by S M Mala
She knew her mouth was half open as she deleted his comment while Stephen walked up to her desk.
‘What do you think about my proposition?’ Finlay asked with his business face on. ‘I think it’s a perfect solution.’
‘I don’t need a solution.’
‘Based on that discussion, I certainly want a solution.’
‘Are you trying to wind me up?’
‘I’m trying to relax you,’ he said with a mischievous smile.
‘Can we please talk?’ Stephen said, distracting her for a moment.
‘When the coffee man turns up we’ll talk outside,’ she replied then watched Samina walk straight into the office and glare at Finlay for a few moments.
‘You want tea? I not make for the sheep in wolf clothing. I not like him,’ she said avoiding eye contact.
‘We’re safe until the end of next year, give or take a few things,’ Sylvie said seeing Samina do a double take. ‘So work hard and we’ll prove this man wrong.’
‘As soon as I see the coffee cart, I’ll come and get you,’ Stephen replied seriously as she nodded and waited for him to leave the office.
Samina then took it on herself to walk to Sylvie’s desk and sit on it, looking at Finlay. Sylvie waited to see what the woman would do and there was silence for a few minutes as the man being stared at by the both of them, seemed oblivious as he was typing something.
‘And what can I do for you Samina?’ he asked before smiling up at her.
‘I like you. You break my heart yesterday. I thought I never able get man if you close this place down. Now you give me chance to make him fall in love with me,’ sighed Samina as Sylvie smiled at the woman’s plan.
She wondered if she should warn Matthew of the old lady’s intention so he could make a fast exit.
‘Stephen?’ smiled Finlay and she noticed he looked at her for a second. ‘Or are you keeping it a secret?’
‘I want husband number five,’ she said gravely. ‘It written in stars.’
‘Daily Star,’ sighed Sylvie, receiving a filthy look from Samina. ‘Sorry.’
‘You need a man and stop dressing like undertaker. Tell her Finlay. She need fun and to live, not dry up like old prune and lady juices all suck back in. You got friend for her? I worry she go for Stephen if she desperate!’
Samina got off the desk and went to Finlay, grabbing his face and kissing him on the cheeks.
Then she stopped and sniffed his skin before stepping back.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked touching his cheeks.
‘Something good! I smell in air!’ Samina said cheerfully and walked towards the door. ‘Stay with Sylvie when she talk to Stephen. That man up to something and he want to shove it up her when she not look.’
For the next hour, Sylvie found herself running around the place due to all sorts of issues. She was relieved not to sit in the office with Finlay who seemed totally engrossed in his computer.
Her head was spinning and she knew it was about what happened in the morning. If she was any other person, she’d have instantly agreed to becoming his shag buddy, but she wasn’t. It was apparent it would be a sex only set up and she figured out he was probably in dire need of a screw, based on what she felt between her legs that morning.
It had been a long time since she felt one of those.
‘Sylvie, the coffee man’s here,’ she heard Stephen shout as she walked out of the warehouse, followed by the others and queued.
Stephen was standing very close to her and the next thing she knew, Finlay had pushed in and was standing behind her. She turned and noticed his blank expression as he looked at the coffee menu then glanced at her before speaking to Della, who seemed stuck against his back.
Then something surprised her.
Finlay was discreetly stroking the exposed skin on her arm and this was making her tingle.
She knew he was teasing as she tried to pull away but he continued while Stephen thrust a coffee into her hand and dragged her from the others. It felt like it was starting to rain.
‘I can’t do this,’ Stephen began and she noticed his earnest expression. ‘I need to tell you because if I don’t, I’ll burst.’
‘Please don’t burst but equally please don’t tell me something that I might not like.’
Sylvie sipped her coffee.
‘I love you.’
She choked.
The next thing she realised, she was coughing very hard and Finlay was slapping her back, which in turn made the coffee fall out from her hand, as she spluttered some more.
