Elaine glanced at me, a twinkle in her eye. It was so nice to see her relaxed and comfortable, such a contrast to the terrified, panic-stricken woman I’d encountered on our arrival back from Rome.

“Let’s be uncivilised and have it in here,” she suggested with a sheepish grin.

“Hear, hear,” I agreed. “TV dinners are the best.”

King shook his head, smiling, then went back into the kitchen. Five minutes later he returned, handing each of us a plate with roast beef, sautéed vegetables, mashed potato, and the most delectable gravy I’d ever tasted. He placed two glasses of wine on the coffee table for us, then went to sit on an armchair with his own plate. I noticed he was drinking wine, too. It was quite a large glass, but I chose not to comment on it. Obviously, the evening wasn’t total domestic bliss for him. He still had his father on his mind.

We’d just finished eating when King’s phone began ringing. Standing up, he stepped out of the room to answer it. I could hear him speaking, but his words were muffled. In the end, he returned to the living room, a sort of relief etched on his features…but there was also a hint of strain. His eyes came to mine, and his voice was light and airy when he spoke, disbelieving almost.

“That was Lee Cross. He said Bruce has agreed to back off. He’s going to leave us alone.”

Elaine gasped, her hand going to her mouth as her eyes grew wet with tears, though they were obviously happy ones. I stood and walked to King, giving him a tight hug and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. The moment I let go, he went to his mum, scooping her up into his arms and squeezing her tight. Their embrace lasted a long time. It was full of relief, years of worry and stress being let out all at once. I thought maybe I should give them a moment alone, but then King pulled back, his eyes on his mother.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed. Maybe tonight you’ll sleep soundly for once.”

Elaine nodded and bid me goodnight before King led her from the room. I sat back down on the couch, picked up my wine, and knocked back the last of its contents. By the time King returned, I felt tired. I was relieved, yes, but there was also a knot of apprehension in my gut.

I knew this had all been my idea, but there was something about it that felt too easy. I didn’t for a second think Lee was conning us. He might have been a criminal, but he was an honourable one. Yes, there was such a thing as honour amongst thieves. Besides, I’d seen enough dodgy characters during my years of bar work to recognise a good though slightly tarnished egg when I saw one. Still, something just didn’t sit right with me, and I hated feeling like that. Like there were invisible loose ends we weren’t quite grasping.

King returned to the living room and dropped down onto the couch beside me. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. I could sense his relief was short-lived, just like mine had been. He’d been putting on a brave face for his mum, trying to give her some semblance of peace, even if it might have been misleading.

He stretched his body out on the couch and pulled me to his chest so that my head was resting on his sternum. The silence continued as neither one of us spoke. I pressed my ear to his skin, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It was reassuring, amid the uncertainty, to have his strong body so alive next to mine. To know one beat would be followed by the next.

His hand started to stroke my hair, my bare arm, my shoulder blades. I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch.

“What you said today at the office, did you mean it?” King murmured, his voice almost hesitant.

His question gave me pause as I lifted his my head to meet his eyes. “What I said?”

“About us falling for each other,” King whispered. “Do you believe it?”

“I don’t need to believe it,” I replied fervently before taking his hand and placing it over my chest. “I feel it.”

King sucked in a breath, eyes flickering back and forth between mine. His voice was barely audible when he said, “I feel it, too, Alexis.”

My heart stuttered, and a smile spread its way across my mouth. “Well, then, Oliver, that’s all we need to know.”

And then I kissed him.

***

Several weeks passed by. King began taking me on dates. The rest of the time we were both rushed off our feet, only stealing brief moments together. Some nights King came to stay at my place, and then others I went to his. I preferred going to his. It meant I didn’t have to worry about scarring my best friend for life with our sex noises.

What was most surprising was the phone calls I’d started to get with job offers. Not for secretarial work, but for modelling. The shots from Bradley’s shoot had been published in a popular fashion magazine, and I’d caught the attention of several agencies. I didn’t want to give up working for King, but still, I thought it was a bit of good luck. I had a couple of shoots booked for the coming weeks, and, depending on how profitable it became, maybe I could quit my job as his assistant.

After all, I wanted to be his girlfriend far more than I wanted to be his assistant, and there was only so much sneaking around I could handle. Plus, Gillian was right on the cusp of discovering the truth. The other day she’d walked in on me standing by King’s desk as he ran his hand up the outside of my thigh. He’d explained it away by saying he’d spotted a spider on my skirt.

And yes, it might have been the most obvious lie ever told. Amen.

It was a mildly sunny morning when I made my way to the newsagents to collect King’s papers. I thought Arnold, the shopkeeper who I was now on first-name terms with, was acting a bit weird, but I didn’t pay it too much attention. I picked up the papers and said my goodbyes before returning to the office. It was only when I reached the entrance to Johnson-Pearse that I noticed the swarms of journalists outside. They hadn’t been there when I’d first arrived, but I’d gotten in earlier than usual. There must have been some sort of story going on. Perhaps the economy was taking another nosedive.