Undercover (3 page)

They still had to go in, of course. Mark sat at one of the tables in the lunchroom. “Did you have a good walk? It’s cold out there, want some coffee?”

Alex glanced down into Jenny’s eyes, and she nodded. They took seats at opposite sides of the table, and she fought with herself not to fidget and not to ogle. Maybe she would have to sit on her hands to keep them in place.

Mark looked at her with a frown. He probably wondered why she looked so happy at work.  “Let’s see, we’re continuing the mill tour this afternoon. Eh, could you give him a logistics overview tomorrow?”

They talked about people in third person all the time, but when it was about
Alex
it seemed kind of rude. He sat right next to them, and Mark made it sound like he was a potted plant. The opportunity to have more time with the enigmatic visitor was thrilling though.

She shrugged and pretended she wasn’t eager at all. “Sure.”

Mark found his phone in a pocket and looked at the calendar. “Dammit, I’ve gotta take the kids tomorrow morning. Could you stop by the hotel and…”

He trailed off and Jenny cheered on the inside. She could almost feel her imaginary halo fall askew. “Of course.”

Mark looked pleased with himself and turned to Alex, “Seems like we’ve gotten it all worked out. I’ve scheduled dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight, and Jen will pick you up in the morning. Tomorrow I’ll leave you in her loving hands until lunch. Sound good?”

He didn’t give their guest a chance to answer. He jumped off the chair and exclaimed, “So, tour of the plant, are you ready?”

*****

The men left at the same time as Jenny’s phone started to ring, and she ran into her office. Nori plopped down on the edge of her desk the very second she hung up. “I saw you through the window. You two looked very cute, you know, you look at each other like lovers and not at all like new acquaintances.”

Jenny shrugged, but her friend wasn’t that easily fooled. “So, what are you gonna do about it?”

It was a good question. “I have no idea.”

Nori laughed, “Well, you know what I always say—”

“Yes, yes I know, but I can’t just jump him. What do you want me to do, tear his clothes off?”

The very idea of
her
doing a thing like
that
seemed preposterous, and if Nori laughed any harder, she’d probably fall to the floor.

“Yes. That’s exactly what you should do. He’s a man, he won’t say no. It’s in their genes, you know, spreading DNA and all that stuff.”

The entire situation was crazy, and she was grateful to be literally saved by the bell as the phone rang again. It turned out to be a long and intense afternoon, payback for slacking before lunch, and it was difficult to focus on what needed to be done. Could Nori’s approach have some merit?

She didn’t expect Mark to bring Alex back to the office, and she forced herself to stare straight ahead, eyes fixed on the computer screen, when she heard their voices a few hours later. Mark’s head appeared in the door. “Hey, Chicky, it’s time for coffee. Have you made coffee? Did you at least make yourself useful and put on a pot of coffee? Please say you made coffee.”

Jenny stuck her tongue out at him. “No, I have not. I’ve been working. You’re obsessed with coffee, make your own.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Yeah,
sure
you have, whatever you say, now get your little butt out here and help me, will you?”

Nori came too, eyes sparkling with curiosity. “So… You’ve had a good time?”

Alex leaned against the wall, “Yes. It has been very… interesting.”

“More or less so than the fairies?”

Mark spun around, holding a measuring cup in one hand and a can of coffee in the other. “What? I let you go off with a customer for five minutes, and you take him to the city nutcase?”

It might not have been her best decision ever, but Alex had surely survived worse. She shrugged, and Nori exclaimed, “Oh do shut up and let the man answer.”

A smile tugged at Alex’s lips and he looked quite content. He fixed his eyes on Jenny. “You know, I have been to industries before, they are everywhere, but I have never in my life met a fairy until today.”

If she hadn’t already been helplessly in love with him, she would have fallen that very second. She was vaguely aware of Nori’s eyes glittering, and Mark shaking his head, muttering, “Crazy, they’re all crazy.”

Nori nudged Jenny. “I guess you’re going to dinner with them tonight?”

“No. Since Mark isn’t really our friend, he hasn’t invited me. Did he forget you too?”

