Chapter 2
Adam narrowed his eyes and settled further back into his office chair. His secretary was sporting a pale, see-through blouse today, revealing a black, lacy bra, along with a short, tight pencil skirt. He leant forward slightly, certain he couldn’t see a visible panty line, so he assumed she must be wearing a G-string. He admired her long brown legs, slim ankles and red-painted toenails, revealed by stiletto sandals. She was playing a game and they both knew it.
At first he’d been quite shocked at her behaviour, brushing past him so her breasts gently stroked his arm, bending over his desk to expose a more than generous glimpse of ample cleavage, dressing more provocatively by the day as the dresses and skirts got shorter and tighter, the neckline lower, the material more transparent. Her body language was open, the innuendos grew a little more risqué, and she was definitely giving him the green light. He’d gone from being shocked to amused, to burning-hot curious as to what was under that damn sexy outfit. Now she was standing to the side of him by the filing cabinet. She dropped a file and slowly picked it up, revealing two pink nipples peeking out from the black lace cups. He watched her pert buttocks bend over, making the skirt ride further up her endlessly long legs. ‘Clumsy me,’ she smirked, seeing the lust in his eyes, then licked her lips.
He got up and sidled behind her, playfully slapping her bottom. ‘Ready for somedic-tation, Moneypenny?’ he asked. She giggled, liking the nickname. Good job, seeing as he couldn’t for the life of him remember her name. Was it Fay or Kay? Or maybe May? Well, he couldn’t remember everything, could he, with his high-powered new job as a partner? Recalling the name of his temporary secretary wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities. She certainly helped to pass the long, stressful days, though. His hands reached round to cup her large breasts, which felt firm and heavy. More giggles.
‘Adam, we can’t. What if someone comes in?’
‘But that’s what makes it so exciting,’ he whispered thickly in her ear, as his thumbs slowly circled her nipples, transforming them to hard buttons. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and he sniggered; that’s how much she wanted him to stop. His hands slid to her waist, then down again over her hips and thighs and began slowly to hitch the skirt up, uncovering two smooth, brown cheeks, one of which was decorated with a red love heart tattoo. He was wrong about the G-string, though – she wasn’t wearing any knickers at all.
He laughed under his breath. ‘Well, someone came prepared, didn’t they?’
She sighed again. He gently pushed her legs apart and explored between them. He gasped at how warm and ready she was. The gasp was returned, but it seemed to come from the doorway…
‘Megan!’ He shot up. ‘I can explain…’ he began, with his hands up his secretary’s skirt.
Walking straight backed, with her head held high, Megan Taylor weaved through the busy office, ignoring the smirks and sniggers that followed her. Did everyone know but her? She hurtled out of the building, tears stinging her face. Traffic whizzed by, headlights illuminating puddles of rain as the passing cars threatened to drench her. Walking home wasn’t an option. She dug out her mobile and rang the voice of reason, who would always offer the comfort and reassurance she badly needed.
‘Dad, can you come and get me?’ she choked.
*
Adam and her relationship had been good in the beginning, she reflected, once she was sitting silently in her dad’s passenger seat. Luckily he could read his daughter well enough to know just what to say and, more importantly, when not to say anything. On first meeting Adam, Megan had been struck by his boyish good looks and charm. She liked the way his copper hair flopped into his blue twinkly eyes, the way his full mouth smiled mischievously, his ability to make her laugh with his quirky sense of humour, but all that seemed gradually to vanish over the months and was slowly replaced with an air of confidence bordering on contempt, assuming he could take his girlfriend for granted. So what if he appreciated other girls, there was no harm in looking, was there? Well, yes, there was, conceded his friends when they could see how blatantly he flirted with them in front of Megan. Even they were perplexed at why she tolerated him. Well, not any more. His lovemaking had gone from tender and caring to an almost mechanical, cold act, which had left Megan feeling lost and lonely. It was over. Thankfully she hadn’t properly moved into his flat, so there was no need to call and retrieve her possessions, just a few bits and pieces that she could do without, or at least replace easily enough; she thought of her Ed Sheeran CDs, herBridget JonesDVD, her collection of Jane Austen books and Cath Kidston toiletries, which all looked so out of place in Adam’s modern, black and white apartment, with chrome fittings and wooden flooring.
Her dad cast a sideways glance. ‘You all right love?’
‘No,’ she sobbed, ‘I can’t face having to work with him.’
‘Hmm,’ he replied by way of agreement. She could just imagine the gossip this would cause. The girls in her admin team often told Megan to dump Adam, but funnily enough it didn’t deter them from fluttering their eyelashes at him every time he entered their office. It didn’t help either that Adam was particularly good at his job as a solicitor. He had a way with words and knew exactly how to pitch his spiel and work his charm. Whether it be with a senior partner of the firm, or a rich client, he always extracted everything he wanted from them. As a result he was the golden boy, inevitably going places. Whereas Megan wasn’t going anywhere, she conceded. She was one of the many faceless admin staff that quietly went about their business. In fact, it was a miracle to her that Adam had even noticed her in the first place.
It had been a rainy Monday morning and Megan had forgotten her umbrella. She was rushing to the office, dodging the puddles, when suddenly the huge canopy of a golf brolly had covered her head. Sharply turning round, she was greeted by the most beautiful blue eyes and engaging smile.
‘Here, let me,’ Adam had said easily, walking alongside her. ‘We work in the same building, don’t we?’
‘Y… yes,’ stammered Megan, not quite believing the office heart-throb was actually talking to her. Droplets of rain ran down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away. He smiled again. That big, confident grin was beginning to melt her. Reaching the stone front steps to the solicitors’ office building, he casually held out his hand to guide her in, and for a second he touched her arm and it sent electric pulses through her.
‘Would you like to go for a drink after work?’ he simply asked, whilst pulling down his umbrella and opening the large glass door for her. Megan couldn’t believe it. The delayed reaction caused him to look quizzically at her, but still with an air of assurance.
‘Er… yes, thanks,’ Megan had finally replied.
‘Great. I’ll meet you here at six o’clock then,’ and with a final winning smile he took the lift to the second floor, where his office was and where a one-shot skinny latte was waiting for him on his desk.
All that seemed a lifetime ago now, Megan sadly reflected. It was impossible to believe that the Adam she had just caught fondling his secretary had been the handsome, charming man that had gallantly offered cover that bleak morning.
Turning to her dad, she noticed that his eyes were tired and swollen. ‘Dad?’
He put one hand over her clenched ones. ‘I’m sorry, love, I know this is bad timing, but it’s Gran.’
‘Gran?’ she interrupted urgently. ‘What’s happened?’
‘She passed away, love, early this morning.’
A dull, sickening force hit Megan full in the stomach.No, not Gran.
