Chapter 1

Gareth smiled indulgently. He was glad he had forced Trisha to come along with him to the gallery today. He watched her staring at the painting. Her head was slanted and she was trying to read the name of the artist scrawled along the side. He went to her. ‘Like it?’

‘Oh yes, it appeals to me. I like the way it looks almost abstract, but not quite. I like the bright, earth tones and the vibrant brush strokes. It makes me think of strong sensual strokes....of you know....’

Gareth laughed. ‘You are a little horny today. You got all those thoughts from staring at a painting? Then you must meet Jocelyn, the artiste. She will be pleased to know that her work ignites your erotic fantasies.’

Gareth threw back his head and laughed. ‘But first do you need a drink?’ ‘Oh yes, yes!’

Trisha rubbed her hands together in glee. Gareth laughed again. ‘My, my. I must drag you to these things more often. It certainly gets your juices flowing.’ ‘Of course. Let’s go over to the pub and get a little sloshed. That will calm me down and help me survive when I go back to my office for a long meeting this afternoon.’ Gareth smiled, ‘okay, some white wine is in order?’

‘Of course, of course. Need you ask?’

As they stood at the pub, Trisha turned and noticed a man standing a little behind them and realized that he had been listening carefully to their conversation. He stared at Trisha and then at Gareth, raising his eyebrows. He smiled slightly and Gareth smiled widely back at him. He stepped forward slowly, watching Trisha’s eyes.

‘Hey, Rod. How are you?’

‘Gareth, hi. Fine, and you?’

‘Yes, fine. Let me introduce you. Patricia Diason. Roderick Keyes.’ They shook hands and smiled politely at each other. Trisha liked the feel of his hand. It was warm and strong. She also liked his eyes dark, curious eyes. He was watching Trisha’s face, as if trying to answer some question.

‘See you around, Rod.’

‘Yes, yes.’

Rod walked away and Trisha probed Gareth. ‘Now who is that?’

‘He is Jocelyn’s benefactor. They are old friends. He is one of the partners at Keyes, Barker & Associates, you know, the accountants?’

‘Ah, they are in that large, old building down Connor Street? Yes, I have heard of them. I think we use that firm for something. But he looks nothing like an accountant.’ ‘Oh really, why not?’

‘He is too good-looking, refined and far too comfortable with himself.’ Gareth chuckled. ‘Yes, he is also not very traditional. Jocelyn used to date his brother Wayne for years and when he left her and moved away, dear older brother basically took care of her. That was about three years ago and here he is, still making sure she is okay.’ ‘Maybe he has his own interest in the matter?’

Gareth laughed. ‘Oh, Trisha of little faith! I doubt that very much. But I suspect Jocelyn would like to believe that. Just look at her now.’

Trisha turned and saw a short, pretty blonde woman standing next to him. Her eyes were wide and flirtatious and she touched his arm possessively. He simply smiled at Jocelyn and then looked up at Trisha, raising his eyebrows at her again. She smiled back at him and looked away.

‘Oops, he caught me!’

‘Yes, but I don’t think he really minds too much. I think he is interested in you, too.’ ‘I doubt that. He seems a little sullen for me and he stares a lot. No, not my type, I am afraid.’

‘Hush. They are coming over.’

‘Shit!’

‘Rod. Hi again. Jocelyn, how are you?’

‘Oh Gareth!’ Jocelyn hugged him tightly. ‘I am so glad you came. That was so kind of you.’ She gushed in an exaggerated, melodious voice.

‘It is my pleasure, my dear. I brought a friend. This is Patricia.’ The two women appraised each other and instinctively Trisha felt an unease about her. She was beautiful in a glamorous kind of way, but her eyes were too shifty, too cold and they moved quickly over Trisha. She saw a nervous insecurity in Jocelyn which made her feel guarded. Something is not quite in order with this woman, Trisha thought. ‘Hi, thank you for coming.’ She gave Trisha a mild, cold smile.

‘It is certainly my pleasure. It has been most pleasant.’ Trisha replied, in the same mild tone.

‘I am pleased to hear that. Let me introduce you. This is Rod, my best friend in the whole world.’

