Undercover (2 page)

 “The navy, huh? Isn’t that exciting? How did you decide to do
that
? What do you do there? Is it scary? Must be in the colder part of the year now, right?”

Her stream of words made him smile. “It’s not very exciting to do… or talk about. How did
you
decide to work here?”

She got almost half an hour with the intriguing guest before Mark came back, wearing a distant smile she knew was reserved for clients. “So, you’ve had a coffee break, that’s good. Should we continue the tour?”

Jenny didn’t want them to go, at least not without her going with them. Most people only stopped by the little office building once, so when he was gone, he was most likely gone for good. Alex solved her dilemma by flashing an enigmatic smile, saying, “It has been very nice talking to you. Perhaps I will see you for lunch?”

He wouldn’t, not just like that. For someone spending all her time talking to customers, she got to see very little of them. She dared risk paralysis and looked into Alex’s eyes. “I don’t know. For a salesman, he’s sort of rude, you know. He hasn’t invited me.”

It seemed a bit risky, but surely, the old joke would work this time too. “Everyone in this building is friends, except for him. Mark only has colleagues.”

Mark initiated the saying himself, years earlier, and now he rolled his eyes and answered the same way he always did, “Well, that’s true. I mean, who would want to be friends with you guys?”

Alex lifted his eyebrows, evidently amused. “But I insist. Unless the lady has some other… engagement.”

Jenny grinned like a contented cat, and Mark chuckled at his own joke. He answered, completely unfazed by the large Russian towering over him, “Alright, Jen, you can come. We’ll take this way back and pick you up.”

She could have hugged him. It was hard to hide her excitement, and she took the mugs to the sink to keep herself occupied. “Okay, boys. See you later.”

*****

When Mark and Alex went to get their coats, Jenny watched their backs for a second with a longing she couldn’t define. She must have been alone for too long. She shook herself out of it and went towards her office, but her feet stopped just before crossing the threshold. At the other end of the corridor, Alex looked back over his shoulder and winked at her. Her heart skipped a beat, and in the next moment Nori was there, pulling her into the room.

Trying to whisper wasn’t Nori’s strong side, and Jenny was happy the men already left the building when her friend asked, “What was that? What just happened? Are you crazy? He’s probably from the Russian mafia or something, and you’re going to get yourself raped and killed.”

Jenny sighed and made a dismissive gesture, but her friend knew her much too well for something like that to work. As hard as she tried not to confess anything, Nori was relentless, and she finally sat down. “Oh hell yes, he’s gorgeous. I feel… I don’t know… It was electric.”

Her friend giggled. “So, when will you see him again?”

Nori had always been the pushier one, and Jenny took a lot of pleasure in delivering the news. “Soon. Mark invited me for lunch. They’ll come pick me up.”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop grinning. Lunch was just a little over an hour away.

Nori’s eyes were just as dark as her hair, and now they went wide with cheerful surprise. “Ooooh, that’s great. I’m so proud of you.”

Looking innocent was almost impossible, but Jenny managed, at least for a few seconds. “Don’t be. He sort of asked. I didn’t do a thing.”

“Who did? Mark?”

Jenny winked and replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “No, silly, Alex did.”

Her friend squealed, loud enough to carry into the surrounding rooms, “Oooh, that’s great, this is so exciting.”

Jenny smirked. It hadn’t taken Nori many seconds to forget all about the Russian mafia and the possibilities of her being raped, murdered, and possibly cut up into little pieces to be conveniently fed to any predator nearby.

Chapter Two

Jenny was happy she didn’t meet anyone on her way to the ladies’ room. She
had
to be beaming with excitement, and she was warm and flustered. Luckily, her make-up appeared to be in the right place with mascara on her lashes instead of under her eyes. Maybe she could hide somewhere, just to make sure nothing would be able to sabotage the lunch. Maybe she could go to the basement, no one would look for her down there, but she didn’t want to risk missing Mark and Alex. It would be nothing short of disaster if they came back and couldn’t find her.

