Of course by the early hours of the morning, most everyone had either paired off or had joined some steamy threesomes and group activities. Alex usually enjoyed watching, and was particularly fond of the underwater acrobatics in the pool, but Tisa was more into one on one, and had enticed him into the cabana where she finished her seductive performance behind the curtains.
Naked, their clothes discarded like fallen leaves, he and Tisa had tussled on the lounger like a pair of wildcats, his back and ass bearing the marks of her nails for a week after. True, most of the evening had transpired in a blur; a few too many dirty Martinis had a way of doing that, but Tisa was like a trampoline. He could bounce off of her all night long and never touch the ground.
Things had been hot between them in the beginning, and for a while they couldn’t get enough of each other, but that connection transcending beyond the physical, beyond the superficial, was just not there. He was finding himself increasingly turned off by Tisa’s demanding behavior and ingratiating voice. The reality was that since he had met Nora, he was experiencing something deeper, something unfamiliar that both intrigued yet confounded him.
Alex pushed the delete button, then continued to erase the rest of Tisa’s messages without listening to another. He was going to have to a chat with his buddy, Rick, about some diversionary tactics in wooing Tisa away. Rick owed him big time, and it was time to call in a favor.
The ringing office phone cut short his musings. He swiveled around on his chair to answer it.
“Alex,” Brad’s voice boomed from the speaker. “Nora’s arrived. I’m stuck on a call that may last awhile. Would you mind going down to reception and show her around for me?”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll head down right now.”
Alex rose and started walking to the door, pausing only to check himself out in the full-length mirror flanking a row of coat hooks. Sporting casually styled hair and enough facial growth to qualify as sexy rather than grungy, he cut quite a dapper figure in a charcoal gray designer suit that perfectly complimented his toned physique. His expensive cologne was subtle but sensual, his Patek Phillipe watch discreetly visible on his wrist. Smiling at his reflection, he bowed low in a courtly manner.
“At your service, Lady Nora,” he said, and stepped out of the office.
*
Emerging from the bank of elevators flanking reception, Alex wasn’t prepared for the sight of several other male employees buzzing around Nora. Dressed in a stunning peach suit that showed off her voluptuous figure and shapely legs, her infectious laugh rose above jokes cracked by Jerry Thompson from finance. Tall, black and dangerously good looking with striking green eyes, it was clear from Jerry’s shark-like demeanor that he was more than a little interested in Nora, as were most of the other men that Alex either knew or recognized from other departments.
Competition ...
The word had never been in Alex’s vocabulary before, but then, he had never met anyone like Nora. Standing like an empress holding court, she seemed perfectly at ease with the gaggle of male admirers surrounding her. To make matters worse, Margarita watched the activity like a vulture perched on a fencepost eyeballing road kill. He was sure he could detect her hands discreetly moving beneath her desk.
He groaned inwardly, expecting every detail to be broadcast to Tisa. There were already three unread messages on his phone from her this morning alone, excluding eight others since he had last seen her at the wedding reception. He made a mental note to call Rick who resembled Alex enough to pass for his brother. With a bit of luck Alex could maneuver Tisa into falling in lust with Rick enough to give him some peace.
More laughter rose from the group in response to another of Jerry’s undoubtedly lewd jokes. The man was a walking encyclopedia of smut even surpassing Alex’s libido. Seemingly unfazed by Jerry’s bawdiness, Nora laughed heartily. Witnessing yet another intriguing aspect of her personality, Alex felt an unaccustomed pang of jealousy.
Normally the situation was reversed. He had always been the center of female attention; too much, most of the time. How many times had he run for a hotel room door at daybreak or blocked a number that only a few weeks before he had called nonstop? More times than he cared to remember. Now, as he approached the group, he felt as though he were little more than another face in the crowd.
As though picking up his thoughts, Nora turned and peered at him through her entourage. Her typically dazzling smile shone like a rising sun. Suddenly, Alex was the fourth grader smitten with Ms. Rossetti, his English teacher. Even now he remembered Valentine’s Day at school and the heart-shaped box of chocolates he had anonymously snuck onto her desk. Somehow she had guessed the identity of her mystery admirer anyway, and after that had never failed to give Alex a knowing smile.
“Nora,” he said loudly enough for the others to hear. “There you are!”
Some of the others looked almost disappointed to see him and moved off.
“Alex, I thought your father was meeting me,” Nora said.
“Sorry about the confusion,” Alex said, standing possessively beside her. “Dad had to take an important call. He asked me to come down and give you the grand tour.”
“Jerry and the others were just introducing themselves while I was waiting,” she said. “You have a great team here.”
“Well, I’ll certainly be looking forward to working with you, Nora,” Jerry said with wolfish grin. “We’ll talk later.”
“Look forward to it,” Nora said as Alex took her arm and quickly escorted her toward the elevators.
Walking confidently, the staccato tone of Nora’s heels echoed resoundingly across the marble floor. Alex realized the impactful statement it made by the looks that others cast her. Like it or not, Nora emitted an energy that not only meant business, but let everyone else know it as well.
