The Christmas Party (28 page)

But Karen was oblivious. She’d found a bottle of wine and was appeased for the moment. She walked out of the marquee, muttering about the dullness of the Fossil Oil Christmas party to herself, and went in search of her ride home.

Chapter Thirty-five

I wonder how long it will take Tyler to realise that I’m not returning with a first-aid kit, or new clothes for him. Not much longer, is my guess.

I’ve decided that I can’t stay at this party for a second more. I’ll have to face Tyler’s wrath tomorrow and will probably go to the very top of the SACKED list, but so be it. I couldn’t stand by and let him bully or sexually harass me any more. No one should have to put up with that kind of behaviour in this day and age. And I’ve decided that I’m not going to.

I want to do a good job at Fossil Oil, not feel that my every move is being monitored by a sexist pig who thinks the only way for women to get on is to shag their way to the top. If that’s what’s expected of me, then I’ll find another way to make a living. One where my business skills are appreciated more than the size of my boobs. So much for women’s equality, eh?

Well, let Tyler Benson stew for a while. I can imagine him pacing up and down the Chinese rug in the nip and getting more and more irate. It’s not a picture I want in my head.

Making my way towards the cloakroom, I note that some of the staff are streaming out of the manor now and it must be time for the coaches to leave. If I get a move on, then, perhaps I could be on one of the first to go and be out of here before Tyler realises what I’ve done to him.

I come to a waste bin and dump Tyler’s bloodied, shredded dinner suit and shirt into it. His underwear follows. It’s all beyond redemption, anyway. For good measure, I toss in the key to the library door. That should hinder him from coming after me for a bit longer. Now I feel like going to scrub my hands with bleach, but that will have to wait.

At the cloakroom, I queue up to retrieve my coat. When I’m finally handed it, I turn to find Josh Wallace standing right there.

‘How did it go with Tyler?’ he asks me discreetly.

I pull him to one side, away from the wiggling ears and wagging tongues of our colleagues in the queue.

‘Badly,’ I tell him. I lower my voice to a whisper. ‘There was a magician who got Tyler up on stage and he’d somehow managed to cut him across the stomach while trying to saw him in half.’

Josh laughs. ‘You’re making this up.’

‘I wish.’ I risk a smile. At some time in the future I’m sure I’ll find this funny, but not now. I’ve probably just called a dead halt to my fledgling career. ‘I’ve left him naked and locked in the library. I’m supposed to be in search of a first-aid kit and new clothes for him, but I’ve had enough of his bullying and innuendo. I’ve just dumped his clothes in that bin.’

Josh’s eyes widen. ‘Seriously?’

‘Yep. I’m out of here.’

Now he guffaws. ‘Remind me never to cross you, Louise Young.’

‘I’m sure you’re a wiser man than that.’ Dad’s words about people doing silly things when they’ve been drinking ring in my ears, but what’s done is done. I’ll have to suffer the consequences.

I see more of my colleagues leaving the manor. There’s a steady stream now going out into the cold night air. ‘I have to go. I want to be on the first coach out of here before Tyler realises I’m not coming back.’

My phone rings and I check the display. ‘Talk of the devil.’ I show it to Josh. It’s Tyler calling. I turn it off.

‘He’s going to be apoplectic with rage.’

‘Yes,’ I agree. ‘He is.’

Then we laugh together. Josh is such a handsome man and he looks younger and even cuter when he smiles. I should imagine he’s under a lot of stress working for Tyler too.

‘You realise people will be talking about this for years?’ he says.

‘I don’t think I’ll be around to hear it.’

His eyes meet mine. ‘I hope you’re wrong about that.’

I shrug. ‘I’m sure I’ll know by tomorrow.’ Some of our colleagues start up a raucous chant, laughing as they leave. ‘Look, I should go.’ I want to get a seat at the back of a coach where I can sit and brood by myself.

Moving away from Josh, I think it’s a shame that we work together, because I really do quite like him. He’s a nice guy. Probably too nice for this company. If he thinks he’s going to climb the ladder like Tyler, he’ll probably get eaten alive; or he’ll have to toughen up, turn into a corporate animal and lose himself in the process. But since I probably have no future at Fossil Oil now, perhaps it’s OK if we do keep seeing each other.

