she had a new boyfriend, for if it were serious she’d probably a some point be moving out. Of course I didn’t realise then that he was the boyfriend I was talking to all along!”

“When she objected, was she cool? Just wanting to set boundaries?”

“Siân she was livid. It was a real shouting match.”

“I bet that was fear. You were getting too close to her relationship with Alex. She knows you usually have no secrets from him, nor more to the point, he from you.”

“Fear, or guilt? I was wondering if she’s always really fancied Alex. I wondered if she was seeing him even when she and I were living together. Remember what we saw – they looked every inch a long term couple.”

“True. It’s puzzling though. I mean you had finished with her long since. You weren’t pursuing her.”

There was a moment’s pause, as something clicked with David.

“That’s an interesting thought,” he said. “When she came to ‘apply for the job’, she said she still loved me, and had done all along, she regretted the episode with the footballer, but she would never make a move on me. She repeated that when I flew off the handle that time after Ozzy made those comments about Celia scheming to get me back.”

“Ozzy is a motor mouth, isn’t he?” she said with a grin.

“Eh?”

“Motor mouth – mouth in gear before brain engaged!” she laughed. “I mean, he gave the game away about why Alex was not at the pub! It was so obvious then that Alex was avoiding you, and the reason was easy to deduce. Let’s face it, we knew exactly where they’d be and we were proven right.”

Another silence, then Siân seemed to have an idea.

“Dafydd,” she said hesitantly. “We are confused about Celia’s attitude to you. It’s quite extreme. Look you, she totally over-reacted to the knickers. She over-reacted to you wondering where she was on her time off. She told you months earlier quite openly she still loved you.

“Conversely she is obviously seeing Alex and sleeping with him while frightened to death you’ll find out. Now you have found out, she’s cut you off, but it’s more likely, I think, she’s cut herself off from you. Perhaps mortified you know she’s been fucking Alex. It may be guilt and fear that you knowing about them means she has no chance with you any more.”

“So?” David wondered where this was going.

“So you’ve never shown any interest in her since she came to work for you, have you?”

“No, that’s true.”

“In fact after that first Ozzy incident, you told her to get out. Not very loving on your part.”

“True.”

“You’ll probably shoot me down for this, but here goes,” she ventured. “I think that on balance she now loves you very much and she longs for you to be her man–”

“But she’s seeing Alex.”

“Substitute, or relief from the frustration of living with you and wanting you so badly.”

“Bit of a romantic notion, don’t you think? Straight out of Mills and Boon?”

“I said you’d shoot me down,” and she smiled broadly. “David, it’s the violence of her reactions that I think is the giveaway.”

“If you say so.”

“It’s the truth. You’ll see. Any way, I’ve to be up early tomorrow, so I think you should take me to bed now.”

David needed no second bidding, but busied himself setting out everything for breakfast and putting the house to bed, before climbing to his own, where he found the duvet thrown well back and a gloriously naked Siân awaiting him.

“Quickie tonight, Dai. Got to be on the ball tomorrow, so we can’t be up all night, or at least you can’t!” and she laughed.

So he touched, fondled and fingered her and she touched, fondled and stroked him until they were both breathing heavily, then he scooted below and substituted his tongue for his fingers, while she moaned and tweaked her breasts until she gave a cry and twitched through her first orgasm, in the middle of which he lay over her on his straight arms and entered her strongly, pushing through until he was embedded, whereupon he thrust powerfully until she came again hot on the heels of her first climax, her vocal and convulsive reaction triggering his own.

Thereafter they lay wrapped round each other, and rested.

“You know,” he said. “It wasn’t the sex that I missed most after Gwen passed, it was the lack of her warm embrace each night and morning in bed. That always felt like home, warm and nourishing.”

She hummed her agreement. There followed a contented and peaceful silence, as they absently stroked each other’s bodies. No more was said, for they both fell asleep.

David was up and making a pot of tea when Celia arrived, and looked into the kitchen.

“D’you want some tea?” David asked, making an effort to sound friendly. “It needs to brew for a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” she said neutrally. “I’ll just go and unpack, if you’d leave it out for me.”

“OK,” he replied.

He got his things together for work and then poured two mugs, for himself and for Siân, leaving a third mug, ready primed with a splash of milk as Celia liked it.

He woke Siân with a kiss and was pulled down onto her warm soft body for a second more extensive one. He pulled the bedclothes back and stroked her breasts, torso and slipped his hand between her legs.

She groaned “I need the loo!” and rolled out of bed, making for the en-suite bathroom, where she relieved herself in full view of David, grinning at him as he suggestively stroked his penis. She swaggered back to the bed.

“No time for nookie,” she said. “Got to get up – after my tea!”

“Celia’s back,” he told her. “Offered her a cup of tea, and she was quite – how shall I put it? Neutral.”

“I’d better get dressed before going down for breakfast,” Siân said with a smile. “No point in rubbing salt into the wound.”

She finished her tea, showered, again leaving the bathroom door open so David could see her nakedness as she washed, and then began to dress. David showered in his turn and on returning to the bedroom, was impressed by Siân’s sexy underwear. She saw him staring.

“David, no one but you will see my undies. Wearing sexy stuff underneath does wonders for a girl’s confidence.”

“Wouldn’t have thought you’d need your confidence building,” he replied. “Your talent shows clearly enough, I’d have thought.”

They heard the chatter of the children and the voice of Celia close by, telling them not to go into Daddy’s room but to come downstairs.

