Legally Addicted - By Lena Dowling Page 0,24

firm running, and the loss of a good executive assistant was always a blow, but it was hardly equal to the dissolution of a partnership.

Instead she took the bait.

‘How did you meet your husbands?’

‘Let me tell you, working together didn’t stop John. He practically chased me around his desk didn’t he, Vera? Not that I wasn’t happy to be caught,’ Beverley said.

Vera pointed an accusing finger at the other woman.

‘That’s not quite the way I recall it. You lured him into the stationery room at the office Christmas party, as I remember.’

The women cackled in unison.

‘This would be the perfect place to lure Bradley.’ Vera swept her hand out towards the golden beach that came right up to the veranda and the waves crashing beyond it.

Watching Brad working the barbeque against the backdrop of the sparkling blue ocean, Georgia hardly needed a reminder about the perfect views on offer. She silently conceded that if she was planning to make a move on Brad, this would be the place to do it.

But she wasn’t. Even with the added incentive of making Brad more amenable to supporting her addiction centre proposal, it wasn’t worth the risk to her career. If she and Brad got together and then broke up, as the partner with the lower earning capacity it would be her Dayton and Llewellyn would be asking to leave.

Georgia knocked back the rest of her drink, and keeping half of her attention on the older women’s conversation, managed to maintain one eye on what the men were doing outside.

As Brad turned to John and Roger from time to time to listen or say something, she couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about, and if business decisions were being made without her. Irritated to be stuck with the wives, she kept smiling through gritted teeth, asking Beverley about her family. It was an act of desperation to keep the conversation going but one that struck on the woman’s favourite topic of conversation. Beverley was still wittering on about the achievements of her various grandchildren when Brad came back into the living room, tongs in one hand and a plate of cooked seafood in the other.

Having gathered everyone in the dining area, the elderly caterer seated the guests, placing Georgia at one end of the long rustic timber table, looking straight down at Brad at the other end. It was strange seeing him so at home in such comparatively humble surroundings. How did this Brad fit with the one who lived in an ostentatious penthouse, and owned a healthy chunk of Sydney’s corporate real estate?

The food was pleasant; typical barbie fare. The dessert consisted of shop-bought Pavlova and berries, and all of the wine was moderately priced plonk that she could have picked up from her local bottle store.

This relaxed Brad, serving up overdone, barbequed food to his guests, and topping up everyone’s glasses like any regular host, could have been the typical Aussie bloke next door. He was a totally different man to the designer suited, gemstone studded Brad who arrived at the office each day.

After the meal Brad pushed back his chair and walked over to an oak dresser. Opening one of the drawers, he pulled out a box of cigars and a bottle of spirits.

‘Apologies ladies, but we’re going to retire to the veranda to talk shop for a while.’

Georgia’s hackles rose. She wasn’t about to be sidelined again.

‘I assume you mean for me to join you as well?’ She hadn’t meant to say it with quite so much ‘tone’, but the two couples’ heads lurched together in unison like spectators at a tennis match, first towards her and then at Brad, waiting for his reaction.

‘Of course, Georgia. You are one of the partners after all.’

‘Good, because I wouldn’t want to be excluded from any more decisions.’

‘I can assure you no decisions have been made without all of the partners present, including you.’

‘Then what were you talking about before out there?’

She jerked her hand, palm upwards in the direction of the veranda.

‘The usual things men talk about around a barbeque: sport, cars, the state of the share market, but so far we haven’t discussed anything to do with the long-term future of the partnership.’

His response was cool yet pleasant. Something about Brad’s unfailing manners in the face of conflict always managed to annoy the hell out of her.

‘I’m pleased to hear it.’

There was an awkward silence. Roger cleared his throat as if he was about to say something and