Stay in My Heart For Ever

By Frances Dartnell

Kathie was grateful, she had been so very frightened until he came to her rescue, but why did he have to be so very overbearing and how could she continue working for him after all that happened?

Should she have refused to go and work with Simon on site in the middle of the Australian outback, and was it love they had found there or only lust and passion?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frances Dartnell
• Release date: Feb 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465847843

Frances Dartnell

I was employed as an accountant for a large manufaturing company in Melbourne, Victoria for twenty years. After I retired from this company I continued working as an consultant with numerous other companies. I am a grandmother and live with my daughter and granddaughter. At present I am working on another novel.

Book preview

Stay in My Heart For Ever

Published by Frances Dartnell at Smashwords

Copyright .. Frances Dartnell

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Table of Contents

Chapter1

Chapter2

Chapter3

Chapter4

Chapter5

Chapter6

Chapter7

Chapter8

Chapter9

Chapter10

Chapter11

Chapter1

The lift door opened and she stepped out quickly. It was the end of spring and at eight o’clock the light was almost gone and it was fast becoming dark. There were few cars left in the underground car-park, and her car, an old white Cortina was against the far wall of the area. She was carrying her car keys in her hand, a habit she always followed, and she walked quickly towards her car.

Kathie was small and petite with long straight brown hair that hung down past her shoulders cut into a long fringe just above her eye brows. These were thick and drew attention to the deep green eyes and thick black lashes that framed them.

She was not beautiful in the conventional way, perhaps she was too quiet and serious. As she walked towards her car she was thinking of her small son Jason. He had just turned three years and she loved him dearly and working late had meant that her friend Melissa would have to keep him overnight.

Sometimes it all seemed too much. To hold down a job, and give him the love and affection he needed. He had been 14 months old when the car accident that cost his father his life had happened.

It had been raining that night, he had been going too fast, and the car had hit a greasy patch on the road. An elderly couple in a car travelling in the opposite direction told of the car spinning out of control, just missing the car driven by them, before hitting a ditch and spinning in the air and hitting a tree. He had died instantly at only 25 years old.

In the early days she had been in a daze. When she drove her car the tears would flow and it seemed to her that the world should be different in some way. It was not right, other people went about their business as if nothing had happened but her world had changed. In those days her baby son was the only reason she had for living.

That was two years ago and it had been like a blind slowly going up, the grieve becoming easier to handle day by day. They had been young with very little money saved. The one thing that she had to be thankful for was that the small terrace house that they had been buying was now hers. The bank that helped finance the purchase insisted on this as normal policy.

It had been very hard to manage on the small amount of money she received from Social Security. It was a hand to mouth existence with no money for nice clothes or outings. Not that she cared for herself, but she knew it was affecting the way she cared for Jason. So she decided she would work, and Melissa had offered to look after Jason when she was at work. She had a son of her own about the same age, and the money paid by Kathie would come in handy.

It was a large car park and she had a walk of at least 50 meters to go. It was dark and eerie with shadows everywhere, even the silence had a sound of its own and she was nervous. She held her keys tightly in her hand as she hurried to her car.

She told herself how stupid she was. It’s just that you are not used to being out like this, you should be home with Jason, that’s where you should be. Giving herself a mental shrug she moved forwards smartly.

She had just put the key into the key hole in the car door when she was grabbed from behind. One hand was over her mouth while the other held her tightly around the waist. She tried to scream, but she was so frightened that all that emerged was a soft squeak. She struggled desperately to overcome the terror that was threatening to disable her.

It was dark and he was behind her and she couldn’t see him, but she could feel the size of him and the stale smell of alcohol nearly made her retch. He was big and strong and she knew a feeling of despair. She tried to kick him but he moved back quickly and she missed. Without stopping to think she bit down hard on the hand that covered her mouth. With a loud curse he let go of her mouth and she screamed, loudly, over and over. She struggled and fought as hard as she could, but she felt so alone, as if the whole world had deserted her.

Suddenly she was let go, just as quickly as she had been grabbed. Now someone was punching her attacker, and he was hard-put to defend himself. There was no noise, everything was quiet, just the grunts and curses of the two men fighting. And then it was over, her attacker ran, and was quickly gone.

She couldn’t see her rescuer he was just a dark shape bending down towards her, but she could feel the sheer size of him, he was huge, tall and broad shouldered. Even in the darkness she could feel the power exuding from him and she recognized in her mind that he could be a very dangerous man. Are you alright, he asked, his voice deep and harsh. Come on, I’ll take you back upstairs for a cup of coffee, and we can ring the Police from there.

Please wait, she whispered. She couldn’t stop shaking, and she was close to tears. Biting down on her lip she tried to control herself, she sat down on the car seat and put her head on the steering wheel.

He stood there, just waiting for her to stop shaking.

After a few moments she had herself under control, and then she looked up at him.

She recognized Simon Blakey, one of the two partners who managed the advertising agency she worked for. Kathie had only been working for the company for the past month, and although she had been introduced to him when she had started work with the firm, this was the first time she had been in such close contact with him.

She had seen him many times as she went about her work, handsome, with his brown hair brushed back from his forehead, A strong face, with piercing hazel eyes, two small lines running horizontally between them as if he frowned too much. His wide mouth always appeared to have a small derisive smile tugging at its corners.

