Chapter 11
ELEVEN
ARIELLA
I knew that the introduction of the CEO would change things drastically at Ivory Bow. Samir has shaken so many things up that everyone seems to be threatening to walk out. We need this dinner. I also see it as an opportunity to share a little more of myself with the team.
Months ago, I was surprised to find that Dominic was able to secure a black-and-white house for me in his community. I’d fallen in love instantly with the quaint two-bedroom, its beautiful garden, the open-plan living space and humongous kitchen that opened fully out to a gorgeous dining patio. I moved in within forty-eight hours. Thankfully, with the help of MsPat, Eden and Ruby, I unpacked quickly and the space felt like home within a day.
The team were just as enamoured with my new home when they arrived for the dinner, and went exploring as soon as they grabbed their bubbles on arrival. I’d played it safe and gone Italian, putting my two large double ovens, vast kitchen islands and extensive hob space to use. I felt extremely lucky to have such an amazing kitchen; even MsPat commented on the state-of-the art appliances. I made little antipasti canapés and freshly baked focaccia for starters, large platters of beef braciole, olive and tomato baked baccalà, a simple pasta, pesto, pine nut and Parmesan dish and lots of Mediterranean salad. For dessert, I thought I might attempt a tiramisu, but I ran out of time and cheated with some shop-bought gelato.
Spending the whole day in the kitchen with MsPat made me happy and reignited my plans to discover local produce, recipes and the best food suppliers. She made me even happier when she finally agreed, after much convincing, to join us for dinner as a guest. She had one caveat: that she sit next to Caleb, because they apparently have news to catch up on. It makes my heart warm that Caleb has grown to love MsPat just as I have.
When we sit to eat, I’m expecting an evening of complaints, placating, negotiating and maybe even some begging because of the frustration the team has been feeling. Instead the evening feels like a celebration. The team is lively, full of laughter, stories, gossip and gratitude that we’ve managed to stay together in spite of everything the last few months have thrown at us.
‘Devin asked me out on a date after he left, and I told him to suck it!’ small, sweet, quiet, exceptionally polite Akiko announces out of nowhere, making the entire table erupt with laughter.
‘He asked me out to lunch,’ Sian adds. ‘I was much ruder than telling him to suck it, and he hasn’t reached out since.’
‘While we’re on the topic of office romances,’ Jess says, raising one hand in the air while pouring more red wine into her glass with the other, ‘I heard a rumour that you and Caleb used to date when you were both in London. Is it true?’ she finishes, looking at me for answers, with a cheeky grin and a raised eyebrow.
Eden, Ruby, Akiko, Bree and Sian follow her gaze to land on me. They all seem to lean forward with enthusiastic interest at the same time, and I shrink back.
‘I’ll answer that,’ Caleb says, thankfully, lifting a glass of champagne to his lips to hide his smirk. Oh no. Wait. I know that look.
‘The question here is’ – he shrugs lazily before fixing me with his glinting eyes – ‘who says we’re done?’
The ‘oooooohhhh’ that erupts from the table is so loud, I have to remind them that I have neighbours. Even MsPat, who has been a close witness to everything, is looking at me with wide, happy eyes, and her mouth is shaped into a tiny ‘o’. Bryce and Lydia, who also knew, both have their faces in their hands and are smiling.
‘I told you something was going on, the morning we busted him leaving with breakfast!’ Eden pokes Ruby.
‘What?’ the four project girls ask at the same time.
‘We got to Ariella’s apartment early one morning and Caleb was leaving in his pyjamas. MsPat tried to cover like he hadn’t been there all night!’
MsPat throws her head back and laughs so deeply it makes my love for her bubble up.
‘MrCaleb want breakfast that morning, that is all I know.’ She looks naughty.
‘But did he arrive that morning?’ Ruby presses, enjoying herself.
‘Noooo. I love you, Caleb, but I like Dominic better for Ariella. He treats her like a princess.’ Akiko, forever the sweet romantic, frowns sadly. I react quickly.
‘Akiko,’ I address her lovingly. ‘Dominic is our very dear friend and our boss. It’s better to keep it that way.’ I placate the most delicate member of my team and resist the urge to give her a hug. I decide to put a stop to the circus Caleb has created at the table.