I just want to set the record straight with him. ‘Tonight, what we did before, it was … well, it wasn’t me. I don’t do that kind of thing. But … well … it was fun.’

‘I’m glad to hear it.’

‘I didn’t want you to think that’s what I’d normally do.’ I spend all my working week fighting off advances from Tyler Benson. Josh must know it was a one-off lapse.

‘Don’t go on the coach.’ He catches my wrist. ‘Let me take you home. The car’s just outside and I could take you straight to your door.’

‘Now you’re asking me to break another of my own rules.’ Yet I’m sure he can tell that I’m wavering.

‘I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.’

I chew my lip indecisively.

‘You’ll be home much quicker that way.’

I smile. ‘I can tell why you’re Fossil’s top sales executive.’

‘Nice warm car with your own personal chauffeur, or a noisy coach with a load of pissed-up people from Chemical Processing?’

‘That was the closer,’ I tell him. ‘Where do I sign?’

He takes my coat from me and holds it open while I slip my arms into the sleeves. Gently he envelops me in it.

‘If we leave together, we’ll be the talk of the office tomorrow,’ I note.

Behind us is a couple in a passionate clinch. He has his hand up her skirt. I don’t even know which departments they’re from.

Josh grins. ‘I think we might be a long way down the queue.’

So we make our way out of the manor house and into the snow. It’s coming down thickly now. The tyre tracks of the cars that have already left are almost obliterated by fresh falls. As we head down the steps, they’re becoming slippery with ice and Josh tucks his arm protectively under my elbow to help steady me.

Turning back towards the splendid house, I risk a glance at the library windows. Thank goodness there’s no sign of Tyler in nothing but his socks. I wonder if he’s huddled in front of the dying embers, trying to get a bit of warmth. I shouldn’t laugh, but I do.

‘What’s funny?’ Josh asks.

‘Nothing,’ I tell him. ‘Just glad to be going home now.’

‘So? How was your inaugural office Christmas party?’

‘Not quite what I expected,’ I admit.

He raises an eyebrow. ‘I bet.’

I might be feeling smug with my ingenuity now, but already I’m wondering just how very cross Tyler’s going to be in the morning.

Chapter Thirty-six

Tyler paced up and down in front of the dying embers of the fire. It was getting steadily colder in here and there was nothing to cover himself with. All he had was a cushion, which he was holding in a strategic position.

Louise wasn’t coming back, he knew that now. She had duped him and he’d fallen for it. He’d texted her, he’d left abusive messages on her voicemail, but she hadn’t responded.

He tried one more time. A more cajoling manner.

‘Louise,’ he cooed into his phone. ‘Just call me. Come back. Bring me some clothes. I’m still bleeding and I’m worried.’ He looked down at his stomach. There was a thin line of dried blood where the cut had been. Tyler gritted his teeth. ‘This is a really funny joke and you got me. Ha, ha, ha. Now come back.’

He hung up. Ha bloody ha. He’d kill her when he saw her.

Tyler had tried Kirsten again too. And Melissa. None of them was answering her phone. Was there no one who would come to his aid when he needed them? He was so frustrated that he felt like hurling his iPhone into the remains of the flames.

Crossing to the windows, he looked out over the gardens in front of Wadestone Manor to where the snow was thickening now. There was a trail of revellers heading home, making their way towards the coaches that the company had laid on for them. It looked like the Christmas party was coming to a close and, if you asked him, it wasn’t before time. This had quite probably been the longest night of his life.

Some of the staff were dancing across the snow, bunches of helium balloons collected from the marquee streaming from their hands. There was some raucous singing. Show some people a free bar and they turn into animals. Typical Christmas party. If it wasn’t nailed down it would be nicked. And Wadestone Manor would be sending Fossil Oil a bill for a couple of grand for damages. It happened every year.

Tyler glowered at them. He’d noted their faces when he was being treated to a near-death experience at the hands of The Magnificent Marvo. There were some who were definitely grinning with glee. Well, come the new year, he’d make sure they were smiling on the other side of their faces. He’d chop them in half with his own brand of metaphorical chainsaw. Watch this space. There was absolutely no point being in a position of power if you couldn’t abuse it every now and again.

