You sound very confident. Does that come with a guarantee?
A little shocked by the giggle that escaped her lips, she reached out to turn off the bedside light.
Realistically, Hamish also had a job, so it would be unreasonable to expect him to do the running-to-her thing every time they hooked up … Because they were definitely going to connect on a more intimate level; she was determined. Besides, she’d already planned to return to Settlers—depending on how the meeting with Gerard went—so it wasn’t like she was making a huge concession. It’d still be her relationship, her terms, as always.
Absolutely. Told you I never promise what I can’t deliver. Just give me a couple of days to gird my loins to return to the wilderness.
An interesting and not entirely unpleasant visual. But it’s all about perspective, you know. Sure, you’re in the middle of the countryside out here, far away from your city conveniences. But is there anywhere you can see the stars better?
For a second she thought he’d lost the flirtatious element of the conversation, but then another text came through.
Of course, you have to be lying in the right position to do so. I can help you with that.
Hamish was fun, that’s what she really liked about him, Jemma realised. Pure, unadulterated, challenging, mildly X-rated fun. Wrapped in a package that was not at all hard on the eyes.
26
Jemma
Jemma groaned, searching for a Berocca or something similar in the bathroom cabinet. There’d been no alcohol involved the previous night, but lack of sleep—and probably too much stimulation—had left her feeling like she had the worst hangover of her life. She and Hamish had exchanged texts for a while, occasionally switching to voice messages to emphasise a point of view. But when their random conversation shifted to entertainment and Hamish confessed a love of a particular legal series, she’d had to call to fully articulate how ridiculously unethical the premise of the show was. She’d demanded he find an iPad or laptop, and they’d stayed connected, bingeing—and critiquing—half-a-dozen episodes.
It had been comfortable, in a totally non-sexual way, to have Hamish sort of in the bed alongside her, and to bid him goodnight in the early hours of the morning before finally hanging up.
But now she was tired, grumpy, running late—and verging on what could probably be described as nervous.She’d been confident in every career move she had ever made, but this meeting with Gerard could be pivotal. And, thanks to Rohan, largely out of her control. Not that she’d ever admit to that in a professional arena.
She whirled into the office a little after eight. A warning tilt of Tien’s head cautioned her that Gerard was already ensconced behind the frosted glass doors of his massive office.
‘Interesting move, choosing this as your only ever day to not be the first person in,’ Tien remarked in a low voice.
‘And I’ve not had coffee.’ The change to her routine had evidently thrown Stefan in the cafe downstairs. Late as she was, she’d still taken the time to arm herself with perfect makeup and curl her hair in an elegant cascade. At the last minute, she’d decided to wear her Louboutins: she needed the support. But the lack of caffeine didn’t bode well for anyone’s day. ‘Have you got a read on Gerard’s mood? Any intel?’
Tien snorted as he followed Jemma to her office. ‘You know Gerard: no one knows what he’s thinking until he cares to share.’
She set down her briefcase and shook both of her hands.
‘Cold?’ Tien moved across to the aircon control.
‘No, it’s fine.’ She was actually trying to shake away the nerves. As she pulled a couple of files from her briefcase, her phone vibrated. A video flashed up: the incredibly long tongue of a calf curling toward her on the screen.
Those cute farm animals say good morning.
‘Bit of a different expression from your misery on Saturday night,’ Tien said, his glasses sliding down his nose as he frowned.
Jemma quickly schooled her features. Why would a video from Hamish have her smirking like an idiot when she was about to get reamed by her boss?
‘Social media memes. Addictive, right?’ she said with a shake of her head.
‘I’ve got some great sloth videos,’ Tien said. Obviously he’d caught a glimpse of the message.
Jemma sank into her chair with a groan. ‘The only sloth I’m interested in is the one who didn’t get that coffee this morning.’ It was odd: even without coffee, coming into the office usually provided a buzz. Was it different now only because she was genuinely worried about her chance of making partner? Her entire career had been predicated on the one goal … except, as Hamish had pointed out, what was the point of a goal that led to nothing more?
Her spine had barely relaxed when Rohan walked through the corridor between the offices. He did a double take and took a couple of steps back to align himself with her open doorway.
‘Jemma. I didn’t know you were gracing us with your presence today.’
She lifted an eyebrow. It seemed odd that he’d be unaware of Gerard’s summons. ‘Just ironing out a few creases. I hear that Wilkins’s wife is asking for more money?’
Rohan’s face tightened fractionally. ‘His cash injections seem to be doing the trick. Lucky for him, Public Prosecutions is so backed up he has plenty of time to buy his way into her good graces.’
