Page 81 of Total Creative Control

Aaron was still considering this as he hung his wet jacket on the coat stand, but he lost track of the thought when he spotted Sophie hurtling around the corner from the direction of Lewis’s office. Her face lit when she saw him.

“Thank God,” she said, reaching his desk. “Tell me you know his LAN password?”

Aaron sighed and sat down. “Morning, Aaron, how are you? Did you have a good evening? Terrible weather—”

She waved his sarcasm away. “Yes, yes, I’m sorry. But he’s managed to log himself out of the server, and the new temp will be here in half an hour. If he’s still raging—”

“It’s his date of birth,” Aaron said. “One, seven, N, O, V—all caps—with two exclamation marks.”

“Thankyou.” She pressed her hands to her chest. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Taking a sip of coffee, not looking at her, he said, “Is he really on his fourth temp?”

“Fifth,” she said bleakly. “Yesterday’s quit at lunchtime.”

Aaron winced. “I heard he’s unhappy with some of the decisions being taken about the US version ofLeeches?”

“So rumour has it,” Sophie said. She cocked her head. “You know, I’m sure I could convince the powers that be to give you a rise if you wanted your old job—”

“No.” He said it firmly because it was at least the third time she’d asked. “I like my new job, thanks. And Lewis will—He’ll be all right. It’s just this US deal that’s got him all worked up.”

She lifted a knowing eyebrow. “If you say so,” she said before turning on her heel and hurrying back towards Lewis’s office.

Aaron let that go and got down to work.Bow Streetwasn’tLeeches, but Aaron was enjoying working on the scripts, bringing everything he’d learned from Lewis, as well as his own considerable fic-writing experience, to the table as he polished and tightened every line.

So absorbed was he in his work that he didn’t notice Chika come in, an hour later, until she said, “Morning, Page, how’s it going?”

Chika Nnadi was fresh from uni, working for a pittance as a runner. Aaron liked her. She was smart, enthusiastic, and fun, with seemingly boundless energy. She loved vintage clothes and wore astonishingly complicated eye makeup that looked amazing even first thing in the morning.

“Good,” he said, looking up from his laptop. “I was just—” He laughed. “Uh-oh. Have you been for a swim?”

Chika was in the process of peeling off a pair of sopping wet knee-high socks. “I know, right? This bloody rain.”

“You need some wellies.”

The look she gave him was the kind of pitying expression kids give their embarrassing parents.

“Vintage wellies?” he suggested.

Ignoring that, she wiggled her toes and said, “Is it okay if I sit in on your meeting with the storyliners today?”

“Sure.”

“Only I was meant to be sitting in on theBrahminsdevelopment meeting, but Toni said…” She lowered her voice. “She said it was liable to get heated. Charlie Alexander is calling in from Barcelona, and apparently, he and Lewis Hunter...” She made an explosive gesture with her fingers. “Boom.”

“They’re really calling itBrahmins?” He hadn’t thought Lewis would cave on that as well. “It’s such a shit name.”

“I know, right? It sounds like a historical.”

“They should go with something likeBoston Bloodsuckers. Or maybe justBloodsuckers.”

“Ha!” She laughed, delighted. “That’swaybetter. It’s got a double meaning and everything. You should suggest it.”

Aaron shook his head, his throat suddenly tight because a month ago, that’s exactly what he’d have done. He and Lewis would have brainstormed better ideas, bounced them off each other until they came up with something they both loved. “Not my job anymore,” he said. “I’m sure Lewis can handle it.”

“You think?” From her tone, she doubted it. “I could hear him shouting halfway down the corridor on my way in. Jason says he’s lost the plot.”

“Jason should know better than to gossip,” Aaron said and regretted the snap in his voice the instant he saw Chika’s face fall.