Opening the drawer of her nightstand, she untangled herself from King’s tie and hid it there, keeping it within reach and deciding not to try and analyze her behavior on that man. He himself was an enigma to her.
Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she made her way to the bathroom to get herself presentable for her own sake. She didn’t want the anticlimactic aftermath of the night before to ruin her mood and Alice knew that the only way to accomplish that was to ignore that a part of her wanted to bawl her eyes out and focus on nicer things.
After getting showered and back to her bedroom, she finally dared to check her phone, hoping that Tristan had messaged her, because that would be a light at the end of the tunnel her mind constantly tried to drag her back into. Only to realize that it was switched off. Alice wanted to smack herself. Typical. But even worse was that apparently, the battery had died during the night, so she had to charge the thing first before she could check on any messages.
Maybe, this was a good thing if she kept him waiting for a bit, because – after all – he still had tried to blackmail her, for whatever reason.
At least now she had the time to make and drink a coffee in peace. Or so she thought.
Sitting down on her couch, Alice’s attention was drawn to her private laptop that was still sitting on her coffee table. She had been so invested in settling into her new job that she hadn’t had the time to finish her research on the board members of Grantham Global and put her laptop back to its designated spot in her bedroom.
Slurping her coffee, she slipped her computer open and pressed a random key and the device came to life. Alice was actually surprised that the battery hadn’t died during the week. The screen was showing the second to last person on the list. She had saved the guy with the same name as the company for last and remembered that she hadn’t gotten to this J.J. Grantham in Grace’s folder – her new and currently absent elderly colleague – either. So, Alice brushed her finger and moved the mouse cursor to that name and clicked on it.
Alice didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that picture. She instantly choked on her last sip of coffee and couldn’t stop coughing for what seemed to be several minutes. Wiping the tears off her face, that had streamed down her cheeks, she took another gulp to calm her throat.
“You have to be kidding me,” she murmured hoarsely.
Looking at her with an expression that only men of power wore with an implicitness was he: Mr. Scotch, the King of Diamonds, and the man she had decided to stay clear of. And now she knew his real name. Jason Jeremiah Grantham, chairman of the board of Grantham Global.
What the fucking hell?
Of course, this could be a mix-up. It had to be.
Alice shook her head and slapped her laptop shut. Just a few days ago, she wasn’t even sure what he looked like anymore, maybe her brain was connecting the wrong dots. This couldn’t be possible. And on top of that, a guy like King of Diamonds wouldn’t have a second name like Jeremiah. What kind of name was that?
J.J. Grantham. A freaking billionaire, probably.
Not being able to withstand her curiosity, Alice flipped the laptop open again and started reading the description. He was born into this position and took over the business from his father at the age of only 24. His father had been 75 at that time. That was 20 years ago.
Mr. Scotch was 44, twelve years older than her. Taking that information under consideration, this man was looking at least five years younger.
Alice couldn’t stop her fingers from starting to google the man, especially his marriage. J.J. Grantham married Adelaide O’Hair-Buchannan three years later, when she was only 21. She was the daughter of what the internet claimed to be Grantham senior’s best friend, who was also a business man. They were married for 17 years and had no kids. Why was that? Then again, Adelaide still had time, she was 38 now, only four years older than Alice.
At that moment, Alice knew that she needed something stronger than a coffee, but it was only 11 in the morning.
“This can’t be right,” she told herself, but the woman in the picture, who he had his arm wrapped around, with his hand on her hip had the same hair and eye color as the Queen of Diamonds. “Nonono.”
Her new boss couldn’t be King of Diamonds.
These kinds of coincidences only happened in novels or movies and yet, Alice just knew. She knew those eyes, that chin, this dark hair with the specks of silver. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from that picture of him and his wife. It was pretty new, maybe a few weeks old, from some random gala. They were smiling slightly into the camera, probably used to making that face. What else in their lives was as fake as those smiles?
All Alice could remember was that he had told her that he had some kind of arrangement with his wife, but what were the specifics of that arrangement? Had it anything to do with them not having any children?
Alice shook her head and closed her laptop again. Her complete disinterest in any yellow press was now biting her in the butt. If she had just read a few magazines, she would have recognized him when he talked to her at that night club. Maybe her complete ignorance regarding who he was did intrigue him and made him invite her to the Dark Alley. But that was gone now. She knew who he was. Did he know who she was? Had he signed off her instant employment? Did he get her the job because of some personal agenda? Alice felt awful thinking that she might have only gotten this prestigious job because she had been fucking the boss.
“Oh, my God!” She exclaimed. “I fucked the boss!”
That very same second her doorbell rang and Alice’s coffee mug tumbled to the floor without crashing and not spilling anything, since she had just emptied it. And still her heart was wreaking havoc in her chest.
Quickly, Alice got up from her couch, leaving the mug where it was, and pulled her dressing gown closer around her body when she walked to her door, checking who was standing on the other side, before she opened it.
