Taking Care of Business

"If you'll excuse me, I'll get changed before this bullshit gets out of hand." She stood and headed for her room. Miles stared after her, his eyes fixed on her slender body and the way that the silk gown seemed to flow over it. His loins stirred and his mind immediately began seeking a way of winning her over. He had never before experienced a woman who was so resistant to his attentions.

She returned. The clothes chosen by Rosita fitted her perfectly, the pale blue silk blouse highlighting the gentle thrust of her breasts She wore no bra, it being an un-necessary item of clothing, and the movement of the silk over her body arousing her nipples. She was well aware of the effect this was having on Miles as she posed in front of him. The slacks were fitting around the hips, highlighting her curves, and slightly flared at the hem, and on her feet were a pair of strappy high heeled sandals. "Wow."

"Succinct. Now shall we go?"

Miles stood, his cock stood, Miranda smiled, Miles held out his hand to her. Miranda ignore the proffered hand and turned to walk towards the front door.

"This way." Miles led the way to the basement garage and the Lamborghini, gleaming yellow under the lights. He raised the door and waited until she was seated before closing it and walking around to his side of the car. He pressed the start button and the Lambo roared into life.

"I hope that you're not one of those men who think that by driving like a lunatic to prove your macho status, you'll impress me out of my pants."

"The thought never crossed my mind." He lied to her.

"For more than a second." She commented. "You are so obvious. You forget, I've spent the past three years in Tinsel-town, and I am experienced in the ways of men."

The garage door slid open and he backed out into the street. The Lambo emitted its traditional hum as he eased down his street to New South Head road. The traffic was light and they made good time to the Cahill Expressway and onto the Harbour Bridge. Miles kept to the speed limit and made no un-necessarily hard accelerating starts on the change to green lights, he didn't want to draw attention to himself from either his fellow motorists, who would comment to themselves or passengers about 'rich bastards flaunting their wealth', or the police who would take great delight in booking him for the minutest of infringement.

An hour later he turned from the road into the driveway of a two storey house. A push of a button and the garage doors swung up and he drove in.

"I'm amazed at your self control, or was it that you have lost enough demerit points that one more booking will see you losing your license?"

"Why is it that you continue to see the worst in me? I'll have you know that I have a clean slate in regards to demerit points. City roads are definitely not the right place for boy racers, and didn't you comment about me driving like a lunatic just so I could get into your pants. I never intended doing that."

"All right, how did you manage this?" Miranda said as they walked into the dining room to find the table set and a cold lunch under covers.

"Rosita. After she had set breakfast for us this morning, and laid out your clothes for you, she came up here with fresh food for us."

"Where is she now, hiding in a room somewhere?"

"No, she is on her way back to the city. She has stocked the refrigerator and pantry and served lunch for us, after this we will have to fend for ourselves until we get back into town. Do you think we can manage that?"

"At a pinch, I suppose we can. I am a reasonable cook, I think, it has been a while."

"Tonight we dine out, breakfast is on me in the morning, and we might have lunch somewhere on the way back to town, unless we decide to whip something up ourselves."

"What do we do in between all of this?"

"We could go for a walk along the beach, it's a nice day for it. Or we could go for a sail on Pittwater, I have a yacht moored over there. The choice is yours."

"We could always do nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have been on the go for years, jumping from one job to the next, jumping to the demands of one Director to the next. For once in my life I want to do nothing, just be myself and soak up this opportunity. We have a wonderful view out of this window of all of those yachts scurrying around on the water, sailing that thin line between being under control and being upside down, their crews working really hard at staying upright. They are providing the entertainment for us, let us sit and enjoy it. If we feel like speaking, then we'll speak, if not, silence is good as well."

"I wouldn't know how to do this. I am always on the go, always looking for the next big deal, looking for the next million dollars."

"How will all of that help you when you are gone. Wouldn't it be better if you were to devote some time to someone else for a change. This world is not all about Miles Mallison, the world does not care about Miles Mallison, because he is not a part of it. It is time that Miles Mallison joined the world."

