Winning Alex: The Cameron Family Saga

by Shirley Larson

  I was glad he thought so, but I wasn’t all that confident. This would all be new to me. And was he going to call me by my surname now that he‘d hired me? “What time would you like me to report for work?” I expected him to say eight or nine.

  “We start early. I’d need you here at six-thirty.”

  I was a bit shocked.

  “Too early? I did warn you that you’d be working long hours.”

  “No it’s not too early. It beats my four o’clock starting time.”

  “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow at six thirty.” He came around the desk and stood looking at me for a moment. I could see his face now and he studied me with an appraisal that made me uncomfortable. “I’m assuming you do have office appropriate clothes. You should probably wear suits, or dresses with jackets. We did a little research here and discovered that, even though people deny it, they do make judgments about people based on their clothes. You are going to be the first person my clients see.”

  “You researched clothes?”

  “It was tied in with market research we were doing. We discovered our people had better luck if they were dressed well.”

  So that was why he always looked like he’d been suited up by a British valet. “I’ll do my best to maintain your high standards.”

  “Good. I have your contract ready for you to sign. Take your time and read it over if you like.”

  I tried to focus but all I could think of was this wonderful good fortune had fallen in my lap and I shouldn‘t question it. I signed quickly.

  Alex took me down the hall to introduce me to his brothers. He rapped on the door with Hunter Cameron’s name and ushered me in. I’d seen Hunter’s picture and knew he was a heavier, more broad-shouldered version of Alex. I suppose in the absence of their father, Hunter was the patriarchal figure. Still, even at plus forty, he was drop dead gorgeous.

  Hunter looked up at Alex. By the expression on his face, he was not pleased at being interrupted. “We’re having a business meeting here, Alex.”

  It was like watching two titans coming together. Hunter‘s meeting was with an older woman, maybe in her forties. She wore a topaz blouse and a black skirt and ridiculously high heels. She shot a nervous look at me and clicked her purse open and shut.

  “This won’t take long,” Alex said implacably. “I just wanted to introduce you to Susan Zalinsky, my new assistant.”

  “Glad to have you on the team, Miss Zalinsky. Alex has told us some great things about you. This is my client, Mrs. Rose.”

  I told him I was glad to meet him, but the woman was clicking her purse again. I’m not sure the brothers even heard it. But I like music and am something of a connoisseur so I have a good ear for sound.

  “Hunter has just become a proud father.” Alex picked up a framed picture. “He already has a photograph of his wife and daughter adorning his desk.”

  Grateful for the distraction, I studied the picture. I read in the paper that his wife had been a star on Broadway. It was a glamour shot, although it was hardly a case of gilding the lily. Mrs. Cameron was beautiful and their baby was stunning. How could the infant be anything else with two such beautiful parents? “That’s Liz. And my daughter Madeline.” His voice was filled with love and pride. “Alex is Madeline’s godfather.”

  I looked at Alex in surprise. Somehow he didn’t seem like the godfather type to me, that is, the godfather type who would spoil a little girl with a myriad of toys. He raised an eyebrow at me as if he’d read my mind.

  We headed out for Justin’s office and I was glad to get away from the woman’s nervous purse clicking. Justin had a corner office which let in tons of light. Justin sat at his desk chair, a guitar in his hands. He played an impossibly intricate passage before setting the guitar back in its stand. I thought if that was a sample of his playing, he should be on stage, not sitting in an office.

  “Wow. That was…incredible.”

  He grinned at me, making me like him instantly. “Just showing off for the new girl in town. Who is?”

  “Susan Zalinsky.” I stepped forward and held out my hand.

  He unfolded his long, lean body, took a step toward me and grasped my fingers in his. I could feel the callouses from constant practice on the guitar. “A brown-eyed Susan. Nice,” he said, looking first at me and then at Alex. He held our joined hands up as if he were examining me. “Very nice.” This was all for Alex’s benefit.

  “Knock it off,” Alex growled, but there wasn’t any real bite in his voice.

  Justin laughed and released my hand. “I was only congratulating you on finding a girl who looks so…intelligent.”

  “You’re a menace,” Alex said. “Get back to work. Go play “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

  “How about a tune by Django Reinhardt,” Justin said, an impish grin on his lips. “A little gypsy jazz to speed you on your way.”

  I couldn’t resist saying, “Too bad Stephane Grappelli isn’t here to join you.”

  I had Justin’s complete attention now. “You are intelligent, aren’t you? Don’t lose this one, Alex. I like her.”

  “As if your opinion matters.” He said it easily, as if teasing his brother was second nature. Outside in the hallway, Alex said, “Well, there. You’ve met the Brothers Karamazov.”

  “Unlike those brothers, I think you guys like each other pretty well. My guess Justin lives to tease you both but if you were in trouble, those two would close ranks.”

  Alex opened his office door for me to enter and I turned.

  “Alex. About that woman in Hunter’s office.”

  “What about her?”

  “She seemed too…nervous. There was something…off about her. If she’s selling something, I don’t think I’d buy it.”

  He had that gleam in his eye that told me I had all his attention. “Interesting. I’ll tell Hunter right away.”

