‘I don’t take well to threats, Heather, even badly veiled ones. Seeing me with Clara neither means nor proves anything.’
‘Says you.’
‘Yeah, says me.’
Maybe I’m being foolish, but I’m beginning to think he’s telling the truth. Not that I’ll share that with him just yet.
‘I’m not sure management would see the difference. Old Lambeth is very old fashioned. He’ll have heard all about the receptionist from your old place.’
‘And if he has, it didn’t put him off hiring me.’
‘But that was before he got wind of you getting your grubby hands on his daughter.’
Maybe that was a little too mean, I wonder as his gaze narrows, a tiny muscle beginning to jump in his jaw.
‘I told you, nothing happened, but if you want to go running to him to say otherwise, go ahead. Make a fool of yourself.’ He leans away as though he’s hit on the close to our argument.
‘I’m not going to say anything.’ And I wouldn’t, but I’m willing to use it as a threat.
It’s me or him, I repeat to myself. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be doing him any harm beyond the pleasure of my company.
‘Then why are we having this conversation? Again.’
‘Because of Allison.’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ he mumbles under his breath. ‘What has she got to do with any of this?’
‘I’d say she seems to have something of an interest because not only did she tell me you weren’t into weddings but also that I shouldn’t plan on dropping my knickers because you brought me a cupcake.’
‘She doesn’t miss a fucking trick,’ he mutters to himself. ‘She doesn’t even work on the same floor.’
‘Oh but wait, there’s more. She’s got a thing for you, hasn’t she?’
Archer neither confirms nor denies. In fact, it seems as though not a muscle in his face moves this time.
‘Don’t worry, it’s not a question of you incriminating yourself. I can’t see yellow blonde forty-somethings being your type. I’d venture to guess you’ve let her down, oh, so very gently, of course.’
‘I’ve told you; I don’t get involved with anyone at work, regardless of what you think you’ve seen.’ This he answers with more sincerity than anything else he’s said since we sat down on this bench. And I believe him, mostly. But thanks to Allison cementing my plans, none of it matters.
‘You might’ve let her down gently, but she appears to have no intention of losing interest in you by taking on the role of your guardian angel.’ Or maybe your chastity belt. ‘And there was a reason she said I shouldn’t bother setting my cap at you.’
‘She got you all wrong, didn’t she?’ He ends his words with an unpleasant sounding huff, folding his arms across his broad chest before turning away.
‘She was wrong. In lots of ways. But she’s also dangerous. See, she said you’d set your sights much higher than me. In fact, she told me you and Clara are seeing each other. It’s only a matter of time before this gets to Lambeth.’
7
Archer
What’swrong with the people in this fucking place? Talk about toxicity.
‘I’ve done nothing worth reporting to Lambeth. It’s not like I’ve been caught with my hand up his daughter’s dress.’
Even as I’m saying this, I know the whole thing could still be damaging, especially as Heather is one of the Lambeths’ favourites. Also, there’s no smoke without fire in a place like E11even. A place where I’m on the fast track to promotion. I haven’t spent the past three months working my arse off to risk it all. Fuck it, I’ve been mindful, watched where I’ve stepped, what I’ve said and to whom, minded who I’ve looked at twice, and though I wasn’t specifically warned off the girl, my gut told me that every time I came within three foot of Clara publicly, it was reported back. I knew from the start for the sake of my career, coming near, in, or on her was definitely off the cards.
But then she’d done the whole wide-eyed ingénue thing last week, and I’d fallen for it. What a fucking ball ache.
But what’s Heather’s angle?
