Petra studied the pattern on the small teacup she held in her hand. "What if he chose you?"
Quin laughed. "I don't think he'd be comfortable with that. I'm too young, and I'm not known for my conservative ways."
"You are known for getting the job done, however, and your sector has consistently shown the most growth. Your academic profile is excellent, and you've always turned a profit, no matter how big the job you've taken on."
"Is this a possibility?"
"Yes. That's why I'm here."
Quin said nothing. There wasn't much to say. Since her evaluation had started, she'd made a pass for the boss's daughter, gotten herself stabbed, and handled a major accident at the site badly.
Petra went on. "I need to talk about us, where we're going."
Quin assumed her career with Vossler Engineering was over, and she was prepared to move on. Face was everything, and she felt she'd lost it with the company. Petra's question made Quin's mouth go dry and her stomach knot. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I've been thinking over a lot of things on this trip, and I've realized that I need to move on." Petra made eye contact with Quin. "I find you to be a truly amazing person. You've done wonders for the company out here, and you risked your life to save one of your workers. That had to be the bravest things I've ever witnessed."
"I thought it was the stupidest," Quin said, but then softened the retort by adding, "Besides, you were right out there with me."
"Yeah, it was stupid by western standards. But your action gained great respect from the workers, didn't it?"
"In oriental cultures, you're expected to take responsibility for the successes and the failures in your leadership. Yes, I gained respect, but I could have taken responsibility and leadership by just letting the rescue squad do the job they're paid for." Quin played with her tea cup. "I was lucky you were there to help me, or I could have really been in trouble."
"Maybe, but I shouldn't have lost my temper. It wasn't out of anger for your actions, but out of real fear for your safety. I... I... find that I... care for you. Very much."
There was a long silence. Finally, Quin spoke. "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Are you saying I'm no longer bound by the promise I made to you?"
"Yes, that's what I am saying. I'm the daughter of a wealthy and powerful man, so I know what it's like to be used for professional advancement. I want you to know before we go any farther that before I came out here, I'd already advised my father to groom you to become president when he steps down. Coming here hasn't changed my view, in fact, it's strengthened it. Whatever happens between us won't be connected in anyway to your career. So if that's what your passes were all about, then let's let this conversation drop."
Quin tried to digest the information. Vaguely, she was aware that there was a good chance she could become president of a successful and growing company. But what was foremost on her mind was that Petra was saying that she had a chance with her. She swallowed twice, then tried to get her voice back.
"I'll admit that the thought of a casual relationship to develop better ties with your father crossed my mind more than once." Quin saw Petra cringe and hurried on. "But that didn't turn out to be my motivation. I... confess I'm attracted to you."
"Well, let's just take it from there then. I need time. I—"
"I understand," Quin cut in. She didn't need to hear any comments about Val at that moment. "We should be going now."
As they left the hotel a few minutes later, Quin hesitantly took Petra's arm as they walked to the car.
Chapter 16
They drove to the airport. An hour later, they boarded a flight to Shanghai. On the plane, Quin caught up on paperwork and Petra read a book.
At Shanghai, Petra saw yet another side of Quin and China. A chauffeur and porter waited for them. They were led to a Mercedes Benz limo and driven to the Peace Hotel. Quin was barely in the car before she was on the phone contacting local business people and arranging meetings. This Quin was all business. She was no longer the engineer, but the developer: hard, aggressive, and focussed.
Petra listened with one ear as she looked out the window. Shanghai was mind-boggling. On almost every block, new buildings were going up. Nor was it the low-budget, quick construction one usually associated with a developing nation growing quickly. These were beautiful designer buildings erected by huge international corporations. The skyline of Shanghai was not of a modern city of the twentieth century, but a futuristic backdrop of where the twenty-first century would be taking the world. It was totally shocking to Petra to find this world of wealthy capitalism in the heart of communist China.
The porter ran forward to open their door and welcomed Quin by name. Quin didn't sign in at the desk but rather led Petra to the elevators. "I keep a suite here," she explained. "Most of Vossler's Eastern division business deals are made here. The Peace Hotel is considered to be a classic example of art deco. We'll be staying in the same room as Noel Coward used. He did some of his writing here. The hotel is old, but I like to stay here. It's on the Bund, which was the old British sector of Shanghai."
The large suite looked across the Bund and the busy Yangtze River harbour to a cityscape from the space age. The salon had a high ceiling with a cut-glass chandelier illuminating the room. The furniture was dark green leather, soft and warm, and the carpet
Persian. The bedroom was as beautiful as the rest of the suite, the king-size bed and dresser a deep, rich cherry wood.
