Page 18 of Just Like You (Square Mile Rogues #2)

“Kieron,” Faye said sternly, walking through the door and closing it behind her.

Then she sat down in my visitor’s chair, like she had been invited.

For the record? She had not. Despite her perfect figure and sleek dark hair?

She’d never been on my radar in any capacity.

Too strong, too polished and too much hard work.

The girl had guts, and here she was, demonstrating just that.

“You’re being a dick, and you need to go apologise to Taneesha.

Seriously. Don’t treat people like that. ”

I made some kind of squeaky noise at the back of my throat.

“And you saying nothing in return proves exactly that. You either own it or you don’t. Which brings me back to what I said. Go apologise. And also, Juliet really wants to see you.”

“And when did you become someone who does Juliet’s dirty work?”

“What happened to you for you to become so skewed? I’m relaying a simple message. You called Taneesha an incompetent disaster right in front of me. I think that gives me some rights here. Fix it.”

I rolled my eyes. Very me.

“Maura is a saint having to deal with you. She needs a medal and a raise.”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“Another point proved right there.”

“You’re always in everyone’s business, Faye. It’s annoying.”

“Not in everyone’s business. I just keep my eyes wide open around here. It’s a survival skill. You should try it sometime; maybe you’d see those daggers being shot at you in time to duck.”

I had to laugh. Because. Yeah .

“Get the fuck out of my office, Faye.”

“Oh, I will. I’m getting a headache just having to share oxygen with you. But I also need the contract for AssetAssist before the end of the day. We’ve got the approval for the components we want added, and I need to double-check some of the terms. Good job on that, by the way. Bash is thrilled.”

I wanted to add shut the fuck up as a response right there, but yeah. I might have been me, but I did have some kind of ability to control my mouth.

“Loved the photos with Gina from the other day. Even the online broadsheets covered the event.”

“Wasn’t much to cover,” I shot out, and she laughed out loud before trying to compose herself. She’d at least got my subtle innuendo and found it funny. A win in my book.

“If I could pull off a dress like that? I would love to wear one. But unfortunately, not all of us are built like Gina DeSanto.”

“Nope.” I liked leaving things unsaid. Suited me.

“She’s very smart.”

“Yup.”

“And in your defence? I have always admired that about you. That you protect her at all costs. You could easily have swanned in here every morning, spilling the gossip about your celebrity girlfriend and the people you know, but you don’t.

Admirable. I just wanted to tell you because you’re not all bad, Kieron.

Despite the temper tantrums and the fact that you still need to apologise to Taneesha?

You’re not a bad person. You’re a decent guy somewhere deep down. Remember that, okay?”

“Fuck off, Faye.” I motioned for her to get the hell out of my office, and she just rolled her eyes.

Yeah. The girl had guts, and despite my many attempts to intimidate her?

Never went down very well. Instead, she’d pull shit like this.

Appeal to my better nature and make me feel like crap. Small. Pissed off.

I hated it. Hated everything. Including her. Go away, Faye.

“Go see Juliet before she gets pissy with me for not telling you. And I will give you a top tip. One-time offer. Taneesha really likes the Caramel Frappés downstairs. Go grab her one, and say sorry. Job done. I won’t tell you again because Taneesha is writing a grievance report as we speak.

I am not going to stop her, and in fact, I will co-sign it if you don’t man the fuck up and start behaving like a decent human being. ”

Fuck me.

I must have grimaced badly because she just nodded and pissed off out the door, leaving me with a blank stare and my stomach heaving.

I needed to go home. I needed to talk to Julian. My phone was still quiet, and the blank screen not showing all my imaginary messages was simply…embarrassing. I wasn’t like this. Should have known better. I just… Fuck. Shit .

I gathered myself up and stomped down the corridor, finding Juliet’s office door open, as expected .

Juliet. My boss. Stern and strong, her red hair swept up in an immaculate bun at the nape of her neck, lips painted her trademark red. Also? She was one of the few people who gave me peace. Weird, but true.

“Close the door, Kieron,” she demanded, standing up and leaving her chair to walk round and sit herself down opposite me on her visitor’s chairs.

We did this because it worked. Also, she’d told me over and over again.

Her and I didn’t work unless we let go of the work shite.

Instead, we’d sit down and just talk. Human to human.

