Sophie didn’t know how to handle a client with whom she’d almost slept with. How should she act now that he’d seen her naked after an adventurous skinny dipping session? And in his bedroom where she’d been naked and so had he?
He’d seen everything. So had she. Matthew, of course, was quite well endowed in that department.
What could she say since fleeing his apartment? He was still in love with someone else. She couldn’t possibly ever compete with a ghost, a girl he obviously had loved and still loved. She felt sorry for him, she really did, but Sophie also needed to protect herself, her heart, because she was the only one who was going to get hurt.
He’d thought she was Rebecca.
He was never going to fall in love with her, never see her for who she was, for when he was with her he’d imagined someone else.
Now, how did she communicate professionally? Be polite? Take his calls? Pretend nothing had happened? Pretend the barrier between consultant and client had always existed? How could she forget his passionate kissing, his sweating body, and the way his kisses made her tingle?
Then there was the series of text messages she needed to respond to. She could, however, try to stop imagining how he would profess his love to her if she didn’t speak to him or hear from him. She knew it wasn’t possible for him. She wouldn’t push it. She wouldn’t set herself up to be hurt. She didn’t know if she could stand it.
Sophie’s mobile phone kept beeping to signify a new message. With each beep her heart would lurch and practically fly out of her chest. What did he want from her? Panic consumed her. Oh God, Matthew Silver practically had her heart already; she had been ready to give him her whole heart. But she knew now that she’d just been foolish, so terribly foolish. After all, she’d known all along that he’d had a long-term girlfriend who had died tragically. How utterly stupid of her to think he could reciprocate so quickly after her death.
So what was the point? What could he possibly want from her now? He loved someone else and he would never love her. Not yet. And after Derek, Sophie couldn’t let herself get hurt so badly again.
Besides, if there had been any hope, he would have chased after her. He would have talked further about Rebecca and how she was the past. But he hadn’t, so obviously Sophie’s instincts were spot on. She had done the right thing by leaving. Matthew, beautiful, glorious, amazing Matthew, could never love her.
She could only imagine his texts, filled with words in his taunting, joking manner. He would try to smooth things over, but she couldn’t read the messages. She’d surely imagine the sound of his voice. Without looking at any of his text messages, Sophie turned her phone off: a temporary solution and certainly not a solution that would last forever.
And what should she do about the emails? He’d sent five. Perhaps she should consider opening them? Although she was trying to let the mortification settle. Were the emails incriminating in content? What if the man from the Information Technology department was able to read them?
Now all Matthew’s emails would need her personal screening. She couldn’t simply forward his emails, unopened and unchecked, straight to Jessica to deal with. And Jessica was only admin support anyway, so it wasn’t like she could answer all his queries. There was no possible way to explain to Jessica that she’d had a minor indiscretion with her major client. Okay, a major body-quivering, leg-shaking, mind-blowing indiscretion.
One thing was certain: She couldn’t ignore him professionally—not forever. Maybe she could leave the emails for a few days, until the vivid thoughts and romantic dreams settled down, but someone would have to finish off the work left on the Silver account. That person couldn’t be Sophie.
There was still one full day scheduled for the Brighton filming to finish the dreaded ‘Skinny Dipping’ commercial. God, how could she even bear to watch the making of the ‘Skinny Dipping’ commercial or even look at any of the material from the campaign when all she could think of was skinny dipping with Matthew?
The owner of the Silver Swimming Centre certainly wasn’t afraid to live up to his promises, she now knew, first-hand. And she obviously wasn’t afraid to stand behind her campaigns, as that had been proved twice, first with the ‘Swimming is for Living’ campaign and now with the ‘Skinny Dipping’ concept. But if anyone found out, she’d become a professional joke.
She looked at Jessica, reliable, keen Jessica. She would help. Jessica certainly had the capability to be the point of contact for Matthew. Sophie could push the client relationship to the side—to help Jessica grow in the career she very much wanted. That was what she would do. That was how she’d deal with Matthew for the moment.
“It would be excellent experience in project management. You’ll get one day of running the whole show when you’re in Brighton.”
“Are you sure, Sophie?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you’ve done the rest of the work. We’re almost finished. Why now?”
“The real question is why not now? You’ve met the client already. You know the team because you were at the filming at the Highbury Aquatic Centre. That went very well, wouldn’t you say? You even know what we’re trying to achieve for the entire campaign. You’ve never been in a better position to gain some real practical experience in project management and client relations.”
“Only if you’re sure,” Jessica said. “I’ll try my best to keep the client happy.”
“Bradley keeps insisting that my time is better spent developing new business, and this project is almost complete. I can’t possibly go to Brighton and do everything I need to do while bringing in new work. Besides, I’ve got that meeting with Bradley, that one you set up with the weird subject…Chanel?” Sophie was a little perplexed as she examined her electronic calendar.
Jessica’s face flushed a deep scarlet. “Chanel. The perfume. Whoops. You weren’t supposed to see that. That was a reminder for me. I’ve been so busy lately that I must have made a mistake.”
Sophie eyed Jessica curiously. “Thanks so much for handling so much admin support while my dad’s been ill. I really appreciate it.”
“Soph, it’s the least we can do. You always help me out.”
“So what do you know about Chanel?” Sophie demanded.
Jessica leaned over, very close to Sophie, so no one else in the office could hear. “I don’t want to lose my job, but Bradley asked me to buy you some Chanel Number 5 perfume. It’s got to mean something. Maybe he’s sorry for taking you off Barney’s Chocolate Bars? Everyone knows how upset you were, especially after all the work you’d done and how good your campaign was to start with. Then Kelly went and botched it all up anyway. I’m guessing you heard about her absolutely disastrous pitch. He’s probably scared of losing you. So, Bradley asked me to make a Dorchester booking and buy you a bottle of Chanel. I guess he’s trying to patch things up with his favourite girl…”
Sophie examined Jessica’s earnest face. Yes, maybe that was it. Bradley was feeling uncomfortable about having taken her off the pitch she’d worked so hard on. Then they’d lost the client completely. Tom Johnson hadn’t liked Kelly’s idea at all. He’d wanted what he’d discussed with Sophie and was furious at the firm for taking Sophie off the account.
“Okay. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. But it is odd.” Sophie sighed. “Jess, let’s just focus on Brighton. You’re the person who’s got to be one hundred percent in control. You’ve got to keep Desmond in line and everyone on schedule. You’re the boss when you’re out there.”
“Yes,” Jessica said brightly and puffed out her chest. “I like the sound of that.”
“What will you do if someone doesn’t turn up?”
“Ask you?” Jessica replied.
“But I’m not going to be there,” Sophie reminded.
“I’ll use my initiative. Think of a solution. Check it with the client, if deemed necessary.”
“Good. You can handle it, and since my expertise is better used somewhere else rather than micromanaging, I’m positive you’ll hand
le it. I trust you, I trust Carol to perform, and I trust Desmond to make an excellent commercial. You’re like the dream team for a day of shooting.”
Jessica laughed. “Thanks, Soph. That’s quite a compliment coming from you. I’m part of the ‘dream team’. I love it.”
“And you’ve got all the plans worked out for the wrap party. Everyone’s been invited then?”
“Yes. The boat’s booked. I double- and triple-checked. By the way, thanks. Thanks, Soph, for this chance. I’m just the group secretary and a personal assistant. This experience means so much to me.”
“I’ll put in a recommendation if you ever need it. You’ve almost finished university, and Clarks shouldn’t lose you to another firm. You’re much more valuable than a group secretary.”