Alpha Mail

by Brenda Rothert

  Jane and Gretchen bring in extra chairs as I start my presentation. My graphic about the pitfalls of dating these days elicits several chuckles.

  “I’m sure none of the men in his room has ever met a woman for a first date and asked her if she was up for a quickie in the bathroom before dinner arrived.” That gets another laugh. “But it’s happened to me.”

  I tell a couple more horror stories, one starring a woman who confessed to her date that she’s usually only attracted to married men. That one happened to Carmen’s friend Greg.

  Both men and women are nodding and smiling in agreement. Dating horror stories are universal. I’m about to move on to the presentation when my gaze stops for a second on a broad-shouldered man to my left, whose dark hair and eyes command attention. A flush of arousal distracts me as I stare openly for a second. I force myself to look at the man next to him instead, and . . .

  Fuck me. Same guy? No, they’re identical twins. They have to be Ben and Ian Durant, whose real estate investment success I’m familiar with. I invited them on a whim. Guess I should have checked to see how hot they were first. Those two could distract a postmenopausal nun.

  It takes all my self-control to focus on my presentation, but I manage. I’m in the zone, hitting all my high points and getting nods every time I gauge reactions. I don’t give my nerves a chance to surface.

  Gretchen included the article Andrew wrote about Alpha Mail in the investor packet, and I notice a gray-haired investor reading it with an amused smile. Hopefully that’s a good sign.

  “I can talk about the business, but it doesn’t compare to seeing it for yourself.” I smile at the group and gesture toward the door. “So now we’re going to let you have a look at the alphas at work.”

  I lead the group down the hallway, my heels clicking on the concrete floor as I walk. We make virtue of our office space being unfinished by calling it “modern.” Brick interior walls, exposed ductwork, and raw concrete floors are design choices these days, and to save a few bucks, they became our style.

  “We’re going to watch Kell send texts to his clients.”

  I stop outside Kell’s office, and the investors get their first look at him through the glass wall. I had all the offices here enclosed by glass walls rather than more private ones, so we could all have quiet to focus on our work, but we could still feel connected to each other. And to be honest, this way I know none of the alphas is taking photos or making videos that are against our policies. Having women beg for them has proved too tempting for some of my former employees.

  “Kell was one of my first hires,” I tell the group. “He’s very popular with clients and is always fully booked.”

  That’s an understatement. Between his blue eyes, handsome face, and smokin’ hot body, Kell draws attention without saying a word. But when he does speak, panties drop. His Scottish accent is to die for. He’s very good at what he does, which is why I chose him for the first demo.

  “Morning,” I say to him as I push open his office door and hold it open for the investors.

  “Mornin’.” Kell grins at the group and then turns back to the three computer monitors on his desk.

  Investors cluster behind his desk to read the messages on his screens. Kell is in his usual work uniform of worn jeans and a white T-shirt, the sleeves tight around his biceps. He’s totally in his element here, where he gets paid for his roguish ways. I smile as I scan the words on one of the monitors.

  KELL: Mornin, doll. Hope you slept well.

  LYDIAN: Good morning! Mmm, would have slept better if you’d been next to me.

  KELL: Yep, guarantee that. But I’d have kept you up late. You know I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off that fine ass.

  LYDIAN: Tell me more . . .

  KELL: More about which? The spanking? Or the squeezing? Or the long, hard fucking?

  “Oh.” One of the female investors half gasps the word as she reads the screen, her cheeks turning bright pink.

  “She’s a longtime client,” Kell says to her with a devilish wink. “Likes to start the day with dirty talk.”

  I asked Kell to keep it real without getting crazy explicit, and this is what I had in mind. I want the investors to know exactly what we do here, and that it’s not always PG.

  “So how long will this convo go on?” one of the Durant twins asks.

  Kell shrugs. “Five or ten minutes? Then we’ll pick it up again tonight. She’s not one for texting while she’s at work.”

  “Tonight?” a gray-haired man in a dark suit asks. “So you’ll still be here then?”