“That was thoughtful,” said Siân, as she wriggled into her skirt, having already donned her tights and blouse.

David was by now dressed and left her to finish her hair and makeup, going down to see the children, who were already having breakfast, and who greeted him with their usual enthusiasm and milky faces.

“Breakfast?” asked Celia. “Or are you waiting for Siân?”

“I’ll wait,” he said, with a smile, “though I think a refill of tea would be good. I’ll get it.”

Celia sat down with the children and helped Bethan with her breakfast. The children chattered away with her and David saw her lovely smile as she talked with them. He felt sad that that smile was no longer available for him.

“Morning!” came Siân’s cheerful greeting as she entered the room. “Hi. Celia!”

Celia gave her an open smile. “Morning! My, aren’t you the epitome of the efficient business woman! Like the suit!”

“Got to make a good impression, haven’t I?” Siân replied. David gave her another mug of tea in exchange for her empty one, and she sat down to help herself to cereal.

“Where’s the job?” asked Celia. Again David could see no hidden agenda, only a conversational inquiry.

“Well, actually, it’s at David’s company,” she saw Celia’s change of expression and hastened on. “Not that he’ll have anything to do with the interviews or the decision of the panel. He’s keeping himself well clear. Very ethical! He won’t even tell them why. I don’t even know if I’m getting a lift to work!”

“Oh, you’ll get a lift, but I’ll drop you well before we get there, so you can walk in on your own. I don’t want anyone seeing us arrive together and favouring you because you know the boss.”

Celia smiled at Siân. “Yes, I can see that. It wouldn’t go down well with the other workers if the boss’s sister-in-law got the job.”

“David’s very fair,” said Siân. “I mean, fair to the other candidates.”

“Yes, that’s true. He is fair.” However, although there was a smile on her face, she did not look in his direction.

He thought he might as well not be in the room. He finished his breakfast and went to get his briefcase and the files he had brought home, and put them in the car. When he entered the house again Siân was ready for him with Bethan in her arms.

Evan came running. “Bye, Daddy!” he shouted, with arms up to be picked up.

“Bye Son,” David whispered, with a laugh, then kissed Bethen, whom Siân then put down so the tot could crawl back to her toys.

“Bye!” called David. No reply.

“Going now, Bye Celia!” called Siân.

“Oh, bye,” said Celia, coming into the hallway. “Good luck with the interview.”

They left the house and got into the car.

“See what I mean?” said David, as they drove off. “Minimal contact.”

“Hmm,” came the response. “Yes, I saw.”

David dropped Siân off two hundred yards short of the offices, and round a corner from them. Then continued to work.

“Dropped your relative off on Copton Street, I noticed,” said Marissa.

David started. “How... ?”

“I was getting off the bus just behind you, she said with a laugh. “Don’t worry, no one else saw, and I’m not telling. So what’s her relation to you?”

“She’s Gwen’s younger sister, Siân.”

“Ooh! I saw her application. Very bright girl! I’m surprised she’s not had better jobs.”

“Wales,” said David laconically. Then, once again in awe of his PA’s omniscience, “How did you know which she was?”

She laughed uproariously. “When you said she was a relative by marriage. I got up the candidates’ details on the system, and looked for Welsh names. There are two – a Jones and a Price. I remembered Gwen was a Price.”

David shrugged. “All right, you win. It’s why you’re PA to the CEO, isn’t it?”

“Of course!” she giggled. “The panel will select the two successful candidates, brief them and then bring them to you. Normally, you would have interviewed them with the other short-listers already, but not this time. The panel are agog to see if they’ve chosen the ‘right’ candidate!”

They both laughed, and got on with their day.

At three, Marissa buzzed David. “The successful candidates are here, Mr Musgrave.”

“Send them in Mz Halton, please.”

The door opened and Marissa entered carrying two folders, followed by a tall young man and Siân.

“Mr Craig Wilkins and Mz Siân Price, Mr Musgrave,” she introduced them, placing the files on his desk and shooting him a knowing grin and a wink.

David came round his desk, shook hands with both and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Please, sit down.” Then he returned to his own chair.

“This meeting is so you will recognise me when I walk about the offices. It’ll give you a chance to change your monitor screen to something work oriented.”

Both successful candidates laughed appropriately to show the boss that viewing non-work related items would never enter their heads. David appreciated that both were intelligent and diplomatic with an ironic sense of humour.

He looked at their files and chatted about their previous occupations. He couldn’t resist playing with Siân.

“I see from the panel’s notes that you produced a superb CV, exactly what we needed to assess your capabilities,” he said with a naughty smile.

“Well, I got help from a highly intelligent friend,” she answered deadpan.

“You must thank him or her properly, then. It really was very good.”

“Oh, I will, have no doubt about that.”

They both laughed, and Craig Wilkins looked puzzled. He was not enlightened, at least not then.

“So, I can now formally welcome you to the company, and hope you will find the work interesting and rewarding and that you will both be happy here. You will be assigned a mentor to whom you should turn if you have any questions or problems.

“Mz Halton will escort you to HR who’ll sort out your passwords, identity cards and tax and insurance details, then she will pass you on to your departments and mentors. I suspect the first week you’re with us will be orientation.”

He buzzed Marissa, who entered the room.

“If you would both wait in the outer office, while I discuss something with Mz Halton.”

When they had left the room and shut the door, David said, “At a suitable moment, can you tell Siân to come here when everything is sorted out. She’s staying with me at the moment.”