The Call Girl and the Businessman Ch. 09

"I do not know what you expect of me, Mr. Boardmann." I said, softly.

My voice was faltering by the minute. I felt the onslaught of tears gushing into my eyes. I cast my eyes down, trying to hide them from him.

"Do you think that I have no regard for the angel who has stuck with me through thick and thin? She who had held me on her lap while she caressed me to sleep, and she who had endured all my worst behaviour, taking me in her care and seeing that I pulled through..." He said.

His voice was melodious and rich. It reeked of affection and pain.

I could not answer him; nor could I face him because my eyes were already filled with tears. With one more blink, I was sure to cry and they would trickle down my face in a most terrible manner. He would see how emotional I was and I did not want him to see me that way since he was already so emotional himself.

"Lila, I bid you to look at me even when you will not speak to me. Let me try to understand you better. Please, Lila, just let me look into those beautiful and expressive eyes of yours." He said.

His voice was tender and deeply affectionate. I felt his breath on my forehead. On his prompting, I brought my face to his.

Our gazes locked. I was enveloped by his tenderness and I sought no escape from what he offered me.

"Lila, I did not sleep with Fiona. I sent her away." He said.

I nodded, but the tears had already started flowing down my face.

I was unable to dry my own tears because he had grasped my palms together, warming up my cold hands; sending shivers to my spine with the heat of his hands. My tears flowed down my made-up face and onto the plunging neckline where the moonstone pendant hung.

"Hush now, my little minx." He said, tenderly.

As always, there was a white linen handkerchief in his coat pocket. He swiped it out and gently dabbed my cheeks and the sensitive part of my décolletage with the linen handkerchief.

"You're always one to believe in a little magic in life, Lila." He said, softly.

He had held the moonstone between his thumb and forefinger. He rubbed it a little, as if trying to instil a bit of his own life force into it.

"You have made me believe again in the loftiness of my youthful ideals, which I thought forever lost." He said, in barely a whisper.

His voice seemed to resonate with the howl of the wind. It was as if the God of the Wind, Zephyrus truly existed. He had taken me upon his bosom. I was a nymph of the waters, seeking to unite with the wind to form rain.

"Mr. Boardmann..." I said, trembling as I uttered his name.

I was deeply moved by his revelation. The times of youth surely are the times when one allowed oneself to dream; to touch the stars and to ride the tail of a blazing comet. Even in my youth there were times I was certain that I could break free from the cycle of degradation and that there would appear a knight in shining armour who took me under his wing. It seemed strange to a now cynical me, that I waited for someone to free me, but all it took was me freeing myself. I would now never rely on someone for my own happiness. Yet perhaps...

"I do believe in a little magic yes, but the rest of the way is pure hard work." I said, in a hushed voice.

My voice tremored. Life was not going to be smooth-sailing always. There were good times; there were bad times; and there were times where life was neither good nor bad. It was just passing me by- colourless until he came into my life.

He pulled me towards him and I sighed contently as he took me in his embrace. My hands went around his sturdy back.

"I feel half my age when I am with you." He said.

"What's wrong with your current age?" I asked, arching my head upwards at him.

"I want to be as young as you are. See the world from your youthful eyes." He said, tapping my nose with a graceful touch.

I wriggled my nose.

"You had better not because I am not as young as you think I am." I said.

I drew imaginary circles on his chest because I did not feel as upset now. I guess when it came to expressiveness, we both had restless hand syndrome. Apparently there was such a thing in medical terminology.

"I'm quite sure I am old enough to be your father." He said.

"Goodness, Mr. Boardmann. You make a terrible judge of how old a woman is." I said.

I looked into his eyes. Now I felt young because he had deducted ten years from my age. I smiled. I leaned more towards him. I was no longer supporting myself. He was the branch of the tree, while I was the rose vine; all around and over him.

"I would think that age is just a number." I said in reply.

"What could be more important than numbers?" He asked in jest.

"How we both get along. How we both feel when we are together." I answered.

"How do you feel when you are with me?" He asked.

"I feel safe and protected when I am with you." I said automatically.

He let out a kind of groan.

