The Truce

by Becca Steele

  The Truce

  A London Suits Novel #1

  Becca Steele

  The Truce (London Suits, #1)

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Steele

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by NET Hook & Line Design

  Editing by One Love Editing

  Becca Steele

  www.authorbeccasteele.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s crazy imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Playlist

  i hate u, i love u - gnash, Olivia O’Brien

  Hold My Girl - George Ezra

  Let You Love Me - Rita Ora

  Fallin’ All In You - Shawn Mendes

  Call Out My Name - The Weeknd

  Only Love Can Hurt Like This - Paloma Faith

  Lose My Mind - Dean Lewis

  Dancing With A Stranger - Sam Smith

  No Ordinary Morning - Chicane

  8 Letters - Why Don’t We

  Naked - James Arthur

  Where Your Secrets Hide - Klergy, Katie Garfield

  Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

  Find The Truce playlist on Spotify

  Author’s Note

  The author is British, and British English spellings and phrases are used throughout.

  Contents

  1. Olivia

  2. Luke

  3. Olivia

  4. Olivia

  5. Luke

  6. Olivia

  7. Olivia

  8. Luke

  9. Olivia

  10. Olivia

  11. Luke

  12. Olivia

  13. Luke

  14. Olivia

  15. Luke

  16. Olivia

  17. Luke

  18. Olivia

  19. Luke

  20. Luke

  21. Olivia

  22. Olivia

  23. Luke

  24. Luke

  25. Olivia

  26. Luke

  27. Olivia

  28. Luke

  29. Olivia

  30. Olivia

  31. Luke

  32. Olivia

  33. Olivia

  34. Luke

  Epilogue

  Want More?

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  For Chris.

  And for Claudia—here’s another one to add to your storage unit.

  "Our doubts are traitors

  And make us lose the good we oft might win

  By fearing to attempt."

  William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

  1

  Olivia

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I swiped my handbag from the floor under my desk and headed out of the office. As much as I loved my job at Barrett London, the boutique digital marketing agency I’d been employed at for the past eight months, I was dying to get out of there. As it was Friday, almost everyone had left the office, desperate to start the weekend, even my workaholic boss, Ethan Barrett. On a normal workday, I was out the door as soon as it hit 5:00 p.m., but I’d promised a client I would have their new social media account up and running in time for the weekend, and it had taken far longer than anticipated.

  My phone rang as I made my way down the corridor towards the lift, and I pulled it out of my bag, frowning as an unrecognised number flashed up on the display.

  “Hello?” Fully expecting a telemarketer to be on the other end of the line, I kept my finger poised, ready to end the call.

  “Liv. It’s Ethan.”

  “Uh, hi.”

  “Are you still at work, by any chance?” My boss’s voice was harried.

  “Yes, just leaving now. Why?”

  “Could you do me a huge favour? I left the files for the Rockford project in the conference room, and I need them to work on over the weekend. If you don’t mind grabbing them on your way out, I’m at the pub on the corner by your bus stop.”

  “Sure, no problem,” I said easily. “What am I looking for?” Turning on my heel, back into the office, I headed into the conference room, flipping on the lights.

  “There should be a silver USB stick with Barrett London engraved on it, on the table or somewhere nearby. I was sitting in the far corner by the projector screen.”

  “Hang on. I’ll have a look. Want me to phone you back when I’ve found it?”

  “No, it’s okay. Just come down to the pub with it. Call this number when you get there and I’ll come out and meet you. My phone’s out of battery.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks, Olivia. I appreciate it.” He ended the call, and I hurried over to the huge ash wood conference table.

  “Where are you?” I muttered.

  The table was bare. I scanned the room, leaning down to peer under the table, and spied a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye.

  “There you are.” I grinned in triumph. Crouching down, I stretched out my fingers and managed to snag the USB drive.

  Out on the busy London streets, engulfed in the noise of honking horns and chattering pedestrians, I called the number back.

  “Yes?” a low, masculine voice answered, and I groaned.

  Luke Davenport. Client account manager at Barrett London. My colleague and self-appointed rival.

  Great.

  “Davenport? Is that you?”

  “Payne. Clearly you know it’s me, so why waste my time asking inane questions?”

  His irritated tone immediately set me on edge. Why did this man get to me so much? I growled in frustration, causing a pedestrian hurrying past to give me an uneasy glance, crossing to the other side of the pavement to give me a wide berth.

  “I’m looking for Ethan,” I huffed. “He told me to phone this number.”

  “Right.” His tone was clipped. “I’ll get him.”

  There was a muffled sound, and Ethan’s smooth voice came through the phone.

  “Olivia?”

  “I found it. I’m about a minute away.”

  Relief coloured his tone. “Thank you. I’ll come out and meet you.”

