Aimee Duffy - The Office Christmas Party - A fun, feel good Christmas cracker of a romance!

He frowned. ‘You’re not staying?’

‘Why, so you can tell some other sleazy bastards to feel me up because I’m easy? I don’t think so.’

Just then, another man approached them and he looked remarkably like Dean. His features were similar, but the other one was younger, and looked worried, not like a smug bastard.

When he spoke, it was sincere. ‘I’m really sorry, Miss. Whatever my brother did to you, I can honestly say you can do better. But listen, it’s my engagement dinner tonight, and I don’t want him to cause a scene in front of the future in-laws.’

His smile was sincere too, especially when he glanced towards a table with a beautiful brunette and two older couples.

Then he elbowed his brother in the ribs. ‘For fuck’s sake, Dean. Tell her you’re sorry.’

Dean just smirked at her in an I-told-you-so way. She turned to the younger, nicer version and said, ‘Congratulations to the both of you. And don’t worry, there won’t be any trouble. I’ve never slept with your brother, he only wishes. Enjoy your meal!’

She didn’t look at Dean, just accepted his brother’s gratitude and strolled out of the restaurant with her head held high. She had no idea who won that round, but like Dean said, this was not the battlefield – just an unwelcome coincidence. There would be plenty time to get her own back.

‘What took you so long?’ Rose asked. She was fully submerged in the shadows.

‘Who or what are you hiding from?’ Natalie asked. She didn’t really want to go into all that stuff with Dean. ‘And what’s wrong with eating here?’

Not that she wanted to when he was there, never mind with his family, but it was weird for Rose to change her mind at the last minute.

‘I was hoping for somewhere quieter so we can talk.’

Natalie wasn’t going to argue with that even if she didn’t believe it. She wanted to get away from here as fast as Rose seemed to.

***

‘There really is a first time for everything,’ his brother said as Dean watched his little thief storm out of the restaurant.

Dean was too distracted to ask what his brother was on about – distracted by the way her black, skinny jeans moulded her arse and clung to her surprisingly long legs. But Jeffrey was never deterred by silence.

‘The one woman in London who would probably rather poke her left eye out than sleep with you and I got to shake her hand.’ His brother laughed.

‘It’s early days, and I’m fairly sure she’d rather sleep with me than dismember herself.’ Though in the mood she was in, he could see why Jeffrey might think otherwise.

Jeffrey shook his head. ‘You never knew when to call it quits.’

‘I prefer to think of it as rising to face the challenge,’ he disagreed, following his brother back to the table. And Nicole, or whoever she was, definitely presented a challenge. But it was much more than that.

‘She might beat you down a notch or ten. So I say, go for it.’

‘Knob,’ Dean said, smiling. As they got closer to the table, he whispered, ‘You’re just jealous because you can’t chase sexy blondes anymore.’

His fiancée was in earshot before his brother could reply and Dean wanted to rub in the fact that he’d gotten the last word for once, but decided to enjoy the win silently. Everyone had already dug into the main course that had just been served and didn’t notice the acidic look his mother threw them as they slipped back into their seats.

She struck up a conversation about polo next, and he started on his steak, making sure to stuff his mouth before she asked how he had managed to be such a disappointment at that too. Anyway, he knew his father would answer for him.

It’s all that meddling around with the computer, softened the boy up. We should never have bought it for him.

Thankfully not even his mother seemed interested in what he was up to anymore so he concentrated on his dinner instead. Or at least tried to. Jeffrey didn’t have the best table manners when it came to spaghetti – why he picked that dish on the night the parents met was beyond Dean – but he was more distracted by Alana, occasionally wiping the sauce from his brother’s chin with a napkin, eyes shining and lips curving in a way that said like nothing but how completely and utterly in love she was with him.

Putting the twinge in his chest down to indigestion, he refocused on his steak.

Dean’s mobile vibrated, distracting him from things he’d rather not think about. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen.

Fancy coming over?

xxxxxxx

Mandy. Until a week ago, he’d have taken her up on the offer but his head wasn’t in it tonight. Maybe not ever again. She’d started to sign off with more kisses than was necessary and he suspected these infrequent hook ups were starting to mean more for her.

And if he was honest, he’d had more fun sparring with his ‘Nicole’ for ten minutes than he’d ever had in the hours he’d spent at Mandy’s.

He replied, deciding it was time to finish things with her. He never wanted to lead someone on, knowing exactly how crap it felt.

Sorry, Mandy. I think it’s time we call it quits.

Her reply took all of three seconds.

Okay, baby. You know where I am if you change your mind.

xoxoxoxoxo

He doubted he would. There was just no thrill anymore when it came to dating the way he had been. Dean blamed Jeffrey and this whole idiotic marriage thing. It was stirring up a lot of shit inside and making him come to realizations he’d been happy enough to ignore before now.

***

The little Japanese sushi bar never failed to disappoint, and when they’d had their fill the place had quietened to the point they almost had privacy as they sipped their complementary sakes.

‘So, now we’re pretty much alone, spill,’ Natalie said.

Rose got so pale even her lips turned white.

‘Rose, come on. Whatever you did isn’t half as bad as you think it is. You’re so kind-hearted. You’d feel awful about the tiniest thing. I mean, it’s not like you did something stupid, like went back to a guy’s house because you were drunk and—’

‘You did what ?’ Rose asked, the colour burning back into her cheeks.

Oops, she forgot she hadn’t told Rose about Steven yet. ‘I had a one-night stand last week. It’s nothing to worry about. He was cool.’

Rose narrowed her eyes. ‘Nat, he could have hurt you. In fact, wait. You said last week? Was that the night you didn’t come home by any chance?’

Busted.

‘Yeah, that’s the one. But I really was in the storage unit, you know, after I snuck out.’ And after giving another guy a floor show. She still couldn’t get the hot sauce smell off her lovely clutch.

‘Nat, you’re spiralling.’ Rose took her hands. ‘Why?’

Natalie shook her head. ‘Nope, you can take that worried look and flip it on yourself. Tonight’s about you, and I want to know what’s going on. Is it …’

She took a deep breath, then chickened out of what she wanted to ask, and went with something else. ‘Is it Tom? Are you having second thoughts?’

Rose studied her face for a minute. ‘If I tell you the truth, will you tell me what you were going to ask me?’

Frick, there really was no way to get anything past Rose. ‘Deal.’

‘Okay.’ Rose necked her saki then gestured to the waiter for another. ‘I’m not worried about Tom. I think he’ll be an amazing husband, a brilliant dad. The thing is, I’ve been engaged before.’

Natalie blinked, it was all she could do.

‘Don’t hate me for not telling you. It was ten years ago. And I didn’t want you to think I was a heartless cow,’ Rose said, looking down at her hands.