“How are you?” she said softly. “You look stressed, and I have no clue what is stressing you out. Apart from that, you lie and make up excuses, and that Maura is at the end of her rope with you.”

She gave me pause to think. Decide if I would respond or not before she continued. I just sat there. Breathed slowly. Nothing to say.

“Where were you this week?”

“I had to go see if something was worth my while.”

“Cryptic. I like it. But not good enough for me this time.”

“I went to the Maldives. Because I met someone and it’s…” I couldn’t continue because my throat was swelling up and that? Was bad. I wasn’t going to sit in my boss’s office and cry. Because that was so not me.

“You met someone,” she stated, like this was the first point on the agenda.

“You didn’t ask to see me to discuss my private life,” I said flatly. Not interested in this .

“No, I didn’t. But you offered up the information. I’m just accepting the bait.”

“Jules.” I rolled my eyes as she huffed.

“Kieron, don’t do this. I know you and you know me. Fucking trust me for once. You met someone. Talk to me.”

“No.”

“You never ever talk about anyone. Not even Gina, and you know I love Gina to death, but yes. This is important to you, so talk.”

“It’s private, Juliet.”

“When has anything ever been private in here? How many times have you sat in this very office and spilled your heart out to me? I know you. I know all your little secrets. You came out to me even before I’d handed you your job contract.

And now you’re fucking up work meetings and lying to my staff, and I’m not even going to mention the fact that you’re back to your old tricks.

Having Taneesha in here, seething at your misogynistic bullshit behaviour, is not top of my list of things I wanted to deal with today. ”

Okay. Shit, but yeah. This wasn’t new.

“Sorry. Things have been a bit stressful.”

“How’s Gina?”

“Gina’s good. She’s clean, she’s happy and she’s on the ball. No issues there.”

“Then what is happening here?”

She spoke calmly, letting her fingers grab mine. Her and me .

“I’m not your mum, Kieron, but I sometimes feel like I am. That I have some kind of responsibility for your happiness. But when you constantly fuck up, I am the one who takes the brunt of it, and that has to stop. You have to think of me too and sometimes clean up your own messes.”

“I’m buying Taneesha a Caramel Frappuccino or whatever it is she drinks.”

She laughed out loud. I did too.

“Good. That solves that one then. Perhaps you should say it as well. Apologise for being a dick. She didn’t deserve that.”

“Okay.”

Okay.

I tried to breathe, when she was just sat there, letting me. Like the world slowly spun around us in gentle ebbs and flows.

I liked that. That she gave this to me. The space to just exist with no expectation.

“You’re okay,” she shushed. “Take your time.”

“I don’t have…time. I’m having a bit of a panic here because I met someone, and then? He just…let me go. Nothing. Not even a goodbye and thank you or see you later. He just disappeared, and I don’t know how to deal with that.”

“I see,” she said softly. “You know, sometimes we can’t read people’s subtle signs.

I know I am guilty of that and have been many times.

I just motor on with my own ideas, my own version of reality, and I forget, that somewhere in my orbit, there is a completely different reality going on.

We don’t always mesh. Our worlds sometimes clash, and then we just… bounce. It’s not easy to grasp.”

“Nothing is easy to grasp. Least of all Taneesha and her ability to piss me off.”

“Not her fault. She was just the convenient target in your firing line. That’s what I told her.”

“True.”

“So who were you aiming those bullets at?”

“Julian.”

“Julian.” She tasted the name, like it was something she wasn’t sure of. “Tell me about him.”

“Nothing to say. Gorgeous. Younger than me but not much. Mature. Funny. He got me. Juliet, he seemed to completely understand what I was all about, but I must have got it all wrong because when it mattered? He’s not here to pick up the pieces.

All the pieces. I don’t know where I go from here because he mattered.

He was so bloody wonderful, and special, and he was perfect.

I wanted all of that. All of it, Juliet, and now he’s gone. ”

“Don’t be so bloody melodramatic. He’s not gone. He’s just not picking up his phone. Am I right?”

“He’s got no social media. I don’t know where he lives, and he works for a company that doesn’t give out any details of their employees.”

“Neither do we. Standard practice. ”

“But I need him.”

“And he doesn’t want to be found. That is his right. In cases like this? You need to learn to let go. Admit defeat and nurse that heartbreak. Did you talk to Gina?”

“Yes. But. I didn’t tell her the whole story. I don’t want her to worry and think I’ve completely lost it.”