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...
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When Martha suggested we go out for dinner, I thought it would be just the two of us in a romantic restaurant, dim candlelight, walk along the river, kiss under the night sky, etc.
The reality, however, was vastly different. To begin with, I wouldn't call Nando's a romantic restaurant, the lighting was harsh, and the closest we'd get to the river was in the shared taxi that we'd take at the end of the night when we drop off Keira and Logan and Nina and James. Our lovely evening out together, solo, had been hijacked by Martha's friends. Or perhaps, even, it hadn't been hijacked at all- this was probably the plan from the off.
Still, I bit my tongue and went home to change into something more casual while Martha went straight to meet the others. I was tempted not to leave the house when I was through the door but the thought of Martha waiting all on her lonesome with the two other couples, it spurred me on to get dressed quickly, grab my wallet and rush out the door. Granted, I complained to myself during the entire walk to the eatery, mainly cursing whichever idiot chose the place, and coming to the conclusion that it was probably Keira I should thank. For a girl that comes from a family of millionaires God knows how many times over, she really did prefer the simple things in life, and that is not a compliment.
I arrived shortly after the proposed time, entering just behind a large crowd. Struggling to pass the crowd, I stood on my tiptoes and peeked around, looking for my party. Briefly, I couldn't find them, unable to distinguish them from the rest of the patrons, but then I heard Martha's distinctive laugh and instantly, I found her. Sitting at a table in the corner of the room that was poorly lit, she was engrossed in whatever James Saylor had to say, laughing at the appropriate moments and then nodding along before pausing, frowning and shaking her head. I couldn't help but wonder what that exchange was about, however, from the way they others began to have their say on the matter, I guessed I was about to find out.
When I finally managed to get to the table, James instantly moved from Martha's side and took a seat next to Nina, patting me on the back as he shouldered me out of his way. I waited for him to be seated, noticing the smirk he shot at me before I finally sat and wrapped my arm around Martha, pulling her in for a kiss.
For a moment, she was a willing participant, embracing the kiss. Then she pushed me away forcefully and wiped her mouth with the back fo her hand as she gave me an annoyed glare. She didn't say anything, at least not verbally, her body language, on the other hand, spoke volumes. Martha was not amused.
"You're late," she rightfully accused me. Angling her body away from me, her defences went up the second she folded her arms across her chest as a long sigh escaped her lips. Picking up the menu, she shoved it under my nose. "Choose what you're having."
I scanned the menu, my nose wrinkling as I read what was on offer. Wing Platter, Sunset Burger, Piri Piri Chicken... The only thing on the menu that I could get on board with was Stormhoek Pinot Grigio and only then, it was at a push. I had no doubt in my mind that this was all going to be disgustingly greasy.
