"Have you got a card?" James asked.
"Not with me but ..."
"Name of the shop?"
"The Flower Garden. It's in Putney."
He was so direct with his questions. Where was this going?
"I might be interested in giving it a try for a few months. I'll get my PA to call your boss, to discuss it."
"Oh, thanks."
"Don't thank me. The decision will be hers."
Leah found that she had mixed emotions: great that she had possibly found another new customer, but a bit put down that he’d casually ignored her level of commitment.
His PA would discuss it with her boss? He’d obviously decided that she was just a lowly employee as far as he was concerned.
Leah stood and picked up her handbag, glancing around the immaculate kitchen.
"Well, thanks for breakfast, I'll let myself out," she said.
"I'll get some shoes and give you a lift home," James said. He stood and walked over to the breakfast bar, finding a bunch of keys and slipping them into the back pocket of his jeans.
"You don't need to, I can get the tube."
"You're hardly dressed appropriately for public transport," he shot back, his voice deep and decisive. "Wait there."
Leah wanted to protest, but he’d gone from the room, obviously in search of something to put on his feet. She couldn't make up her mind whether to simply flee from the house while he was upstairs or wait around meekly for a lift.
He was obviously used to women making his life easy - a housekeeper who turned up early on a Saturday morning to tidy the kitchen, a PA who looked after his office arrangements, and a mistress too ... ?
Leah remembered the expensive robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door.
"Come on then, follow me," he said from the doorway, interrupting her thoughts.
§
Leah found herself at the side of the house a few minutes later, standing on a wide, gravelled drive that she had not seen last night, while James Willoughby disappeared into a double garage and smoothly backed out a car. A silver grey, sleek BMW sports car. With a rakish smile, he let the roof down.
"If it gets too blowy let me know, but the fresh air will be good for you."
She opened the passenger door and slid in, sinking into the luxurious, cream leather seat. She had never been in such an expensive car before. She turned and looked for the seat belt, it’s location wasn't obvious and she fumbled around over her shoulder.
"Here, let me do it," he said.
He sounded a bit impatient and reached across her towards the seat belt to strap her in. But as she turned, his strong arm brushed briefly against her shoulder and left breast. An unexpected jolt flashed through her: pure, dynamic, physical attraction, something she had not felt for a while.
"Luscious," she thought she heard him murmur faintly.
But surely she imagined it?
CHAPTER FIVE
"Luscious? He actually said luscious?" Emma said, agog, "as he brushed against your boob?"
"Accidentally,” Leah explained. “I was turning round just as he reached for the seat belt. I think I heard it, but I don't know if I imagined it. He could’ve said something else."
Leah had just told Emma the whole story, from sitting on the bench outside the marquee, falling asleep on James Willoughby's bed, right through to her lift home.
"He must like curvy women," Emma offered.
"Maybe. He has someone who stays some nights. I told you about the expensive stuff in his en-suite."
"She's probably a beanpole," Emma declared.
"A stick insect," Leah giggled.
"And, for a change, he fancies your luscious body!"
"How could he, after last night?" Leah groaned, as she came back down to earth.
"Well, at least he has good manners. Remember, he's exhausted from travelling back to the wedding, goes up to his room and finds you passed out drunk on his bed. Your dress had probably ridden up showing your knickers ..."
"Don't!" Leah pleaded.
"And the front plastered to your boobs with champagne like a wet t-shirt competition. And what does he do? He takes off your sandals so you won't trip if you get out of bed in the night. Then goes off to sleep in a guest room. In his own house!"
"A typical public schoolboy."
"Boarding school, probably followed by Eton and Cambridge."
"And he gave you a lift home," Emma added, as she leaned back against the tiny sink.
"He must think I'm an absolute wreck," Leah despaired. "Why do I do it? Drink too much, and let myself down. Apart from the saintly James Willoughby there were loads of guys there last night. Why can't I meet anyone. I'm nearly thirty. I thought I'd be married or at least living with someone by now."
"Well," Emma replied carefully, "you were lucky he did behave properly. It could have been a bit dangerous, you know."
"I'm still ashamed. I don't really want to think about it. Anyway, at least I did get the possibility of a new order for the shop, even if he does want his PA to talk to my boss, over my head, of course."
"You need cheering up," Emma said, deep in thought. "Let's go shopping today, get you something new."
"What about the rent, now that Lucy's moved out?" Leah enquired.
"Sorted. Simon rang this morning and if it's okay with you, he'll move in with me and we can use Lucy's old room as a guest room. He's away so much on his expeditions, he wants to make sure there's someone living with me that he knows. He thinks if we advertise for another person to share, a stranger might upset the balance."
"Wow. That's great," Leah said, pleased.
"And he'll pay the extra rent as well, so no need to worry about money at the moment."
Things felt a little better.
Leah thought she would go and change into some comfortable clothes.
"I've had an idea," Emma called after her. "We'll get you some new things for you to wear for work. Black, tailored trousers and a couple of pretty tops. Think about it: if you deliver any arrangements to the office where this James works, you might bump into him. And at least then, you’ll look decent ..."
