Red Blooded

Chapter 6 - Close the damn door!

Jolene stood across my desk, tapping her foot, hand on hip. I knew she was there. I just wanted to forget about it. She had that look about her - the one that told me that I would be doing more work than I wanted right now.

"Jo," I looked up from the mess of files and paper on my desk, "you think you can be intimidating somewhere else?"

Jo raised a brow. "Who say's I'm being intimidating? I'm just standing here, minding my own business, wondering why Sam, your ex-boyfriend who also just so happens to be sex on legs, walked into the building with you this morning. Apart from that, I'm just standing."

I groaned and bowed my head, focusing on the financial reports in front of me. This morning was all about reports; no sooner had I walked into the building at seven am this morning was I handed my first pile of files to go over. Thankfully, Sam was also handy with figures too. As I sat in my nice, cushy office, Sam was setting up again in his old office, the one he had occupied before he was given the promotion to Tokyo.

"Woman, you're practically breathing out smoke from your ears, you're brows haven't returned to normal since they rose from shock at seeing Sam, and for your information, he's staying with me for a week while he sees through the sale of his flat. Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"Yeah. You guys done it yet?" She smirked.

I laughed, looking up at her in surprise. "Jolene!"

"You have! You dirty Vixen!" She gasped, her eyes widening freakishly more than should have been possible.

"No, I haven't. Oh my God, keep that shit to yourself please. I don't want to be the source of all gossip." I shook my head and pointed towards the door. "And get out before you make any more assumptions, Jo."

Jolene pouted, moved forward to remove a pile of papers and backed out, all the while giving me a curious look.

"I have my suspicions about you, Reynolds. How you could have such a man in your house and let him leave in all his clothing is suspicious to me." She moved her fingers and gestured to her eyes in that 'I'm watching you motion'. I rolled my eyes and bowed my head back to my papers as she closed the door.

She could be as suspicious as she wanted.

Me and Sam were done. History. Nada. No more.

It went without saying that I would always love Sam for being the first one to show me the meaning behind it, but I just didn't have the energy to love anyone again. Especially not after Marc.

Marc.

Even his name brought a crippling grief over me.

Shortly after Sam and I broke up, I moved in with Eric and Hilary at Eric's house. Even though we broke up because Sam was moving to another country, England, to study law, I still loved him, but we just wouldn't work in different continents.

I spiraled into a pit of despair about a month after Sam left. I took up drinking. But now, I had to thank alcohol, for it was alcohol that led me straight to Marc.

I remembered it as if it had just happened.

Five years ago.

"I'm not," I hiccupped, "coming home just yet. My friend is asking me to stay." I slurred into the phone. I could hear Hilary's disapproval straight away. She was always the motherly one out of the two of us.

"Em, honey, you need to come home now. It's really late. Eric can't come and get you because he's out with Angela and I don't have the car. Just get a taxi home." Even in my drunken haze, I knew she was worried. It was all I could hear, the worry.