He went back to the library door and tried it again. Definitely locked. Louise must have swiped the key and locked it from the outside. Damn that wretched woman. Tyler rattled the doorknob and banged on the solid, unyielding wood with his fist. Nothing.

Putting down the cushion, he tried to find the number for the hotel on Google but, of course, there was never a reliable mobile phone signal when you needed one. The spinning bar went round and round and round, but never connected him to the useful practicality of the world-wide web. Why had these places never heard of free Wi-Fi? All he could do was wait.

Then an alarm started up. A terrible, ear-piercing sound. He shot to the window again to see that the departing staff had turned round to stare back at the manor house. Some of them were pointing. All of them were agog. Tyler ducked behind the heavy brocade curtains in case one of them should see him in his current predicament.

Now there was a rush of people joining the leavers. They flooded out of the house and down the steps, and were herded by liveried staff from the manor on to the large expanse of lawn at the front.

Was this a fire alarm? What else could it be?

Someone had probably set it off as a prank. Hardly original. It had happened many times before.

Yet the look on the faces of the staff wasn’t one of irritated boredom at having their party interrupted. They seemed genuinely worried. Could it be a real fire?

There was the sound of sirens and, seconds later, he saw two fire engines come screaming up the drive to the house and pull up by the steps to the entrance. The staff were all agog now. Karen from Customer Accounts was front-row, of course. Where else would that busybody be? He scanned the assembled audience to see if he could spot Louise, Kirsten or Melissa. But there was no sign of any of them. Damn them all to hell.

Two more fire engines swiftly followed. This couldn’t be good news. The whole place could be ablaze. The amount of ancient, dried-out junk in this house would make it go up like a tinderbox. Tyler looked round, terrified. What if no one realised he was locked in here? Being nearly cut in half by a magician could soon pale into insignificance. He could be roasted alive in here and who would even realise? Panic set in and he ran to the door.

‘Help me!’ he shouted. ‘Help me! I’m locked in!’

But the library was down a side corridor and it would, he realised, be impossible for anyone to hear him.

Back at the window he watched the firefighters as they spilled out of the fire engines and raced indoors.

‘Oh, good God,’ Tyler breathed. This could be really serious.

He tried to open one of the huge sash windows, but it was locked shut. Banging on the panes with the flat of his hands, he cried out again: ‘Help! Help me! I’m trapped!’

Now he didn’t care if they saw him naked, all pride was gone. He just wanted out of here. And fast. He was sure there was a faint smell of smoke drifting into the library, and he could imagine the blaze really taking hold, flames licking at his heels. A cold band of dread bound his lungs, making it hard to breathe. He hoped it was only that and not the start of the effects of smoke inhalation.

Outside, someone had purloined a case of beer and some bottles of wine. Happily they passed them round as if they were at a picnic. The staff had been moved back from the house and yet they’d pulled up the nearby benches, settling down to watch the show. All while he could be frying.

Yet another fire engine arrived and more firefighters rushed inside. This
was
serious. This was mega-bad. It had to be.

Tyler moved along the row of windows, trying all of them as he went. On each one he had a futile hammer with his fists and indulged in a bout of increasingly frantic shouting. His voice was becoming hoarse.

Now there really was a smell of acrid smoke, and – oh, no – was that a wisp of smoke under the door?

He ran back to get a better look.

It was. A delicate grey curl. As if someone was having a cigarette lying on the floor next to the door. But it was smoke nonetheless.

Tyler flew to the last window and heaved at it. To his blessed relief, it slid open. Reluctantly at first, after years of being untroubled with any kind of movement, but soon there was enough space for him to stick his head out. He forced the window further open with his shoulders and pushed himself as far out of the window as he could manage.

The cold air and falling snow slapped him in the face and chest. There was an orange glow to the pervading whiteness which was more than alarming.

‘Help!’ he cried, sounding more desperate than he would have liked. He waved his arms frantically. ‘Help!’

Someone had to see him now!

Sure enough, all the heads swivelled in his direction. Some of them stopped with beer bottles poised at their lips. A few of them shielded their eyes as if against the sun.

Then, when their gaze finally fell on him, as one, all the staff burst out laughing.