Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 104138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
I don’t understand why she wants to speak with me privately and I’m nervous as I take a seat at her desk. “Did I do something wrong?”
“There is no email.”
Now I’m even more confused.
“Are you sleeping with James Holden?”
Whoa. I consider Stacey a friend but I don’t feel like I’ve known her long enough to be so blunt. Evidently, she feels differently.
“What?”
“It’s something Mike said last week. I thought nothing of it at first, but then there’s the way you defended him to Ed. I’ve seen the way you look at each other, too.”
I don’t look at him like anything. Do I? “Mike’s a bellend. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“So you’re not sleeping with him?”
I sweep a finger under my collar because it suddenly feels like it’s choking me. Christ, I’m uncomfortable, but I’m not mad at her. She sounds concerned rather than nosey or interfering.
Still, her worry, if that’s what it is, baffles me. “It’s not how you think it is.” I realise how lame that sounds as soon as I’ve said it. “He’s a good guy, Stacey. I like him.”
Stacey sighs. Her smile is small, sympathetic, almost like she feels sorry for me. “Really?” She sounds surprised. “He’s a bit of a miserable sod don’t you think?”
“I know how he comes across. I couldn’t stand him at first.” Just thinking about him makes me smile. “But he’s fun underneath.”
“Fun? James Holden is fun?” Giggling, she shakes her head.
“He is! He has an amazing laugh. Throaty. Genuine. He’s smart, too. Quick-witted. And he sings like all the time.”
“You’re taking the piss.”
“I’m not! I don’t know why he doesn’t show it more, but I’m telling you he’s a great guy.”
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she chews on her lip as if she’s concentrating, summoning more questions. “When…I mean how…Most people here have known him for years and he’s just ‘the boss’ to us. He’s never exchanged a friendly word with anyone. He’s strictly business, unless he fucks you of course, but as soon as that’s out the way he reverts straight back into conceited CEO mode.”
I fight the scowl that wants to crawl onto my face. I know all about James’ indiscretions, hell, everyone does. That doesn’t mean I like being reminded.
“Even before he made CEO he was a pretentious arse. How do you know him so well? And after just a few weeks?”
“I literally have no idea.” I start to chuckle because, honestly, nobody is more surprised than me. “Remember David Gandy that first night you went to the village?”
“The guy you saw in the bathroom?”
“Yeah. Well what you don’t know is later that night, I kinda had sex with him. What you also don’t know is that David Gandy is in fact James Holden.”
“No!” Her jaw drops open, any further and it would smack the floor. “But oh my God you’re right! I never saw it before but he does have a look of him.”
“You can imagine my surprise when I saw him here the following Monday.”
“Sooo,” she begins, drawing out the word. “He remembered you and you just hit it off?”
“Well, my car broke down that same Monday. James saw me and offered to give me a lift home. Then somehow he ended up picking me up every morning while it was in for repair and every day I started to enjoy being with him a little more.”
“You drive to work? In city traffic?”
“I hate public transport.” I shake my head as if somehow it will unscramble my thoughts, help me make sense of things. “There’s just something there. A connection. A spark. I can’t explain it. I know it sounds stupid.”
“It doesn’t,” she says. “It sounds…” she breaks off, looking to the ceiling as if she’ll find the answer she’s looking for written on it. “Kind of special. I just can’t get my head around the fact it’s James Holden you’re talking about.”
“I’m not doing it for a promotion,” I feel obliged to say. That’s what Mike thinks and, no doubt, so would a lot of others if they found out.
“Oh, Theo, I know that. We wouldn’t be friends if I thought you were that kind of lad. Why do you think I don’t talk to Mike unless my job requires it?”
Huh? Wait…
Stacey sucks both of her lips between her teeth like she wants to eat her own mouth rather than elaborate.
“Are you saying Mike and…James…” The words that should follow taste bitter on my tongue so I swallow them back down.
“I’m sorry, Theo. I didn’t think. Me and my big gob. It’s common knowledge around here. I forget you’ve not been here that long. You know Holden’s reputation though. Don’t you? Crap, you didn’t, did you?”
“Stace-”
“Oh God I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“Digging a giant hole?” An inexplicable heaviness descends on my stomach but I force a smile.
Of course I know about his reputation. Hell, even Ed has slept with him. But Mike? The image that won’t leave my mind makes me feel a little sick. I don’t just want to hate him like I did with James, I genuinely despise the smarmy bastard.
“Chill out, Stacey. I’m okay with it.” At least I will be. This shouldn’t be news to me. It’s probably safer to assume James has slept with every man in Manchester and consider it a bonus if I discover otherwise.
“He’s not a threat, I’m sure. I’ve never particularly thought of Holden as a man with many morals but he’s not stupid. You’re a good lad, Theo.”
I smile, but I’m not sure it’s convincing. Knowing about Mike doesn’t sit well with me but I’m most definitely not threatened by him. The only person who remains a threat to our relationship, if that’s even what we have, is James himself.
“Honestly, don’t worry about it,” I assure her, because I mean it. If it really is common knowledge, I’d have found out about it sooner or later.
“If it makes you feel any better, as far as I know, it was a couple of years ago when Holden first started working for his dad.”