by Alexa Davis
I beat a hasty retreat to the back room and sat there wondering how in the world I was going to work with this woman. I'd already altered my last name on the advice of her agent and now realized just what a good idea it had been. The idea for the name of the company had come to me while I was on a buying trip. I thought about all the best jewelry stores and how they had short names that didn't involved the world jewelry. So, I chose the easiest thing I could think of: first initial, last name. And, it seemed to work. The electrician had hung the sign a week before, and now I needed a professional to come in and paint the store name on the front window. I wanted it to look classy, not trashy. I wanted M. Malin to stand out from the other stores on Wabash, and I knew that the sign and my new employee were going to give me the edge.
I also had a feeling that my new employee was going to keep me on edge.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lexi
After I finished my first day at the store, I walked to Michigan Avenue and met Viv for drinks at The Gage. By the time I arrived, she'd secured one of the booths near the bar, had ordered drinks and appetizers for both of us, and had attracted the attention of most of the men at the bar. That was Viv, though.
We'd met in homeroom the first day of our freshman year of high school and had become fast friends. Viv's status as a ginger hadn't made her very popular that year, but as we progressed through high school, she'd figured out how to capitalize on her difference and by the time we graduated, she'd taken to dying her strawberry colored hair bright red and had turned our Catholic school uniform into something that attracted both boys and men. The downside of her independent streak was that she spent an awful lot of time in detention for minor infractions of the skirt length policy, the blouse policy, and the solid color knee-sock policy. Teachers sighed as they handed her detention slips and Viv would give them a cheeky grin followed by a wink before she took the slip and skipped down the hallway to the room where the perpetually grumpy nun who was responsible for monitoring detention kept watch over the girls who had broken the rules.
"Heya, Wally!" Viv yelled as I walked through the door. "Over here!"
"Do you have to call me Wally in front of everyone in the bar?" I grumbled as I sat down across the table from my friend. She had obviously just been to the stylist because her hair was the brightest shade of cherry red I'd ever seen it. She was wearing her smart-girl glasses and a t-shirt that scooped low and exposed just enough of the tops of her large breasts that I involuntarily brought a hand to my own chest and pulled up my blouse.
"Let your hair down, Lex!" she laughed as she took a sip of the martini in front of her and then grabbed a fried pickle and popped a piece in her mouth. "Live a little! Now, tell me all about the new job."
"What's there to tell?" I shrugged as I sipped the martini Viv had ordered for me and bit into a pickle. I had thought about what I was going to tell her all afternoon as I'd unpacked the beautiful pieces of jewelry and put them in their proper places. "It's a job selling jewelry in a store over on Wabash."
"Yeah, but what's the boss like?" she asked. "Probably an old guy with a paunch and a bald spot, huh?"
"No, actually…" I trailed off. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell Viv about the attraction I'd felt to my new boss. Somehow, saying it out loud felt like it would make the tension more intense, and I was already concerned about how I was going to manage to maintain a professional distance with Max Malin standing just a few feet away from me. "He's young and kind of hot."
"A hot boss?" she said excitedly leaning across the table. "Do tell!"
"He's just hot," I shrugged, trying not to get caught up in her enthusiasm for details. "He's in his thirties, he's tall, and he has kind of rockstar length hair and these blue eyes that…"
"That what, Lex? His eyes are like what?" She was getting excited and I knew I was perilously close to spilling everything and telling her that I had a massive crush on my boss.
"They're just this shade of blue that reminds me of a cloudless summer sky," I said trying to sound casual.
"Uh oh, you're crushed out, aren't you?"
"No, I'm definitely not!" I protested. It was futile, Viv knew me better than anyone and she definitely knew when I was interested in a guy. "God, Viv, he's my boss, for crying out loud!"
"Someone's got a crush, someone's got a crush," she sang in a playground voice. I looked down at my drink and thought about it for a moment, then looked up.
