The One Addicted (8 page)

“Looking out for me.”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort. Its purely for selfish reasons as I want to ask your advice about a few things.”

“Oh?” I can sense something in her usually cheer tone.

“We’ll talk later. I have news.

“Alright, Little Miss Meddler. Better go - see you at mine, say 7pm?”

“Fab. I’ll bring the wine and we’ll order from Aldo’s.”

*****

I end the call on a smirk and make my way as fast as possible in heels through the foyer of my work building. If I can just get into the lift pronto, I think I’ll miss Leo Peterson my accountant and bank manager.
Pressing the button, I wait and am about to head for the stairwell, when I hear his shoes clipping on the polished tiled floor behind me.
    
“Lucia, good morning. I’m so glad I caught you.”

My shoulders stoop instantaneously and I fix a smile across my lips. “Leo, good morning to you too. What can I do for you?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the past week or so now, about completing your books for the last quarter. I do hope you are well again?”
    
Jackie must have informed him I was ill in my absence, bless her. I make a mental note to thank her for her quick thinking. “I’m fine thanks, Leo just extremely busy but I have done the majority of the paperwork required on the accounts in question and I can have those ready for you some time in the next few weeks.” The lift pings and I step in, and watch as he joins me. Crap, he would want to go through things now. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time this morning to go through much with you.”

“Not at all, I thought I’d come up for a coffee whilst I was in the building and we could just check you are on track to meet your loan commitments.”

There we go the shutters have gone down but his lasso hold has wrapped itself around me tightly. Whenever he wanted to push to go through things, he played the ‘loan card’. I smile politely back at his friendly but plain face, and wonder what I was thinking to ever consider dating a man such as this – he was
so
wrong for me. He was pleasant and hard working but exceedingly boring.
    
“I’m afraid I can’t go through anything accounts related today, Leo, really, I have a meeting in a few hours with a client that I have to prepare for, but you are welcome to join me for a cuppa.”
    
Making our way into the office reception, I smile at my receptionist, Jackie, wave at Colin, who is spinning manically on his new orthopaedic leather desk chair and drop my bag and files on my desk in a pile. I decide in that instant that the quickest way to remove Leo was to give him what he wanted.
    
“Coffee was it, Leo? Take a seat at my desk.” I catch Colin’s eyebrows hitting his hairline at the sight of Leo’s embarrassed attendance.

“Er, yes that would be lovely. Black, please.”
    
After flicking the kettle on, I head over to the computer, hear it zap into life and wait to open up my latest accounts file. Leo is patiently standing next to my desk as I return.

“Take a seat, Leo. I’ll show you what I have to date but like I say, we’ll have to reschedule to go through everything properly.”

“Oh goody. I’m happy to meet whenever, wherever for however long it takes. I could come to the house if you prefer. I stay at Meg’s a few nights a week now, so I can always pop round.”
    
That was my worst fear – having him just pop round. It was bad enough that the guy I’d dated for all but two dates was now dating my friend and next-door neighbour, a few doors down but the fact that he was staying there, so close was a little too close for comfort. But it wasn’t up to me and if he was making Meg happy, then I was happy.
    
“So you and Meg are going good?”
  
“Yep. Early days of course but we get on well. She is a character - if a little out-there occasionally.”
    
She definitely is that but not so early days that you stay there, a few nights a week.
I hope he didn’t hurt her – I really couldn’t see what they had in common at all.
“Right. Here we go. These are my accounts for the last completed three months. Obviously there are a few jobs that began in these months but are not completed and hence haven’t been settled in their entirety but we did receive pro-forma’s and in the case of The Ashton, a considerable sum upfront to secure works began immediately. This is our main commission this Summer.”

“Ah yes, The Ashton. That’s the posh hotel in Holdgate that you’ve been working on with your builder friend – the one I met at your Sister’s party?”
  
I’m not sure why, but the way he repeatedly refers to Sebastian as my
‘builder friend’
is beginning to grate on my nerves. “Yes, that’s the one. Sebastian’s company, Silver Construction has kindly loaned us some men to work on this fabulous project. His construction and craftsmanship is second-to-none, so it was a no brainer and we are very lucky to have him and his team at our disposal.” There stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
So you’re back to defending Sebastian’s honour then?
 
