by S M Mala
‘Do you want to talk about your wife?’ she sighed as he stared at her.
‘You think being nice to me will make me change my mind about ‘Good Vibration’?’
‘I think, from what I heard, you had a shit day and maybe, just maybe, you want to share it with someone who really doesn’t give a toss?’ Sylvie smiled as he grinned before feeling the overwhelming despair enveloping.
‘It’s complicated,’ he replied, knocking back his drink.
‘Isn’t it always?’
He woke up not knowing where he was before realising the room was white. Finlay thought he was either dead or in hospital. For the life of him he couldn’t remember anything from the night before, just vaguely talking to someone but nothing more.
Trying hard to prise his eyes open, they felt like they were stuck with glue as well as covered in sand. Slowly he managed to sit up, realising he was wrapped in a duvet and his shoes were at the side as well as a red bucket which had been placed by the end of the sofa, where his head had been.
It was a plain white living room with a television on the wall and he noticed toys and a large mirror over a white fireplace. The blind was drawn and so were the curtains.
He felt like shit and couldn’t focus.
‘Good morning,’ Sylvie said holding a cup out for him as he tried to open his mouth but realised even his throat had lost all its moisture. ‘You’re perfectly safe. I didn’t try and sexually accost you while you were very drunk, even though I am a middle aged, soon to be menopausal, widow. You kept your dignity… sort of.’
‘How bad was I?’ he croaked, looking at the hot brown liquid in the cup, unable to figure out what it was.
‘Put it this way, the local cab firm couldn’t take you home because when asked for your address, you started speaking French. If it had been Gujarati, you’d have had more of a chance.’
‘Where am I?’
‘In my home.’
‘I’ve got to go,’ he said wondering what happened the night before. ‘What did I say?’
‘Nothing I don’t already know.’
Finlay looked up at her and her hair was tied back. She was wearing black sweatpants and vest, her feet in large black slippers. Sylvie looked, sickening, very fresh faced.
‘How comes you’re not hung over? Why are you always dressed in black?’
‘I have an older liver and can hold my drink plus this colour is slimming. I’m also a widow in mourning,’ she smiled sweetly. ‘Do you want to be sick?’
‘I just want to go home,’ he groaned trying to take a sip of the liquid in the cup but not having the energy to do so.
‘I’ll order you a cab,’ she said quietly and walked out the room.
He sat there, feeling paralysed. His mind was racing on what happened and he couldn’t remember anything.
And what did Sylvie know?
Finlay let out a little groan as he heard her talk in the background. She walked back into the room, opening up the curtains and blinds, the light shocking his eyes.
‘Now don’t be scared again,’ she said smiling brightly. ‘You were a little frightened last night when you came here. You said you hadn’t been in a council block in years and when you had, it was for student parties and to score drugs. I’m afraid to say my neighbours, either side, are in their eighties and might be able to rustle up an Oxo cube.’ Finlay frowned as he knew she was taking the piss. ‘Though I hear Shirley upstairs might be growing the stuff. She is in her seventies and has a swagger in her hips due to the replacement.’
He heard the echo of screaming kids from behind him making his head hurt.
‘The children are being taken to class so they can learn more about their Muslim religion. I live below five teenage children and two parents. It’s like a herd of elephants but they want to do right by the kids. They’re moving out soon and the landlord’s going up market… cocaine dealers I believe.’
‘I’ve got to go.’
He didn’t want to stay a moment longer, unable to take in what she was saying and needing to get to his own bed. Finlay stood up and wavered for a bit as Sylvie smiled and sipped her tea.
‘Your cab’s here,’ she said glancing out of the window. ‘I’ll escort you safely out.’
Quickly he put his shoes on and Sylvie walked to the front door. The place was small and there was a staircase to his left. It looked like she was decorating. Finlay focussed on putting on his jacket, checking his for his wallet, phone and keys as she changed her shoes and took a bunch of keys, unlocking the door from the inside.
She opened the door and stepped out as he followed. She lived about twenty metres from a train track and there were leaves all over a section of the ground which was probably a playground. Her home was back to front as the front door was facing the track while the back faced the street.