Mark huffed, “You guys just want free food.”

Nori ignored him and grimaced. “Yes. He forgot me again. He really is hopeless, isn’t he?”

Alex lifted an eyebrow, and Jenny wondered if all this friendly bickering was very different from his usual life.

Mark did his best to look exhausted and shook his head. “Alright. You can come, both of you. Seven-thirty.”

Nori’s face was the epitome of innocence. “Sad though I can’t go. I have to pick up the kids.”

Jenny bit her cheek, trying not to laugh, and Mark looked at the ceiling, as if asking a higher power for strength. “Women. Are you surprised I never ask you?”

Chapter Three

When the day was finally over, Jenny flew home on a beam of moonlight to get dressed for dinner. Rummaging through her closet, everything looked either too shabby or too partyish. How much make-up could she put on to look pretty without overdoing it? Should she wear her hair up or down, big, or sophisticated? There were so many decisions to make.

Normally, she wouldn’t care. She accidentally went to work in jeans and a pajama-top once, and ended up wearing an electrician’s jacket all day. Now, she was vain.

It took some time, but she finally got herself together and took a taxi to the hotel. It was still early; she didn’t have the patience to wait at home.

She took a seat by the bar, and ordered a glass of wine to spend the time. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned around, she looked into Alex’s warm eyes.

“I am happy to see you here.”

She was happy to see him too, but would rather die than confess it. “Did the room get boring?”

“Yes.”

They talked about nothing for a little while, skimming over the events of the day, and when Jenny ran out of neutral things to talk about, she asked, “What do you think of everything? I mean… the mill, us, the country?”

He leaned a little closer. “No… You know everything about me. Tell me more about
you
.”

That didn’t sound fun at all, but it was hard to say no when he was so close. “Well, that won’t take very long.”

His voice sounded hypnotic. “I don’t mean about your work, we’ve done that. Tell me about you. Tell me about your family, about your life.”

As flattering as his interest was, her life seemed completely uninteresting. “I have a big house I don’t live in. I have a cat, her name is Belinda. She’s gorgeous and likes to eat uncatty things like melons and bread.”

Touching her left hand, he murmured, “You’ve been wearing rings not long ago.”

She didn’t expect anyone to notice, and looked down at her own finger with a frown. The divorce was over, but the mark of belonging remained. Her skin tingled where he touched her. What would it be like to be touched by him in more places?

“Oh, that. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as years went by, I realized we didn’t have any love. There wasn’t any passion, you know. And then, for a while, you stick together out of old habit. It’s just easier to stay than to go. It’s safe to have someone to belong to, someone who’s there for you, even if it’s not always good and he’s always drunk. It’s scary to be on your own.”

His eyes burned through her clothes, through her body and into her very soul when he stated, “A life without passion is not worth living. We have an old Russian saying…”

Mark’s voice interrupted them, and the sound level in the room rose with several decibels. “Oh, there you are. I was waiting in the lobby… C’mon guys.”

Jenny whispered, “But I wanted to hear the Russian saying.” If nothing else, just to hear him talk.

Mark waved towards the lobby where a couple of men from the office waited, and together they seemed to fill the room.

Alex put a hand at the small of her back, escorting her to the table, and the little touch sent a tingle through her, rendering her short of breath. He mumbled, “It is impossible to live without the sun, and it is impossible to live without your beloved.”

At that moment, she knew she was lost.

*****

Jenny ordered a taco salad in a bowl made from a deep-fried tortilla. It fascinated everyone around the table, and she shared willingly enough. She sat between Alex and Mark, and the latter kept trying to steal more of her food. She eventually threatened to stab her colleague with her fork, but couldn’t keep from giggling when he drawled, “Hey, I’m paying for this feast, I should at least be entitled to taste.”

Opposite Jenny sat Tom, a large and friendly man, who shook his head as he watched Mark poke her food. “This isn’t normal. You know that, don’t you? You two have been working together for way too long.”

Next to Tom sat his friend Leonard, who laughed at the remark. Jenny retorted, “Well, so have the two of you. Don’t you know we call you the Siamese twins?”

