Chapter 18

What had promised to be a lovely, fun evening turned out to be truly terrible. Despite Zak’s warning, or maybe because of it, Lauren had drunk too much and was now maudlin.

Georgia was beautiful, funny, flirty and she had Jude. It wasn’t fair. Life wasn’t fair. She’d done her best, Lauren thought. She’d kept her side of the bargain. She’d never wanted to fall in love with Jude, but he’d been so persuasive. He’d pursued her, not the other way around.

Lauren had watched, tortured, as the couple had circulated round the room, chatting to the various groups of staff, moving ever closer towards her. She’d tried to keep one step ahead of them, but now there was nowhere to run. Jude was in front of her, holding Georgia’s hand. ‘Everything all right, Lauren?’

Nodding, she turned on her brightest smile. ‘Hello, Jude. Georgia.’

Jude’s wife touched her arm gently and Lauren’s skin crawled with shame. ‘It’s lovely to see you again.’

Lauren said nothing, words stuck in her throat.

‘I keep saying to Jude that you’ll have to come over to our house sometime for dinner, with your young man.’

There’s no young man, she wanted to say. Only your husband. That would force Jude’s hand, she thought. What if she said something right now? Brought it all out into the open once and for all?

Then Zak was at her side again. She wondered if Georgia thought that she and Zak were an item. Did she think that he was her ‘young man’? He had been particularly attentive tonight. Telling her stupid jokes to make her laugh. Trying to make her pause between drinks.

She slipped an arm round Zak’s waist and leaned against him flirtily. Jude’s face darkened. ‘That would be nice,’ she said, and her voice sounded considerably more calm than she felt. ‘We must arrange it.’

‘We should circulate, darling,’ Jude said, and tugged at his wife’s hand.

He and Georgia moved on to the next group of people.

‘Come on,’ Zak said close to her ear. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’

‘Just as fast as you can,’ she agreed and they left. Only once did she glance back to see Jude with his arm round his wife, laughing, having fun.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lauren’s legs were buckling as they crossed the office and she wasn’t sure that it was all to do with the drink. She held on to Zak.

‘Oops a daisy,’ he said, and hauled her up. She started to giggle when she really wanted to cry.

Behind them, the boardroom door closed and they turned to see Jude striding across the room towards them.

‘Here comes trouble,’ Zak whispered.

‘Are you going home with him?’ Jude hissed under his breath as he got close to them.

‘Yes,’ Lauren answered a bit squiffily.