‘Sylvie, you alright?’ asked Samina, also slapping her. ‘What you do Stephen?’
‘I told her I loved her and then she choked!’ he said aghast.
‘I choke if you tell me!’ exclaimed Samina as Sylvie started to laugh while she was bent over double, only to see Finlay bending down to look at her with a grin. ‘Leave her. Let me look after Sylvie. She got very delicate stomach and you make it churn.’
Sylvie choked some more but this time knew Stephen would know it was at his expense.
‘Let me take you back in Stephen,’ she heard Finlay say and watched the two pair of legs walk away as Sylvie stood up and roared with laughter.
‘That made my day! You should do stand-up comedy, Samina,’ she gasped.
‘You sure I made your day?’ the woman replied, sniffing Sylvie before eyeing her suspiciously and glanced over at Finlay before looking at her straight in the eye. ‘Or was it sheep?’
Twenty four
Since she left on Thursday, Finlay hadn’t heard from Sylvie. On Friday she sent a message via Della that she couldn’t come in as her daughter had a stomach bug.
Finlay was now left with an unexpected problem.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her since the incident in the edit room and he put it down to lack of sex. Every time he closed his eyes, he’d remember her mouth and tongue, touching her very soft and smooth skin but ultimately grinding his hard on into her crotch.
It was passion he hadn’t experienced for a long time and it threw him.
This wasn’t something he’d expected to happen but as he analysed it, he wondered if it was because she wouldn’t really be an issue, therefore complications were limited. Her age, her job, her circumstances and even the fact she was a similar colour to the chef his wife had screwed, all took a pivotal reason for him wanting her.
She would accept it as something without strings, if she ever agreed for it to go further and he really hoped she did. Finlay had a plan to make sure as he was going to work with her until the end of the year and he needed a distraction… from his estranged wife… and the baby which may or may not be his.
Then he wondered if it went wrong what would happen before shrugging in the knowledge he could always go somewhere else if it did, plus he was ultimately going to close the place down.
Sunday night he was literally chomping on the bit as he looked at his lap top then noticed she sent him a message via the email knowing he wouldn’t open it until Monday. It was done about two hours earlier.
‘Hello Finlay. Daisy isn’t 100% so I’ll keep her home on Monday. If you need me just email but I’ll be working so I should be able to cover any problems. S.’
Shockingly, he felt devastated he wasn’t going to see her so he replied.
‘I need your mobile number.’
Then he received a text without a message and realised it must be hers. She had his mobile details. Finlay waited for a moment before sending another message.
‘Can I call you?’
His phone started to ring and he realised it was from her.
‘Hello,’ Sylvie said and he couldn’t breathe for a moment, not knowing why. He felt nervous and excited. ‘Finlay, is that you?’
‘Yes,’ he gulped trying to control his erratic behaviour. ‘How’s your daughter?’
‘If you ever have children make sure they get disinfected. Poor thing has been ill since Thursday night and only managed to
eat something today. She’ll be well for Tuesday but I want to keep an eye on her.’ Her voice was cheerful and light. ‘Did you have a nice weekend?’
‘Good and you?’ he replied, before realising he didn’t know what to say and felt tongue tied. Then he heard her laughing and smiled. ‘Are we being polite?’
‘It’s called making small talk.’
‘I don’t know why I kissed you,’ he blurted out. ‘I just did and it was nice.’ Again she laughed. ‘It was really very nice.’
‘Finlay, you’re on the rebound as you’re angry with your wife. You’d have kissed Krystof if he was sitting next to you. I know that and you know it too,’ she said gently. ‘We’re at battle over the company but you don’t have to use seduction techniques to win me over. When you smile and laugh, that’s good enough.’
Her comment made him crumble inside as it was kind.
‘I just feel so alone,’ he said honestly, looking at his laptop. ‘And I’m not sure about what’s going on back home. It’s really complicated.’