They were known to occasionally come to work dressed similarly, in a way that reminded her of girls in high-school.

Leonard grinned, completely unfazed, “And I know everything that happens in your office. Nori’s voice carries.”

Just how much of the day’s conversations had they overheard? It was time to change the subject.  “Likewise. Hey, you must be dying for golf season?”

“You have no idea.”

When it was nearly ten o’clock, Tom yawned, “Sorry, guys, I’m gonna be boring and go home. My wife says she hasn’t seen me for days, and I sorta miss her.”

Mark chuckled and Jenny saw an opportunity to joke. “Really? Your wife? I thought you had to go home and take care of your kids. How old are they again? Was it nineteen and twenty-one?”

Tom laughed. He’d been using his children as an excuse for getting out of office parties for years. He made a pacifying gesture, “Okay, I’ll have to remember never to use that one again.”

Leonard leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “I should be going too. Mark, want me to drive you home?”

They were neighbors and it was reasonable, but Jenny still rolled her eyes and teased, “Right guys, you’re a ton of fun. See you tomorrow.”

She didn’t move to get up, and Tom’s blue eyes fixed on her. “How are
you
getting home?”

It was a simple question, friendly, and asked out of concern for her, but still made her feel guilty. She wanted to defend herself, but smiled and answered in the same light tone she used all evening, “The same way I got here. Little thing with four wheels, I think they call them taxis.”

Tom nodded, but he still looked thoughtfully at her when they left. He wasn’t that easily fooled.

*****

The Americans and their constant bickering amused Alex. They weren’t putting up a show, this seemed to be their everyday life, and it must be nice to work with friends. As soon as Mark, Tom, and Leonard left, the restaurant seemed empty. There were still a few people at surrounding tables, but the silence was almost tangible.

Jenny played with her cup, and he kept his eyes fixed on her hands. There was some power at work he didn’t fully understand, something about this girl he couldn’t resist, and he wanted to investigate it before he had to leave. He wanted her, of course he did. She was an attractive woman, but that wasn’t it. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about her, and not just in a physical sense.

He realized what was missing, and grimaced, “Back home, all this would have come with vodka. Would you like to… go somewhere? For a drink?”

She glanced up and he held her gaze, hoping she would say yes. A smile reached her eyes. “I would like that very much. It’s a small town, but we do have a bar, and it will be open.”

He held her jacket up for her, and worked hard with keeping his eyes level with her head instead of staring at her body.

The winter cold was a stark contrast to the warmth in the restaurant, and the woman by his side shivered. It made him want to wrap his arms around her to protect her from the weather, but he didn’t. It wasn’t his place. Instead, they walked arm in arm down the street.

It took only a few steps before she slipped on an icy spot, and he hurried to catch her, for a moment carrying her full weight in his arms. Holding her made his heart race, and he controlled his face carefully.

She seemed flustered and he smiled, wanting to appear as non-threatening as humanly possible. Not kissing her was difficult when their faces were so close, but he forced the impulse down.

*****

It was a small pub for a small town, and when Jenny peeked in through the door, she saw maybe five people in the room, counting the barmaid. The place had a British feel to it, and consisted of a small outer room with a high counter next to a few lower tables with chairs around them.

Alex looked around, “People in my country drink far too much vodka. I think it’s an inheritance from the good old bad days, and it has become a part of our culture. Many people have vodka for breakfast, and a place like this would be filled with people always.”

Were people in his country drunk all the time? That didn’t sound pleasant.

They took a seat by a table, but Alex soon nodded towards the next room. “Do you want to play?”

She could see a pool table through the door. She never tried, not even once in her life, and she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. Not now, not with him. “I don’t know… I’ve never done it. Maybe…”

She trailed off, at a loss for words, and he smiled. “Never? My sweet Jenny, I will teach you.”

The word “sweet” pushed her fear of failure to the side and made her cheeks heat. She hardly listened at all when he explained the object of the game. She didn’t even hear the differences between eight ball and nine ball, but tried to pay attention when he showed her how to shoot.