Dangerous Affection

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Emma

While Maisie is out with her dad at the cinema, I put an easy-listening playlist on Spotify, pour a glass of wine and allow myself the pure luxury of simply drifting, eyes closed, on the couch.

But it’s in that halfway house between wakefulness and sleep that the past seeps into my thoughts like wisps of poisonous gas…

It was an unusual day at Clayton and McCarthy, as the office was quiet. Quite a few of the more senior staff were attending a conference in Birmingham.

Damian announced authoritatively to the admin office that he had been left in charge for the day. ‘Mr McCarthy has asked me to allocate some case tasks that need to take precedence over anything else you might be doing.’

He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and read aloud from it.

‘OK, Andy, you’ll work with me today on witness statements; Candice, you’re to visit the court to pick up some papers. And Emma… I’ll need you to be on photocopying duties, please.’

The others glanced over at me and I felt my face ignite. This was exactly the kind of task the clerks should be dealing with. I was a legal secretary.

‘Surely one of the admin staff can do the photocopying,’ I said lightly. ‘I was hoping for something a bit more substantial.’

‘There’s no room for delusions of grandeur here, I’m afraid,’ Damian replied smugly. ‘We all have to muck in and get the job done.’

‘But nobody else is mucking in, are they?’ I struggled to keep my voice level. ‘Everyone else has been given something interesting to get their teeth into.’

A couple of the others glanced pointedly at each other and moved away to commence their own tasks.

Damian held his palms high to shut me up. ‘Just carrying out the bosses’ orders, that’s all. Barbara has all the files you’ll need upstairs. Thank you, Emma.’

With that, he turned his back and bent forward, busying himself shuffling paperwork on his desk.

I stalked back to my own desk and took my phone out of my drawer before heading upstairs.

As most people were at the conference, it was super quiet up there. I leaned against the wall for a moment in the corridor, reluctant to commence the mind-numbing job I’d been allocated.

Eventually I tapped on Barbara’s office door.

‘Morning, Emma!’ She appeared, small and mouse-like, in front of me. ‘Apparently you need some files from me.’

I nodded, forced a smile.

‘There we go.’ She plonked an armful of brown folders into my outstretched hands. Each one was stuffed with paperwork. ‘And that’s just for starters, I’m afraid.’

Glumly I trudged back downstairs and headed for the photocopier room. It was small and stuffy, but at least I didn’t have to work under the glare of Damian all morning.

At first I tried to scan each page to get an overview of the case, but after only ten minutes or so, the boring nature of the job took over and I became blind to the print on the pages.

After about an hour, I took a break to make coffee in the kitchenette downstairs.

I nodded at the receptionist, Janine, and took the short corridor on the right of her desk, slowing down when I heard Damian’s voice. He was speaking quietly, but I had good hearing and there was no mistaking his pompous tone.