"Okay, fine, I have a crush on my new boss! He's hot and he's smart and it's going to make a boring sales job so much more interesting and intriguing," I said, feeling more than a little defensive. "Are you happy now? Happy that I've spilled my guts and told you?"
"Lex, listen to me," she said quietly. "Josh was an ass. I know you're broken up about him dumping you, but seriously, it was for the absolute best. I don't think you should feel guilty about having a crush on your boss. Crush out! Forget that loser who ran off! You are young and beautiful, and you should be enjoying your life, not wallowing in sadness and misery over a guy who wasn't fit to spit on your shoes."
"Jeez, Viv, why don't you tell me how you really feel?" I said with a wry grin. She laughed loudly and signaled the server that we wanted two more drinks. "Hey, take it easy, girlfriend, I've got to work in the morning!"
"Oh please, you've earned a little bit of liquid relaxation," she laughed. "Now, tell me more about the job!"
For the next hour, we went back over every detail of my day and talked about how I should dress in order to shape my character and sell more merchandise. Viv thought I should show some cleavage.
"Boobs, babe. Boobs sell things," she said and as if on cue, a handsome man from the bar walked over to the table.
"May I buy you ladies a drink and join you for a little conversation?" he asked.
"Why, thank you so much," Viv cooed as she dropped her eyes and then looked up at him and spoke in a soft voice. I'd seen this brush off technique too many times to be wowed by it, but I always enjoyed the way the men responded, so I turned slightly to watch the guy's face. "We appreciate the offer so very much and would love to invite you to join us, but we're celebrating our anniversary and would prefer to do it a deux rather than host a guest. I'm sure you understand, don't you?"
"Oh, uh, wow, oh yeah," he stammered. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Happy anniversary!" The guy turned and quickly walked back to the bar where his friends, who'd witnessed the exchange, pounded him on the back and bought him shots to try and soothe his bruised ego.
"Why do you do that to them, Viv?" I asked as I tried to contain my laughter.
"Because while I love men more than life itself, I think it's healthy for them to live in a world where not all women are theirs for the asking," she said with a prissy smile. "Besides, we are celebrating together and I didn't want us to have to spend the evening fending off advances from the bar."
"You," I grinned. "You would be fending off advances, not me."
"Oh, get over yourself, Wally," she waved at me. "You're a gorgeous woman with an incredible body and men trip over themselves to get to you. I, on the other hand, am a chubby girl with big boobs and an ass that goes on for days, so I have to use what I've got."
"You underrate yourself, Viv," I said as I sipped the fresh drink the server had placed in front of me.
"Takes on to know one," she grinned as she reached out and took the last pickle. "Now, should we order dinner?"
Viv and I hung out at The Gage talking and drinking until well after midnight. By the time we were done, I'd figured out my wardrobe for the next two weeks and she had not only given me pointers on how to sell more effectively without being overly aggressive, but also a new mascara and two tubes of lipstick.
"Wear the lighter one tomorrow," she advised as she put me in a cab and said goodnight. Then, as the cab pulled away from the curb, she shouted, "And, the wrap dress! Wear the wrap dress!"
I laughed and waved as she disappeared from view.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Max
It had grown dark outside and most of the Wabash Street stores were empty by the time I locked the door and headed for home. I'd dismissed my driver for the night despite his protests; I needed to walk and clear my head. I knew he was concerned about my safety, but I'd changed out of my suit and put on an old pair of jeans, well-worn t-shirt, and an old pair of running shoes before hoisting a backpack over my shoulder. I checked myself in the front mirror and was satisfied to see that I looked like just another Chicago college student.
One thing my father had pounded into our heads as we were growing up was that despite the fact that we had more money than we'd ever know what to do with, we were not allowed to live like the rich. We were clothed and fed well, attended only the best schools, and lived in a beautiful house in a nice section of Wicker Park, but my father eschewed the luxuries that that Russian government officials had indulged in while their people were starving in the streets, and as a result, he had a love/hate relationship with consumer capitalism. My mother never wore expensive furs or jewelry, but she always dressed well and looked beautiful. My father had warned us over and over to keep a low profile and never ever flout our wealth. As a child, I had no idea how my father spent the money he was making, and as I walked, I recalled the Christmas when I learned never to ask.