‘Caleb is a troublemaker, and none of you should pay attention to him.’ I can’t help the joy I feel though. ‘But yes, we were more than colleagues in London for a while.’
The table erupts again and I decide to let them have as much fun with that bit of information as they want.
Everyone is full, drunk and happy by midnight, under the soft, twinkling fairy lights that hang above the humongous hand-carved wooden table and chairs in my outdoor dining space.
When Lydia makes her excuses and offers to drop MsPat at home, everyone helps to clear the table and put a full load in the dishwasher. Eden then suggests that the night is young and orchestrates a mass exodus to a private rooftop party.
‘I’ll help to tidy up. You guys head out,’ Caleb volunteers when they ask if he is coming.
‘It’s okay, you go,’ I offer as there isn’t much left to do tonight. He shakes his head quietly and we tidy in silence until I am rinsing and stacking the last few dishes ready to go in the dishwasher when the first load is done. It’s not until I turn the tap off and the house is silent that I can feel him watching me. I decide that the sink isn’t quite clean enough and turn the water on again to break the silence.
‘Clearly, Akiko thinks I’m a scumbag.’ I hear him chuckle. His mood is light. I relax immediately.
‘Akiko’s screen saver is Donkey and Dragon from Shrek , staring lovingly at each other. The bar is high.’ I chuckle too.
‘I think the sink is clean, Aari,’ Caleb says, suddenly, from behind me as he reaches past slowly to turn off the tap. ‘You didn’t tell me you were moving,’ he almost whispers. Light mood over.
‘It happened a lot quicker than I expected,’ I answer, lacking the courage to turn round.
‘I had to hear it from the doorman.’
I feel the heat from his body warm mine.
‘I’m sorry…’ I start to explain, but then I feel his breath on my neck. My body’s Pavlovian response has me weak at the knees. I’m a disgrace. I can’t see him and he hasn’t even touched me.
‘I miss you,’ he exhales as he places his mouth at the base of my neck. Oh Caleb.
‘I miss you too,’ I admit involuntarily. I start to turn to face him but Caleb holds me in place by covering my hands with his, leaving me facing the sink. He heightens the intensity on my neck as he presses against me from behind. I grip the sink to steady myself.
‘Tell me to stop.’
The gasp I produce is sharp but quickly disappears into the silence surrounding us. He knows I am not going to do that. I’ve missed his closeness, his smell, his hands, his mouth, his infectious happiness. He laughed a lot tonight as he sat in the furthest chair from me, chatting with Bryce and MsPat.
We haven’t had much to laugh about in the last few weeks and I desperately want to return to that. I watch Caleb’s hand release mine, find the bow of my wrap dress and slowly pull the ribbon’s edge until it falls open. The feeling when his fingers touch my tummy and trail up my ribs is sensational. I immediately reach behind me to bury my free hand into his hair. He exhales deeply when his fingers reach their destination and I instinctively arch my back, pushing my chest forward into his hands. When he slowly circles his middle finger over my bra, around my nipple, I almost crumple with yearning. He presses gently against me and I can feel every part of his wanting. I can barely breathe with the desire coursing through to possess my body. It’s not long before Caleb releases my other hand, takes his fingers once again to my belly and heads in the opposite direction. They disappear smoothly behind my underwear and, when he touches me, I feel like I am about to combust. The feeling of him pressed against and wrapped around me is indescribable. I push myself into his hands, wanting more. Caleb obliges, settling his fingers into a sensational rhythm between my legs as the pleasure begins to tighten in my stomach. He easily takes me to the top of my desire, with nothing else to do but fall apart in his arms.
‘Stop. Please.’ I quietly break the silence as I return my hands to grip the sink. He steps away instantly. I wait until I have my breathing under control before I turn to face him. He eventually meets my eyes.
‘Aari…’
At that point nothing else matters. I launch myself at him, with a kiss so urgent and demanding that it takes him a couple of seconds to respond. I detach quickly to hop onto my kitchen island. As soon as I do, I grab the collar of his shirt and pull his lips towards mine. We make quick work of the buttons on his shirt and Caleb has me hovering above the island for a second to lift me closer to him before he puts me back down again.