But in spite of his good looks, a man who stood apart. She knew that he was not married, and according to the office gossips he had been married once and was now divorced, and had been for years, even the gossips didn’t know the full story. There was a girlfriend, but at 38 and free, many a female working in the Company wove her romantic dreams around him.

But not Kathie, when she dreamed it was of Don, the young husband she had lost, the arms she desired around her were his, and the tears she shed alone at night were for him. Her friends told her she had to start going out again and it was time to begin dating, but this was the last thing she wanted to do. To work and to go home to young Jason was all she needed. Comfort was a pair of young arms around her, and the kisses and cuddles of her young son.

If you are better now, let’s get that cup of coffee and ring the Police, he commanded, bending down to help her up from the seat. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was used to giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed.

Kathie pulled away from him, her wrists burning where he had gripped her. All she wanted to do was to get away from him, to put the whole episode behind her. Trying to get her key in the key-hole, and the car started, she only succeeded in flooding the battery. She was so frustrated that she felt like crying.

I don’t won’t to see the Police, he didn’t hurt me, she pleaded, her voice soft and husky.

Come on now, I insist. he ordered impatiently. You women make me mad, you will do nothing to bring these mongrels to justice, next time his victim may not be as lucky as you. It’s getting late, and I have an appointment so I insist we ring the Police and get it over with.

Kathie took one look at his face, his frown had deepened, and he looked so bad tempered that she was too frightened not to do as he told her. As he again took hold of her hands to help her up she felt a deep aversion to him, so different to Don, with his happy smile, that she couldn’t help pulling away from him. He gave her a hard look and let go of her hands.

With that, he marched her back to the lift, and pressed the button for the fourth floor where the Company of Media World, founded by his father was located.

Opening the door with his key, he led her into his office and started dialling. Do you think you can manage to make us a cup of coffee while I call the Police? he queried.

Without a word, she went out to the kitchen, made two coffees, and put them together with milk and sugar on a tray and carried them back into his office.

Sit down, they won’t be long, but we have to wait. Saying this he sat down and helping him to milk, commenced to drink the coffee.

Just tell me how it was that you were down there on your own so late. Surely if you had been working Richard would have been working with you?

She was finding it very difficult to control her shivering; the offices were air conditioned and were not responsible for the chills she was experiencing. No, I stayed back to work with another of the girls, and we left together but I left my car keys on my desk and had to go back for them.

You should have had more sense than to have left alone. He sounded annoyed and she could tell that he would have no patience with fools. There seemed nothing further to say, and the two of them sat in silence waiting.

As they waited, Kathie looked around his office; it was the first time she had been in it. It was a large office, at least 20 feet long and 12.feet wide. The floor was covered by a deep pink carpet, and there was a pale bone coloured leather lounge at the far end with a large coffee table, lamps, and a mass of luxuriant indoor plants in a planter. It was here that they were seated and drinking their coffees.

The silence seemed to drag on for ever. Each with their thoughts, and as the moments dragged on Kathie became more nervous than ever.

Look, I’m sorry if I seemed abrupt, he said at last as he got up and moved to the other end of the office and sat at his desk. But I feel very strongly about this sort of thing and I fully expect you to co-operate with the Police.

The longer they sat there, the more determined Kathie became not to make a fuss to the Police when they came. There was a hard knot of fear in her stomach. What if the Police did catch her attacker, what if he then was able to find out where she lived. Living on her own with Jason she worried about security, and she knew she would never be able to sleep at night if he knew where she lived.

She told herself that perhaps he didn’t intend to attack her, only to rob her. God knows she wouldn’t want any other woman to go through what had happened to her. If it wasn’t for Jason she wouldn’t feel this way, and looking at Simon, at the deep frown and the determined set of his mouth she knew he would not understand.

Just as the silence between them became unbearable they heard the lift stop at their floor.

Simon jumped up, and with a hard stare in her direction went to open the door of the front office to the two policemen who were waiting outside.

Kathie sat there, listening to the murmur of their voices. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but even so she recognized Simon’s deep voice, and thought how bad tempered he sounded. She told herself that he was one of the partners of the business, and so was her boss, but he had no right to tell her what to do. She would not be dictated to, this was personal, and her only desire was to protect Jason.

Simon came up to her with the two policemen. I have told these gentlemen what happened. he told her, Now they need to talk to you.

Kathie told them her story, and agreed to go to their Station and sign her statement. She also agreed to look at the police files and see if she could pick out her attacker. She said she would do this the next day, but had no intention of doing anything she felt would bring any danger to Jason or her. She knew she was a coward but it was not for her but to protect Jason.

Within half an hour they had finished and Simon rose to show the policemen out of the office and into the lift. He returned to his office, and turning towards her said with a gesture, If you are ready we can go now. Picking up her bag Kathie walked ahead of him and waited while he opened the door for her and walked her to the lift.

She was too intimidated to look directly at him as the lift descended to the basement car park.

He unnerved her, he was overbearing and so tall and strong, he would have no fears. How could he understand how she felt?

If Don had still been alive, how different things would have been. He had loved and protected her, and how she missed him. She missed his loving arms around her and all the little things he did to show how much he loved her. Tickets brought for a favourite artist, the dinners out. Not expensive outings, because usually