Agent Provocateur (6 page)

‘Exciting,’ Matt responds.

‘Yeah, well, you can help us then,’ she bites back.

‘Betty, thanks for the invitation but I think we might have better things to do.’

‘Everyone has better things to do; even I have better things to do.’ Johnny looks at her, and strokes her hand.

‘Um, but when we’ve got a lovely guest room your mother can come to stay more often.’ Betty laughs and strokes his hair.

‘God, can you two stop mauling each other long enough for us to order?’ Matt asks, and they do.

‘I feel drunk,’ Betty says, as they get up to leave. Despite the food, she is more than tipsy.

‘You are drunk,’ Matt replies.

Johnny takes her hand and guides her to the door. They say good night and they make their way home.

‘You’re going to have a hangover tomorrow,’ Johnny says, desperately trying not to mind.

‘It’ll be easier to work on the marriage wrecking whore story then,’ Betty says without thinking.

‘How can you be so bothered? Betts, you’ve never been this upset about anything you’ve worked on.’

‘Not upset, couldn’t care less.’

‘Fine. Come on, let’s get you home to bed.’

‘Are you propositioning me?’

‘Certainly not, you lush. I’m going to make you drink water and then I’m going to tuck you in.’

‘Johnny, I feel horny.’

‘No you don’t. You’re drunk.’

Betty giggles. ‘Drunk and horny. Horny, horny.’

‘Betty … I’m warning you.’

‘Oh, you’re so sexy when you’re being strict.’ She giggles some more.

Chapter Five

The alarm beeps at six o’clock. Grace rolls over and snuggles into Oliver, who has reluctantly opened his eyes.

‘Hey,’ he says, kissing the top of her head.

‘Morning,’ she murmurs, kissing his armpit.

‘I wish I could stay in bed with you, but I’d better go.’ He kisses her properly on her lips before moving the duvet and getting up.

‘See you later,’ she mumbles before falling back asleep.

He watches her from the door, knowing that she can’t see him and knowing that if she could she would probably get angry. But that is his indulgence. Instead of a few extra minutes in bed with her, he prefers to watch her sleep. She looks so peaceful, so beautiful, and he knows that he loves her. He knows that the image of her sleeping will stay with him all day as he works, and he showers, dresses and leaves feeling good about that.

Grace waits for-half an hour before she opens her eyes again. She knows he has left, having heard the door open and close. She knows that he was staring at her, which is why she pretended to be asleep, because she doesn’t know how to deal with it. She gets up and goes to make coffee, feeling uncharacteristically tired. She barely slept, although she knows that she probably slept for longer than she believes, because that always tends to be the case.

She takes her coffee into the living room where she watches the fish for a while and feeds them their breakfast. She loves the way that they swim, open-mouthed towards the food, often missing it. Misguided. Like her. She decides that it is time to lighten her mood and she wonders why she has felt so unbalanced lately. She hopes it isn’t to do with Oliver; she would miss him if he had to go.

She showers and dresses (usual work uniform of a tracksuit), and she goes to her office and switches on her computer. She checks her calendar; she has a job that evening, so she pulls out the file on her client. She always gives each case its own file, which she sends to Nicole when the job is complete. Each woman provides her with a photograph of her partner, a list of his likes and dislikes, as well as details of his job and his usual haunts. Then Grace will research his main hobby or his job so she has something she can talk to him about.

That evening’s case is a boyfriend, rather than a husband -a boyfriend who after four years still refuses to commit to his girlfriend.

Men, Grace thinks, looking at yet another contradiction in her life. The ones she works with (or her victims) will not commit and want more than one woman. Oliver is the opposite. She tells herself to stop thinking about him. She doesn’t have the time to think about him. She wishes it didn’t have to be this way, but it does.

She is absorbed in her work when the phone rings.

‘Grace Regan,’ she answers.

‘It’s me,’ Nicole says, in her brash, slightly hard voice. Grace often thinks that she still sounds like a policewoman arresting someone.

‘Hi.’

‘Lunch today. Zigli’s.’

‘That sounds like an order from my boss.’

‘It is. I’ve got a great opportunity for you.’

‘Really? Tell me more.’