It was odd.
A bit like Sylvie.
‘Hello,’ Sylvie said to a Somali woman who opened up the doors next to her home and put a bag of rubbish then nodded in response. ‘It’s a communal rubbish bin which I didn’t notice until I moved in, as I was in a rush to buy somewhere. It used to be worse before we all started doing mixed recycling.’
Finlay wanted to get out as she opened the door leading to a dark corridor and then through the security doors. He noticed she was grinning at him but mostly in amusement.
‘I do have antibacterial wipes, just in case you think you’ve picked up a contamination.’
She placed a small pink packet in his hand.
‘Fuck, I must have told you things which you’re going to use against me. Did I?’
‘Go to the cab and get home safely,’ she replied and laughed. ‘God Finlay, you really are an over privileged posh boy, aren’t you?’
Twenty three
She couldn’t stop laughing every time she thought of Finlay on Friday evening. He had such a happy laugh and was very handsome when smiling.
‘He’s not that bad,’ she muttered to herself late Saturday after tucking Daisy in bed and sat down at her laptop.
Sylvie continued to work on her plan.
Finlay was going to find a way to close the company or sell it so she had to act fast.
The new website was launched at midnight on Friday. While Finlay was out cold in the early hours of Saturday morning on her sofa, she checked it over as well as emailing the press releases and booking small adverts on adult websites, which still made her feel a bit giddy when she’d get a pop up telling her about some hot and horny teenage girl in W4 wanting to have sex with her.
As she worked her mind kept racing back to Finlay. He hadn’t told her anything, other than muttering his wife screwed someone else and he wondered if the man’s prick was bigger than his. Sylvie wanted to laugh and did ask him if he was demure in size.
Again, she giggled when remembering the look on his face, as if insulted by her comment before he started to laugh. Then she wondered how big his manhood was before startling herself out of the thought, realising she was probably more sex starved than she’d like to admit.
‘What are you thinking?’ she frowned before typing away at her laptop and trying not to think too hard about Finlay Chambers.
Wednesday morning she hadn’t heard or seen Finlay but Sylvie had far more bigger problems on her hands. Stephen was sitting where Finlay sat, staring hard at her. She had managed to avoid him for a few days but her luck had run out.
‘Why didn’t you say goodbye on Friday?’ he asked looking hurt. ‘Did you disappear with the boss man?’
‘He’s not the boss man, his company lent Piers the money to set this up. Piers is the boss man,’ she replied bluntly and noticed Toby walk past, then pulled an alarmed face seeing who she was with.
Stephen turned and glanced at what she was looking at as Sylvie mouthed ‘help’ and Toby nodded before walking in.
‘Do you mind Toby, this is a private conversation,’ Stephen said crossly as Sylvie watched Toby smile brightly.
‘Nothing’s
private in this place,’ he replied and pulled up a chair next to Sylvie, who tried her hardest not to look too relieved. ‘What were you talking about?’
‘He wanted to know why I didn’t say goodbye on Friday,’ she said quietly while checking emails.
There seemed to be a rise on orders since the weekend. Sylvie smiled for a moment before looking up and seeing Stephen’s annoyed face.
‘She had to look after my drunken brother,’ sighed Toby.
She hadn’t told Toby this, so took it Finlay must have said something.
‘The tyke was so drunk he couldn’t remember where he lived,’ continued the young man. ‘So this lovely, gorgeous, wonderful woman let him stay the night on her sofa. He did say he thought the place where you lived was rather urban.’
‘He meant ‘council’,’ she replied with a laugh. ‘I’ve not seen him since then so I take it he’s still disinfecting himself?’
‘I’ve finished,’ she heard Finlay say as they all looked up and he was standing at the door. Something in Sylvie’s stomach jolted. ‘Can I have my seat back?’
He walked to his desk and she felt happy seeing him but tried her hardest to hide it, only to find Stephen was angrily looking at her.
‘He went back to your home?’ the man said standing up. ‘I don’t even know where you live?’
