Swap With Me

Chapter Fifteen. Boston Thursday

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  

Emily had to give Jessica every last detail.

'Lordy, lordy,' laughed Jess, who was curled up on the sofa, a mug of coffee in one hand. 'So Scott gets everything right till he gets to below your boobs. Then, bang. He loses it.'

'Jess. It was good. He did alright . . .'

'He did alright?' Jessica's eyebrows shot up to exaggerate her shock and horror. 'He blasted you and forgot the lesson.'

Emily saw the funny side and giggled. 'I'll have fun teaching him.'

'He's nice though, I'll give you that.' Jessica paused to drink some coffee. 'Listen. If you ever get fed up with the fun, I'll do a swap.'

'Not very likely, Jess, since I'm in love with him.' Emily came over with her laptop and sat next to Jessica. 'He's taking me to Boston on Thursday. He has an interview for a job at one of the hospitals. So we're spending a few days together.'

'Wish it were me.'

Emily opened her computer and explained what she had been doing to get them more money. Jess was fascinated with the software written by Emily.

'You sure this is going to work?' 

The query from Jessica had Emily explaining in simple language why it would work. 'How many zeros in a million? Six. And one billion is 1000 million. So the number of zeros in a billion is . . . nine.'

Jessica listened and waited.

'The budget spend, each year, for the Department of Health is over 100 billion, eleven zeros, and thousands of money outflows every week.'

'Wow, Em, are you planning to rob that money?'

'Too obvious. My software takes out the small change from each transfer of funds they make to a hospital or clinic or anything. The software rounds up to the nearest pound each time money leaves their accounts office, and puts the fraction into my company.'

Jessica said, 'like me buying a magazine, getting my change and leaving the pennies in the charity box.' 

-O-

Scott held Emily by the hand, to take her from the Boston cab, parked outside 776 Boylston Street, through the main steel and chrome doors of the Mandarin Oriental. He knew their bags were being taken care of by the hotel staff. He walked with confidence across the reflective marbled floor to the reception desk. With the formalities done, Scott and Emily rode in the elevator up to their floor, and then to their room.

The four poster double bed stood in the middle against the wall, two large side lights either side of the bed on polished wood tables, two armchairs in front of the window. 

Emily threw herself onto the bed.

Scott laughed and went to look at the view of Boston. 'Look at this, Emily.'

'Oh, wow. It's going to be such fun.' Emily put her arm round Scott's waist, 'and I can teach you more, right here on that bed.'

Scott found her so sexy, wanted her now, but held back knowing he had a meeting to go to.

'Let's have lunch. Then I'll go for my interview, while you go shopping.'

'Love shopping.'

'I've arranged a hotel staff member, a Personal Shopper, to take you out.'

'Really?' squealed Emily, her mouth open, showing lovely teeth and the hint of her pink tongue.

'Spend what you like,' he said. 'The PS will bill it to my account. But,' Scott's face took on a mock serious look, 'you got to put on everything you've bought when I get back.' He nodded his head to get her agreement.