  “I work seven to eleven a.m. and seven to eleven p.m., six days a week,” Kell says. “And the nice thing is I do some of my night shifts from home.”

  “How many . . . clients do you have?” my former professor asks him.

  “Twenty-three.” He grins over at me. “But I keep telling Sienna I can take more. There’s plenty of Kellan McKenzie to go around.”

  Kell looks at the female investor then and winks. The man next to her narrows his eyes with dismay. I feel a flare of aggravation at Kell’s flirtatiousness. He just can’t seem to help himself.

  After a little more back-and-forth between Kell and his client, we move into the office of Sam, one of my younger alphas. He’s a twenty-six-year-old grad student with short, reddish hair who always seems to be smiling.

  “Welcome,” he says, nodding to the investors. He turns back to his screens then, and I see he’s balancing a conversation on each of the three computer monitors in front of him.

  I read the lines on the first screen:

  SAM: You studied your ass off. I know you’re ready.

  SARAHJ: But what if I didn’t study the right things? This professor’s exams are hard AF.

  SAM: That’s the voice of doubt creeping in. Tell it to shut up. You’re prepared for this.

  SARAHJ: I think so. I’ve done everything I possibly could.

  SAM: Go crush it, gorgeous. Text me when you’re done.

  On the second screen, there’s a totally different kind of convo going down:

  ALICIA1987: I gave that motherfucker the best years of my life, and THIS IS HOW HE REPAYS ME? By fucking me over in the divorce? I’m surprised he didn’t ask me to wipe his new girlfriend’s ass while he was at it. He is not getting ANY of the money my grandma left me. She would slap me from beyond the grave if I let that happen. Grammie always hated Mike. She was a smart woman.

  SAM: You’re absolutely right, babe. Can’t believe he even has the balls to ask for that after what he did.

  ALICIA1987: I know, right?? He fucks my best friend and then expects me to smile, give him half of everything, and let them run off into the sunset together? HA, NOT HAPPENING! And he thinks I’m giving him the dog? NO!!!! All he deserves is a hard kick in his droopy nutsack.

  There are a couple soft laughs when investors get to that line. I ignore the third screen and turn to face the group instead.

  “So, as you can see, we’re filling a void here. Alpha Mail is not just about sex. In fact, it’s predominantly not. Most clients just want the emotional support they get from our alphas.”

  “Is it always the alpha doing the messaging?” an investor in a tailored suit asks me.

  “Always. In the interviewing process, we let the guys know that’s required. They develop true friendships with these women, and they know what’s going on in their day-to-day lives.”

  “Do you like your work?” an investor asks Sam.

  Sam’s grin is boyish. “I love it. I get paid to make women happy every day. What could be better than that?”

  It’s a good note to end the demo on, so I lead the group of investors back to the conference room.

  “I can’t thank you enough for coming,” I tell them, channeling the confidence to finish this presentation strong. “If you have any questions, I’m available now, or you can call me at your convenience.”

  “And you’re looking for immediate buy-in?” an investor asks me.<
br />
  “We’re ready for growth. And I believe we’re poised for smart growth that will start to pay off right away.”

  My heart hammers with anticipation as I look at the faces of the investors. I know not every one of them will buy in, but I’m hoping at least some will. Conventional financing would require more collateral than I have. Alpha Mail will be fine without investors—we’ll continue our slow, steady growth. But investment will help us grow now—while the market is ripe and the business is booming.

  One of the Durant brothers glances at the other one, who gives him a curt nod. They both turn to me. My heart starts to pound, because this feels like the moment of truth. And then, finally, after a second that feels like a lifetime, one of them says, “We’re in.”

  #besties

  BY THE TIME I’m walking up the stairs to my brownstone at the end of investor pitch day, it’s dark outside. The faint sounds of laughter from neighbors make me nostalgic for summer evenings spent on my patio with friends before Carmen and Jack moved in.

  They were always there—Carmen drinking sangria with the adults while Jack played with the other kids who usually came over. It was a carefree time for all of us, and they’d often stay the night if it got late.