Much to her surprise it was a flower delivery. Being completely surprised, she signed and accepted the flowers without thinking twice. They were lying in a box, again, and they were the same flowers as the last time, again. It was two dozen white and lilac colored lilies with petals that were unusually formed. It made the flowers strangely resemble Nightshade.
It had to be him, King of Diamonds, Mr. Scotch, Jason Jeremiah Grantham. Jason…
Alice couldn’t help herself, she loved that name, and she hated herself for it. All she had wanted before was to leave this man behind and try to opt for something normal. The humming noise of her phone coming to life was a good enough distraction to make her walk into the kitchen and put the new flowers into some water. After that she pushed the buttons and keys to bring her phone back to life.
Much to her relief and excitement there was a message from an unknown number, and she just knew that it was Tristan – Aquarius – and that was the distraction she needed right now. Something normal, something within the lines of what society deemed normal. She could easily ignore how they learned to know each other, and she was sure that he would be able to do the same. If there wasn’t that thorn in her side about his attempt to blackmail her. But she wanted, no needed, to push that aside right now.
He was thanking her for her number and asked her, how she was. Alice smiled, reading the message. It was just what she needed right now. Texting, just like when she was a teen, forgetting about the Dark Alley and Jason…
Why did that name echo in her head as if she had lost her brains? It was him who made her feel like a stupid Teen and not Tristan. This was all shades of wrong.
“I’m okay,” she said aloud while typing her answer to Tristan. “Did you send me flowers?” She added after a moment of hesitation.
Alice made herself comfortable on her sofa and just stared on her phone. Just like a Teen and exactly as she had wished for. She didn’t have to wait long for an answer.
I’m happy to hear back from you. Tristan wrote. But
no, I didn’t send you flowers. I didn’t feel it to be appropriate. Do I need to be jealous?
“Always,” Alice said and typed.
Her phone buzzed again and she read his answer: I will be, as long as you want me.
Cute… was he just acting or being honest?
Would that uncertainty always hunt her with him? No, Alice was certain that Tristan was truly interested in her. She simply knew that. Of course, he could just act this way to get a different story – after all he was still a reporter – but she knew that she wouldn’t be that story; her guts told her that.
“I can’t tell you when I will have time to meet up this week, but I’ll let you know, deal?” She wrote and hoped that being spontaneous was his kind of thing.
Deal! His answer came back almost instantly.
Well, at least she now had one thing to look forward to.
Alice wasn’t much smarter after that conversation. All she knew now was that Tristan didn’t send her the flowers, but who else was left? As far as she knew the only person who could have was King. The form and the color of the pedals made it clear that the person who sent them knew her Dark Alley name.
Had he been trying to warn or prepare her? Or was this his way of being sorry? A guy as rich, successful, and well-known probably expected her to have found out about him by now. And that meant she couldn’t really be mad at him, could she? But why was it her job to find out? Why couldn’t he just have told her after he signed off on her new job?
One thing Alice knew for sure. The next day wouldn’t be easy, but she would manage, like she always did.
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Actually, having a tight schedule on preparing the board meeting, which would start at 10 am, was a good thing for Alice, because she had no time for worrying about meeting King outside of the Dark Alley. Apart from the thought that she would see him as Mr. Grantham, when she was at work, to avoid accidentally calling him by the wrong name. This could also help her manage the entire situation in the first place.
After going over Grace’s check list for the third time, Alice knew that there was nothing more to be done then to wait for the men and women to arrive.
Alice tried to calm herself and sort her mind, telling herself that as the big boss Mr. Grantham probably would show up last. Still, she wanted to make a good first impression on the people who decided the fate of countless men and women, who were working for or with the company. So, when the executive elevator announced that it was riding up, Alice got up from her chair, brushed down the knee length black skirt and her lavender colored blouse, and watched the number on the digital display above the double doors count.
The moment the ping from the elevator reached her ears, Alice set up her friendly face, but as the doors slid open she just knew, without her eyes telling her. Alice didn’t even have to look to know that it was him. But what surprised her even more was the way he reacted as he stepped out of the elevator and then saw her. Or was her mind playing with her? Mr. Scotch – King of Diamonds – seemed to be surprised and then confused to see her.
“Alice…” he spoke not only recognizing her but even remembering her real name; he didn’t call her Bella, either. “I didn’t realize that they would hire you on the spot…”
“Mr. Grantham,” was all Alice could utter, trying to comprehend what he just had said, but her mind wouldn’t work.
She wanted to appear confident and unfazed by seeing King in an elegant, dark-blue three-part suit, his hair sitting perfectly, smoothly shaved, and smelling just like ever. For a second Alice feared that he would notice her knees wobbling. She wanted to call him out for all of this, but he was surprised, too?
“You did put your signature on the order, Sir,” Alice somehow managed to say, and she was proud and relieved that her voice sounded even.
“In my defense,” J.J. Grantham continued walking towards her, with an unreadable expression – probably his poker face, “I don’t look at everything Tim has me sign.”
He had a male assistant?
