Alice After Hours (2 page)

“
Hi,” they replied.

“
It seemed I touched a nerve last night,” he wrote.

“
Hardly that.”

“
Then why close down so quickly?”

“
Better things to do.”

“
And tonight?”

She hesitated. What could she say? That she had found the whole thing—his needling her, her goading him, not to mention the very weirdness of the topic—strangely arousing?

“
No reply?”

She held back.

“
So, why don't we start again,” he typed. “How was your day?”

Her fingertips hit the keyboard at last. “Good,” she replied, and then added, “and yours?”

After all, communication was a two-way street.

“
Suddenly looking up.”

“
You flatter me.”

“
Why do you put up barriers?”

“
Not my intention.”

“
Then it's either second nature or a learned response.”

“
What's this?” she wrote. “Amateur psychobabble night?”

“
Why else are you here?”

“
Nothing on TV.”

“
No DVDs?”

“
None I'd want to see again.”

“
So tell me about you.”

Alice sat back. This was taking things to an uncomfortable level. What would he want to know? Hardly the truth—that apart from having a fairly high-flying career, she was plain Joan average.

Not true, the voice in her head protested. Okay, so you're no Barbie Doll, but you can hold your own in the attractive stakes. And you look after yourself. Not many women can boast such a narrow waist. Or such a deliciously rounded arse. Anyway, it's not as if you'll ever meet him. You can say whatever you want. Lie, even. Go on, be outrageous for once.

“
What do you want to know?”

“
The colour of your hair.”

Unconsciously tucking a loose strand behind her ear, Alice typed “Brown.”

“
Is that the entire sum of your descriptive powers? Try again.”

She caught her breath. How dare he criticise her?

“
Think molasses,” she wrote, “or bitter chocolate. Think sable. Think sultry. Poetic enough for you?”

“
Much better. And the length?”

“
Below my shoulders. And it's poker straight, before you ask.”

“
Do you wear it up or down?”

Jeez!
Did the guy have a hair fetish or something?

“
Up. So now, tell me something about you. Are you tall or short?”

“
Six two.”

“
And the colour of your hair?”

“
Far less specific than yours.”

What did that mean?

“
Dark? Fair? Long? Short?” she wrote.

“
That's four questions.”

Alice sat back. There were rules around their dialogue? Since when?

“
Who's counting?” she wanted to know.

“
I am.”

Was she mistaken, or was there a hint of command in his brevity?

He was typing again. “What's the greatest challenge you've ever faced?”

Wow!
Talk about veering off into the unknown. Alice thought hard about whether to answer or not, then typed, “I avoid the unknown. I mitigate risk. Didn't we determine that last night?”

“
Have you never reached an unexpected crossroad in your life?”

You have no idea! she thought. Came out of nowhere and ripped out my heart. It almost destroyed me. Never, never, never again.

“
No.”

“
Never given way to impulse?”

“
No. What do you want me to say? That I once jumped from a plane at five thousand feet, or that I've ridden a camel across the desert?”

“
Have you?”

“
No.”

“
Why not?”

Alice threw her hands up in the air.

“
Because I'd rather my life was long and safe than short and dangerous,” she replied.

“
You aren't concerned you may be missing out?”

“
On what?”

“
The sheer exhilaration of living.”

“
I'm happy with the way things are.”

“
Are you?”

“
Very. What about you? Have you stepped outside your comfort zone lately?”

“
Regularly.”

“
Well,” she replied, “bully for you.”

“
You certainly do have a bite.”

“
Perhaps it's this conversation.”

“
Does it make you feel uncomfortable?”

Yes
. But she had no intention of telling him that. Instead she typed, “No. So let me ask you, what is the most exhilarating thing you have done?”

“
Most recently? It would have to be talking to you.”

God, he was obnoxious.

“
Then I'm sorry,” she wrote, “to have to cut your fun short.”

“
Running away again?”

“
I have other things to do.”

“
Then let's talk again tomorrow.”

“
W
hy are you here?”

Her breath caught. She'd hardly opened the chat window when he came straight to the point.

Her fingers flew over the keys. “Crushing boredom. What's your excuse?”

“
Your scintillating conversational skills.”

Alice couldn't help wondering if they would be so rude to each other if they were face to face.

“
Then I hope I don't disappoint you.”

“
You haven't so far.”

This time she was going to lead the conversation.

“
Do you make a habit of talking to strangers like this?”

“
You're the first.”

That threw her, and she wondered what it meant? Was she supposed to feel special? She knew he'd responded to others on the open forum. Perhaps he'd restricted his interaction to public one-liners.

“
So why me in particular?”

“
I like a woman who knows her own mind.”

“
Aren't you in the wrong place for that?”

“
Perhaps. But you're here.”

That was true. Though it was by default—at least the first time.