“Hmmm. And costly too – looking at these figures! I thought you’d be getting mates rates?”
“I do receive mates rates but I’m not a charity, Leo. There are materials and labour included in these prices and I know my costings, and these are fair - I’m not being duped don’t be concerned.” I can feel my hands clenching under the table. He has my best interests at heart, financially I know, but I sense its more than that and this is
my
business. He is not a shareholder or a partner in any way shape or form.
    
“Hmmm.”

Arrrgghh! I take a sip of my tea and take a minute to make some notes as he peruses the rest of my excel spreadsheet.
    
“Ok, Lu, things are looking good here apart from
this
potential non-profit.” His hand skirts over the Ashton figures. “But, I think the bank will be happy that the loan is being managed well and can be satisfied comfortably, looking at these figures. Just be careful when working with friends – sometimes they are not all they seem to be and it’s not always best for business
or
pleasure. Sometimes better to play it safe – do you catch my drift?”
    
What a strange comment to make?
 

“Not really, Leo, but thanks for your time. However, I really must get on now.”
    
“Oh, alright then. Shall we reconvene during lunch?”
    
“What today?”

“Yes - I could come back to Elysium for say 1pm and grab us a sandwich from that nice little deli en-route. Chicken salad on brown, no butter - right?”
    
WTF?
“I’m afraid I can’t – like I said I have a meeting with a new client, The Gilded Fox? Have you heard of it?”
    
He shakes his head, whilst holding eye contact at all times with me, cool blue appraising eyes before collecting his briefcase and clicking it shut. “Nope. Never mind then about lunch. Another time. I will bid you adieu.”
    
“Ok then?” My voice lifts in question at his strange ‘goodbye’. “See you later, Leo.”

He really is so odd at times. I watch him stop and say something to Jackie that makes her blush lightly before heading down the glass corridor to the lifts. Good luck to Meg!
    
I am just about to begin the arduous task of wading through my list of suppliers to call, when Colin interrupts me. “What did ‘stick up his arse’ want?”
    
“Oh God. He collared me at the lift and there was no way I could escape but thanks for rescuing me, you two!” I point a straightened finger at Colin and Jackie with dramatic evil eyes.

“Soz, doll you looked like you were involved in money talk and you know I hate that, unless I’m spending it by the hundreds.”

“I know. He’s just a bit odd. I mean I like him and he’s done wonders with the business’ loan and finances but I can’t believe I ever agreed to a date with him, let alone two and since Seb and I got together and I told Leo that we were a no go – I just had hoped he’d …”
    
“…stop following you around like a lapdog?”
    
“Stop it! He doesn’t. Besides he seems happy with Meg – I just feel a bit weird around him. It’s me, not him. I need to get past it, poor guy.”
    
Oh and don’t forget the creepy part about him knowing what Deli sandwich you preferred to the last detail!

“Anyway enough about Dreary Leary Leo - I’m truly hurt and can’t believe I’ve been prancing around in front of you for the past five minutes and you haven’t noticed!”
    
“Noticed what?”

“Sweet baby Jesus – this!” His hand pats his tiny pert behind. “Check out my arse in these bad boys!”

“God’s sake, Colin, you scared the shit out of me.” I try to frown at his disruptive behaviour but find it hard not to break into a grin at his wiggling behind.

“Soz, boss but I couldn’t deprive you of seeing such a firm derriere!”

I hear Jackie’s snort of laughter behind Colin and can’t contain mine any longer. “Colin you are a fine figure of a man I agree, but do you really need to wear pink tartan peddle-pushers to prove it?”

“James bought me them - I think they make me look more Lord of the manor - don’t you?”

More like lady of the manor, bless him. “Hmmm. Maybe the mustard tweed jacket combo is a bit much?”

“You think?”

“Definitely.” I catch Jackie’s eyes and we roll our eyes consecutively.

