Page 17 of Distrustful

Chapter 9

Trinidad arrives at the airfield where she keeps her private jet an hour before the agreed time with Maria. She sits in one of the cream-colored leather padded seats, doing nothing but looking out the window at the expanse of open field surrounding her. She's calm; this is the only place where she feels safe, even though Benjamin sits in the seat closest to the cockpit, reading the newspaper with interest.

Trinidad loves leaving Spain; as soon as the plane takes off, she feels free and the oppression she always feels in her chest or the unease of not feeling safe anywhere disappears completely. The clouds seem to carry away all her worries. That's why she bought the plane, to afford the luxury of breathing when she feels like she's drowning in her own home.

The sound of heels on asphalt announces Maria's arrival before she appears at the plane's door.

"Good morning," Maria greets as she enters. Trinidad raises her gaze to observe her as she removes her sunglasses and stores them in the case inside her purse.

Benjamin returns the greeting, and behind her enters Oliver, the thirty-year-old bodyguard whom Benjamin trusts completely and who often accompanies them.

Maria fixes her gaze on Trinidad and walks toward her with such determination that Trinidad feels a certain tingling run through her body at the sensation that Maria might devour her whole.

"Hi," the lawyer greets while setting down her briefcase. "Where do you want me to sit?"

Trinidad catches the fresh scent of her perfume, the same one she was drenched in the other night when she was inside her, and for a moment, she feels tempted to tell her to sit on her lap. The memory sends a shiver through her that she tries to hide.

"Wherever you want," she finally answers, in a deliberately neutral tone.

Maria observes without moving from her side. Across from Trinidad, there's an empty seat, behind her are two more, and beside her next to the opposite window, another one. Maria decides on the latter, she doesn't want to sit with her, but she also doesn't want the businesswoman to lose sight of her, and she succeeds, because Trinidad follows her with her gaze when she sits with a mixture of elegance and deliberate provocation. Trinidad grows desperate with desire when Maria crosses her legs and part of her pants ride up revealing her ankle, an apparently innocent gesture but one that makes the air between them grow thicker.

"We can leave, Benjamin," the businesswoman says and he nods and taps the cockpit door with his palm a couple of times. "I hope you're not afraid of flying," she adds, addressing Maria, who's fastening her seatbelt.

"It's not what I most enjoy doing with Ursula," she admits, "but one must always be ready for anything."

The click of her seatbelt closing punctuates her phrase and Maria turns her head toward the window. Trinidad smiles slightly and puts on her headphones, ready to listen to her favorite podcast during the flight without any distractions, though she's aware of Maria's every movement.

The flight proceeds charged with unresolved sexual tension.

When they land, that bright sun that had just risen in Spain has been replaced by a blanket of clouds and humidity that makes Maria run her hand through her hair as soon as they step on the ground. The London air hits them with its characteristic coldness.

"I don't like this weather at all," she says sighing while her fingers try to tame her rebellious strands, "but I admit London is a city I love."

Trinidad agrees, though she doesn't say so. She likes watching how Maria fights against the humidity that's starting to curl her perfectly straightened hair.

"Is that village far from here?" asks the lawyer, adjusting her jacket to protect herself from the cold.

"Just over half an hour," Trinidad answers, passing her a copy of the report Adrian has prepared for her as theyget into the rental car that's been brought to them, "here's everything we need to know about the building. Now we'll have lunch and then head to the village, we're meeting the owner there directly."

The chosen restaurant is an exclusive establishment in Mayfair, with high ceilings and crystal chandeliers that tinkle softly. After a meal where they barely exchange words beyond comments about the menu, the two women sit in the back seats of the vehicle, maintaining a safe distance between them. Oliver takes the wheel and Benjamin sits beside him enjoying the ride, his gaze lost in the changing landscape of the city giving way to the English countryside.

Maria notices something different in Trinidad, who seems more relaxed than the other times she's seen her. Her shoulders are less tense and her breathing more steady, but she doesn't dare ask why. The two make the journey in complete silence, at times quite uncomfortable, at others simply absorbed in their own thoughts, until they arrive at a small town of less than five thousand inhabitants where the inn sits at the entrance, between a two-story house and a small park.

"Is this it?" Maria asks, surprised.

"Yes," Trinidad confirms while Oliver parks the car.

"Damn, the place is perfect. Discreet and still not far from the capital," Maria comments, appreciating the rural charm of the Victorian building.

Trinidad nods and, as they get out, they see an older man emerge who gestures to them from the door.

The businesswoman approaches and introduces herself, then does the same with Maria in quite fluent English and both enter. The scent of old wood and fresh-brewed tea welcomes them. The inn preserves its rural charm in every detail: the exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, the stone fireplace in the common room, the stairs that creak softly under their steps. The place immediately fascinates both women despite Trinidad knowing clearly that she'll need to invest in a good interior renovation to improve the comfort of all the women who will stay there.

After a complete tour where the owner shows them each of the twelve rooms, the two common areas and other spaces not prepared for the public, he leaves them alone in reception to talk while he goes out to smoke. Through the window they can see him gesturing animatedly while trying to communicate with Benjamin and Oliver.

"What do you think?" Maria asks looking at Trinidad, "because I'm sure Ursula would love it."

"I like it too," Trinidad scans the ceiling beams while speaking, "the rooms are large and if we ever run short on space, they can be shared between two or more women. In one of those empty spaces we can make a kitchen, in another a training room for language learning and maybe a library or reading area where they can disconnect," Trinidad thinks aloud.