‘And you wonder why?’ mumbled Toby, who pushed closer to Sylvie. ‘She’d only have to take out an injunction against you for stalking.’
‘I’m really busy,’ she replied, seeing Finlay shake his head from side to side, before sitting down and putting his laptop case on the table.
‘And what did the pair of you get up to?’ Stephen continued. ‘He told me, you see, he said you were all over him.’
‘He said what?’ Sylvie snapped in alarm as she noticed Finlay smile.
‘I had to tell him Sylviana,’ Finlay began. ‘It was pretty obvious over the past few weeks you’ve been giving me the come on. Admit it!’
‘Why you fucker!’ she shouted, standing up. ‘That’s not true and you know it! And don’t you dare call me that name!’
‘Sorry,’ he said with a smirk.
Suddenly there was a bang and Stephen had stormed out the room. Sylvie turned to see Gillian, Elizbieta and Della looking at her from the other office. She sat down quickly and glared at Finlay who started to laugh.
‘Trust me, it’ll get him off your back,’ he said as she turned to Toby who seemed in agreement.
‘Thing is Sly, he wants you on your back and if he realises you’re porking someone else, then he might get the hint,’ sighed Toby, grabbing her hand. ‘Do you want me to pork you just to help out?’
‘No I don’t!’ she said pulling her hand away then slapping his. Again she heard Finlay laugh and realised he was being too cheerful. ‘Thank you for getting rid of him.’
‘Pleasure,’ the man replied as Toby got up and walked out of the office.
He’d annoyed her so much she didn’t want to look at him as he opened his bag, set up his lap top and started to type on his keypad.
Then she received an email from him.
‘Are you really 48?’
‘Jesus!’ she muttered looking over as he stayed focussed on his screen.
Another message came up.
‘Right now you look about 12.’
‘Really?’ Sylvie said shaking her head.
Then another message.
‘Thank you for letting me stay the night on Friday.’
Sylvie opened up the messenger and sent him a message.
‘No one knows about my real age or my birthday and you were no problem at all on Friday. If you’re going to try and annoy me it’s better to use messenger. Stephen has a way of going into all our emails under ‘gvuk’. I realised that when once I emailed Della for pain killers due to my period and he then suddenly appeared with a box of tampons.’
She heard him start to laugh before he typed.
‘I’ll keep your secret. What did I say? I can’t remember much.’
Sylvie smiled at him for a moment as he looked at her, his eyes etched with concern.
‘You were worried about the size of your willy. Don’t worry, you didn’t show me and I’m sure it might have grown over the weekend if you were out and about.’
‘Meeting now!’ shouted out Samina making the pair of them jump as she threw open the door and marched in. ‘Come to meeting room, yes?
‘Are you coming?’ Della said popping her head around the door smiling brightly at Finlay. ‘Hello stranger. Not seen much of you this week.’
Sylvie watched Finlay smile, then nod, before getting to his feet and walking towards the door. She didn’t like the feeling she was getting seeing him with Della.
Jealousy.
‘Ridiculous,’ she muttered catching Samina’s eye. ‘What’s wrong now?’
‘You look funny.’ Samina stepped closer.
‘Unfortunately, that’s how I look.’
‘No Sylvie, you pull funny face I not seen before.’
‘Hot flush,’ she shrugged and quickly walked out to the meeting room, knowing the woman was a like a hawk at discovering things.
When she got there the only seat available was next to Stephen. Finlay was talking to Della as the others chatted and Samina put a plate of biscuits in front of where she was sitting, which was opposite Sylvie.
‘You like chocolate finger,’ Samina said pushing the plate towards her. ‘We all like chocolate finger!’
‘No innuendos, please,’ Sylvie said and noticed Stephen opening his folder. ‘Let’s start.’
‘Business has been exceptionally good and over the weekend,’ announced Stephen. ‘There has been a major surge in orders mainly due to the new website that went live on-.’
‘What new website?’ Finlay asked and turned to look at him then at Sylvie.
‘Stephen!’ snapped Samina. ‘We told it soft new website and not to say anything before it get hard.’
‘Always nice when it gets hard,’ muttered Gillian before laughing.