Quin went right to the phone and continued making her contacts. She watched Petra as she looked around. After hanging up, Quin walked over to Petra. "This is my apartment," she said. "No one else uses it."
Petra eyed the bed.
"I don't bring people here," Quin added. "Until now," she said in almost a whisper as she moved to fold Petra in her arms. "I won't push you, Petra, but I do want you. I want you very much." Slowly, gently, she ran her hands over Petra's back. She pulled away to look deeply into Petra's soft, chocolate-brown eyes and then lowered her head to claim Petra's lips.
The kiss at first was the softest touch, then deepened and grew hungry as they reacted to an explosive need that spread like wildfire through them. With a moan, Quin broke the kiss and buried her face in Petra's hair. For a long time they stood there, just holding on to each other, enjoying the feeling of deep pleasure it gave them.
For Petra, the kiss had released feelings of passion she had thought herself incapable of achieving again. But it had also opened a door to guilt and sorrow. She found tears rolling down her face as she clung to Quin desperately. This was so hard, yet wonderful, too.
They went out to dinner at a night market. Quin greeted and shook hands with people in various stalls and introduced Petra as her friend. They sat under trees hanging with yellow lights inside red paper lanterns. Petra watched as the cook prepared thin rice noodles. He twirled and twisted the dough in the air, cut it quickly when it landed on the wooden cutting table, and whipped it back up so that it separated into hundreds of perfect strands. The whole process seemed one graceful movement. He formed the noodles into a bird's nest and dropped it into boiling water. He sent the nests down a stream of cold water that ran in a channel across the tables past the patrons, who reached in with chopsticks and pulled out fresh noodle nests as they desired. Each table had an array of sauces for the noodles. Petra favoured the honey-mustard with the pieces of pigeon, while Quin liked the lemon-orange glaze over bits of shark fin.
After their meal, they walked hand-in-hand through the market, looking at the various stalls. Petra bought a jacket with a delicate
peacock pattern in deep, rich colours on a weave of gold silk. It was late when they finally took a taxi back to the hotel.
In their suite, Petra realized she'd at long last given Quin the green light, but with the moment near at hand, she was getting cold feet.
Quin checked her e-mail and then walked over to where Petra stood, sorting through things in her suitcase and delaying the inevitable.
"No clothes tonight," Quin whispered into Petra's neck. She held Petra gently and dropped soft kisses on her flesh. "No sex, either. Let's just get used to holding each other close and being a couple."
Petra snuggled deeply into Quin's arms. "This isn't really fair to you, is it?"
"This is new territory for me. I'm not looking for a fling, nor am I looking for business sex. I... I think... I think I'm in love with you."
Petra pulled back and opened her mouth to speak, but Quin placed her finger quickly across Petra's lips.
"No, don't say it. I know, and I don't want to hear about her now. I just needed you to know, because it's important to me that I do this right." Quin held Petra tight and felt her relax in her arms. She nuzzled and kissed her. Slowly, she removed Petra's clothes until she held Petra naked against her. Petra was beautiful, her body fit and soft to the touch. Quin swung Petra up into her arms and carried her to their bed.
With Quin leaning over Petra, their eyes locked and Quin's lips claimed Petra's in a long, deep, needy kiss. Then, straightening, Quin undressed in front of Petra. She slipped in beside Petra and leaned over to claim another kiss.
The kiss once again deepened, and Quin let her body lower so that their naked forms touched. Their tongues tasted each other and entered into a ritual exchange that was only the beginning of what they needed to do to each other.
Petra felt Quin forcing herself to slow down, to pull back. It was hard for her, too. Her body was ready for this, but she wasn't sure she was emotionally ready to commit to another. Quin sighed and pulled Petra to her, curling her body around her.
Petra nestled close. The sensation of Quin's breasts pressing against her arm excited Petra to the depth of her soul. How many
times had Quin bedded a woman? Had it felt like this? This was wonderful. This was special. Was it just as special for Quin?
Petra kissed Quin's hand curled around her own. Quin had brought warmth back to her soul. For far too long, her heart had been frozen in a painful winter of sorrow. She snuggled closer to Quin and let sleep take her.
Chapter 17
Petra woke still entwined with Quin, who lay on her back, asleep. Petra liked the feeling of lying with her head tucked beneath Quin's chin. She liked it so much she decided not to get up as she normally would, but to just lie there holding Quin as close as she could. I love you, too, she said silently, and kissed Quin's head.
It was different, so different from the way it had been with Val. It was Val who needed holding, who needed protecting, her energetic and happy public face gone in the privacy of their room and replaced with the insecurity and inadequacy that she was always trying to live down.
