Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lola Makes a New Friend

I dried off in my room, and because I was in need of some comfort slipped my feet into my bunny slippers. I shook out my red jersey dress as it was the only other decent thing I had to wear down to dinner other than the ridiculous white dress, which I was meant to keep for the big dinner tomorrow night. I was smoothing it down over my hips when I heard a scratching at my door. Jeez, what now? I thought.

I went to the door and opened it a crack and peered around the door. It was Joe.

"Umm, maybe that isn't such a good idea," I began.

"Please Lola, can I come in? I don't want Julian to catch me hanging around your door," he whispered.

"Well then just go away," I hissed at him.

"Lola baby, that's the point I don't want to go away," he looked at me pleadingly. Well, I thought, I'm dressed it can't do any harm, and I really didn't want Julian to see him hanging around my door either. I opened the door to let him in. He looked me up and down and smiled when he spotted my bunny slippers. Damn, I had forgotten to take them off. "You're so damn cute," he told me.

"Yeah right. Well what do you want?" I asked. Gorgeous or not I just wasn't in the mood to deal with him. Ok, I wasn't sure I could trust myself around him either.

"Lola, I just want to say that I'm sorry if I got you into trouble with Julian, but I'm not sorry for kissing you," he stepped nearer to me. "Baby, I gotta say, you drive me crazy," he went to pull me closer, but I backed off.

"Look Joe. I've had enough drama today. Seriously, you're a really nice guy, but if anything happens between us Julian would be really angry and I could lose my job."

"We're grown-ups. Why would Julian be angry, it's none of his business."

"Well," I began, he had a point, what excuse could I say? "Julian and I are, well - we're secretly dating!" I blurted out. I just couldn't think of anything else and, after all, Julian did say that we would kind of pretend that we were an item.

"Oh," Joe looked crestfallen. "I had no idea Lola. You said you didn't have a boyfriend. You guys hide it well," there was a note of suspicion in his voice. "I really thought you liked me, that the feeling was mutual between us?"

"Oh no! Absolutely not!" Liar Lola! I felt like I had been asked to put the cream cake back on the plate.

"Strange, when we were kissing I could swear you were enjoying yourself," he looked sideways at me seductively. "And why are you and Julian so secretive?"

"Because," I paused to quickly think, "because, we knew each other before I came to work at Australis and he didn't want others to be mean to me because he gave me a job."

"Ok, well it kinda makes sense I suppose," he conceded reluctantly.

"So," I began pushing him gently towards the door, "nothing is gonna happen between us Joe. I'm sorry, but there it is." We got to the door and he turned around to ask me one more question.

"Do you love him?" he asked me hopefully.

"Don't be silly," oops it slipped out before I thought about what I was saying. He grinned as I gave him a final push out the door. I really just wanted to go back home. Things were getting too complicated. I changed out of my bunny slippers, applied some light make up and made my way downstairs.

* * *

Jasper was pouring drinks in the drawing room and a log fire was blazing in the impressive fire place. Francesca was amusing the men with some story that involved ducks and a tractor so I quietly slipped to a position near the fire and sat down. Joe kept glancing my way, but he stayed by Francesca and I was pleased that my excuse to avoid him seemed to be working. Julian hadn't yet arrived, but he shortly appeared and came to sit close beside me.