Nine Lives - Danielle Steel Page 0,88

dress she had bought at Hermès in Saint Barth’s when they’d stopped there. It set off her tan, and there was something so elegant and dignified about her. He thought her eyes looked sad, but she sat straight in her chair, and gazed deep into his eyes. They held hands, and made love when they went to his cabin. Afterwards, he thought he saw tears in her eyes. He didn’t want to ask her again if she was all right. He thought maybe she missed Aden, or something had reminded her of Brad. She hadn’t cried for Brad for a long time. Paul had no idea that she was crying for him.

* * *

—

They flew to New York the next day, and checked in at the Four Seasons, into one of the large suites he liked on the fiftieth floor, with a spectacular view. He had meetings at his lawyers’ offices as soon as they arrived. They were flying to London the next day, and Paul was pressed for time. His lawyers congratulated him on his remarkable survival and recovery, and he smiled.

“Nine lives,” he reminded them. “Hopefully ten. I’m racing next month.” None of them commented. They knew him, and how he lived. Always on the edge. He was a phenomenon.

He met Maggie back at the hotel in time for dinner at La Grenouille, his favorite restaurant in New York, and now hers. She was wearing a chic black dress and her eyes looked like sapphires as she gazed at him.

“Good day?” he asked her in the car on the way to the restaurant. He was wearing a dark suit, and was very handsome. He looked well with a tan, and his silvery hair shone. He had a haircut after he met with his lawyers and was impeccable. He was in top form.

“Yes,” she said quietly, as she looked out the window. It was a short distance from the hotel.

“What did you do?”

“I saw some artists downtown.” She smiled at him, and he had an eerie feeling looking at her, it was as though she wasn’t really there. There was an ethereal quality to her. She seemed just out of reach, like a ghost. She looked exceptionally beautiful. Heads turned as they walked into the restaurant, and every man in the restaurant recognized Paul immediately. He was a legend everywhere he went, but Maggie didn’t mind. She had no desire for center stage and it suited him.

The dinner was delicious, although he noticed that Maggie ate very little.

“Are you feeling okay?” In the past two weeks he thought that she had lost weight. She looked remarkable, but he worried that she wasn’t well.

“Just tired,” she said. And when they went back to the hotel, they didn’t make love that night. He had a call from Tokyo when they walked in, and she was asleep when he got to bed. They had a long flight to London the next day and he didn’t disturb her. He turned out the light without noticing that her pillow was damp. He fell asleep instantly. It had been a good day for him and a nice evening. The call from Tokyo had been good news. He was looking forward to his meetings in London, and a race in a month. He was always a star in races in Spain, and won them impressively every year. He knew he would again. He was always brought in as the coup de grâce in a race now. His sponsors knew that he would do whatever he had to to win.

* * *

—

Maggie got up early and was packed when Paul got up. She ordered breakfast for him while he showered and dressed. It was waiting for him when he came to the table in a blue blazer and slacks.

“You’re not eating?” He was surprised.

“I’ll eat on the plane,” she said quietly, and went to close her bag.

She was ready when he was, with perfect synchronicity. She never made him wait. He called for the porter to get their bags. And they were in the lobby five minutes later.

They walked to the sidewalk together, and she said something to the porter Paul didn’t hear. He wasn’t paying attention as the porter put her suitcase to one side, and Maggie stepped forward and hailed a cab, which startled Paul. He stared at her in surprise.

“What are you doing? We’re taking a car to the airport.” His bag had just been put in the trunk of the town