Bianca
She waited till O’Grady had left, in his usual Alpha male way, she thought with a smile. Stuffing his gun in his holster, looking at her with a wink, then striding out , after bestowing a quick hard kiss on her mouth, leaving behind the aroma of his masculinity and his citrusy cologne.
And an aching sense of loss.
Bianca stood at the window, watching him leave, getting into the large black SUV that had rolled up to the kerb. And then, he was gone.
She decided to go to work. There was no point in hanging around, mooning around like a love sick calf.
Changing into a simple shirt and trousers, she dragged on a hoodie and stepped out o the bedroom. Big Barry , who had been watching TV in the front room after O’Grady left, turned to look at her in some surprise.
“You feelin’ upto work, kid?” he asked and she dimpled. Getting sick had meant she had got to know Barry and his old lady, Sylvie well.
She nodded and shrugged.
“I’d get dead bored staying home, Barry,” she said.
He studied her for some time and she had the uneasy feeling that he had read between the lines. With a nod, he got up and pulled on his leather jacket.
“Let’s go then,” he said and soon, they were on their way.
Back at the office Simmons looked at her in some astonishment. The others glanced her way, with a smile and a nod. Of course, Mal and Roger were thrilled to have her back but all three of them avoided the food truck that afternoon.
As the others strolled back across the squared to the office, she glanced across to where Barry was leaning against a food truck, wolfing down a huge burger. He looked through her and she understood. Barry was undercover.
That night and the next, her masters did not come to see her. St Just called in the evening when she was home, munching on a salad as she watched a series on Netflix.
“We have a guest, a very old friend of O’Grady’s,” he explained. “Going to be busy this week, I think.”
After a little small talk and generally asking her to take care and stay safe, he ended the call.
The next day, during the course of their idle lunch break chatter, Roger mentioned that an old flame of O’Grady’s was in town.
‘Remember Barbara whatsher name/” he asked Mala she wiped his mouth fastidiously with a napkin,
“You know, the thirty-something hottie with an hourglass figure and flaming red hair?”
Mal , munching away cheerfully on her apple pie, waved her hand.
“Ah, Barbara Watermann. The TV anchor, who deals with Finance?”
Roger nodded and the name registered, Bianca felt her heart lurch.
O’Grady’s old flame?
“We all thought he was serious, y’know,” said Mal chattily, looking at Bianca expectantly as she readied herself to gossip.
“There was lots of gossip in the papers, y’see,” she added, nodding knowingly,
“All over each other, emerging from the hideaway holidays and all that!”
Gossiping about their employers, particularly handsome, unattached bachelors like O’Grady and St Just, was something very fulfilling for Bianca felt her heart go pitter-patter. She really did not want to hear about O’Grady’s sexual exploits. She knew him intimately and the thoguth of another woman in his bed made her faint with jealousy.
But, there was no stopping Mal.
She continued with relish,
‘But you know, a man like O’Grady. He gets tired of the same woman, like this!” and she snapped her fingers for emphasis, her eyes on Bianca’s tight face.
“Then he moved to some other woman, a socialite, who was also close to some of the top men at Capito Hill.” She shut her eyes and nodded smugly.
Bianca rose, unwilling to hear more. But Mal had misinterpreted her gesture. She rose too, dusting away crumbs as she trotted after Bianca who was following Roger.
“I’ve heard that they keep a woman…y’know, like an …uh…sex slave…”And she giggled. Bianca’s face was hot and she felt the flush of embarrassment flood her. That was what she was, a cheap sex slave, she thought, her spirits plummeting.
The young man was on his phone and a few steps ahead.
Mal continued,
“Then he turned to that Hardy girl, you know, the one with hair, like cornstalks?”
Bianca burst out laughing at the apt description.
“Paige Hardy?” She said before she could stop herself.
Mal shot her a curious look.
“How…?” she began.
But luckily for her, Roger was already at the entrance and gesticulating that they should hurry.
Later that day, as she gathered her stuff and prepared to leave, Roger said,
‘It’s the weekend…care to join us at the pub tonight?” Bianca hesitated for a split second. Then she thought of O’Grady with Watermann, who was a svelte redhead, with a stunning figure and no doubt, keeping him happy.
Roger went on, almost begging,
“Come on; it’s Nash’s birthday!”
She nodded with enthusiasm and said, “Count me in.”
Mal looked at her in astonishment, and then she chuckled.
“I’m coming along too!’ she exclaimed, waving her pudgy hands.
Simmons suddenly loomed up behind her.
“Where are you going?” he asked in a fake friendly tone and Bianca had a foreboding of unease.
But even as she opened her mouth to refute Mal’s words, Roger explained helpfully;
“We’re planning to go to the pub tonight, after work, for drinks. It’s Nash’s birthday.”
And he grinned happily.
Simmons looked at Bianca and she felt a shiver of apprehension for some unknown reason.