Though he tried to avoid eye contact with Margarita, he couldn’t help but notice her furiously texting. He sighed, his earlier assumption proved correct. No doubt yet another message marked urgent from Tisa would appear soon enough on his phone.
“You made quite an impression there,” he said, hustling Nora into an elevator that had just arrived before anyone else had a chance to catch up.
“Well, it’s important to recognize who your company is,” she said, “and that includes all employees, from the receptionist to top tier executives.”
Alex pushed the button to the top floor with a slightly forced smile.
“I don’t think you have to worry about the receptionist,” he said, relieved now that the elevator sped to the fortieth floor.
“I disagree,” Nora said. “She’s the eyes and ears of the company. Her role is more important than you may think.”
Eyes and ears…you got that right.
“That’s an interesting perspective,” Alex said.
Nora continued. “I’ve always considered a company more like a body, with employees as individual cells. Each one plays a part in the overall function and health of that body.”
“It sounds like I should have paid more attention during biology class,” Alex joked.
Nora cast him an assessing glance. “Your bio never indicated anything beyond a stellar performance. You literally have the Midas touch, Alex. Few can rival your success.”
Alex mused on the touch part, but this was not the time to start acting like Jerry Thompson.
“Well, there’ll be plenty of time to discuss the company on a cellular level,” he said. “First we’ll take a quick tour. Dad wanted me to...”
“If you don’t mind, Alex,” Nora interjected, “your father already showed me around after he hired me. I’d really much rather go to my office and get started on the Carter campaign.”
The elevator pinged its arrival at the fortieth floor. Struggling to conceal his surprise, Alex followed Nora into the bustling corridor flanking several offices and conference rooms. Passing employees greeted them, and once again, Alex was intrigued by Nora’s natural charisma as she easily interacted with most
of them for the first time.
It was only when they approached his office that he realized Nora should have turned left after exiting the elevator to go to her office.
“Nora, isn’t your office down the hall?” he asked.
She continued toward the office directly next door to his.
“Oh, didn’t your father tell you?” she said. “Since Kevin Lacy won’t be starting for a few more weeks, your father gave me his office. Kevin will take my original office instead.”
What?
“I didn’t know that,” Alex said.
Nora paused to glance at him. “Your father called me this morning to let me know. Thought it would be better if we worked closely together.”
“Of course,” Alex said. “Makes sense.”
Nora strode through the door and cast an approving once over at a sleek, contemporary office that was a mirror of Alex’s. Pausing by the windows to admire the expansive city views, she took a quick peek into the adjoining private bathroom. Without further hesitation, she placed her purse in the credenza behind the desk and booted up her computers.
Watching her move with such focused efficiency made Alex’s head spin. He normally took almost half an hour to settle into his morning routine, but within a minute of walking into her office, Nora was already logging into the browser.
“Very nice,” she said, taking a moment to quickly scan through her emails. “You really have top notch facilities here.”
“Yes,” Alex said, his head spinning just from watching her scroll through her messages at warp speed. “Dad always believed that high employee morale makes good business sense.”
“That seems to be one of many philosophies your father and I share,” Nora said. “I actually volunteered to stay in my original office, but your father wouldn’t have it.” She laughed and glanced at him. “Great minds think alike. Ring a bell at all?”
Alex smiled thinly. “One of Dad’s favorite quotes, no doubt referring to us.”
Nora sat down and adjusted her chair before reorganizing the items on her desk. She glanced at a futuristic acrylic clock displaying the date, time, time zone and weather conditions.
“I’ve got a meeting with the Carters in an hour. Did you want to join us?”
Well, at least he still had the Langley campaign ... or did he?
“At ten?” he asked, pretending to consider his currently nonexistent schedule for the day.
“Is that convenient for you?” Nora asked, typing a response to an email so quickly her beautifully manicured fingers moved in a blur.
“Yeah, that should work,” Alex replied, glancing at his watch.
“Perfect,” Nora said, briefly glancing up before she moved to the next email. “I threw a few ideas together on a PowerPoint presentation last night. Should be enough to get the juices flowing. Was there anything you wanted to add?”
“Nora, let me get back to you on that,” Alex replied. “I’m expecting a call in a few minutes. Can we pick this up afterward?”
“That sounds great,” Brook said, opening PowerPoint. “I thought we’d start with an initial presentation in the conference room. If the Carter’s like what they see, we can take it to the next step, perhaps with some samples of the smaller items to start with like hats or gloves.”
“Great idea,” Alex said, wondering if Nora was on some kind of obscure super-energizing herb. If so, he needed to stock up.
“Thanks,” Nora said, intently focused on the presentation. “I think they’ll be very happy with what they see.”
No argument there... Alex thought, admiring the way her curls framed her face like delicate blossoms on a vine. He fought a sudden compulsion to run his fingers through her hair.
Aware that he was staring, Alex snapped out of his daze. “I’ll see you shortly, then,” he said, walking toward the door.
The trilling phone cut off Nora’s response. She answered without even looking up from the computer screen and began speaking while Alex skulked out the door.
Hurrying to his office, he immediately grabbed the phone and punched in his father’s extension.
“Brad Stone,” came a gruff reply.
“Dad, what the hell is going on?”
