The Bonus Page 6
“You said it.”
“Oh shit!” Lacey collapsed onto the sofa.
“You fucked up.”
“He paid Clemens so we could stay here, didn't he?”
“That's how it looks.”
“I told him he could stuff his job, and his bonus, and his company car.”
“Whoops!”
“And I threw my Iphone at him.”
“Did it hit him?”
“I don't think so.” She looked up at Suzy. “I'm so fucked. What am I going to do now?”
“You know what you have to do.”
“I can't. I can't go back there. Not after what I said and did. He'll throw me out for sure.”
“You have no choice. You have to.”
“I know.”
Chapter 8
How had she got herself into this mess? She realised now that he'd tried to explain when she'd stormed into the penthouse. But had she listened? Had she hell. She'd been too busy shooting her mouth off and throwing things at him. This was going to be mighty embarrassing—if she even got to see him. Who could blame him if he'd issued orders to reception to intercept her if she came back? She'd probably end up being thrown out. Still, she had to try. At least she hadn't tossed away the pass card for the lift. Maybe she could sneak by reception without them seeing her.
Once outside the Commodore, she took a deep breath and then strode inside as confidently as she could. The receptionist was busy talking to a middle-aged woman, so Lacey made her way straight to the penthouse lift. Had her pass card been blocked? There was only one way to find out. She slipped it into the slot and pressed the button marked 'P'. The doors closed and the lift began its journey.
“Breathe,” she told herself. “Breathe.”
She stepped out of the lift and into the penthouse. Immediately, she spotted her Iphone—it was still lying on the floor.
“Hello?” It was a man's voice, but not Rory's.
“Hello?” Lacey replied.
“Well, well. Who do we have here?” The man who appeared out of the master bedroom had shoulder-length black hair. He was taller than Rory, and looked four or five years younger. He wore jeans, torn at the knees, and a white vest top.
“Who are you?” Lacey said, as her gaze was drawn to the tattoo on his upper arm.
“I asked first,” the man said.
“Where's Rory?”
“Nobody calls him that.”
“I do. Is he here?”
“He's in the shower.” The man grinned. “You must be Maisy.”
“Lacey.”
“That's it—Lacey. Raw warned me about you.”
Warned? That didn't sound promising.
“I need to speak to him.”
“Go right on through.” He gestured towards the bathroom. “I'm sure he won't mind you joining him in the shower.”
“I'll wait.”
“Would you like a drink?” The man started towards the bar.
“No. I'm okay thanks.”
“I'm Todd.” The man poured a whisky—a large one. “Raw's kid brother.”
“Why does everyone call him Raw? It's so stupid.”
Todd downed the whisky in one, and then poured himself another.
“I guess it is if you stop to think about it, but he's always been Raw. Ever since we were little kids. Rory sounds kind of poncy.”
“Will you tell him I'm here?”
“Tell him yourself.”
“Please.”
“Okay, sweet pie.”
“I'm not your sweet bloody pie.”
“You really are touchy. Raw said you were.”
She wanted to know what else Rory had said about her, but didn't want to give Todd an excuse to stop and chat.
For brothers, they were very different. Not so much in looks—she could see the family resemblance. Todd seemed so rough mannered whereas Rory, for all his faults, was much more refined.
“He'll be out in five,” Todd said when he came back out of the bathroom. “I told him you had wanted to join him in the shower, but that I'd managed to stop you.”
“You didn't?”
Todd laughed. “I have to go apparently. Big brother says he needs to talk to you alone. Guess if he's got the chance to talk with you—I shouldn't stay and cramp his style. Don't you go talking his brains out now will you?” He gave her a knowing wink, as he made his way to the lift.
“Lacey?” Rory called from the bathroom.
“Yeah?”
“Has Todd gone?”
“Yeah.”
“Don't take any notice of anything he said. He loves to stir things. I'll be out in a minute.”
“Hi.” Rory walked into the room. Lacey tried to read his expression, but couldn't.
“I'm glad you came back,” he said.
“I wanted to apologise.”
“For throwing the phone at me? I've had worse things thrown at me. I'm just glad you have a lousy aim.” He smiled. That was encouraging at least.
“I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have said those things.”
“Forget it.”
“I thought you'd got Clemens to chuck us out of the flat.”
“You don't have a very high opinion of me do you?”
“I'm sorry. I saw you at his office. I saw him counting the cash.”
“The man is slime. If I were you, I'd look for somewhere new anyway. At least now you can do it at your leisure.”
“Yeah. I might. Thanks.”
“Why were you following me?”
“I don't really know.”
“Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of having you as a stalker.”
“I wasn't stalking you.”
“I'm pretty sure that what you did would qualify as stalking.” He grinned.
“Like I said, I'm sorry. I only came back to apologise.” She turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“You forgot this.” He handed her the Iphone, which remarkably, was unscathed.
“I assumed you'd want it back.”
“Why?”
