Nick left his suitcase outside the office door and peered into the room. His eyes widened at what he saw. A woman with her back to him, bending over the desk and jotting something down onto a piece of paper. The tight skirt she was wearing clung invitingly to her figure and revealed a shapely pair of tanned legs beneath it.
Mmmm, he may forgive Adam after all for employing her. What a sexy lady!
His jaw dropped in shock however when the woman stood up and turned slightly to speak to a man sitting at the other end of the room.
"So, do you think it will be delayed any more than this now? Or has the plane left the UK already?"
"Sal?" Nick said in amazement. "Is that you?"
Sal swung around to see Nick leaning against the doorframe, his face a picture of shocked surprise.
"Nick!" she squealed in astonishment, and then grinned. "I don't believe it. You're back!"
"You look completely different, Sal. You look fantastic!" he said, running his eyes over her.
She frowned. "Only just got back and already you're insulting me! I must have looked bloody awful before then," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Just as much of a drama queen as ever. Come here you crazy woman," he replied, holding out his arms.
She tutted, but couldn't hold back the excitement as she ran to him, jumping into his arms with a squeal of delight.
"I can't believe you're back!" she laughed as he spun her around, taking advantage of the feel of 'Sal curves' pressed tightly against him. He just couldn't help it.
"Yep," he put her down before his hormones started to soar, taking a closer look at her. "I like the new hairstyle, very sexy Sal. It suits you." He smiled. "However..."
She was still reeling from his complements, but nevertheless, she knew him well enough to know some teasing would follow.
"It's not working you know," he said.
"What's not working ?" she asked in confusion.
"Your attempts to cover up these," he grinned, gesturing to the freckles on her face.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know what you mean."
He chuckled. "Sure. You can't fool me you know, Sal. I know you too well. You may have poshed yourself up but you're still the same old Sal underneath."
She huffed, a pretence of offence, and moved back to the desk to the sound of his amused laugh.
"Want some advice?" he asked.
She collected a pile of papers together off the desk and glanced over her shoulder at him. "No, but I'm sure that you're going to give me some anyway."
"Leave the freckles alone, they look cute," he smiled.
She sighed and smiled back at him, some of her initial enthusiasm fading though as she dropped the papers back onto the desk. She really was glad to see him again, but some small voice in the back of her head was asking why he hadn't kept in contact as he'd promised he would. "So, how did you know that I'd be up here?" she asked.
"I didn't, it was a complete surprise. Came looking for the supervisor to ask for some transfer work and found you in the job."
She grinned, a flicker of a challenge glinting in her eyes. Picking up a clipboard from off the desk, she leant over slightly to begin to slipping some of the papers under the clip.
"Yep, started last month as airport supervisor for Adam," she replied casually.
"I'm impressed," he said, watching her.
She glanced up at him.
A smile tugged at his mouth as he contemplated her with interest, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes flitted over the sight of this new looking Sal before him. New but the same...familiar, but even more...even more what? He had to focus.
Returning his eyes to her face, his heart quickened for a moment from what he saw. For a second he sensed something that he hadn't sensed before with her. He'd always wanted to. He'd looked for some sort of sign before...any sign. But the look on her face then, something in her eyes, seemed to intensify for an instant. And then it was gone. Maybe it had just been wishful thinking on his part?
She stood upright suddenly as if having remembered something and snatched up her bag which had been hanging on the back of a chair. Rifling through it momentarily, she proceeded to pull out her mobile phone. "Hold on a sec." she said.
Dialling a number, she waited impatiently for someone to pick up.
"There you are! Listen," she began, turning away from Nick to continue her conversation on the phone, "the plane isn't due in for at least another hour, so if things are sorted out down there, you can tell the girls to go for a break...but make sure that you are all back in forty five minutes at the latest," she added firmly, hanging up and turning back decisively to face Nick. The phone call had been enough time for her to formulate her plan. With Nick, she had to think quickly.
"So Nicholas, you'd like a job with us, would you?" she said formally.
He shook his head at her. She was up to something.
She reached towards the desk again and picked up a pen.
"Yes please Miss," he came back politely, his inquisitive eyes following her movements. These games they always played...they were, they were... actually, they were quite fun!
"Hmmm," she pretended to look thoughtful, chewing on the end of the pen. "We may have a vacancy. And you're in luck..." she said, pointing the pen at him.
His face lit up. He could picture the bike he was going to get with his wages.
"I just have enough time to conduct an interview for the position," she finished, grinning at the way his expression changed.
Ooooh, she was a cheeky one! They had always been equals and she knew it. Still, this new role as boss kind of suited her. It was even quite stimulating.
"Interview...of course," he came back with a smile, calling her bluff. "Go ahead."
She sat down behind the desk and gestured for him to take the empty seat opposite her. "Please, take a seat."
He smiled politely and sat down.
Sorting through the paperwork on the desk, she found a suitable piece of paper and took a firmer grip on the pen, letting the nib hover above the paper.
"Name?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face.
"You know my name cheeky!" he replied incredulously.
She nodded and jotted something down.
"Age?" she grinned.
"Oh no you don't! You don't get to know my age. I'm youthful in outlook but experienced in all areas," he said, leaving her to wonder how experienced and in what particular areas.
She looked impressed but continued the questioning. "References?"
He smiled slowly. "Well, as I recall, a certain transfer rep I used to know assured me that I was the best transfer rep in the world. I think that's a good enough reference, don't you?"
Not that she'd had any choice in the matter at the time. He'd tricked her!
She growled at him. "Hmm, I think that the said transfer rep must have been blackmailed into admitting that!"
He shook his head. "Not blackmailed, just honest enough to admit the truth."
He was incorrigible!
She growled again and threw the pen at him. "Okay, okay Mr Smug, you can have the job!"
He ducked to avoid the missile and laughed. She laughed with him.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
