Page 37 of Crush

After pulling myself together, I realised I needed to keep my distance. She was Jonny’s daughter and if he found out I’d fucked her without the hint of awedding ring, he’d probably pull the deal. I couldn’t afford that. Keeping her at arm's length was best, for now.

Within the text of her email with her attached essay, she requested a couple of days leave and I decided to allow it. The space would be a good thing and would keep Amber away from meandwork. I certainly didn’t want her to hear the gossip about us.

Yep. I would keep my distance until this thing between us ran its course.

It didn’t mean I couldn’t be a cock to her though. Winding Amber up was entertaining.

An evil smile tugged at my lips as I keyed in my response to her essay, mischiefroaringthrough my fingers.

Seven

Amber

The next few days were uneventful, apart from receiving crappy feedback from Max about my essay on that Monday night. Why did I even bother?

“Talk about the journey from hell,” my best friend Mia huffed after bursting unceremoniously into my bedroom. I had taken a couple of days off and we had a lunch date which I’d forgotten about.

I lifted my head from my task. Mia always had some drama on the way to my house, the trip wasneverstraightforward.

I spat the lid of the highlighter pen from my mouth, “What happened this time?”

“It’s just a shitter of a journey mid-week. The M25 was rammed as usual; roadworkseverywhereand not a workman in sight.” She paused for dramatic effect. “You’re going tohaveto learn to drive; I can’t be coming to you all the time,” she mumbled moodily.

Mia was like a whirlwind as she toed off her heeled boots, dropped her bag and threw herself face down across my bed. She lookedstunningas always; her hair piled on top of her head, grey skinny jeans and an oversized pink jumper that fell off one shoulder. I was wearing sweats and a top and looked like a sack of shit in comparison.

I shuffled around to face her as she flipped onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

“It’s the ring road, it’salwaysa nightmare,” I pointed out, lowering the guest list I was checking.

I was sitting cross-legged on the carpet at the bottom of my bed, going through some paperwork for my father’s party which was taking place that weekend.

Mia shot me a look. “It was nasty. I got a middle-aged geezer behind me beeping like an inpatient grey-haired prick. Just because your wife won’t let you up her arse—don’t think you can get up mine, buddy. I started breaking unnecessarilyjustto piss him off.”

Smiling, I shook my head with an eye roll. Mia always lifted my spirits. The woman didn’t sugarcoat things, she said what she wanted and to hell with the consequences. We were similar in that aspect but she wasn’t just tough on the surface. Her strength went right to the bone and I envied her for that.

“So, what are you doing?” she said, sitting up and shrugging off her jumper. She wore a tight white camisole underneath which highlighted her ample cleavage.

I drew a line beneath Max’s name with the highlighter and flicked her a look. Mia dropped onto her front and elbowed her way to the end of the bed. She then stared down at the clipboard I held with the greatest level of interest.

“I’m just wondering whether to remove Max Hunter and hisplus onefrom my father’s birthday party.”

Mia’s nose scrunched, “But he will have already had the invite so why would you do that now? Bitter much?” I hadn’t told her about Max kissing me but she wasn’t stupid.

I shrugged and replied, “Well, I may need to warn the caterers to put on a bigger spread. That guy’s like a Hoover when it comes to food.”

“And yet he’s inperfectshape,” Mia pointed out with a flash of her eyes and a point of one manicured finger.

Kill me, kill me now.

“You’ve noticed?” I managed in a teasing way.

My friend raised an eyebrow, “Yes, I’m not dead, and so have you.”

A slight jolt ran through me at the truth in her words, “So, he’s good-looking and attractive, probably a stallion in the sack but he’s not for me. He sleeps around and is probably riddled.”

“So, what—he’s a gangbanger—you’rein denial.”

I lowered the clipboard into my lap.

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