smiled. “Not yet.”
Siza spread his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I rest my case. Back to work then. Have they made you CEO yet?”
“I wish. We finally got a CFO, though. Eric Rukhava.”
Siza frowned thoughtfully. He ran a small business consultancy and was always interested in hearing about Lucky’s work. “Where was he based before Chemtex snapped him up?”
“He worked for an accounting firm in the UK. He came very highly recommended,” Lucky answered. “He strikes me as the kind of person who could get things done in his sleep. Smart, efficient, pragmatic …” She sighed. “In other words, exactly the type to make my life miserable. Except …”
“Except what?”
Lucky hesitated. “I think he was flirting with me a little.”
“Yoh!” Siza chuckled. “Doesn’t he know how you feel about people who work in accounts?”
Lucky laughed. She had missed her brother. They chatted until the food arrived and then the conversation twisted its way into dangerous waters. As much as Lucky loved her siblings, there was one brother she wasn’t very happy with at the moment. Xolani, the second-born, had recently confessed to cheating on his wife of ten years.
Although he said the affair had been very brief and was over, Lucky was devastated. She had never expected this to happen to her family and she certainly never expected the guilty party to be her own brother!
“I really think it’s time you forgave him,” said Siza cautiously.
Lucky looked up, her eyes wide with indignation. “I forgave him long ago!”
“Really? Then why haven’t you been in touch with him?”
“I’ve been busy.” Lucky pushed her plate away, her appetite gone. “How are things between him and Joyce?”
Siza shook his head sadly. “They had a huge fight two weeks back and she kicked him out.”
“What?” gasped Lucky.
“It was bad. He had to spend the weekend at my place and Zihle barely spoke to either of us. You know how close she is to Joyce.”
“Oh, Lord.” Lucky held her head in her hands. “Xolani was always a ladies man, but I didn’t expect this from him. Poor Joyce! Do the kids know what’s going on?”
“No one has told them the whole truth, but they know something’s up.”
Lucky traced little circles on the table. She had been planning on dessert, but there was no way she could stomach it now. The five of them had grown up in a close-knit, devout Christian family and she still couldn’t believe what her brother had done. When Joyce first came to her with her suspicions, Lucky had confronted Xolani. He denied it and she believed him. He kept up the façade for weeks, only confessing when their parents became involved. No one was perfect and Lucky didn’t expect the people she loved to be any different. She could handle mistakes. What she couldn’t handle was deception.
“Is he still staying with you?”
Siza winced. “He’s in a hotel now. He loves Joyce,” he added with certainty, beckoning to the waiter to bring the bill. “He’s just … confused.”
“Nonsense.” Lucky clicked her tongue in annoyance. “How do you get confused after a decade of marriage?”
“Lucky –”
“Let’s talk about something else,” she interrupted, reaching for her wallet.
Siza sighed. “Maybe we should go watch a movie. Something brainless and funny. What do you say?” He grinned. “Dinner is my treat and the movie can be yours, like old times.”
Lucky smiled. “As long as I get to pick the movie.”
“Hhayi khona, Lucky Packet – you picked last time!”
“That was months ago,” she said. “Besides, you picked the restaurant.” She laughed at his stormy expression, glad to be off the topic of Xolani. She hadn’t seen Siza in ages and she didn’t want Xolani’s problems to spoil the reunion.
* * *
Eric closed his office door and leaned against it, deep in thought. For some reason, he couldn’t get that pretty Head of D&T out of his mind. He shook his head and walked to his desk.
She was attractive, of course, but it was more than that. She had a certain quality about her, something he found irresistible. Eric sighed as he turned on the computer. Thinking like this was dangerous. He had come to Chemtex to do a job and the last thing he needed was to get distracted by Lucky, no matter how irresistible she was.
It had been a long time since he’d had a woman in his life. He was far too busy to think about relationships, and burying himself in work meant burying his desires as well. But something happened when he met Lucky. He couldn’t explain it; it was as if a switch had been turned on and suddenly all the emotions he had refused to feel came bubbling to the surface.
He wanted to spend more time with her, maybe take her out. He had the feeling that the two of them could be very good together …
“Get a grip, Rukhava,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “The world is full of pretty women.”
Eric took a deep breath. Dating Lucky was out of the question. He had to focus on his work at Chemtex – he was being paid an exorbitant sum to do a thorough job. Getting involved with a colleague could ruin everything and he couldn’t afford to let that happen. There was far too much at stake.
* * *
Lucky looked up from her computer and yawned, then stretched. She had been sitting at her desk for hours and it was long after closing time. The office had grown quiet as everyone left and a quick glance out of the window told her it was later than she had thought. She glanced at her watch – twenty past seven.
She got up to go to the ladies’ room, making a mental note to organise some supper when she got back to her desk. Lucky didn’t mind working late and the silent, dimly lit building didn’t frighten her in the least. She had a lot of faith in the security guard at the gate and if he couldn’t protect her, she was happy to rely on a higher power.
She opened her door, stepped out and closed it again, then started down the corridor. After a few steps, she came to a halt. The light was on in Kgosana’s office. Lucky frowned. The CEO had left hours ago and she could have sworn the light was off the last time she passed this way. It was far too late for the cleaners to still be around; she couldn’t imagine who else would have a reason to go in there.
She inched forward, the carpet muffling her footsteps. There was a faint shuffling noise, like the sound of someone moving papers around on the desk. Her pulse began to race. Was there an intruder in the office? Should she investigate or call security for help?
She took a deep breath. Get a grip, Lucky chided herself. There’s no way an armed robber could have got in here without anyone noticing. She reached the door and stood in front of it. She reached for the doorknob, then pulled back. The person inside swore under his breath – it was a male voice. Lucky’s heart leapt into her throat and her fingers snaked into her jacket pocket for her phone.
One hand reached gingerly for the doorknob while the other scrolled through her contact list, searching for the number of the security post at the gate. She pushed the call button with her thumb and held the phone up to her ear. It rang for ages.
Just when she was about to give up, a gruff voice said, “Hello? Sizwe speaking.”
Lucky backed away from the door and whispered, “This is Miss Nthini on the top floor. Please come up now! There’s someone –”
The door opened. Lucky was so surprised, she almost dropped the phone. “Eric?”
For a moment he just stared at her, eyes wide, like