inside his own office, as he talked into the receiver. I made sure I looked away. I didn’t slink back to my own desk until I’d seen his driver arrive to take him of[ to the airport.
The tension drained out of me as I walked back into the office. No point being tense. Or excited. Everything was monochrome and it was going to stay that way for ever.
I arrived at my desk and stopped dead,
There was a single red rose laid aross my computer keyboard. And a note.
‘Can’t wait to see you again. Keep thinking of me. Your not so secret admirer.’
God, isn’t it good to be alive?
89
Chapter IO
It was wonderful. It was worth the wait. After he came back from Seville the next afternoon - bearing a bottle of Chanel No. I9 for me - Seamus acted like a dream come true. He sent Jenny off round the building so he ” could stand by my desk and talk. He smiled at me with that thousand-watt grin whenever the coast was clear.
,
And he sent me e-mails: ‘Can’t imagine why I didn’t think of this before.’
God, it was so weird to get little love letters in flashing neon, with ‘be’ blinking at the side. Blind copy. Nobody could see what he was saying. It was like James Bond.
“Meet me at the flat tonight. We’ll order in. P.S. Bring some clothes.’
He didn’t go over the top. No sly glances when there were others around. But whenever he passed my desk, and saw the single red rose propped in a plastic cup, he winked. A gorgeous, slow wink that made me want to squirm on my chair.
I could barely work. I was so excited.
‘Who’s the rose from?’ Kevin the postboy asked, crestfallen.
I could see Jenny hovering around, waiting for my reply. She kept glancing at Seamus, sealed inside the sanctuary of his office.
‘Tom Drummond,’ I replied, quick as a flash.
Jenny perked up. ‘Tom Drummond? Of the Carre four Trust? He’s a very eligible young man. Lucky you,
9o
Alexandra, you must be the envy of all the girls in the City.’
‘Oh, Tom’s just a friend,’ I protested, to Kevin’s great joy and Jenny’s disapproval. She gave my red rose an eloquent glance. Friends don’t send those. But what did I care for her sniping? I was going to see Seamus tonight.
He was waiting at the flat when I got in. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen: grouse, buttered spinach, blueberry and raspberry slump with French vanilla ice-cream.
‘Take-away usually means Pizza Hut,’ I breathed. ‘Not when I’m eating with a beautiful girl,’ Seamus said merrily, spooning warm blueberries into my mouth. I was still only able to manage a few bites. I was quivering with excitement, like a teenybopper at a Boyzone gig. Waves of lust were pulsing through me. I stoked the fires with his very expensive plum brandy. ‘I’ve wanted to do that from the first moment I saw you … put something into your mouth.’
‘Hmm,’ I gasped. My nipples hardened up like I’d just stepped into a cold shower.
‘You’ve got such kissable lips,’ Seamus told me. Then he leant forwards and traced the line of them with his fingertip.
I got daring. I pressed my lips back on his fingers. Flicking over them with my tongue.
Seamus breathed in sharply and pushed his finger inside my mouth, so I sucked it, nervously because I’ve always thought that was kind of st.upid.
Seamus went crazy. Like someone had flicked on a switch. He jumped up from the table, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bed. So fast, I didn’t have time to stop it. To say, ‘Hey, slow down, baby.’ Or ‘Maybe we could kiss each other’s neck, very slowly.’ I didn’t want to spoil the moment.
He was in the throes of passion! You can’t ruin a
9x
man’s throes of passion. Or he throws you over. Like Justin Roberts, my ex-fianc6: I’m sure his darling wife Hannah never told him to cool it just a tad.
At least I wasn’t worried about my knickers. On the way home to change I invested in some new silky scraps. And a tube of KY
The tension drained out of me as I walked back into the office. No point being tense. Or excited. Everything was monochrome and it was going to stay that way for ever.
I arrived at my desk and stopped dead,
There was a single red rose laid aross my computer keyboard. And a note.
‘Can’t wait to see you again. Keep thinking of me. Your not so secret admirer.’
God, isn’t it good to be alive?
89
Chapter IO
It was wonderful. It was worth the wait. After he came back from Seville the next afternoon - bearing a bottle of Chanel No. I9 for me - Seamus acted like a dream come true. He sent Jenny off round the building so he ” could stand by my desk and talk. He smiled at me with that thousand-watt grin whenever the coast was clear.
,
And he sent me e-mails: ‘Can’t imagine why I didn’t think of this before.’
God, it was so weird to get little love letters in flashing neon, with ‘be’ blinking at the side. Blind copy. Nobody could see what he was saying. It was like James Bond.
“Meet me at the flat tonight. We’ll order in. P.S. Bring some clothes.’
He didn’t go over the top. No sly glances when there were others around. But whenever he passed my desk, and saw the single red rose propped in a plastic cup, he winked. A gorgeous, slow wink that made me want to squirm on my chair.
I could barely work. I was so excited.
‘Who’s the rose from?’ Kevin the postboy asked, crestfallen.
I could see Jenny hovering around, waiting for my reply. She kept glancing at Seamus, sealed inside the sanctuary of his office.
‘Tom Drummond,’ I replied, quick as a flash.
Jenny perked up. ‘Tom Drummond? Of the Carre four Trust? He’s a very eligible young man. Lucky you,
9o
Alexandra, you must be the envy of all the girls in the City.’
‘Oh, Tom’s just a friend,’ I protested, to Kevin’s great joy and Jenny’s disapproval. She gave my red rose an eloquent glance. Friends don’t send those. But what did I care for her sniping? I was going to see Seamus tonight.
He was waiting at the flat when I got in. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen: grouse, buttered spinach, blueberry and raspberry slump with French vanilla ice-cream.
‘Take-away usually means Pizza Hut,’ I breathed. ‘Not when I’m eating with a beautiful girl,’ Seamus said merrily, spooning warm blueberries into my mouth. I was still only able to manage a few bites. I was quivering with excitement, like a teenybopper at a Boyzone gig. Waves of lust were pulsing through me. I stoked the fires with his very expensive plum brandy. ‘I’ve wanted to do that from the first moment I saw you … put something into your mouth.’
‘Hmm,’ I gasped. My nipples hardened up like I’d just stepped into a cold shower.
‘You’ve got such kissable lips,’ Seamus told me. Then he leant forwards and traced the line of them with his fingertip.
I got daring. I pressed my lips back on his fingers. Flicking over them with my tongue.
Seamus breathed in sharply and pushed his finger inside my mouth, so I sucked it, nervously because I’ve always thought that was kind of st.upid.
Seamus went crazy. Like someone had flicked on a switch. He jumped up from the table, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bed. So fast, I didn’t have time to stop it. To say, ‘Hey, slow down, baby.’ Or ‘Maybe we could kiss each other’s neck, very slowly.’ I didn’t want to spoil the moment.
He was in the throes of passion! You can’t ruin a
9x
man’s throes of passion. Or he throws you over. Like Justin Roberts, my ex-fianc6: I’m sure his darling wife Hannah never told him to cool it just a tad.
At least I wasn’t worried about my knickers. On the way home to change I invested in some new silky scraps. And a tube of KY
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