"Still luscious though?" Leah laughed.
"Of course! I'll bet he's already asked his housekeeper to order a couple of ripe melons for his breakfast tomorrow!"
Forget him, Leah told herself as she continued to her room, he's out of your league, and not even your usual type. But even so, she had to admit to herself that he’d disturbed her.
He was so magnetic, in spite of his rather aloof manner. She wondered what he would be like if she had met him under different circumstances, like if she’d been sober when she sat on the bench last night.
Perhaps then he would’ve asked her to go back into the marquee with him, to dance, or to go upstairs ...
But no, as usual it hadn't happened that way, and anyway he had someone, even if it looked like a fairly casual arrangement.
The owner of that expensive perfume and robe obviously didn't live with him.
Leah made a resolution not to drink for a month, to stop comfort eating, and to walk at least part of the way to work.
She probably wouldn't lose any weight, but she just might look a bit healthier, more toned, just in case ...
§
Charlie was pleased when Leah told him about the possible flower order when she went into work on the following Monday.
"Where’s the office?" he asked. "If it's in a big tower block, we might get more orders from this."
"I don't know, it just happened so quickly, but his PA will be ringing you. Charge a good fee, he's loaded!"
"Good work!" Charlie laughed, returning to the stunning arrangement of spring flowers that he was currently working on. He had a magic touch, mixing the delicate daffodils and tulips, deftly adding greenery to a large bouquet.
"When's your friend back from honeymoon?" he asked, as Leah gathered the finished orders to put in the van for delivery.
"On Friday,” Leah a
nswered. “They're just having a few days in Cornwall, that's all they could afford.”
It would be strange to think that Lucy would be returning to Sam's flat to live. The house already seemed so quiet without her. She wondered if Sam would have told her any more about the Willoughby family, and found herself, once again, drawn to thinking about James.
He wasn't the type Leah usually fell for - fair, athletic looking, well-mannered, if a little arrogant.
Her choices in the past had been more the dark, brooding, difficult types, but they spelled trouble. She had been let down and hurt, her confidence shattered and she was always aware of her more-than-ample size.
But maybe, just maybe, James liked her curvy shape?
She remembered the robe on the door of his bathroom and shook herself.
No. He had someone, an expensive mistress or perfect girlfriend.
Get on with things, she thought, stop dreaming, and settle for life as it is for the moment.
§
Later in the week, Charlie caught her as she returned to the shop after a delivery round.
"That PA finally rang," he said. "The company is called Centrax Pharmaceuticals, it's in the Canary Wharf complex. I looked it up, that's only their head office. It's mega; they have world-wide interests. She's ordered a huge arrangement, twice a week for Reception, and a vase of fresh flowers, whatever's in season, for her own office."
"Two orders!" Leah said, pleased. "What did she sound like?"
"Young, efficient, knows what she wants."
That would be just right for James Willoughby's personal assistant, Leah thought.
"Fancy ordering flowers for her own office," she said.
"Ah, I'll do something special each time. She's obviously emphasising her own status in the office, wanting flowers for herself twice a week," Charlie decided.
Leah was pleased that the arrangement had taken off. Charlie was so gifted and he had taken a risk opening the shop, putting all his savings into it and taking on a large bank loan. She wished that she could play a bigger part, perhaps bring in more orders.
"When does it start?"
"Next week, Monday morning, changed every Thursday."
Monday! She would dress in her new trousers and a pretty top, and make sure her hair was brushed, plus a little make-up carefully applied. After all, there was a possibility that she might just bump into the owner of Centrax when she was delivering the orders. The thought was somehow exciting and disturbing at the same time.
"I'll come with you on Monday, deliver the first arrangement myself, see how it fits in with the decor, after all I'm charging them a pretty hefty fee," Charlie suggested.
Leah felt disappointed; she had wanted to handle the first delivery on her own. But perhaps it was too much to hope that she would bump into James anyway. He was probably very busy working in his office, at meetings, travelling on business, not hanging around the Reception area of his firm.
§
At the end of the week Lucy called to the house to collect a few things she’d left behind. The honeymoon had been good, relaxing after the excitement of the wedding and she was blooming.
"Wasn't it fantastic, the whole day?" she breathed. "We've got some great photos on Sam's computer. I'll make sure to send some."
She’d brought a bottle of Chablis and the three friends sat around the kitchen table going back over the whole wedding day, savouring and re-living each exciting moment.
Leah was careful not to mention her unexpected stop-over. Somehow she felt that Lucy might mention it to Sam, and he was a friend of the Willoughby family. She would feel embarrassed, and luckily for her, Emma was discreet about it, too.
"It's strange to think we won't be here in future, chatting like this, having a glass of wine," Lucy said.
"How long will it be till you go to Canada?" Emma asked.
"Probably not until September. All the forms and things are taking forever, but they're definitely holding the job open for Sam."
