Consequences

Part 20

For some unknown reason Doug found himself grinning. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun with a woman who wasn't right beneath him. Even more impressive was the fact that he actually enjoyed talking with this one.

"Well I've had years to get a handle on my temper." Isabelle said quietly and glanced surreptitiously at her watch. "Would you happen to have a mobile? I couldn't fit mine in my evening purse. I'm going to be late. I should let them know."

Doug automatically handed her his mobile phone. Then he put the car into gear and edged out into traffic. Isabelle keyed in the number and made the call. She explained that she would be late and suggested they start without her. It all sounded like a business meeting rather than a social event. Yet she was dressed for a social occasion.

"Another late night?" Doug queried. He found himself wondering who she was going with to this social event. Then he realised she could hardly be going with anyone given that she had announced her engagement to him. His grin widened. She should be taking him along.

"Yes. I think it will be." Isabelle found herself conceding. She was a touch tired already, the last few days had been hectic to say the least. And the scam engagement was doing nothing to help the situation.

"Don't you get tired?" He kept his eyes on the road. "All this socializing must take its toll, doesn't it?" He sounded as if he was simply relating his perspective on a series of events. "You were, if you don't mind me saying, out late last night, and seemed exhausted this morning."

Isabelle fought down her smile and said coolly, "Are you saying I looked a state?"

"Shit no!" Doug glanced quickly across at her. "Sorry. I meant, no, you looked great. Yeah, impressive." He muttered somewhat thrown by her quietly voiced challenge.

Isabelle quite liked the fact she could get under his skin. The man looked far too control of his environment and himself. Then she found herself telling him the truth. "I usually sleep till eleven until I catch up on my sleeps!" She decided to let him off the hook as he seemed genuinely taken aback by her question, and quite flustered by the fact that she had challenged him, albeit teasing. She wished she had met this man under different circumstances. But that reality was slim to nil given they moved in different circles.

"Eleven? That's half the day gone." Doug frowned.

"Ah, but you see, most of my work is night work." She murmured without thinking about how her statement might be interpreted.

Doug hooted with laughter and glanced across at her as he warned with a grin, "I wouldn't go around saying that in my neighbourhood."

Isabelle found herself charmed by his smile. His eyes lit up. He looked devilishly handsome. Oh, be still my beating heart, she warned herself before she asked with a smile of her own, "Your neighbourhood a bit rough?"

"No, pretty much established suburbs, now." Doug grinned. He figured as they were getting on he could pry. Just a bit. "You're an events organiser." He stated dryly. "I read about that somewhere." He'd read a lot about her. Before that shock engagement announcement her name had barely registered. Since that announcement he had made it his job to find out all that he could about her. So he knew a fair amount already.

"Yes I am." And a lot more, she wanted to tell him. But she couldn't.

"Is tonight an event?" He asked quietly, sensing a strange undercurrent to her response. Now what was going on? She sounded almost secretive. What could possibly be dodgy about being an event's organizer?

Deciding to stick to the facts, Isabelle told him, "Yes. I'm getting some of the big players together to get some funding for a Wellington based charity."

"Can't you get a real job?" He found himself teasing. How many people in his arena gadded about gathering people together just to hit them for cash? Now that he put it like that, it was pretty standard business practice. Network. Network. Network.

"It is a real job." Isabelle stated quietly albeit defensively. If only he knew how hard she had worked to get to this state.

Ten years ago she had taken a huge gamble. Not through choice. Not really. She had invested in three unlisted firms, and had prayed. She and her sisters, grandmother and housekeeper had prayed. In fact they had been praying ever since.

Isabelle knew the last ten years were anything but what they appeared on the surface. She and her family were a bit like ducks. They were gliding along on the surface and paddling furiously beneath the waterline to stay moving and afloat. Isabelle knew they were lucky. Very, very, lucky She had learnt to shuffle her credit, learnt to trade on her family name, learnt to drag up support from a nil capital base. It had been a huge gamble, one that she felt at the time that she had no choice in the matter. But now, now she used it to fund several going concerns.

"I was joking."

"Oh."