Fantasy Girl

‘Natalie!’ Judith gasped, stunned by the vehemence of Natalie’s words.

‘Surprised, aren’t you?’ Natalie snapped, her eyes like a stormy wind-tossed sea. ‘You thought your older sister didn’t have it in her to tell you exactly what she thinks of you,’ she drew in a deep ragged breath. ‘Well, I do! You’ve done some things in your time, but this is definitely the worst. Tracy Dillman obviously loves her husband very much, that’s why she wants to keep him. And you come along with your beauty and availability, and—–’

‘That’s enough, Natalie!’ Judith was white too now. ‘I didn’t come here to be insulted!’

‘Then why did you come?’ Natalie’s hands shook as she stood up to confront her sister. ‘Certainly not to work! I want this affair stopped, Judith, or you’ll be taken off the Beauty Girl contract!’

Judith remained unperturbed. ‘You can’t do that,’ she said confidently.

‘Maybe I can’t,’ she ground out, more angry than she could ever remember being before, ‘but Adam Thornton can. He has lawyers in his control who could make you wish you’d never heard of Jason Dillman!’

‘Never!’ Judith denied heatedly. ‘I love him.’

As quickly as Natalie’s anger had risen it now died, her protective instinct as Judith’s sister now coming to the for. ‘Maybe you do think you love him—–’

‘I don’t just think it,’ her sister said firmly, ‘I know it.’

‘But he’s married, Judy—–’

‘Don’t call me that,’ Judith snapped. ‘You know I don’t like it. And just because Jason signed a piece of paper seven years ago it doesn’t mean he’s still married. People change in seven years.’

‘Then why doesn’t he leave his wife?’

‘I told you—–’

‘That he’d lose his job and his wife’s money,’ Natalie derided. ‘I wonder which he’d mind losing the most! You can’t really love a man like that, Judith.’

‘But I do. And I mean to have him,’ said Judith with satisfaction.

‘You have to stop the affair—–’

‘Why?’

‘Because—because it’s immoral, Judith!’ Natalie frowned her exasperation. ‘And Mum and Dad would be shocked out of their minds if they knew about it. And lastly, because Adam Thornton will ruin this agency if you don’t.’

‘Ah, now we’re getting to it! So much for sisterly love,’ Judith said scathingly. ‘This agency means more to you than anything, Natalie. More than me, more than Mum and Dad, more than any man.’ Her mouth twisted. ‘You really should get yourself a man, Natalie—oh, not that weed Lester,’ she dismissed scornfully. ‘I mean a real man. Maybe then you’d understand how I feel about Jason.’

Natalie ignored her sister’s rudeness about Lester, knowing that the dislike between the two was mutual. Lester Fulton had been taking her out for the last three months, and the first time he and Judith had met they had taken a dislike to each other, neither losing the opportunity to make digs at the other whenever they could.

But her sister’s insult about her needing a man did hurt her. She knew Judith considered her to be something of a prude because she refused to discuss her relationships with men, but that didn’t mean she lacked male attention. She had had plenty of men friends the last few years, and the fact that she didn’t talk about them didn’t mean they hadn’t been deep and meaningful relationships. Deep and meaningful—! Who was she trying to delude? She had never been in love, never felt the least inclination to be—and Judith was right about something else; she had no idea how she felt about Jason Dillman, or any other man for that matter.

‘I’m not giving him up, Natalie,’ Judith added vehemently. ‘You can do what you like, Adam Thornton can do what he likes, but I will not give up Jason.’ She swung the door open. ‘I won’t, Natalie,’ and she left quietly.

Natalie put a worried hand up to her temple. She knew her sister of old, and she wouldn’t stop seeing Jason Dillman. What would Adam Thornton do when he found that out?

Judith had certainly landed her in a mess this time. All through their childhood she seemed to have been getting her ‘vulnerable’—vulnerable to her parents, that was!—young sister out of one scrape or another. But Judith didn’t want to be helped out of this one.

