Persona (The 'Professional' series) (9 page)

Small talk
was made, mainly by Daniel and Scarlett, while the wine was ordered and poured.
 Ella tried to study the menu.  It all looked so good, and so
expensive.  She didn’t think that her expenses would even cover an
entrée.  Never mind, she would worry about it later in the month.
  

“Are you
ready to order?” The waiter stood posed for their answer.

“Ella?”
Daniel prompted as her menu was still firmly in her hands.

“Oh yes,
sorry.  I will have the soup of the day to start, and then the rack of
lamb, with red current sauce, please.  Medium.”

“Would you
like any side orders with that, Madam?”

“No, I think
that is fine.  The lamb does come with potatoes, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, Madam,
duchess potatoes with spinach.”  He smiled at her before turning to
Scarlett.

Scarlett
gave him
a striking smile. “Grilled chicken,
hold the dressing.  Green salad instead of…” She looked straight at Ella.
“…the potatoes.”

Ella wanted the floor to swallow her up. Why hadn’t she ordered after
Scarlett?  She looked gluttonous.  No wonder she wasn’t a stick
insect.

“Sir?”

Ella looked at
Daniel, and caught him grinning at her over the menu.  He put it down on
the table and replied, while indicating to Ella, “The same as the lady. 
Thank you.”  

Daniel
leaned back in the chair, his stomach nicely full.  Ella was looking as
though she was still enjoying her meal.  Scarlett, on the other hand, had
hardly touched her meal, sipping the bottled water instead. 

Daniel
observed Ella again, while she was preoccupied eating.  It hit him
suddenly, it was like a breath of fresh air to be lunching with someone who
enjoyed their food.  He realised that he was fed up watching women pick at
their food, he got pleasure watching Ella.  Just at that moment, she
looked up at him, sensing that he was looking at her. 

She had a
drop of gravy on her chin.  Daniel discreetly pointed it out to her, Ella
wiped it away with her napkin, a blush rising in her cheeks.  He hadn’t
wanted to embarrass her, Daniel cursed under his breath, if they weren’t in a
crowded restaurant, he would have found another way to get rid of it!

Daniel felt
Scarlett’s perfectly manicured hand run up his leg again, under the
table.  That’s was it, time to wrap lunch up. 

He decided
there and then that he wanted to show Ella some of the sights, without
Scarlett, before they had to catch the plane home.

Ella was
glad she was in her own apartment.  She needed some space to get her
emotions back on an even keel.  She had been feeling emotionally out of
sorts, struggling for the last week, knowing that she had fallen in love with
someone that she would never be with, not in a million years.  They were
in two different leagues, two different worlds.  He could never love her,
not when he could be with anyone he wanted.  The thought depressed her.
But she was still in love with Jeff too, wasn’t she?

Eric had
noticed and remarked, when they had returned from the airport, that she looked
pale.  She had told a white lie, saying that all the sightseeing had made
her tired.  Nevertheless, Eric had insisted that she went home for a couple
of days to revive herself. 

She didn’t
think Daniel had looked too pleased with the suggestion at first.  Perhaps
he would get another journalist in to do her job instead?  No, that was
silly, her car was still up there along with most of her clothes.  She
recalled that Daniel had kindly arranged to have a car bring her all the way
back,  saying he didn’t want her driving such a long way on her own. 
What she didn’t know was, Daniel had desperately wanted to drive her back
himself, but he didn’t trust himself in the close confines of the car with her,
and he certainly did not want to meet Jeff.

Jeff,
slightly out of character, had been lovely and caring since she had arrived
back.  Well, a little stifling to be truthful, but least he had shown some
interest.  Ella had felt really guilty at first.  She was in this
state because she realised she was in love with Daniel, not because she was
ill.  She was still confused, as the love she felt for Jeff was solid,
calming and what she felt for Daniel was hot, toe curling.  Perhaps she
was confusing love for lust?  She was determined to work out her big case
of lust on Jeff.  Surely then her lustful feelings towards Daniel would
go?  One problem there though.  Since she had returned, Jeff had been
treating her like she would break, tucking her into bed early for rest. 
She would have to put a stop to that, she was not an invalid.  She was his
lover who he hadn’t seen in a while.  Her silky nightdress it was then.