I’m straight on to his belt, unbuckling it quickly and savouring the noise it makes before I unzip his trousers. I’ve always loved that sound. It’s Caleb’s turn to gasp when I slide my hand behind his boxers. With our kiss still engaged, Caleb grabs his wallet from his back pocket and uses one hand retrieve a condom from it. He puts it on quickly, spreads my legs, pushes my underwear to the side and sinks deeply into me. The sounds we produce at the same time dance around each other before disappearing into the night. I feel whole, holding Caleb so close with him inside me. Caleb is not perfect but neither am I. I feel safe with him. I feel wanted. I feel in control. He makes me feel that I can go anywhere I want, do anything I want and he will still be there. He makes me feel powerful, I love him and he is mine.
But something is wrong. We fall out of sync, then Caleb slows and stops altogether. The feeling evaporates. I let my head fall to rest in the crook of his neck.
‘Tell me what’s on your mind,’ I coax gently.
‘I’d rather not,’ he responds and pulls me closer.
‘Come on, Caleb.’ I bury my hand in his hair, knowing that usually ends all resistance.
‘I can’t stop seeing you kiss him. I know it’s unfair and you don’t owe me anything but I can’t stop seeing it.’
‘He kissed me,’ I defend myself quietly. I know it’s weak.
‘Yes. But you didn’t pull away. He ended that kiss. Not you, because you’re attracted to him.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I’m sorry too, Aari. I really am. I don’t think we can do this until we’ve truly forgiven each other.’
Caleb and I straighten to look at each other. His lips meet mine so softly I well up. I could kiss this boy for ever. When he slowly reintroduces his fingers between my legs, I stop him with my hand.
‘I’m not going to leave you hanging, Aari,’ he says, leaning his forehead against mine.
‘I don’t want to orgasm without you tonight.’ And I mean it. I don’t want to do any of this without him.
‘Aari, is your heart still mine?’ he asks earnestly.
‘Yes. Entirely.’ I don’t even need to think about it.
‘It hurts to see how happy you are without me.’
‘I’m not, Caleb,’ I admit.
‘Then we need to resolve our bullshit, and fast.’ He gives me a small smile.
‘We do. Want to stay?’
‘It might be best if I leave.’
I understand. We both need the space.
I hear Akiko scream Dominic’s name before I see him. She runs towards him with her arms wide open, prompting the rest of the team to do the same. I’ve missed my friend too. He did so much to galvanise the team and keep the office motivated with his regular visits, impromptu team trips and sporadic lunch deliveries. We’ve all felt the change since Samir put a stop to all of that. We’re more organised and effective, but we don’t enjoy being here anywhere as much.
‘Hey, girls.’ I hear his deep laugh. He’s enjoying the attention.
‘Can you fire Samir? He sucks,’ Jess asks with an earnest urgency. She has taken the change the hardest, and she requests his termination so loudly, it’s almost like she wants Samir to hear her.
‘I wish I could. I’ve missed our lost lunchtime trips,’ Dominic admits.
‘She’s not joking,’ Bree confirms.
‘And that signals the end of the work day,’ Caleb grunts disapprovingly next to me, packing up the job applications I’ve been helping him work through.
‘We have more time, he’s got a meeting with Samir,’ I respond.
‘To be fair, all the candidates are beginning to look the same to me. I can take this home and work on it while he tries to put the moves on you.’
‘Caleb, stop it. You know I’m working with him and Christopher to stabilise Ivory Bow UK.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Caleb whispers, his narrowed eyes following Dominic as he strides into Samir’s office.
‘Aari, before you go, do you think you could look through Sian’s business cases for next week?’ Lydia swivels round from her desk to face us.
‘Absolutely.’ I nod quickly.
‘And that’s my invitation to get lost.’ Caleb finishes packing up, but before he stands I reach out and cover one of his hands with mine.
‘It’s just work, Caleb,’ I whisper to reassure him.
‘Maybe for you,’ he replies, and gets up to return to his desk.
By the time Dominic emerges I’ve cleared my tasks for the day, leaving my mind free to let the anxiety in.
‘Ready?’ he invites me warmly as he stands there confidently with his hands in his pockets. I try to put myself at ease.
‘Yes.’ He was my friend before he became my boss. I’ll be fine.
