“Stephanie,” he called to her.
“Give my regards to your wife,” she called back thinking that the words would convey her sentiment.
She wouldn’t be a fling or a one-night-stand. She would not become the person he had first perceived her to be. When she had told him that she wasn’t that person, she meant it, so she needed to keep her resolve and not become some kind of easy option rather than a choice, not for him because she had a very strong feeling it would never be enough. She needed to getshagged somehow, but not like that with him. If he had been free, single, she knew that by now she would be halfway home for an undoubtedly memorable night, but he wasn’t free and she was heading home in a cab, alone.
Four
Steph arrived for work earlier than usual courtesy of a restless couple of night’s sleep, which meant that now, at just after half past ten, she was already knackered.
She was on her second cup of coffee when Rosie appeared in the doorway. “Are you still hung over from the wedding?”
Steph laughed. “No. Actually, I only had one glass of champagne all day. This is lack of sleep,” she told her assistant gesturing to the huge bags under her eyes that only she could see, although she did look tired.
“I see,” said Rosie. “More coffee or tea?”
“Give me half an hour and then tea would be nice,” Steph replied as she flicked through her emails and stopped at one from Brooker Incorporated.
Dear Miss Pryor,
Many thanks for your detailed, yet concise ‘proposed’ contract between Brooker Incorporated and Baker, Ross and Riley for Legal Services.
Your attendance is requested with Mr Jack Baker at the pre-arranged meeting with Mr Brooker.
In the event that you are unable to meet at the pre-arranged time, please contact me to rearrange the appointment.
Regards,
Andrea Stewart, P.A. To CEO Brooker Incorporated.
Steph nervously wonderedif she had made some glaringly obvious error in her proposal and that was the reason why they were insisting she attended when her phone brought her back to the here and now. She picked her phone up and Rosie informed her that Jack Baker was on the line making her even more nervous that something was amiss.
“Good morning, Mr Baker. How are you?”
“Fine, thank you. I trust you are rested and ready to work,” he said, but without waiting he continued, “Have you checked your emails yet because Brookers want you to attend our meeting this afternoon?”
“I’ve just seen it.”
“I will meet you downstairs at two o’clock and we’re meeting at three, so cancel everything for the rest of the day and bring whatever may be useful, and dress smartly,” he said, making Steph feel slightly uneasy that she would ever be dressed any other way for work.
Rosie reappeared as she hung up. “You are popular this morning.” Steph frowned in confusion as Rosie explained, “I have an email about your meeting this afternoon and these have just arrived.” She held out a boxed arrangement of red roses. “There’s a card,” she added.
Steph gestured for her to put them down. “That tea would be nice now.”
Rosie knew when to leave and did just that. When she returned with tea, the flowers were where she’d left them. “You may need to move them.”
Steph accepted her tea with a confused frown at Rosie’s words as she left again, but quickly returned with a huge hand tied bouquet of mixed cream and ivory blooms, secured with a chocolate brown bow, the meaning of her earlier words now clear.
Steph stared between the flowers and Rosie’s grin. “Do we have vases?”
Rosie nodded and returned a couple of minutes later with several vases.
“Rosie, do I look smart? Smart enough for a meeting with Baker and Mr Brooker?”
Rosie studied her appearance briefly. “Yes. If you were wearing a shift dress I would say maybe a bit too sexy, well, the way you fill them anyway and trousers can be threatening to men, even in this day and age. So, a grey pinstripe pencil skirt with the matching jacket is perfect and a white button through blouse is always a winner.”
She looked down at her boss’ legs that were encased in smoky grey stockings and black stilettos and smiled again.
“If they’re tights you can keep the upper hand by knowing that they’re all hoping for stockings, but will never know, and if they’re stockings you will keep the upper hand by knowing that they will still never know, unless you flash them a little flesh.” She laughed making Steph shake her head.
