Shades of Grey: Book Two of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles

by Phelps, J. C.

  I found myself once again, pushing my thoughts of White aside. I had other things to do. I suppose I could just sit on the couch and think about how things could be, but I was a fairly impatient person and that action was beginning to get very old.

  I went to the computer that was provided with the apartment. I liked computers almost as much as I liked to read. Before coming to work for White and Associates I had spent the majority of my free time either reading or playing on my computer.

  I spent a short time getting acquainted with the computer. It contained only the basics. I had access to the Internet and I found out quickly I also was networked together with everyone’s computer and C.I.C. in White’s apartment. Someone had also set up an instant message account for me under the name Ms.Grey. How clever, I thought to myself with an inward chuckle. I proceeded to help myself to some of the programs on the computers in C.I.C. The urge to poke about in the other men’s computers and White’s personal computer was intense, but I managed to resist. I had things to do and snooping could wait until another day.

  There was a wealth of information available for the average person on the Internet about Mr. Victor Strom. The only problem with the world wide web is that you have to sort out the true from the false and before I knew it lunch time had rolled around. I considered ignoring the pangs in my stomach but chose to get out of the apartment and get something to eat.

  Brown was standing at the check in desk in the lobby chatting with the guard.

  “Where are you going?” He asked me.

  “I’m going to go get something to eat.”

  “Okay, where are we going then?” He smiled at me.

  “It’s kind of funny how you just invite yourself.” He had begun to walk with me.

  “Well, where are we going?” His attitude, always good, helped me to get over the irritable feeling that had carried over from that morning.

  “Who says I’m not going to meet someone else? Maybe I don’t want you to tag along. You know, they say three’s a crowd.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me and repeated, “So, where are we going?”

  I gave in, “I don’t know yet.”

  Brown picked the restaurant and even drove us there. It was a nice lunch. We chatted about nothing in particular, but that had become old hat between us already. We “clicked” three months ago, after I got over my initial dislike of him and his jovial manner. He was like the brother I never had. Considering all the men, Brown was the one I was the most comfortable with, including Black. Being with Josh was much the same as being with Colin. Things just seemed to fall into place and we could talk about almost anything.

  When we returned from lunch Blue was sitting in the lobby with a grim look.

  “Where have you been?” He asked Brown.

  “Ms. Grey had a hankering for lunch so I took her out. Didn’t the guard tell you?”

  “Yes, he did, but he didn’t know what restaurant you had gone to. I might have joined you.”

  “Sorry. I planned on going alone, but Brown weaseled his way in. At least he paid for it.” I tried to lighten the mood. “Were you two supposed to go somewhere?”

  Brown said, “Yes,” and at the same time Blue said, “No.”

  Blue rolled his eyes at Brown and said, “We’d talked about going for lunch but we hadn’t made definite plans.”

  “I’m sorry man. When she came down, ready to leave, I forgot to let you know.” Brown apologized.

  “It’s all right. I’ll just get lunch later.”

  “Do you want to ride up with us?” Brown was making fun of Blue now.

  “Yes, I think I will.” Blue parried.

  It didn’t take long to reach my floor but Brown used every second to describe to Blue what he and I had eaten for lunch. I felt badly for Blue, but couldn’t help grinning at his misfortune. Neither of them got off the elevator with me but they held the elevator door open until I shut my apartment door behind me.

  *****

  Chapter Eight

  I went straight to the couch to relax. I had eaten too much and was feeling lethargic. A nap would be nice, but as luck would have it the doorbell rang only a few minutes after I had sat down. Upon opening the door I saw that it was White.

  “Hi.” I stood in the doorway.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Oh, sure.” I backed away and shut the door after he entered my apartment.

  Again he went straight to my couch and made himself right at home.

  “Coffee?” I asked walking toward the kitchen.

  “No thanks. Come on over here and tell me about your day.” He grinned at me impishly and patted the cushion.

  I rolled my eyes at him and went to the couch. I made it a point to sit at the opposite end of the couch, as far away from him as I could get.

  He asked me questions about the job and I suspected that he couldn’t stand not knowing exactly what was going on. He might be enjoying his vacation from being boss, but I could tell he missed it at the same time.

  Finally I asked him why he didn’t ask for a meeting to reinstate him back to his office since he couldn’t let go.

  “I’m not ready to go back yet, but I still like to know what everyone is doing. I think it’s habit.”

  “Or you’re just a control freak,” I added.

  “What?! Well, maybe a little, but I think I do all right when I’m in control. I’ve not had too many complaints, and none in some aspects.” He looked at me with those animal eyes and I could literally feel the heat of that last statement.

  I was feeling frisky so I said, “Really, that good huh?”

  “I do okay. How about yourself?” He was getting pretty personal.

  “Not sure.” Oh, what the hell, I thought to myself. “Only tried once.” It was out there now and I had successfully embarrassed myself.