"You say words which move me, Lila. You let me think that I can be more than I am." He said.

"Of course, you can. You are the infallible CEO who saves your company." I said.

"Thanks to a miracle not of my doing. I'm still trying to find out who helped me." He said.

"It doesn't matter. It had only given you a kick start. The rest was in your hands, and you managed perfectly well." I answered.

He squeezed my fingers in appreciation. I felt the rounded edges of the moonstone ring he had on his index finger.

"I have never asked you how old you are, Lila. You look like you've barely reached the legal age for drinking." He said.

"Mr. Boardmann, are you actually complimenting me?" I asked.

He shook his head, but then his lips curled up into a smile.

"On the contrary, I am hardly one who showers people with compliments." He said.

He was speaking in a humorous tone now and his eyes twinkled. That was a compliment enough for me.

"I will be thirty at the end of this month." I said, looking straight into his eyes.

I did not try to hide the fact that I was on the older side of my fellow compatriots. Most of them were in their early twenties and by the time they reached their late twenties, those who could not keep up or had earned enough had retired. This was hardly the career path where one could maintain for more than a decade. Those who made it became select call girls, and I was one of those who made it to the top. Perhaps I did start the trade at an advantage. I had previous job experiences which catered well for the escort business. I was rather proud to have reached the ceiling limit in three years.

As much as he looked pleasantly surprised, he had smiled.

"To be accurate, we have a ten year age gap." He said, with a smile.

"Perhaps it is news to you that I am too old to qualify as your little minx." I said.

A gush of wind had blown my wavy curls into my face again, and I carelessly tucked my hair behind my ears. He took my hair and held it up in a ponytail.

"To be honest, Lila, I am glad that you are older than I thought you were. That way, I am less inclined to feel that I am taking advantage of you." He said.

"You have never taken advantage of me, Mr. Boardmann." I replied.

Almost immediately, I gave him a reassuring smile. He grinned; acknowledging my smile.

I gathered the hair that he had bundled up and tried to braid my hair so that it would be kept in place.

"But you have been gruff, arrogant and mad at me." I said, in all due honesty.

I worked my fingers deftly on my hair but my eyes were on his.

A playful groan escaped his throat. He eyed me somewhat in amusement.

"Lila, just when I thought you were trying to compliment me, you shoot it down the next minute with your acrid words." He said, looking into my eyes.

His eyes were neither piercing nor intense on mine. They were tender and kind.

"I have not finished with what I wanted to say, Mr. Boardmann. If you would just let me finish..." I said.

"Goodness, how much of my bad qualities do I have to bear from you tonight, my little minx?" He asked.

Despite his question, his voice was all pleasant and I knew that he was not mad at me. I warmed up to his words.

"What I wanted to say was that you have also been thoughtful, patient and understanding towards me; more than you could ever realize." I said, in a murmur.

My voice awakened with emotion once again. Now that my hair now fashionably done in a loose braid, my hands were free to touch him again. As I had mentioned, I had missed him and I had not passed that stage just yet.

I fiddled with the moonstone ring on his index finger on the pretext of taking a closer look at the multi-faceted stone when in reality all I wanted to do was to feel the touch of his skin against mine.

He remained silent and I saw his Adam's apple rise, as if he wanted to speak. His eyes sparkled from within. The grey wolf in them was coming out towards me; he had bidden his time long enough.

"I have a soft spot when it comes to you, Lila." He said, in a quiet voice which trilled with passion.

Because he had tried to control his voice into submission, probably taking into account my feelings, it endeared him more to me. I felt the tenderness of his gesture.

"When it comes to you, Mr. Boardmann, I feel the same, but I am afraid..." I said.

I gasped at my own words. My rejoinder had been sudden; those words had slipped my lips by accident. I could not take them back anymore.

"I understand that you have every reason to be afraid of me but please treat me like a diamond in the rough. I can be polished and moulded the way you like me to be." He said, in a very tender voice.

He would have continued, but my fingers had lightly grazed his lips. I shook my head slowly. He might as well know the truth about why I shied away.

"It's not that, Mr. Boardmann." I said, in a soft voice.