‘It like voulez-vous this conversation about website and Stephen big mouth,’ sighed Samina, shaking her head.
‘You mean ‘deja vous’ and what website?’ continued Finlay as Sylvie realised he was glaring angrily at her. ‘I didn’t agree to it. I only saw some of the changes.’
‘But you didn’t disagree,’ she said gently and smiled at him only to see his furious green eyes.
‘When did you do this?’
‘The website changed midnight on Friday. You recall Friday, don’t you?’ Stephen said accusingly to Finlay as he rolled his eyes in response. ‘When you were on her sofa, or should I say, on her!’
‘What?’ said Elizbieta, who rarely spoke at a meeting. ‘Who was he on?’
‘Why don’t you ask Sylvie?’ Stephen said turning to look at her as she kept her head down realising he was being an idiot.
‘You not virgin widow anymore?’ asked Samina pretending alarm, as Sylvie looked up at her and shook her head. ‘Finlay give it to you good?’
‘Finlay gave me nothing. He slept on my sofa, which hasn’t got anything to do with anyone,’ she said trying control the scream which was starting to build in her lungs. As she was about to open her mouth she received a full look of annoyance from Della. ‘If you don’t believe me, ask him.’
‘Well, he told me, you were all over him when he first started, like a rash,’ persisted Stephen.
‘Sylvie say she get rash if she use plastic. That why she not use product. We order new vibrator made for sensitive skin,’ Samina said quietly. ‘You not need now if Finlay giving you one.’
‘He’s not giving me one!’ snapped Sylvie before standing up and seeing them all look at her.
Finlay was grinning which put her off.
‘If you want me to, I don’t mind,’ he shrugged. ‘All in a good cause.’
Sylvie noticed Stephen’s horrified expression as he looked up at her.
‘How
could you? How could you do this to me!’ Stephen shouted as Sylvie got her book and slammed it hard on the table.
‘Who I fuck and who I don’t is nothing to do with anyone!’ she barked loudly.
‘Finlay not do her,’ said Samina sadly. ‘She still got hum.’
‘Hump,’ corrected Finlay.
‘I know what I say!’
‘Give me bloody strength,’ Sylvie said under her breath.
‘You didn’t sleep with him?’ asked Stephen full of relief before smiling brightly. ‘I’m sorry Sylvie but I was worried that-.’
‘Be seriously worried I don’t ram a whole box of eight inch dildos up your arse!’ she hissed then heard Gillian laughing hard.
‘Did I miss anything?’ asked Marianne, walking in looking flushed.
‘I’m trying to explain why I did the website re-launch early and no one’s listening to me!’
Sylvie sat back down and realised Stephen was shuffling closer.
Automatically she got her book and hit his arm as he cowered in shock.
‘You re-launched early because you think ‘Chambers Caplin’ is going to close down the company if we don’t start making a large profit,’ sighed Marianne, sitting next to Samina. ‘And you don’t want us to lose our jobs.’
There was silence in the room for a moment as everyone looked at each other.
‘That true Finlay? You want to shut us down?’ asked Samina as Sylvie couldn’t make eye contact with anyone as she didn’t want them to know the truth. ‘And Sylvie, you know this? And how you know this Marianne? You spy?’
‘It’s pretty obvious,’ she shrugged as Sylvie stared at the table. ‘I did a search on ‘Chambers Caplin’. Their portfolio is classy not sassy. And your wife is blindingly gorgeous, Finlay.’
Sylvie looked at him as he sat there motionless, looking directly down at his tablet before moving his finger over the screen.
‘And he’s married Sylvie, so why were you all over him?’ whined Stephen.
Realising the meeting was now a waste of time she took her things, stood up and walked out of the room, going down to the packing section. She stood there for a moment before seeing Pria look at her.
‘The bigger company want to probably close this little outlet as they don’t think it’s good enough compared to their other high end brands. I started the re-launch of the website to show them we could make money,’ she said quietly, noticing Dan and Krystof were listening. ‘I don’t know how long we’ve got but I want it to work. Tell the others when they’re not bitching about one thing or another.’