As minutes crept by she thought they wouldn’t come back. Then, she heard Mark holler her name from the corridor, and she pulled her boots on and went to meet them. She tried to wiggle her arms into her coat as she walked, and somehow messed it up like a little girl. Alex smiled, and it was enough to make her fumble.

She cursed on the inside, wondering what it was with this stranger that made her unable to handle even the simplest task. He took the long jacket away from her and held it up, and Jenny beamed, “A polite man. I’ve never met one before.”

He winked at her, sending a tingle down her spine, and Mark shouted, “Hah, we’d be polite if there were any ladies here…”

After that addition to the discussion, he chuckled and took the lead outside, talking constantly, just as usual. It must be the secret to his success. He could entertain anyone.

The day was beautiful, cold but sunshiny, and the little group walked the short distance to the restaurant. The ground was icy and slippery, and even though Jenny was used to it, she stepped carefully. She didn’t want to end up sprawled on her behind. Mark, on the other hand, skated on his shoes like a little boy.

Alex shook his head and offered her his arm. The gesture made Jenny feel like a teenager. This time she
had
to be blushing. Walking arm in arm with him was exciting, and at the same time, the most natural thing in the world.

As much as she tried not to, the tips of her fingers took on a life of their own, feeling the fabric of his coat with stealthy little movements. It was a coarse weave, and she was sure the coat was both thick and heavy. He looked like a spy. Wouldn’t that be exciting?

He was much taller than she, even though she wore high-heeled boots, and he smelled like coffee and chocolate. She immediately scolded herself for being silly and shallow. This was a customer, not a date, and she needed to get a grip.

She must have gone a little crazy at some point between getting out of bed and arriving at the office that morning. It wasn’t normal to have all these fantasies about a stranger from a foreign country, who for all she knew might have three wives, seventeen children, and a number of unmentionable diseases.

Of course, that thought made her realize she was still thinking about him, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, exasperated with herself. She didn’t expect anyone to notice, and Alex’s concerned, “Is everything alright?” pushed her even further into her schoolgirl crush. His words also pulled her back enough to reality to nod and smile, and inspired a little lie. “Couldn’t be better. I just remembered something I forgot to do.”

*****

Alex had a good appetite. He was honestly hungry, and appreciated the meal almost as much as the beautiful woman in front of him. Her hair was so blond and curly, falling loose over her shoulders, and he wanted to touch it. Would it be as soft as it looked? Why hadn’t anyone told him beauties like this didn’t only reside in the fabled Hollywood?

He had known women before, in great numbers, but something about her made him feel warm. It was a new and interesting sensation, and when he felt her watching him, he smiled. She smiled back, showing pearly white teeth.

Mark eventually finished his pile of food and asked, “You want some coffee?”

“No, thank you. I’d like to go outside for a while. It’s a nice day for a walk.”

Jenny smirked, and Mark got a look of utter surprise on his face. Alex grinned when Jenny chirped, “Haha, he hates walking,” and Mark shook his head, muttering, “Walk…”

Tilting his head a little to the side, Alex said, “Walking is good for you.”

Jenny nodded, “Yes Mark, it
is
good for you.”

“Well, if it’s so good for you, why don’t
you
take him for a walk?”

That idea suited Alex just fine, and he kept his eyes fixed on her. Surely, watching her while waiting for an answer must be acceptable.

“It would be my pleasure. What would you prefer, town or nature?”

He had no idea what she was talking about, but pretended to think about it. “I do not know. Perhaps town today and nature tomorrow?”

Jenny beamed and Mark groaned, “Yeah, I’m not going. You two have fun with that.”

*****

It didn’t take long until they strolled arm in arm through the alleway leading up to town, and Jenny tried to keep a casual tone of voice, in spite of the fact that the large Russian man was very close. “It’s a small town, but it’s okay I guess. It has everything we need, and it’s not far to the next one. Uh, is there anything special you’d like to see?”

Holding on to his arm was pleasant, and would be easy to get used to.