I was twelve and Kristov was fifteen, and we had both decided that we wanted an expensive video game console like the ones we saw in the pizza parlor. It was unlike the ones that all the kids in the neighborhood had; it was bigger and better. We lobbied Mama and Babi so that they would be our allies in the push to get Papa to buy it for us. Two weeks before Christmas, we made our move. Papa was in the front room smoking a cigar and watching the news when we approached him and made our case. He listened carefully to all of the reasons we had outlined for why we wanted a gift that had a price tag exceeding our monthly mortgage payment, and then he asked the question that has never left me.
"You boys have a lot of good reasons why you think you deserve this present," he smiled. "But you haven't told me why you want it. Why do you want this gift?"
"Um, so we can play with the technology, Papa," Kristov answered hesitantly. Later, I realized that he was far more adept at reading my father's moods than I would ever be, and this would be the thing that would get me in trouble over and over again.
"Nah uh!" I protested loudly and then blurted out, "We want it so that we'll have a better game system than anyone in the neighborhood and so everyone will be jealous of how great our system is!"
To this day, I still don't know how my father moved so fast, but before I could take another breath, he raised his hand and slapped me across the face so hard that I fell against my brother and knocked him to the ground. As the pain from the explosion that had ripped across one side of my face began to subside, I looked up at my father with tears in my eyes and a surprised look of confusion.
"Don't you ever talk about wanting to be better than anyone else," Papa growled as he leaned over me. He was close enough that I could smell the cigar smoke on his breath and see the rage in his eyes. His voice grew angrier as he delivered his message, "You are never better than anyone else because of what you own or how much money you have! You are human, just like everyone else, and I won't stand for you boys acting like spoiled, American brats! Do you understand me?"
"Y…y…yes, Papa," I whispered, unable to look away. I was terrified of what he would do next and Kristov, sensing that it wasn't wise to be connected to this plan any longer, had extracted himself and now stood over me. He looked at me with disgust before turning and walking away.
"Get up and go do your homework," Papa said as he waved me away. "I don't want to see your face. Go do something useful."
I stood up, turned, and walked out of the room, not making a sound until I was safely behind the closed door of my bedroom. Then, and only then, did I grab my pillow and let out an anguished cry of pain, rage, and powerlessness. I knew that night that my father was a dangerous man, and that if I didn't learn how to tread carefully around him, I would end up like so many other people who had displeased him. From then on, I kept my head down and my mouth shut as I watched and waited for my chance to break free.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the past and brought them back to this afternoon's conversation with my father. I felt the pressure of the limited amount of time I had to prove myself closing in on me.
For the first time, I realized that in a real and urgent way my life depended on my ability to make this store a success and that I needed Lexi to pay her role perfectly. However, I also knew that there was no way I could let her know how much pressure we were under and I definitely couldn't let her know why this endeavor was so very important. No outsider could possibly understand the weight my father had placed on my shoulders, and I felt my spirits sagging with the understanding that I'd be carrying this burden all on my own.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lexi
The next morning, I woke up with a drooling kitten quietly snoring on my chest. I laughed softly as I petted her and whispered, "Time to rise, sunshine!" I sat up, set her on the pillow beside me, and stretched. Anna shot me an annoyed look and then mushed herself back to sleep on the pillow. I knew she was mad at me for being gone so long the day before, but she was going to have to learn to accept it or we were going to be at odds all the time.
"I'll stop and get you some really fun toys from the pet shop on my way home, little one," I whispered as I bent down and kissed her fuzzy little head. She opened one eye and chirped softly, then buried her face between her paws as she purred contentedly. I laughed, "If I'm not careful, you are going to grow up to be one very spoiled little girl."
