A Charitable Scandal

The Last Touch

I took a seat in the spacious room and looked out the window overlooking the city as I awaited Alec's arrival. My skin prickled at the thought of sitting alone with him. My pulse raced as I thought of his eyes only looking at me, his attention singularly placed upon me. I felt a pull in my throat as my ears picked up the sound of his feet stepping lightly upon the hard commercial carpet. I wanted to linger upon a dream where there was no job and no Tamara that could block us from playfully flirting and slowly pushing the boundaries between the two of us. But we didn't get that luxury. It was just a fantasy and I needed to separate dream from reality.

"So let's go over our role for next week."

I turned around to find him taking a seat next to me, watching me from over top his glasses. I cursed my nerves as fear immediately took my eyes to my tablet.

"I scheduled a dinner at the Primrose." I pulled up the reservation and slid my tablet over to Alec. With his brown eyes cast to the screen, I found the ability to look at him fully. "The reservation is for their lounge from eight to close. Bar will be open, of course, and they'll provide butlered hors d'oeuvres for the first hour before providing an entree catered to our guests' dietary requirements. It will be finished off with an assortment of desserts."

"That was quick. I expected we'd have to shop around a little before finding a restaurant that could meet our needs."

He looked up at me, but even though a smile brightened his face, the weight of business in the conversation kept my head level so that I could continue without hesitation. "When you have Mr. Quinto's credit card in your hand it's easy to secure things like this." I even managed to give him a smile. I mentally patted myself on the back.

"So how many can the lounge hold?"

"Thirty, but I recommend we keep it around half that so that it feels full, but not crowded. I think it will have a nice air of exclusivity."

"I agree," he said, leaning back and perusing through the menu I'd been sent from the restaurant. "I've already secured four guests who will be bringing significant others. I expect to hear positive responses back from two more, but I have a couple in the wing that I'm sure I can grab last minute, though they don't have quite the earning power we're looking for."

"With those, Mr. and Mrs. Quinto, Kyle Quinto, and the two of us, that should put us a little over half."

"Kyle will be bringing a guest as well."

"One more person won't tip the scale and I should have assumed someone handsome and wealthy, as well as being the president of a multi-billion dollar company, would have a girlfriend to bring."

"It's not a girlfriend, at least not publicly. He's bringing his aide." Alec cleared his throat and squinted at the tablet to better assess a portion of the menu. "We should remove the chicken satay and peanut sauce. Senator Hechts is allergic..."

"The president is bringing his aide? As in Tamara?"

"Yes," said Alec with another attempt to clear his throat. "He didn't want to come alone to an event full of couples. Ms. Hudson, however, does have some food allergies we haven't accounted for..."

"She's lucky you're so considerate of her." It came out as a low growl muttered beneath my heated breath, but the stark silence that followed indicated that it wasn't quite low enough.

"Will there be a problem Lex?"

"I..."

He sighed and grabbed his forehead.

"No, wait. Sorry. I'm just taking my frustrations out on you. I didn't want her to come, but I can't just tell the president of the company no. I can't tell any of them no. They're our superiors and we can't question their decisions, especially if our concerns come from someplace personal."

I heard a pull in his voice that grabbed at something bigger than an unpleasant dinner guest. My curiosity perked me up and shook away my animosity.

"No, I am sorry," I replied. "She just hasn't been that kind to me since we met and I just wasn't looking forward to spending a night with her. I realize your history with her is far more difficult than mine and I misspoke. Sorry."

"Is that what's bothering you?"

He turned to face me, his head tilted with concern, his eyes warm, and his smile charming. I felt my heartbeat pick up as my determination to keep a safe distance from him began to waver. "Pardon?"

"You've been acting a bit oddly since..." His words trailed and he looked through the wall of glass enclosing the conference room from the Pit. I knew that look well. It was the same one I shared with Emily on what was becoming a rather regular basis. "Ever since Friday, you've seemed off." He turned back to face me and this time I found a longing gaze looking back at me from behind his glasses. "I mean I figured you were upset, but now I'm uncertain how you feel."

I wanted to tell him that we both shared that sentiment, but fear kept my tongue a heavy leaden weight in my mouth.

"Is this a professional concern or does my relationship with Tamara make it hard for you to work with her? Does it have something to do with Friday night?"

He was speaking so openly about it. Nothing, but a thin sheet of glass protected our secret from eager ears. I glanced around the room. A black, glassy orb watched us from the corner. My breath grew quick, heat climbed to the surface of my skin, and a dampness coated my palms.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice shifting from a lusty seriousness to honest concern. "You don't look well."

I turned to face him and as I did I caught the movement of his hand reaching out to embrace my own. The moment his fingertips brushed my skin, I snatched my hand away as if their touch burned me to the bone. I then looked to the camera and I wondered if the fear, the pleading in my eyes would translate to the viper watching me.

"I see."

Again, I turned back and when I looked at Alec, all I saw was a blank coldness aging his tired countenance. However, behind his golden brown eyes, made large in his glasses, I saw pain that broke the barriers around my heart.

"No, no." Unfortunately, for once, my words were too light and soft to land on Alec's ears.

"I'm sorry for my behavior. I've acted unprofessionally and without your permission. I understand if you have a desire to report me to HR."

"No, no." The words were louder, but a wall had already surrounded Alec and they never made it to him.

"But, please don't fear me anymore. I will not pursue anything except a professional relationship with you. Please don't let my actions keep you from performing your job." He rose up from his chair while I still stammered out my negation against his words. "You've done well. I think we're pretty set for next week. Just keep me up to date when you can."

He walked out the door and left me alone at the table. I looked up at the camera — words, emotions, desires all failing me beneath the weight of her invisible glare. I took a few deep breaths before planting my forehead rather firmly onto the tabletop.

***

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