Miles sat, deep in thought. This was the first time that someone had said anything like this to him. This was the first time that anyone had dared to speak to him like this. From a young boy he had been taught that, for him to be successful, he had to believe that the world could not function without him. This revelation that it was not necessarily like this scared him. He had never had a vacation in his life, his business would not survive his absence. He had told himself that. His business revolved around him being there at all times, his finger on the pulse, his staff waiting on his direction before doing anything. He was unable to delegate the decision making process, so that whether the business rose or fell was entirely up to him. Could he trust anyone to make the right decision? He didn't know because that was something that he had never tried. His staff had the capabilities, otherwise they would never have been hired. But he didn't use those capabilities. How did his staff feel about their talents going to waste? He didn't know because he was not close enough to them to find out.

Miles did not know how long he had sat there in silence, he was not conscious of the time and space. He was barely conscious of Miranda seated next to him. He did not specifically address her. "You might be right." He said softly, not wishing her to hear his admission.

"I know I am." She said equally softly. "I had to go through what you have just gone through for me to realise where I stand in the overall scheme of things. I have someone in my life that needs me, just as much as I need him. It's not a financial or physical need, it is a spiritual need. I am just as happy, probably happier, being with him in that villa in Tuscany, existing on cheap local foods and cheap local wines, as I am in Hollywood, or Sydney, dining at the best restaurants, on the best foods and drinking the very best wines, as long as he is with me. Do you know why? Because I love him. I love him not because he was once successful and could be again, not because the money he made from those commissions is enough for us to live out the rest of our lives in Tuscany. I love him because he is who he is. He supports me just as much as I support him. If this role in this play doesn't come off, or the play flops, then I can walk away from the wreckage in the knowledge that he will still love me."

Miles watched the sailors de-rigging their beached yachts after the afternoon's racing. It was getting late. "I'm going for a walk on the beach, care to join me?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

They carried their shoes, the sand sticking to their feet, the waves washing over them washing the sand from them. The sea-breeze in their faces as they walked side by side, deep in thought. Miranda reached for Miles, her arm drawing him to her. There was nothing sexual about this gesture, it was one of comfort, of telling him that she was supporting him as he battled with his thoughts. They sat on the sand at the far northern end of the beach, Barranjoey lighthouse watching over them. "Thank you for this afternoon." Miles said to her.

Miranda took his face in her hands and kissed him. It was the first intimate contact between them and it closed the gap between them. Miles stood and held his hand for her, she came into his arms, the beginnings of a new closeness was in this contact.

As they walked back along the beach their arms around each other, they both realised that a new dimension had emerged, one that could lead to disastrous consequences if not handled correctly.

"I know from your reputation that a long term relationship with you is not much more than a one night stand. Now, in my world, a similar concept exists, one that I do not subscribe to. I have succumbed once or twice when I was lonely, but I did not consider that I was unfaithful to my husband, for there was no love involved. With you on the other hand, I feel that you are looking for something much more substantial from me than you expected from your previous lovers. This is a new experience for you, one that evolved from your silence this afternoon. I will allow you to make love to me this evening on the understanding that there is no expectation of it progressing beyond that. I expect that you are a more than competent lover, having had much experience, but I am not one of your mindless floozies looking for you to further their careers. I have no need of you for that, what I have need of is for you to apply your years of experience in making love to me as if you really mean it."

"So I'm not under any pressure then?"

"Any pressure that you are under will be self inflicted."

Dinner was a pizza ordered from a local pizza shop and delivered by a university student working his way through his degree course. It was washed down with a wine unfamiliar to the pizza, and which cost twenty times that of said pizza. After dinner they sat once more staring out over Pittwater at the moon reflected in the water, each of them waiting for the other to make the first move towards the now inevitable bed. Miles stood and held his hand out to help Miranda to her feet. They showered separately and climbed separately into Miles' bed. He turned off the light and they settled down under the covers. Miles reached for her and she came into his arms willingly. They kissed, at first it was tentative and without passion, but as the kiss lingered, the passion intensified and Miles' hands began to explore her body. When he sensed that she was ready for him, he inserted his cock into her waiting body and began to apply his years of knowledge into his slow, passionate and sensuous love making. Miranda responded with equal passion.

