You may think this is one of those 'all too convenient situation' stories, but I have done this many times in my scatty past, especially just after I'd had my first baby - it's easier done that you think! It also leads onto to another story I'll tell later.

Chapter 3 The dream

Alex was walking down the middle of the office and everyone was pointing and laughing and all the men were leering, even Chris! When she looked down, she saw why - she was totally naked! She was trying her best to cover her self up, when Gene burst out of his office and put his coat over her shoulders. She smiled gratefully and kissed him but when she pulled away it was Nicky not Gene. She gasped in horror, as he stood there laughing at her, joining in with everyone else. She ran out into the corridor and bumped into 'Supermac'. "What's wrong Alex?" He purred, looking her up and down lasciviously "I'll look after you!" when she felt his hands on her body, she let out a scream

"ALEX!"

She heard someone calling her name and woke up to find Gene shaking her. After quickly realising who it was that was grabbing her she calmed down and held him tightly.

"Oh..I'm so glad you're here!" she told him, feeling a rush of relief

To her surprise he hugged her back - but only briefly - then pushed her back down.

"What the hell was all that about?" he asked sharply, "You frightened the bleedin life outta me!"

"Oh it was just a bad dream! I have them a lot!" she answered truthfully

"Feel sorry for the neighbours Bolly!" he retorted, as he lay back down himself, rolling over and pushing the pillow into a more comfortable position.

Alex sighed, as tear ran down her face, the dream had seemed frighteningly real.

After a while she turned and spooned her body against his.

"Alex?" Gene said quietly after a while

"Yes?" she replied hopefully, thinking that maybe he was actually going to talk to her properly for once

"don't suppose you fancy round two do yer?" He turned to face her.

She shook her head incredulously, but then smiled, "Yeah, I do actually!"

He climbed on top and reached down to put his hand between her thighs to part them. He stimulated her expertly with his fingers and she moaned in delight.

"Bet you thought I didn't know where that was?" he smirked when she opened her eyes to look at him. "It's amazing the stuff they put in womens magazines these days!"

The thought of him reading Cosmo or Womans Realm made her giggle and she put her arms around him. They made love again, this time more slowly and with less urgency than before.

Soon after they were back asleep.

Alex woke with a start.

She looked at the other side of the bed – Gene was gone! Her heart sank thinking that last night had all been another dream. Then it leapt again when he came strolling into the bedroom naked, drying his hair off with a towel.

"You'd better get that gorgeous butt of yours out of bed darlin, we've only got 10 minutes!"He announced conversationally

"Oh – what time is it?" she gasped, trying to focus on the clock beside her bed.

"Time we was goin', I've got an appointment with someone!"

Gene dropped the towel on the floor and began to get dressed. Alex jumped out of bed and got straight into the shower. As soon as she was partially dry she threw on some underwear, jeans, a top and a jacket and did her best to put on some makeup while Gene waited impatiently at the door.

Gene had a meeting with a 'nark' as he called him, an informant who could give them information in relation to the trial against Nicky Ravell. Gene managed to convince him that it would be in his best interests to give evidence – in his own unique way!

When they got back to the office and walked in together they got some curious looks but no one said anything.

Damn it! It hadn't occurred to her not to arrive the same time as Gene! But of course no-one could know - could they? Well not unless they'd been past her flat in the early hours and seen the quattro! But she was sure they hadn't!

With all the rushing around she'd got quite hot, so she undid her jacket and took it off as soon as she got to her desk and slung it over the back of her chair. Then she got to work - she had some paperwork to complete. Gene had already stalked off into the safety of his office.

She became lost in thought, oblivious to her surroundings but laughter in the far corner of the office abruptly brought her out of it and caused her to look up. She noticed Ray nudging Chris and some of the other men and they kept leering in her direction and smiling. Shaz gave them all a filthy look and Chris immediately looked away. She looked at Alex and frowned.

What was the matter with them all? They couldn't know could they?

OH god they must have found out, one of them must have seen us go to up to my flat together last night! But what's it got to do with them anyway? They're so childish!

She put up with the sniggering and the looks for a while then got fed up

"Have you got a problem with something?" she demanded angrily, standing up and walking over to the men, who now seemed hardly able to control themselves. Ray was almost blue with trying to hold in his laughter.

Alex began to lose her temper, "Well?" she prompted her hands on her hips.

but then Shaz gently patted her arm and took her aside.

"Erm.. Marm" she began awkwardly "I think you'd better look down!"

Alex creased her brow quizzically and did as she was asked. To her horror she discovered that in her haste to get dressed, not only had she put a low cut v backed top on back to front, she'd put it on inside out to boot! This just had to be the day when she'd decided to put on a sheer white voile bra too (in true 1980's style) didn't it?

She gasped as the realisation hit her and bolted into Gene's office amid an explosion of laughter. After shutting the door, she quickly tore off the top - much to Gene's surprise - and put it back on the right way then walked, with as much dignity as she could muster, back into the office, to cat-calls, whoops and whistles. Her cheeks were burning, not so much from her mistake, but from their reaction to it.

Ray came over to her - obviously buoyed up by the mood.

"Nice bra Bolly!" he said quietly, but not so much that the others couldn't hear

Alex looked impassive for a moment then stood up and grabbed him by the lapels, off-guarding him.

"Ray..if you ever, look at my tits or even think about looking at them .. I will personally tear your balls off and shove them down your neck! And don't you ever call me Bolly again, is that clear?!" She warned through gritted teeth. She mused that maybe Gene was rubbing off on her, but the thought of Ray looking at her like that made her feel sick.

Ray merely nodded, but as soon as he returned to the pack he began smiling again, only stopping when she looked up to glare at him.

So the dream had partially come true!

She shook her head derisively "It's like working with a load of 10 year olds!" she said more to herself than anyone else.

Shaz looked at her sympathetically and later confided that she had once walked in there with her skirt tucked into her knickers and no one had told her! It had taken them ages to get over that!