“Your meal,” Jack said. “I hope this looks like it will please your palate?”
“It looks amazing. You’ve got the best of the best here, Jack.”
Hadley caught the wink that the Asian man passed to Jack, and she was aware that he was referring to her as well as the food. The Asian man picked up chopsticks. “You’re not eating?”
“No. But please, enjoy. I’ll walk you through this next portion of the budget while you eat. Hadley, that will be all.”
Jack looked towards Hadley and she noticed again that his lips curled upwards just slightly with a hint of amusement.
He thinks this is funny, thought Hadley angrily.
He thinks I’m funny. God, this is so embarrassing.
She returned to the line of women, and the only way that she could keep herself from running was to think about the camera in her purse, and the money she was earning. If she could pull it off, she’d be able to put all of this behind her. I have to put that camera somewhere, she thought. Today. This shift. I won’t have another opportunity to get it inside like that. It has to be today.
*****
Jack had trouble focusing on the numbers on the screen. He wanted desperately to look at the tall, dark drink of water that had been poured deliciously into the tight black dress.
She looked even more stunning than he’d imagined, in the days that he had waited for her. When he’d seen her yesterday, while getting a massage, he literally thought that he was dreaming. She’d appeared before him as he was floating in the immense pleasure of the foot rub, and he’d thought for a moment that he had fallen asleep and was dreaming.
He’d had dreams of her before, that week, as he waited. But the woman who had appeared before him as he received his massage was even more gorgeous than the woman in his dreams.
She was tall, with a beautifully curvy figure. Her dark brown skin glowed in the soft lighting, and her face looked angelic as she had stared expectantly at him.
She was so open, so easy to read.
Now, for instance, he could tell that she was embarrassed, and slightly frightened. She wasn’t used to being in such revealing clothing, and he enjoyed that about her.
He felt a knot of anticipation in his stomach. He tried hard to focus on the words he spoke, sales projections for the coming year and an investment strategy, while his client gorged on fresh sushi.
As numbers rolled off of his tongue he allowed himself to glance up so that he could see her.
She stood on his right, slightly behind him. He looked towards the room’s main entrance, instead of looking directly at her. But he could see her standing in the line. She looked so vulnerable in the dress, and he watched her pulling at the hemline around her curvy rear end.
He returned to the figures on the screen. She’d been late, but at least she had come. He had been starting to wonder if she may have been frightened off, the day before.
But there she was.
*****
The meeting finally ended, and Hadley followed a woman through the back hallway again, to receive more training while Grace gave Jack a massage and who knew what else in the dimly lit member’s only fountain room.
Hadley felt an odd mix of jealousy and contempt when Jack had signaled to Grace to join him, once the meeting was over. She thought of the way she’d seen a woman sitting in a man’s lap, in that far back room, the afternoon before. Is that what goes on here? she wondered. Are we like a private harem of women, serving these men in any way they desire?
She tried to focus on the tour of the kitchen. When a second meeting was announced, she returned to the living room space and stood by the wall, in much the same manner as before.
This time when Jack placed his order she knew where to get it, and how. She still felt embarrassment as the client ogled her, eager to catch a glimpse of her up close as she set the food down in front of them.
Once her shift was over, she still hadn't placed the camera. She’d thought of several places, and had even found an excuse for returning to the locker room, where she took the camera from her purse and placed it in her bra.
But where to put it? The back room seemed the most obvious, but she wasn’t sure where it should go.
Does Jack usually sit in one particular chair? she asked herself.
What would the right angle be?
How can I place it without getting caught on the security camera? She knew that Tony, downstairs, was probably watching her closely to make sure she didn’t have any private moments with Jack in which she could snitch on his behavior.
Her heart pounded as she realized she was about to change into her street clothes, and yet had done nothing with her golden opportunity. A woman from the reception walked through the locker room, which was now filled with women changing, and walked straight towards Hadley.
She had Hadley’s phone in hand.
“Hadley Wilder?” the woman asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” Hadley answered.
“Jack Pittman is flying out this evening for a trip to South America. He requests your presence.”
“Excuse me?” Hadley was confused. “I’m about to go home. This is my first shift. No, I can’t just jet off to South America. And why do you have my phone?”
“You’ll be gone for five days,” the woman said. “It’s part of your job description. If you don’t go, you’ll be breaking your contract.” She handed over the phone. “The phone is so that you can tell whoever you need to that you’ll be out of town for five days. The girls usually make a few phone calls. I have to wait while you do so, to make sure you don’t take pictures. It’s all part of the protocol.”
“The protocol?”
“I’m sure your boss’ PA went over it when you signed your papers yesterday.”
“He went over a lot of stuff,” sputtered Hadley, “but --”
“Please, Ms. Wilder. Are you going to make the calls?”
“I know I signed on for travel, I just didn’t think it would be today -- so soon, and I’m…”
Hadley’s voice died down as she stared at the woman, who was holding out her phone.