Alex gave his head a slight shake. “No. Take me somewhere you would like to go.”

His accent was sexy enough to make her melt, and she squeezed his arm a little harder. He smiled. “It is a fine day and I am walking with a beautiful woman, how could life be better?”

She didn’t know what to answer, and they walked in silence until crossing a large parking lot, close to the shops that lined the main street. Jenny nodded towards a window and confessed, “That’s my favorite store.”

The moment the words left her lips, she wondered why she said it. It was the last place anyone would take a tourist. She needed to remember that he
was
a tourist and not hers to keep.

Alex got a curious look on his face and pulled her with him towards the window. She thought she might die from embarrassment when he eyed an astonishing amount of golden Buddha-figures, fairies, and trolls.

“Interesting. I expected shoes.”

He was at the entrance before she could say anything, and a sweet scent of incense attacked them as he pulled the door open and held it for her.

Jenny sort of knew the store owner. She wouldn’t call them friends, but at least acquaintances, and the older woman flashed a bright smile when she saw a familiar face enter the little shop. She stood behind the counter as always, and called out, “Hey Jen, it’s good to see you. You haven’t been in here for a while.”

It was difficult to walk all the way to the register without looking back to see if Alex was watching, but Jenny managed, and Joanna came around the counter to pull her into a hug. She smelled of sweet perfume and whispered, “Oh my goodness, where did you find that man? He’s so handsome, and your auras glow together.”

Jenny didn’t believe in auras, regardless of Joanna’s conviction they were real. Her friend’s words still made her unreasonably happy. “He just stood in the door to my office this morning.”

She giggled quietly, and Joanna giggled too. “This morning? Oh sweetie, this is so exciting. You’re keeping him, aren’t you?”

“Oh yes.” At the same time as she wondered how she could say a thing like that, she marveled at how heartily she meant it.

Both women glanced over towards the object of their gossiping. Alex seemed fascinated with the number of dragons and other mythological creatures on the shelves, and picked up a fairy with a thoughtful expression on his face. Turning his head towards them, he flashed a smile, “These are lovely.”

It was difficult not to stare: he was almost too handsome. As childish as it was, she wanted to touch his hair, just to see what it felt like. Running her fingers through it would be most excellent. Luckily, Joanna wasn’t dumbstruck. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Like a mix between a fairy and a witch. She’ll give good luck in love for sure.”

Jenny’s cheeks flushed hot. Why did Joanna have to talk about love? And what was wrong with her even mentioning this store in the first place? She should have been able to figure out something like this would happen. “Alex, this is my friend Joanna.”

He came up to the counter, smiled and offered his hand, with the fairy still firmly held in the other. “It is nice to meet you, Joanna. I think I’ll have to buy this one.”

His way of pronouncing the name, with a little pause after the first syllable was charming, and Joanna’s face turned crimson red.

*****

Jenny and Alex stayed in the store a few minutes more, and when they left, he murmured, “I can see why you enjoy that place. It’s very peaceful, and still has a lot to look at.”

She smiled wryly, “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

He paused and looked at her with a little frown. “No more than anyone else, probably less.”

Automatically wrapping her hands around his arm again, he smiled, turning her insides to warm mush.

They stopped every now and then to look in a window, but he shook his head every time she asked if he wanted to look closer at anything. Eventually, she said, trying not to giggle at the unfamiliar words, “Captain Lieutenant, is that what you said you are?”

Alex laughed softly, “It’s not as good as it sounds.”

The comment made her giggle for real, it was impossible not to, and she struggled with herself to get to the point. “I was just wondering if you like it here. Is it what you expected?”

He fell serious. “I like it, but it is not at all what I expected. It’s very different from where I come from. Now, tell me about you.”

Jenny smiled and shrugged, “I’m really not interesting.”

She talked about herself anyway, just because he asked. They reached the office far too quickly. She didn’t want to burst the magic bubble they were in by going inside to the real life world with its real life problems. Alex also seemed to hesitate outside the building, and she wondered if he shared her sentiment.