‘You told me that already,’ she said and sighed. ‘I know you don’t want to do the ‘personal’ thing but why don’t you just try it with me? I can listen. I know what it’s like to hurt so at least I understand.’
It was horrible, the lump in his throat.
He knew he was going to cry and it was her caring words starting him off.
‘I’ll let you go so you can get a good night’s sleep before hitting the mental house tomorrow,’ she said quietly, as if she knew he was upset and hung up.
Finlay felt the tears drop down his cheek, knowing he wanted something, anything, to deflect what he was feeling right now. Then he noticed she sent a message.
‘I get lonely too and sometimes I just want someone to hold me, to makes it better. That’s all.’
He replied.
‘I want someone to hold me now and tell me it’s all going to be okay.’
She replied.
‘I’ll hold you and tell you, if you want. But it’s never ‘okay’ it’s something a little less than that. Goodnight. x’
And Finlay realised, he wanted her to do it.
The following day, he’d never seen anything so frantic. Orders were coming in and everyone, except Elizbieta and Stephen, were down on the floor packing.
‘Hurry up!’ said Matthew impatiently, waiting to take the parcels to the post office. ‘Man, ya workin’ slow!’
‘If Stephen not try to choke Sylvie, then we go faster,’ Samina said shaking her head furiously. ‘You sure she not dead Finlay?’
‘Her daughter’s getting better and she wanted to make sure she was well enough for school tomorrow,’ he said, feeling exhausted and it was only coming up to two in the afternoon. ‘This is crazy!’
‘We make money and show you we good business,’ said Samina proudly.
Finlay stepped back for a moment and watched them all put their heads down and work. He was silently in awe at how they gelled and, even though he wasn’t being truly helpful, he wanted to be part of it.
‘Finlay whyd’ya live in France? It’s full of French people, innit?’ asked Pria as she doubled checked an order off her computer. ‘I don’t like France, prefer Greece.’
‘That because you like girl with moustache,’ said Samina knowingly. ‘Lot of facial hair.’
‘How comes I don’t fancy you then?’ sniggered the younger woman as Gillian started to laugh.
‘I thread and bleach,’ replied Samina. ‘So where your wife? She not like London? I love London. Good place to live.’
‘Expensive place to live,’ sighed Marianne, shifting some boxes off the shelf. ‘I nay can afford to buy a property! Too dear around here.’
‘You must have property,’ asked Samina as she stood closer to Finlay. ‘In France?’
‘I have property in France, yes,’ he replied, feeling uncomfortable. ‘And other places as an investment.’
‘I have four houses in Hounslow, Staines and Osterley. Good rental market round there,’ said Samina and Finlay tried to hide his shock at her being a woman of land. ‘I not need to work but I want to do something because I stay at home counting all my money and it boring.’
‘And you’re fiddling the tax man, innit!’ laughed Pria. ‘Plus her kids are sick of her interferin’ with their lives they literally begged her to go and get a job!’
‘My five daughters love me!’
‘Four daughters and a son,’ corrected Pria as she groaned at something on the screen. ‘Bloody hell, more orders comin’ in. How are we expected to cope?’
‘Sylvie told me she might offer us overtime,’ said Gillian, then Finlay noticed she frowned for a moment. ‘But I think she wanted to check it with you first.’
‘I’m sure she did,’ he sighed and realised he desperately wanted to see her. ‘Is she a good boss?’
There was silence for a moment as he looked around at the faces, all turning away or pretending to work. He laughed and shook his head.
‘She a lovely woman and fair,’ said Dan in his thick polish accent. ‘Sylvie make sure we all have proper document and sort for us. Piers good man too.’
‘No, seriously, don’t touch me!’ he heard his brother say before running towards them, looking red faced.
Finlay realised Wanda was behind him and seemed sheepish.
‘He gets all nervous when he’s around me,’ she said cheerfully holding a box. ‘I only wanted him to feel the vibrating thong.’
‘What she saying?’ Toby whispered to Samina. ‘Tell her to speak English.’