  But then Jack started having vision problems, and after a seizure, Carmen found out he was actually losing his sight due to Batten disease. Nothing has been the same since.

  I relock the front door behind me after walking in, and I drop my purse and car keys on a table. The sweet smell of Carmen’s apple cinnamon muffins makes my stomach growl. Jack loves having her homemade muffins for breakfast, and I do too.

  “Hey,” I call into the living room, my heels clicking on the oak wood floors that run throughout the brownstone’s entire main level.

  Carmen is curled up on the couch, her blond hair still damp from the shower. The dark circles under her eyes remind me of our college days, where we met when we were randomly assigned to be roommates in our dorm. Then, Carmen’s late nights were due to studying and the occasional night out.

  These days, she doesn’t sleep well. Even though she and Jack have their own bedrooms, she sleeps with him so she can be there if anything happens. She wakes up in the night often just to check on him.

  “Oh, hey.” She sits up and gives me a groggy look. “I must’ve gone to sleep.”

  She gets up, brushes the hair back from her face and speed-walks across the room and up the stairs to Jack’s room. I know she won’t be able to concentrate on anything else until she checks on her sleeping son.

  I kick off my heels by the couch and walk into the kitchen. It’s a modern and traditional mix of warm woods and cool stainless steel. I snag a muffin from the island and bite into it as I open the door to the fridge and scan its contents.

  If not for Carmen, I’d have nothing in here but a bottle of wine and maybe some leftover takeout. She keeps the kitchen stocked with healthy food and cooks dinner every night, though I’ve offered to hire a meal delivery service.

  Jack likes helping her with dinner, though, and she’s told me many times she needs to keep herself busy because it helps manage the anxiety she feels over his illness.

  “Hey,” she says, her shoulders dropped into a relaxed position as she walks into the kitchen. “He’s good.”

  “Good. Was it a good day?”

  “Yeah.” She smiles. “We went to the park and the grocery store.”

  “And made muffins. I couldn’t resist.”

  “Eat up. I made a double batch. And there’s a plate of veggie lasagna in the fridge for you.”

  “That sounds really good. I’m so hungry.”

  Carmen slides onto a stool at the island, takes a muffin, and pauses before biting into it. “So, how did it go today? Did you kill it like I knew you would?”

  I slide the plate of lasagna into the microwave and start it. “It was good. Better than I even hoped for. The reason I’m so late is because some investors bought in immediately.”

  “Immediately?” Her face lights up with a smile. “Sienna, I’m so proud of you!”

  “Thank you.” I lean a hip against the island and meet her gaze. “None of this would be happening without that night of brainstorming over margaritas, you know. I should be thanking you too.”

  She waves a hand dismissively. “Stop it. Alpha Mail is all you. You’ve done such an amazing job with it.”

  “The bigger it gets, the more challenging it will become.” The microwave beeps, and I take out my plate. “But I’m ready.”

  “You should take a vacation. You deserve it.”

  I sit down on the stool next to hers and look at her. “I can’t even take one day off right now, let alone a vacation. You and Jack should go somewhere, though.”

  Carmen shakes her head adamantly. “No. Please don’t surprise me with a vacation or anything, Sienna. I need to be here, where I have Jack’s doctors nearby and I know the exact route to the emergency room. He could have a seizure at any time.”

  Her unsteady voice guts me. Carmen lives every hour of every day for Jack.

  “Is there anything I can do?” I offer.

  She gives me a sad smile and shakes her head. I know she understands the helplessness I feel. I’d do anything to comfort and help my best friend, if only I could—just like she wishes she could do for Jack.

  “Just being here and not having to worry about money is more than I’ll ever be able to repay you for,” she murmurs, her voice welling with emotion.

  “I don’t want any repayment. I wouldn’t take it if you offered.” There’s an unintentional note of defensiveness in my tone.