  “Hmmm, interesting. I suppose I should change the subject with such innocent ears in the room.”

  My embarrassment dropped away. “Excuse me? I can talk with the best of ‘em.”

  “But are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?”

  “Okay, you’re right. Time to change the subject.” I got up off the couch and walked to the kitchen.

  “Do you want any coffee or anything?” I was terribly flustered and remembered that I had already asked him earlier about coffee.

  “No thanks.” A devious smile told me that we weren’t done yet.

  “Are you flirting with me White or are you just testing things again?” I asked getting a bit perturbed.

  “Maybe a bit of both. Are you not enjoying yourself? If you aren’t we can stop right here and it will never be brought up again.” He had a serious look on his face.

  “So, it’s all or nothing? But then again I imagine our definitions of ‘all’ are totally different.”

  “Maybe, but you might be surprised.”

  What was it with this man? He wouldn’t give me a straight answer, but then again, I was dodging things myself.

  “Let’s lay it right out on the table then. Are you truly flirting with me or do I have to worry about cameras in this apartment judging my reactions?”

  “Yes, I’m flirting with you and nope, no cameras. Just you and me.”

  That last sentence made me very aware of the fact that it was just he and I in my apartment.

  “Now answer a question for me, truthfully,” he added. “Do you enjoy it when I flirt with you?”

  “This is the first time you have ever flirted with me and yes and no to the enjoyable part.”

  “This is not the first time I’ve flirted with you. But if that’s the way you see it then why don’t you like it?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “What is?”

  “You and I.”

  “So, you’ve thought about the possibility of us then.” He had moved closer and I had backed up until the wall was at my back and I could go no further.

  “This is NOT fair.” I was beginning to feel panic
ky.

  “It’s not supposed to be.” He put his arms on the wall behind me blocking my escape. My legs became wobbly and I indisputably felt faint. His face was coming closer to mine and I was about to protest for the sake of propriety when I was literally saved by the bell.

  “Shit. I’ll get it,” White said.

  He opened the door and stepped aside to let Black in. Then turned back to me and said, “See you later, keep me up to speed.”

  “How are you feeling?” Black asked me.

  “Fine. Why?” I had been staring at the door since White shut it behind him and if Black hadn’t taken me out of it I probably would have stared at the door indefinitely.

  “I haven’t had the chance to talk to you one on one since before you came up to sleep off the effect of the roofies. Are you still feeling alright because you look a bit flushed.”

  I know I blushed. I could feel my face grow hot so I quickly turned toward the kitchen and asked Black over my shoulder if he wanted some coffee.

  “Sure, I’ll have a cup.” His voice was heavy with suspicion. A few seconds later while I was making the coffee he asked, “Did I interrupt something?”

  “What? What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sound confused.

  “It was just a matter of time I guess,” he said under his breath.

  “What are you mumbling over there?”

  “I said it was just a matter of time before he made his move.” He raised his voice and I heard the amusement he tried to withhold.

  I turned and said, “What are you talking about?” Again I tried to sound stumped.

  “You mean to tell me that you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. Who?” I had gone a little far with the ‘who.”

  “Oh, that’s the way it is? In that case, how long has it been going on?”

  “Alright, yes, you did interrupt something. Although, if you hadn’t I would have. There is nothing going on.” This was the second time today I had found my back up against a wall.

  He gave me his wonderful smile. “Now it all makes a little more sense.” He took the coffee I offered him and sat quietly. It was beginning to get a bit awkward when he finally spoke again.

  “I had my suspicions about him wanting to go back into the field and now I know it’s because of you and I couldn’t get past why he had killed that guy yesterday. Again, because of you.” He was including me in on the conversation but it was clear he was talking to himself.

  “I thought Blue killed that guy.” I interrupted.

  “No, the other one. It would have been nice to have the guy for questioning, but when I got back in there, he had already finished the job.”

  “Is that what you were arguing about when you were coming back to the SUV?”

  “Yes.” His expression changed from one of enlightenment to one of concern. “This might not be a good thing, I guess.” He looked at me strangely.

  “Excuse me a second.” I walked to the bathroom and shut the door.

  I looked into the mirror and immediately knew what Black had meant. I was wearing a baffled look and my cheeks were flushed. And it wasn’t just me, White was acting impetuously. What the hell was I going to do now? I had to get myself together. Rick Malone was not a major concern right now. I was on a job and that was the first thing I needed to be considering. I washed my face with cold water to hopefully shock myself back to reality.

  I walked back out to see Black pouring himself some more coffee.

  “Do you want some?” He lifted his cup.

  “Yes please. I think a little caffeine might do me some good.” I took the cup he had already poured for me. “So what brings you up to my floor?”

  “Like I said, I just wanted to check on you. I didn’t know if anyone had, but I should have known better.”

  “Please don’t repeat what you saw today. I don’t even know what’s going on.”