We exit the tower and get into his waiting car.
‘Are we going to your office?’
‘Nah. I thought we’d take the boat out. Chris is set to dial in. After that, we could have some food and just get away from it all for a little while?’
‘Sure.’ I swallow nervously.
‘This isn’t a date, Aari, don’t worry.’ His mouth tilts up at the corner. ‘You’re trying to work things out with Caleb and I don’t need another judgy “stop trying to date your employee” conversation with Samir; so I thought it might be a good idea for us to completely stay out of sight— Sorry, one sec.’
I relax as Dominic takes his call. His logic makes sense. He stays on the line, calmly thinking through an investment problem and sometimes laughs through parts of the conversation. It reminds me of why we became friends. He’s always steady, clever, considered, unafraid to take calculated risks, and makes you feel that you’ll never have to face your challenges alone. He’s the perfect investor for Ivory Bow. If he can find a way to give Christopher more than just money, there’ll be no limits to where the company can go.
‘We’ve arrived, Dom,’ his driver announces before getting out to open my door. I know what to expect but the quiet evening makes the craft even more beautiful. When Dominic finishes his call, he helps me on board and guides me to the dining area, where a screen and a conference table for two have been set up.
‘Please could we get some water?’ Dominic asks a member of his crew before we sit. Soon, Christopher is on the screen.
‘Hello, Ariella. Unusual conference room, Dom,’ Christopher observes happily. I see he is now in ‘Dom’ territory too.
‘You should come out and use it some time. Okay. So you wanted me, Chris, you got me. What do you need?’
I listen as I remove my laptop from my bag.
‘There’s a heavy operations weighting that Ivory Bow can’t sustain. There aren’t enough new sales to maintain that volume of staff. We’re going to need to move some of the current staff roles into account management or pure sales to keep everyone.’
‘Makes sense.’ Dominic nods.
‘And maybe consider people we may have dismissed in the past?’ I offer.
‘Ariella, Lara was sacked and it’s going to stay that way,’ Christopher interrupts. Dominic guffaws so loudly he has to apologise.
‘Not just Lara,’ I mumble. ‘A great example is Nicole. The clients adored her. We could tempt her back after maternity with flexible work hours and a generous bonus structure.’
We spend the next two hours working through departments, people and restructuring reporting for the new ‘Harrison’ when he is selected. We then spend an additional thirty minutes passing and accepting some applications for Harrison’s role. By the time we have finished and ended the call with Christopher, I’m tired and hungry.
‘Right. It’s my turn to feed you,’ Dominic says, mirroring his London request.
‘Yes. Please.’
Some dim sum and seafood canapés appear, with a cold bottle of Bollinger.
‘Thank you.’
‘My pleasure,’ he says, tapping his nose twice.
After we’ve scoffed the lot and as we wait for dinner, Dominic invites me to sit on the bow.
‘You should know that your crazy, violent and uncontrollable best friend with a propensity to disappear when she is meant to be working is sniffing around DMVI for a job. I’ve evaded her so far, but I agree with you. Her persistence is evidence that she’d be unrivalled in a sales role. She’s kinda scary!’ Dominic’s eyes widen comically with feigned fright.
I try not to laugh. Oh, Lara. ‘She’d be an asset to any organisation that will have her,’ I confirm.
‘And that assessment has nothing to do with the fact that you love her, as you have told me countless times?’
‘It has plenty to do with it,’ I admit unashamedly. ‘Besides, she’ll be here soon and will be able to frighten you in person. She’s my date to Melissa’s wedding.’
‘Ah. Your final dreaded duty. You’re not going with Caleb?’
‘No. He’s taking Honey.’
‘I see,’ is all Dominic says.
We sit on the bow chatting leisurely until we’ve drained the Bollinger bottle which luckily coincides with dinner being ready. When we return, the dining area has been turned into an outdoor kitchen with a side table full of raw meats, fishes, seafood and vegetables. At the top of the table is a collection of sauces, powders, oils and thinly sliced marinade ingredients.
‘So, rather than just dinner, I thought we could have some fun. Are you allergic to anything?’
I’m too shocked to speak, so I shake my head.
‘Well, if you are, we’re about to find out. We have EpiPens ready. Chef, tell us what we’ve got.’
