Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas

I’m stunned. In actual fact, Kate kept her trap shut for four years. She made it clear that she didn’t like Matt, but it never interfered with our friendship. I just kept them apart. She never tried to influence me. She was just there, like a true friend, when things went tits up. And they did…often. I pull my hand from under his and take another calming sip of my wine. He doesn’t deserve my time. He’s wasted four years of it already, and I’m damned if he’s robbing me of any more. I cannot believe I’ve dropped Jesse for this.

‘Are you not going to say anything?’ he hisses, his eyes beady and harbouring all sorts of contempt. It makes me boil a little on the inside.

I manage to retain my temper. ‘Matt, I’ve said all I’ve got to say. Was that all you dragged me here for?’

He recoils, his eyebrows hitting his hairline. ‘You’re not prepared to give it another try?’

‘No.’ I reply simply. I’ve never made such an easy decision.

He jumps up from the table in a temper, knocking his drink over in the process. ‘You’ll need me before I need you.’

I laugh in his face. ‘I’ll need you?’ I gather my hysteria. ‘Yeah, that’s why you’re here begging me to come back, and I’ve told you where to go. What’s the matter, Matt? Ran out of birds to shag?’ I watch as he rearranges his cheap, black suit and straightens his brown, floppy hair. Funny, I don’t find him attractive anymore. Actually, he makes my skin crawl. What did I ever see in him? He was a habit, that’s all he was – a very bad habit.

‘I knew it!’ Kate’s high pitched screech makes my shoulders tense. ‘I knew you were seeing him!’ I turn and see her pretty, pale face is bright red with anger.

‘Oh, she’s come to join the party,’ Matt shoots over my head. ‘You just can’t keep your fucking nose out, can you?’

I glance around the bar and notice that people are starting to stare at the little exchange going on, their attention drawn by Matt’s flying pint glass. If I get the opportunity, I’ll save Kate the wasted breath and tell her exactly what just happened. But I suppose, after four years of keeping her fat trap shut, I should let her have her moment.

She strolls up to him, all confident and cocky, Matt’s lips curling into a snarl as she gets up close and personal with him. ‘She doesn’t want you, you useless sack of shit.’ Her tone is controlled and penetrating. ‘She’s got someone else, so go and crawl back into the hole you came from.’

Oh shit! Why did she have to say that for? I watch as Matt flicks his eyes to me for confirmation, but I don’t offer any. He hisses and spits a few times before stomping out of the bar.

Kate plonks herself in the chair opposite me, narrowing her bright blue eyes on me. I’m immediately on the defense.

‘He said he wasn’t okay. I thought someone had died!’

She shakes her head. ‘I’m really mad with you.’

I scoff and grab my wine for a welcome slurp. ‘I’m mad at myself. I didn’t need you to say that. Why did you say that?’

She grins. ‘Because it was funny. Did you see his face?’

Yes, it was a classic. But still, she’s throwing around statements that are simply not true. I haven’t got anyone else; I’m fucking someone else. There’s a big difference. My phone starts ringing, and I fish it from my bag, finding call number eleven from Jesse.

‘Who’s that?’ Kate asks, cocking her head up so she can get a glimpse of the screen.

‘Jesse.’

She frowns. ‘Aren’t you going to answer?’

I lean back in my chair, letting it ring off. ‘I cancelled him to meet Matt.’ I grumble.

Kate’s jaw drops open. ‘Ava, you really are very dim at times. And don’t take this personally, but when you were with Matt, you dialed down the fun factor so much, I was considering breaking up with you.’

I recoil at her speech. ‘That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?’

She laughs. ‘The truth hurts, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes, it does.’

‘You’ve been dragged through the mill good and proper, so I’m willing to let it go.’ She leans forward. ‘Have some fun. And anyway, I like him.’

Well, she made that pretty obvious, and he is fun. But I know this can only end in tears. A member of staff approaches with a dust pan and brush, and I offer a small apologetic smile, but I’m distracted when my phone starts to shout. I ignore it…again. I need time to think about this. I was so overwhelmed yesterday, I let a firm chest, hypnotising voice and soft lush lips derail my cognitive thinking. Who am I kidding? Every time I’m with this man, I’m derailed and distracted. He overwhelms me with his intensity, knocking all rationality right out of me.

‘Hello, hotty at three o’clock! Oh, and he’s looking. How’s my hair? Have I got any icing on my face?’ Kate starts frantically brushing her cheeks with her palms.

I turn to three o’clock and see the guy from the bar at The Manor. Which one was it? Drew? No, Sam. He has a big smile on his cheeky face as he raises his bottle of beer to me. I raise my hand and turn back to Kate.

‘You know him?’ she asks incredulously.

‘Sam, he was at The Manor. He’s a friend of Jesse’s.’

‘Fucking hell! Jesse’s a member of the hot gang.’ She giggles, her eyes widening with excitement. ‘Why have I never heard of this place?’ she asks. ‘I’m coming to your next site visit.’ she’s says determinedly, and I know she’s not joking. ‘Hey, he’s coming over. Introduce me, please!’

I shake my head at her. It’s one more first date for her to get her teeth into. Wait…I suddenly panic. Did he see me with Matt? Hang on…why am I worried about that?

‘Hi, Ava, how are you?’ Sam reaches the table, still smiling and flashing that dimple. He really is very cute, with his unkempt hair and twinkling eyes. He’s in jeans and a t-shirt again. Casual must be his thing.