“For your next PA.”
“I already have a PA. You.”
“After everything I said?”
“Yes, but there are a couple of conditions.”
“What?”
“Firstly, you have to call me Raw.”
“I can't call you that—not with a straight face anyway.”
“Try.”
Lacey stared at her feet, and said in little more than a whisper, “Raw.”
“I didn't hear you.”
“Raw.” A little louder this time.
“I still can't hear you.”
She looked up. “Raw! Raw! Raw!”
“That's better. No more of the Rory. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed...?” he prompted.
“Agreed, Raw. What's the other condition?”
“You let me take you out for dinner tonight.”
“On a date? I'm not going on a—”
“It wouldn't be a date. It would be business. We can discuss business stuff.”
“Stuff? Is that the technical term for it?”
“Yeah. Stuff. Lots of stuff to discuss.”
“Just for a meal,” she said. “That's all. No afters.”
“Okay, no afters. Unless you change your mind later and beg me for afters.”
“I won't. I've got a bonus to earn.”
“Do we have a deal then?” He offered his hand.
“Deal.” She tried to take his hand but he pulled it away as though waiting for something. For a moment she was confused, but then the penny dropped. “Deal, Raw.”
They shook hands.
**********
“Can't I go home to get changed? I look like crap.” Lacey was in the bathroom—studying her reflection in the full length mirror.
“You will be fine as you are,” Raw said, as she walked back into the room.
“Your b
rother's very different to you.”
“Different how?”
“I don't know. He just seems—different. He's even got a tattoo.”
“I might have a tattoo for all you know. If you change your mind about 'afters', you'll find out later.”
“I guess I'll never know then. So, how come you two are so different?”
Todd's a great guy, but he's a bit wild. When we were kids, he always thought I was dad's favourite. He resented that, so he did everything he could to get attention. He was always in trouble at school, and then—what is it they say—he fell in with a bad crowd.”
“Was he right? Were you your dad's favourite?”
“I don't think so. Dad always saw me as the one who would take over the business. He tried to nurture me, I guess, but that was only because I was the eldest. He loved all of his kids the same—I'm sure of that.”
“What does Todd do now? Does he work for Raw Trading?”
“Todd? Hell no. He won't have anything to do with the business. I've asked him a million times. I even offered to make him joint CEO, but he laughed in my face. He hates the business. He blames it for taking his dad away from him. Dad spent almost every waking hour at work.”
“So, what does Todd do?”
“I honestly don't know. Nothing probably. My parents left each of us a generous trust fund. He doesn't need to work. He has plenty of money, but you'd never guess it from the way he dresses. He comes and goes as the mood takes him. I don't even know where he lives.”
“Haven't you asked him?”
“I've asked, but he hasn't answered. The best I get is 'here and there'. I worry about him, but what can I do?”
This was a different side to Rory—whoops—Raw. She'd assumed his brash exterior was all there was to him, but while talking about his brother, he'd shown another side of his personality.
“Enough about Todd,” Raw said. “Are we going out for dinner or not?”
“I'm as ready as I'll ever be.” Lacey put her Iphone in her bag.
Chapter 9
Posh - that's what her mum called any restaurant that charged more than ten pounds for two courses. Lacey didn't get nouveau cuisine. As far as she was concerned, it was just an excuse to serve small portions. Raw had money to burn, and was no doubt used to eating out at top restaurants—far more upmarket than anywhere she'd ever been. She was bound to make a fool of herself.
Once they were in the Commodore's car park, Lacey began to walk towards his Jag.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I thought we were taking the Jag. How many cars do you have down here?”
“We'll take your car.” He pointed at the Golf. “You can drive.”
“Oh? Okay.”
Lacey could feel her nerves jangling as she drove out of the car park. Being in such a confined space with Raw was having a strange effect on her. The guard at the barrier scowled at her as usual, but then caught sight of her passenger. Suddenly he was beaming all over his face as he raised a hand in greeting. Raw opened the passenger-side window.
“Good evening, Mr Westgrove,” the guard said.
“Evening, Thomas. How are you?”
“Fine sir. Thank you for asking. Have a good evening.”
“What a shit,” Lacey said, as they drove out of the car park.
“Who? Thomas. He's a charming man.”
“To you maybe. He looks at me like I'm something he trod in.”
Raw laughed. “Take a right here.”
Lacey followed his directions as they made their way across town.
“Do you like the Golf?” Raw tapped the dashboard.
“I love it. Thanks.”
“Next right and then second left.”
Lacey glanced at him. She knew where they were headed. “Really?”
“Why not?”
“I'll attend to these customers,” Carlos said. He had been in the kitchen, but came through as soon as he spotted Lacey and Raw. “Very nice to see you, Mr Westgrove.”
“Please call me Raw.”
“And you must call me Carlos. Would you like to take a look around?”
“No, thanks. This isn't an official visit. We'd like to order.”