An hour later, as they held each other, deflated from their efforts, Miranda kissed him. "I believe that you have realised your potential as a lover. That was as perfect as I had hoped."

"It was better than perfect. I have never felt like this before. I have realised something that has been missing from my life for as long as I can remember. For years I have struggled to find the one thing that I have been missing in my life, and that is having someone who cares for me. I know that it is trite, and I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but Miranda, darling, you complete me."

"I'd like to think that to be true, but you have some way to go before you find what you are looking for, and I don't think that person is me."

"How can you be sure that it is not?"

"Because, it is too soon to know. We know so little about each other that, to make a commitment decision at this early stage, would be foolhardy. I am not even sure that I want this to go any further, even for a short time. All that I can promise is that I will do my best to ensure that you enjoy this interlude, however brief that might be. Now let's get some sleep."

Miranda woke several times during the night. She was troubled by what was happening to her, she could see herself falling for this man who was enjoying what appeared to be an untroubled sleep beside her. His life of casual sex with compliant women seem to inure him from any feelings of guilt, but she knew that not to be the case. It was probably nothing more than a defence mechanism that he used to prevent himself from losing control of that small part of his life. She weighed up the relative merits of a life with either Miles or her husband. Her decision, made in the small hours of the morning, was to enjoy this for what it was, a sabbatical from her real world.

Sunday was spent on his yacht, cruising Pittwater and the lower reaches of the Hawkesbury River and Berowra Waters with lunch at Bilsons restaurant on the foreshore.

The cruise back to Pittwater was a subdued affair, it was as if both of them realised that this interlude was coming to an end. Miles was tossing around and idea for extending it that would require a radical change to his life, one that he was afraid to make. Miranda had already made her mind up.

Dinner was a quiet affair at a local restaurant, neither of them open to conversation, and both of them relishing the silence.

Miles excused himself for a couple of minutes and went to his office away from office. "Rosita, I am staying here tonight and will be back in time for dinner tomorrow. Will you do something for me?"

"Yes, of course I can, what is it?"

"Will you ring the office in the morning and tell Peter that he is in charge, total charge, until I get back, probably Tuesday."

"Certainly sir. I take it that all is going well?" This was the first time in a long time that she had called him 'sir', the arrangement had been that she would call him Miles.

"Yes and no. As far as it goes it is going well, but there is no expectation of it going any further, that decision has yet to be made."

"I see." Her answer was subdued.

Their lovemaking had none of the animal passion of the previous night's, it was slow and well, thoughtful. It was as if neither of them wanted to expend any more energy than necessary, and so prolong this moment for as long as possible. Miles kept his cock inside her for two orgasms, something that he had never attempted before. Following the first he clung to her as if he was afraid of letting her go, which he was. He kissed her softly on the lips and around her face. He caressed her breasts and her hard nipples. She is mine, he thought to himself, and was pleased. When he resumed, it was with slow deliberate strokes, his feeling of power had returned, he was once more in control of the situation, tomorrow he would propose to her, he would not take 'no' for an answer, he had found the missing something in his life. With these thoughts in his mind, he withdrew his spent cock from her, kissed her and drifted into a contented sleep.

"Good morning my Darling." Miles said as he rolled over to face Miranda. He found instead an empty bed. She must be in the toilet, he thought, but after a couple of minutes, when no sound came from the en-suite, he got out of bed and wandered naked into the kitchen. There was no sign of her. She must have gone for an early walk, he thought as he went to the window overlooking the beach. There was no sign of her. He was beginning to panic, where could she be? It was then that he noticed an envelope propped against a cup on the table. His name was scrawled on it. Snatching it up he ripped it open to find a note.

