“I found something out, and I think you should know.”
“What?”
“I met this guy last night.”
Natural instinct has me grinning. “Wow, you’re playing the field, what with Mac on the go, too. Is your boss rubbing off on you?”
“Not likely.” She slaps my forearm playfully. “Anyway, we got talking, you know, about . . . stuff. He’s an MP, and he mentioned his previous PA, you know, because I’m a PA, so I guess he felt it gave us something in common.”
“Did he try to poach you?” My hackles rise. The fucker. I’ll fight tooth and nail. “Is that what this is about? Did he make you some sweet offer and you want me to counter it? Beg you not to leave me?” Because I will fucking beg. It isn’t below me.
“Pipe down, you big tart. I soon put him straight on that score. Told him I wasn’t available. I couldn’t leave you if I wanted to.”
I settle immediately, massively relieved. “Why?”
“Well, you pay me too well, and I’m kind of attached to your annoying arse, aren’t I?”
I grin, deeply smug, but beneath that, not that I’d let Gina see it, I’m so fucking grateful I found her. I’m pretty sure my life would cease to exist if she abandoned me. She knows more about me than I do. Well, usually. “I’m quite attached to you, too.”
“I know.” She sniffs dismissively. “Anyway, we started chatting about his bad luck when it came to his PAs.”
“And this should interest me why?” Is this even going anywhere?
“Well, he mentioned his most recent PA who he’s yet to replace. Her name was Lainey.”
“M—” My words grind to a halt before I can do the stupidest thing ever and call her my Lainey. “Sal’s Lainey?” It hurts like hell to say those words. She isn’t Sal’s. She’s mine.
“I wondered the same thing. There can’t be that many Lainey’s who are PAs knocking around London.”
Now I think about it, I remember Sal mentioning Lainey working for some political dude. “Okay, and that’s interesting because—”
“That’s not the interesting part.”
“What is?”
“She stalked him. Harassed him. Then threatened to sue him for sexual harassment.”
“What?” I recoil, stunned by Gina’s news. Stalked him? That doesn’t sound like my Lainey at all. What Gina’s suggesting is laughable.
“Yes.” Gina nods slowly, while my mind races. This doesn’t make any sense. The reference she got from her previous employer was glowing. “I knew there was something iffy with her,” she goes on. “I’ve seen her with two men in as many weeks. She’s trouble. We just need to figure out a way to turf her out before she gets her claws into anyone.”
“Yeah.” Oh fuck. This isn’t good at all.
“Hey, Jenna left her purse here.” Gina reaches over and seizes Lainey’s bag before I can stop her, and I scramble to grab it from her grasp, but she jumps back in her chair, holding it out of my reach.
“Gina, that’s rude.”
“Seriously. You can tell a lot about a woman by what she carries in her purse.” She has her nosy face inside at lightning speed. I’ve always admired Gina for her tenacity. Not today. I close my eyes and wait for it, feeling beaten. “What the fuck?” she gasps, and I fold. “Tyler, why the hell is Lainey’s ID in here?” She pulls out a card, and I look at it, for no other purpose than delaying the explanation I have to give.
“Morning.” Lainey’s tentative voice drifts into the kitchen, and I look up and see her standing at the entrance to the kitchen in my shirt from yesterday, probably looking as equally fucked as I do.
My head falls into my hands. Great. Let the fucking fireworks commence. Gina’s a livewire. This could be messy. “Okay, time to go, Gina.” I stand and indicate the door, ignoring her incredulous look. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“You . . . you’ve . . . the whole time . . .” Gina trips up all over her words, looking between us, her head batting back and forth. “What the fucking hell, Tyler?”
“Not now, Gina.” I take Lainey’s purse from her hand and claim her arm, leading her to the door. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Yes, we will,” she hisses, snarling at Lainey as I walk her past. Credit to Lainey, she just backs off, out of the firing line of Gina’s viper glare. “You even think about screwing him over,” my assistant hisses, “I’ll hunt you down and stab you with my fingernails until I can grate cheese on you.”
“Gina,” I yell, shaking her arm, horrified by her viciousness. “Wind it in.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been fucking her this whole time.”
“I haven’t.”
“Then how long?”
“That’s none of your damn business.” I open the door and virtually throw her out of my apartment. “You breathe a word at work, you’re fired. Do you hear me?”