Page 11 of The Retreat

Talia couldn’t stop pacing around her flat. The retreat was only a few days away, and she still hadn’t heard from Imogen. Every minute felt like an eternity, each passing second heavier than the last. What if she said no? What if she said yes? What if this was a disaster before it even began?

She had the promotion within her reach if she played her cards right. And Imogen was the only person who could make this work. If she said no… What if she actually had to go to the retreat alone?

Well, she’d be screwed. Simple as that. Partner would go to that dildo Daniel Parsons. Just as he expected it to.

Christ, that galled her. A man like Daniel? There was no way it had been hard for him. The road to success had been paved by wealthy parents before he took his first breath.

Nobody had caved shit for Talia. She’d clawed her way up from nothing. Two jobs at a time, nights spent revising on the bus while drunk teenagers screamed around her. No safety nets. Every step forward had been paid for with exhaustion and compromise. While Daniel strolled through open doors, she’d had to pick every lock.

Talia pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. No new messages.

Then the phone buzzed in her hand.

Talia’s heart skipped a beat. She tapped the message open with trembling fingers, her eyes scanning the words quickly.

I’ll do it, but I want five up front.

The relief that flooded her was almost dizzying. Ten thousand wasn’t chump change, but it was still a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. The promotion was going to make her a fortune. She had to spend money to make money.

Talia smiled to herself, exhaling a shaky breath. Imogen was in.

She typed her response quickly.

Deal. Can we meet soon? We need to work out exactly how we do this.

She hit send and then stared at her phone, awaiting Imogen’s response. Talia could practically see the end result in her mind. The retreat and then the promotion, everything she’d been working for. So close…

Her nerves jumped back up again. Because now, she actually had to do this mad thing she’d planned. And that scared her almost as much as the alternative.

It wasn’t that she didn’t think Imogen could do it. Or maybe it was? No, it was the plan that made her uneasy. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt. Imogen, standing next to her, calling herself Alex? Had she lost her mind?

Maybe. But she had no other choice. This was it. No other way.

Talia shook her head, trying to clear away the doubts. Imogen was willing to do it. That was all that mattered. She had to hope that they could pull it off.

***

Later, her doorbell rang, and she jumped up. Her every movement was like a spider on a griddle lately. She needed to calm down. Be Talia Knox. Now more than ever.

She opened the door to Imogen stood in the doorway, looking downright shifty. She could barely meet Talia’s eyes. Not that Talia was jazzed for prolonged eye contact with Imogen, but it wasn’t a great start to a pretend relationship.

‘You’re sure about this?’ Talia asked, not quite able to mask the vulnerability in her voice.

Imogen gave her a long look, then nodded. ‘If you’ve got the money, I’m sure.’

Talia stepped aside to let her in, her mind already racing through all the details. They had a lot to figure out.

As Imogen stepped past her into the flat, Talia forced a smile and tried to shake off her feelings about Imogen. This wasn’t about them. This wasn’t about anything other than the end goal.

‘Alright,’ Talia said, closing the door behind her. ‘Let’s figure this out, Alex.’

Imogen sighed. ‘That’s me.’