  I left the office, wondering if it all had really been true. Had I really accepted a job at an astronomical salary? Well, astronomical for me, anyway.

  I didn’t sleep much that night. I kept wondering why Alex Cameron had come to me and offered me his dream job. I had a feeling I was going to be in the proverbial spot between a rock and a hard place. Alex was the stuff of a woman’s dreams with that wonderfully chiseled face, black hair, dark blue eyes, and a body that must have been the product of a morning’s hard work out. And I know it sounds silly, but I thought he had a very intriguing mind. How could a woman not be attracted to him? Heaven knew I was. But that was the thing. As my boss, he was off limits. And I’d better not forget it.

  I rolled over and turned out the light, thinking I’d better get some sleep. Heaven knew I’d need my wits about me if I was going to keep my equilibrium around Alex Cameron.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning, I drank my coffee and ate my toast and wondered if I’d been too hasty in accepting Alex’s offer. What did I know about him? Yes, he was incredibly attractive and apparently enough of a family man to be godfather to his niece, but could I work with him? Maybe I should have waited and really thought about it.

  Way more apprehensive than I wanted to be, I told myself it was just another day getting ready for work. I dressed carefully in a turquoise suit that I thought added color to my nondescript brown eyes and brown hair, and then stared in the mirror and tried to decide if Alex would think I looked nice.

  Whoa back little pardner. No dressing for the boss. Still, he did say I should be particular about my appearance. That was the reason I took extra care with my hair and makeup, of course it was.

  When I got to the high rise, Alex’s office door was open. He strolled out and looked at me as if I’d been working for him for years. “Right on time, I see. Good. Come on in. I’ve been waiting for you. I have something to tell you.” He indicated for me to sit in the same chair I’d had the other day.

  “As it turns out,” he said slowly, “you were right. Hunter’s client came at him with a super sob story that she had this marvelous house she
had to sell and she wanted him to buy it. She’d had the house appraised and she gave him a number the appraisal came in at. She wanted him to buy the house sight unseen. Turns out she didn’t even own the house. She’d already signed the property over to her son. Now he was trying to sell the house out from under her. She thought if she could involve Hunter, he’d have enough power to stop her son from selling. When Hunter discovered the truth, he referred her to one of his lawyers.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it. It sounds like a sad case of a parent against child.”

  “Hunter suggested I give you a raise.”

  I shook my head. “No. Let me get started here first.”

  Alex gave me that look that I was beginning to recognize as his you said the right thing look. “I told him you wouldn’t take it.”

  “Well, you were correct. Now I need to know what my work schedule is for today.”

  It was heavy duty. I had contracts to read, and two properties to research, one that necessitated a trip to the courthouse. I decided I was crazy to worry about being attracted to Alex. I wouldn’t have time.

  It was only after I’d been at work three weeks that I discovered the reason Alex had hired me. You know how it is. You always hear the good stuff in the ladies’ room. While I was in a stall, two women who worked in the cubicles and were obviously not aware of my presence stood out by the sinks and told the whole story.

  “What do you think of Alex’s new assistant?”

  “She’s a real find.” The second girl’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Mousy brown hair, a suit from last year’s inventory, no makeup. She even does her own nails. Marian in personnel told me that she guessed that Alex had hired this Susan babe because she’d be least likely to fall in love with him. After Jennifer, he wanted a woman who wouldn’t throw herself at him at every turn. He got it with this new chickie. Her old boss sexually harassed her, so I‘m sure she‘ll think twice before trying it on with Alex, even if he is a total stud.”

  There was my answer. He hadn’t rejected me because of my trouble with Kensington, he‘d hired me because of it. Wasn’t it odd that a horrible experience had given me the best opportunity of my life?

  I should have taken offense at what those women said, maybe, but instead, I was just thankful to them. Well, ladies you can talk about me all you want. For the first time in my life I’m financially secure and working for a boss who wouldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole. I have a dream job.

  So I sat out at that chair that had been empty when I interviewed. I quickly learned that Alex hadn’t exaggerated when he said I’d be working long hours. Contracts today for the acquisition of properties are seventy to two hundred pages long. Every time the Cameron brothers bought a property, it was my job to go over the contract and make sure it said what they wanted it to say. It was a heavy duty responsibility. I often took contracts home to read, even after I’d been at the office until eight o’clock. It wasn’t exactly exciting reading, either, and I had to fight the tendency to skim. I was also in charge of Alex’s appointments, and I kept track of his social engagements. I was surprised to discover that he gave speeches to interested groups about property renovation. Since he invariably used slides at these talks, it was my responsibility to make sure the slides were set up so he could, with the click of a button, present them in order. The first time I did this, I screwed up. A couple of the slides were upside down. All he said to me afterwards was, next time be sure and double check them before we go in.

  That first fall I was so busy trying to learn everything I needed to know that I was more or less numb. As I became more confident, I was given even more responsibility. I caught a loophole in one of the contracts, the lack of a done-by date by one of the contractors. When I pointed this out to Alex, he frowned. “One of us should have caught that. That probably saved us thousands of dollars.”