“
What were you looking for?” he added.

“
Nothing in particular. Just browsing.”

“
What criteria did you put into the search engine?”

Okay, that was a little too close for comfort. No way in a million years would she admit to entering words such as
discipline
and
punishment
.

“
Just random words.”

She felt her cheeks flame at the blatant lie.

“
Truly?”

“
Truly.”

“
So why did you add to a thread?”

“
Sheer impulse.”

“
Unusual for you.”

“
It would seem I do have my moments after all.”

“
Are you enjoying the site?”

“
I don't subscribe to the so-called joys of submission, if that's what you mean.”

“
Are you sure?”

Suddenly her mouth went dry.

“
Completely.”

“
Of course. You're here to argue against it.”

“
A mistake,” she wrote. “I should never have entered the conversation.”

“
But you did.”

“
As I said: a mistake.”

“
Perhaps you were reaching out.”

“
For what?”

“
Understanding. Approval ….”

She caught her breath. Furious. But he was still typing.

“…
of your alter ego.”

“
There is no other side to me.”

“
We all have hidden sides.”

“
And what is yours?”

She waited. Yes, his barb had found its mark, but at least she'd managed to deflect it.

“
Why not find out for yourself?”

Alice's jaw dropped.

Her heart was pumping. More to the point, her breasts were tingling and demanding attention. She couldn't answer. Wouldn't. Was he really suggesting they meet?
Hell no!
He might make her do things, things she normally wouldn't dream of. Wasn't that what this was all about?

Instead she typed, “So tell me, do you really subscribe to the theory that men are superior to women? Or are you here because like me, you have nothing better to do?”

“
Which answer would you prefer?”

“
I don't care either way.”

“
Then it doesn't matter.”

“
But it does.”

“
Why?”

Because you are either full of crass stupidity or—and frankly this is something I'm beginning to doubt—somewhere deep inside there is a glimmer of intelligence.

And needing an unequivocal answer, Alice pressed on, “So tell me, where do you stand?”

“
If I were a traditionalist, I would point out that according to the Bible, God created Adam first. Wouldn't you say that suggests man has a greater importance than woman in the general scheme of things?”

Ah-ha!
Now this was an argument she was more than ready for.

“
But in that same order,” she replied, “plants came before animals. So does that mean a hollyhock has dominance over a buffalo?”

He didn't miss a beat. “Or was it that vegetation was created earlier to ensure food and sustenance for a stronger species, the animal kingdom?”

Alice raged inwardly.

“
Okay. We're assuming here that Adam was the first of his kind. As with any new design, there is a requirement for a prototype. Thus we have the male model. Clearly a flawed product, since a different and more pleasing version was then created. I'm talking about Eve, of course. I'm sorry, but is this the best you can do?”

The message popped up that he was typing, and she found herself holding her breath.

“
Yet without Adam's rib, there would be no Eve. And of course, she was an afterthought. Something to do with his requiring a playmate if I recall.”

Oh! No way was he going to get away with that.

She typed, “A gross misrepresentation, and one concocted later by men, given Eve was the archetypal Mother Earth and already a dominant female in mythology.”

“
And in some cultures she is also the moon. Man, of course, is the sun. Seeing a pattern yet?”

She huffed out an exasperated sigh and typed, “Are you trying to wind me up?”

“
It's hard not to when I'm enjoying myself so much.”

“
So what is it with you?”

“
Just having a little fun. So getting back on track, have you ever asked yourself why the vast majority of religious beliefs, regardless of origin, are patriarchal? As are monarchies and dynasties. Now, just why would that be?”

He was asking for trouble.

“
Exploitation and manipulation,” she typed. “Not to mention brute force.” She had to correct a few typos before she sent the message. He was throwing her off balance.

“
Oh, I see. And can I ask why then, over the millennia, women haven't risen as one and demanded a redistribution of power?”

“
They have.”

“
Really? I don't see it.”

“
You're expecting a show of strength or military capability? It's not our way.”

“
You prefer brain to brawn?”

“
Far better than the other way around.”

“
And yet it hasn't got you very far. Let me ask how many of the senior executives in your company—that is, if you work for one—are women?”

Alice was ready to throw something. Of course there was an imbalance at Symes Cabot, wasn't it the norm? Recruitment at senior level skewed towards guys who knew each other at university or played for the same sports team, or even attended each other's weddings.

The whole locker-room thing had infuriated her for years.

“
No answer?” he typed after a moment.

She remained silent.

“
I guess I've touched a nerve.”

“
So enlighten me.”

He was already typing. “Why don't we agree that the human race is made up of complex individuals, each with their own needs and requirements? That's why we form societies and from there, individual relationships. Dominancy comes into play when those more capable—and more often than not they will be men—are permitted by the rest of the group to rise and lead.”