“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

is this

man the lobby desk right through the day. You are in a key position. You see everyone who comes in or out of the building; workers, visitors, delivery men, couriers.… everyone. They all must

Choosing his words?

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

“To you?”

You will be my eyes

his words. “So, you want me to…. what? Be

a spy. 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

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 I can’t handle a lightweight like

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

laugh. “A woman

his brows, laughter

I

to Charlotte, much more

of the proverbial

“James….”

It sounds as though you’re asking me to

people, myself included, will deal with any

What sort

passing over his features. “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

you want? For me to report

that’s all I’m asking

do I make these

you hit that

“Which other people?

“Michael for one….”

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