"I can change, Lila. You have seen me transform right before your very eyes." He said, his voice rising with an intensity of strength.

His grey eyes shone in strange light. His face looked distorted because he was trying to control his reaction. His hands lightly skittered over my cheeks and as they made their way to my lips, I shuddered at his touch.

"I'll do anything for you; whatever you want me to do, Lila." He said.

The multi-faceted moonstone paled in comparison to the ravishing sparkle in his eyes. His voice was extremely tender and his lips, when they uttered those words which every lover wanted to hear; trembled with longing.

"Mr. Boardmann..." I said, not knowing how to continue.

"Say that you'll be with me tonight. Just one more night." He said.

As his eyes swept into mine, I was caught in the whole maelstrom of his emotions. I was pulled into the depths of the grey wolf's lair. In my own volition; for my heart willing to be with him but I was just terrified.

"What I had meant to say was that I am afraid..." I started again.

He waited patiently for me to continue, deliberately nodding his head slowly.

"I am afraid of my own feelings for you." I whispered.

I tried to articulate my words as clearly as I could, but they turned out incoherent.

I looked up at his face. I let him take in my bewildered expression which was filled with longing, affection and confusion. I saw the restless eyes of his trying to placate mine. I stared deep into his eyes before telling myself that all would be alright because I trusted him. I then buried my face in his chest.

"Lila." He said, tenderly.

It seemed to me that he wanted to speak in a manner which would not upset me, but words were futile at this moment.

"Mr. Boardmann, I'll be with you tonight." I said.

I could not quite decipher the tone of my voice, but I thought that it was a voice spoken with tenderness towards him. It might not have been the first time I was speaking to him tenderly, but this was the first time that I was starkly aware of it. The howl of the wind made me more perceptive of reverberating sounds in the air, including my own.

"Lila, you have never called me by my first name, except once. Why won't you call me Matthias? Shall we start slowly with you calling me Matthias?" He asked, looking directly at me.

"I am more inclined towards Mr. Boardmann. I am just so used to it. It suits you." I said, even though I was wary that he could get angry at me for not doing his bidding.

"Alright then, my little minx. As long as you are with me, I am satisfied." He said, with a surrender in his voice.

We gazed at each for a long time. I took him in my entirety. It was so good to have him back. Just for tonight I wanted him. I had forgotten about the piano gala concert and the five thousand people in the grand hall. They seemed far away now and a long time ago.

His gaze was kind as he observed me. He was thinking about what to say and how to say it.

"Lila, it was no stranger who wrote you that note complimenting you on your piano-playing at the library." He said.

There was a wink in his eyes. He looked boyish and young. I would say that he looked younger than me.

"Oh..." I said.

I felt absolutely flushed. Colour rose to my cheeks.

"No wonder you spoke in riddles that night. You were like a sphinx." I said.

I was now putting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together.

He nodded mischievously and with a gallant gesture, he bowed.

"Cherie said you did look quite familiar but you denied it." I said, accusingly.

"Of course I denied it, Lila. How else was I able to get close to you? You were already so secretive." He said.

Now I looked down bashfully aware of how I tried to conceal from him my music-making skills.

"I was more than a tad dramatic I suppose. I thought that I could surprise you with my own rendition of Music of the Night. I memorized the lyrics and gave my good, old vocal cords a workout when I was in Bangkok. At night in the hotel room, I was singing, facing the mirror till the wee hours of the morning." He said.

I looked at him in amazement.

"Why would you want to surprise me?" I asked.

I was curious. I never liked surprises ever, because I did not necessarily know how to react. There were no standard rules when it came to surprises. Tonight though, this surprise was very much welcomed.

He looked at me thoughtfully.

"To be honest, I wasn't really sure if I would be here tonight in time for the concert. I did not want to make promises which I could not keep. The work at the branches were piling up by the day and it seemed that every time a new deadline was set, it had to be pushed back. I had only booked my flight last night and I arrived early this morning. I did call Cherie to inform her about it." He said.

"It was no wonder that she said the least I could do was to play the last song well." I said.

Mr. Boardmann nodded.

"I think Cherie quite likes me, not the way that you like me, of course." He said, with a boyish grin on his face.

