New Beginnings

by Elle M Thomas

  She felt guilty again, looking at those green eyes boring into her while her heart was currently lurching several floors up to the owner of the brown eyes she was desperate to find on her just before his strong, loving arms embraced her, held her tight and made everything okay.

  “I'll show you out,” said Eve less confident and a little nervous now.

  “Eve, carry on to lunch if you want,” said Leon, viewing her with concern at her change in demeanour and mood.

  “I'm lunching with Lou.”

  “Then Lou can go too,” smiled Leon reassuringly.

  “I'll meet you down there,” called Lou, eyeing Jamie very obviously.

  Grabbing her bag, coat and phone Eve led Jamie to the lifts where they stood silently until they were in the otherwise empty lift.

  “I didn't mean to upset you, Eve, about the boyfriend and husband thing,” he said sincerely, turning so that he was standing in front of her now.

  “It's fine, really,” she reassured him. “But I won’t have lunch, dinner or breakfast with you,” she added.

  “We'll see,” he replied confidently as the lift came to a standstill on the ground floor.

  Eve walked him to the main door and was bidding him a polite farewell. She extended her hand which Jamie accepted, but he also used it as leverage to pull her towards him and with one hand now on her behind he dipped in and kissed her on the cheek.

  With a swift push that coincided with him freeing her he grinned and called to her as he left the building. “Breakfast is on Evie!”

  “Prat,” she muttered under her breath as Lou appeared at her side.

  “This place is gorgeous man central today. I have just ridden down in the lift with the archetypal tall, dark and handsome and God, he smelt delicious. I could have licked him all over without the addition of chocolate or cream,” cried Lou, making Eve scream with laughter as the other woman linked arms with her leading her out of the building without looking back.

  “Sorry, Mr Sharp, your delivery has been taken upstairs for you,” said the receptionist on the ground floor.

  “What?” he snapped, confused.

  “Your parcel, it's been taken up. I'm sorry if you've had a wasted journey,” she smiled apologetically.

  “No problem, it's been most enlightening.” He returned the woman's smile before frowning at the door where just moments before he'd seen the sexiest woman on Earth, his woman, in a dark jacket and then a second later she was kissing someone else, being touched by him.

  Storming back to the lift he was fuming; he should have acted when he'd witnessed that man with Eve, but to do what? He could have punched him when he saw him touch her, kiss her. That's when it dawned on him, he had kissed her, he had touched her, he had called to her, none of it had been reciprocated and he'd called her Evie. Gray knew what Evie meant to her so either she knew him, or he was trying it on. Maybe she did know him. He had the dark curly hair and he was sure he’d seen green eyes looking down at Eve or maybe that was just the cloud of jealousy that had descended as soon as he saw her with someone who wasn't him.

  What was happening to him? He didn't do girlfriends and he didn't do jealousy and yet here he was fuming because a man he didn't know had kissed her and touched her. It wasn't a snog; it was a peck and although his hand had been on her arse it could have been worse, but he was unsure how he could have felt any worse. Only one way to find out who he was, he thought as he leapt out of the lift on Frontier's floor.

  Charging through to Leon's office he was relieved to find him sitting behind his desk.

  “Gray,” he called cheerily as he entered. “I owe you big time for pointing me in Eve's direction.”

  “What?” Gray was confused and annoyed.

  “She pretty much secured us a client this morning with her overtly honest attitude.” Leon smiled thinking about how blunt Eve had been in her dealing with Jamie Lewis

  “And what does the owner of that contract look like?” asked Gray suspiciously. “Let me guess, tall, dark curly hair, definitely got the hots for my girlfriend,” he sneered.

  “Shit. I thought he'd upset her, that's why I sent her straight to lunch, but Lou is with her, so she'll be okay, I'm sure,” said Leon with a worried tone to his voice.

  “What? Who's upset her?” asked Gray, his confusion growing.

  “Jamie Lewis, he owns Single No More, our probable new client, but I wasn't sure that she was upset. She fended him off beautifully, ruthlessly initially,” flapped Leon.

  Sitting opposite him now, Gray held a hand up to signal that Leon should stop.

  “Go back for me, Leon, tell me what happened and why you thought Eve may be upset,” he said more calmly than he felt.

  Eve and Lou were eating a shared platter of spicy chicken, vegetables and nachos when Lou asked, “What was going on with you and tall, dark and curly? He really fancies getting into your pants.”

  Eve smiled and simply said, “He does, but I have no room there, not for him anyway.”

  “Did he really invite you for breakfast?” Lou laughed

  “Yes, but that was after I'd declined lunch and dinner.” Eve smiled and rolled her eyes.

  “You didn't like him?” Lou was surprised that any hot-blooded female wouldn't like him.

  “It wasn't that. I mean, he is easy on the eye and I suppose he's quite charming, but...”

  “But?” asked Lou wide-eyed.

  “He reminds me of someone else which puts me off, but he isn't enough like another someone else to truly appeal to me, and I have a boyfriend,” she replied cryptically.

  “That's clear then.” Lou put another nacho in her mouth.

  “Tell me about sexy pants in the lift.”