  “Of course not. I think if you choose to enter into a relationship with White you should keep it on the down low until you decide to get married.”

  “Who said anything about a relationship, not to mention marriage?” My stomach did a flip at the word.

  Every time Black laughed it startled me a bit because he was usually so sober and this time was no exception.

  “It’s not funny. Let’s talk about something else.”

  “So, how’s the job coming along?” He asked.

  “Thank you. Not too bad. There’s an abundance of information on Mr. Victor Strom on the net.”

  “So your day hasn’t even really begun?”

  I shook my head no in response.

  “I’m going to be leaving soon. I’m going back to the cabin,” he added.

  The cabin, owned by the company, was tucked away in some mountain range not far from us. It was where I had done most of my training with Black.

  “Why?”

  “A bit of a vacation. The plan is for us all to take a little vacation up there. You’ll have some training to do while you’re there, but it won’t hurt you.”

  “What kind of training am I up for next?”

  “Blue is going to train you in marksmanship, weapons and such, then Green will be taking over to teach you stealth. I’m going up first to get things ready for everyone else.”

  “When will you be leaving then?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “I should know all we need about Strom within a week. Heck, I already know his sign, favorite food and favorite color. It could be sooner.”

  “I don’t know if they will wait for you to finish your research here. You may have to do some of it at the cabin.”

  “Do we have internet access now?”

  “Yep. I’m going to get going. I still haven’t had lunch.” He walked to the door and let himself out.

  I spent the rest of the day in front of the computer trying to concentrate. I couldn’t retain anything I was reading because I was too busy worrying about White. I caught myself pacing the floor more than once and had to make myself take some deep breaths. Finally, I decided to not worry about it anymore. What happens happens, I told myself. I told myself this over and over and finally on the fifth or sixth time around I decided to call White and get it all out in the open. I made it to the phone and even picked it up before I chickened out. No matter how the conversation ended, I wasn’t ready for his answer. If he only wanted a fling, I would have to say no and then it would be hard to be around him but if he wanted a “relationship” like Black had suggested, I knew I wasn’t ready to accept.

  *****

  Chapter Nine

  I awoke the following morning and went directly to make myself some coffee. I was in front of the computer and on my second cup when I heard my alarm ringing from inside the bedroom. I didn’t need an alarm clock but if there was one available I felt compelled to use the dang thing. Why do I even set it? I asked myself. I consistently got up before it went off, but I was afraid the one time I didn’t set the alarm I would oversleep.

  I went to the bedroom and switched it off just in time to run out and answer the telephone.

  It was Red. “Ms. Grey. We will be going to the cabin today or tomorrow and I wanted to give you ample time to get ready.”

  “Black told me yesterday that I should plan on going soon. How long will we be up there?”

  “That I do not know. You should pack for an extended stay to be sure you have what you need. We will be leaving any time now and tomorrow evening at the latest. Until then you are to remain in your apartment.”

  “What? Why?” Why was he ordering me to “remain in your apartment?”

  “Just so we know that you will be here when we are ready to go.” His voice was a little uncertain and I could tell he knew he should have put it to me differently.

  “Do you realize now that you’ve said that, I am going to have a very hard time staying here? If you wouldn’t have said anything, chances are I wouldn’t have left the ap
artment, now I’m going to have to fight with myself to sit still. Thank you very much.” I was angry and I knew what I had just told him was the absolute truth. If you tell me I can’t do something that is the only thing I want to do.

  I heard him laugh through the phone. “I’m sorry Ms. Grey. If you would please remain in your apartment until you get a call or an escort to the helipad that would be appreciated.”

  “That really doesn’t help. I can’t promise anything.” My mood had lightened with Red’s chuckle and now I was protesting strictly on principle.

  “That’s not acceptable. Brown and Black left early this morning to get things set up for the rest of us and Brown could be back at anytime. We just want to get up there as soon as possible and we don’t want to have to hunt anyone down.”

  “Now that explanation helps. I will stay here and wait. I have work to do anyway. If I find I need to go somewhere, for whatever reason, I will call you first.”

  “Good enough. I’ll be talking to you again soon.”

  I went back to work on my Strom project. I had come across a substantial amount of information already but not enough to account for Strom’s whereabouts since his date of birth until present day. I had a feeling that was exactly what the men expected of me. However, I was getting closer to that end.

  I followed my orders and called out for lunch. I was told it would be thirty minutes and my doorbell rang promptly thirty minutes later. I stood from my computer and went to the door.

  The deliveryman handed me the bag with my lunch and told me the total. I went to get the money and he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. I had ordered in many times and never before had the delivery person stepped into my home. Immediately my guard went up and I had to tell myself to calm down. I was sure I was overreacting to something so innocent. It’s just the past few days have gotten to me, I told myself. I guess those two men kidnapping me bothered me more than I realized.