Page 47 of Pride and Privilege

Lunch with Adjoa was a nice interlude in a week that was otherwise a repeat of the one before it. Roscoe worked too hard and too late, and she hardly ever saw him. She was convinced there were some nights he didn’t come back to the flat at all. Of course, that made her wonder exactly where hedidspend those nights. But he was a young man, and single. It was none of her business.

On Friday, though, she was determined to rescue him from his desk again if she needed to. It was well past six, nearly seven, and most of the office had cleared out. Roscoe was still in his office, but he was in there with Aubrey Ford, and from the occasional laughter she heard, she was at least reassured he wasn’t suffering.

She started to write a to-do list, getting everything she needed to do next week lined up while it was fresh in her mind, and tidied up the various papers on her desk.

“Friday night, Poppy Fields, which means the Hop and Hare is calling our names.”

She looked up. Aubrey was standing by her desk. Roscoe appeared in the door to his office and leant there, arms folded,surveying the pair of them with a tilted smile. “Didn’t they bar her after last time?” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stapled a document unnecessarily, and with unnecessary force. “No. They did not.”

“Bit of an oversight. A known lush like you.”

Now Aubrey turned to look at Roscoe and surveyed the pair ofthem, smiling his own slight smile. “Well… I’ll leave the persuading to you, Ross. You’re doing such a charming job of it. Do join us, though, Poppy. You’ll be far more welcome than the boss.”

Roscoe rolled his eyes. Aubrey departed, directing a smile at Poppy that held more than the hint of a wink. She laughed to herself as she watched him walk off to the lifts, then resumed her work, pretending not to know that Roscoe still stood in his doorway watching her.

He came over to her desk.

“Will you? Come for a drink?”

“Probably not.”

“But you’re celebrating.”

She looked up, confused. “Celebrating what?”

“It’s officially the end of your tenancy with Lecherous Dave. You are no longer renting a room from the worst man in Britain.”

“Debatable.”

“Nice.” He held out his hand, and she lightly high-fived it. “I suppose I walked into that one. But Poppy…” He crouched down now, so his eyes were level with hers, looking at her across the desk. His hands rested on the edge of it, strong fingers, strong wrists, leather watch strap, white cuffs… It was a dick move and completely unfair. If he added the puppy dog eyes, she was going to staple his face.

“Seriously now,” he urged. “Thisiscause for celebration.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

“Oh?”

“Because now I can never subject you to my terrible living conditions. You did one night, then managed to escape. It’s not fair.”

“I know, I know. And I’ve been forcing you to live in my prestige penthouse for weeks. I amsuchan arsehole.”

“Right?”

He thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on her desk, then stood up, all energy. “I’ve got it.”

“Are you about to say ‘I have a cunning plan’?”

“Poppy Fields…I have a cunning plan.”

TWENTY-THREE

Jesus fucking Christ.

So much for good intentions. This was all Aubrey’s fault—being all smarmy and‘Won’t you please join us for a drink, Poppy? And by the way, I’m planning to have you naked on my wanky Italian sofa in four hours’ time.’He knew the guy’s moves. Had seen them in action often enough. But Aubrey should have known Poppy was off-limits. Aubrey should have known she was—

His.

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