  Laughing, Lou almost drooled as she described the Adonis she had been standing next to explaining how he'd looked, smelt, sounded and how Lou imagined he would feel and taste making Eve laugh some more and forget all about Jamie Lewis' attempts to flirt with her.

  “So, what you're telling me is that a potential client couldn't take his eyes off my girlfriend during the meeting and by the end of it he had invited her, unsuccessfully for lunch, dinner and breakfast?” asked Gray, clarifying the details.

  “Yes, quite bluntly too. He said she protested too much and he then called her Evie which seemed to unnerve her and then Eve told him about you, that she had a boyfriend and that is when she looked upset; Jamie explained that he really liked her and wasn't afraid of boyfriends, they provided a challenge, so unless she had a husband as a skeleton in her closet, or words to that effect, which really looked to spook her. I told her to go for lunch and she escorted him downstairs and Lou followed a couple of minutes later.”

  “Shit!” muttered Gray running a hand through his hair.

  “Is she okay?” asked Leon. “I know I was reluctant to help you out on this one, Gray, and I have kept quiet about us knowing each other, but I would like to keep Eve on the payroll. She knows her stuff and she might be a bit rusty with how to speak to prospective clients, but I like her.”

  “Keep Lewis away from her, Leon,” he said coldly.

  “I think he will want her input based on her contribution this morning,” replied Leon, shaking his head. “Don't ask me to let her go because you're a jealous boyfriend,” he warned.

  “She'd be upset if she was out of work so soon,” he mused. “Keep an eye on her, please. No, scrap that, keep an eye on Jamie bloody Lewis.”

  Chapter 20

  Eve was waiting for Lou to return from the ladies when her phone vibrated in her bag. She remembered that she hadn't checked it before meeting Jamie Lewis at the lift. Digging in her bag she found it had several messages from Gray, one from Sam and another from Sally.

  Hey baby, good luck with your meeting. x

  Thanks for last night Eve, had a lovely time. We'll do it again. Sam x

  Am having fab time upstairs, not! U free 4 lunch? Sal x

  With a small sigh Eve wondered when her life had become so busy that she had te
xts queueing and people competing for her time. Before deciding who she was going to reply to first she read Gray’s other messages.

  You’re obviously far too busy to reply. Text when free, or better still pop up. x

  Wasn't being an arse bout you being busy. I’ve missed you, still pop up x

  She was staring down at the last message and worrying about Sally's only message when the phone vibrated in her hand and it was another one off Gray.

  Do you want to go out to dinner tonight? Have really missed you. Any chance you could reply busy PR working girl? x

  She considered replying but then text Sally first.

  Sorry Sal, was in meeting and had lunch. U ok? What's happening upstairs? X

  Her reply was instantaneous.

  That's ok. Had shit morning! Your boyfriend is a control freak, his sister keeps talking babies and Tim is busy. I think I may have made a mistake. What should I do? Can we meet for dinner or a drink or just a chat? Sal x

  “Bugger,” muttered Eve, but knew that she owed it to her friend to be available on the rare occasions she needed her but refused to get stuck between Sally and Gray. Max had never put her in that position so she wouldn't allow anyone else to.

  She quickly text Gray and Sally, in that order, as Lou returned.

  Sorry Skipper can't do dinner, I have kind of made plans with Sal, but could meet u @ mine b4 bedtime? You fancy it? x

  Boyfriend, Sam & Tim, think r being themselves. Sure u haven't made a mistake, u r fab! Max always rated u & he knew his stuff. Am meeting control freak later but can do dinner or meet, whatever u want. X

  Sally replied first:

  Thank u. Dinner @ The Boat? Straight from work? Sal x

  She replied as her phone vibrated with a text from Gray and the recently returned Lou watched her as she replied to Sally and threw in a token,

  “Someone's popular.”

  Yup, meet u in reception @ home time? X

  Leaving the bistro, Eve read Gray's latest message.

  Since when? You were supposed to be all mine tonight! Can't you put her off? I know you won’t, what time @ yours? As I am being so reasonable @ sharing I will expect to see you this afternoon! x

  She could imagine his pout and frown as she reread his message making her laugh whilst shaking her head as she popped her phone in her pocket before linking her arm through Lou's.

  “Right, you make the coffee I have a quick errand to run when we get back to the office,” Eve said to a confused Lou.

  “Whatever,” Lou shrugged knowing full well that her friend’s errand involved something or someone she wasn’t prepared to discuss. “I'll tell Leon the food was a bit rich for your delicate palate,” she added, bobbing her tongue out at the other woman.

  Rushing up to Sharpstone after leaving her bag and coat with Lou, Eve bypassed signing in with Connie, despite the receptionist's protestations. She arrived at Gray's office to find Kirsty on the phone.

  “Yes Mr Sharp, straight away.”

  She hung up and looked across at Eve, smiling as she said, “You can go straight in.”

  Eve knocked the door as she walked through it where Gray was sitting behind his desk looking down at some papers.

  He looked up with a frown on his face. “You appear to be flaunting my company rules,” he said leaning back in his seat.

  Frowning back in confusion she shrugged.

  “Where is your visitor’s badge?” he asked, clarifying what he meant.

