A Witch Like No Other (53 page)

“
Thanks,
Brandy. Is that your lunch?” She nodded. “Where will you
eat?”

“
In the
cafeteria, sir.
It
’
s not so crowded around this time.”

“
Why
don’
t you join me,” Ted said,
eyes on his laptop screen. “You
’
ll have to come back up
here anyway. It saves time.”

Brandy
’
s smile was so sweet it was difficult for Ted not to
smile back.

“
I’
d like that very much,
sir.”

Ted shrugged. “She
’
s fine.”

“
Yes. I think
so. Actually, yes we are.”

“
Are you
sure?”

“
Why do you
ask?” Ted answered, his voice as calm as he could get
it.

“
I just wanted
to know if she knows about… our affair.”

“
It
wasn’
t an affair,” Ted said,
heat rising. “She was dead. Damon Stile murdered her- she
wasn
’
t
there. She was dead and gone.
”

Brandy shrugged. “She wasn
’
t dead in the three
months you couldn
’
t find her.”

“
I love your
temper, Mr. Stone.”

“
Brandy, you
cant keep doing this to me.” Ted rubbed his brow, leaning back in
his chair. “Everything we agree to forget you bring back up. Why do
you do it?”

“
Because I love
you, Mr. Stone.”

“
Whoa,”
said
James, Pandora behind
him.

“
You
don’
t love me,” Ted said
wearily. “You love the fact that you scored with a powerful
man.”

“
Brandy!”

“
Yes Mr.
Stone?” she said sweetly, and Ted scowled at her.

“
Stop this. All
of it- it stops today.”

“
So
you’
ll just forget what we
had?”

“
Yes.”

“
For how long.”
Brandy used her long nails to slice the hardened plastic as she
spoke. “Until Dreamer vanishes again?”

“
She
’
s not going anywhere,
”
Ted said angrily.

“
Until you have
an argument, then? Over the baby who isn’
t even yours?”

Ted didn
’
t answer her.

“
She knows our
business,” Marlon said furiously. “Why did he tell her?”

“
He was
probably frustrated because nobody told him anything,” Pandora
answered. “He had to let off some steam.”

“
To her?” said
Marlon disgustedly. “Why
mess
with her of all the girls?”

“
She is pretty
fine,” James admitted, and both Pandora and Marlon turned to glare
at him. “Well… not as fine as Dreamer, anyway.”

“
S
hut up,” Pandora
answered, and Marlon burst out laughing.

“
A kiss is just
a kiss,” he muttered to himself, sticking his key in the
lock.

“
Dad’
s home!” hissed
Marlon, placing a hand on the crystal ball.

“
Kids?” called
Ted, and Pandora and Marlon called “Upstairs, Dad!”

“
With James!”
James called. “Hello Mister Stone!”

“
Hello James,”
Ted answered wearily. “Is everything ok now?”

“
Yes
sir!”

“
Good
. Be down for dinner
in an hour, all of you.”

Paul sliced his steak, deep in thought. Dreamer looked up
at him as Agnes finally sat down after adding some tiny pieces of
chicken to Baby Julian
’
s bowl.

“
Say ta, baby,”
Dreamer said without taking her eyes off her father, and Baby
Julian said “Ta, Nana!”

“
You’
re welcome, darling.
Dreamer, why do you watch your father?”

“
Papa looks as
if he’
s having a vision,”
Dreamer replied. “Papa?”

“
It’
s your lover, little
one,” Paul replied. “Ted.”

“
What about
him?”

“
He has indeed
been intimate… with a certain Brandy Shakes?”

Dreamer
’
s jaw dropped. “His personal assistant?”

“
His
very
personal assistant,” Paul said, eyes glinting with malice.
“It seems as if she was his lover after you were murdered. His
secret lover.”

“
Well, nobody
sensed the woman’
s tactics.
Not even you.”

“
How could
she?” Agnes said angrily. “She was weak when she returned! Her
power gradually returned, gradually!”