I blushed.

"I had no means of contacting you. I only had your bank account details and nothing more." He said.

I nodded in acknowledgement. I proceeded to ask him about his trip to South East Asia. He was pleased that the trip had been a successful one. He had managed to improve efficiency in all branches. The engineers at the lone branches, realising that sales were dwindling, had their own proposals too on how to capitalize on the market, and he decided to keep an open eye by implementing their proposals. The head office in Singapore was also doing well. They had managed to secure a major deal after overcoming initial quota hurdles on package allotments.

"I took your advice to concentrate on the things that I love." He said.

"And the trouble sleeping; the nightmares; your medication?" I asked.

"Alas, I still have trouble sleeping, but I rarely have nightmares anymore. I have since stopped taking the pills." He said.

He saw me looking a little concerned, and he said, "Don't worry. For most part, what changed the most is how I feel and manage my turbulent emotions. I can cope better now. I no longer feel like it's the end of the world. I am no longer suicidal."

He took my hands in his and warmly pressed them. He bent his head again to look at me.

"I'm so glad." I said, gazing up to catch a glimpse of his eyes.

My job was done and I was so relieved that all had ended well. My mission to see him back on track was fulfilled tonight, and I had the added bonus of performing with him while he sang with the most beautiful voice I had ever heard in my life. And I got to spend one last night with him. What more could I have asked for?

"Could I hire you again when I get lonely?" He asked suddenly.

Unaware, I let out an inarticulate sigh.

"Why do you sigh?" He asked softly.

I looked into those wolfish eyes which I had known so well in my dreams when he had been away.

"I can't sleep with you, not that last day and not anymore. We have gone too far out onto that road of no return. With you, I am out of my comfort zone." I said with a fervour I did not know I possessed.

"I know." He said.

"That's why you can't hire me again." I said.

I let go of our linked hands. The pressure of his palms on mine had been very soothing but I must not let myself get carried away further into the point of no return. I could not stop myself from those wretched feelings which played havoc with me. The more I knew I should not think about him was the moment I thought about him more.

It would take me ages to detox myself from feeling for him the multitude of strong emotions which had simmered in my body for the past month. The painful truth was that I did not exactly want to let go completely but I felt that I had to for both our sakes. He had been without me, and I had been without him. He would do just fine now.

"What if I just wanted your company and nothing more?" He asked, in a low, deep voice.

I shook my head.

"Friends then?" He asked.

I shook my head again.

"Let's not make it complicated." I said.

He thought over it for a while, and then he spoke gravely.

"Of course, Lila. Of course. I have troubled you enough. You wouldn't want any more of me, but for tonight." He replied.

His words were true. I did not want to have anything to do with him now that I knew he was going to be alright. I could only look at him, longingly because I knew I would never see him again after tonight.

Those dreams where his eyes pierced me were going to stop soon. They were guilty dreams. But now I knew he was not angry with me. Those dreams would definitely slip away into the abyss (I'll use his words here), gone forever, never to rise again.

"Do you think we would casually bump into each other on the streets, Lila?" He asked me.

"Shall we leave it to the universe to decide?" I said.

"Ah...the universe; the one that answers all prayers and bestows all miracles?" He asked.

"You said that I had always believed in a little bit of magic." I said softly.

The wind had started to unfurl into sweeping gales. The waves rose higher until it flooded the rocky area at the bottom of the boulevard.

Suddenly he enveloped his arms around me. He tried to gauge my reaction to it, but I just stood there like a statue. I was seeped into his overwhelming scent. I seemed unable to move, to think coherent thoughts. Rationality and standard answers seemed to mount further and further away. Yes, I was a strange and mysterious creature. He had been justified in calling me so. I was also as idiotic and neurotic as could be.

I could not have predicted what happened next.

Bending down as if in a trance, he took to my lips and pressed against them roughly. His arms tightened around me and as I stumbled towards him and against his chest, he deepened the kiss. He pried my lips open. Instinctively I responded with a fervour of my own. I pressed myself into him, deeply and wantonly. I was not thinking. I was just feeling, and I felt him. I felt for him and all about him. He was mine for now.