THE DREAM CHILD (2 page)

Once she had the child she longed for, she would have gone on maternity leave, only returning part-time if their financial situation warranted it. Now it looked like she was stuck here until she decided what to do about her future. Even after twelve months on her own, Sophie still hadn’t made up her mind what she was going to do job-wise. She’d slipped into a complacent but depressing rut she could see no easy way out of.

Sophie was the first member of her section to arrive. It was nice being here alone; not having to worry about Louise’s back-stabbing, Jane’s slave-driving, or Marie’s boyfriend woes. Sophie was used to working in an all female environment. Her bead business had attracted only women and schoolgirls, but in her shop there had been plenty of other diversions. Here the work was too boring to detract from the daily grind.

Duncan had been her fix-it man, coming round to clean the windows and do other odd jobs around the place. He had completed an apprenticeship in building, but didn’t have the head to run a business. Once their relationship took off, Sophie had offered to help him set up a business, but being a typical male, Duncan hadn’t wanted help from a woman.

Her mother had commented often enough that Sophie was marrying beneath her station, but Sophie maintained why should the man always be the one earning more than the woman? Even in her government job she’d earned more than him.

She was doing it again, thinking about the rotten creep she’d married. With a sigh she got up and collected her daily allocation, returned to her desk, and set to work.

Her colleagues arrived throughout the next half hour.

Jane Wu was a five foot nothing Asian dynamo in her late twenties, who expected everyone to work as hard as she did, which was fine with Sophie. She abhorred managers who abused their positions, and was glad that Jane treated them fairly, if abruptly, at times.

Louise, on the other hand, needed a bomb placed under her to get her moving at the start of each day. She was always too busy bemoaning the injustices of the system and gossiping to concentrate on what she was really here for. She was a plump, mousy haired woman in her mid-forties who seemed to be putting on more weight each day. She resented Marie’s slim figure and pretty face, so she was always trying to find fault with the willowy blonde’s work. Marie took it in her stride, but Sophie could see it was getting to her.

Louise pretty much left Sophie alone, probably because she didn’t see her as much of a threat. Even though Sophie was almost as tall as Marie, she always wore lose tops, long flowing skirts and comfortable shoes that hid her slender, but top-heavy frame. Her fair heart shaped face rarely saw make up, and she usually had her long chestnut curls tied back with a plain elastic or clip. Besides, Marie was ten years younger, and on the look out for Mr Right. Sophie had told her more times than she cared to count that he didn’t exist, but Maria merely thought Sophie had married the wrong man.

Marie’s current boyfriend was a rather dishy young man of Greek descent. They had only been dating a few weeks, so at the moment Marie was at the pinnacle of her romantic roller coaster. Sophie had seen her at the bottom, and dreaded the next trough with a vengeance.

At around ten o’clock, just as Sophie was contemplating a cup of coffee to try and revive her already flagging reserves, Jane called an impromptu staff meeting. Sophie hated it when she did that, because Louise always managed to sidetrack Jane, and the meetings dragged on for ages.

The four of them headed into the conference room, where Jane gave them a run down of their stats, at which point Sophie switched off. She hated number-crunching, always having left her accounts from the shop for her father. As far as she was concerned they dealt with people not figures, but all management was interested in was how many cases could be crammed into each day.

On that point, at least, she and Louise agreed. Louise hated stats too, but Sophie suspected it was probably because she had so much trouble meeting them.

Then Jane went on to make some further announcements Sophie barely heard.

“Him?
He
got the job?” Louise’s loud gasp of dismay drew Sophie back to the present. She watched Louise’s fleshy features contort with a mixture of shock, horror, and yes, a strong tinge of hatred.

Jane fell for it. “All right Louise, what have you heard?”

“Heard? I worked with the creep… a couple of years ago in the Fraud Unit when we were still in the old building…” she stammered.

This wasn’t like her either. Louise was never backward in coming forward with her opinions, however misguided they might be.

“I feel sorry for the case officers with him in charge… He’d only been there five minutes and was already throwing his weight around, telling everyone what to do…” Louise trained off, shaking her head.

Sophie realised she was talking about the manager of the assessments team. Since that team consisted of over twenty case officers, it was a much higher position than Jane’s, and had been filled temporarily by a very ambitious young woman from India, called Amrita.

After having worked in private enterprise and then for herself, Sophie never realised the public service would attract such career-minded people. Even watching from the side-lines, she very soon learnt just how cut-throat it could be.

“Well, Vic won the job fair and square, and he’ll be starting at the end of the month, so I want you to put your differences aside Louise. Even though he might be in a different section, they rely on what we do, and vice-a-versa, so let’s all try and get along,” Jane said.

“There is no way anyone can get on with that awful man,” Louise muttered under her breath.

Marie leant towards Sophie and whispered; “Sounds like Mr Rose has thorns.”

Sophie realised the new manager had to be Vic Rose. She’d come across the name a few times in association with fraudulent cases she’d referred to that section.

“He probably told her to do some work,” she whispered back, making Marie laugh.

“Unless anyone has anything else to say, I suggest we get back to work,” Jane decided.

Throughout the rest of the day and well into the week Louise continued to demean Vic Rose. With a name like that Sophie wouldn’t hazard a guess he was either gay or so far up himself that Louise mightn’t be far off the mark. She thanked her lucky stars she had Jane as a supervisor, as Louise wasn’t the only one to make derogatory comments about the selection panel’s decision.