  “She phoned you to tell you? To tell on me?” Eve laughed.

  “She, Connie, is responsible for receiving all visitors, including making them sign in and she called through to Kirsty to let her know that I have an unauthorised visitor in the building.” He sounded sincere in his seriousness.

  “Are you angry with me?” she asked, still amused at the situation.

  “Maybe, but you are looking seriously fucking sexy in that dress, so I am struggling to maintain my annoyance. Turn around,” he ordered staring at her darkly.

  Taking a step forward so that she was now standing in the middle of the floor space between his desk and the door Eve gave a slow, seductive twirl.

  “Very nice, baby, show me again,” he said with a rasp to his voice as she complied and repeated the twirl, but this time when she turned to face him he was sitting on the edge of his desk, in front of her with his feet spread on the floor. “You need to get your very sexy arse over here and convince me that you actually have underwear on.”

  Stepping towards him, slowly and purposefully she squealed when he reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her to him sooner.

  “Teasing again, Evie?” His hands pulled her against him.

  “Never!” she protested earning herself a smack against her behind making her cry out.

  “You are lying now.” He stared straight into her eyes, straight through to her soul.

  “How's your day been, Skipper?” she asked with her arms around his neck and her fingers toying with his hair nestling against his pristine, white shirt collar.

  “It's getting better,” he replied breathing heavily as her nose and forehead rested against his. “You do look fucking amazing,” he panted.

  “Thank you.”

  “You haven't even attempted to convince me that you have underwear on yet.” He gently cupped her face in his hands now.

  “No, I haven't, have I? And I really should be getting back to work,” she replied, stroking the dark blue tie down his front.

  “Not til I've kissed you.” He closed his mouth over hers and gently manipulated her lips and tongue until she was melting in his arms.

  “You could investigate my underwear situation for yourself you know,” she suggested optimistically.

  “I would love to, but I have to meet with Sally, and you shouldn't even be in here without a visitor's badge, health and safety and all that.” He got to his feet, steadying her as he did so.

  “But tonight, that is a whole different matter,” Gray added, desperate to lift the disappointed look on her face, but was clueless as to why it mattered so much to him that he should never make her sad.

  “Yeah?” she asked clenching her thighs together with the anticipation of what he may have in mind.

  “You bet! How was your morning?” he asked, suddenly remembering what he already knew of it.

  “Okay-ish,” she replied honestly.

  “What does that mean, okay-ish?” he asked but was already walking her towards the door.

  “The guy from Single No More was a bit of a knob.”

  Gray smiled as he recalled Leon saying that she was a little rusty on how to speak to clients. “A knob how?” asked Gray, desperate for her to share the details with him and remove the final fragment of doubt that he just couldn't shift about Jamie Lewis' exchange with Eve in the foyer downstairs.

  “A knob who was a bit smarmy when I first met him and made it clear he fancied me and made 'with pleasure' lechy comments and he kept looking at me in the meeting.”

  “Baby, you are very beautiful and any heterosexual man would look at you.” He smiled despite his annoyance at Jamie, but loving Eve's honesty, honesty he had never known in a woman, a girlfriend woman before.

  “You're biased, you want to get into my knickers tonight,” she replied, attempting to deflect his compliment.

  “Evie, my entry into your knickers is assured so I don't need to flatter you, so Mr Single No More?”

  “Am I that much of a sure bet?” She tried to sound indignant but only pulled off feigned offence.

  Gray's only reply was in the form of an arched brow that was effectively a definite, one hundred percent, no doubt about it sure bet, so she returned to his question about Jamie.

  “He made me feel a bit weird because he kept staring even when Leon was speaking and then the cheeky sod put his hand on my leg, which I removed for him,” she said bluntly making Gray frown as he had been unaware of that fact.

  “I would have snapped his hand off if I'd been t
here!” he said angrily and wondered if his previous calmness was because he had already been given her earlier information by Leon.

  “Ah, my hero.” She grinned as he gently stroked her cheek.

  “You bet, go on.”

  “Then he got a bit pissy about a couple of things I said and suggested ditching us and going with a new advertising campaign to relaunch.” Laughing momentarily Eve added, “I considered giving him your number.”

  “Why not? I already have his,” muttered Gray, irritated by this man who had touched his girlfriend twice that he was aware of. “Go on,” he encouraged.

  “Then he liked some things I said and asked to meet up with Leon again to discuss details and money. Then he invited me for lunch and dinner, both of which I turned down. When he suggested breakfast I laughed and he got cocky again, thinking I was protesting too much, so I put him down a bit after he called me Evie. I told him I had a boyfriend who wouldn't be happy and he made a stupid comment before I escorted him downstairs and he did apologise.”

  “What comment?” Gray realised she'd skimmed over the husband comment.

  “He said boyfriends were a challenge so unless I had a husband, but he didn't know, did he? But it threw me, which is what he apologised for, if he'd upset me.”

  “He didn't apologise for trying his luck though?”

  “No, and the cheeky sod even grabbed a handful of arse and kissed me before he left with a shove and still reckons breakfast's on.” She laughed, shaking her head. “That kind of knob.”