Chapter 4

Lauren groaned as she opened her eyes, only to close them immediately as the bright light of the sun through the open blinds threatened to blind her. She rubbed her eye to wake herself up completely, only to regret the decision immediately. As she moved her arm a horrendous pain shot up to her head. She looked at the clock- 9 am.

"Oh god" Lauren moaned as she rubbed her forehead to try and release some of the pain. It didn't work, fantastic, a headache and she was running late.

"How much did I drink last night?" Lauren asked herself as she tried to think back to the night before. She couldn't remember. The only thing stuck on her head was Joey. Oh god…oh god, oh god, oh god! She remembered now, her body flopped back down into the bed as she remembered what had happened. She'd had a one night stand! Well if you could call it that… more like a 20 minuet drunken stand in the club toilets. Very classy I know.

She didn't know how to feel about it, I mean yeah she probably should feel embarrassed and she probably should feel ashamed…but she didn't. This was different, he was different. He was really good looking for starters, but the way he acted, he seemed to actually care. He was really nice in the way he helped out with the Luke dilemma too.

A small smile fell to her lips; he was good in bed too. Oh god did she really just think that? Hand on her heart she could swear that the night before was the most, hottest, intense, amazing night of her life. She had never before felt the pleasures she did with Joey.

Too bad she would never see him again; Lauren sighed but then burst out laughing. Actually it's a good thing she will never see him again because she knew if she ever did, she would probably die of embarrassment. She wasn't exactly herself the night before. Pulling the covers over her head Lauren looked at the time-9.15

Oh god! Her interview! She was going to be late!

*J&L* J & L* J & L*

"What's got you in such a good mood today?" Mitchell asked his friend as they walked into work that morning.

Joey looked up from his phone a slight grin on his face "What makes you think I'm in a good mood?"

Mitch just shook his head, and smiled slightly "I don't know, maybe because you're grinning like a Cheshire cat, and you're doing work on your phone- you never do that, is Emma back on the scene or something?"

Joey's smile fell as soon as Emma's name was mentioned; she was still a touchy subject.

"I take that as a no then" Mitch said signing in at the desk. He knew Emma was a very sore spot for Joey; they'd been together since they were 18 and Joey would move heaven and earth for her. It's a shame Emma didn't appreciate it, she was more interested in other guys, which in the long run, was why they split. It was all pretty messy.

Joey proceeded into his office, Mitch perching on the side of the desk "What?"

"Well I still wanna know why you're grinning like a fool? Was it that girl from last night?" Joey remained silent "AHH it was. I knew it was a girl ! was she good ?"

"Please… give her some respect will you. Her name was Lauren and she was really nice."

"Nicey… nice yea yea. Was she good?" Mitch badgered

"I am not having this conversation with you… it's degrading." He logged onto the computer and started typing.

"You didn't mind with Emma!"

"Ye well Lauren wasn't Emma was she? I don't know she was different…" he mused over the previous night in his head, she really was something special.

"Ooo Joe man you've been whipped!" Mitch started Laughing and teasing.

"Don't you have work to do?" Joey looked up from the computer "Exactly"

*J & L* J & L* J & L*

"Oh my god…I'm going to be so Late… Whit !" Lauren shrieked when she emerged from the bathroom after her quick shower and getting dressed. She walked into the kitchen and saw Whit sitting at the table sipping on some coffee and swallowing some tablets "Why the hell didn't you or Luce wake me and, why did you let me get so drunk last night?"

Whit looked up from the magazine and couldn't help but laugh at the flustered Lauren looking down at her. Her hair was all scraggily where she'd tried to put it up in a sophisticated bun whilst still wet, her eyes had blobs of mascara where she obviously missed her eyelashes and her clothes looked way too old for a 19 year old to be wearing. She then glanced at the clock and saw it was half nine.

"You still have half hour Lo, why you fretting?"

Lauren's eyes widened as she walked around the kitchen to look in the fridge for a bottle of water. "Why am I fretting?" Lauren yelled "I have half hour to get to the other side of London, there is no way I am going to have time to catch the bus since I should have left 5 minutes for that. Oh that and the fact that I look a mess and my head feels like it's about to burst open!" Lauren could feel the tears shimmer in her eyes "Basically I'm screwed".

"what's all the screaming about?" Lucy mumbled as she stumbled into the kitchen. Lauren guessed she wasn't the only one with a hangover.

"Oh miss drama queen over there is stressing, because she got up late" Whit laughed but stopped when she caught Laurens expression "Just Relax Lo" She said as she patted her on the back.