‘I’m good, Sam, you?’ I finish my wine off. I could do with another, but Patrick won’t appreciate me returning to the office half pissed. ‘Been here long?’ I ask casually.

‘No, just got here. How’s Jesse?’ he enquires on a grin.

Why would he think I know that? Has Jesse told him? I feel my face blush, even though I’ve reached the swift conclusion that he’s playing with me. He’s Jesse’s mate, he should know how he is. I shrug, because I really don’t know what to say. And, in actual fact, I have no idea how Jesse is because I didn’t turn up for our appointment. When I left him yesterday, he was firing on all sexual cylinders, and I was panting like a desperate, wanton loser. Now, I expect, he’s slightly irate that I’ve cancelled our meeting. Ha! What’s he going to do? Sack me? He probably should. It will save me all of this brain ache and turmoil. I feel a sharp crack on my shin and look up to see Kate scowling at me.

‘Oh, Sam, this is Kate. Kate, meet Sam.’ I wave my hand between the two of them, watching as Kate turns all angelic, putting her hand out to Sam, who grins before clasping it.

‘Nice to meet you, Kate.’ he says smoothly, maintaining his grin and running his free hand through his mousey waves.

‘You too.’ She arches a brow.

She’s a brazen hussy! She’s flirting with him. She giggles as Sam compliments her on her wild, red hair, their hands still linked. My phone declares a text. To escape the blatant flirting exchange going on in front of me, I pick it up and open the message with one eye closed.

There better be a GOOD fucking reason for you standing me up. Someone had better be dying. I’m going out of my fucking mind, lady. NO KISS

Ah, he’s worried! My heart does an unexpected skip of approval, but then I snap myself out of my pathetic bubble of contentment, reminding myself that I’m not answerable to him. He certainly likes compliance. Besides, I didn’t stand him up; I delayed a business meeting. My poor bloody brain feels like it could explode. What’s happening to me? I put my phone on the table and look up to see Kate performing the best flirting act I’ve ever witnessed. She’s such a tart, and their hands are still clasped.

She drags her attention away from Sam to look at me. ‘Jesse?’ she asks unashamedly. I kick her under the table, feeling Sam’s eyes on me. I’ll kill her.

‘Jesse?’ Sam asks. ‘He just called. He’ll be here in a minute.’

What?

Kate starts laughing like a hyena, earning her another boot under the table. Did Sam tell him I was here?

‘I’d better be off,’ I go to stand. ‘Kate,’ I smile sweetly as she gets her laughter under control. ‘Haven’t you got a two thirty appointment?’

‘Nope.’ She smiles back, trumping my sweetness level. She’s a pain in the fucking arse.

I narrow my eyes on her, picking up my bag and phone. ‘Well, I’ll see you later then. It was nice to see you again, Sam.’

He releases Kate’s hand and kisses me on the cheek. ‘Yeah, and you, Ava. Keep it real.’

I turn to leave, but swing back around, all straight faced and cool. ‘Oh, Kate. Dan’s back next week.’ I toss it into the air like a grenade and wait for the explosion. It takes just a nanosecond for her jaw to drop, like a huge lump of lead, to the table.

Ha! I fling her a don’t-mess-with-me look and turn on my heels with immense satisfaction. My smugness is short lived, though. Jesse is stood behind me, glaring at me like a rabid dog. I shrink on the spot

‘Who’s dead?’ he barks.

He’s really mad. ‘I was at work.’ I defend myself nervously.

He scowls at me, good and proper. ‘And that renders you incapable of answering your phone, does it?’ His voice is dripping with displeasure.

Oh yes, me not answering his calls might be a contributing factor to his annoyance. I turn and find Kate and Sam silently observing our little altercation. Kate starts looking anywhere and everywhere but our direction, and Sam struggles to regain control of his raised eyebrows, doing a really rubbish job of looking uninterested. I sigh, turning back to Jesse, who still looks like he’s about to hit something.

‘I have to get back to work.’ I say, sidestepping him and leaving the bar. This is beyond an over-reaction and dangerously in the realms of controlling and manipulating. Neither of which I want.

I walk out onto Piccadilly and into the lunchtime crowd. I know he’s following me. I can feel his penetrating green eyes stabbing at my back.

As I turn into Berkeley Street, the crowd thins out, and I glance back, finding him stalking behind me, his eyes full of fury. He does look delicious in his charcoal suit and pale blue shirt, though. I huff to myself and increase my pace. If I can make it to my office, I’ll be safe from his wrath. There’s no way he would cause a scene at my office, would he? He didn’t seem to give two hoots about scolding me in front of Kate and Sam. Can I risk it? The man’s so volatile. Why is he behaving like this, anyway? I’ve only had sex with the guy, not married him.

I quicken my pace, making it through the office door, but no sooner have I got to my desk, I’m hauled from my feet on a squeal, and I’m on my way back out.

‘What the bloody hell are you doing?’ I shout at him, but he ignores me, carrying on with his long, even strides out of my office. I brace my hands at the bottom of his back and look up to see Tom, Victoria and Sally, all gawping at me being manhandled into the street. Oh God, please let Patrick be out of the office. ‘Jesse, fucking hell! Put me down now!’

He lets me slide down his front – purposely slow so I feel every hard muscle of his delicious chest – stopping me before my feet hit the ground. He holds me around my waist so my lips are level with his, his blatant erection rubbing me in just the right spot. He’s mad and turned on?