Chapter 80: Chapter 80

At Haswell Building I head straight through the lobby for the elevator, pressing the button to bring it down.

And then, in the way of life, stand gazing into nothing as I wait.

The girl on the desk….

Familiar….

“Sorry to seem rude, but do we know each other?”

Her face should be pale against dark hair, but she’s crimson. “Um…. yes. We met two or three years ago. You were with your friend, James.”

Three years ago?

With James?

Ah….

“Debbie. That was it, wasn’t it?”

The blush, if anything, grows brighter as she displays her name badge. I walk over to take closer look, then chuckle.

Poor girl….

Must be excruciating….

“Ah, Kirstie. I see. Nice to meet you Kirstie.” I tap my nose. “Kirstie. I’ll remember that.”

She’s trying hard to maintain a professional air and not really succeeding. “Um, do I need to check with anyone if you have an appointment or something?”

Of course, you wouldn’t know….

“Sorry, of course, you’re new. No, don’t worry. They know me here. I’m just going to find my wife upstairs.”

“Yes, your friend said that you’d got married.”

“James? You’ve met him here?”

“Yes, just the other day.”

Oh, god what did he say to the poor girl?

“Was he polite?”

“Oh, yes. He was a gentleman.”

Thank God for that….

“Glad to hear it. He’s a good man; one of the best, but sometimes…. um… empathy’s not his strong point.”

She bursts out laughing and the bubble of tension bursts. “He’s a Dom isn’t he. If you cut him in half, it’d say ‘Dom’ running right through the middle.”

That’s our James….

“You’re not wrong there. Gotta go, Kirstie. See you around.” The elevator pings and the doors swish open. As I head for them, I turn quickly back to her. “I’m Michael by the way. Nice to meet you again.”

Wonder why James didn’t mention he’d met her?

*****

Charlotte My stomach rumbles. I check my watch and it’s right on time. I grin. With a little care, I’d have a marketable product with my appetite.

I’m meeting Michael for lunch. He’s discovered a new restaurant that just opened just around the corner and he wants to give it a try. Snagging my jacket, I head out.

But as I leave the offices, over the road, sitting in the window in the cafe opposite, is Kirstie.

Mmm….

I hover then call Michael. “Hi, um, would you mind a change of plan for lunch? There’s someone I think you would like to meet….”

*****

In the cafe, I load up food for two, then hover over her until she notices me. She’s staring out of the window, lost in thought and startles as she sees me, but then smiles.

“Hi, mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” She waves to the seat next to her, shunting up a bit to make room for me.

“Hope you don’t mind?” I say. “I saw you from across the road and thought we might as well take the opportunity to get to know each other, since it looks as though we’re going to be seeing each other anyway.”

Her face falls. “Sure…. er….”

She’s not happy about that….

What did I say?

“Something wrong?” I ask.

She starts to speak, stops and starts again. “Look, take this the right way. I know Ben’s your brother-in-

law, but I barely know him and….”

Really?

“You barely know him? He’s not shut up about you whenever I’ve seen him recently.”

She grimaces, rubbing at the top of her nose. “Charlotte, I’ve met him half a dozen times and had a couple of dates. Please don’t get the wrong impression about where we are with each other.”

Oh, dear….

He’s done it again….

“I don’t think it’s my impression that you need to worry about.”

I shouldn’t have done this….

…. Wonder if I can stop Michael….

“Hi.”

Too late….

My handsome husband stands over us, his smile broad and bright. And it’s aimed at Kirstie. “Hello again, Kirstie. I didn’t realise you two knew each other.”

They’ve met?

When did that happen?

“Thought I’d introduce myself to Ben’s girlfriend,” I say. “We were just having a chat.”

Michael smile fades as he takes a seat opposite, and he blinks a little. “So, you’re the same Kirstie who is dating my brother, Ben?”

She sits back. “Ben’s your brother?”

What’s that about?

But Michael doesn’t seem to notice the emphasis in her words. “Yes, he is.” He leans forward over the table. “Can I ask you something, Kirstie? Are you still going to the clubs?”

What the hell?

She goes to the clubs?

And she’s dating Ben?

“I am, yes,” she says.

And now there’s grit in his voice. “So, why are you dating Ben?”

She has half a sandwich left on her plate but seems to have lost her appetite for it. “He seems a nice guy, and he asked me out.”

But my mind is whirring….

They know each other….

Is she an old girlfriend?

“Ben’s not like us, Kirstie,” says Michael. “He thinks that relationships consist of one man and one woman. He sees the world through a narrower lens than we do. If he’s got any surprises coming, take it easy with him.”

Her head bobs, but her eyes rise to meet his. She looks blue. “I was already thinking the same thing.

And that perhaps I’m not being fair to him.”

Michael sits back in his seat, heaving a sigh. “So, you’re planning on breaking up with him?”

She pokes the half-sandwich around the plate. “Erm…. I hadn’t really gotten that far. But I think he expects things from me that….”

Things like exclusivity…

“That you’re not willing to deliver?”

“Yes.”

The sandwich has stopped being food and is now just target practice for Kirstie’s fork.

Clearly, she doesn’t know what to say next and I’m wishing heartily that I’d not done this. My own food has lost its appeal and I sit pushing lasagne around the plate with no urge to eat it. Michael runs fingers through his hair, staring at her and just as clearly, wondering what to say next.

But as I watch her, her eyes fall on my hands….

…. and fix.

…. My rings….

And realisation dawns over her face.

She looks at my rings: red and gold entwined from my Master, white and gold entwined from Michael, and the plain red gold and white gold bands that were my wedding rings from the two. The set sit together on my ring finger and Kirstie looks at them, then her gaze passes across to Michael’s left hand.

He holds up the hand, displaying his own ring; the white and gold twin to my own. “Yes,” he says.

Kirstie frowns. “Yes?”

“Yes,” he repeats. “I’m married to Charlotte.”

“And James….?”

“James too.”

Sheesh….

“Michael is this a good idea?” I say.

He lays his hand on mine. “Don’t worry, Babe. Kirstie knows how it works.”

They do know each other….

I look between the two. “Do you two know each other?”

Michael winks. “Kirstie and I, James too, know each other from um…. my and James’ playful past….”

And I get it.

They fucked with her at the clubs….

I crease up. “Ah, gotcha. You met at the clubs and you….?”

“Yes,” Kirstie looks worried. “That’s not a problem for you, is it?” She sips at her coffee, but I think it’s just a prop to cover her confusion.

And I see it from her point of view.

You were in a three-way with a man who is now your boss….

…. And another who is his friend “Not at all.” I lay my hand over hers. “James, Michael and I established long ago that the Past is the Past. We don’t let it interfere with our current relationship….”

But I can’t resist turning the screw just a little.

I lean closer to her, lowering my voice. “Tell me; when James had finished with you, how long was it before you could sit down?”

She chokes on her coffee….

Yes, he fucked you….

Michael’s eyes dance as she checks her watch, then scrabbles for her bag and coat. “I need to be getting back to work. I’m glad we spoke….”

She stands, making to leave, then turns back. “I assume that Ben doesn’t know how it is with the three of you? I don’t want to say the wrong thing to him.”

God forbid….

The laughter fades from Michael’s face. “I’ve not figured out yet, how to explain it to him. He’s a bit….”

“Vanilla?” she suggests.

“Yes, vanilla.”

*****