Martha Fletcher has only ever had one job- Executive Assistant to Sam Courtenay.
She'll schedule his diary, pick up his dry cleaning, usher girls out of his apartment first thing in the morning... nothing was out of bounds until one night, that blur...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Martha asks as she placed a gold over-sized cross necklace around her neck. Tonight, she was going out with Keira and Nina to some nineties themed fundraiser and had gone all out on her outfit. Wearing red leather trousers that looked like she'd been sewn into them and a black camisole top with black ankle boots, she most definitely looked the part, embodying her Buffy the Vampire Slayer character. "It's not too late, you know. Logan and James will be there so you won't be the only guy. Come on, Sam, come out with us."
When Martha had first told me that she was going out, I was annoyed. What she didn't know is that I had planned an evening in for us, where I'd cook a romantic meal, we'd watch one of her favourite movies and then I'd take her up to bed and remind her why we are so good together. Then yesterday, she came home, all excited as she held up each item of her outfit and then announced that she and 'the girls' were going out tonight. My face was controlled, even if I was beyond pissed off on the inside.
So, I sat here as Martha flounced around, getting ready to go out, getting more and more frustrated that my girlfriend would rather go out with her friends than stay home with me. Following very specific instructions from my sister-in-law who had supplied her with all the paraphernalia, Martha straightened her hair to within an inch of its life and made her skin appear milky white so that the blood red lipstick slicked across her lips stood out more.
I have to admit that this was certainly fulfilling all my childhood fantasies just on the wrong evening. "I still think I'm going to stay in," I insist. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I look at Martha through the mirror on the vanity table and force a tight smile on my lips. "Anyway, I volunteered to look after Léa tonight."
When Dan rang this morning, asking if I had plans and if I didn't, would I be willing to look after my niece, I instantly said yes. To be honest, I was looking forward to having a night in with Léa now that it had been arranged; I adored her and she was the highlight of my life, plus she was now my excuse not to go out with Keira and Nina, as much as I despised one and liked the other. Martha wrinkled her nose up when she heard about my evening plans, clearly confused why I'd give up on the chance to go out with her to stay in with my niece.
"Sam-"
"I'm staying in to look after Léa," I reaffirm. Standing from the bed, I make my way down to the kitchen to start making bananacado for Léa, a treat that Sophie has started to make. I've been told the baby loves it and I've also been sent a text giving me the directions on how to go about making it. It was fairly straightforward. "Peel and pit the avocado. Mash. Peel banana, add to avocado mash, mash together. Serve. Gourmet."
Hearing the sound of Martha's heels on the tiled floor, I look over my shoulder and see her standing in the doorway, a seductive smile on her face. "Last chance, Sam. If you want to come, all I need to do is make a phone call and Charlotte will take Léa off your hands. Are you sure you don't want to come?"
