Bête noire → Peaky Blinders [Tommy Shelby] [ BOOK 1 ]

Thirty six.

Chapter thirty six: Outnumbered together

One of the first things Caroline recognised when she awoke the next morning was the pounding headache that immediately caused her to close her eyes shut and rub her temples. No matter how hard she clenched, there was no evading the stream of light through the blinds she had yet to fix, or better still, get rid of all together when she finally decided to property search and live elsewhere.

The second thing she saw was the empty space beside her in the bed; specifically, where Thomas used to lie in the morning, outstretched with his raven hair dishevelled and his limbs holding her protectively in place. Now, it was cold, yearning for the space to be filled by someone-someone whom she thought was Michael.

When realisation dawned on her, she slumped back in her bed. Before she stumbled home, she'd tried to persuade Michael to spend the night, but like the gentleman he was, he made sure she returned safely and when he tucked her in for the night, he left. Hence why she awoke fully clothed in the outfit she'd worn prior.

Sighing, she prepared herself for another monotonous day of work, only this day would be full of hardship and the bowing of heads, swooping of the hair to avoid eye contact with her boss who also happened to be the one she supposed got away-to his own fault, of course. As she slipped on a clean outfit, one that extenuated the curves in her figure, she was looking better than ever to prove to everyone that she didn't need a man to keep her happy, especially not a man like Thomas Shelby.

As she neared the office, she immediately picked up on the chattering between two men, and when she entered the room, she noticed Isaiah leaning back on a chair, smoking a cigar alongside Michael who chuckled to something that went unheard. With her presence, they coughed and sat up straight with the cigars hanging from their lips.

Michael didn't know where to look. Caroline's gaze was intense as she clutched her purse with a brow cocked to their presence in her office. She was big in the industry and he didn't want to make the wrong first impression, despite being related to the Shelby's. He believed that last night was a mistake; to involve himself with Tommy's woman and he shouldn't have made advances, whether he intended to sleep with her or not.

"And what would two fine gentlemen like yourselves be doing in my office without an appointment for?"

Isaiah laughed nervously as his eyes darted from Michael to Caroline. "You know, you're far more scary when you're in business mode."

"Isaiah!"

Isaiah rolled his eyes to Michael. "Simmer down, mate. She's practically my sister."

Caroline stalked closer to the men and rested her hand on Isaiah's shoulder. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer."

"Do you want an honest answer?"

Caroline dug her nails into his skin, soft enough not to leave a mark, but hard enough to emphasise her point. "I don't expect another alternative."

Isaiah looked to Michael as if to warn him to roll with the lie. "We came here to ask you if you want to get a drink with us."

"We did?"

"Yes, Michael. We did." Isaiah grit his teeth.

Caroline merely rolled her eyes. "We don't slack on the job, Isaiah. We need to enforce the regulations so Michael has high standards to follow."

"Come on! It's pay day!" Isaiah tutted. "Everyone has a drink on pay day."

Michael answered honestly and kept his head down. "Not me."