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….”

change the

what is this

see everyone who comes in or out of the building; workers, visitors, delivery men, couriers.… everyone. They all must go by

Choosing his words?

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

“To you?”

You will be my eyes and ears

sip my coffee, digesting his words. “So, you want

That would 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,

suspicion crawl through my stomach. “Is

even when 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 I can’t handle

in a smile. “Yes, Michael did tell me what Marcie said, and it doesn’t faze me. That female has been trying to get her claws into Michael for years. It must have come as a nasty shock to her to realise that some other woman had finally succeeded

laugh. “A

brows, laughter dancing in his eyes.

I

threats to Charlotte, much more

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

“James….”

me more than that. It sounds as though you’re asking me

Other people, myself

What sort of

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

all you want? For me to report what I

all I’m asking

do I

a second panic button has been installed. If you hit that alarm, Kirstie, it will come directly to my phone, and

“Which other people?

“Michael for one….”