by S M Mala
‘You’re the one who seems to be drawing a conclusion. I’ve only met you a few times. You’re pretty good at assuming things,’ he said quietly, as she sat back in her chair and looked at him for a moment. ‘And in all this, I still don’t know what you really do for this company.’
‘I help make it better.’
He sat there nursing a scotch at his mother’s office later on in the afternoon. There was nothing he could do at ‘Good Vibration’ as everyone had a role and they did it perfectly well from what he’d monitored. Even when Sylvie left the office at noon, all he could do was observe.
Unnervingly, everything seemed under control.
Alice hung up and he knew she hadn’t slept for days from her tired expression.
‘Is he alright?’ Finlay asked gently as his mother glanced out of the window and let out a massive sigh.
‘If anything happened to him, I just don’t know what I’d do,’ she said quietly before standing up and sitting next to him, looking visibly upset.
Finlay put an arm around her as she shook her head from side to side.
‘He’s a fighter,’ he said quietly. ‘He’s sixty three and acts like a sixteen year old. Piers’s lifestyle needs to change, that’s all. Don’t worry as it’ll only make Toby upset.’ Finlay thought for a moment. ‘Mind you, working at that place could drive anyone round the bend. It’s certainly affecting my little brother’s brain.’
‘Oh no! Is it that bad?’ she said, pulling away and grimacing.
‘The business runs very smoothly but they have no advertising spend. There’s not enough money to promote the company. It’s just ticking over and that’s not what we do, what I do.’ He looked at his mother for a moment. ‘Seriously, it doesn’t fit comfortably in the group. Piers has to buy it outright or we sell.’
‘I see,’ she said gently. ‘You know he hasn’t got the money unless I give it to him and I can’t sell it, not when he’s ill. Can’t we do something to help it along for a few months? I know we have to let it go, any fool can see that.’
‘There are better companies on the market who have a higher turnover and profit margin,’ he said honestly. ‘And I won’t invest money in something I don’t think is worth it. Things are tight in the economy so we can’t go throwing away cash on bad investments.’
Finlay sat back and suddenly a picture of Sylvie came into his head followed by Toby’s love struck expression.
‘Oh and Toby thinks he’s in love,’ he said, shaking his head from utter confusion.
‘One of the young model types? Runs in the blood,’ she said, tapping his arm gently.
‘If only.’ He laughed remembering Sylvie’s face when the older Indian woman told him about Sylvie’s allergy to sex. ‘He thinks he’s in love with someone called Sylvie? They call her Sly, the person Toby mentioned over dinner weeks ago.’ There was no mistaking his mother’s expression of shock. ‘Don’t worry, nothing’s going on. That little bro of mine has an older woman crush.’
‘Sylviana,’ his mother whispered shaking her head. ‘Has she said anything?’
‘About what?’
‘Don’t get too involved with her, you promise me. There are a few complications and I don’t want it all to come to a boiling point again.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘Just promise me, okay?’
Finlay knew immediately there was more to this as Alice grasped her hands together as if praying before looking at him. She was deep in thought and something about Sylvie troubled her.
‘How’s Juliette? When are you going to make up? It’s been five weeks since you got back to London. You know her mother called me so that shows how bad it is.’ Alice sat up and shook her head. ‘Tell me what’s going on.’
He didn’t know what to say for a moment as his mother’s gentle face peered into his own.
‘She fucked another man,’ he replied and noticed the gentleness turned to stone. ‘That’s what’s going on.’
Fifteen
Based on her planning, Sylvie had avoided seeing Finlay for over a whole week. It seemed he had other, much larger, businesses to look after so he left well alone. On her return, she noticed he’d changed the office around so their desks faced each other at an angle and both could see what was going on in the warehouse and offices. Plus he’d put his things on her larger desk.
Taking the opportunity to open the drawers without him around, she removed the contents of her private things into Piers’s empty desk and noticed the key cards to the hotel room. Sylvie put this in her top drawer and locked it. After cleaning everything out, she left the drawers open on the larger desk so he could see she’d moved with the added hope he’d bash himself if he didn’t look where he was going.
Then she heard a commotion outside and realised Samina was involved.
It wasn’t even eight thirty.
‘I not say that!’ said the woman loudly as Marianne walked in, looked at the situation between Matthew and Samina, before turning around and walking back out again.
‘Ya did! Ya ‘ear me! Ya told me to go dere! It say on da damn package!’ he barked back.
‘Not so early, please?’ Sylvie said calmly as she noticed their furious faces. ‘I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding.’
‘She purposely do it to wind me up! fumed Matthew as she flashed a glance at an annoyed Samina. ‘Me know what she like!’
‘What I like?’ replied Samina, shaking her head from side to side.
‘Ya… ya…’ He couldn’t find the words before he stormed off.
As Sylvie turned to look at Samina she noticed she was eyeing Matthew up.
‘No!’ she said to the woman who was looking appreciatively at Matthew’s large round bottom. ‘This is your idea of getting him interested in you? Seriously! He has a girlfriend.’
‘He want me. I know,’ she replied smugly and smiled. ‘No one want you.’