Quin had captured her heart, and with Quin she could love again, live again, be happy again. Was that fair to Quin? How could she let Quin know there was no competition? They were two very different people who belonged in two different regions of her heart. She sat up and leaned over to kiss Quin's lips. Quin drew her closer. "I think I love you, Quin. I want you to feel every sensation of my body against yours. Let me make love to you." They kissed, and the kiss was a portal to a world of sensation, their lovemaking hot, needy and long. They took turns to bring gasps and moans of delight from the other's lips.
Completely exhausted, they lay amongst crumpled sheets. Petra kissed again the wet, warm hairs of Quin's sex, and then leaned her head on her lover's abdomen. "That was wonderful. You're wonderful. I'm so glad you're in my life, Quin."
Quin kissed her gently. "That was great. Petra, I love you. I don't want this to end. I don't know..."
Petra touched Quin's lips with her own. "Hey, this is our first day as lovers. Let's just enjoy this moment and worry about the fallout later, okay?"
"Okay." Quin shifted slightly. "You hungry?"
"Starved," Petra said. "Come on." She tugged Quin's hand. "Shower with me."
Quin used the water and her lips and hands to do things to Petra's body that made her come with a cry of ecstasy, clinging to Quin as the aftershocks coursed through both their bodies.
After they finally emerged from their room, they ate at a small restaurant on the edge of the old Chinese sector of Shanghai. They lunched on shish kebabs of roasted duck in a honey glaze over a bed of rice. In this area of China, food was sweeter rather than spicy.
Then Quin showed Petra another side of her world. They wandered through the streets, surrounded by thousands of bikes and hundreds of dialects and absorbed all the sights and sounds of China. Down many of the older streets, laundry hung across the thoroughfare from one window to another. Down another alleyway, a woman cooked in an open kitchen. Several beat-up kitchen tables and chairs at the side of the street formed the eating area. Two men, grimy and grim, sat hunched over bowls of fried rice at one table, and at another a group played cards. Along the street, rows and rows of bikes stood waiting for their owners to return. A woman dressed in a business suit peddled past wearing a cotton shawl that covered her arms and shoulders from the burning rays of the sun. She skillfully swerved around a man pulling a two-wheeled handcart loaded with cantaloupes. Deeper and deeper they wove their way into the heart of China.
They ended up at the Yu Yuan garden, which had been built many years before by an official of the emperor. The official had fallen out of favour and had retired to this garden paradise in the heart of the Chinese sector.
"Everything in Chinese culture..." Quin began.
"...has meaning," Petra finished.
They laughed. "I'm glad you've learned that lesson," Quin said. "This garden is a good place to prove it."
They walked into the cool of the public garden. Despite the fact that the house and garden were surrounded by the crowded city, the garden created the illusion of the country. Stone walls, a man-made mountain, and trees formed natural barriers, sealing the huge garden off from the noise and crowds of the city around it.
They sauntered along a red zigzag bridge to a pagoda in the centre of a small lake and fed scraps of bread to the golden carp. "The bridge is made this way so the owners of the house could walk safely at night. Ghosts can only move in a straight line, so if one
was following you in the dark you'd be able to escape once you crossed the bridge."
They ambled on, Petra's arm linked over Quin's. They walked beside a stone wall over which tree blossoms hung in colourful profusion, filling the air with sweet perfume. Quin pointed to a series of lattice scenes that had been inserted over the open windows in the wall. "This one is of a plum tree and cranes. It symbolizes the life of a famous ancient poet who fell out of favour with the court and spent the rest of his days raising plums and cranes. That, in turn, reflects the life of Yu Yuan."
"Symbolism," remarked Petra.
"Yes, everything has meaning, often meaning within meaning. In a society that had to guard every word in order to survive, symbolism becomes a way to communicate safely. But it's not all so complex. Many symbols are there just to bring luck, or joss, as they Chinese call it. They're great believers in joss."
"Are you?"
Quin kissed the top of Petra's head lightly. "Well, you came into my life, and I consider that great joss."
They walked on, holding hands, to the first of three teak pavilions, each on its own island in a series of interconnected lakes. At the gate was the usual raised step to keep demons out, and huge stone Chinese lions were on either side. "This is the male lion. Under his foot is a round ball showing his mastery over the world. Note that the stone ball is carved to look like a ball of thread. It represents the thread balls that young girls throw to the boys they like. It's a symbol of the dominance of the male over his household, but also a symbol of devotion and love. The female lion, over here, has a cub under her paw, symbolizing discipline and nurturing. Only noble families had the right to have these sorts of lions at their doors."