  My boss was waiting outside the doors for me when I reached the pub, his tall, handsome frame dwarfing mine.

  “Olivia, I appreciate you going out of your way to do this,” he rumbled, smiling down at me. “Do you have time for a drink? I owe you one.”

  Indecision rolled through me. A chilled glass of wine or gin would be perfect after a long day, but it would mean sharing the same space as Luke…

  A gust of wind blew around me, sending the strands that had fallen out of my messy bun flying around my face, and I shivered. Why should I let Luke scare me off and make me wait in the cold for my bus when I could be inside a warm pub with a drink?

  Decision made, I nodded. “Yes. A drink would be great. I’ll take you up on that offer—thanks.”

  Ethan opened the heavy wooden and glass pub door, and we slipped inside. He headed to the bar to get me a drink, and I made my way through the crowd of bodies to the booth Ethan had pointed out, my heels clipping over the worn flagstone floor.

  I spotted the back of Luke’s head as I drew closer, and steeled myself ready for one of his biting remarks as soon as he registered my presence. A vaguely familiar-looking man was sitting at the table with him, and he looked up as I approached.

  “Hello there, gorgeous.” The stranger’s crystal-blue eye
s sparkled in the dim pub lighting, his cheeky grin so infectious that I couldn’t help grinning back.

  Luke spun in his chair, his beautiful face creasing in a scowl when he saw me.

  “You know, you’d be much nicer to look at if you actually smiled.” I punctuated my statement with a fake grin, baring my teeth. I hated that he was so good-looking. What a waste. His looks could never make up for his obnoxious personality.

  His scowl deepened. “The day I smile around you, Payne, is the day pigs fly.”

  The other man at the table stared between us with interest, an amused smirk on his face.

  “Back up a minute, mate. This is Payne? The Payne?”

  The Payne?

  I frowned in confusion. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d assume Ethan must’ve mentioned me; there was no way Luke would’ve spoken about me—not voluntarily, anyway.

  “Yes. This is Payne. Payne, meet Alex,” Luke muttered grudgingly.

  Incredulity and amusement warred on Alex’s face. “Come closer, darlin’,” he beckoned. “Sit with me.”

  Pulling my bag from my shoulder with a sigh of relief, I slid into the booth next to him and leaned against the worn wooden back, dropping my bag at my side. Luke was seated on a chair across the table from us, thank goodness, arms folded across his chest, sultry mouth downturned.

  Alex slung a huge arm around my shoulders. “Olivia Payne.” He tutted, shaking his head. “Our boy did not do you justice. I was expecting a haggard, bitter shrew from the way he talks about you, but you’re a little beauty, aren’t you? Please tell me you’re single.” He winked.

  I laughed and gave a mock shudder. “I can only imagine what he must have said about me. Your friend is not my biggest fan.”

  Alex snorted with laughter. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. Don’t worry, Ethan and Avery rave about you, so I take Luke’s comments with a pinch of salt. So, single: yes or no?”

  He was certainly persistent. “Yes, I am single.” I hesitated. “Why?” A small smile played across my face as he turned the full force of his megawatt grin on me, dimples and everything.

  “Babe, this is the best news I’ve heard all day. I think you and me should go out. What do you say?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Across the table, Luke glared daggers at us both. His glower took me straight back to the first time I’d laid eyes on him: the day I began working at Barrett London as a digital marketer.

  Ethan walked me around the spacious office, introducing me to the team. We stopped at Luke’s desk.

  “Luke? I’d like you to meet our newest member of staff, Olivia Payne.”

  He pushed back his chair and stood, close enough that I had to tip my head back to meet his gaze. With artfully styled, dark brown hair, his tall, lean body covered in a tailored grey suit that stretched across his muscular frame as if it had been custom-made, he oozed raw, male sex appeal from every pore. I drank in the chiselled lines of his gorgeous face, and when I stared into his bright green eyes, my heart skipped a beat and my cheeks grew warm under his scrutiny.

  “It’s a pleasure,” he murmured, his voice a husky drawl that sent shivers through me.

  “H-hi,” I stammered, trying to seem unaffected by his presence.

  We were both directed into the conference room, where Ethan asked Luke to show me the ropes and start me working on his current project—setting up social media marketing for a boutique furniture retailer.

  His seductive emerald gaze replaced with an icy glare, Luke spoke low and furiously. “I’m not a fucking babysitter, Ethan. Find someone else to hold the newbie’s hand.”

  I jolted out of my memories when Ethan slid a large glass of wine across the table to me.

  “Sorry, guys. There was a big wait at the bar.”

  Taking a grateful sip, I savoured the dry, crisp taste. “Mmm, thanks. This is exactly what I needed.”

  “Cheers, mate.” Alex removed his arm from my shoulder and clinked his pint glass against Ethan’s.

