Keep your distance, this is business, her sensible self whispered.
She leant away from him, unfolded her napkin and spread it on her lap while waiters served the first course.
Lewis was sitting opposite her, and as the person in charge of the event, his eyes roamed the room, making sure everything was okay. But several times his gaze caught hers and he gave her a little smile. She wasn’t sure why it made her uncomfortable – maybe because she’d never been to such a formal event, with people she didn’t know – but she wished she didn’t have quite so much cleavage on show. It was coincidence, she told herself when she found him looking at her again, inevitable when you sat opposite someone. But still she felt hot and bothered, like a child forced to sit at a dinner table with distant relatives talking about them as if they weren’t there, wanting to go home. It’s just this once, she reminded herself as she took another mouthful of smoked salmon. Tough it out, keep your eyes on your food.
The night trudged on, the buzz of chatter and laughter getting increasingly loud as more champagne was consumed. After her first glass, Sara made a point of not drinking any more. There was no way she could roll home drunk without Matt having serious suspicions about where she’d been, and anyway, she had to drive herself back from the community centre. She checked her watch. Almost nine. The meal was being served at a snail’s pace, all five courses of it, and there was still dessert to come, followed by a cheese board. She’d been hoping to be home by ten, but it was going to be much later. The muscles at the back of her neck pulled tighter, the tension almost unbearable now.
Her neighbour, a portly middle-aged man called Alan, was very attentive, leaning in towards her when he spoke so she could hear what he was saying. He was pleasant enough, told her about his ex-wife, his children. Then they got on to her family, to the point where she didn’t want to tell him any more details and changed the subject back to business. Apparently he imported a range of women’s yoga wear, and at last she was on familiar ground. Christ, this is hard work, she decided as he regaled her with the technicalities of weft and weave and Lycra versus cotton.
Her eyes wanted to close, the lids getting heavy. The air was thick and warm, Alan’s garlicky breath pungent in her nostrils, the heat of him as he leant close to her, his arm brushing against hers making her skin crawl. She had a sneaking suspicion he was looking down her cleavage and finally decided she’d had enough.
She turned to get James’s attention, wanting to ask him what time they were going to leave, but he was deep in conversation with the lady on the other side of him – a petite Chinese woman in a beautifully ornate dress, who was giggling at his jokes as though they were hilarious.
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her bag, heart skipping a beat. It was a message from Matt.
Where are you? Ezra making a fuss because he’s woken up and you’re not here.
Grateful to have a genuine excuse to leave, she tapped James on the shoulder, and he turned, obviously surprised at being interrupted. ‘I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go. There’s a problem at home. Ezra’s not well and Matt doesn’t know what to do.’ She stood, her mind made up. ‘It’s all right, you stay. I’m going to get a cab.’
James made a grab for her arm, trying to stop her, but she pulled away.
‘Thank you so much for a lovely evening,’ she said to him before turning to Alan. ‘So nice meeting you.’
Alan’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘You’re not going, are you? You can’t, not yet.’
‘I’m afraid I have to. My little boy isn’t well.’
James stood, following her as she started to make her way to the door, aware that she was being watched. Nobody else had left, and she hoped her departure wouldn’t undermine his efforts to get some good deals. Will it still count as payment off my debt? Oh God, I hope so; please don’t let this be for nothing. It had been a tortuous evening and she couldn’t contemplate having to do it again.
‘Let me make sure they call you a taxi,’ he said, ever the gentleman.
Once they were outside the room, however, the smile slipped from his face, to be replaced by a scowl. ‘You going home early was not part of the deal,’ he murmured, clearly not wanting their conversation to be overheard, even though the door was shut.
‘I’m sorry, but that man next to me was getting a bit creepy; honestly, if he’d touched me again, I would’ve hit him.’
James stared at her for a moment, his hand clasping her wrist so she couldn’t walk away. ‘So there isn’t an emergency at home then?’ His eyes sparked with annoyance.
‘Oh well… yes, there really is a problem,’ she stammered, her cheeks burning. Ezra not wanting to go to sleep was hardly a matter of life or death, but now she’d made up her mind, she was desperate to leave. ‘Please, James. I’ve got to go. I didn’t think we’d be out this late, and if Matt finds out where I’ve been, he’ll kill me.’
James’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. ‘I’m sure it wouldn’t be that drastic.’ He huffed out an impatient breath. ‘This really is not ideal. Alan is an important supplier and I can’t piss him off.’
The walls closed in around her, and she suddenly felt vulnerable. She was a long way from home, with people she didn’t know, in a situation she was far from comfortable with. As far as she was aware, given the conversations that she’d eavesdropped on, very little business had been discussed. Maybe that would come later, after dinner. The thought of having to stay any longer brought sudden tears to her eyes.
James softened then and let go of her wrist. ‘Okay, I suppose I should have been clearer about times. My fault. At least he enjoyed talking to you, so maybe your job here is done.’
He led her to the lifts, went down to the foyer with her and waited until a taxi arrived, before saying goodbye with an unexpected kiss on the cheek. Sara blushed, very aware of the musky scent of his aftershave, his beard tickling her skin, the whisper of his breath on her face. It made her shiver, brought a surge of unwanted feelings fizzing through her.
‘I’ve got some follow-up work to do, so I won’t be in the office for a few days now,’ he said. ‘But we’re pretty much up to date, aren’t we?’
She nodded, desperate to get back to her own little world.
When she got home, having changed out of her dress at the community centre, the bedroom light was on and she found Ezra sitting in bed with Matt, reading his favourite storybook.
She stopped in the doorway, her heart filled with a rush of love. This is where I belong. A new resolve sparked inside her. I’ve got to talk to James about our deal. I can’t do this again.
She went and sat on the bed, Matt’s face breaking into a relieved smile.
‘How was your night?’ he asked as Ezra snuggled up to her, wrapping his arms round her neck. ‘I saw Fiona at football, and she told me what was going on. She said it was her fault. Apologised for taking you away on a Thursday.’
Sara buried her face in Ezra’s hair, aware that she owed Fiona yet another favour now. She’d have to thank her for covering up. Then Matt’s words registered, and she looked over at him, puzzled. ‘How come you were at football? Hailey took the girls tonight.’