AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I don’t remember you being this big-headed last week, you know.’
Lloyd huffs, but looks more embarrassed – admonished – than annoyed. ‘Anyway.I thought I was doing us both a favour, pretending we hadn’t already met. We’d only have had to explain to everyone how we knew each other … and then if people knew we had some kind of …’
‘Connection?’ I suggest, when he trails off, although I’m not sure what to call it either. ‘Fling’ doesn’t do it justice, but ‘history’ feels too expansive for only a single night.
‘Right,’ he says quickly. ‘If they knew that, then there’d probably be rumours that we slept together – and, let’s face it, you don’t want to end up with a reputation that you’re sleeping with me to get ahead, do you?’
I flinch back, speechless.
Because, oh, God, he’s right. As hurtful as his words are,he’s right.If people knew we’d kissed … I don’t want to be associatedthatclosely with Lloyd, not now I know he’s the boss’s son. Otherwise it won’t matter how hard I work this summer, or what I achieve; nobody will think I’ve earned it, not if they can say he was around to help me out. If they know we met before the internship started, they might even think he helped me get here in the first place. One kiss could undermine my entire internship, derail my whole future, just like that.
Lloyd doesn’t say it like any kind of threat, though – more like he really, honestly believes he was doing me a favour by ignoring me. (Which, in hindsight, I suppose he was.)
‘And,’ he continues, ‘I don’t want to just be the guy who fools around with the interns, you know?’
A cold sense of dread creeps up my spine.
‘Notjustthe guy who fools around with the interns,’ I repeat slowly. ‘Has it happened before?’
Lloyd starts to say something, then cuts himself off and tears his gaze away, frowning at the floor. A muscle jumps in his jaw, and his silence tells me everything I need to know.
But I must be a glutton for punishment, because I find myself snapping at him, ‘Do you do that every year, see how many interns you can hook up with before the summer’s over? Is it all some kind of sick joke for you? A game?’
A dark look passes over his face, his green eyes dangerous, his gaze so heavy that this time, it’s me who has to look away. My arms wrap a little tighter around myself and I shuffle backwards.
He isnotthe guy I thought I met on Friday night. Not in the slightest. This guy is callous, pompous, full of himself and his own sense of self-importance.
My spine pulls taut as I straighten up. There’s a lump in my throat and I swallow it down; I think it’s pride.
‘So let me get this straight,’ I say. ‘It’smyfault I didn’t recognizeyou, and you pretended not to knowme rather than just talking to me about any of this because, really, you’re just worried about yourownreputation. Did I get that right?’
Lloyd’s shoulders sag. And all he has to say for himself is: ‘Can you not tell anybody that stuff I told you about not wanting to go back to uni, and not liking my course? And I won’t tell anyone you lied about your age on your application, obviously. I mean, I wouldn’t tell them anyway, but –’
‘Wow.Thank you, Lloyd Fletcher, for being so thoughtful. There’s that oh-so-charming display of chivalry you were so keen to show off last week.’
‘I just meant –’
‘I know exactly what you meant. You know what? You were right, pretending like we’ve never met before. You are the last guy on Earth I’d want to be associated with – boss’s son, or not.’
‘Annalise –’
No, I think, gritting my teeth,he doesn’t get to have this. However well-intentioned he’s convinced himself that he’s being, I’m not stomaching this. He must be so used to people fawning over him, having everything go his way …
Not this time, buddy.
I step up to him, arms falling to my sides. I hopehe can’t see the way my hands shake, and I hope he doesn’t notice that I ball them into fists to try to hide it.
‘Here’s the deal,Fletcher. We both pretend last Friday night never happened, and like we don’t know each other. You don’t tell anybody I lied about my age on my application, and I won’t tell anybody you’re thinking about dropping out of your degree. If I see you around the office, I will be nice to you. We will be civil. We will be polite. Anddon’tthink you’re doing me any favours. You’re not. Got it?’
I can hear my pulse thrumming in my ears after my little tirade and I’m itching to storm off, but I force myself to wait for his response. I need him to acknowledge it, to know that he heard me.
Lloyd searches my face for a moment, and there’s something so familiar about it that it cuts right through me, setting me on the back foot. Then he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing agitatedly, and nods.
‘Got it.’
We go inside separately, an unspoken agreement so the rest of the group don’t notice we were together. I hate to admit it but he’s right – the last thing I want are rumours going around that I’ve been sneaking off for any kind of alone time with the boss’s son. I got this internship on my own merits, and I won’t let anything,not even the boy with the quicksilver smile, take that away from me.
It’s only later, home in my bed, that I realize why that look he gave me at the end of our chat got to me so badly.