“Certainly. What can I get you?”
“Lacey's favourite is chicken and bacon, I believe.” Raw glanced at Lacey for confirmation.
She nodded.
“I'll have the same” Raw said. “And, I'll have a Coke.”
“I'll have water please, Carlos.” Lacey felt weird being on that side of the counter.
“Certainly. I'll be as quick as I can.”
“How much do I owe you?” Raw took out his wallet.
“On the house.”
“You can't give our pizzas away,” Raw said.
“Sorry.” Carlos blushed. “I wasn't thinking.”
“I'm only joking. Here.” Raw handed Carlos a twenty pound note. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you, Mr West—I mean—Raw.”
“Is he always as nervous as that?” Raw asked, once they were out of the shop.
“No. He's usually calm and collected. You made him nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous?”
“No,” she lied.
“Is there somewhere we can go to eat these? I don't want to stink out your brand new car.”
“Greenside Gardens are just around the corner.”
They left the Golf parked outside Chipmunk Pizza, and made their way to the small memorial garden which was in the square just a couple of hundred metres from the shop.
“It's nice here.” Raw sat next to Lacey on the wooden bench.
“Some week-ends, I used to work the day-shift. If the weather was nice, I'd bring my lunch here. It got me out of the shop for an hour. It's okay at the moment, but I wouldn't recommend coming here after dark. It attracts the local drunks.” She turned to face him. “I have to say I'm a little disappointed.”
“Why? Is there something wrong with your pizza?”
“I was expecting to be wined and dined at an exotic restaurant.”
“I'm sorry. I never thought. We could still—”
“I'm joking.” Lacey smiled. “I was dreading the thought of going somewhere where I wouldn't know which spoon to use. I'd much rather be sitting here, eating pizza.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. What about you though? You must be sick of the sight of pizza. I know it's your business and all, but surely you can't still like the stuff?”
“Are you joking? I love it. Did you know the original recipe was formulated by my dad?”
“Recipe? It's only pizza.” She scoffed.
“Wash your mouth out, young lady. I'll have you know Chipmunk pizza isn't any old pizza. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret. If I was to tell you—”
“You'd have to kill me.”
“Precisely.”
They both laughed.
“Do you mind if I make a quick phone call?” Lacey asked.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Lacey walked a few metres from the bench, and then called Suzy's number.
“Lacey. How did it go? Are you all right, babes?”
“Everything's okay.”
“Are you sure. If he's been a bastard to you, I'll come down and punch his lights out. Or I could send Daggers over.”
“Don't do that for Christ's sake. Everything's fine honestly. He's been very sweet about it all. I've still got my job.”
“And the car?”
“And the car. We're in Greenside Gardens eating pizza.”
“What? You and him?”
“Raw. Yeah.”
“What did you just call him? Did you say Raw?”
“I have to go. I'll bring you up to speed when I get back. See ya.”
“Your boyfriend?” Raw asked.
“No. It was Suzy—my flatmate. I thought I'd better let her know I was okay. I was in a bit of a state when I left her.”
“What about yo
ur boyfriend? Won't he mind you being here with me?”
“It's not like this is a date. We're here to discuss business stuff. Remember? When exactly are we going to do that?”
“Soon. Very soon. So, would he mind?”
“You're fishing. Why don't you just come straight out with it, and ask if I have a boyfriend?”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“No, but that makes me sound kind of sad. It's not like I've never had a boyfriend—I just don't have one right now.”
“Can I apply for the vacancy?”
“There is no vacancy. I'm very happy on my own thank you very much. Ecstatically happy if you must know. Men are more trouble than they're worth.”
“You just haven't met the right one yet.”
“And that would be you, I suppose.”
“That's right. What do you say?”
“I say we'd better make a move before it gets dark, and the alkies come to claim their bench.”
**********
Lacey dropped Raw at the Commodore and then drove back to her flat.
“What happened?” Suzy asked, as soon as Lacey walked through the door.
“Everything's okay. I've still got my job.”
“What did he say when you got there?”
“He was in the shower.”
“Oh yeah?” Suzy grinned. “Did you join him and give him a good soaping?”
Lacey ignored her flatmate's remark. “His brother was there. Todd. He's a strange one.”
“So you had a threesome?”
“Jeez Suzy. What's wrong with your filthy mind? Are you going to let me tell the story?”
“I just want the juicy bits. Did you fuck him?”
“What? No! Of course not. It's not like that. I apologised for the misunderstanding—”
“The throwing the phone at him misunderstanding?”
“Yeah.”
“And the telling him to stuff his job misunderstanding?”
“Yeah. All of that. I apologised and now we're good.”
“How good?” That knowing smirk again.
“It's work. That's all. It's just a job.”
“Come on Lacey. How naive can you be? A guy doesn't do all this if he doesn't fancy you.”
“He's admitted he does, but I've made it absolutely clear it's never going to happen, and he's all right with that.”