janey_does-james-go-too-far

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DOES JAMES GO TOO FAR? by Janey

Kayleigh swore and cursed out loud completely unaware that James was watching her. He was giggling like a schoolboy as she hunted through the papers on her desk, getting more and more frustrated at not being able to find the relevant documents that she required.

“Kayleigh what on earth are you searching for? They can hear your swearing at the other side of the road you know!” James said with a very sexy grin, entering her office.
“Martin has a meeting in ten minutes. I was sure that I’d got the files and projections that he wanted out and ready only now I can’t find the stupid bloody things!” she moaned, pushing her long golden blonde hair behind her ears, continuing to search through the various papers, pulling out drawer after drawer in the filing cabinets. “I don’t know, Sylvia breaks her leg skiing, Martin asks me to step into the breach and what happens? First day I don’t even survive until lunchtime without making a huge cock-up.”

James walked over to her, put his hands on her shoulders and said very softly; “you took everything through to his office earlier. All the documentation for this meeting is already there so will take a deep breath and collect yourself? You are doing admirably; trust me.”

He hugged her to him and she noticed that he was smiling affectionately.
“I don’t remember doing it.”
“You need to have more faith. We all know that you can do the job so enjoy it. You have six weeks or so to make your mark.”
“You make it all sound so easy James.”
“Because it is, you can do this job in your sleep Kayleigh and you know that. I wish that you wouldn’t belittle your talents the way that you do, Martin wouldn’t have given you the opportunity if he didn’t believe that you were 100% ready for it.”

“Thanks James.” Her features relaxed as the frown gradually disappeared. “I’m just so conscious of what an institution Sylvia is.”
“Only in your mind,” he tittered; Kayleigh couldn’t help but giggle too. “Sure she’s had some good ideas in the years that she’s been here, the world and his wife knows her and associates her with Hall or Nothing, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for you. You have some damn fine ideas so don’t be afraid to voice them and say what you want.”

“I have to pick my moments,” she smiled, James still with his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t want to put anyone’s nose out of joint do I?”
“The trouble with you is that you worry too much about other people instead of putting yourself first. Anyway, don’t forget to pick me up from the TV. Studios later will you?”
“Chance would be a fine thing James,” she teased, tapping him on his rather nice backside. “You have left messages all over for me! Why can’t you get a taxi back home?”
“Dear Kayleigh, you really are innocent aren’t you?” he mocked. “If you come and collect me you get to leave work early, I get to enjoy the pleasure of your company and…”

“Ooh there’s more!”
“Hmm, as a Thank you I’ll buy us a take out, some booze and we can have a nice evening. I’ve fed Martin a load of garbage about needing you tomorrow morning, which means that you get to stay in bed a bit longer. Plus of course you’ll miss all the really heavy traffic.”
Her green eyes flashed mischievously at him. “Who drives you home after the food and drink huh James?”
“Shush! You weren’t supposed to notice that I slipped that in. Surely you can spare a sofa or something?”
“Oh I can spare the ‘or something’ all right,” she laughed. “I’ll put you in the bath.”

“That’s it, I’m going to hold you to that! I will refuse to go to sleep until you have given me a bath.”
“Oh no!” she protested. “I was offering for you to sleep in the bath, nothing else.”
“Kayleigh sweetheart,” he drawled sexily in her ear. “You can’t let me down now; I’m going to be waiting for that for the rest of the day.”
“Waiting for what?” asked Nicky, smiling knowingly at the pair of them when he finally managed to locate James.

“Kayleigh is going to pick me up from the TV thing later on.”
“Aren’t you impressed Kayleigh?” Nicky butted in, clearly making her confused. “James knew that I wasn’t too keen on doing it so kindly volunteered to step in for me.”
“Oh, did he now?”
“Come on Kayleigh,” stammered James. “Wire would bore them all to death. At least I can play a bit of guitar so they don’t have to hear him waffling his bollocks off for fifteen minutes.”

The glare that she gave him warned him that she wasn’t happy, suspecting that he had set her up. “And you’ll bore them rigid with five minutes of talk huh James? Oh they’ll LOVE you!” Kayleigh shook her head giving him a wry smile. “Well, the er ladies rooms is beckoning me, so bye folks.”

James nudged Nicky firmly in his ribs once he was sure that Kayleigh wouldn’t be able to hear his cry of pain. “Thanks for dropping me in it, you great lanky fucking dunderhead! I was trying to be subtle.”
“OI! Stop doing that! I’m going to end up all flaming black and blue thanks to you, shorty!” Nicky huffed, pulling his t-shirt up to inspect the damage; there was a faint red mark but that was all. “You are so dilatory, everyone can see that you both fancy each other so why can’t you just ask her on a date like normal people do?”

