Alice After Hours (3 page)

He was well and truly under her skin. Not that his arguments were completely unsound, but she wasn't prepared to give him the satisfaction of admitting that.

“
That's bullshit over-simplicity.”

Drumming her fingers on the desk, she waited for his response.

“
Tell me, what industry do you work in?”

Now
where was he taking this?

“
Financial analysis.”

“
Ahh.”

What the heck did that mean? Okay, her turn.

“
What about you? Do you work?”

“
Yes.”

“
Well?”

“
You could say I'm an analyst too.”

“
Could say?”

“
Could say.”

“
You're avoiding the question?”

“
For now. Tell me more about you.”

“
And if I'd rather not?”

“
That's your prerogative.”

She should end this end right now, if she had any sense.

“
What do you want to know?”

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?”

“
I'm always working.”

“
That's not what I asked.”

She had no hobbies, nothing else that consumed her. Numbers had always been her passion, and in particular the cohesion of structure and pattern. Randomness only invited chaos. But she could hardly tell him that. She didn't participate in team sports or in any other social activity. She didn't belong to any clubs, nor did she subscribe to any film or wine group, drama society, or political organisation. Somewhat dismayed, she looked around the room for inspiration.

“
I read.”

That was true. When she had time. Though she couldn't remember the last time she'd lost herself in a good book.

“
And?”

She had an uneasy feeling she'd been judged and found wanting?

“
That's it. Like I said I'm far too busy for anything else. And looking at the time, that includes chatting.”

“
Sure,” he typed. “Let's do it again tomorrow. Same time.”

Over my dead body
, she thought peevishly.

M
onth end was always a mad rush and the demand for historical data and realistic projections often kept Alice at her desk late into the evening.

“
Busy?” Daniel popped his dark head around her door. Besides being her current lover, he was the company's chief financial officer and a senior executive. Alice had a thing for Italian-looking men with dark and heavily defined eyebrows.

“
As if you need to ask. Are you after the March through June forecast?”

“
No,” he said. “Though I'll grab it if it's done.”

“
It's not. Give me another hour?”

“
Sure. That's not why I came down though.”

“
Oh?”

Closing the door quietly, he came over and took the chair in front of her desk.

“
Are you avoiding me?”

Alice blinked.

“
Why on earth would you think that?” she said, trying for a look of complete bafflement.

“
It's not polite to answer one question with another one. Did your mother never tell you that?”

Alice searched his face, looking for clues.

“
My mother told me a lot of things—including never to get involved with a married man.”

“
A wise woman.”

“
As it turns out.”

His hand was resting on his leg. Thick wristed, and with a delicious smattering of hair on the back and between the first and second knuckle of each tapering finger, it was well shaped and incredibly masculine. Alice considered how powerful it looked. How strong.

And wondered how it would feel to be bent over his knee, skirt bunched up and lacy panties caught around her ankles, her naked bottom pert and ready for punishment. Would that same hand come down hard enough to make her cry out? Would it caress her first? Run its palm lovingly over her quivering flesh, as if doubting the need for chastisement, even as he slipped a finger between her legs to probe for signs of wanton behaviour? She would hold still, allowing his investigation to be carried out without hindrance while his touch alone was enough to make her gasp and want more ….

Alice blinked, swallowed. And blushed.

What the hell had gotten into her?

“
Dinner later?” he asked.

Pulling herself together, she nodded. It was looking to be another long day, and if nothing else it would make a pleasant change from the amount of takeout she'd had lately. Plus, they would no doubt end up back at her place, where she had a decent Australian Shiraz waiting to be opened.

“
Lorenzo's at seven thirty?” he suggested, getting up and leaning over her desk. “I'll have the drinks ready.”

It really wasn't a good idea allowing the relationship to drag on, but she'd caught the scent of his cologne. Clean and sharp, lemon and bergamot. All it had taken was just one whiff to remind her just how attentive he could be in bed. And right at the moment she was in dire need of a good fuck.

“
Then I'd better not be late,” she countered.

T
he restaurant was busy, but not enough that she didn't immediately spot him leaning against the bar.

“
Perfect timing.”

He was holding out a welcoming tumbler. Colleague to colleague.

“
Thanks.”

It was all very polite and circumspect. No kiss or lingering touch, for by necessity such gestures had to be avoided, at least in public.

“
Are you hungry? Shall we find our table?” he said, glancing over his shoulder into the body of the room. “Or are you happy to remain here for a while.”

“
I'm actually happy to be on my feet.”

“
In that case, give me your coat.” He eased behind her while she pulled her arms from the sleeves. “Did you finish all you wanted to?”

“
Most of it.”

“
Good. Should be an interesting meeting this week, especially with the latest positioning of the European currencies. Did you hear Gerald's going?”

“
No!” Her head shot up in surprise.

