Doomed Dynasty Pt. 07

In contrast, although Reece obviously was intelligent he was developing a rather dark disposition, given to moodiness that occasionally produced flashes of ill temper.

If it were true, thought Patricia, that the eyes mirror the soul then that provided an even more conclusive assessment. Reece's eyes were light brownish green, dull and rather hooded. He had the look of almost a desperate person.

"I'm sorry that we're losing that girl," Patricia said. "She looked to be capable of producing fine children if they took after her."

Courtney looked at Patricia and decided to proceed. "Please don't repeat this to anyone, including Reece. He told me confidentially a couple of weeks ago that Chase is unable to have children, which is partly why they are splitting up."

"And you believed that?" retorted Patricia, assuming that to be a minor factor if it were a factor at all. "According to articles I have read in 'Readers Digest' and the women's weeklies, medically enhanced pregnancies such as vitro fertilisation are currently making wonderful advances and good results are being achieved in other areas mitigating against natural pregnancy and birth processes. But never mind, what's done is done. We must pray that Reece marries suitably and they have children, otherwise he will be the last of our Curtis line."

"Yes indeed," sniffed Courtney, thinking what a sad year it had been for her. "And may the first born be a son."

Next day Matt returned home for lunch because Reece hadn't shown up for breakfast to allow Matt to make his big announcement.

Reece was surly, the women apprehensive, but they all cheered up when Matt said, "If you wish Reece I'll buy you a pre-used van and you can act as my property manager, looking after my tenant's problems, finding replacement tenants when existing ones leave and attending to minor maintenance but not painting and plumbing. I'd hate for you to get your hands dirty."

Acting conciliatory, Reece said, "That's great dad and don't worry about minor plumbing, painting, carpentry and plastering, I'll tackle that."

His mother and grandmother looked at him proudly and Matt said. "Gee thanks son. Well I better be off. We'll go to Christchurch tomorrow to sort out a vehicle for you because they have a much larger selection down there."

Matt checked his watch and saw it was just after 2:00 and grinned, thinking Vikki would be up in the loft in thirty minutes taking her regular break. She regarded sex as relaxation.

"Better go," he said, "Work, work is waiting for me. We'll leave at 5:00 son and pick up pies for breakfast."

"Jesus," muttered the ungrateful son, disappointing his mother and grandmother.

Reece was hoping he'd made a clean get-away from Christchurch but knew he couldn't count on it. The police would probably keep an eye on him wherever he went in New Zealand but that was acceptable. The big problem was he owned money in Christchurch, big amounts including $28,000 to an illegal gambling group and almost that much again to illegal money lenders he'd borrowed from to try to win back money he'd lost at horse racing gambling. It had been a bad year for him.

Within days of arriving back in Miranda Reece had re-established contact with two of his university mates, Phil Crown was a junior partner in his father's law and Alton Smith was a teacher at Miranda High School.

One Friday night at their weekly reunion at the rundown Town & Country Club, Phil invited Reece to join them for seven nights at the Queensland resort town of Noosa.

"Golf all day, partying all nights plus a bit of sight-seeing."

"Yeah, come on Reece," urged Alton. "Phil knows the area well and will give us a ball. We'll have his mother's pad to ourselves."

"Do you have a boat to go out to the Barrier Reef?" inquired Reece, wondering if he really wanted non-stop golfing days and non-stop party nights.

Phil looked at Reece as if a moron had just asked him that question.

"Bloody hell," Reece. "The Barrier's huge but it doesn't extend that far south."

"Sorry, I don't know much about Queensland. I was just hoping to fit some sight-seeing and maybe a bit of diving in between golf."

"We can go up the coast and wander about Fraser Island or go a bit further to whale watching out of Hervey Bay."

Smiling widely at Phil, Reece said, "Count me in. Perhaps I'll find my new wife there now that the divorce is underway."

The two men looked at Reece.

Phil was wondering why he'd want to look for another woman, having let the most desirable woman Phil had ever seen slip, through his fingers.

Alton, who'd not been to Queensland resorts to see the constant parades of beautifully arranged golden flesh in minimal beachwear was wondering why Reece couldn't find a suitable woman in Miranda. There was a good supply of them.

