The Honeytrap Heartbreaker

15.

"You looked like you needed that." Adam observed sipping his cosmo.

"My dad's still here isn't he. I swear to God if I have to hear about how much he's changed one more time I'm going to jump off a bridge." She said putting her empty glass on the table.

Adam signalled to the waiter to get them another round. Three more drinks later and they were joined by Nick and some of his work friends. Ella was grateful for the different company.

Everything with her grandma and dad was just too intense at the moment and Tom didn't get it, she had tried to explain it a million times but he always told her not to stress. That was why she loved Adam, he was so easy-going. She had filled him in briefly on what had been going on since her dad got here but she told him she wanted to forget about it tonight and that only spurred him on to order more shots and fill her in on the office gossip.

Not long after Nick arrived, Adam's work friends arrived too: Gary, Hanna, Dan, Dayle and Jake. Ella couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring at her. Did they all know how Jake had dragged her in for questioning? Was she just another bit of gossip that was spread around the station like Nutella on toast?

She tried not to let it get to her. They had to have some sort of confidentiality clause, and hey even if they didn't, she wasn't charged. She hadn't told Adam but she was sure it would have got back to him by now so Jake must have kept his mouth shut. The night blurred into a mash up of awful dancing and karaoke and it was only when Ella went out for a social cigarette and found herself alone with Jake did she pluck up the courage to speak to him.

"No handcuffs this time?" Ella asked sarcastically.

"Els, I'm sorry it was nothing personal, it was just work, we have to explore all options. But putting me in that situation was out of order." He said.

Ella looked at him quizzically.

"Saying Tom picked you up when we both know I spent the night at yours."

"Don't make it sound so seedy." She said trying to act casual.

"That's not what I meant. You put me in a tricky situation though, if I would have called you out I would have subsequently ruined my relationship, very sneaky. Krissy James' idea at a guess?" He asked pryingly.

Ella just shrugged not wanting to go through it all again. She still struggled to sleep knowing she had lied for Tom.

"Either way Els, I know you had nothing to do with it. Like I said nothing personal. Another drink?" He smiled and held the door open for them to go back inside.

Ella declined and said her goodbyes as she hailed a cab to take her home. The night kind of had a weird vibe once the police lot turned up, it was probably all in her head but she just couldn't relax, she felt as if someone (Jake) was watching over her shoulder all night hoping she'd slip up and that just had her in a state of anxiety.

She got home not long after midnight and checked her messages, one from Grandma June inviting her and Tom to Sunday dinner with her dad and one from Tom seeing what she was doing. She rang Tom back straight away but it went straight through to voicemail so text him saying she had just got back from drinks with Adam and was headed to bed.

Ella was woken about three am by Tom climbing into bed next to her. She nuzzled into his chest and felt into a well needed sleep. The sound of Tom whispering in her ear telling her how much he loved her and the sun lightly shining through the curtain woke her once again, but at a far more reasonable time, she initially grumbled which was followed by Tom pulling her closer making her heart skip a beat.

She was so in lust, he made her so happy and so content; whilst she was lying there with him nothing else mattered.

"Now Miss White, we need words." Tom said in his authoritive tone of voice.