Chapter 2
Back at work the next day, Bella was taking a final look over the latest pitch for business they were preparing to submit.
‘Bella, hello.’ Kitty was at the door, in pink dungarees with a fluffy white cat appliquéd on the front pocket.
‘Yes?’ Bella found herself staring at the cat.
‘Susan’s ready, you can go in now. Chris will be along in a minute.’
‘Thanks… that’s a cute cat,’ Bella said as she gathered up her papers and headed for Susan’s office.
‘Are you coming down with something?’ Kitty joked.
Susan was, as usual, on the phone. She waved Bella in and pointed to a chair.
Bella’s one-time mentor and now her boss was in her forties – a rapier-thin, control-freaky workaholic. Susan had flawless hair, only ever dressed in very expensive beige or cream, and was married to an equally successful man. No kids, of course.
This woman had been one of the stars at Laurence and Co., the major league consultancy firm Bella had joined after university, then Susan had left to set up on her own. She’d finally agreed to let Bella join her new business a year later.
No matter how early Bella arrived at the office, Susan was there first and she always stayed late. She was the definition of a workaholic and would occasionally tell Bella, ‘My company is my family. I never wanted it any other way.’
‘Hello, Bella,’ she said as she finally ended the call, but didn’t take her headset off. ‘Take a seat, settle in.’ Susan gestured to a chair. ‘I was speaking to Anne, you remember from the job last year? She’s just had a baby so I’m supposed to be all thrilled and excited for her. Good grief, I’m so glad you’re never planning to breed. That’s why I hired you, really. I needed another woman, a good one. But I didn’t want someone who was going to go off and do the whole baby thing on me.’
Barely pausing for breath, she added, ‘No matter what working mothers tell you, no real, high-flier career woman is ever the same afterwards. They just haven’t got their whole mind on the job once they have children. In fact,’ she paused to give a little sarcastic smile, ‘they haven’t got their whole mind, if you ask me.’
Bella forced herself to return the smile, remembering when she’d told Susan that she wasn’t planning to have children. It was when she’d first approached – make that pestered – her for a job. Bella didn’t want a family, but she still didn’t think it was right for Susan to come out with the kind of sexist crap that no male boss would dare to utter.
Luckily, she was saved from having to make any sort of answer by the arrival of Chris, so the meeting kicked off.
Bella was in her car in a long queue of traffic when she called Don.
‘Hello, lover, it’s me.’
‘Do I hear traffic in the background? You’re not out of the office, are you?’ he asked.
‘Yes, out early for good behaviour.’
‘I’m in town,’ he said. ‘Job’s nearly over, but I won’t have to go back to the newsroom, so want to meet up? We could go out for dinner round here.’
‘Uh-oh, you’ve forgotten about the drinks party!’
‘Errrrr…’
He obviously had.
‘Drinkies, darling,’ she trilled, then added, ‘At eight-ish with my former colleagues and somebody’s client.’
‘Ahh,’ said Don, not at all disappointed.
‘I’m going home to get dressed up. Are you coming back as well? Or d’you want to meet there?’
‘I’ll meet you there,’ he said. ‘I’ll be a bit crumpled compared to your City friends, but you seem to like that.’
‘Maybe,’ she teased.
She gave him the details and they said their goodbyes.
When Bella had worked at Laurence and Co. she’d been part of a close group of young, clever, ambitious colleagues, impatient to get ahead. They had worked hard and played harder in a group with private jokes, codewords and pet hates.
But over the past few months, Bella had noticed that she no longer felt such a part of it – a difference she put down to working for Susan now, but also to her recent marriage. She didn’t want to be out socialising every night. She wanted to go home to Don.
Even worse, Bella knew her little gang had picked up on this feeling and now thought of her as a slightly honorary member. And she sort of wanted to be out of it, but was still hurt that they had sidelined her. It also infuriated her that they didn’t get Don at all, couldn’t fathom what she was doing with a man who wasn’t interested in money.
Bella walked into the chic hotel bar shortly after 8p.m. and could see Don already perched on a bar stool but, before she could get over to him, she was greeted enthusiastically by her former colleague, Mel.
‘Daaahling, how are you? Looking too foxy. Now come with me, Lucy wants you to meet the mob she’s working with at the moment and Jasper is around somewhere.’
Bella managed a wave at Don before she was bombarded with a flurry of introductions. She set her face to an interested smile and prepared to handshake. Network, network… that’s what this drinks party was all about.
Almost an hour had passed before she finally made it over to see Don.
‘Hello.’ She put her arms round his waist and kissed him on the mouth, tasting whisky.
‘Hello, Bella, you look lovely,’ he said.
‘Speak like a financial whiz but wear an almost see-through top,’ she answered.
‘Killer combination,’ he agreed.
‘Irresistible,’ she said, finally taking a sip from the glass of fizz in her hand.
‘D’you want to stay much longer?’ he asked.
‘A bit longer. I’ll go speak to Jasper and his new buddies, then we’ll make a move. You’re not too bored, are you?’
‘Nooo,’ he answered, ‘I’m chatting to everyone who drifts past. Picking up some sensational stories. You go back to the City hotshots and network for all you are worth.’
When it was finally time to leave, Bella buckled up in her car and sped back home, Don marvelling that she could drive in those heels.
As soon as they were back at the flat, Bella closed the door and pushed him up against it for a long, probing homecoming kiss. She felt him relax as she leaned into him. Slowly Don ran his hands down from her shoulders to her hips, pulling her in close.
As they kissed, he felt for the zip at the back of her skirt and tugged it down so the satin slid into a heap at her feet. He moved his hands down, registering his appreciation that beyond the stocking tops, there was no underwear.
‘Oh, I want you,’ he whispered into her ear.
‘Same,’ she said, putting her hand in his trousers.
‘Bad news though,’ he added between kisses, ‘I have to go away for work this weekend.’
‘No!’ she protested.
‘Yeah, so better enjoy me while I’m here.’