‘That’s true,’ nodded Sylvie letting out a loud sigh. ‘And I don’t want anyone else.’
‘You still mourn for husband?’ she asked looking at Sylvie’s black outfit. ‘Like Queen Albert?’
‘Queen Victoria,’ Sylvie corrected and didn’t have to energy to speak as she felt Samina grab her arm.
‘I thought Queen Victoria was earring in penis?’
‘That’s called a Prince Albert,’ sighed Sylvie, seeing Samina look confused.
‘You young. You need to find someone before your lady area go flappy. I do lunge to keep firm.’ She proceeded to show Sylvie what to do by stepping forward but needed help to stand up again. ‘Simple.’
‘I seriously think, though I’m not allowed to say because of the disability act and all that, you’re a bit loopy,’ laughed Sylvie before walking away. ‘And don’t purposely write the wrong addresses on the packages as it wastes time and money. If you want to go out with him, just ask but he’ll refuse.’
‘I old fashioned,’ she shrugged before picking up a double thronged vibrator. ‘Sylvie, you must try. It very good for fanny and botty hole happiness!’
‘Is it?’ she heard Finlay say as he walked in with Marianne, who seemed to be smiling enthusiastically at him.
It had slipped Sylvie’s mind the man was coming in when she wasn’t around.
‘You get for free,’ Samina said excitedly, rushing forward and handing him one. ‘Try! Try!’
Sylvie, wanting to avoid a conversation, ran straight up into the studio suite and started to find the footage for the new packages. She wasn’t in the mood to speak to him and be polite. It was nearly half way through October and they had to focus on getting a lot of orders in.
There was a knock on the door.
‘Sly are you in there?’ she heard Stephen ask.
‘What is it with everyone coming in early?’ she mumbled before replying. ‘Yes! Come in.’
He entered with his big toothy smile before sitting next to her. Sylvie was watching a promotional video for a pocket vibrator the size of a cigarette.
‘I’ve not had a chance to talk to you,’ he said quietly as she focussed on the screen. ‘I wanted to tell you something.’
‘Sure,’ she said, feeling him move closer.
‘I’ve finished with Emilie. It wasn’t working,’ he whispered and she gulped hard. ‘This means I’m single.’
‘I’m really sorry to hear that,’ she said sincerely, knowing she meant she was ‘sorry’ to hear he was single, not about the split, and avoided turning her head should he feel the need to lunge at her to prove a point.
‘I was wondering-.’
‘Sylviana!’ she heard Finlay say loudly walking into the studio making her jump, mainly because it was her mother and other people who called her that name. ‘Am I interrupting something?’
‘Yes!’ said Stephen.
‘No,’ replied Sylvie, who was a little confused.
‘I need to talk to you,’ Finlay said and she realised he was dressed more casual in a shirt and scruffy jeans. Immediately she thought he was trying to fit in with the riff raff. ‘And it’s urgent. Look Stephen, do you mind?’
‘Okay,’ he said, looking flummoxed for a moment as Sylvie felt monumental relief.
Stephen rushed out and past Finlay, who seemed to be smirking to himself before sitting next to her.
‘How does your husband feel about all these men trying to declare their love for you?’ he said, as if bemused that anyone would consider it. ‘Oh I forgot! You’re divorced or separated aren’t you? Hence the ‘Ms’.’
‘How can I help you?’ she replied, ignoring his comment.
‘Fine no small talk.’
‘That’s personal and we don’t do personal.’
‘I see.’
‘And don’t ever call me Sylviana again. I hate it,’ she said quietly and noticed he smiled, knowing he’d pissed her off.
‘Of course. I think it’s a lovely name.’
All Sylvie could do was groan at his comment while looking at the product package and frowning at the lighting of the shot.
‘I think we started off on the wrong foot,’ he said and she wasn’t in the mood to talk.
‘Who told you my name?’ she said, not diverting her eyes and making notes in her book.
‘Don’t know,’ he shrugged as she turned to look at him, staring straight back at her.
‘What do you want? I’ve told you as much as I can about the business, sent you documents and-.’
‘You’re not qualified in HR are you? That’s why you use my mother’s HR advisors as back up as well as health and safety,’ he said quietly. ‘In fact, you’re probably not qualified to do the role you currently have. You’ve done pretty well considering you get to work part time and do a majority of your work, which I’m not sure what it is, from the comfort of your home.’
‘I see.’
She sat there for a moment and didn’t know what to say.
Sylvie knew he was implying she was a fraud before she stood up and walked to the other office, still able to force a cheery smile at the others and wave. As soon as she got to her computer, she opened up her secured documents held on the laptop memory and emailed him her CV. Finlay was looking at her as she then walked past him and back into the suite to carry on with her work, but not before saying to him,
‘I think you’re mistaken, we got off on the right foot.’
Her CV wasn’t what he expected and especially her background. Finlay felt a little bad assuming she’d have minimal qualifications and experience. It was far from it and he realised she must have taught Toby to edit and film as she used to make promotional trailers for some of the big terrestrial channels, ten years previously, before taking a year out on sabbatical and then another year for maternity leave.