"I can text Peter and ask him to drive you, he'll be going that way to work?" Lucy said texting a rather garbled message on her phone.

Lauren's eyes lit up "really?" Lucy nodded "Thank you" Lauren squealed hugging her friend. "Okay, okay, so I have 15 min before he picks me up, we can work with that yes?"

"Yes" Whit said, running out of the room. Lauren and Lucy both raised an eyebrow. Whit ran back into the kitchen with a mischievous grin on her face and her hands behind her back.

"What are you up to?" Lauren asked accusingly.

"Well" Whit started but was cut off by Lauren

"if this is going to be a long story then save it… I really don't have time"

"It's not" she protested, before the same grin appeared again. She then showed the girls what she was hiding behind her back. "Ta-dah"

Lauren gasped whilst Lucy burst out laughing. "I am not wearing that!" Lauren said , there was no way. No way in hell, this is a job interview for a marketing company, not a flipping strip club.

"Come on Lo…it's better than what you have on" Whit said, she was holding up a hanger with tight white shirt on, and a black knee length pencil skirt with bright red belt.

Lauren stared at her best friends for a moment, wide-eyed and shocked "Na huh! Are you both crazy? this is no way going to get me the job, I will look… I will look like a slut!"

Whit gasped holding up a hand to her chest "are you calling me a slut Lauren? That hurt Lo that really did" Lauren just rolled her eyes and looked at the clock once again 9.37am.

"Why would I where that anyways?"

"Well, this is what I was trying to say before someone" Whit said exaggerating the 'someone' "Rudely interrupted me, just when I was trying to help them" Lauren hummed and let Whit continue. "So, I was talking to Poppy yesterday and I mentioned you going for an interview at Walkers, well anyways turns out she knows someone's girlfriend who works there, and from what I could gather by the way she was talking, this outfit my naïve little friend will get you the job hands down" She said suggestively.

Lauren sighed "I appreciate your help I really do, but I do not want this job if it means I have to look like a desperate slut in the process"

Whitney just mischievously grinned again "Well go as you are then and don't get the job"

Lauren thought over it she did look a mess and Whit was right she probably wouldn't get the job as she was. "Fine… I'll wear the skirt, but I'm keeping my own top on, that's just… No." She grabbed the clothes from Whit and ran upstairs.

*J & L* J & L* J & L*

"Okay, thanks for coming, I'll let you know" Joey called out to the women who was exiting his office. When he was sure the door was shut he breathed in a deep breath and sighed. This is going to be a hell of a long day. Both the candidates he had seen that morning were completely boring, had no personality and didn't really seem passionate about the job. He looked down at the sheet of paper on his desk, one that Mitch dropped by with the names and details on it. He hadn't bothered to look at it before, but this time he felt he should be slightly more prepared. He looked down at the paper and read the one name that was surely to be a coincidence.

Lauren – 19, Walford, College student- foundation degree in art.

As soon as he read the name Lauren, his thoughts went straight to the girl he had spent the night with the night before. He knew it couldn't be the same Lauren, because that would be plain right stupid and humiliating.

But he definitely wouldn't mind seeing her again, he thought with a grin.

Joey glanced at the clock and noticed it was 10.05. Okay so this Lauren was late. Joey looked around the room and then back to the door again, he wished she'd hurry up so he could get through the rest of the day. He was beginning to get bored. Doing the only thing he could think that would occupy his time… he started to twirl on his chair. The time ticked slowly by and it was nearly 10.15 when he started to lose interest all together.

"I'm here for an interview in the design department" Lauren said breathlessly as she ran up all the stairs to the right floor, I say ran, she could hardly walk properly in the stupid heels Whit and Lucy had forced her to wear.

The receptionist looked up from her computer then at Lauren. She noticed the way her eyes cocked up when she noticed what she was wearing. God she was so going to kill Whitney Dean when she got back home. She heard her mutter something under breathe and then looked at her book. "You must be Lauren" Lauren tried to smile as friendly as she could and nodded her head.

"Okay, he's waiting for you… straight down the corridor, last door on the left" She took a deep breath as she walked to the office door the receptionist pointed at. Looking in the glass window next to her she made sure she looked presentable enough and not like a complete idiot.

Joey suddenly turned to the look at the door when he heard it being opened, having completely missed her gently knocking. His mouth hung open and he almost fell off the chair.

"Lauren?"

"Crap"

So did anyone expect that ?

Big thanks to all your reviews so far :) I love to hear what you think !

Back later xx