Page 146 of Original Sin

His handsome face looked awkward, confused. ‘I’m thinking I could do this and then go straight for Senate, or maybe a governorship somewhere.’

Brooke bit her lip until she tasted blood. She could barely believe that only an hour ago, she had been thinking this was the happiest day of her life. She covered her face and gulped at the air.

Slowly, she realized that David’s arms were around her.

‘I want to take this job, but I do want you to be happy too,’ he said urgently into her ear. ‘If it means that much to you, I can turn it down. I will turn it down.’

Gently, she pulled away from him. ‘I never said I wanted you to do that,’ she said softly, wiping her face.

The agent knocked on the door and entered cautiously.

‘So what do you think?’ she smiled.

‘I think we’ve got a lot of thinking to do,’ said David, looking at Brooke.

Brooke nodded. ‘Yes, we have.’

CHAPTER FORTY–SEVEN

‘I thought you were supposed to be on holiday.’

Tess closed her eyes and cursed. She had been trying to sneak past Patty Shackleton’s door unnoticed. Most mornings it was her first port of call on her way to her own office, but today she didn’t feel like seeing anyone, least of all shrewd, intuitive Patty, who had an uncanny ability to read people’s moods.

‘Sorry, Pats,’ said Tess, standing in the doorway awkwardly. ‘Just in a bit of a rush. I’ve got a few urgent calls coming in–’

‘So how was the trip?’ interrupted Patty.

‘Great. Nice. Not much of a holiday, really.’ She thumbed towards the door. ‘I’d better get on.’

‘So everything went okay with Sean?’ said Patty, not letting her go. ‘He didn’t screw the new Miss Asgill Hawaiian Glo?’

‘Yes, everything went well. No, he didn’t have sex with Candy Cooper.’

Patty lowered her chin and raised her brow. ‘Tess? I know that expression.’

‘What expression?’ said Tess, feeling her cheeks prickle. Don’t blush, she scolded herself, don’t blush.

Patty pointed at Tess’s face. ‘That expression. In the legal profession, we call it guilt.’

Flustered now, Tess touched her face, as if she could feel her own expression.

Patty’s eyes opened wide. ‘Shit, Tess, no!’ she gasped. ‘Tell me nothing happened.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Tess, stepping into Patty’s office and casually shutting the door.

‘You and Sean Asgill, in Hawaii.’

Tess frowned. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she said, trying to bluff it out. ‘The man’s an ape. An under–evolved, cocksure, brain–dead primate.’

Patty clapped her hands together gleefully. ‘You dark horse. You had sex with him!’ Patty broke down into helpless giggles.

‘As if!’ snorted Tess. ‘My opinion of him as a self–centred prick has not changed since before the trip,’ she said. ‘Anyway. Did you want something?’

Patty covered her mouth to stifle her sniggers.

‘What I wanted to discuss before this revelation,’ she said, once she had regained control, ‘is the great news about Kevin and Jack.’

‘What news?’ asked Tess eagerly, taking a seat opposite her.