  At the end of the day, he said, “I know you must feel that I’ve given you a great deal of responsibility. You’ve handled it extremely well. You know what happens when a person does a good job.” He smiled that smile I really didn’t like, that lift of the lips that was almost as if he were following a script that said, ‘boss smiles here.’ “I’d like you to sit in on our acquisition meetings. This will involve some travel. It will also involve a rise in salary. How does one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars a year sound?”

  “It sounds…surreal.”

  His smile became a touch more genuine. “I take it that means you accept.”

  I hesitated. My social life had withered away. I only had one true blue friend left, Betsy McDougal. She and I got together when I could, sometimes on a rare Sunday afternoon when I was free. The job had taken over my life until there was nothing left. My parents seldom heard from me and they let me know they didn’t like it. On the other hand, I’d moved out of my apartment into a wonderful downtown loft in a historic building that had once been a flour mill. I was thrilled that I owned the loft and it allowed me to walk to work. It was in a building that the Cameron brothers had renovated and they let me have it at a ridiculously low price. Employee discount, Alex said.

  It was the typical industrial loft with exposed pipes and beams. I remember the day we toured the building. Alex had appeared in my office and told me to put my coat on, he had something he wanted me to see. He took me to this loft on the top story of a building in the mill district that had nothing in it, only bare wood floors and walls. But the ceiling held the exposed heat runs and rafters of the building. The end walls were mostly glass and they flooded the place with natural light. It was the kind of place I’d always envisioned living in, sort of raw and steeped in history. I went into ecstasies, actually forgetting that Alex was with me. I said, “The kitchen should go here with an island. This would be the main living area. Over here would be the bedroom and en suite bath.”

  Finally Alex said, “Susan.”

  “Yes?” I came back to earth.

  “I brought you here so we could decide whether a woman might like a space like this. We want to build apartments that appeal to working professionals and there are a great many more women now who fit that category.”

  “I don’t know as I’d describe myself as a typical working professional, but I love it.”

  “How about we sell this first apartment to you? That way, you could have the high-end finishes that suit you, quartz countertops and custom made cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms. As for the layout, you could plan it yourself.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  It was the first time I’d ever seen her like this, thought Alex. She looks absolutely orgasmic with happiness. I thought she might not like it with its rough wood walls and exposed heat runs. Evidently, I don’t know her as well as I thought I did. Her taste tallies with mine exactly. If I didn’t own my condo, I’d take this place myself. Now, maybe I can finally get her out of that shit hole of an apartment in that unsafe neighborhood. If she lived here, I wouldn’t have to worry about her walking home when I‘ve kept her at work until late in the evening. She’d be two blocks from the office with fluorescent street lighting all the way.

  “Would I joke about something like this?”

  “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t.”

  “Do you have enough saved for a down payment?”

  “I don’t know how much you’d expect for a down payment, but I have twenty thousand dollars sitting in a savings account.”

  “You’ve saved up that much?”

  “When would I have time to spend it?”

  His lips twitched then, in what might have been the closest thing to a genuine smile I’d seen. “Good point. Half of that is adequate for a down payment. We’ll go back to the office and write it up.”

  “How much would it be?”

  He named a price that had to be half the value of the place. “I’ll take it,” I said.

  I was able to pick all the high-end finishes I wanted for the kitchen. I’d pretty much settled in now and I loved it, but I still had a f
ive year mortgage with hefty monthly payments to meet. If I didn’t take this promotion, would I be let go? But traveling with Alex. Could I handle that?

  For that salary, I could probably travel with Godzilla.

  I said yes. What was that song, something about sold my soul to the company store?

  Of course, I immediately got into trouble. I started relaxing enough to finally acknowledge that I was attracted to Alex and had been right from the beginning. We were looking at pictures of property spread out over his desk and leaning there beside him, I could smell his wonderful scent. We’d spent all day together working, and I’d seen the beauty of his hands and how deft they were. And oh boy, I began to imagine what they’d feel like on my skin.

  After that day, I took my so-called mousy brown hair to a hair dresser and had it cut in a style that I said I wanted because it would be easier to care for, but in actuality, I knew it would look good on me. It was one of those high fashion cuts, shorter, but long enough to curve around my cheek.

  If Alex noticed my new hair style, he didn’t mention it. Which was just as well. We had an unspoken pact, he and I. No being attracted to one another. No falling in bed. No sex.

  Our travels together were frequent. One weekend, we traveled to a Caribbean Island, St. Thomas. There in the tropical heat and the ocean breezes, I’d feel my body heat up as Alex, dressed much more informally in khaki pants and a white shirt prowled around the outside of an island house, a project the brothers were considering for purchase and renovation. He would bend over to look at the foundation and I’d think he had the nicest rear end of any man I’d ever seen. Or he’d stretch up to test a beam over a door and all his hard, clothed body would be there for me to see. Of course, I’d lie in bed at night and picture that masculine body with nothing on. Why did the man have to be so darned delectable?

  On our next trip to a property in Pennsylvania, I nearly put my foot though the floor of a country shack. Alex grabbed my elbow to keep me from falling. I felt the grip of those fingers clear down to my toes. Had I seen a flare of something in his eyes? No. It was my imagination. Back home, he was the same cool, unemotional man.