She hadn’t
seen him around for a while.  Where was he?  Her breathing
increased.  She was agitated.  She was working herself up. 

She had just
found out he had gone away with the reporter for a couple of days.  She
bet they had spent every waking hour having passionate sex.  It should be her!
  

She crushed
the knife she was holding into her palm.  She watched as the blood dripped
off her hand onto the white floor.  It looked so nice.

Perhaps it
was time to introduce herself.  Soon, before that reporter got her claws
too deeply into him.

Daniel was
in a foul mood.  He slumped back into the chair, looking solemnly at his
whiskey, as he spun it around the glass. 

Eric decided
it was time for a heart to heart.  He walked over, switched the television
off, sat back down and put his crossed legs onto the table.  

Daniel did not notice. 
Boy, he’s got it bad
thought Eric. “So, come on spill the beans.  You got the job.  Your
partner is Scarlett.  Life is good.  Yet your chin is still dragging
on the floor.  Come on spill.”

Daniel levelled
a hard look at his friend, his whiskey long ago losing its appeal. “‘It’s
nothing honestly.”

Eric raised
his eyebrows, returning Daniel’s look for a couple of seconds before speaking
again.  “Come on Daniel.  I have known you long enough.  You
don’t need to play games with me.”  He took a break before delivering the
bulls eye, which he knew would get Daniel’s attention.  “You’re in love
with Ella.” 

Daniels eyes
shot up from his drink.  He then he wiggled his shoulders, slightly uneasy
with Eric’s observation.  Trust his friend to know him better than
himself.  “To be honest, I have got no idea how I feel about her.” 

He looked at
his whiskey again and started talking, as though to himself.   “I
fancy her like mad, but who wouldn’t?  I really, really want to get her
into bed, but could that just be lust?  I get a twist in the stomach
whenever she mentions Jeff, as though I am jealous, for goodness sake!  My
heart and stomach take a punch when she walks into the room.  But does
that mean I love her?  I don’t know?”

Eric sighed,
yes, his friend had it bad, but Daniel hadn’t worked it all out yet.  “You
realise that she is living with someone, don’t you?  They live
together.  You can’t interfere with that.   I’ve known you for a
long time and you have never poached off someone else.”   

Eric did not
like his friend looking so low.  “Look, you have only got a couple more
weeks of her trailing you.  Perhaps you need to get back out there? 
Do whatever you do with all those women. You can then concentrate on your
film.  Life can go back to before.  Just a couple more weeks.”
  

Eric was
crossing his fingers, but he could see that his friend was in love with
her.  He just felt so helpless that it couldn’t go anywhere.  Eric
liked Ella and thought she would be good for Daniel, but facts were facts, she
was already taken.

Daniel
didn’t dare tell his friend that he didn’t feel like
doing whatever he does
with
anyone other than Ella.  Then he definitely would be admitting that he had
it bad.

Ella smiled
at the security guard.  If felt like she was coming home.  She hadn’t
realised how much like home it had become, until she re-entered the
building. 

She recalled
her couple of days in her
real
home, which hadn’t gone entirely to
plan.  She was hoping that being in her own environment, with Jeff, would
remind her of what her priorities were.  She was here to do her job and
after it finished, she would be back to her normal life. 

Unfortunately,
her trip back home had the opposite effect.  She realised that there were
gaping holes in hers and Jeff’s relationship.  She was unsure where it all
went wrong, when had their feelings changed into…into….apathy was the only
thing she could think of.  Jeff was steady and kind, but even when she
dressed in her silk negligée, he had insisted that she went to bed –
alone!  Surely a lover would want to be in bed with you, ripping off the
scrap of material?  No, he continued to watch television.

