A Woman’s Instinct

I did the only thing I could—offer her a shoulder to cry on. Eventually, Vanessa pulled back and sniffled. ‘Thank you.’ ‘If you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans now? I mean, you and…Kingsley.’ She balled up the tissue in her hand and tossed it into the waste paper basket. ‘Nothing. What happened between me and him, it’s just a one-time thing.’ If that was the case, then why was she crying? ‘Will you give him a message from me?’ Vanessa asked. ‘Sure.’ ‘It’s best if we keep our distance from now on. Pretend nothing happened last night.’ ‘Are you sure?’ I was worried about how Kingsley would react. He didn’t seem like the type to shirk responsibilities. And I had a feeling that what took place between them wasn’t a simple one-night stand. ‘Yes, I’m sure.’ Vanessa gripped my hand. ‘Will you do this for me, please?’ ‘Okay.’ I nodded slowly. She stood up. ‘I should go home and change. I’m on for the night shift.’ ‘Can we keep in touch?’ I asked. ‘I mean, in case you want someone to go shopping with you, give me a call.’ ‘Sure.’ She smiled. I walked her to the lift and watched the door close. I had been awake for barely an hour. Yet, so much had happened. I stood where I was, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. The door to my room opened. Kingsley stepped out. He went straight into Vanessa’s room and came back out a minute later. ‘Where is she?’ ‘She’s gone.’ ‘Gone? To where?’ ‘She has work.’ I walked up to him. ‘She has a message for you. She wants you to, um, to forget about last night. She said it’s best if you keep your distance from her.’ Kingsley stood stock-still. I stared at my slippers, feeling incredibly awkward for having delivered what sounded like a break-up message. Kingsley’s lips twisted in a cold, cold smile. I was frightened by the frigid look on his face. ‘Forget about it?’ he sneered. ‘Who does she think she is, ordering me to forget about it?’ Kingsley turned around abruptly and went into his own room. Behind, the lift door dinged open. A uniformed maid pushed a housekeeping cart out from the lift. ‘Excuse me, miss.’ I moved out of the way. She went into Vanessa’s room. I was about to head back to my room when the housekeeper came out. ‘Miss, miss.’ She held out a watch. ‘I found this on the bed. Does this belong to your friend?’ She knew the entire floor had been booked for a wedding party. I took the lady’s watch. ‘Vanessa must have left it behind.’ ‘Will you come and take a look around?’ the housekeeper suggested. ‘In case she left any more of her stuff behind.’ ‘Sure.’ I stepped into the room. The housekeeper was stripping the bed. She bundled up the quilt and stuffed it into a bag on her cart, to be laundered later. I glanced at the bed, then looked away. A second later, I swung my head back and took a second look. Was that…blood on the sheets? It was a dried patch of dark maroon, very distinct from the white sheets. My thoughts immediately jumped to Vanessa and what she said about her husband. Could she still be a …? But she was married! Did Kingsley know about this? Was that why he flew into a rage just now? He must have thought it meant something when a woman gave him her first time. He must have wanted to talk to her, to figure out how to act. But she left and basically told him to scram. No wonder Kingsley was so pissed off. Did he know Vanessa was trapped in a marriage she couldn’t get out of? What did he plan to do? Too many questions swirled around in my brain, it was giving me a headache. The housekeeper busied herself with tidying up the place while I stood there still as a statue. ‘Amiyah, what are you doing?’ Kieran’s voice jolted me back to the present. He entered the room. ‘You’ve been gone for a long time. Has Vanessa left?’ I nodded. ‘She left her watch behind.’ ‘We’ll give it back to her later. You’ve got her number, right?’ Kieran led me back to our room and pulled me down to sit on his lap. ‘What’s wrong? You look troubled.’ ‘It’s about Vanessa.’ I debated whether I should tell him. It was Vanessa’s private business, but it involved one of Kieran’s closest friends. ‘No secrets between husband and wife, honey,’ Kieran saw through what I was thinking. ‘You took a vow, remember?’ So I told him. ‘Holy crap.’ Kieran seemed to have learned Conor’s catchphrase. I pinched his cheek. ‘Be serious. This affects your friend as well.’ ‘Kingsley’s an adult.’ Kieran rested his chin on my shoulder. ‘He knows what to do.’ ‘But he’s your buddy. Shouldn’t you try and help him?’ ‘Help him with what?’ ‘At least find out what he wants to do about Vanessa. I feel bad for her. She’s trapped in a loveless marriage and can’t get out, but it’s obvious she feels something for Kingsley.’ I remembered the way Vanessa cried. She was so helpless. ‘How’d you know that?’ ‘A woman’s instinct. And I know Kingsley feels something for her, too.’ Kieran chuckled. ‘Is that based on your famous instinct as well?’ ‘Joke all you want, but I really don’t think we should just stand back and do nothing. Don’t forget, this happened during our wedding. We are partially responsible.’ ‘Fine.’ Kieran played with my hair. ‘I get what you are saying. It’s no big deal, actually. If Vanessa wants a divorce, it can be arranged. Leave it to me.’ ‘What are you going to do?’ ‘She’s married to Marty Stackhouse, of Stackhouse Holdings.’ ‘And you know this because?’ ‘He’s been hounding my admin for an appointment. Wants to talk about a development project in Kerry. I’ve been going back and forth on the idea of meeting him. Now I’m going forth.’ ‘He’s a client of yours, not a friend. You can’t just tell him to get a divorce.’ ‘I can when I can give him what he wants.’