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hadn’t arrived.
    I buried myself in work, tying up loose ends and closing down files ready for the end of year audit. That was the plan, anyway. Most of the time was spent staring at my schedule and waiting for Ben to arrive. Every minute that passed tied my nervous stomach into ever-tighter knots. My phone stayed off, and if I could’ve escaped to work on a different floor, I would have.
    Finally, I heard him greet Clint and Jacques. I kept my head down, faking another phone call. I was getting good at that. He lurked nearby, but I pretended I didn’t know he was there, and carried on mumbling into my phone, while gazing at my screen. Jesus. I was such a coward. I’d been intimate with him, for heaven’s sake. We’d kissed. Quite possibly slept together. And now I couldn’t face him. What level of hideous mistake had it been?
    My schedule pinged to warn me of the team meeting, and I grabbed my tablet and headed down the corridor, still pretending to be on a call.
    “Dorothy.” Ben caught up easily and walked alongside me. How did he manage to look so bright and cheerful? I was perilously close to throwing up again. I gestured to my phone, and he nodded. “Later,” he mouthed.
    The meeting was yet another circle of hell. Ben sat opposite me, concern visible in his eyes, and he covered for me, answering the questions I couldn’t concentrate on. Somehow I limped to the end of the session, every cell in my body urging me to flee.
    My exit was blocked by Ben.
    “I’m taking you to lunch,” he said. “We need to talk.”
     

Chapter Eight
    Ben strolled beside me to a nearby café, one with a gorgeous view of the waterfront. Thank all the gods, he managed to grab a table out of direct sunlight.
    “Dorothy. You feeling okay, sweetheart?” He tugged out a chair for me, and waited until I sat before he sank into his own seat. The corners of his lips tilted up, as though he was trying hard not to laugh. “I’ve never seen you drunk before. I guess you’re not used to hangovers?”
    “No.”
    “You need plenty of water. And let me order you a smoothie.” He picked up the menu and scanned the options without missing a beat. “Have you eaten?”
    “No.” I didn’t like the whiny tone in my voice, but if he noticed, he didn’t show it. He just nodded and continued to read the menu, one finger running down the options, before tapping the datapad to make his selection.
    His dark eyes gazed at me, and my cheeks heated under his scrutiny. I’d kept my shades on, but they didn’t offer much protection. I felt he could see right through them.
    “So.” He played with the cutlery in front of him. “I guess we should talk about last night.” My mouth dried to the point where I couldn’t speak, even if I wanted to. Ben cleared his throat, and then rubbed at his chin.
    Christ, this was as hideous as I’d feared.
    “I want to apologize.” His gaze searched my face. “For behaving like a giant asshole last night, and then for running out on you. I really should have stayed.”
    Stayed in my bed? I tried to swallow around the lump that had materialized in my throat. I had to speak. “Last night.” I stopped, my words all tangled together. “Did we, umm, you know…?”
    His fingers stilled on the cutlery, and his eyes opened wide. “You don’t remember?”
    I shook my head and immediately regretted it, when the headache started up again.
    “Wow.” Ben sat back in his chair, his expression unreadable. Was he trying to be polite? “I guess I’m kinda offended.”
    Holy fuck. We must have. I bit down on my lip, hard, and tried to sit quietly. I wanted to slap my hands over my ears and chant “no, no, no,” but the damage was done. Ben’s smile looked forced, and he clung to the spoon so tightly, his knuckles showed white against his skin. If I felt humiliated, how must he feel? I tried to pull air into my tight lungs, and braced myself for standing up again. I had to get out of here. This was even worse