"Did you meet Sam's friend? The one he was at school with? Was he at the wedding? I don't remember meeting him ..." Leah knew she was fishing for information, but couldn’t help herself.
"Robbie Willoughby? I've only heard a little, it's so sad. Apparently they were really close, known each other for years, but there was a car crash and Robbie was killed. He was only nineteen. Sam and two other students were also injured. He doesn't like talking about it."
But Sam was still in touch with the family, thought Leah.
Mrs Willoughby had travelled from Italy to see him married and James had provided the reception. He’d described Sam as a bit of a handful, Leah remembered.
Maybe there was some hidden history there, too ...
CHAPTER SIX
"You look smart," Charlie observed. He was putting the finishing touches to his huge, stylish arrangement for the Centrax offices.
"Thanks,” Leah replied. “Just trying to show a chic image for the shop.”
She felt good. She’d taken longer than usual getting ready for work. She had put on the new work clothes, instead of her usual jeans and sweat shirt and really taken time with her appearance for once.
"And what do you think of this for the PA's office?" Charlie asked. He’d filled a chunky, cream jug with yellow roses, the fragrant scent drifting around the shop.
"Nice."
"Understated. I'm going to stick to one sort of flower only each time for her, not mix them up. See what she goes for ..."
"She's certainly made an impression on you!" Lee grinned.
"I get the feeling she has quite a bit of power in the set up," Charlie stated.
Lee wondered what it would be like to work for James. He would probably be very demanding, away on business a lot and expect his staff to be able to cope. She wished she had more responsibility in her own job. She loved working at The Flower Garden, but it would be great to have more input into the day-to-day running and decision making. If she had some savings, she thought, she could perhaps suggest to Charlie that she would invest in the shop. She had lots of ideas and would enjoy carrying them out, but most of them would involve spending money that just wasn't available.
§
Leah drove them across London, making her way to the head office of Centrax in Canary Wharf. The rush-hour traffic was hectic, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the buzz of the capital, and threading her way through streets, finding short cuts and rare parking places.
Centrax was located in a huge, glass tower block, and she just managed to squeeze the van into a small space with restricted parking.
Charlie lifted the Reception arrangement out of the back of the van and Leah carefully carried the jug of roses. They read the sign in the lobby and found that Centrax Head Office was located on the fourth floor.
Leah and Charlie used the lift, carefully holding their flowers and entered a large, open plan entrance space.
A highly polished, black wooden desk curved in front of them, sunlight filtering through the anti-glare windows and onto the black marble floor.
Lee gazed about her at the impressive surroundings and was glad that Charlie had created such a modern, unusual arrangement: it would fit in perfectly. There was no doubt that he had a truly creative touch and liked experimenting with imaginative ideas.
He was gay, and lived with his partner who was a gardener. That's how they’d met.
Just then, the immaculate receptionist looked up from her computer screen and seemed to be expecting them.
"I'll let Amanda know you're here," she said.
Amanda was everything a PA should be. Slim, dark haired, beautifully, stylishly dressed in a short black skirt, high heels and an expensive, white silk blouse. She was quite young, but very confident and self-possessed, and she immediately began talking to Charlie, admiring his work, discussing details.
Leah placed the jug of yellow roses on the desk.
"Beautiful," Amanda smiled. "Now, about future deliveries...."
"Excuse me
a moment," Charlie replied.
Then he turned slightly towards Leah and leant in to whisper. "Listen, do you think you could wait in the van, just in case there are any parking wardens around? We don't want any more fines. Move it if you have to?"
Leah nodded and reluctantly made her way towards the lift. Charlie didn't mean it intentionally, but even so she had been side-lined, as usual, even though she had introduced this first order.
Once again, she wished that she could be the one to discuss future arrangements, and make decisions. She tried not to feel resentful, after all this was the world of business and she was just a very small cog in the machine.
Still deep in thought, she entered the lift and pressed the button for the ground-floor.
"Hang-on," a voice called, and someone appeared, jamming his foot out to prevent the lift doors closing, rushed in beside her.
It was James: dressed in a dark, expensive looking business suit, white shirt and blue silk tie, carrying a slim laptop bag.
Smooth, Leah thought. She could smell a faint scent of his citrus cologne, bringing back a flash of memory of his bathroom, where she had showered and used his gel.
"Ground floor," he said, then turned and looked briefly at her.
Leah half smiled at the surprise on his face, and felt a slight tremble in her legs.
"Hello! What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
"Just delivering flowers. Thanks for following up about the order, by the way," she added.
"I'd almost forgotten about that," he replied.
"Weightier things on your mind, no doubt," she said.
Leah wished that the lift could slow down, no, even better, break down and leave them suspended together, trapped for a few hours ...
"Sorry?" she said, realizing she’d just been day-dreaming and missed whatever it was he was saying.
"I said, I like the work gear."
"Better than the awful bridesmaid's dress anyway," Leah laughed, trying to sound flippant at the compliment.
"Oh, I don't know, it had its moments, a lasting image."
Obsessed (BBW Billionaire Light Romance) Page 3
