Choosing Her Lover

“Us?”

“Charlotte, myself and Michael.”

“Right, so….?

“I’ve been quite impressed with your performance….”

Really?

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I liked the way you dealt the situation out on the street the other day, and Ben in the downstairs lobby; even, dare I say it, the situation when Ben dragged you to our home, although I’ll admit, that’s with the benefit of hindsight.”

I flush. “You didn’t seem very impressed at the time.”

He rolls his eyes ceiling-ward. “Yes, I’ve never apologised for that, have I….”

“I don’t think you have a lot to apologise for, Sir. I feel terrible about it….”

“Well, get over it. It’s in the past. I want to talk about where we go from here. It seems to me that you handle yourself rather well in awkward situations and that being the case, I have a favour to ask of you.”

What’s he talking about?

“Right…. what is this favour?”

Perhaps I look suspicious. For a moment, he meets my eyes, his gaze level, expressionless; then he says, “Don’t misunderstand my motives, Kirstie. I’m not about to go dipping my nib in the office ink. It would be horribly unprofessional of me, and also, regardless of what Ben might think, I’m a married man.”

I flush. “I didn’t mean that at all.”

“Good. But for the avoidance of doubt….”

to change the

is

a key position. You see everyone who comes in or out of the building; workers, visitors, delivery men, couriers.… everyone. They all must go by you. You also see a lot of what passes by the building or happens in front of it. You spotted Ben the other day as he was crossing the road.” He pauses,

Choosing his words?

what you already do naturally and as part of your job, but do it deliberately and report back

“To you?”

will be my

digesting his words. “So, you want me to…. what? Be a spy for

imply that I’m asking you to do something underhand or illegal and that’s not it at all. Really, all I’m asking you to do is something which comes easily to you, which is to watch the people around us for any kind of threat. I think you are a ‘people-person’, good at assessing them, weighing them up, gauging their intent. That’s perfect in any case in the work you are doing. But now, it will be part of your

suspicion crawl through my stomach. “Is this just

I have to take Michael’s feelings into consideration. Despite Marcie’s remarks to the contrary, I am not so far over the hill that

me what Marcie said, and it doesn’t faze me. That female has been trying to get

“A woman

brows, laughter dancing in his eyes.

what am I watching for,

threats to Charlotte, much

clutches. There is a cool smoothness to his words that leaves me thinking of the proverbial swan;

“James….”

think you have to tell me more than that. It sounds

I’m not asking that of you. Other people, myself included, will deal with any threat you

sort of

“I wish I could answer that, but I can’t. In short, I want you to watch for anything that….” He holds up both hands in a gesture of helplessness, “…. anything that doesn’t seem right. Odd strangers, people behaving

you want? For me to report what I

all

how do I make

will find a second panic button has been installed. If you hit that

“Which other people?

“Michael for one….”