Dreamer started to feel sick. “Papa, I really
don
’
t
want to hear this-”

“
And when you
took Baby Julian home,” Paul continued. “During the two to three
months he couldn’
t find you,
Brandy was there to comfort him. To act as if she understood
exactly what he was feeling.”

“
Paul,
that’
s enough.”

“
I’
m not finished,” Paul
said curtly. “Only two hours ago she captured his lips, little one.
What are you going to do about it?”

“
Nothing,”
Dreamer said quietly, then she thought. “Pay him a
visit.”

“
The children
will be deli
ghted to see you,”
Agnes said firmly, reminding her daughter that her children were
there and would most likely witness a showdown.

Paul waved his hand, a beautiful face appearing above the
kitchen table. A woman
’
s face.

Baby Julian whimpered, scared. He jumped as
Ted
’
s
voice boomed around the kitchen.

“
Why do you do
it?”

Brandy
’
s expression changed, her eyes clouding over with
lust. Dreamer watched her face, sickened as her lips
parted.

“
Because I love
you, Mr. Stone.”

“
You
don’
t love me. You love the
fact that you scored with a powerful man.”

“
Brandy!”

“
Yes Mr.
Stone?” she said sweetly, and Dreamer cringed.

“
Papa, I
don
’
t want to see or hear
this.
”

“
Stop this. All
of it- it stops today.”

Brandy smiled. “So you
’
ll just forget what we
had?”

“
Mummy!”

“
Papa,
please-”

“
Paul,” said
Agnes warningly,
but Paul paid
her no attention as he made Brandy repeat the line like a
parrot.

“
So
you’
ll just forget what we
had?”

“
Yes.”

“
Papa, turn it
off- take it away,” begged Dreamer. “Papa!”

“
For how long. Until Dreamer vanishes again?”

“
She’
s not going
anywhere,” Ted said, anger evident in his voice.

Brandy rolled her eyes.
“Until you
have an argument, then? Over the baby who isn’
t even yours?”

Dreamer half hoped Ted would say Baby Julian was as good
as, but he didn
’
t answer. He shouldn
’
t have to
anyway.

Baby Julian wasn
’
t his child. He
didn
’
t
even know Ted for starters. Dreamer fought the tears back as
Barbara
’
s face faded.

“
Indeed you
wont,” Paul replied, snapping his fingers.

“
I wanted to do
it.”

Paul chuckled. “You
’
ll have many chances,
Agnes, to clear a table.”

“
Whatever
happens at least I still have you, right baby?” she said as she
smiled at him, and the baby nodded.

“
Dad, we
know.”

“
About you and
your PA,” Marlon said. “Why didn’
t you tell us?”

“
She was a
mistake,” Ted said, and Pandora scowled at him.

“
Yeah right.
She was a mistake- that’
s why
you secretly went out with her after Mum died, and you went back
with her when Mum came back-”

“
And he went
courted her when Dreamer came to me for a week, and when she moved
away with Julian,” Agnes said angrily. “Paul,
he isn
’
t the angel we thought
he was.”

“
Well,
it’
s fair to say that he
didn
’
t
know Dreamer would come back from the dead.” Paul rubbed his chin
as he spoke. “He had every right to try moving on, even if he felt
like he betrayed Dreamer afterwards.”

“
Humph,” said
Agnes huffily. “And what about the other times?”

“
Well… one
could say he was still trying to move on.”

“
Paul!”

“
Oh, fine, he
had no right to kiss the woman today
, but he did the other times. Ted and Dreamer were separate
then, do you agree?”

“
Yes,” grumbled
Agnes. “So it’
s only today he
was wrong to do anything with that… that woman?”

“
Well…
I’
m not certain,” Paul
confessed. “It depends on if he and Dreamer indeed patched things
up and were courting once again.”

“
And if they
wasn’
t?”

“
Then Ted is in
the clear.”

“
Mummy?”