‘She say she want you to get into her little knickers,’ said Samina shaking her head from side to side as Toby frowned and Wanda gave him a cheeky smile. ‘She a bad woman.’
Toby stood next to Finlay and pretended to shuffle a few boxes while giving Wanda evil stares. He looked at his little brother’s red cheeks and smiled as the woman walked away and back up to the edit suite
‘When Sylvie comes back in I’m going to complain about her. She keeps coming on to me,’ he whispered. ‘It’s not fair I have to work with her and she locks the door and makes me touch those things which I know she’s put somewhere else.’ He pulled a face and shook his head. ‘It’s sexual harassment and it’s pervy.’
‘I tell you what pervy,’ said Samina in a cheerful tone. ‘That Stephen pervy! He was looking at handcuff and all thing today. I caught him walking down the shelf. I think he want to trap Sylvie and have his way with her.’
‘She’ll break his balls!’ laughed Gillian. ‘The man can’t take the hint.’
‘I mean, what a fucker! Declarin’ his love when we know he ain’t left his girlfriend, innit,’ sighed Pria, picking up a basket before printing out some orders. ‘What does he think Sylvie’s goin’ to do? Drop her knickers!’
‘Her knicker glued to fanny!’ added Samina before smiling at Finlay before whispering. ‘If you not married I happy for you to pull at Sylvie fanny.’
‘Do you mind!’ said Toby shaking his head furiously. ‘It’s not right to discuss Sylvie’s fanny!’
Finlay tried hard not to smile as he noticed Dan shake his head from side to side in disgust before grinning at him.
‘It hard work here,’ the young man said. ‘They talk about fanny a lot.’
An hour later Finlay was back in the office, concentrating on his own work. He wondered how much of a boss Sylvie was then started to look through some of the reports that had come through their computer providers. Skimming down the list he stopped when he saw how many times Sylvie was logged in and was shocked when he realised she was virtually logged in every waking hour.
He sent her a message.
‘How’s Daisy? Is she feeling better?’
There was an immediate response.
‘She’s driving me round the bend! That child has been jumping around as if on acid. I think I’ll be relieved when I come back in. They’ve been working very hard today. Are they okay?’
Finlay smiled for a moment an
d replied.
‘I think they’re missing you.’
Stephen then walked into the office and sat down at Sylvie’s desk with a large grin.
‘And Stephen has walked in so I better go. How many texts this weekend?’
It pinged back immediately.
‘Just the 20!’
‘Stephen, what can I do for you?’ Finlay asked and was agitated on seeing the man.
He sent her a message.
‘And he’s still with his girlfriend so he’s playing with your heart!’
Sylvie just replied.
‘I think I can cope with indigestion.’
‘Have you managed to look through the reports I sent over a few weeks ago? I’ve not heard anything and I wanted to make sure all was in order.’
‘They’re being assessed by the company accountants,’ he replied, waiting to see if Sylvie was going to send another message before he looked up and noticed Stephen wasn’t smiling. ‘Is there something wrong?’
‘I… I thought they were only for you,’ he said anxiously, his brow now heavily crossed. ‘I didn’t think someone else was going to look at them. Jesus! I don’t want to get anyone into trouble.’
‘And what trouble would that be?’ Finlay asked closing down his laptop lid staring at the man. ‘Stephen?’
‘Nothing,’ he replied before walking out of the office and back to his desk.
Finlay sat there for a moment and wondered what Stephen was hiding as he decided not to email Sylvie.
That night, he lay in bed and wondered if she was playing a game by being nice. One minute they were at loggerheads and the next she’s being funny and friendly. Finlay considered if this is what she did to Piers and Toby.
He sat up and realised this was probably how she lured the others in. Finlay made the decision not to go back into the place for the rest of the week and to keep away from her. She was probably using subterfuge to make him over look something horrendous in the company books.
The last thing he was going to do was fall for that honey trap.