  “Cheers. I see you’ve met Olivia,” Ethan said to him. “About time, too. Olivia’s one of the brightest stars at Barrett London, not to mention my girlfriend’s best friend.”

  I blushed at Ethan’s compliment.

  “I was just saying that Luke didn’t do her justice.” Alex smirked.

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “Don’t get them started, I beg you. I have to put up with their bickering on a daily basis.”

  Alex laughed and took a large slurp of his Coke.

  Something was niggling at the back of my mind as I eyed him over the rim of my wine glass. “Hang on a minute. Alex? As in, Alex Bryan, London Hawks rugby player?” I fired at him.

  “The one and only.” He mimed a bow, smirking at me.

  “Of course, I know who you are.” I slapped my forehead mentally. “Sorry, it took me a moment to put two and two together, but Eth and Avery talk about you a lot. I’m surprised we haven’t met sooner.” I studied the huge, good-looking man next to me.

  “Well, now you’ve finally had the pleasure of admiring my handsome face in person, I know you’re going to want to see a lot more of it. How about that date?”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Ha ha. I’m sure I will. Are you going to keep bugging me until I agree to go out with you?”

  He winked at me. “Yep. It’s easier just to agree.”

  Ethan stared between us, amused, and I shook my head, smiling. “I said I’d think about it.”

  My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my bag, as Ethan pulled Alex into a conversation about the next day’s London Hawks vs Gloucester rugby match. I had a message from Nick, the director of the youth centre I volunteered at, asking if I could help out the following evening as they were short-staffed. I replied to say I’d be happy to help, then browsed through my social media app on my phone as I sipped my wine. Scrolling through images posted by my friends and relatives, I tapped on the screen, adding a heart reaction to my brother’s latest photo of his dinner—really, what was the obsession with posting pictures of food?

  “Are you actually considering going on a date with Alex?” Luke bit out, his tone low.

  “What?” I glanced up, startled. His gaze was focused on the pitted surface of the table, as he played with a beer mat between his fingers.

  “You heard me.”

  “I heard you, but I’m not sure why it’s any of your business.” I kept my voice quiet so I didn’t attract the attention of Ethan or Alex.

  “Morbid curiosity.”

  I took a fortifying gulp of wine. “I’m thinking about it, yes. He seems nice, and we’re both single.”

  “I would have thought he’d have better taste in women,” he muttered into his pint glass, frowning.

  “This may come as a surprise, but not everyone finds me as repulsive as you seem to.” I gritted my teeth, trying to control my irritation. “I don’t understand why you seem to dislike me so much. What’s your problem?”

  “You’re my problem,” he hissed. “You think you know better than everyone else, swanning around the office without a care in the world. You won’t listen to anyone else if they have opinions that differ from your own. Shall I go on?”

  I reeled backwards as if I’d been slapped. “Is that seriously how you see me? Because that is so far from the truth, it’s laughable. I don’t think I know better than everyone else, at all, and I certainly don’t swan around anywhere. I’m happy to take suggestions and direction, but I don’t appreciate the way you speak to me. Has it occurred to you that maybe you’re the problem?”

  His dark and stormy gaze trained on me, eyes glittering with animosity. We sat silently, our eyes locked, the air between us turning thick with tension.

  With effort, I managed to tear my gaze away from his, frustration and hurt racing through me.

  “Sorry, guys, my bus is due. Thanks for the drink, Ethan. Alex, it was a pleasure to meet you.” Rising to my feet, I fixed a smile on my face.

  “Th
e pleasure was all mine, babe,” Alex said. “If you can just put your number into my phone before you leave, I can text you later to arrange our date.” He gave me a flirty grin.

  “Oh, go on, then.” I couldn’t help the amusement filtering through in my voice. What did I have to lose? “Pass your phone over.”

  “You won’t regret it.” He handed his phone to me, and I added my number.

  “There you go. Right, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

  With a small wave at the table, other than Luke, as petty as it was, I weaved through the crowds and stumbled outside.

  As the fresh air hit me, I took a deep breath to compose myself, then coughed, breathing in traffic fumes. Ugh. Fresh was a relative term when it came to the air quality in central London.

  My bus wasn’t due for another eight minutes according to my travel app, but I couldn’t bear to hang around outside the pub in case Luke appeared. Sighing, I tugged my coat around me to ward off the evening chill, then trudged in the direction of the next closest bus stop.

  My phone rang as I neared the stop, and I smiled, my mood already improved as I saw my best friend’s name appear on the screen.

  “Avery, hi,” I said, happy to hear from her. “I’ve just been for a drink with your boyfriend.”

  “So I heard.” Her amused chuckle warmed me. “What did you do to upset Luke this time? He didn’t sound very pleased on the phone. I had to call him to get hold of Eth, and he almost bit my head off.”