Chapter 18
Eighteen
S teph was at her desk compiling some proposal figures for another prospective big client and wondered how Jon’s meeting in Manchester had gone. It seemed that he was still interested in securing the company but needed some reassurances and further details and reports compiling. She had been quite surprised that when she’d woken at six o’clock he was ready to leave but smiled as she remembered how gently he had held and kissed her as he promised to see her that night.
She jumped as her mobile phone rang.
“Hello.” She smiled because she knew it was Jon at the other end of the line.
“Hiya, darling, how are you feeling? Did you go back to bed after I left?”
“I’m fine thank you, and no I didn’t go back to bed,” she told him, suddenly realising that he thought she hadn’t come to work and was at home still.
She knew he would probably disapprove of her choice to work so decided not to contradict his assumption.
“How’s your head feel? Any blurred vision, nausea, sickness or headache?”
She smiled at his concern. “Fine, no, no, no, and no. How’s Manchester?” Her sole focus was on changing the subject.
“Okay, although the deal could be dead in the water.”
“Oh dear, sorry,” she commiserated. “Don’t you have people to do the running around for you?”
“I have lots of people to run around for me but I like to do it myself sometimes and as this one was a fuck up . . . and you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about, Steph. You were the one that spotted the biggest flaw in the deal, which I have pointed out to Dave,” he informed her.
“You didn’t! Why?” She panicked at the prospect of further incurring the wrath of the head accountant who obviously disliked her.
“Because he didn’t do his job properly and I told him that too, but I didn’t actually name you, I just said a friend, although . . .”
“Steph, do you want tea or coffee?” asked Rosie from the open office door interrupting the flow of conversation, but also revealing her whereabouts to Jon.
“Where are you? Are you at work? What the bloody hell are you doing there?” His annoyance clear to them both and probably Rosie too.
“Nothing for me, thanks Rosie, and close the door behind you if you would,” she said before replying to Jon. “I am at work putting some figures together and I really am fine. There is no reason for me not to be here,” she assured him.
“I disagree, but there is nothing I can do about it now is there?” Look, I am at Manchester airport waiting for my flight, so I will see you later at yours, with a proposition,” he added.
“That sounds very mysterious, but okay.”
Steph arrived home and found that Jon was already there wearing a perfectly cut pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt.
“I meant to ask you yesterday, since when have you had a key to my flat?” She stretched up to kiss him while he chopped some vegetables and wondered why this felt like the most natural thing in the world.
He immediately stopped what he was doing and turned towards her. “You even look hot with a black eye,” he commented as he gently brushed his thumb across the abrasions on her face and then slid his hands beneath the shoulders of her jacket to slip it off her arms.
“I’ve had a key to your flat since you had one to mine.” He grinned at her as he picked a key up from the worktop behind him and passed it to her.
“Really?”
“Yes, if you want it?” He smiled at her, melting her heart a little. “I can’t have you waiting around for me in corridors or lifts, can I? If I do, who knows who you’ll find to talk to, an ex-boyfriend maybe?” He turned back towards the vegetables.
“He’s not an ex-boyfriend, he just fancied me,” Steph replied defensively assuming Jon was referring to her encounter in the lift with Ade.
“Well, that’s okay, then. I’ll keep my key.” He grinned with an arched brow as he glanced over his shoulder at her.
“So what’s this proposition you have for me?” she asked impatiently while reaching for the key to Jon’s home.
“Later.”
“Or now.” She snaked her arms around him and under his t-shirt making him laugh.
“But I will tell you later, now go and get changed,” he ordered.
With a pout, she raised her hand as if to surrender. “I don’t suppose you want to help me do you?”
“That will be later too.”
“I think I may need to trade you in, Mr Brooker. You appear to be losing your stamina,” she teased as she began to discard her blouse in front of him before slowly sauntering towards the bedroom.
“You will regret that comment, Miss Pryor, when I have you moaning all night and begging me to let you sleep,” although he did wonder whether he would make it to later while she was in such a frisky mood.
“We’ll see.” She laughed.
“Yes we will,” he agreed.
It was half-past-four the following morning as they lay wrapped around each other that Steph finally said, “I assume this wasn’t your proposition.”
He laughed quietly as he ran a finger up and down the length of her spine sending wonderful tingles all over and through her body.
“No this wasn’t my proposition, although you seemed more than happy to defer all conversation.”
“I could deny that suggestion, Mr Brooker, but I would be lying. So what is your proposition?” she asked as her interest was gained.
