AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d patted the bedside cabinet not able to find it. With only one eye open, I realised it wasn’tthere.
“Shit,” I said, as the previous evening started to replay in mymind.
Cocktails, lots of cocktails, no food, and then…Ohno!
Despite the banging in my head, I’d swung my legs from the bed and walked to the kitchen. I used my foot to sweep the phone from under the table and cursed at the cracked screen as I crouched to pick itup.
I scrolled back through my text messages. “Oh, fuck,” I said,again.
I filled a glass with water and opened one of the drawers grabbing a blister pack of pain relief. I swallowed down two, set the kettle to boil, and took the glass of water to the bathroom. Hopefully, a shower would sort meout.
I nearly screeched when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. Black mascara lined the underneath of my eyes. Red lipstick stained not only my lips but also the skin around them. My hair was a tangled mess. I was still dressed in the previous night’s clothing that were crumpled andcreased.
I stripped and stepped into the shower. I soaped myself, head to toe, and washed away the previous night’s excess. As I stood and selected what to wear, I gave myself a mental slap on the arse. I would not feel guilty about going out and getting drunk, nor would I feel apologetic for sending daft textmessages.
* * *
“Good morning, Jenny,”I said, as I passed herdesk.
She wore dark glasses. “You’re chirpy this morning,” shesaid.
“Lightweight,” I teased, as I continued to walk to myoffice.
I switched my phone to silent and placed it in a drawer, I didn’t want to be tempted to checkit.
I got on with my work, surprising myself that I wasn’t that far behind from taking a weekend off. Maybe I wasn’t as overloaded with work as I’d made myselfbelieve.
I’d worked through lunch and it was late afternoon that my stomach started toprotest.
“I’m just popping to the sandwich shop, do you want anything?” I asked Jenny as Ipassed.
“No, I’veeaten.”
The sandwich shop was next to our office block, it wasn’t somewhere I visited regularly, but it was close enough to grab a quick bite to eat. When I returned Jenny beckoned meover.
“You have a visitor,” shewhispered.
I looked towards my office, the door was shut and the vertical blinds covering the glass wall were obscuring any viewin.
“Who?”
“Mr. Miller,” she said, then raised her eyebrows. “And your meeting today wascancelled.”
“What does hewant?”
“Coffee, for two, and a packet ofAdvil.”
“Maybe he has a headache. Best not keep him waiting,” Isaid.
My stomach churned as I placed my hand on the door handle, and I took a deep breath in as I opened the door. He was standing with his back to me, looking out over the Londonskyline.
“Lock the door, Lauren,” hesaid.
“Excuseme?”
He slowly turned. “Lock the door, a simplerequest.”
“No. This is myoffice.”