The woman raised her eyebrows. “The car is already in the back. Mr. Pittman said he would be out in half an hour. You won’t want to keep him waiting. We’ll need to prepare your clothes and toiletries for the duration.”
“What car?” Hadley asked.
“You’ll be taking Mr. Pittman’s private Cadillac to the airport, where you’ll board a charter jet.”
Private car. Hadley remembered that Gina had mentioned the car. It would be a good place for the camera, and much safer to place it inside the car than in the club where Tony could scrutinize her actions.
“Okay,” Hadley said.
She left Cassy a voicemail to let her know that she would be out of town for five days with work, and would get in touch when she returned. That done, she surrendered her phone once again and accompanied the receptionist to the front room, where she was given a packed duffel bag. The bellman escorted her down the elevator and out a rear entrance to a parking lot.
She saw a steel grey Cadillac waiting, and the bellman motioned her towards it.
When she got into the front seat, Roger greeted her in a business-like tone. They waited in silence before seeing the building’s back door open and Pitman step out through it. Roger immediately hustled from the car, rushed towards Jack, and swept the rolling suitcase handle away from Jack’s hand.
As Roger rolled it towards the car, and Jack walked forward, Hadley acted quickly.
She found the button camera, and peeled a layer of plastic from the back. She took the camera in her fingers and reached her arm back. There was a panel there, between the front console and the rear seats.
She reached over the panel, and felt with her fingers towards the edge of it. She pressed the camera against the fabric of the panel, and then pulled her arm back. She tried to stop her hand from shaking as the back door to the car opened, and Jack got in.
; Roger closed the door, and walked to the driver’s side. Hadley stared straight ahead. She heard the panel slide up, and Rodger started the car. The ride to the airport was silent, and Jack kept the panel up between them the whole time. Hadley could not stop her heart from hammering in her chest.
An hour later, Hadley followed Roger and Jack across a section of the airport runway. It was late, and the sky was pitch black with only a few, barely visible pinpoints of light. The haze from the city formed a brown halo over the airport, and a jet rushed down the airport nearby.
As the roar of the departing jet faded, Hadley watched Jack step lightly up the steps to the private jet that would take them to South America.
He’d barely looked at her so far, and there was no word of appreciation for her agreement in such an unexpected trip. It seemed to be just another day for him, and he walked up the stairs to the jet as if he was walking up the front stairs of his home.
Roger had rolled the luggage towards a stewardess, and she was loading it into the small jet’s underbelly.
Hadley hesitated as she saw the woman lift the duffel bag, which had been packed with clothes and toiletries from the Lion’s Den, into the storage compartment area. She realized there was no luggage for Roger. Hadley turned to Roger.
“Where is your bag, Roger?” she asked.
Roger stood at the bottom of the stairs. He shook his head. “I don’t need one,” he said.
“You’re not coming?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “It’s just you. He has a staff in South America, and a driver will meet the jet as you arrive. See you in five days.” He tapped the railing twice with his palm as a send-off, and turned abruptly.
Hadley’s stomach turned to butterflies as she looked up at the stairs that led to the private jet.
Just me.
Just me and Jack Pittman.
Roger’s words had surprised her. Somehow, she had forgotten that the New York City Lion’s Den was just many sprinkled across the globe. And he had houses as well, surely staffed in a similar manner. The man seemed to have every one of his needs met.
What does he need me for, when he has a whole staff in South America? she wondered.
Does he employ people like me all over the world?
If he had a staff in South America, why does he need me, his newest and most inexperienced waitress?
What does he want with me? she wondered again. What does he see in me?
Chapter 4
The Cadillac, much like the one they had left behind in New York, crunched to a stop in the gravel driveway. Wind howled outside the window, and Hadley used her sleeve to unfog a portion of the glass.
The cabin before her was small, and as white as the snow that drenched it. She had no idea that it would be winter in South America, and hoped that the Lion’s Den receptionist, or attendee or whatever she wanted to be called, was familiar enough with international travel to have packed correctly.
Wrapping the fur that she’d been given on the plane tightly around her, she took a deep breath.
A feeling of hesitation swept through her.
What I am doing here? she wondered again. It all felt so surreal. It had all happened so fast.
One minute, she’d been intrepidly testing the waters of her new, temporary position, and the next she was committed to international travel.
With Jack Pittman.
Am I dreaming?
She’d slept on the plane, but felt so disoriented by the overcast sky that she had no idea what time it was, or even what day it was.
Her hand shook slightly on the door handle, but she steadied it by gripping firmly. With a second deep breath she pushed it open, and extended her long legs out and onto the driveway.
The walkway had smooth stones arranged among the spread of rough gravel, and she stepped out onto one as if she was a stepping stone on a river. A chilly, but not frigid, winter wind whipped around her, and she felt her hair becoming tousled and the edges of her coat swirling around her calves.
She stepped to the next stone, without looking back to the car.