A month later in mid-March the three men arrived at Phil's mother's apartment on Noosa Hill, overlooking the river. But the apartment wasn't vacant, a red sports car was parked the drive and the sound of Elvis Presley's 'Blue Suede Shoes' came from inside the dwelling.

"Shit I should've phoned mum," said Phil, his face darkening. "She's staying with my Aunt and Uncle in Perth. She must have let someone use this place while she'd away."

Always looking for useful information to absorb, Reece came back from looking at the sports car. "It's a rental from the same firm as ours."

Just then a body in a white sundress flew out of the door and straight at Phil.

"Phil!" she shrieked. "What a wonderful surprise. And you've brought two friends to cook for me."

They hugged and kissed. Holding the woman with short-cropped brown hair in one arm, Phil said: "Guys, this is my sister Cilla."

"Cilla this skinny guy with imprints of bicycle clips above his ankles is Reece Curtis, who grandly calls himself an investor. The bigger and ugly bloke who looks like Mr Chips is Alton Lutz, a maths teacher. We went to school and university together."

The chubby girl that Reece had known as Priscilla West, she'd been a couple of classed behind him, had grown into this woman? Reece was surprised. He'd forgotten that Phil had a sister.

After the exchange of greetings she scratched a breast and said, "I'll go and get you fellows some food and there're probably enough beers in the fridge."

After Cilla had disappeared inside, Phil said, "Guys, I've got to give you a little background so that you don't ask Cilla some stupid questions. Understand?"

Alton and Reece nodded, and Phil continued. "When we were two years from finishing primary school my folk split up, Dad took Cilla or Priscilla as she was called then to Sydney to live and I stayed on with mum. Dad married soon after that to the woman that caused the marriage break-up as I was to find out later. After the divorce he never had anything to do with me or mum, expect for two maybe for three years some money arrived for me for Christmas and my birthday.

"The other thing is that a couple of years ago Cilla was living with this guy in Hong Kong and she had a baby. Well, to cut a long story short that bastard disappeared with the baby. Although our father spent a small fortune on private investigators the guy and baby have not been found. The authorities had no record of him ever entering or leaving Hong Kong. From what Cilla has told me it is suspect that he is one of these twilight people who move about internationally and illegally have documentation for more than one identity. But she has absolutely no idea why he took the baby. So, please, tread carefully as she'd still a bit cut up about the baby. It was only six week old when he was taken, but she feels if more than the baby was taken from her, if you know what I mean."

Alton looked puzzled, "What did she mean we'll be able to cook for her? Trish does all the cooking in our house, and when your wife was away you cooked such a rotten barbecue that we had to eat out."

Phil laughed. "Cilla likes her little jokes. Cooking is one of her passions, and seeing three 30-year-old hungry-looking Kiwis arriving on her doorstep is making her drool. You'll probably only get beer and chips right now, but wait until tonight. You'll be drooling."

Cilla joined them to make up a four at golf, and the way their handicaps worked out she and Reece were partnered, and shared a golf cart for the first four days they played together. They got along extremely well. Soon Reece was aware that rarely had he felt so comfortable in close proximity to a woman.

"Isn't she just like one of the guys," remarked Alton, as he and Reece were watching Cilla tee off. "That joke she just came from the mouth of no lady."

"Don't say that," snapped Reece. "You don't know her well enough to judge."

"Sorry, you're probably right."

Back in the clubhouse, sitting on the balcony under a canvas canopy, Phil and Alton were looking out at the well-maintained fairways, peppered with white sand bunkers and numerous water hazards. They were waiting for Cilla to appear and Reece was fetching the first round of drinks.

Alton put out a feeler. "Do you think Reece has gone a little soft on Cilla?"

"Reece? I don't think so. He's looking for some type of special woman, why I don't know. And I wouldn't imagine Cilla would take any interest in our moody friend, at least not the way you appear to be suggesting. Anyway, there will be just the three of us in the morning. Cilla says she wants to go shopping."

They had dinner at the golf course, having played two rounds there, arriving back at the apartment at almost 9:00 pm. It had been a long day.

"I need someone to volunteer to carry my shopping tomorrow?" announced Cilla, covering her mouth to silence a hiccup. Studying her, Reece noticed that her eyes were not light blue, they were actually grey. She was pretty, too freckled to be beautiful, and her pouty mouth was appealing. Appealing... he was surprised at that thought.