  Carmen gives me an apologetic look. “I know.” She sighs heavily. “I just can’t imagine where we’d be without you. Jack’s father is God knows where, and my own family can’t be troubled to drive a few hours for a visit.”

  I take a bite of the lasagna and moan with satisfaction. “This is amazing.”

  “Yeah? I put more pepper flakes in it this time. And I grated the mozzarella myself.”

  She grins, a few of the weary lines disappearing from her face. When Carmen gets down, I always listen, but eventually, I find a way to distract her. Worrying about things she can’t change doesn’t help, and it just makes her feel even worse.

  “There’s an open house at Coop’s station this weekend,” I say. “I was thinking we could go. Jack can put on a helmet and sit in one of the trucks.”

  “Oh, he’d love that. His eyes just light up every time we see a fire truck go by.”

  My brother will make sure Jack gets the red-carpet treatment. He’s the captain of his five-man crew, and the other guys jump at his commands. At least, they do when I’m around. Who knows if they’re really that compliant all the time. They’re afraid to even make eye contact with me because of all the ways Coop has threatened to kill them if they hit on me.

  “How is Coop?” Carmen asks. “Is he still seeing that flight attendant?”

  “No. Her voice annoyed him.”

  She laughs and walks around the island to get a bottle of water from the fridge. “Wasn’t her voice the same as it was when he met her?”

  I shrug. “I imagine he didn’t mind it much when she was screaming his name, but when it came time for actual conversation . . .”

  “Ah. So he’s still playing the field?”

  “More like every field in the league. You know how he is.”

  This time, it’s Carmen who shrugs. “Hey, if you’re hot and single and don’t want to settle down, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Exactly. I don’t want to settle down either, but I’d rather just be alone.”

  “I think some dashing executive will walk into your office one day and sweep you off your feet.”

  I roll my eyes and set down my fork. “I don’t want to be swept. My feet are just fine on the ground, thank you very much.”

  “But you won’t be able to resist.” Her eyes light up as she sets her bottle of water on the island and ma
kes a sweeping gesture that looks like jazz hands. “He’ll say, ‘Sienna, I want to crunch your numbers, girl. Spread your sheets.’”

  We’re both laughing, my long day and her sick child forgotten for just a few seconds. It feels good.

  “I’m happy on my own,” I say when we’ve both quieted. “I truly am.”

  “I know.” Carmen slides back onto the stool next to me. “You don’t need a man, that’s for sure. But don’t you ever want one?”

  A few seconds of silence pass before I respond. “Not really. I don’t have time. And it’s just a bunch of nonsense anyway. Most of the men I went out with just wanted sex. They were all about lavish dates where they talked about themselves constantly and thought I’d be so impressed I fell into their bed that night.”

  “Yeah, I don’t miss any of that.”

  “But do you ever wish you had someone?” I ask her. “Someone totally unlike Jack’s father?”

  She smiles weakly. “Sometimes I think it would be nice just to have a man who would hug me. You know, one of those hugs where you’re all wrapped up in big arms and a hard chest and it’s so warm you can’t help but relax?”

  I nod. “A man who will hug you like that without getting hard and trying to have sex with you is a rare find indeed.”

  “They’re out there.” Carmen squeezes my hand. “And I hope you find one of them someday. The only man in my life will be waking up by seven, so I’d better get to sleep.”

  She stands, and I slide off of my stool and reach for her with a hug.

  “My arms aren’t big and my chest isn’t hard, but I’ll hug you anytime,” I say.

  She hugs me back and murmurs, “I love you.”

  “Love you too. Sleep well.”

  She walks out of the kitchen, and I relive the day in my mind, physically exhausted but still on cloud nine in my head. Alpha Mail can move to the next level now.

  We’re fortunate that, for now, Jack’s illness is stable. But that could change at any time, and if it does, I want to be ready with the money for nursing care and anything else he needs. Jack is like a nephew to me, and given my brother’s love ’em and leave ’em style, he may be the only one I ever have. I want him to have everything he needs, and if I keep growing my business at the rate I’m going, he will.