Brad chortled. “Nora settling in okay?”
“Settling in?” Alex replied, struggling to keep his voice down. “She’s going to be conducting a hostile takeover at the rate she’s going.”
“Nothing like a woman in charge, eh? I tell you, that gal’s going to make some waves.” He chuckled. “I can’t wait until she meets the board.”
“Why did you put her in Kevin’s office?”
“You have a problem with that?” Brad asked. “Figured she’d keep you in check. Besides, it’s a great way to get your creative juices flowing. You two have the potential to be the best team this company’s ever seen.”
“I never needed to be part of a team before to be successful, Dad,” Alex said.
“Well, maybe it’s time you got a run for your money,” Brad said after a thoughtful pause. “You’ve been coasting a little too much lately, Alex. Lord knows you’ve got the talent of ten men, but you’re unfocused and all over the place. I know a man’s got to sow his oats, but you’ve already sown enough to replant the U.S. grain belt.”
Alex stared at the phone in his hand.
“Alex? Hello? You there?”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m here.”
“Look, I’ve got to head out to the airport in a few minutes,” Brad said. “I’ll be in D.C. till Friday, so I’m relying on you to steer the ship while I’m away. I don’t want to hear about any iceberg strikes, if you get my drift.”
“I hear you, Dad. Don’t worry. We won’t need to launch the lifeboats.”
“Good,” Brad said. “I’ll see you Friday, then.”
“See you Friday,” Alex said.
He hung up and stared out the window at the traffic-clogged streets below. Pedestrians moved along sidewalks like marabunta, those brave enough to cross the street artfully dodged by motorbikes and swarms of suicidal cyclists. Boats chugged along the glistening ribbon of river while distant jets queued up to land. No matter where he looked, movement and the pulse of life met his eye.
Still digesting his father’s words, Alex reached for his cell and speed dialed Rick. His friend answered after the third ring, his faint Bostonian accent always stronger on the phone.
“Alex, my man, good to hear from you,” Rick said. “Thought Tisa whisked you off to Montego Bay.”
“Well,” Alex said “, she’s exactly why I’m calling.”
“You were there?” Rick said with a laugh. “I’m impressed. Didn’t you just get back from Prague?”
“I did,” Alex said. “I wasn’t in Montego Bay, but you’ll be.”
“Come again?”
“I want you to take Tisa to Jamaica.”
“Buddy, I’m always up to a challenge, but...”
“But nothing,” Alex said, starting to seriously hate that word. “You owe me, and I need to cool things off with Tisa.”
“What the hell did you get yourself into this time?” Rick asked. “I thought you and Tisa were tight.”
Alex chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. Let’s just say that I have more important things to deal with.”
“Anyone I know?”
“I doubt it. She doesn’t exactly associate with bottom feeders.”
Rick roared with laughter. “Then why would she be interested in you?”
“Touché,” Alex laughed. “But seriously, Tisa is starting to become a problem. Can you help me out?”
“You really think she’s going to drop you that easily?” Rick chuckled. “Think again, bud. She’s got it bad for you. Fatal attraction bad.”
“Come on man, you owe me one, Rick.”
Silence.
“I heard you the first time,” Rick replied.
More silence.
“You really are an asshole.” Rick growled.
“I know.” A
lex replied. “Go ahead and book the villa. No one’s using it. How soon can you leave?”
“I can’t just disappear from the planet overnight. I’ll need a few days.”
Another silence.
“Alex? Hello?”
A sigh of resignation echoed on the line.
“I do this and you wipe the slate clean,” Rick said. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Alex said with a smile.
*
Scrolling through his unfinished presentation for the Langley Luxe campaign, Alex stared distractedly at slideshow images of high-end jewelry and accessories for men. It had been a project close to his heart, and initially he had attacked it with his customary vigor, but as he tried to focus on the various slogans and advertising copy, his thoughts began to wander to his father’s words.
Now, as he stared at a campaign that would have once taken him a matter of days to complete, he realized that his father was right. Scattered, unfocused, preoccupied. These were only some of many accusations hurling from his mind and with Nora next door blazing through the Carter campaign, the pressure was on. It was time to throw down the gauntlet and reclaim the throne.
Returning his attention to the slideshow, Alex began to work on ideas percolating in his mind. Inspiration initially dripped, then flowed as he moved into his creative rhythm. His fingers moved across the keyboard and stabbed at the screen as one idea morphed into another. Engrossed in his work, he almost didn’t bother to answer the phone until he realized it was almost ten.
“You ready, Alex?” Nora asked. “The Carters are here.”
“I’ll meet you in the conference room in five,” he said. “Just need to wrap something up.”
He hung up and dialed Rick from his cell, but this time the call went into voicemail.
“Hey Rick,” Alex said, “going to be tied up for a while. Let me know when you’ve made those arrangements we discussed. I’m counting on you buddy. If I don’t pick up when you call, leave me message.”
He rose and walked to the door, pausing by the mirror for his usual inspection. Liking what he saw, he smoothed his hair and adjusted his jacket with a broad smile. Move over, Jerry Thompson. Alex Stone was back in town.
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 134