Rod smiled. ‘We have met already, Joss. Now, do you want a drink? Need to get sloshed?’ His eyes gleamed in mockery at Trisha.

Trisha blushed slightly and looked away. Jocelyn waved her hands. ‘No, no thank you, Rod. I am hoping that you will get sloshed though.’ Jocelyn laughed in a girly, giggly way and both Gareth and Rod smiled indulgently.

Trisha gulped the last of her wine and decided it was time to leave. She needed to get away from those dark eyes that seemed to follow her every move. He had a way of looking at her as if she was the only person there, as if he was asking her a personal question.

‘It was nice to meet you. But I must really be getting along now. Gareth?’ ‘Oh sure, come. Let me walk you to your car. Jocelyn, I will be back shortly.’ He walked out of the building with her and as soon as they were out of earshot, he could not wait to ask. ‘So, what’s up, Trisha? Why are you running away?’ ‘I don’t know. I just had a strong sense of ....I don’t know, danger, fear, or something. There was something oppressive and dark. I needed to breathe.’

‘Okay, relax. It must be the way he was staring at you. He seems a little intrigued by you. Relax. He is not a bad guy. Just not much of a talker. He is kind and quite funny when you get to know him. I suppose you are so beautiful he couldn’t help himself.’ ‘Oh Gareth, you are so sweet. I suppose it is not a bad idea to get back to work. I have a long afternoon ahead,’ she groaned.

Trisha went back to her office, relieved to be away from the piercing eyes. There was something in the way he looked at her that unsettled her. She wanted to ask him, ‘What do you want to know?’

Suddenly an image flashed through her mind. He was standing over her and glaring at her. He was asking her or rather accusing her of something. She tried to sharpen the image, but she could not hear the words. They were garbled and lost in the fear in her eyes. She closed her eyes. Please, let me see the words. But her mind cleared suddenly and all she saw was a blank, white screen in her mind. She tried to focus on the words on the page in front of her, but the dark eyes just danced around in front of her. The images started again, but this time they were faster, more intense and far more disconnected. The eyes laughed at her, glared at her and gently tried to persuade her. She got up and went to the bathroom. There is definitely something about that man I should be concerned about. What could possibly cause such intense emotions in him towards me?

She eventually settled down when all the staff in the office arrived for a meeting. She tried to focus on what was going on and it helped ease her tension when she slipped into a bored, professional mode. Her mind focused on the issues of rosters, new clients and parking and the accountant’s intense eyes slowly faded from her mind. By the time she got home that night, she had almost forgotten about him.

When she opened the door at home, there was a note from Claire Clancy next door. Trisha, honey. I have your gift with me. Please collect. Love, Claire. Trisha was puzzled. What present is Mrs. Clancy talking about? She went inside, put down her bag and made herself a cup of coffee. She needed to relax before she went over to Claire. When she got to her neighbor’s house, she could hear that Claire was talking to someone. She knocked on the door and Claire came to the door with the phone in her hand. She waved Trisha to a large, silver package against the wall. She pointed furiously when Trisha stared at it. ‘Hold on, my dear.’

‘Look there it is. There is a note. The delivery guy said to make sure that you get it today. I have to go. Lillian is on the phone. See you later.’

‘Fine, thanks.’

Trisha lifted the large package and could hardly carry it out. She closed the door and lugged the large thing to her house. She was very curious now. What on earth is this? What is this all about? She ripped the paper opened as soon as she got it into her house and stared in amazement. It was the painting she had admired at the studio that afternoon. She looked at the picture, completely enchanted. It was even more beautiful lying on the floor of her lounge. The strokes looked stronger and the soft light made her believe she had seen the lines move in rhythm with the light. She felt the warm sensuality of it and felt a strong sense that something important was about to happen. It was not the usual feeling of fear and dread that she often experienced. It was a warm glow that filled her. She smiled suddenly. Gareth is too much. I didn’t expect him to buy the damn thing. It was a joke.

She propped it against her couch so she could admire it further and phoned Gareth. ‘Hi again. Thank you so much. You are such a honey. I really didn’t expect you to buy it for me. I swear that if you weren’t such a wonderful friend, I would dive into bed with you right this minute.’

‘Trish? Are you drunk? Did you have more wine at work?’