Page 44 of You Spin Me Round

Nineteen

Alex wasn’t excited to see Leigh; she was simply jazzed to dip into a stimulating professional rivalry. She was letting Leigh amuse her, and nothing more, she assured herself.

She managed to believe that right until Leigh walked in that tight grey pencil skirt and turned to the host, giving Alex a side view of her perfect rear. Alex practically had to rip her eyeballs away from it.

Get ahold of yourself, Alex told her libido sternly as Leigh wiggled over to the table.

‘You beat me,’ Leigh said, sliding into a seat opposite Alex in the hoity-toity restaurant.

‘Thirty quid for a salad?’ Alex greeted her. Alex wouldn’t blink at that for a business lunch, but she wanted to put Leigh on the back foot.

‘Well, it’s on the company credit card,’ Leigh said quickly.

‘You’re out to impress today, then?’ Alex said with a cheeky smile.

Leigh tried not to smile back, but she wasn’t fully successful. ‘It’s just protocol. I asked to meet. I pay.’

‘Yes, you do,’ Alex agreed. ‘And I’m going to exploit it. Most expensive main, bottle of wine, dessert. I will feast like a sultan.’

Leigh was still trying not to smile. ‘I’d expect nothing less.’

The waitress appeared, and Alex ordered a steak, along with an eighty-quid bottle of red. She didn’t fancy wine right now, but she was making a point. But then Leigh ordered lobster, and Alex felt rather one-upped.

Sheshould have done that, seafood allergy be damned. Though it might have undercut her power position to be taken out of the restaurant by an ambulance crew, her head the size of a pumpkin.

The wine came quickly, and Alex poured a glass for each of them. She held up her glass. ‘To Isabelle’s impending awards,’ she toasted.

‘Why not?’ Leigh said with an eye roll, clinking her glass against Alex’s.

Alex took a sip and remembered the last time she’d drunk with Leigh, ten years ago. A less refined drink, to be sure. Alex felt rather maudlin all of a sudden. Christ, the wine couldn’t be taking effectthatquickly, could it?

‘So, let’s hear it. What’s this big news?’ Alex asked, pushing away the blues.

Leigh sipped her wine unhurriedly. ‘Bit hungry. Think I’ll wait till my food comes. I’ll spill the beans later.’

Alex shook her head at Leigh. ‘Oh, this is how we’re gonna play, is it? You’re gonna make me wait for… well, it’s gonna be nothing, isn’t it? Let’s be honest.’

‘If you thought it was nothing, you wouldn’t have come,’ Leigh said haughtily.

‘Maybe I just wanted the pleasure of your company,’ Alex said, letting a drop of lasciviousness slip into her words.

Leigh took another sip of her wine, glancing around the restaurant as though Alex hadn’t spoken. Alex was taken aback. Whatever game Leigh was playing, Alex wished she’d get on with it. She was starting to feel… unsettled? Scared, even? No, not that. Alex wasn’t afraid of anyone. She wasn’t gonna start with Leigh.

‘Well, let’s warm up, shall we?’ Alex said. ‘I mean, lobster takes a minute. Gotta pass the time somehow if you’re playing your cards close to your chest.’

‘Sure. Let’s get warm. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to for the last ten years?’

‘Well, making a boatload of money for a start,’ Alex said casually.

That was technically true, even if most of it went straight back into the business.

‘Good for you. I remember that was a big deal for you, being solvent,’ Leigh said.

Alex couldn’t read the comment. Was it a dig? Surely, it had to be. Because this wasn’t a friendly conversation. ‘You remember that?’

‘Sure,’ Leigh said. ‘Your parents were… No, your dad? He had a problem, right? Addiction issues?’

This wasn’t snarky, Alex decided. Leigh was really asking.

---