‘We’ve deconstructed a tasting menu of popular local dishes. For example, with chilli crab, we’ve isolated the white meat and pulled the ingredients apart. Same with the nasi lemak, and so on. The idea tonight is for us to experiment with lots of tiny dishes. We can construct traditional dishes, enhance them, isolate ingredients or ignore the rule book. We can create new types of dim sum, so we have our steamer here, or we can use the grill. There is also a hotplate if we want to play with some stir-fry or put something on the hob to cook.’
I’m squealing and clapping with excitement before I catch myself.
‘I think she’s happy, Chef,’ Dominic says, then places his hand on the base of my spine to guide me to the table.
‘Thank you, Dom!’ I say, reaching over to give him a tight hug. ‘And thank you, Chef.’
‘Your initial reaction was all the thanks I needed, Miss Ariella. I won’t forget that in a hurry. Now let me tell you what you have in front of you.’
We spend the next few hours playing with the food laid in front of us. Dom and I try lots of combinations, with eye-opening results. His combinations are interesting but safe. I listen to the chef and throw the rule book out. The chef’s assistant is incredible at making notes of the combinations that work, ingredients we like, recipes never to be attempted ever again and the winning dishes of the night, which the chef playfully promises to steal for his own use. When Dom and I can’t fit any more food in, we realise that we’ve barely made our way through half the choices presented before us. The second bottle of champagne certainly hasn’t helped. I can barely move when we have to change location so the crew can clear up. We make our way slowly to sit by the stern, with blankets to keep us warm.
‘You know, if I had the choice, I would have been an astronomer,’ Dominic says, breaking the silent joy I was indulging in and moving closer.
‘See that?’ My eyes follow his middle and index finger pressed together into the sky.
‘There’s the Crab – the Cancer constellation – it has a particularly unusual star cluster. And right next to it is Leo. The Lion.’ I follow his fingers, entranced. ‘Above that is the celestial star – you know, the one that guided Mary and Joseph? Whenever that’s above Leo, like it is tonight, it’s called the Ariella cluster, which, as you should know, means the Lion of God.’
‘Wow. That’s incredible, Dom. And it’s up there tonight?’
‘Yes,’ he whispers in my ear, so gently it makes me shiver. ‘There’s more. There’s a line that you may not be able to see in this light, that links the Ariella cluster to the Crab. That line is known as the Bollinger, scallop and chilli dumpling tummy.’
‘Wait. What?’
Dominic bursts out laughing so loudly that a member of the crew appears to check that everything is okay. I wait for them to leave before I smack his arm.
‘Ow!’
‘You had me! I actually believed all that nonsense! Do you know anything about astronomy?’
‘There’s a sky, there are a whole bunch of things burning in it that we call stars…that’s about it.’
‘You were so convincing!’ I laugh, turning to face him.
‘I can be.’
Dominic’s palm comes up to cup my face and he runs his thumb lightly across my lips. He moves even closer. I’m partly to blame for this. I’m here because I didn’t want to lose him as my friend. Part of me knew backing off was going to be a challenge for him.
‘Dom, please, stop. I really want to work things out with Caleb. I’m sorry.’
Dominic sighs, resigned, as he drops his hand. ‘Let’s get you home. Stay here. I’ll be on the bow. It’s better for both of us that way.’
It’s not until I watch him disappear from view that I let myself cry.
We’re silent in the back of his car all the way home. Just before we turn in to my driveway, he strokes the back of my hand with his finger.
‘I can be aggressively competitive, Aari, and I know that isn’t easy to handle. I felt it tonight. I’m going to stick around and I will always be there when you need me, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to spend time alone any more.’
‘At least Samir will be pleased.’ Even I hear the sadness in my voice. I hate that being attracted to each other has engulfed our friendship. Dominic is an awesome person to spend time with. I have also valued his guidance and mentorship at work, because he is such an inspiring collaborator. But then there’s?—
‘And Caleb,’ he adds.
I nod. There’s nothing more to say. I exit the car relieved. Dominic can no longer occupy the role of friend. He can now only ever be my boss. I will miss him but I just have to get comfortable with the sacrifices that come with keeping my heart where it belongs.