She had had no idea this morning when she spoke to Adam Thornton that Tracy Dillman was his sister. Heavens, he must be furious with Judith, and in the circumstances his wish to have her removed as Beauty Girl was mild compared to what he could have done. What he could still do! Judith had refused to give Jason Dillman up, and his threat to drop any contracts with the Faulkner agency was still very real.

Dee came in with the reports sorted from this morning, perching on the edge of Natalie’s desk. ‘She gave you a bad time, hmm?’

‘Yes,’ she sighed.

‘How was Adam Thornton?’ Dee asked interestedly.

‘Arrogant,’ she answered without thinking, blushing as she saw the other woman’s interest deepen. ‘Well, he is,’ she grimaced.

‘Did he match that gravelly voice?’

Did he? Oh yes, he more than matched it, that image of a middle-aged man with a brood of children was completely dismissed. ‘I suppose so,’ she answered nonchalantly. ‘Dee, if he should happen to telephone—I’m not in.’

Dee eyed her curiously. ‘Trouble?’

‘Yes,’ Natalie sighed without prevarication.

‘Judith again?’

‘How did you guess!’

‘It isn’t difficult.’ Her friend shook her head. ‘I know she’s your sister, love, but is she really worth the trouble?’

‘No—but my parents’ peace of mind is.’ She chewed on her inner lip. ‘They have no idea.’

‘Anything I can do?’

‘I don’t think so, thanks, Dee.’ Natalie shook her head, knowing she had to sort this problem out herself. If she could! ‘If you could just keep Adam Thornton off my back?’

‘Will do.’ Dee got off the desk. ‘I think I’ll go home for an hour now and check on my ailing hubby.’ She raised her eyes heavenwards. ‘He’ll probably be half dead, like all men when they’re ill.’

Natalie laughed, but her humour faded as soon as the other woman had left for her lunch. The day had started out so promising, she couldn’t understand how it could have gone so wrong. And she still had these damned accounts to do! She took them wearily out of her desk drawer, all thoughts of her own lunch forgotten.

It was after six when she got home, and the cool calmness of her flat seemed like a sanctuary to her. It wasn’t a very big flat, just one bedroom, a bathroom, large sitting area, and a spacious kitchen, but to her it now represented home, her own home where she could just be herself. She might have acted calm in front of Dee, but today had been a strain for her, no less so because of Adam Thornton’s telephone call shortly after five.

‘He didn’t seem very pleased when I told him you weren’t here,’ Dee told her with a grimace.

He would be even less pleased when he had received the same answer a couple more times. He didn’t come across as a patient man, more the opposite; he seemed to have a leashed power that demanded action. How long that power would remain leashed with regard to the Faulkner Modelling Agency Natalie had no idea.

But she also had no idea what she was going to do about Judith. Her sister refused to give Jason up, and she couldn’t really force her to finish with the man, although her behaviour did reflect back on the agency. But until she had worked out a solution there was no point in talking to Adam Thornton.

A relaxed soak in the bath and she felt slightly better, turning her thoughts to her date with Lester this evening. The two of them had met in the lift at work, the accountancy firm Lester worked for being in the same building as Natalie’s agency. Over a period of several weeks they had progressed from ‘Good mornings’ to actually carrying out a light conversation if they should happen to meet.

When Lester had invited her out to dinner one evening she had been undecided about accepting. After all, a casual conversation was one thing, a whole evening together had been something else. Finally she had accepted, deciding she liked him enough to spend the time with him, liking his tall, dark good looks, the warmth of his brown eyes, the way he always dressed well. The evening had been a success, and was the predecessor of many evenings spent together during the last three months.

Judith’s taunting words of this morning came back to haunt her. Not that Lester wasn’t a man, he could be an ardent lover when he wanted to be, but he certainly didn’t light any fires within her, no man ever had.

She returned Lester’s kiss warmly when he arrived shortly before eight; he was always punctual for their dates.

‘You look lovely,’ he smiled. ‘I’ve booked a table for eight-fifteen,’ he looked at the practical watch on his wrist. ‘We’ll have to leave now if we’re to be on time.’