“This way is less threatening.”
Nicky started laughing madly. “You ARE crazy! She is so mad with you for all this subterfuge.”
“We will be fine.”
“Going to flash her some of that infamous Bradfield charm are you? All I can say is that I hope you have it by the bucket load because you’re going to need all the help that you can get.”

“Bloody hell,” said a voice taking them by surprise. “Stop arguing; you’re like a pair of lovesick teenagers lately; always picking fights.”
“No we are not,” protested Nicky.
“Yes you are Wire!” laughed Sean. “Now get a move on or we’ll be late.”
“And you can stop pushing your luck,” James said sternly to Sean. “Ever since you saw that damned slash fic about us you have been teasing him. He is very close to hitting you little cous!”
“Wire couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag Wamesy.”
“Keep calling me that and I will fucking deck you!”
“All is well in Manic land!” Said Sean niftily moving away from the incoming swipe from James.

Kayleigh arrived at the studio early; James had already finished taping his segment and was eager to get off.
“You never considered that I may actually want to watch did you? I’ve never been on a TV stage before.”
“You’ve been to video shoots, there really isn’t a bit of difference.”
“I haven’t though have I? I was scheduled to be part of the team for the last video but then got called in to help with Panic Station’s bloody single instead, so no, I have no idea.”

“That is one of many things that we need to change then,” he grinned, his deep brown eyes full of jocular menace. “However, live TV is the thing to see so patience honey.”
“Wamesy,” she whispered knowing full well that it would annoy him. “If you keep calling me anything other than my name I will continue to cause you immeasurable grief by calling you Wamesy as loudly as I possibly can. Got it? Good!”
In truth he really was sure how to respond. Part of him wanted to goad her but the bigger part of him was worried that she would carry out her threat.

Not long after their little altercation Kayleigh was parking the car outside of James’ home. “Here you go, see you tomorrow.”
“Erm hang on a second; this wasn’t the deal.”
“I didn’t agree to anything. You said what would happen and assumed.”
“You didn’t turn me down.”
“Didn’t say yes though, did I?”
“Not exactly but…”
“James, I will see you tomorrow.”

“I demand my bath!” he laughed, hoping that she would give in to him.
“You can; your own! I told you what I meant by that.”
“Would you really make me sleep in the bath honey?”
“Oh yes Wamesy, I would. Oh and by the way, that’s one more Wamesy I need to slip in tomorrow too.”
“Damn those fucking fanfics.”
“For calling you Wamesy or for having you shagging the arse off Nicky and Richey?” Kayleigh had to fight hard to keep her giggles under control but didn’t manage to do it. “Sorry, but you must admit that some of them are pretty good although you don’t approve of the subject matter.”

“I guess so,” he begrudgingly admitted when she continued to push him. “Some of them aren’t too bad.”
“Good, now go home; go on; go!”
“Come in and join me for something to eat.”
“Thanks for the offer but I really just fancy going home, having a nice bath of my own, then watching some stuff that I recorded. Night James.”
“Ok.” Reluctantly he got out of the car, waving as she drove away. This was going to take longer than he had anticipated.

James had only been in his house for ten minutes when he decided to call Martin, making an excuse about leaving something in her car. He’d say that he’d tried to ring her but she wasn’t answering her phone, so could he please have her address so that he could go and collect it. What ‘it’ was he would decide if or when Martin asked him.

“Oh James shut up,” Martin said with a knowing giggle. “I know why you want her address; you really like her so quit the bullshit ok?”
That was a lot easier than he had anticipated. The biggest obstacle was getting a taxi; it seemed that they were all booked up. The earliest that he was informed he could have one left him with a wait of at least half an hour; he wasn’t happy. To help the time pass by somewhat quicker he collected two bottles of white wine from the wine rack in his huge American style fridge, showered and changed his clothes.

“James!” she gasped. “What the…”
“I brought wine,” he boasted, brandishing it enthusiastically.
“So I noticed,” she said evenly. “You can take it back home again because I told you NO!”
He took a step back and flinched when she slammed the door shut with a crack. No amount of ringing her doorbell was making it open again for him either so he tried shouting through the letterbox; she squirted water at him. He tapped and rapped on her windows, Kayleigh turned the TV up and ignored him. He rang her mobile; she switched it off. He rang her landline; the answering machine continually picked up the calls. Annoyed and frustrated he stomped off almost an hour later.

Kayleigh jumped when bang from the closing door reverberated through her; no need to guess whom it was.
“I had two very nicely chilled bottles of wine with me last night, looking forward to spending some time with you away from anything to do with Hall or Nothing, for you to go and throw it all back in my face.”
“Have you quite finished?”
“I beg you pardon?”
“Don’t you ever dare to presume to organise my social life for me! EVER! Work is work and socialising as part of that is one thing, but you do not have a right to my time and attention outside of that. If you having trouble accepting those facts, tough; get over it!”