Miles, my Darling Miles, this is good-bye. I am returning to Tuscany to be with my husband. Please, do not attempt to find me, or to contact me in any way.

I have enjoyed our time together, it has given me the opportunity to put my life in perspective, as I know it has you and your life. I want nothing more from life than the unconditional love I have for my husband and his for me. I no longer want the life that I have lived, albeit briefly, with you. That is not to say that it wasn't pleasant, it was. You are an attentive lover, but I have come to realise that I am not the one that you are in love with, that honour goes to another, and I will not try to compete with your love for her, or her love for you.

You are not happy with your life, that much is clear, and until you do something about it, you will never be truly happy. Why do you hate your father? Is it not time that you tore down the barriers that exist between you and include him in your life. With luck he will accept the olive branch and include you in his. You may not like his life, but is it so different from yours? Please Miles, do this for me, if not for yourself.

As for your business life, do not let it dominate you as it now does. Let go of the reins, delegate control to those that you employ for this, allow them to become a greater part in this. I am not telling you to give it up totally, but it can run successfully without your strangle hold on the decision making process. You know this to be true, and you also know that you will never be truly satisfied with your life until you make these changes.

Please do not get angry with me, do not lash out and hurt those closest to you. I do this for the better good, I do this not for me, but for you. You are a good man beneath that façade that you have placed around you to hide your insecurity. You will find that these insecurities will fade, and in time disappear, once you have let the world into your life. You will find that, having done that, the world will let you back into its life.

You do not enjoy this life of sycophants, hanging off your every word, jumping in reaction to your every whim. What you want, what you need, is to surround yourself with those who respect you and who you respect in return. You will come to love these people unconditionally, and find that they will return that love without condition.

By the time that you read this I will be well on my way home, home where I belong. You have come to realise that you do not have a home where you belong. But you are wrong, you do, and she is waiting there for you. Go to her Miles, take her in your arms and show her how much you love and respect her. She has already given her heart to you, she is waiting for her love to be returned. You know who I mean, do this so that she will not spend another night crying herself to sleep from the frustration of seeing you with another woman. Go to Rosita.

Do this for her Miles, and do it for yourself.

If I had been the woman that you took me to be, I could have fallen in love with you. I am not that woman, so it is good-bye forever.

Miranda.

Miles' first reaction was to tear the note into small pieces and throw them into the air. "Fucking bitch! How dare she do this to me!" He shouted at the walls. He kicked a chair and realised as the pain shot up his leg, that he was still naked. Throwing his clothes on he ran to the garage and drove out and headed back towards the city. Where would he begin to look? Would she have taken an early flight out, if so, to where? How could he find out? Maybe she was still at the airport waiting for a flight. How had she got away? Did she have someone come for her, or did she call a taxi. He would call all of the taxi companies and find out if she had, and where it had taken her. His thoughts were racing around so much that he hadn't been watching the speedometer of his car, that was until he heard the siren and saw the flashing red and blue lights in his rear vision."Going a little fast weren't we sir?"

"I'm sorry, I have been distracted, the woman I love has just written me a dear John letter, and that isn't even my name."

"When you're driving something like this, distraction is the last thing you need. I'm going to have to ask you to blow into this tube." He pulled a breathalyser out, placed a tube into it and held it to Miles. "Just blow when I tell you, and keep blowing until I tell you to stop. Blow." Miles blew until the machine beeped and the policeman told him to stop. He waited until the numbers came up. "That's fine, now I'm going to have to book you. I would have thought that, driving a car as obvious as this one, you would have made sure that you were within the speed limit. Can I have your license please?" Miles handed it to him and he went to his car. He came back a few minutes later. "I'm surprised, a clean sheet." He opened up his pad and filled in the details from Miles' license before handing it back to him, and giving him the completed form. "I have booked you for 74 in a 60 zone, you're lucky, any faster and I would have had to impound your car. Take care, and worry about your absent lady when you get to where you're going to." He walked back to his car and drove off.