She had, on paper, extensive work experience but he couldn’t figure out how old she was as dates had been omitted. Finlay knew that was the way everything was done but still he didn’t know where she fitted into the company. There was HR experience for a few production companies and then she seemed to have gone to work for Piers, which he felt, was an odd direction.
Walking back into the room, she sat back down, turned on the radio and started to work.
‘I wasn’t questioning your capability,’ he said gently as she typed away, reading some notes. ‘I just wondered-.’
‘I take it you have HR people and H&S people in your company?’
‘Yes.’
‘So why do they need back up even if they’re qualified? Why pay a third party? Do you question that or are you nit picking Mr Chambers because you can’t find anything else? Pray tell?’
The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he started to realise she was far smarter than he accounted for and, as much as he hated to admit it, this pissed him off.
His mobile started to ring.
It was Juliette.
He took the call.
‘Hello.’
He got up realising he couldn’t have a personal conversation as he made eye contact with Della, who was smiling at him through the glass in the other office.
‘You need to come home,’ Juliette said quietly.
‘Are you alright?’
‘Finlay, I love you. I made a terrible mistake and I can’t cope, I really can’t. We need to talk. We need to sort this out. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave us like this.’
His wife started to sob and he knew it was nearly seven weeks since he’d seen her, though she kept in contact most days. He was finding it hard but mostly because he hadn’t been without sex for that long since he was seventeen.
‘Did you deal with the problem?’ he asked gently.
Then he noticed Sylvie look at him for a second before glancing away.
‘I can’t get rid of it!’ she cried as his heart turned cold. ‘It’s a good chance it’s yours, you know it is. I had to tell you, I couldn’t lie.’
‘I don’t care,’ he said, in an even tone, realising he was getting upset.
‘It’s part of me, I can’t do that, don’t make me do that Finlay. If you love me you wouldn’t.’
‘If you loved me you would,’ he said, barely audible realising she was still pregnant.
‘I want to see you. I have to see you.’
He couldn’t speak for a moment and took a deep breath.
‘I’ll fly over this weekend.’
She’d found his chink.
There was trouble in his marriage so he’d run away. Sylvie knew the signs but on seeing the expression on his face, she felt devastated for him. He looked so sad. His smug arsehole expression had gone as well as the colour from his cheeks as he sat back down.
‘Where were we?’ he continued.
‘You were going to book a one way flight back home,’ she replied quietly. ‘Would you like me to sort it for you?’
‘I’m pretty capable of doing that myself,’ he replied sharply before glancing out onto the ground floor.
‘I do it for Piers.’
Sylvie looked at him clicking something over in his head before he turned and glared at her. She didn’t like the look, recognising the rebound punch bag expression she had received less than three years ago from her husband’s mother. The woman’s pain was freely dumped on Sylvie by vile reactions.
‘Tell me why Piers gave you the job?’
His voice was accusing and sharp.
Sylvie knew in his current mood there was no point arguing and being smart arsed.
‘Piers gave me the job as I needed employment. He thought with my background in HR, telly and advertising I could help him plus I knew a little bit about web administration. I was feeling pretty low and he helped give me some focus.’
‘Why did you need focus?’
‘My husband died over three years ago. I was left with a five year old distraught child and some very major financial problems to deal with at the time. I lost my home but never my dignity. Piers Caplin is a wonderful man.’
‘I see,’ he muttered while she took a deep breath realising he was
n’t looking at her.
‘I overcame my financial hiccup very quickly due to the law but never forgot his drop of human kindness when others were so quick to judge and hurt me.’ Sylvie realised her heart was beating so fast, she felt like she was going to be sick. ‘Sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this then I remember. I’m responsible for my husband’s flesh and blood, his child, and that’s why I work the hours I do so she’ll know I’ll always be there. She won’t be afraid that I’ll leave her like her father did. When you have a child, to me, it has to come first. I’m sorry, that was too personal but it seemed you needed to know.’
Sylvie got up and walked out of the office, straight into the toilets and burst into tears.
When she returned to her desk, he’d gone.
Sixteen
As she opened the door, Finlay realised Juliette was in blooming health as she flung her arms around him. He’d not had sex since the last time he saw her and immediately, once she’d closed the front door, the woman was on her knees giving him a blow job.
He didn’t know what to think as he watched her perfectly shaped lips suck and lick him. In all the excitement, he came quickly and she swallowed, making appreciative noises as he fell again the corridor wall realising he still had his bag on his shoulder. Juliette stood up and kissed him on the mouth. He could taste his salty remnants on her lips and pulled away for a second to look at her closely.
‘I want you so much,’ she said and pulled him into the bedroom, pushing the bag off his shoulder. ‘I need you.’
Still trying to get to grips of what was going on, he immediately wanted to keep her happy and gently pushed her back on the bed, opening her thighs and went straight to her pussy, biting and licking as he knew she liked.
‘Faster, go faster,’ she said, as he did as he was told before starting to finger her gently. ‘No put two fingers in!’ He obliged. ‘You have to make me come, make me come!’