Chapter 282 - 282

Henry quickly grabbed a croissant from the mound at the table and kissed his aunt on the cheek. He appreciated that her joke was to lighten his mood. So he paid his respect and turned to make a quick getaway.  He went to his wing of the house and opened his email to his therapist. He included some notes about the new information about his mother as well as some of the things that Nadius had said.  Henry included his reaction as he wondered if having a therapist at this point was still necessary. He hadn't seen the senile old man since his father's passing. Would his vague psychobabble be worth the money?  He decided finally to keep the email in his drafts so he had the email ready if he felt any worse.

After he had listened into some meetings, Henry stopped into the kitchen for a mug of coffee.  Henry wasn't sure if Ellie was going to come for sure, but if she did, the earliest flight from England to JFK would land in the late afternoon.  He did miss her and wanted her around, however, he was wary too of her reaction. His mind was not yet made up. Maybe Henry would commit to her as he did like her, but he wasn't sure if he was in love with her--that kind of an explanation was hollow.  Ellie wouldn't accept that.

Henry tried again to think of something that would absolve him of all fault.  There really was nothing. He was still trying when Michael walked into the kitchen with a look of polite disinterest.  Michael cleared his throat and pointed to a small alcove off the main living area. It was the same place where Henry and Nadius had their earlier heart to heart.  "Sir, I am loathe to report to you that we have a complication. There is a woman who has come to see you who is not on the list of registered visitors. She says she usually doesn't see you inside your house.  The woman gave me a magazine with photos of you and her in it to prove that you are attached. I didn't want her in a place with large windows as we have been having quite a drone issue. I don't know who she is, I just wanted to have an order to make her leave.  I need a confirmation from you to put it through security as we have less staff than usual today."

Henry scratched his head.  "Show me the photographs she brought.  I'd like to know who has the gall to come here uninvited."

Michael handed over the tabloid magazine and Henry opened it to the page Michael indicated. Henry could see many photos of him with various women, but when Michael pointed to the woman whom had come, he read, "Nadalina Clooney, actress from Hell Bent Over." Henry froze as he considered his options quickly.  He felt trapped for a moment as his problem had come to him.  Nadia had finally made a move. After pining after her for so long . . . she had finally returned his advances.  The woman he had wanted instead of the woman whom was his. All of his dreams were sitting just a room away.

He remembered the polaroid that she had sent him, it was such a tease.  To have the real thing so close to him was just the most delicious candy he couldn't have yet.  She must have someone inside the building reporting when he had come back. To think she was in such a hurry to see him was deliciously arousing.  She had really wanted to be around him and have him thinking of her -- like the whiskey she had given him. Her goal was for him to be drunk on her.

His mind was made up -- he would entertain her.  This was a good chance to see what her intentions were.  He had a golden opportunity to drink in her charms like he'd been wanting to for so long.  Henry sighed. "Let me change and I'll be in to see her. Bring the Japanese wine I got before leaving for England."

Michael pursed his lips in fury, but didn't comment.  Henry quickly went to the bathroom and freshened up. He brushed furiously to get the coffee smell out of his mouth as he had just drank a full cup.  He changed into something that gave him a better figure before checking his skin. He did seem to not have any more ill effects from drinking so Michael's hangover cure was really getting him to his usual business casual standard.  Henry Wong was ready for bachelor action. He wondered why he still thought of himself as single when he was legally still married to another. Maybe it was a sign that he was never going to accept his commitment to Ellie as anything more than a quickfix for the will problem.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and under these lights his skin was much more pale than usual.  Henry tried to rub in some moisturizer, but now he looked positively primeval vampire. He toweled it off and he looked more matte.  He threw the towel into the sink upon coming to the conclusion that at this point nothing would feel good enough as he was dealing with her.  Exhausted he finally exited the bathroom and went to the aforementioned room to take this gold chance.

Like the perfect femme fatales she often played, his actress was coiled into one of the armchairs smoking a cigarette on a holder.  She quickly put it out when she saw that Henry had come into the room. She straightened and her dark berry lipstick curled up as if she was a cat about to purr.  Her dark, heavily smoked out eyes seemed to glitter like beetles as she checked out his entire ensemble. Her toes curled in her platform sandals as Henry got closer.

"Nadia!  I'm so surprised to have you here.  How did you . . . I'm at a lost for words with how great it is to have you here."

"You won't believe . . . but I was called to New York City to audition for this weird part that they were being all mysterious about.  I know though, that it's for an Alfred Hitchcock remake. It's all hush hush and very exciting. But that's not the important thing. So . . . I am . . . good friends with this hairstylist who works here.  She told me that when she was here to mix some dyes that she saw you in the lobby. I just needed a pick me and you know . . . to catch you here while all these great things were happening for me is just icing on top of the delicious cake I'm going to bite into and enjoy." She looked at him with the steel heat that she had let slip through the last time they had been in the same room with each other. It was a reminder of that electric feeling. "I know I promised I would wait a little later . . . but I just have a need you know--" she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck before looking at him devilishly, "--I've been so alone lately."