“What the fuck has got into you?” James had never seen her angry before and hell, she was absolutely furious with him.
“You deliberately re-organise schedules; you alter plans, not to help Nicky out but to suit you. All of it a waste of time James; it’s backfired. Now I suggest that you go find a nice lady that wants to spend time with you and is perfectly happy for you to organise her life for her.”
“I thought that…”
“But you didn’t think did you? You got a stupid notion in your head and ran with it; to hell with the consequences, which, if you are interested, is that I have resigned.”
”You can’t!” he was flabbergasted by her announcement.

“I have; you invaded my private life. Not only that but Martin gave you personal information without my permission; I can’t work in that environment.”
“Please tell me that this is a fucking bad joke,” he pleaded desperately.
“It’s not.”
With that Martin and Terri entered the office with a couple of packing boxes, neither speaking to James but giving him a stare so full of vitriol that their feelings were evident.

“She’s really going then,” James said to no one in particular then turned his attention to Kayleigh. “What if I promise to stop bothering you?”
“My mind is made up James.”
“We have agreed to skip the notice period. Also we’ll pay her in full plus extra for the inconvenience.”
Martin was quite openly devastated; Kayleigh was a huge talent and he had to let her go.
James rubbed his hands over his eyes, the shock of her statement still penetrating and being acknowledged for the disaster that it was.

“Don’t slam the phone down on me Kayleigh,” urged James. “Let me come and see you; we need to talk.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Give me a chance to explain.”
“I think that I understand your game playing perfectly James,” Kayleigh said. “Flattering as it is I could have saved you and Martin a lot of trouble had you asked me, rather that resort to deception.”
“Kayleigh, I dislike having important conversations on the phone,” James informed her. “I’m on my way, don’t ignore me or I will make so much commotion that all of your neighbours will be interested.”

“Do you take pleasure in bullying women?”
“You are so sodding stubborn sometimes do you know that?” James asked as he barged by her, into her home. “You infuriate and intrigue me in equal measure.”
“You don’t want to know what reactions you provoke in me.”
“Yes I do.”

“You drive me insane with your childish games. You always have to be the centre of attention so that you can protest at how much you hate it, thus getting MORE attention.”
He gazed at her, flummoxed by her statement, needing clarifying, which she did.
“Let’s start with the games, shall we? You take Nicky’s place for an interview, supposedly for altruistic reasons. You ensure that you get me as a driver, then organise my evening and the following bloody morning, allegedly as repayment for my kindness. Game playing James. All so that you can say ‘look at how wonderful and selfless I am’.”

“Fucking shit!”
“This is a very adult conversation.”
“You’re twisting things! If I had asked you out what would you have said?”
“No, quite simply.”
“Why?”
“I don’t have to justify my decisions to you,” Kayleigh retorted. “Now please go.”

“I thought that you liked me.”
“As a colleague, yes. You read too much into it.”
“Not only me,” James countered angrily. “The others all say the same.”
“Then they’re wrong.”
“Everyone is wrong?”
“Yes, now go.”

“What are you afraid of Kayleigh?”
“Why do I have to be afraid James? Accept that I don’t see you in anything other than a professional capacity.”
“It’s not even that now.”
“So I have no reason to see you at all do I? Goodbye James.” Kayleigh walked away from him and over to the front door, which she forthrightly opened. “Bye James.”
He said nothing as he stormed out.

James was like a bear with a sore head for months after. Martin grew accustomed to James’ point blank refusal to attend the offices that he began to arrange to call at James’ or for James to visit him when he needed to see him.
“Martin,” uttered James in shock. “We hadn’t arranged to meet today.” It was obvious that he was confused.
“I heard something and thought that I had better tell you. I’d much rather have kept it quiet but I think you would go ballistic and cause such a fuss…”

“What have you come all this way for?” asked James, making some coffee.
“Kayleigh will be at the recording for Jools’ show tomorrow. I thought that you deserved to know.”
“Does she know that we are going to be there?” James asked glumly.
“I don’t know. Are you ok?”
“I’ll have to be won’t I?” spat James. “Not once has she returned my calls Martin, what the hell is she afraid of?”

Martin plunged his hands deep into his trouser pockets. “Did you ever consider that we got it wrong?”
“No, especially not you. You are THE most intuitive person that I know. You never get it wrong.”
“There’s always a first time,” Martin sighed. “Which leads me on to…”
“Oh for goodness sake man just spit it out” interrupted James angrily. “I’m not a kid that you need to protect. I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Oh I’m not so sure about that one,” Martin said heavily with sarcasm. “She’s dating.”
“Who, or is it a mystery man that no one has ever clapped eyes on?”
“Remember, don’t shoot the messenger,” urged Martin. “She’s dating Mac.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” squealed James with astonishment. “No way, not that boring sod. Damn, he can’t string a sentence together he’s so, so…” James banged his fist against the wall in annoyance.