“So, you didn’t hire me because of…” Alice implied.
“No, I didn’t,” Mr. Scotch shook his head and stopped just two feet away from her. “I expected one of the other assistants or secretaries to jump in until Grace was back and could show you the ropes, should you be the one to get the job.”
“So, you knew I was in the race,” Alice stated, “but you didn’t do anything about it.”
“Yes and no,” he answered and seemed sincere.
Alice had wanted to be mad at him, because that feeling would have helped her manage this situation, but now, knowing that he didn’t get her the job, she didn’t know what to feel.
“I won’t quit this job,” Alice clarified and straightened up automatically.
“I wouldn’t want you to,” J.J. Grantham responded – was there a smile hiding in the corners of his mouth? “This environment has nothing to do with what we do in our free time. And if you feel like what happens at the Alley won’t have any impact on your performance at your job, we’ll be fine.”
“It won’t,” Alice gave back and hoped those words wouldn’t end up being a lie, but she knew she could do it, because she wouldn’t be his personal assistant, they would see each other at work irregularly at best, especially when Grace was back. And apart from that, she already had planned to quit the membership, hadn’t she?
When her mind was trying to wander to the Dark Alley she quickly re-directed it to the situation at hand. It wasn’t like she hadn’t already dreamed naughtily about co-workers, or guestswho had been visiting her boss, so no harm, no foul, right?
“I always showing up half an hour early to settle in and prepare,” Mr. Scotch suddenly explained, counting her silence as their problem solved, for now. “Didn’t Grace put that down?”
“No, she didn’t,” Alice shook her head before stopping herself; she didn’t want her to get in any trouble; when she wanted to jump to her defense, J.J. Grantham was already replying.
“Well, it’s not important, it doesn’t have anything to do with your job,” he shrugged and was about half right, since the coffee machine had to be refilled with fresh coffee beans, which Alice had done while preparing the room. “Don’t disturb us until lunchtime,” her boss continued, obviously now focusing on the job, “no matter who calls. I have some important topics to address, and I don’t want any disturbances.”
J.J. Grantham started moving again, walking past her, keeping a normal distance, as if they didn’t share a possibly ominous secret. “You don’t have to stand and welcome anyone, just get up from your chair. No one expects more of you, most of them don’t care.”
“Okay,” Alice nodded and watched him walk towards the conference room she had prepared.
It was only then when she noticed that he was carrying a thin leather briefcase in his right hand. Alice was dazzled by the fact of how coolly he was acting towards her, as if their time at the Dark Alley meant absolutely nothing to him. Or was this part of the act? His way to separate work from the Dark Alley? Wouldn’t she do exactly the same? Wasn’t she actually doing the same?
But then, as he opened the door, he turned his head and looked straight at her, his expression unreadable once again, or was he worried?
“I wanted to tell you, Alice,” he spoke, and she instantly know that he was talking about the fact that he owned the company she had been transferred to and the job she now had. “I would have told you if I had known.”
Alice pressed her lips to a thin line, stopping herself from saying anything that could make this situation even more awkward, and nodded.
“If you want to talk about it,” he added. “Whenever or wherever you want. You have my mobile phone number.”
Alice had no idea what to answer to that, and as she didn’t say anything, he vanished behind the closing door.
Well, fuck, she was screwed. It was one thing having dirty fantasies about her boss, but it was something else entirely when he knew about it, and someth
ing completely different when there was a chance that he was having the same fantasies about her, which she herself knew about.
Would that happen every time they saw each other? That they would think about their time at the Dark Alley?
Alice had no idea what she had expected him to say or do, but not this. Not being all professional and yet offering to talk about the situation. J.J. Grantham could have looked down on her, could have insinuated anything embarrassing to her, and even attempted to feel her up, as he already knew her body to the letter. He could have fired her on the spot. He could have simply ignored the entire situation, but no, he chose to talk about it.
While she was staring blankly at the closed-door Alice realized she really had gotten the job because she was good at what she did, and her Mr. Scotch, the big boss, had done nothing to influence that process. He could have gotten her thrown out of the race, or made sure that she would get the job, but he hadn’t.
The rest of the day turned out to be quite uneventful, after talking to Mr. Grantham. He had been right about the other board members. They just passed her by, greeting her, as if she always had sat at that desk. One even called her ‘Grace’ and only two others were confused as they realized that they never had seen her before. But none of them introduced themselves to her.
Until lunch, when she was taking the orders.
It was actually the big boss J.J. Grantham himself who introduced her to everyone. Alice avoided looking directly at him and so did he. They could be professional about this, but there were limits, especially when that man was standing close to her, smelling like that, bringing back all the naughty memories of what he had done to her in the Dark Alley.
Alice knew that she could handle that. She had been in awkward situations before in which she had to work with someone she didn’t like, who had talked trash about her. Seeing Mr. Scotch every other week, or sometimes weekly couldn’t be that hard, unless he came close to her.
Dark Alley: The Complete First Season (Dark Alley Seasons Book 1) Page 25