I got out of bed and padded to the kitchen to make my first cup of coffee of the day. Even before I looked at the clock, I could tell by the light on the building across the street that the sun was up and that it was going to be another gorgeous day in the city. I thought about what I would wear for my first official day of work and decided on the deep blue wrap dress made of light jersey that clung in all the right places that Viv had talked about the night before. I wanted to impress Max, and if I was honest, I also wanted him to notice me. He hadn't given me the slightest indication that I was anything other than an employee, and while I didn't want to do anything overtly flirtatious, I did want him to notice me. I could hear Viv's voice telling me to go for it, but I pushed it aside by reminding myself that I'd just been dumped by my boyfriend and I didn't need my new boss to be the rebound guy in my life. It would be way too complicated and messy.
"Nope, no dating the boss," I said as I felt Anna winding her way around my ankles and chirping that she was now ready for her breakfast. I quickly poured some kitten food into the little pink bowl that Viv had bought her and watched as Anna happily munched on her breakfast. I poured myself a cup of coffee and flipped on the news.
"In this morning's news, a shoot out on the West Side has left two men dead and two others in critical condition. Wicker Park police say that the shoot out was sparked by a war between two rival Russian mafia factions who have been under investigation for human and weapons trafficking and drug dealing. When asked how he knew they were Russian, Police Chief Randall Washington said that the tattoos on the deceased’s chests and knees indicate that they were captains in their factions and that other tattoos indicated they'd all spent time in prison. There's no word on the identities of the dead men or their specific affiliations. Stay tuned to Action News for updates on this story throughout the day."
"It's a violent world out there, Anna," I said as I shook my head and drank the rest of my coffee before picking up the mewing kitten and kissing her nose. "It's a darn good thing I've got a job downtown and not out in those areas, isn't it? A darn good thing!" Anna replied by swatting my nose with her tiny paw and then head butting my chin. I laughed as I set her on the back of the sofa and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work.
An hour later, I was dressed and ready to g
o. I refilled Anna's food and water and snuggled her once more before I took one more look in the full-length mirror and nodded at my reflection. The blue dress did exactly what I hoped it would do, I'd applied a little blush, mascara, and the light lipstick color that Viv had given me, and pulled my hair up into a loose bun with a wisp or two of hair framing my face. I smiled at myself as I grabbed my briefcase and headed out the door.
Outside, it was sunny and warm as I headed for the El station at Clark and Division. I loved the way I could easily navigate the city by train or bus; it was one of my favorite parts of Chicago living. Once at the station, I realized that I'd forgotten my wallet at home on the dining room table.
"Crap!" I swore under my breath as I headed back out to the street and home to get my wallet. As I was rounding the corner and heading back up Dearborn towards home, a dark car pulled up beside me with its window rolled down. Thinking it was a tourist asking where the new Restoration Hardware store was, I turned and pointed up Dearborn toward Goethe Street and "Restoration Hardware is that way, take a left at the next corner!"
"Ms. Wallace?" I heard a voice call and I spun around to find Max Melin's handsome face looking at me from the open window. A small smile played around the edges of his full lips and I had to force myself to focus on the car's door handle in order to stifle the desire to stare at his lips. Politely, he asked, "Have you already changed your mind about the job?"
"Huh? Oh! No, I forgot my wallet at home and I didn't have any cash for the El," I said flustered by his cool demeanor. "I'll go back and get it, and I'll still be on time, I promise!"
"Ms. Wallace, would you like a ride?" he asked.
"Who? Me?" I replied confused as to why he was in my neighborhood and stunned that he'd offer his new employee a ride to work.
"I don't see anyone else I could be talking to; do you?"
"Um, no," I blushed, knowing that right now, I was acting like an idiot schoolgirl who had a crush on her teacher. I stammered and looked up the block toward my apartment building. "I need to go home first and get my wallet, though, and I don't want to make you late."