I smiled broadly at Ivy when she came into the room for the meeting. She threw me a big smile back and it never left her face. She grinned at me while I tried to talk without looking at her constantly. She’d really feared I’d ignore her. I shouldn’t have done it before; it had been an error of judgement, but it couldn’t have happened even if I’d wanted to now. She was in my blood, like a drug. I’d had an injection over the weekend. I was now a sworn addict. I wasn’t going to let there be any distance between us again. She did things to my stomach, made it all wobbly, made my head feel like it did when I circled on a roundabout with Daisy, and my chest a mashed up mess of feelings.
When I’d thought I’d been in love with Sharon, my feelings had been lust for the different sort of sex and greed for the rush of rule-breaking. I’d been a naïve-idiot and self-absorbed. Thank God Daisy had come along and given me the push I’d needed to walk away from that life.
I glanced at Ivy and caught her gaze, then smiled again. She gave me a nod when she stood up to walk out of the room. I looked down. She’d worn the chequered trousers that made her bottom look exquisite.
Wow.
When I got back to my office I sent her another email. ‘Will you come into my office?’
She got up and walked around the desks, her bottom swaying. She looked really good today.
She pushed the door open, a pad and pen in one hand, then closed it, looking back to check it had shut before looking at me with a quirky smile. ‘Yes, boss. How can I help?’
‘Well, you could help by taking those trousers off, that you know I love, and come over here, unbutton my trousers and sit on my lap. But that may wind us both up arrested for indecent exposure. So I guess, aside from that, I want us to tell Em what’s going on, together, if you’re up for it?’
‘Oh, okay.’ She sat down as though she deflated into the seat.
‘It’s better she knows.’
‘I know. I just… It’ll be weird. But I agree.’
I leant forward, resting my elbows on my desk. ‘There’s something else I need to tell you first, though.’
She nodded.
It was strange to have her on the other side of the desk when I wasn’t talking work. I wanted to be closer to her, especially as what I had to say wasn’t nice. ‘Ruth on reception downstairs told me a man came in and asked where I was on Saturday. I’ve called my lawyer; John is on to it. But… If Sharon works out I’m involved with you and she tries to contact you, don’t get caught up in any discussion with her. She can be nasty. Not life-threating, or dangerous, but she’ll chew you up and spit you out with words. Don’t bother getting into a verbal battle with her, just put the phone down.’
Ivy sat forward in the chair. ‘Jack…’ The words seemed to dry up on her tongue and her eyes shone, with the concern showing on her face. Her eyes had changed colour too; the lavender became greyer.
‘What?’
‘Someone was looking for me too. They asked at the flats. Do you think that was Sharon’s investigator?’
‘Was it a man?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was he big?’
‘I didn’t ask what he looked like.’
‘The guy I saw at the end of your street was tall and big built, and the guy that came here was too. It was probably the PI. I’ll call John again and get him to have another go at Sharon’s solicitor. But, Ivy, leave early and tell the police about it too, just in case it’s not what we think and it’s some random man, and if you’re worried, call me. I don’t care if it’s late, whatever, call.’
She smiled, telling me I’d said the right thing.
But it wasn’t only for her benefit that I’d said it. Captain Control wanted to be all over this. I needed her to be safe – needed not wanted – any idea of her not being safe made a sharp pain stab into my chest. I breathed in. But she lived over half an hour away from me. ‘And if you’re really concerned, call the police and then me. Yeah?’
‘I will.’ Her hand lifted shakily and tucked her hair behind her ear. She was scared. If it was Sharon, she needn’t be. Sharon was annoying and embarrassing, but she wasn’t physically violent. For the first time in my life I hoped Sharon was up to something.
‘Are you okay if we call Em in? We can put it off for a day or two, if you’d rather wait, but I want her to know, and I think it’s better it comes from both of us.’
She bit her lip before smiling slightly. It was not the wide grin she’d had on her face all through the meeting, it was self-conscious, as if she didn’t have that much faith in how long us was going to last. ‘I can’t sit down, though. I feel weird sitting down on the other side of the desk from you.’
I gave her a smile. ‘It feels weird for me too.’ I wanted us to last, I really did. Other good things that I had in my life had lasted. This could too.
She stood up and walked over to look out of the window. I picked up the phone, but I didn’t dial, my head became full of memories from New Year’s Eve. But that had been weeks ago. I was a different man, even from then.
‘Do you want to go out with me Wednesday night? We could take the bike and ride out of London somewhere for a meal in a pub?’ She glanced back. ‘Do you still have the leathers and the helmet I bought you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then Wednesday, I’ll pick you up at six-thirty and we’ll ride out of London.’ I looked back at the phone and dialled Em’s extension.
‘Hi, could you come in here for a minute?’
‘Sure. See you in five seconds.’
She obviously hadn’t noticed Ivy was in here because when she walked through the door she stopped. ‘Oh, sorry, Ivy. I didn’t realise you two were talking.’
Ivy smiled awkwardly. ‘It’s okay.’
Em hesitated, as though she expected Ivy to leave, but when Ivy didn’t move, Em shut the door. She looked at me.
‘I want to talk to you, Em. Well, I wanted us to talk to you.’ I stood up, because they were both standing. ‘Ivy and I are seeing each other outside work. We don’t want everyone to know yet, but we wanted to tell you.’ I looked at Ivy. By choice I’d have lifted my arm and let her come to me so I could hold her, but there was a glass wall in front of us which everyone else could look through. She bit her lip.
I looked back at Em. It was important to me that Em got this – as my business partner and my friend.
She looked shocked. She looked like she’d murder me, but I wanted her to understand – this wasn’t a fling.
‘It’s your choice.’ She said to me. Trying not to hurt Ivy’s feelings, I guess. ‘You’re happy, Ivy?’
Ivy nodded.
I suppose, as we were her employers, this must be painfully uncomfortable for Ivy.
‘Well then, I’m happy for you. I hope it works out. Was that all, Jack?’
‘Yes.’
A sharp nod tilted Em’s head, but when she turned she gave me a slight shake of her head.
As soon as she’d left, Ivy said, ‘I’d better get back to work too. I’ll see you Wednesday.’
‘Yes, but I’ll call you after work tonight.’
‘Okay.’
When I sat down, the arrival of an email chimed on my desktop – from Em. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing. If you offend or hurt one of our best people, I’m going to string you up, Jack, and not by the neck.’
I laughed and sent her a reply email with a smiley face. Then I rang John on his personal number.
‘Hello, Jack, what is it?’
‘We have to get that decree nisi in. I want things over and done with.’
‘You know we’ve found some holdings in Sharon’s name. You need to give us time to investigate.’
‘Two weeks. That’s all. I cannot give you any more. She’s been harassing Ivy already.’
‘You’ll risk losing a lot more than you should if you push for two weeks.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘Okay, I’ll see what I can do.’
‘Then, after that I just have to wait six weeks, right? And then I can have the absolute and that’s it, all done?’
‘Yes.’
Then all my ties with Sharon would be broken. ‘But, John, you need to tell her lawyer that she’s been spying on me again, and she needs to stop. My new girlfriend and I have had people asking after us.’
He sighed. ‘Okay. I’ll tell him.’
When I finished the call, I rang Tina. ‘Would you bring in the files I need for the meeting?’
‘Sure, Jack.’
‘Thanks.’