‘I will. At lunch. Be there at one sharp. Bye.’ She has put the phone down before Grace can question her further.

She finishes her preparation for that evening before she changes out of her work uniform, into a pair of jeans and a stripy long-sleeved top. Zigli’s isn’t too formal and neither is Nicole. She leaves the flat and, without realising why, she is smiling. She is smiling because today will not be another solitary day. She will have a welcome distraction in her boss.

Nicole is sitting there when Grace arrives. She goes to join her, ignoring the waiter, who tries to accost her on the way. They hug; their affection for each other is genuine. Then they make small talk while they order drinks and study the menu.

‘Ready for tonight?’ Nicole asks. Business first.

‘I’ve read the file, I’ve got the photo in my brain. The only thing is, as you know, I’ve got a list of four bars to try. What if he’s not in any of them?’

‘Call me, and I’ll call her and we’ll take it from there. I think he probably will be in one of them, though. She says they’re the only places he goes to. Luckily they’re close to each other so you won’t have to chase him across London.’

‘Fine. Then hopefully I’ll get him at some point. So what’s all this about? I’m sure you didn’t invite me here just to feed me.’

‘Well, I’m not sure that you’ll like this because I know how private you are, but I want you to hear me out before you say no. I met an editor of a well-known women’s magazine at a dinner party. Quite a good dinner, not the usual bunch of boring people. Anyway, we got talking and I told her what I did, and all about fidelity testing, and she was really interested. So, then she asked me if perhaps I would be interested in doing some sort of feature for her, to which I said of course because it’s free advertising for the firm, but then she came back with a better idea, which was to spend five days shadowing one of my workers, i.e., you.’ Nicole smiles and sits back.

‘I have to have this editor follow me round?’

‘Not her, a features writer – she didn’t say which one. But you’d be perfect. You’re the best woman I have working for me, you’re beautiful, intelligent, sassy, independent. You’d be more than perfect. Now, of course there will be no photos, and no mention of your name. It’ll be changed. But the events will be real.’

‘And if I don’t agree?’

‘Well, it is your choice, but I think it makes sense. Shall we eat?’

They order lunch, and then Nicole turns to Grace again. She prepares herself to be persuaded but Nicole knows better.

‘Do you remember Maggie, the woman you helped train a month ago?’

Grace nods, feeling suspicious because her mind is still with the previous conversation.

‘Well, we sent her on her first mock job last night.’

‘How did it go?’ Grace remembers how scary the first test job was for her.

‘Not good. She was supposed to be chatting up Mike.’ Mike is a detective whom Nicole employs on a freelance basis. He has worked with Grace, trailing men that were hard to pin down.

‘And?’

‘She got to the bar, and Mike was standing there prominently. She’d seen a photo of him but not met him. Anyway, she made a beeline for some random man who she thought was Mike. Mike said he didn’t even look like him. This man thought his luck was in, so at the end of the evening she asked him if she’d passed, he was completely confused and Mike finally stepped in when he’d stopped laughing. I told him it was a bit cruel of him, but he said that she deserved it. Not sure what I’m going to do with her now.’ They both laugh.

‘Are you sure I’m the best choice?’ Grace asks, reverting to the feature idea.

‘Grace, this is about the business, your job. You know that you’re good at your job, which is why I asked you. If you take this personally then don’t do it.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s your job, Grace, that’s what I mean, and I don’t think it should be anything more than that to you. Of course it’s our livelihoods – both ours and the other people I employ – but it isn’t your life.’

‘I think I know what you’re saying.’

‘If it’s too much, too personal, then we’ll forget it.’ Grace is her best worker, mainly because she is so dedicated. Sometimes Nicole worries that she’s too dedicated, but because she is such an asset she tries to ignore those feelings. She wishes Grace didn’t take everything so personally. Nicole recognises her fragility and it worries her. She wouldn’t want to ruin her life. She fears that that is exactly what she is doing.

‘Would I be able to meet the writer first, before we committed to anything?’

‘Sure. Great idea. I’ll get her to call you.’

Grace leaves after lunch feeling as if she has been steamrollered. She goes home and waits for the phone to ring.