“
Came as a shock to me too,” Daniel said, folding and passing her coat to a waiter to be deposited elsewhere.

Alice picked up her bourbon again and closing her eyes, savoured not only the rich smoky flavour of the Kentucky liquor, but also the immediate hit.

“
God, I needed that. Gerald? Wow! He's been with the company for years. Do you think they'll replace from within, or recruit? It won't be easy at that level.”

“
External is my guess. Fresh ideas and all that.”

“
Probably not a bad idea.”

Daniel was smiling. “Look, would you mind if we sat down after all? We need to talk.”

Surely this was nothing to do with the departure of Gerald Davis?

It wasn't.

He suggested they order first, and it was only when they were alone afterwards that Daniel reached across the table and took her hand. The thought came from nowhere that he had made exactly the same move on their first evening together.

“
I know this sounds far too much like a cliché, but you really do deserve better,” he said.

He appeared to be examining her fingers.

“
Do I?”

“
Yes.”

Alice studied the fine lines at the corner of his eyes and the darkening shadow along his jawbone. Was it her imagination, or was he looking a little tired?

“
So much more than I can ever give you, anyway,” he continued. “If there was any other way …. God, this hurts.” He lowered his head.

Alice gawped in astonishment. She couldn't believe it. He was breaking up with her? He couldn't be! She was the one who planned to end it. She was the one who was bored.

His thumb was rubbing gently over her knuckles.

“
It seems even crazier because we're so good together.”

Alice snatched her hand away.

“
Alice ….” It was as if he couldn't fathom how it had come to this.

“
Are you telling me it's over?” she demanded.

“
If there was any other way …. I never wanted to hurt you. You must know that.”

“
Hurt
me? Daniel, you think too highly of yourself.”

He stiffened and his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

“
You recall our first evening?” She was in control once more.

“
Of course … but ….”

“
I thought you understood.”

Now he was shaking his head. Pain was etched between his luxuriant brows.

“
Sex, Daniel,” Alice explained patiently. “That's all there's ever been between us.”

“
Of course. But that was back then. We had no idea how things would turn out.”

“
Not for me.”

“
I'm sorry. I don't believe it. What we had was more than that.”

“
No, Daniel. We simply fulfilled each other's needs. For me it was nothing more than physical relief. And you? Well, you can't say it wasn't a pleasant little fling, can you?” Alice ignored that he was looking as if he might choke. “However, I agree with you that this way is best. And mutually beneficial. You see, had you not made the move, I would have.”

She could see he wasn't sure whether to believe her or not, and so she laid her hand on his arm.

“
Like you said, we've had fun. But all good things must come to an end, and at least we can be civilised about it.” Then, seeing their waiter approaching with their first course, she draped her napkin across her lap.

“
Now tell me everything you know about Gerald.”

T
he first thing Alice did upon letting herself into her apartment was to chuck her bag at the sofa. The second was to let out an exasperated scream.

The third was to stride into the kitchen and take the JB from one cupboard and a heavy crystal glass from another. Then she turned to the freezer, and yanking open the door, thrust her hand inside the icy compartment to grab the blue plastic ice tray. A vicious twist, and two frozen cubes rattled in the bottom of her glass. Then she added a decent splash of liquor.

The drink hit the spot immediately, though the mouthful that followed was perhaps a little too soon. Glass in hand, she went over to the window and leaned against the metal frame to look out at the night. Over the years, gentrification had created a desirable address out of what had once been an area of disused factories and rundown warehouses. Although having only one bedroom, her third floor conversion lacked the liveable space of other apartments, but it still had a view—perhaps not a spectacular one, but pleasing nonetheless. Especially at night. Shadowy rooftops, pools of sodium yellow street lighting, and in the distance, as if global warming wasn't a factor for concern, high-rise office blocks lit up like Christmas trees.

She checked her wristwatch.

It was just after ten, and still seething from the ignominy of being dumped, she was ready for a spot of confrontation.

The question was, would he be online?

“
We meet again,” she typed, having relished the surge of adrenaline on finding the green light beside his username.

“
You came back.”

“
Why wouldn't I?”

Her heart was pounding. This was more like it.

“
Still testing the waters?” he typed.

“
???”

“
This site. Dominants and submissives. Role play.”

“
That's not why I'm here,” she typed.

“
No? Then why are you?”

“
Bad day,” she wrote.

“
Why?”

“
It's month end. That means additional work.”

“
Is that really all your life consists of? Work?”

“
As a matter of fact, I've been out for dinner.”

“
A date?”

“
No. A colleague.”

“
An affair of the heart?”

Mmm. Well, let's see what he has to say to this.

“
Until earlier today,” she typed.

“
And now it's over?”

“
Yes.”

“
Your decision?”

“
Yes.”

“
Why?”

“
It was becoming tedious.”

“
That sounds harsh. Are you so easily bored?”

“
Only by men.”