“Right, don’t interrupt me. Or there will be consequences,” he said, looking down at her.
“You have to know that you really have just tempted me to interrupt now.” She grinned up at him with a flush staining her cheeks.
“I do hope so because I kind of like consequences.” The returning grin was wolfish. “Now stop trying to distract me from my proposition.” He gently cupped her behind, making her move even closer to him.
“You have made it perfectly clear that you don’t want to come and work for me full time, but I want you to, especially after the Manchester deal.”
“But I didn’t do anything.” She squealed as she felt a light tap across her bottom.
“Consequences, darling, no interrupting. You did plenty. You saved me a mint, unlike the person paid to. I actually did a very basic internet search with that company name after what you said about them. The first entry was the liquidation of the company, so there are no excuses Dave can offer me that vindicate his inadequate performance. I shouldn’t have to check and verify his work, and he knows that,” said Jon sounding annoyed about it still.
“Whereas my performance is never inadequate.” She laughed at her own comment.
“No, darling. Never, but that was another interruption.” His chastisement was accompanied by a smile.
“Sorry, go on.” Steph rolled onto her front, propping herself up on her elbows to face him.
“I want you on my team, but you won’t allow me to employ you, so go freelance in a consultancy role and let me be your first client,” he said seriously as she stared at him wondering where this was going. “That way you can build a client base and I will just be one of them. Not your boss. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I have thought about my own client base in the past but may have got side tracked by moving into new business accounts with Baker. I would never want to just do end of year tax returns and keep books straight though,” she admitted.
“You know I would ensure your position would be varied,” he said seriously, but she grinned at the double entendre of his comment making him laugh. “You are very rude, Miss Pryor, but I will also make sure that your position is varied, whatever the context. So what do you think?” he asked again.
“I don’t know. I could probably finance going freelance, but I would need a certain amount of work guaranteed to make it financially viable and to maintain my current lifestyle,” she told him.
“I love it when you talk like an accountant.” He laughed at his own words but meant every word of it.
She ran a hand across his chest. “I will think about it.”
“That’s a cop out, Steph. I will ensure for the first year that your current salary is matched and before you object, you will have to earn it, so don’t tell me you’ll think about it and then forget it and hope I do too. Promise me that you will seriously consider it and if you need help to put a business model together I will help you, or I will put to in touch with someone else that will.” His face was entirely serious.
“Okay, but don’t hold your breath.”
“Is that you dismissing the idea?” His earlier smile had been replaced with a disapproving frown.
“No. I just meant this is not a done deal,” she explained as he flipped her onto her back gently.
“Now, I seem to recall that I said that I would have you moaning all night and begging me to let you sleep,” he said as he covered her mouth with his.
Steph was at work before half past seven, having slept restlessly until just before five on the Wednesday morning and was nervously waiting for some kind of fallout from her nonarrival at Brookers. She was relieved that she hadn’t seen Jon the previous day or evening because she knew she would have caved in and told him of Jack’s plans to substitute her with Martin. Her phone beeped a message alert making her jump.
Morning darling, can you come up and see me when you get in this morning? It is business, although I did miss you last night and can’t wait to see what sexy business attire you’ve gone with today. Jon x
She stared down at her phone as she spun around in her chair and wondered how long she could avoid replying for. She decided she was safe until half past eight because that’s the latest he would be expecting her to appear in his office. She also looked down at the black trouser suit she was wearing with a plum coloured silk blouse and matching stilettos and thought that it was anything but sexy, flattering, but not sexy. Her phone rang now and she was relieved to see that it was her brother, Eddie, and not Jon calling.
“Hello,” she answered, “Is everything okay?” She felt concerned at the possible reason for his early call.
“Yes, great, sis. Zoe wanted to know if you and Jon would like to come over tonight and I thought it would be nice to get to know him better on a smaller scale. He looked a little shell shocked by us all on Saturday.” Steph shrugged at her brother’s chuckle.
“Yes, he was a bit, but I’m not sure about tonight, can I call you later to confirm?” The day was becoming more complicated by the minute.
“Yeah, sure. Did he get that booking at dad’s new favourite place, Swingers?” Eddie laughed again.
“I forgot to ask. I’ll check later. Sorry.” She was dreading that too.
“No prob, sis. I’ll speak to you later then, bye.”
“Bye.”
Now she needed to speak to Jon on several levels, Stringers, tonight and work.