Quin described the various small bronze figures that stood along the roof line of each of the pavilions. On one roof peak were water dragons to help put out fires and on another, the disgraced official had placed figures of the leading generals of the time, hoping to have their support and protection from the anger of the emperor. On the third building was the typical row of mystical animals, each one representing a characteristic of the emperor's rule.
They entered the building, passing into a living area. On a large rectangle slab of marble sat on an ornately carved base. The grain in the marble looked like a stylized landscape of mountains and trees.
It was similar to the marble landscape she had purchased as a gift for her father on one of her first days in China.
"To draw evil spirits away and trap them inside," Petra said, remembering what Quin had told her when she bought the gift. Perched on the other end of the side table was a large, glazed vase. "The word vase in Chinese sounds the same as the word peace," Quin explained, "so the large vase symbolizes the tranquility within the home."
"We'll have to get one," Petra said, squeezing Quin's arm.
"I have several in my home."
"I thought your home was the suite here in Shanghai."
"No, it's just my base, because most business deals are made in Shanghai. My home is on the hill in Hong Kong."
"Symbolism, right?"
"To live on the hill is to have money and power."
Petra stopped to look at the top of the wall that encircled the huge garden. A huge stone dragon lay from one side to the other. Close to the main gate, the dragon's head reared up and watched those that came and left. "The dragon guards the garden. It's a lucky symbol and is associated with rain. Do you see the stone toads between the paws of the dragon? Dragons eat toads, and toads live on the saliva of dragons. Yin and Yang. It's the way of life."
Just outside the garden gates, a covered walkway led to the busy, narrow streets of the Chinese sector again. Old people had gathered to sing, tell stories, and drink tea from jars. Petra and Quin observed as several people played traditional instruments and an old woman and man sang and acted out parts of a famous opera. "In China, people must make their space. Unlike North America, the old are visible and part of the community. You'll see them lawn-bowling in the parks, playing card and domino games along the promenade, sitting outside stores at night, or they find a place like this where they can make music and tell stories."
"Do you see your stepmother?" Petra asked, as they moved on.
"Of course. You'll meet Huang Qui in Hong Kong. She stays in my house when I'm not in North America. She's very wise, and I listen to her advice. She bullies me."
"Now, that I have to see! Quin, does she know about your orientation?"
Quin nodded. "She tried her best to marry me off, but has resigned herself to the fact that I'm gay. It doesn't please her. She says it's because the ancestors were not pleased with my father, who
wasn't a very good man until he met my mother. That's why they sent the typhoon that killed my parents."
"Do you believe that?" Petra asked.
Quin flagged a taxi. "1 believe my father was a rogue, and my mother was a woman of belief and spirit. No one, not even a god, controls my fate," Quin replied.
They got into the cab and Quin gave directions. Then Petra teased, "Except your stepmother."
Quin laughed. "Yes. Gods 1 don't fear, but Huang Qui... Well, around her I behave."
"Will taking me home be a problem? Because if it is..." Petra started.
"No, it won't. She'll be pleased that I've found someone to love." Quin squeezed Petra's hand. "Of course, she won't say so, but the symbols will be there."
They had afternoon tea in the restaurant of the Shanghai Museum. Then they spent hours walking around the modern building looking at a magnificent collection of artifacts. There were areas dealing with the ancient ink paintings and poems, coins, armor, bronze work and ceramics. Petra was again amazed at the enormity of China's history and culture.
When they returned to the hotel, the night skyline of Shanghai looked like the backdrop from a futuristic movie. Quin checked her email, and after a quick shower together, they were once again back in bed. They kissed softly and enjoyed sleeping in each other's arms.
Chapter 18
Later that evening, Petra washed and dressed and called room service to send up dinner. Petra decided to e-mail her father. She hadn't done so for several days, and she had much to tell him. Would he be able to read between the lines and realize his daughter had fallen in love?
How would he react if Quin were part of her life?
She didn't want to go down to the business centre to use the internet connections there in case room service came before she got back. Quin's computer sat on the table, still on from when she had logged in to check her business e-mail before they showered.
She connected to the server and moved Quin's open disc folder aside. She was shocked to see that one of the discs in the leather folder was labeled Kurt Vossler and another, Petra Vossler. Petra took out the disc which bore her name and slipped it into the drive. A massive file opened. Petra skimmed through the data, documents, and pictures. Everything was there. It was clear that Quin had known about her relationship with Val long before her father had. Even her school and medical records were there. She yanked the disc from the drive and inserted her father's file. It was just as detailed. Quin hadn't just been casually gathering information where she could. She had been actively spying on them. Petra examined the names on the other discs-one for each of the regional directors. How did Quin get this information? More important, how did she use it?
