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“I can breathe easy now. I had to see you. Sometimes you’re impossible to find, Mark…” Naomi beamed and abandoned his thigh to play with the hair above his temple.
Alex slumped back against the banquette and pushed her sandwich away.
“I’m chuffed it worked out.” Mark glanced at Alex and moved slightly so Naomi’s hand could no longer fondle his swept back locks.
The actress grasped her non-existent stomach. “I’m starving. I should’ve eaten before my shift.” She helped herself to a spoonful of Mark’s soup. “Mmm, love its crispy noodles. Alex, you should try this. I bet it tastes much better than—what is that? The cheese sandwich from the kiddie’s menu?”
Alex wrapped her arms around her stomach and offered a tight-lipped smile.
“Lex has food allergies; she has to be careful,” said Mark. “And the kids’ menu’s really good, actually. Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“You were always partial to a cheese butty.” Naomi stood up, unfurling her skinny jean-clad legs. “I’m due upstairs in the Terrace Restaurant. I wish they’d stop stealing us Long Bar staff. I prefer working down here with you.”
Mark stood up, giving Naomi a tentative parting hug.
She grabbed the Irishman, smooshing her chest into his, a sheet of paper couldn’t squeeze between them. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow on my break?” Naomi flipped a glance over Mark’s shoulder. “Lovely to meet you, Alex. See you ‘round.”
Her perfect ass sashayed towards the lobby, collecting admiring looks in its wake.
Alex felt like she had been shoved off Tower Bridge. “Old friend?”
“Kind of…” Mark rubbed an eyebrow. “We sorta went out.”
Alex gulped. “Oh.” Her suspicion realized.
“We hooked up a few times. She dropped me like a brick a year ago when she landed the touring Kinky Boots tour.”
The blonde held her breath, trying to keep her heart from leaping out of her chest and dive-bombing the cold floor.
“I didn’t hear from her until two months ago, just before she came home. She needed a gig, so I suggested she try here. It’s a great place if you need time off for auditions.”
“I bet…Do you help all the girls you know get jobs here?”
Mark’s eyebrows scrunched. “All the girls…?”
Alex shook her head, unable to look at him. “I’m so dim. I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.”
“I don’t. Not now. Naomi’s just a friend.”
She’d heard those three words pass an actor’s lips before.
“Really?” Alex scoffed. “She’s very hands-on. Friends don’t usually stroke each other’s thighs.”
Mark leaned forward, attempting to bridge the gulf growing between them. “Naomi, she’s—” His arm caught the lip of the bowl, splashing hot soup into his lap. He jerked upwards. “Shit!” His hands scrambled across the table for napkins.
Alex snatched her wallet and scooted out of the banquette. “I’ve got tour prep to do.”
“Lex! Wait.”
Her eyes began to sting. She rushed through the café doors and out to the riverfront.
• • •
Alex signed off on her last tour, grabbed her coat, and slipped into the ground floor ladies’ toilets. She hid in the farthest stall.
Mark had called three times since lunch. She listened to his messages:
‘Lex, where’d you go? I’ve been to your desk and searched every floor. Come see me at the bar, okay? Bye…’