“They’ve been seen out several times. Terri actually ended up sat at the next table to them at The Ivy a couple of nights ago. She said they seemed head over heels.”
“I think I’m going to puke. I would never have made a couple of those two in a month of Sundays. Why pick the fucking guy who works with us when we record huh? All those bloody men out there and she has to torment me with him. I bet she can’t wait to flaunt him in front of me.”

To say that James and Mac didn’t get on was an understatement. Unfortunately though, from James’ point of view, Mac was an accomplished musician, helping them out enormously when they were in the studio. To add insult to injury Sean and Nicky actually liked the guy.

“James please promise me that if you meet them you’ll be nice.”
“I’ll be all sweetness and light,” he grinned in reply. “In fact I think I’ll offer my congratulations when I meet her tomorrow.”
“That is precisely what I was afraid of,” Martin quipped. James sniggered in response making Martin even more worried.

James knew Kayleigh’s address; it was imprinted on his memory forever, much like her phone number. Grinning devilishly he went to the supermarket, bought a bottle of champagne from the chilled cabinet, a nice bouquet or flowers, then hailed a taxi.

“James!”
“I’ve brought you these so we can celebrate,” he beamed, brandishing his purchases proudly. “It’s such good news about you and Mac.”
“How would you know? Oh, Terri.”
“Martin actually,” James grinned, walking in without invitation. “He was worried about how I would react tomorrow when I saw you.”
“Ah, the recording!” Kayleigh sniggered walking through to the lounge with James.
“Mmm,” he muttered enigmatically. “To show that I’m pleased to hear about you and Mac being an item, I brought these over.” Again he brandished the goods in the air. “You had better get these flowers in some water I guess.”

“Thank you,” smiled Kayleigh, remaining unconvinced at James’ motives. “They are lovely. The champagne, is it for now or for me and Mac to enjoy?”
“Unless you object I’d like to share a glass with you.” He studied her soft features trying to gauge her answer. “Well?”
“I’d love to have some with you but as Mac and I have called it a day it doesn’t seem appropriate. It was a lovely thought though.”

Whatever he had planned for, it wasn’t what happened next. Kayleigh walked over to him, smiled warmly, then kissed him lovingly on his mouth, her lips pulling and teasing his. If only both of James’ hands weren’t full he would have held her so tightly to him, never wanting to let go.

“That was just my way of thanking you, I hope that you approve.”
“Let me put these down so that you can continue thanking me,” he smirked mischievously. “That was a bit on the brief side.”
Kayleigh burst out laughing. “Follow me James.”
He did so with pleasure.

Kayleigh took him through to the utility room where he watched her carefully prepare the flowers for two very large maroon vases.
“Mmm,” she grinned; standing back to admire the displays that she had created. “Not bad! Why don’t you crack open that champagne? I trust you’ll stay with me to help me commiserate?”

“Ok, why are you being so nice to me? Especially given the way that I very royally fucked up the last time?”
“I have had more than enough aggravation lately to last a lifetime, plus I kinda discovered something about myself.”
“What would that be, may I ask?” James took another sip of the champagne, turning his body further into hers on the sofa.
“Promise me that you won’t laugh or say ‘I told you so’ and I’ll consider it.”
“Cross my heart,” doing the actions. “I was tempted to get you chocolates as a bargaining tool as well but I thought that it may be going a bit over the top.”

“Chocolates would have been good,” she said trying to sound disappointed. “Guess I won’t tell you till I get them.”
“That is so not fair! Come on, I’ll be nice I promise.”
Kayleigh played with her champagne flute, twisting it around in her fingers, staring at the bubbles as though they were the most fascinating things she had ever happened across. James couldn’t take his gaze away from her; she mesmerised him. Slowly Kayleigh lifted her head up, gazed straight ahead, then said; “I missed you. It finally made me realise that you were right.”

“Oh.”
“Is that it? You’re not going to yell, get angry or anything?”
“No,” he answered simply. “I wasn’t expecting that. I was led to believe that you and Mac were very much in love. When you said that you had finished, well, I don’t know what I thought.”
“Indirectly we split because of you,” Kayleigh offered in explanation. “Without realising I would say ‘James does this, James does that.’ He soon knew that you were on my mind.”

“You should have called me or at least answered my calls.”
Kayleigh smiled even more broadly touched by his compassion. “I was scared,” she said honestly with a slight titter. “I thought that you would gloat and take great pleasure in telling me to sling my hook!”
James put his champagne flute down on the carpet, then scooted next to her, taking her glass and doing the same. “I will never do or say anything to make you feel small Kayleigh. Please, let me love you.”
Kayleigh hissed as his large, strong hands tenderly and delicately cupped her face, his thumbs gently sweeping over her lips.

They had so much wasted time to make up for!

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