Petra's anger built. Quin had played her for a fool. Here she had let herself love again, only to discover that she was just a part of Quin's planning and manipulation.
She stormed into the bedroom, shaking with rage. She grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and splashed it into Quin's face.
Quin came up spluttering and furious. "What the hell!"
"What the hell? Let me tell you what the hell. You spy on us! You have great big damn files on us. You know more about me than I know about myself. God damn you, Quin. This was just a nasty, sneaky game of conquest wasn't it? I'm just another of your many."
"What? Petra, that's not—"
"I don't want to hear anymore of your lies. I'm out of here." She turned and stormed off. Quin chased after her to the door, but other than running naked after her down the hall, there was little she could do to stop Petra. She ran to the bedroom and threw on some clothes, then went in search of Petra.
Petra took a taxi straight to the airport, planning to head home on the earliest flight. To her dismay, she realized she didn't have her passport with her. She was damned if she was going back to Quin's suite while Quin was there. Instead, she went over to a travel desk and made arrangements to take a tour of Guilin and the Li River first thing in the morning. She hoped by the time she got back, Quin would have gone and she could pick up her things and leave without ever having to see the woman again.
Petra bought a chocolate bar and sat on a bench in a quiet corner of the airport and tried to rest. She drifted in and out of sleep, a nightmare of her fight with Quin repeating over and over again in her mind. By dawn, she was crumpled and miserable. She freshened up in the ladies room and then rushed to catch her flight.
The guide who picked Petra up at the Guilin airport explained that the city got its name from a yellow flowering tree called Gui. The suffix I in meant forest. The blossoms were well-known in China because yellow is the imperial colour. He left Petra at the hotel to register and went to pick up the other guests who would be doing the tour that day.
Petra booked her room. She crossed the street to walk along the wide promenade and look over the stone railing to the Li river below.
Guilin was a pleasant city, with a broad promenade and parkland that ran along the edge of the river. Vendors in small stalls sold crafts, water, and food. In the early morning, people gathered along the shore to do their exercise, which Petra had observed was true in many of the places she'd visited while in China.
One woman sold soup from a small hand cart. Petra saw the ingenious woman slip her only bowl into a plastic bag, fill the bowl with soup, and give it to a man who drank it down directly from the
sanitized bowl. When he finished, the woman put the plastic bag in a container to be washed later and slipped a new plastic bag on the bowl for the next customer. Petra took in the sights and sounds, but her emotional pain left her detached and isolated.
Her guide returned with a vanload of tourists, and Petra climbed in. Petra made the necessary small talk with her new traveling companions. The guide took them past rice fields flooded and ready for new crops and new fields being turned over by farmers in wide-brimmed reed hats. They guided single-blade plows pulled by water buffalo. In the distance were the tall, cone-shaped mountains the area was famous for. A half-hour's drive brought them to the large riverboats that would take them on their lazy, two-hour trip through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
The area had been the subject of hundreds of paintings and poems over thousands of years. Petra tried to be excited about seeing this wonderland, but her heart ached. She should have known Quin would play her for a fool. She was well-aware of Quin's reputation, both in business and in bed. Why did she think she would be any different?
As quickly as she could, she left the others to eat their meal below deck while they waited for the boat to leave and went to stand on the upper deck where she could be alone. She heard a commotion on shore. Looking up to the promenade above, she saw Quin running full tilt down the street, people scattering in all directions as she darted through the crowds. Angry voices followed her as she leapt over the guide rail and loped down the stairs.
Petra felt the rumble of the engines, and the river boat edged away from the dock.
Quin was too late. Petra wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset by that.
By dawn, Quin was frantic. Generally, street crime in China was very low, but a young European woman out late at night would be a target in any city. In the hours that Quin had searched, she had imagined unspeakable things. Early that morning, she got a lead. Petra's name had shown up on the passenger list of a plane heading for Guilin. Quin hired a small plane, registered her flight with the authorities, and made a dash to the airport.
At the hotel, Quin discovered Petra was part of a tour. She bought a ticket, hailed a taxi, and ordered it to go as fast as it could to the wharf. Throwing money on the seat, Quin leapt from the old
car before it hnd completely stopped. She ran to the railing overlooking the small harbour. Below, she saw that the large sightseeing boat was making ready to sail.
As she ran down the hill, she saw the boat pulling away. She didn't stop to think. She increased her speed, and with a superhuman effort, jumped. Her flight was cut short as she hit the hull of the ship and, grabbing for the rails of the stern deck, she managed to hold on, her feet trailing in the water. The kitchen staff, who used the stern deck for cooking, yelled angrily at her as they hauled her aboard the ship.
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