“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

what is

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

Choosing his words?

to do what you already do naturally and as part of your

“To you?”

be my

coffee, digesting his words. “So, you

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,

crawl through my stomach. “Is this just about

I have to take Michael’s feelings into consideration. Despite Marcie’s remarks to

to get her claws into Michael for

laugh. “A woman

his brows, laughter

I watching

other threats to

cool smoothness to his words that leaves me thinking of the proverbial swan; all calm grace above water,

“James….”

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

asking that of you. Other people, myself included, will deal

sort

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

me to

all I’m asking

do I make these

If you hit that alarm, Kirstie, it will come directly to

“Which other people?

“Michael for one….”

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