AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She halted at the top of the stairs and gazed through the soundproof glass into the control room. Joseph was in there all alone, just as the receptionist had said. He was working late, sitting in front of the mixing desk with his headpho
nes on – looking very pro. Eleanor knew he’d currently be going back over what the sound engineer had done today and removing the bits he didn’t like. Matthew would find out tomorrow and he’d be furious. It was a game the two of them played daily. The trouble was, Joseph seemed to enjoy it much more than Matthew.
She stood outside glass door and watched, not wanting to disturb him. He was so handsome. She totally understood why all those young women loved him so much. But for some reason he’d decided that he liked her. She knew it wasn’t going anywhere beyond sex – he was a rock-god, for goodness sake. And she was engaged. It could never develop into a relationship. Matthew was an asshole, and Eleanor knew she needed to break up with him. But that didn’t mean she should get involved with Joseph. That delightful young man who was sitting there so studiously right now was one massive potential heartache. And she couldn’t stand the thought of the inevitable agony.
So she needed to be strong and tell him that their relationship from now on would be purely professional.
She crept inside the glass door and loitered, as he remained engrossed in the music. She cleared her throat. His body tensed, ready to fight this late-night intruder. He turned slowly in the leather swivel chair, with his handsome face set to an expression of tough resilience. Then, as his gaze fell on her, his demeanour softened with affectionate surprise.
He grinned, remaining ever supercool. “Good evening, Ellie.”
“Hi. Working late?”
“Yeah… I never seem to stop.”
“Especially when you’re changing things you’re not supposed to be?”
He chuckled, making his face light up. “Busted… Did you have a nice day? It started well, right? Waking up in each other’s arms like that.”
“Yeah... But, Joseph, last night was a mistake.”
He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh really? You came all the way here to tell me that?”
“Would you prefer it if I’d called?”
His expression fell serious. “No, definitely not… don’t leave any messages on my phone okay?”
“Why?”
Joseph stood up and halted in front of her. She half-hoped he might kiss her, but instead he said, “I think my phone’s been tapped.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Your new boss – Gerald Stinger.” Joseph grabbed the newspaper and showed her the gossip column.
She skim-read it. “So? There’s nothing too bad in there – apart from his crimes against grammar. But I hardly think playing poker and having a crush on a woman is much to worry about.”
“No, it’s not the content – it’s how he discovered it. I left a message for my brother last night saying those exact things. And as for the woman…” He smirked. “You know that’s you, right?”
Eleanor’s heart thumped with passionate terror. Joseph had been talking to his brother about her? Oh god! She forced herself to harden against him. “You didn’t mention my name, did you?”
“No. Aren’t you surprised that your boss has been accessing my voicemails?”
“Well… not really. He’s pretty ruthless.”
“But it’s an invasion of my privacy.”
“Have you told the cops?”
Joseph threw her a doubtful look. “I’m sure the NYPD have got better things to do than worry about my phone being tapped. I’ll just change my number.”
“Do you want me to find out more about this?”
“Do you think he’d tell you? You’re his intern, right?”
“Yeah, but maybe I can subtly investigate.” She chuckled cynically. “Wouldn’t it be funny if my dream to be an investigative journalist ended up with me investigating my new employers!”
Joseph grinned. “That would be ironic….” He gazed at her and smiled. “It’s great to see you. So you’ve come back for round two, huh?”
