“God, yes. Brooker likes fairness and has a strict policy on bullying so if he found out about it afterwards and Grant had kept a lid on it, well, Grant would be in the shit too. Add to that the fact that you’re his girlfriend . . .”
The last three words rendered Steph speechless for a few seconds. “I think you may have an overactive imagination,” she started, the slight stammer and wobble of her voice revealing her nervousness.
“Oh, right, so that wasn’t you with Brooker and a whole heap of people at Stringers on Sunday?” asked Steve seriously.
“Ah.”
Steve smiled. “Yes, ah. Steph, I was there with a, shall we say ‘friend’ so I am in no position to judge and I know how to keep a secret. I am not saying that he would favour you based on that, quite the opposite I imagine, so you’re definitely here on merit, but he won’t allow Dave to bully you and pay him for the privilege, will he? Look, I may have a bottle of something in a filing cabinet if that sounds better than coffee?”
“No, thank you. Coffee will be fine, safer.”
“Okay, give me two minutes then,” said Steve as he disappeared down the corridor to the kitchen.
Steph was drinkinga second cup of coffee and had almost finished working through the queries that Steve had when his desk phone rang.
“Yes, yes she is. I will, okay, bye.” Hanging up, he stared across the desk at her. “The boss wants to see you in the conference room, pronto.”
“Well, we should finish here first.” Steph matched his serious tone.
“No way! I am not going to get any blame for you not getting your arse up there. So, nice to have seen you, Miss Pryor, but bugger off out of my department now, oh and remember, you are the new face of accounts.” He laughed.
“Whatever!” She laughed back but got up and left. Now was not the time to be petulant and unprofessional by dragging her heels, in fact it was never the time to be unprofessional so added some pace to her steps.
The lift doorsopened on the twenty-third floor where Steph was surprised to find Jon waiting for her.
“How was legal?” he asked.
“Enlightening,” she replied cryptically, making him frown.
“I’m sure. Shall we?” He placed his hand on her elbow to steer her towards his office.
“I thought I had been summoned to the conference room.”
“Yes you were, but Dave is still in there. Going over his figures again.” As they entered his reception, Andrea looked up and smiled.
“Tea, coffee?” she asked.
“No, thank you,” replied Steph who felt awash with coffee.
Jon shook his head. “Actually, tea please, for us both.”
“I really am fine, thank you,” said Steph feeling irritated that he had overruled her decision to decline a drink.
“For us both,” he repeated. “And biscuits please.” Jon held his office door open and waited for Steph to enter.
As soon as the door shut behind them she unleashed her annoyance, “I do not want or need a cup of bloody tea and I am more than capable of making that decision for myself because I am an adult, not the errant child you appear to treat me as,” she said with a raised voice.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
Steph stood staring at him for a few seconds until he asked, “Are you challenging me, Stephanie? That’s fine if you are, but I never lose, you should remember that.” he said darkly.
“I don’t want tea, biscuits or to sit down,” she snapped, standing her ground.
Jon held her gaze and briefly seemed to waver, but not for long. Regaining his composure and determination, he repeated his order but did soften it. “Sit down, please, and if you don’t want tea and biscuits I can live with that because it is never my intention to treat you as an errant child.”
She slumped into the chair he had indicated, possibly feeling more irritated by his addition of the word please and his concession on the tea and biscuits that she had been by his earlier insistence on them. “You are fucking infuriating sometimes.”
“Only sometimes? I’ll take that,” he replied wearing a frown again. “I think you are probably due an explanation of what happened this afternoon,” he started but was quickly cut off.