Amrita for one wasn’t impressed, as she’d hoped to remain in the position permanently. Everyone had been happy with her work there, including the manager, Kevin Pope. Now she would have to return to her job as a team leader of the case officers’ she’d previously supervised.

Sophie could see some serious animosity brewing in that section, and headed home, pondering the curious methods employed in staff recruitment, and wished there was a quick-fix way for her to reopen her jewellery business.

She still had a room full of beads, findings and project kits. Perhaps she should look into some kind of on-line store, she thought, as she rummaged through her completed works. She could at least start wearing them again, she decided, holding up a colourful woven bracelet.

That night Sophie dreamt of the handsome blonde stranger again. Even though she knew she was fast asleep, it felt like a real person climbing into the bed beside her.

In her dream she welcomed his hot passionate mouth on hers, his hard, muscular body sliding erotically against her own, and his large warm hands cupping her breasts. He seemed to know exactly what buttons to push to turn her on, unlike Duncan, whom she’d continuously had to coax and coerce to make love-making pleasurable for her.

Just like last time, her dream lover didn’t say a single word as he tenderly kissed her.

He had her night-shirt off within seconds, so that he could do wonderful things to her skin, trailing butterfly kisses across her face, her ear, and down her neck. He smelt so strong and masculine, and she reached out to touch his fair hair, then the side of his face, feeling the rough beginnings of a beard.

She gripped his hair as his head moved lower, and he kissed her shoulder, the swell of her breasts. He took a nipple into his mouth, making her gasp with pleasure, as his tongue danced over it, again and again.

Then he moved lower, kissing her abdomen, dipping his hot wet tongue into her navel.

Lower still, he kissed and licked her thighs as he nudged them apart. His soft hair tickled her skin as he moved down between her legs.

Oh God, she thought, he wasn’t going to kiss her down there, was he? She’d heard of couples who did, but Duncan had never been game to try it.

Of course only a dream man would suck on her womanly juices and send hot bolts of desire rocketing all the way up her body.

She felt his fingers slide into her, as he kissed and licked her throbbing mound, sending her spiralling out of control, so that she moaned and writhed beneath his artful assault.

He was perfect, tonguing her rhythmically till she gasped and shuddered from probably the most sensational release in the world.

He didn’t say a word as he gazed tenderly back up the length of her body, a soft satisfied smile playing about his moist well-shaped lips.

Then he crawled over her like a panther, all sleek muscle and sinew, beautiful, strong, and powerful.

He bent to kiss her, the taste of her still on his mouth.

Then he rolled from her onto his back, pulling Sophie on top of him. For a moment she lay against him, feeling the hardness of his handsome body beneath her, and of course the insistent throb of his erection, demanding attention.

How she wanted him, ached for this dream lover of the night.

Sophie straddled him, taking him inside. He filled her, making her gasp with pleasure.

She stroked his beautiful strong chest, and he cupped her breasts, gazing back up at her as though she was the most desirable woman in the world. He made her feel beautiful, so that she wanted to give him as much pleasure as he’d given her.

And then the most incredible thing happened. Sophie had never reached climax during sex, but the sight of this gorgeous man and the passionate way he looked at her sent her spiralling into another whirlpool of desire more intense than the first.

As she gasped and arched her back, so did he. He moaned with delight, writhing on the bed, as he filled her with his own explosive release.

Then he gathered her to him, and she lay against him, feeling more peace and contentment she ever had in real life.

If only dreams came true, she thought, holding him close, only to find him dissolve into thin air just like before.

CHAPTER TWO

Victor had spent the past six years sleeping alone in his big bed, his heart cold and his life empty.

After having been left standing at the altar on his wedding day, two things happened simultaneously. He was no longer able to open his mouth in front of a classroom full of teenagers. Having been a high school teacher for five years, this sudden affliction instantly ended his career.

The second result didn’t bother him quite so much, not until he started dreaming about the beautiful dark-haired woman who came to excite him in ways he thought he’d long since forgotten.

Ever since his fiancé had dumped him, Victor had been too angry and bitter to even look at another woman, let alone take one to bed. For months after her sudden and inexplicable change of heart, he’d tried to find out why she’d done it, but Amanda hadn’t wanted to explain.

He’d thought they were happy together. He for one thought he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They’d even talked about starting a family.

But on their wedding day she’d left town, moving back home to her family on the other side of the country, leaving it up to him to explain to a church full of guests, that the wedding they’d spent thousands of dollars on was off.

Two years ago he found out that Amanda had married a computer geek. Victor couldn’t understand what he had that Victor didn’t, not until a friend with a bit of a psychology background told him that most women just didn’t trust good-looking men, that they expected them to skip out on them if a better offer come along. Victor supposed it made sense. Amanda had been rather insecure, always needing reassurance about her looks, his love, their future. So before he’d had the chance to hurt her, she’d done the deed, settling for Mr Average who wouldn’t be quite so tempted to break her heart.

Victor doubted she had any idea how much she’d hurt him. She probably thought he’d find someone else soon enough. Oh, the offers had been there, but Victor wasn’t the kind of man to start dating on the rebound. He knew he’d always been too sensitive for his own good, but it seemed no one else in the world ever saw that side of him, probably thinking because he was such a handsome devil he could handle anything they dished out.

As for forging a new career path, he still had no idea what to do about that. Luckily having a degree accounted for something, as did having a departmental head as a father. Getting another job had been no great hardship, but Victor had always enjoyed teaching, and hoped one day to return to it. Unfortunately, his sudden and inexplicable fear of oration was still with him, taunting him every time he tried to speak to a group of more than a dozen people.