During the
times that there was no television to distract them, he seemed to be constantly
on his phone, sending texts to goodness knows who.  The frightening thing
was, Ella didn’t particularly care.

Yes, she was
glad to be back. She took a lungful of air as she walked up to the door,
unsurprised that it was open.  The security guard had mentioned that the
carpenter was there fixing some doors.  She could hear the scraping of
wood tools. 

Ella came
through the door and made her way straight to her bedroom to dispose of her
smaller bags, leaving the heavy suitcase by the door.  Perhaps Eric or
Daniel would help her with it after?

“I’m just
finishing up here.  Just a quick tidy and I will be out of both your
ways,” smiled the carpenter.

Ella smiled
back; surely he was too young to be a carpenter?  Suddenly, Ella felt old. 
She laughed, she was only twenty five, not old at all.  She placed her
bags on the bed and suddenly realised what the carpenter had said,
both your
ways.
  Perhaps Daniel was back?  Her heart slammed into her
ribs.  She placed a hand on her stomach to calm the fluttering and walked
back into the sitting room.

“Sorry, I
missed you when you came in.  I was in the kitchen fixing a coffee for
myself and the carpenter.  Would you like one?”

Ella was
stunned as she watched Lindsey, the secretary from Daniel’s agency, walk over
to the carpenter and give him a cup of coffee.  Confused, Ella enquired,
“Is Daniel here with you?”

Lindsey
turned, “No, just me.  I had to come over with some contracts for him to
sign and the carpenter kindly let me in.”  She smiled a sugary sweet smile
at him, which looked a lot like an attempt at flirting to Ella.

Ella
relaxed.  It most probably wasn’t unusual for her to come around. 
“It’s okay, I’ll get myself a cup now as you have made some.  I’ll be back
in a sec.  Take a seat, Daniel shouldn’t be long.”  She called from
the kitchen, while pouring the aromatic Arabica coffee into a cup.  It
smelled delicious.

When she
returned to sit with Lindsey, the carpenter had just finished tidying and had
already finished his coffee.  Ella thought he must have a mouth like
asbestos not to scold it on the hot coffee.  She sipped hers, her hands
wrapped around the mug tightly, for some reason she couldn’t name, she felt
chilled to her bones.

After the
carpenter had left and the small talk had all but run out, Ella noticed that
Lindsey was becoming agitated.  Perhaps she had other things to do rather
than sit around waiting for Daniel.  “You can leave those contracts here,
if you want.  Daniel can return them tomorrow.”

Ella noticed
the twitchy reflex on Lindsey’s face, her hazel eyes becoming troubled. 
“No, I need to give them to Daniel.  I need to see him.”

“Fine.” 
Something was troubling Lindsey and making her uptight.  “Daniel shouldn’t
be too long.  Would you mind if I went and changed into something a little
more comfortable?  I have had a long drive back and would like to relax in
more appropriate clothes.”

The
disturbed look that was on Lindsey’s face seemed to disappear and a smile
appeared on her thin lips instead. “No, take your time.  I’ll refill my
coffee.”

Ella was
glad to get out of the room.  You could have cut the tension with a
knife.  What was wrong with that woman?  Was she shy or just
strange?  Oh well, Ella reasoned that she did not have to meet her again
once her job was done.  She sat on the chair, which was facing the bed, to
take her shoes off.

She heard
crashing, something had broken, then Lindsey’s voice shouted, “Don’t worry I
have just knocked over a lamp.  I will sort it.”

Ella
shrugged.  After she changed she would go and see what happened.  She
bent down to massage her toes.

The
carpenter had done a good job, he had taken enough off the bottom of the door
that it no longer caught the carpet pile.  It no longer made a noise
either when the door was opened.

Ella felt a
horrendous pain on the back of her head, and then drifted into the waiting
blackness.