‘Hi, Grace, my name is Betty Parkin, from
Modern
Woman
.’ Betty braces herself (rubbing her throbbing head slightly) to be charming. Charming, she decides, is much easier with a hangover.

‘Ah yes.’ Grace is expecting the call, but not so quickly. Nicole probably had arranged it prior to lunch. She doesn’t mind, though.

‘Regarding the proposed feature, I just wondered if you would be prepared to meet for a chat.’

‘Sure.’ Grace thinks she sounds nice, if not a little businesslike.

‘Perhaps I could take you to lunch and we could outline our proposal and see what you think.’ Betty is being friendly, the hangover is making that easier, although she is already regretting suggesting lunch.

‘Fine.’ Grace is unsure why she is being quite so uncommunicative, but she is finding it hard to think of things to say.

‘When would you like to go?’ They arrange to meet the following day at a restaurant in town. At least Grace is being well fed over this. Then they say their goodbyes.

Grace stares at the phone. She knows the magazine, but she never imagined she would be in it. Nicole likes the idea, she loves the idea of publicity, but Grace needs to ensure that it is the right thing for her, personally, to do. She feels vulnerable, even behind a false name. She would be open to criticism, although no one would know it was her. Perhaps she is being oversensitive about it. After all, free publicity could do wonders for the business, and although it is Nicole’s business, the more she works the more she earns. She replays the conversation again in her mind, unable to deduce much about Betty the journalist from their short chat. She thinks that perhaps she should do it, but she decides to ask someone for advice who doesn’t have a vested interest. She almost calls Oliver, but knows that he will probably be flying off somewhere or holding one of his millions of important meetings. Oliver adores her, she knows, but he cannot always be there for her. Instead, she calls Eddie.

He answers the phone immediately. ‘Eddie, it’s Grace.’

‘Hello. Are you calling me to arrange a well-overdue date?’

‘Not exactly. I need some advice.’

‘OK, but in exchange for advice I think I should get to see you.’

‘I’m working tonight, and I need to talk to you before tomorrow.’ For some reason she sounds slightly hysterical. As she hears this in her voice, she calms herself down, unsure what is wrong.

‘OK, OK, what’s up?’

‘Nicole’s asked me to do a profile with a women’s magazine. I don’t have to do it, but although it means a lot to her, I’m scared they might, you know, be horrible about me.’ Her objection sounds lame when she says it aloud, that much she acknowledges.

‘What magazine?’

‘
Modern
Woman
. It’s a glossy monthly, quite popular, I mink.’

‘Photos?’

‘No, no photos – of course I couldn’t agree to that – but Nicole seems to think they’ll be sympathetic and that it might get us business.’

‘It probably will, or at least get you a load of enquiries. Can’t Nicole get one of the others to do it?’

‘I’m sure she could, but she wants me.’

‘Of course, because you’re the best. If you said no, would she be angry?’

‘I get the impression that it wouldn’t carry too much favour. You know how maternal she is, and I love her, so I wouldn’t want to upset her. I think this is a good opportunity for her business, which in turn benefits me, of course.’

‘It sounds like you’ve made up your mind.’

‘I’m having lunch with the magazine woman tomorrow, so I don’t have to decide until after that.’

‘See how you feel. But it could be a very good move. For you and Nicole.’

‘Do you want to spend Saturday with me?’

‘Day?’

‘Day and night?’

‘My God, what did I do to deserve this?’

‘Nothing,’ Grace laughs.

‘Shall I come round in the morning?’

Grace shakes her head: too keen, Eddie, far too keen.

‘Come round at lunchtime. I might even make you some lunch.’ They hang up and Grace types her new appointments into her diary. She wonders what Betty will be like. She begins to feel excited about the story.

Then she studies her diary again. Eddie will be a welcome sight at the weekend, a stabling force. Eddie is a friend. If Grace had enough people in her life to categorise them, that is what she would say about him. There is a physical attraction, but that really developed from an attraction to his personality and his manner. He calms her down and he makes her feel safe, whilst at the same time he doesn’t place too many demands on her. Their relationship is almost platonic. Almost, but not quite. Not quite, because that reminds her of who she is; of who she has to be.