under the rose-splashed pillow and satin-quilted bedspread of George and Pauline’s guest room. Cleo laughed. ‘I didn’t need them.’
Gav’s voice dropped. ‘They smell of you.’
‘That’s reasonable.’
‘I like them. I was thinking …’ But he broke off without sharing his thought. ‘You know I love you?’
‘Mmm.’ For a stinging moment, she actually felt sorry for Gav; for this new, uncertain Gav, anyway, trying to coax a loving reaction out of her. And failing. It was a new sensation. She hoped that this weirdness would fade soon and she’d go back to being glad to hear his voice and touch his skin. Approaching chatter in the corridor outside forewarned her that her time alone was up. ‘The group’s coming back. Must go.’
Justin was enjoying himself enormously, watching Cleo and how excruciatingly conscious she was of him. When he’d realised Cleo was ‘the training woman’ taking the seminar, a huge bubble of delight had lodged in his chest. And her expression when she’d noticed him! The shock-horror. Brilliant. A real ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ moment.
During the afternoon break, from his place in the coffee queue he watched her shunt armchairs into a circle at the back of the room before fetching one of the taller, straight-backed chairs and reserving it with her handbag. Her mobile, the one he’d carried around for almost a week, peeped out from a side pocket.
She raised her voice – ‘Let’s wind down in the comfy chairs’ – and turned to accept the coffee that Bernadette – she would – had poured for her.
Justin took the seat dead opposite Cleo’s.
Funny – and infuriating and frustrating – how he’d missed her. How could he miss someone after a mere fling? He couldn’t. But he had. Tucking away the kitchen stool she’d used, snapping shut the lid on the shampoo she’d massaged through her hair, drying himself with the towel that had wrapped her body, her absence had been a palpable thing.
Discovering her mobile phone in his bedroom had temporarily broken his mood and he’d thrown his head back and laughed in gleeful anticipation of her efforts to retrieve it.
Later, he’d felt a deep, malicious satisfaction at giving her a right bollocking in that shop doorway. He had been so pissed off with the way she’d twisted the truth regarding her married status. He’d enjoyed turning his back on her; he wasn’t accustomed to being used by women and it didn’t sit well.
But he was also half regretful that she hadn’t agreed to sex. He would’ve abandoned the Mr Angry stuff in a moment.
Cleo’s voice cut into his thoughts. ‘OK, if you’ll all sit down …’ She was careful with her just-on-the-knee dress as she took the chair that gave her six inches of height above everyone else.
He looked at her legs.
She flicked a glance at him. ‘We’re all guilty, sometimes, of not listening to each other . We’re busy. Our thoughts are elsewhere. We’re not interested.’
She smiled around, engaging every member of the group. She was the moon and they were the waves, Justin thought: she could draw them along with her. ‘A general understanding of co-workers promotes ease and helps dispel time-wasting antagonism. You don’t have to like a colleague but you do have to communicate effectively with them to get your job done efficiently, and tolerance is part of team building. Harmony promotes respect. Not that I’m suggesting four-hour gossips on the firm’s time, nor a barrage of deeply personal enquiries!’
Laughter, and Phil pointing accusingly at Holly.
Cleo grinned. ‘It’s a question of good business practice and achieving objectives, higher morale and increased levels of satisfaction. You spend too much time at work to make it miserable for yourself.
‘And now we’re going to explore how we feel giving a minute’s thought to a colleague, to learn a little more about them than we already knew.’
She crossed her knees. He dropped his gaze back to
Gav’s voice dropped. ‘They smell of you.’
‘That’s reasonable.’
‘I like them. I was thinking …’ But he broke off without sharing his thought. ‘You know I love you?’
‘Mmm.’ For a stinging moment, she actually felt sorry for Gav; for this new, uncertain Gav, anyway, trying to coax a loving reaction out of her. And failing. It was a new sensation. She hoped that this weirdness would fade soon and she’d go back to being glad to hear his voice and touch his skin. Approaching chatter in the corridor outside forewarned her that her time alone was up. ‘The group’s coming back. Must go.’
Justin was enjoying himself enormously, watching Cleo and how excruciatingly conscious she was of him. When he’d realised Cleo was ‘the training woman’ taking the seminar, a huge bubble of delight had lodged in his chest. And her expression when she’d noticed him! The shock-horror. Brilliant. A real ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ moment.
During the afternoon break, from his place in the coffee queue he watched her shunt armchairs into a circle at the back of the room before fetching one of the taller, straight-backed chairs and reserving it with her handbag. Her mobile, the one he’d carried around for almost a week, peeped out from a side pocket.
She raised her voice – ‘Let’s wind down in the comfy chairs’ – and turned to accept the coffee that Bernadette – she would – had poured for her.
Justin took the seat dead opposite Cleo’s.
Funny – and infuriating and frustrating – how he’d missed her. How could he miss someone after a mere fling? He couldn’t. But he had. Tucking away the kitchen stool she’d used, snapping shut the lid on the shampoo she’d massaged through her hair, drying himself with the towel that had wrapped her body, her absence had been a palpable thing.
Discovering her mobile phone in his bedroom had temporarily broken his mood and he’d thrown his head back and laughed in gleeful anticipation of her efforts to retrieve it.
Later, he’d felt a deep, malicious satisfaction at giving her a right bollocking in that shop doorway. He had been so pissed off with the way she’d twisted the truth regarding her married status. He’d enjoyed turning his back on her; he wasn’t accustomed to being used by women and it didn’t sit well.
But he was also half regretful that she hadn’t agreed to sex. He would’ve abandoned the Mr Angry stuff in a moment.
Cleo’s voice cut into his thoughts. ‘OK, if you’ll all sit down …’ She was careful with her just-on-the-knee dress as she took the chair that gave her six inches of height above everyone else.
He looked at her legs.
She flicked a glance at him. ‘We’re all guilty, sometimes, of not listening to each other . We’re busy. Our thoughts are elsewhere. We’re not interested.’
She smiled around, engaging every member of the group. She was the moon and they were the waves, Justin thought: she could draw them along with her. ‘A general understanding of co-workers promotes ease and helps dispel time-wasting antagonism. You don’t have to like a colleague but you do have to communicate effectively with them to get your job done efficiently, and tolerance is part of team building. Harmony promotes respect. Not that I’m suggesting four-hour gossips on the firm’s time, nor a barrage of deeply personal enquiries!’
Laughter, and Phil pointing accusingly at Holly.
Cleo grinned. ‘It’s a question of good business practice and achieving objectives, higher morale and increased levels of satisfaction. You spend too much time at work to make it miserable for yourself.
‘And now we’re going to explore how we feel giving a minute’s thought to a colleague, to learn a little more about them than we already knew.’
She crossed her knees. He dropped his gaze back to
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