There was silence.

Cilla smothered another hiccup and turned to walk to her bedroom.

"Reece you go with her. Then I can challenge Alton to a real game of golf, off the stick. That means losing my two strokes that he has to give me but I reckon I can take him when the pressure goes on."

"That's kind of you Phil to volunteer Reece, but I would prefer to hear what he says."

"I'm probably better at golf than I am at shopping," said Reece, noticing that Cilla was standing looking at them, hands on hips and swaying.

Good child-bearing hips was the next irrational thought that flicked through his mind.

"I'll go," declared Alton.

"Too late, I've volunteered," Reece smiled, noticing Alton licking his top lip as he watched the swaying Cilla

"Thank you Reece. You're a gentleman," she said.

The pulse on Alton's neck fluttered. He was going to contest this. He'd been shut out. But Phil put an end to that.

"Fifty says I will beat you tomorrow in the morning and you have the option to double up in the afternoon.

"You're on."

Cilla awoke feeling a couple of whirls in her head, but happy, very happy in fact. She was expecting to enjoy herself shopping.

And that she did. Cilla set out to test Reece's breaking point. In the jeweller's in Noosa township she tried on three necklaces, and finally handed one to Reece. Adopting a cultural accent, she said "Would you buy that one for me darling?"

There was no price tag on it. So Reece did what comes naturally, he asked the very attentive salesperson the price. She stepped forward and whispered into his ear. He looked astounded, recovered, and handed the necklace to the salesperson.

"This is the best we've seen so far, I'd like to think about it."

"Don't take too long, darling," said Cilla, possessively slipping an arm through his.

Outside Reece slipped out of her grasp and said, "You had me going there for a minute. I could have replaced the old Land Rover on the farm for the price she gave me for that thing."

"So I've got the power to get you going have I? How very interesting," joked Cilla before realising that perhaps she wasn't joking.

She went into a dress shop and tried on four dresses, each time smoothing the crinkles of the snug-fitting fabrics over her hips while watching Reece's reaction in the mirror. It was disappointing. He spent most of the time looking at the ceiling.

Back out on the street Reece said, "The patience of that woman attending to you amazed me. Even I got the impression that you were simply trying things out, in other words wasting her time."

"Well it's what she'd paid to do, and the right word at the right time can well change a casual try on into a commission-earning sale."

"What! You mean to say women will buy things just because some jumped-up salesperson says, "It's a bargain at that price?"

"Oh dear no. Three little words that women would like to hear from their partners will do the trick. 'You look fabulous' are the words that do it for me."

"Obviously that saleslady didn't say the right words."

"My you're a quick learner Reece. She was bored I suppose. Once she said, 'That's a lovely dress' and her worst comment was, 'I think we should go up a size'. Well, we were not interested in hearing someone being so critical, so we walked out quickly."

"I know that last one, brown silky thing with thin shoulder straps. It was so tight that it outlined your tummy, and ...".

Realising that he was being too blunt, Reece tailed off, waiting to be thrown a lifeline.

"From you Reece, yes. I could accept an honest assessment but from a salesperson no way. They are there to create a positive, uplifting shopping experience, not to stick a stake through one's heart or at least one's ego. Get the picture?"

"I think so. Are all women shoppers like this?"

"Of course if they are out for a nice shopping experience. Don't judge women in a real shopping mode with the ones you see in supermarkets."

They walked into a swimwear shop, with crowded racks and stands displaying a riot of colours. Reece immediately noticed that he was the only male in the shop. He found it difficult to continue his forward momentum.

"I'll model my selections for you to help me make a choice. I really want to purchase new swimwear."

A picture of Cilla in the dressing room trying to press her breasts into a under-sized bikini top gave Reece clammy hands but his dick was acting positively. His discomfort was radiating to her. With a sly smile Cilla picked up a yellow and red patterned thong, and said brightly, "I think I'll try this one first."

Horrified, Reece started at the tiny garment in her hand. His confidence flushed from him like water disappearing from a toilet bowl.

"Sorry," he gasped. "Need some air. See you outside."

In his haste to exit he knocked over two racks of bikinis.

