“Have you considered meeting him or calling him to see why he’s suddenly being a pain, or if you have any mutual friends,” he suggested.
“Lindsay’s sister, Lauren. She is friends with one of the other teachers at Simon’s school.”
Jon shrugged. “It’s a possible way of finding out if there’s a reason for his behaviour, but it needs to stop because he is invading every part of your life now; your home, your office and now your family.”
“I know and he is becoming a pain, but I would be reluctant to meet him,” admitted Steph, although she didn’t explore why she might feel less than happy to meet with her former boyfriend.
“Speak to Lauren, but if he is still a pain in the arse then we need to be more proactive in dealing with him and I would rather you didn’t meet up with him alone,” said Jon seriously, his last comment suggesting that he may have picked up on her reasons for not meeting him.
“We?”
“We what?” Jon frowned his confusion.
“You saidwe, we need to be more proactive,” she explained.
“Wellwedo because he is really beginning to piss me off and as soon as you looked at your phone and saw all of his messages the other morning your whole demeanour changed, sowewill deal with him,” said Jon serious again.
“I will speak to Lauren and see what she can find out first.” The sound of a phone ringing ended that conversation.
She looked at Jon and waited for him to answer, but he just laughed. “That’s not mine.”
“It must be my Brookers’ mobile; it hasn’t rung before.” She followed the sound of it.
Jon laughed again as she eventually found it, but his laughter stopped abruptly as soon as she answered it.
“Hi, Steve. Sorry, I couldn’t find the phone.” She laughed.
Jon watched her laughing at whatever Steve had said before picking up a pen and her diary.
“Yes, that’s fine. No, no problem, but she needs to understand that it’s not an opportunity for her to just sit across a desk from me and bitch. It’s a professional meeting,” she said. “Okay, I’ll e-mail her confirmation of it on Monday, yeah, you too, bye.”
“Steve Cannon?” Jon sounded suspicious.
“Yes. Apparently, Miss Roe, wants to meet with me, one to one, next Wednesday.”
Jon stared at Steph, the nerve in his face ticking while his mouth appeared downturned and his brow creased. “Don’t take any crap off her. She was bang out of order and I told him that.”
“I don’t make a habit of taking anyone’s crap and Miss Roe will be no different, but Steve said–”
“Steve? Not Mr Cannon, you and he are on first name terms now are you?” asked Jon less than happy.
“Well yes, he is very friendly–”
“Of course he is very friendly. You’re gorgeous and he has a passion for pretty, younger women. He didn’t want you in his department at any cost until he set eyes on you, darling, and he is beginning to piss me off too because he can’t take his eyes of you, tits, arse, legs! He even asked me after you left the meeting the other day whether I thought you were a stockings or tights kind of girl.” He almost shouted now.
“Ah,” she said making him frown.
“You’re not surprised by what I’ve just said. Has he said something to you, too?”
“He invited me for a drink after work and I did notice that his eyes were drawn to my legs,” she admitted.
“I think I may move you out of legal and put you on the twenty-third floor so I can keep an eye on you.” His serious expression made Steph laugh as she moved until she was sitting across his lap.
“That seems a little extreme and I think the rules of keeping a mistress probably don’t include keeping an eye on her during office hours.” She gently ran her fingers through his hair, something she loved doing, feeling the soft but strong strands tickling the skin between her fingers.
“But they could if I wanted them to and if you came to work for me full time–”
“No!” she exclaimed, shutting that down immediately. “I am not coming to work for you full time.”