“Maybe it is a bit much together. Jamesy and
I
are hosting the launch / come house party at The Ashton, at the weekend you know, and I need to look the part.”
    
“Oh we know, darling, you’ve talked about nothing else since James set a date.”
 

“Sorry if I’m boring you.” His bottom lip practically hits his knee high boots.

 
“Not at all Col, I’m just grateful that at least a few of the rooms will be completed by Elysium by then. I’d have been much happier James had waited until the end of the year though, to launch them as a job lot.”

“I understand doll but once the word is out, people will come in their flocks to fuck!” He curtsied at his clever play on words and I scrunch my nose at Jackie’s raised brows.

“Ok but perhaps focus more on the food you’re to serve than the clothes you’ll be wearing - that’s your thing. You’re such a good party planner - less toad of toad hall and more toad in the hole Hun.

    
“Bitchy bitchy, but you’re probably right. I suppose I could lose the lime green cravat.”

Jackie and I share a synced
‘really, just the lime cravat’
eyebrow raise but then burst into laughter when he throws out another camp quip. “I can definitely put the toad in any hole though, baby - it has laser beam direction this thing!”

I give up - he was a dirty camp bastard and we loved him all the same - yeah the loss of the cravat would make the pink and mustard tweed and tartan combination gel perfectly but instead I choose to smile at him with only affection. Colin was nothing if not batty but that’s why we loved him. He got it right every time with interiors, was an utter master of fabrics and colours but for some reason that didn’t follow through into fashion. And, as I watch him reenacting a scene from Star Wars by gyrating his peddle-pusher encased ‘weapon’, complete with intergalactic sound effects, I remind myself that working with Colin Duttine would never be dull.

“So my darling what is happening with the delicious knight in shining Silver armour? You two Ok now, or are you still moping”

I don’t usually like to bring my personal life to work but the overspill of the past week had been immense and looking up into Colin’s foundation enhanced face, I cave. “We’re fine, Col. We hit a rocky patch or five, but we’re back on track… for the moment.”

“Oh goody - the man is fucking dreamy and is obviously a master in the sac, going by the glow of your skin the past few weeks. After his house party you looked like you’d become a homeless person and I don’t mind saying Jacks and I, well we were becoming a little concerned. I honestly thought it was time to bring in the big guns.”

My obvious confused expression makes him expand further. “Well first I convinced Jamesy to expand The Ashton Soiree into a weekend shindig Babe, figuring that you two needed to be forced together
 
- you’re both workaholics so would never decline. If that hadn’t worked I felt it was time to call Grannie Annie.”

“Shit, Col - don’t do that. I know I had a bit of a wobbly but I’m fine really. I’ve never felt like this before and a romantic life with Sebastian is entirely different to the friendship we used to have. He’s so…”

“…Alpha male. Grrrr.”

“Exactly.” I giggle at his attempt at a manly beast impression, which comes off more
‘camp Tony from the Frostie’s cereal box’
, than
‘Mufasa in The Lion King’
. “You silly sod.”

“Well as long as he isn’t treating you like shit or I’ll cut his dick off and you know how I love dick. It’d be a shame and such a waste of prime meat, but totally necessary - I’d do it for you boss.”

We laugh together. “Thanks, hun for the sacrifice. I just hope that that bitch Toni is out of our lives for good.”

“What happened to her? Is she still working for Seb?”

 
I shake my head with a passion. I forget how little I’ve caught up with Colin of late. That week under my duvet now felt like a lifetime. “Uh uh. Seb got her another position with an architect firm he works with from time to time - just wanted to move her on fast.”
    
“That was bloody decent of him. I’d have slung her fake lying arse out on the street.” He rests the back of his hand on his hip, teapot style to add drama to his statement.
    
“I have to agree, but Seb has history with her brother and I think he thought, if he played this one quietly and calmly she was less likely to retaliate…again!”
    
“I get his thought process but that woman is sooo Maleficent - rotten to the core. You need to watch your back Lu - in case she’s still out for Seb.”
    
“I don’t think even
she
would be that desperate.”
    
“When Sebastian is the prize, what wouldn’t you do to win him?”