Fortunately she had been too busy to dwell on the absence of a response from Finn, and by what should have been the end of the day Jill was beginning to realise that it really wasn’t going to be the end of the day. Not that she minded. She was up for the challenge. She had fantasised more than once about what she would do if the reins of power ever got wrenched from that wanker Devlin’s hands and turned over to her. She just never really believed it would happen. Still, that meant when five o’clock came she was hard at work, and when six rolled around, she was no closer to leaving. Up to her elbows in stuff that should have been done last Friday, she whipped off a quick text to Finn.
Have to work late. Will be home as soon as I can.
J
It was nearly seven, and she was about to leave when her BlackBerry rang. It was Finn.
‘Where the hell are you, Jill? I’ve been looking all over for you. This is no joke. Who are you with? What the fuck does Eleanor have you doing?’
Her stomach knotted and she felt as though she’d been slapped. ‘What do you mean, who am I with? Didn’t you get my text? I told you I’m at the office. I had to work late. I’ve been –’
He cut her off. ‘I thought you were quitting. And now all of a sudden you’re the boss? What did she do? What did Eleanor do?’
‘My boss quit and I took his job, arsehole. I took his job because I’m the person qualified, and I’m the person his boss put in charge. And since when has being civil become such a difficult task?’ She disconnected before the situation could escalate. ‘Wanker!’ She said under her breath as she slammed her laptop shut and shoved everything into her bag. ‘What the hell happened to being polite? Is that so difficult to do? Did he bother to text me back and ask me what was up? Did he bother to call me and clear up the misunderstanding, to congratulate me, to even check in on me? No. He just bites my head off.’
‘He was worried,’ Eleanor said.
Just then her BlackBerry signalled a text. It was from Finn.
Sending Chelsea to yours to look after you. Don’t know what time I’ll be in.
F
She fired back.
I don’t need a child-minder. Give Chelsea the night free and fuck off to wherever you want.
J
As she sent it off, she said. ‘I don’t want to hear it, Eleanor. It’s been a long day.’
She got the equivalent of a shrug. Then she added, ‘Clearly he’s not all that worried about me or he wouldn’t be sending someone else. And who knows where the hell he’s getting off to?’
‘What you need is a drink at Juno,’ Eleanor said. ‘Maybe a glass of fizz to celebrate your promotion.’
Jill squared her shoulders. ‘That’s a good idea. That’s exactly what I need, to celebrate. Let’s go.’
* * *
At the Water Poet, Finn was halfway through his second pint by the time he’d got the whole sordid story off his chest. Meinrad ordered another lime and soda and leaned against the bar. ‘That didn’t go too well.’
‘I don’t need a lecture, Meinrad,’ Finn said. ‘I know that didn’t go too well. Is Chelsea on her way?’
‘She’s not happy about it,’ Meinrad said. ‘Whatever’s going on between the two of you, you and Jill, I mean, if it doesn’t have anything to do with Eleanor then it doesn’t have anything to do with Sole Alliance. You know that.’
Finn stared down into his pint. ‘Yeah, I know, mate, but I’ve got to have some time to think. I didn’t expect this. And last night when you … when you made love to her …’ He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a sharp breath. ‘I mean it was just sex, wasn’t it? And she was all right with it. And it was good for her. I could tell that it was. You made sure that it was.’ That she had been fine with fucking another man right there in front of him, even with his permission, still burned like fire in the pit of Finn’s stomach. And that he had not been fine with it burned even worse.
Meinrad made no reply.
‘Eleanor’s right,’ Finn said.
‘About what?’
‘I don’t want anyone else touching her. I don’t want anyone else touching Jill.’
‘Oh, that,’ Meinrad replied. ‘I think you were the only one who hadn’t figured that out, mate.’
‘When she told me she was at work, when she told me about the promotion, all I could think about was what Eleanor had done to get her that promotion. I didn’t even text her back, I was so angry. I thought …’
‘You thought Eleanor knew who she had to fuck to get the position and made it happen.’