Reece bent down to begin picking up the racks and dislodged clothing. A shop assistant, in her early forties had hurried over and was bending down to pick up the other rack. Reece looked straight down her gapping neckline and went beetroot red.

"Oh, you poor man. We've got so much stock in ready for the summer influx that it's difficult to move around here isn't it?" she commented, flattered a young man seemed to be focussing on her ageing torso. "Nice weather we've having, don't you think?"

Reece had a vision of two full moons in the sky, then the notion flashed into him mind that he was turning into some sort of sex maniac. He pulled the rack of bikinis upright, helped the shop assistant lift her one up and fled the shop without a word.

The assistant had just returned behind the counter when Cilla walked up with a beautiful multi-blue bikini, the bottom piece being several times larger than the thong she'd presented to Reece.

"This will look glorious on you with your olive colouring," said the assistant.

"Did you happen to see that young man rush out of here?" asked the saleswoman to her bemused customer. "It was so funny. You have heard the saying, 'Like a bull in a china shop'? Well, that he was. We get some shy guys in here occasionally who just lose it. Poor man."

Cilla found Reece further along the street, staring into the window of a bookshop. She slipped her arm around his and said, "Come on, poor man. Lunch is on me. You did far better than I expected."

"Really? Shopping's not my thing, you know."

Cilla's mother's favourite restaurant was Antonio's, a Mediterranean-style restaurant that conveniently was just across the street. The sat at the bar, sipping their cocktails while studying the lunch menu and laughing about their experiences of the morning. As Reece was telling her that he'd had the depraved thought of Cilla coming out of the dressing room in the swimwear shop, wearing only the thong and her two side hairclips, Cilla detected a gentle warmth flowing up from her chest and into her cheeks. It had been quite a while since she'd had such a feeling. It was not the lusty 'hots' that some of her girlfriends had talked about in the past . . . it was just a warm glow. Reece had honestly done his best to partner her on her little shopping mission. He'd shown himself to be a good sport. She should reward him.

Later that afternoon Reece went to his room for a nap, and Cilla busied herself preparing the evening meal. Shortly after 6.30 the two golfers returned, very noisily, to find Cilla and Reece beside the pool drinking coffee.

"We've had good golf and quite a few drinks," announced Alton cheerfully.

"And Alton's paying for a meal tonight. I've taken 150 Australian bucks off him," beamed Phil. "It will pay for our food at a great restaurant I ate at last time I was here."

"But I've got everything prepared ready to go into the oven," protested Cilla, to no avail. An hour later she walked into Antonio's with the three men.

Driving home, Alton said: "I'll get that money back off you tomorrow, Phil."

"You won't have a chance because Reece will be there and counting your strokes."

The two chortled.

Driving was Reece, having been voted as the only one fit to get behind the wheel. He was driving fairly slowly, with his left hand resting on his thigh. Cilla reached over and grasped his hand.

"Sorry boys, but there's no golf for Reece for the next two days. I'm taking him up to Bundenberg and coming down from there we'll stay at Hervey Bay and go whale watching."

"Whaddya want to do that for?" inquired Alton. "The three of us saw the whales off Kaikoura earlier this year."

"The whales are different over here," replied Cilla, having no idea if that were true.

"Well, that's all right then."

Reece didn't know what to say. This had come out of the blue. Cilla had plenty of time to make the suggestion earlier, but had said nothing, absolutely nothing. What was she up to?

Cilla said, "Phil?"

"What can I say without being a party pooper? You're a big girl now baby sister."

The idea of his sister going off for a dirty couple of nights with Reece... well, he supposed that was what this was all about; it was a bit of a surprise.

It was Reece's turn to hand-squeeze. "We'll play tennis and tour the rum factory in Bundenberg and probably will hop over to Fraser Island before going whale watching."

"That takes care of activities during the day, but what about those long hot nights, Reece?" asked Phil, suggestively.

He and Alton laughed uproariously.

"That's enough of your insinuations, big brother unless you want your eyes scratched out."

"Cor now that reaction confirms my suspicions," producing another bout of unrestrained laughter from the back seat.

Cilla leaned over and kissed Reece on the cheek, her perfume heated by the warm evening and her state of excitement, reaching her nostrils. She then whispered into his ear, "The backseat clowns are quite drunk. They will be asleep within an hour. Let's go somewhere tonight."