‘Where from?’ he asks.
‘7, Latimer Avenue.’
‘Give me your phone,’ he commands.
I hesitate a moment. Every brain cell that I have painstakingly trained over the many years to be independent, strong and take no bullshit from anyone cries out HELL NO, and every untrained, uninhibited, natural cell in my body screams FUCK YES.
It’s just once in a lifetime.
I hand over my phone and watch him input his number into it and press call. A sound vibrates from his jacket. He ends the call and gives my phone back to me. The tips of our fingers graze and that brief, impersonal touch steals the wind from my lungs. The spark is undeniable. It lights up my body and makes my mind reel with images of us twisted together, our mouths fused, our sweaty bodies joined. I almost want to purr like a needy kitten. It’s a far cry from the woman who strode into this restaurant like a consul less than an hour ago.
My fingers are tingling as I raise my eyes to search his. ‘Why do you want to take me out to dinner?’
‘Do you really want me to answer that?’
Our mouths are only a heartbeat away. I shake my head.
The answer is throbbing between us. I have never met a man I wanted the way I want him. But what shocks me is that a man like him should want me in the same way. Yes, I’m good-looking, but he has access to the most beautiful women.
Sex. Sex. Sex. And so what?
‘Seven OK with you?’
‘Yes.’
FOUR
I make it out of the restaurant and drive Rob back to his flat. Then I get back to the office and try hard to be interested in a piece of gossip the receptionist has for me. I smile and nod at my colleagues as they walk by. I go to my floor and get myself a mug of coffee. Sitting at my desk, I put away the file marked ‘Dominic Eden’, and call my mother. She’s a terrible worrier, and she is quietly relieved to hear from me. I tell her I will pick her up at twelve tomorrow. With that arrangement made, I ask after my father.
My mother drops her voice to a whisper. ‘I think he’s feeling a bit down, love. His prostate is playing up. It keeps him awake at night.’
‘Let’s all do lunch tomorrow,’ I suggest brightly.
She seems pleased with the idea.
Almost as soon as I ring off, Anna’s call comes through. Even by the tone of her voice, I can tell that her meeting went badly.
‘I think I’m going to be fired,’ she wails.
‘They’d be mad to fire you. You’re the best salesperson they have,’ I say reassuringly. And that’s no lie, either. Anna can close a deal like no one else I know.
‘I kinda fucked up, Ella. I slept with my sales manager.’
‘What?’ I exclaim, shocked. ‘Tony’s disgusting!’
‘I was drunk,’ she says glumly.
‘Oh my God! And he’s married as well.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ she says sourly.
‘When did this happen?’
‘Last Friday.’
‘And you’re just telling me now?’
‘It meant nothing. I was, like, really drunk,’ she explains.