“Obviously, you are an arse more than an arsehole.” She grinned.
“I see. Come on, go home. I will make sure Dave knows that you have paid back your hours.”
“I won’t be much longer, I just want to finish off the figures for publishing and then I need to read through my contract,” she told him.
“Darling, leave it until tomorrow.”
“I would rather finish it as Mr Madeley reckons these four departmental figures could have been completed in one afternoon!” she snapped now.
“He has really wound you up, hasn’t he?” asked Jon rhetorically. “But don’t worry about him, he is unimportant, Steph.”
“How did you come to employ him at all, but specifically as the head of the department? King of that particular castle,” she laughed.
“What are you on? Did Sonia slip something into your coffee?”
“This is me on just one day of Dave Madeley. Imagine me after a week or more,” she replied seriously. “Now tell me how you came to employ him, did you lose a bet?”
Jon laughed at her final comment. “Miss Pryor, I don’t know that I approve of such insubordination!”
“Well don’t worry about it too much because the way things are going I will be out on my ear and my feet won’t touch the ground.” She smiled as she recalled Dave’s comment.
“According to your boss I assume?”
She nodded, causing a frown to mar his handsome face.
“Yes.”
“Darling, please ignore Dave’s threats. You are going nowhere, other than home,” he said again.
“Okay, but I will take these figures home to finish, and my contract,” she said as she got to her feet.
“You haven’t forgotten we have the premiere of Charlie and Lindsay’s wedding video have you?”
“No, but it won’t be too late a night and I won’t be drinking so I can finish this off in bed and I might have time to read my contract before I go out,” she explained.
“You are joking? I won’t have your laptop or files in my bed, just you on your own, au naturale!” he said arching a brow. “And just sign your contract.”
“But I don’t sleep in your bed on a Thursday and I never sign anything without reading it first.” She reached down for her briefcase.
“Flexibility, Stephanie. I could come to yours if you would rather?” He grinned sensing victory in securing another night together.
“Okay, but I will still want to finish this before I go to sleep,” she told him firmly.
“Okay!” he sighed, resigned to her taking work home, then followed her out of the room.
Steph was followingLindsay into the dining room where her own and Charlie’s parents were already sitting with Jon who looked up and smiled as he drank in her appearance. Her hair was down, gently flowing around her shoulders and she wore a calf length, maroon, velvet, fit and flare bodiced dress with a black short sleeved cardigan and knee high, black leather, heeled boots. Jon glanced at his watch and shook his head making her smile as she realised she was late again, although only by about five minutes this time.
“Hey, I thought you’d stood us up!” joked Charlie as he hugged and kissed her warmly making Lindsay’s mum frown.
“Never have and never would stand you up,” replied Steph who was still hugging Charlie, further infuriating Mrs Walters.
“Anyone would think you were Charlie’s new wife, Stephanie,” she said pointedly.
“I suppose you could have been if things had been different,” said Charlie’s dad, earning himself glares. “Sorry,” he mutteredas Steph took her seat next to Jon feeling sorry for the older man opposite her.
Steph looked across at Charlie’s dad who really did look like he wanted to crawl up his own arse making her feel even sorrier for him causing her to give him a sympathetic smile and shrug followed by a kiss she blew to him, making him laugh.
“Nice boots,” Jon whispered.
