Page 28 of The Invitation

“The three of us and the God.”

I smile, trying to keep it to myself. “I have a conference there next week.”

“At Arlington Hall?” Abbie hits the slow button on her treadmill, stepping onto the sides and grabbing her water.

“Yes,” I confirm. “It was supposed to be at the Hilton, but they double-booked.”

“So now the company is dragging everyone out to Oxfordshire?”

“Yeah.”

“Oohhh, take your bikini. You might steal a chance to dip into a steam room and sweat it out with the God again.”

“What are the chances of him being there?” Charley asks.

The thought is annoyingly thrilling. Yes, whatarethe chances? But still, I saw him first in Oxfordshire and second in London. I’d say the chances of bumping into someone in two separate counties in two days were pretty slim.

Chapter 8

Charley couldn’t wangle a girls’ night on Friday—something about Lloyd being out for a long-planned lads’ night that she totally forgot about, so Abbie and I descended on the Chaytor household with wine and nibbles for the adults, and marshmallows for the kids.

“God please, not too many artificial preservatives at this time of day,” Charley says as she tips a bag of snacks into a bowl, and I entice Elijah over with a rustle of the bumper bag of the squidgy, sugary treats. “They’re hyper enough.”

“Look what Aunty Amelia has,” I coo, smiling at his chubby bare feet stomping across the wooden kitchen floor. I scoop him up when he makes it to me and pop the marshmallow in my mouth, offering him a bite. He giggles and snatches it from between my lips, leaving me with a small piece to chew through. “Say thank you.” He plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Open the wine,” I order Abbie as she puts Ena in her high chair and straps her in.

“How long before the sprogs go to bed?” she asks.

“In about six hours, if you give them those marshmallows.”

My eyes widen, and I quickly snatch the treat out of Elijah’s hand as Abbie takes the bag from me, slams her foot on the pedal of the bin, and drops it in. “Anyone got any sleeping pills?”

I laugh and take a seat at the island with Elijah on my lap, accepting the wine Charley slides across. “Thanks.”

“Glad it’s the weekend?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Abbie says, joining me after giving Ena her Tommee Tippee cup. “You work on weekends too.”

“This weekend I do,” I grumble. “I’ve got things to catch up on after taking a day off.” And falling into too many conflicting daydreams.You will be having dinner with me.Only if I agree. And yet I’m certain he could get a yes out of me, despite my adamance. “I—” My mobile rings on the island, buzzing across the marble.

“Don’t you dare answer that,” Abbie warns, pulling it away from my reach before I have a chance to see who’s calling me.

“Come on, it could be a client.”

“Exactly, and it’s Friday evening.” She looks at the screen.

“Who is it?”

“No name,” she says, and I settle. I have all my clients saved. “It’s probably one of those annoying sales calls.” She answers, clicking it to speaker. “Hi, this is Amelia’s phone. She can’t take your call right now because she’s busy fantasising about having hand sex with a perfect stranger in the ladies’. Please leave a message, and she’ll call right back when she’scome.”

Charley nearly chokes on a Quaver, while I shake my head in mild despair at my wayward friend.

“She doesn’t need to fantasise,” a low, deep, sexy voice says, an edge of seriousness lacing the edges. “I’d happily fuck her hands again, or anything else she wants me to fuck.”

The Quaver Charley was choking on flies out of her mouth when she coughs, I nearly drop her eldest baby, and Abbie throws my phone on the counter like it’s caught fire, looking at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“No,” I whisper, horrified, frozen, and everything in between, as I stare at my phone, the call still connected.

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