I refuse to get his baggage, she thought. The driver will, and hopefully will gather mine as well. I’m his waitress, not his servant.
She marched forward, the cool air taking away some of the anxiety that had been building on the journey.
Jack had been silent, and had spent most of the night in a private section of the jet which had a bed. He’d kept the divider up in the car, and had barely looked at her as the journey progressed.
They’d passed into and out of several cities and towns before winding up what felt like fifty switchbacks and finally coming to a halt in front of the white cabin. It was nestled in front of towering snow covered mountains, with black, jagged and rocky peaks.
The Andes, Hadley thought with amazement. They were beautiful, and she gazed up at the panoramic view as she traveled from stone to stone.
With her last few steps, she arrived at the door, which swung open to reveal a short, elderly gentleman, and a warm glow as if from firelight.
“Welcome, welcome,” the elderly gentleman said with a smile. “May I take your coat? How was the flight? And how is Mr. Pittman feeling today?”
“I’ll keep my coat,” Hadley said, loathing the thought that beneath it she had on only a second tight black dress. “Mr. Pittman is fine, I’m sure.”
“You must be his new waitress from the Big Apple? I’ll have our chef show you around the kitchen.”
“Fine,” said Hadley. The man hollered something in Spanish and a woman emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands against her spattered white coat.
They spoke in Spanish and then Hadley found herself whisked away towards the kitchen before Jack Pittman, or the driver entered the cabin.
The kitchen was toasty warm, and smelled delightful. Hadley tried to pay attention to what the chef was saying with broken English.
As she listened, she let her eyes wander over the modern kitchen appliances and equipment, contrasted with whitewashed walls of the antique cabin. Snow and wind pressed against the frosted window panes, and a pot of delicious smelling soup bubbled on the gourmet range-top.
She heard through the staff that Pittman and one of the staff members were going out skiing, on a ‘simple backcountry tour’ amongst the towering peaks, which didn’t sound simple to Hadley at all.
She was given the afternoon to herself, and used it to sink into a hot bath.
That evening, she served dinner to Jack, who barely seemed to look at her. She had the after dinner hours off as well, and the next day he disappeared into the mountain ranges again.
The next day followed in this manner, and Hadley began to settle into the routine.
While Jack was gone, she idly spent time in the various rooms of the cabin. There were staff quarters on the second story; her own room was there, as well as a room for the chef, the butler, a maid, and the mountain guide who accompanied Jack on his adventures. On the first story there was a kitchen, dining room, entryway, a small den, and Jack’s bedroom.
As she spent the daytime hours sipping coffee in the dining room, or warming her feet by the fire in the den after a walk down the winding road that led to the cabin, in borrowed snow boots and her long fur coat, she began to feel comfortable.
Jack was very distant, and she realized that her role in his life was very minor.
Miniscule even.
It’s all going to be just fine, she thought to herself.
On the third afternoon at the cabin, she finished a book that she had found on the shelves. She knew that Jack was reading the second in the series, and that he wouldn’t be home for hours. She wandered into his room, and found it on the nightstand.
That afternoon, she read it for hours, before realizing how late it was getting. She retired to her upstairs room, and showered and dressed for dinner. The short dresses which had at first repulsed her so, had become second nature to her.
As she put on the dress this evening, sh
e looked into a full length mirror in her guest room.
I look… good, she thought, turning to the side. At first when she’d caught sight of her reflection in the get up she had not even believed it was her. She’d been too mortified to look closely.
But now that she was brave enough to study herself, she liked what she saw.
I look good for forty-two, she thought. Hell, I look good for any age. I look just as good as those younger girls… the skinny models with their flat chests. I fill this dress out well.
She studied the way her legs curved, and the skirt of the dress hugged her upper thighs. She tried bending forwards, and sticking her butt out a little so that she could see what it looked like.
Damn, girl! she thought, almost laughing to herself. You’ve still got it. No wonder he wants you around… in this get up.
She put her hands to her breasts and pushed them together slightly inside the bra, enhancing her cleavage. Pouting into the mirror, she put on the darkest shade of lipstick that she had, and spent extra time on her eyes, savoring the feeling of attractiveness that was washing over her.
When she heard the door open downstairs, she jumped and some of the make-up on the sink’s edge clattered to the floor. He was home! She hadn’t realized that the hour had gotten so late.
He liked to have a drink as soon as he got in the door, and she usually handed him a whisky on the rocks that he took with him into the steaming bath that the maid always had ready for him in his master bathroom.
She slipped into her heels and walked down the stairs. By the time she had gotten his whisky and brought it to the lobby, he was already gone.
He’d disappeared into his room.
She walked past it, and saw the door to his bathroom was closed.
He was already in the bath.
Hadley sighed and walked to the den, where she set the whisky on a coaster.
He’ll have to have it when he gets out, she thought to herself. I’ll get him his appetizer to go with it. She found the chef and requested a special appetizer be assembled, to make up for her tardiness with the whisky.
Her Older Alpha Page 5