Read Online 2042: The Great Cataclysm by Melisande Mason - Free Book Online Page A

glass walls overlooked a multitude of glittering city lights, and three huge crystal chandeliers strung from the fifteen-foot ceilings mirrored them inside. Ivory marble floors inlaid with a pattern of darker marble created an appropriate backdrop for the expensive artefacts that filled every room. An ivory-coloured grand piano dominated one corner of the vast lounge, which he discovered later was not for show. She was an accomplished pianist and delighted in entertaining him with enchanting recitals. This room swung off into an octagonal-shaped dining area large enough to hold an enormous, oval dining table with seating for twelve people, where she often entertained many of Washington’s influential residents. An intriguing curved marble staircase led to a secluded rooftop garden, which she explained was her escape from the lunacy of public life.
    ‘Some escape.’ He said on his first visit. ‘What’d you do? Bring the park up here?’
    ‘Don’t you like it?’
    ‘It’s great, but I never expected you to be a gardener.’ The rooftop was covered by fake green turf that looked so real he looked for the lawn mower. Colourful plants sprouted from a garden border backed by high glass walls. Water trickled from the mouth of a black granite dolphin into an equally black spa pool.
    ‘There’s a lot you don’t know about me.’ She winked.
    ‘Mmm. Do you use the spa much?’
    ‘Not as much as I’d like. I keep hoping one day things will ease up but they never do.’
    ‘Shame’
    Something furry brushed Nick’s leg and he jumped. ‘What the?’
    ‘Meet Maxime.’ Laura said picking up a brown cat. ‘This’s her domain.’
    Nick looked into a pair of brilliant blue Siamese eyes and he softened. He had always wanted a cat. He stroked her fine smooth fur and felt the ripples of pleasure under her skin as she grinned back at him from the security of Laura’s arms.
    For the next six weeks while Nick was in Washington, they secreted themselves in this garden’s peace and seclusion. It was intoxicating and Nick wallowed in the new found luxury of another person wanting to be with him, and not wanting to change him or his lifestyle. He questioned how long it would last when it became obvious from the very beginning the relationship would struggle. They snatched hungrily at brief interludes as often as their busy schedules would permit, and each time they parted he sensed a hopelessness he was too afraid to acknowledge. Their careers didn’t match, he knew that. She was a senator with high demands on her time and she was idealistic, and he was a man who loved the sea before all else, a wanderer, a master of his own universe.
    ‘You have no idea how much corruption there is out there.’ She had told him. ‘I have a duty. The government needs honest dedicated people.’
    Chapter Eigh t
    The plane bumped and the glass Nick was barely holding tilted, swishing the remainder of the scotch into his lap, snapping him back to the realisation of his surroundings. He wished right then he could run to Laura and hide in her apartment, but he instinctively knew they may never share that world again. He pulled out his mobile sat-phone and dialled Laura’s number. The new sat-phones had superseded the old mobile and cell phones and provided clear communications at any distance.
    ‘Hello’’ The familiar purr gripped his heart.
    ‘Hi love. Er, how are you?’
    A shaky tone in his voice alerted her and she sensed tension. ‘Nick!  Where are you?  You sound different. Is anything wrong?’
    ‘No. I’m okay.  Just wanted to let you know I’m on my way back to Washington. I’m, ah, calling from the plane.’
    ‘That’s fabulous. I’ve missed you sooo..much!  Can’t wait to see you. I’ll meet you at the airport.’
    ‘I’d love you to, but Josh’s meeting me. We’ve got some urgent business to discuss.  I’ll call you the minute I’m free, I might be held up. See y’soon. Okay?’  He deliberately disconnected