Page 13 of Stained
“I do not know, Ms. Colbert, but I will say that Ms. Moreau rarely wastes people’s time. Her own time is precious to her. Ms. Moreau has asked that you meet her in her home downtown.” Ms. Clayborn paused. “I am confident that you are not in trouble, Ms. Colbert.”
Alicia looked to Candice for help. Her roommate merely shrugged.
“All right.” Alicia checked her reflection in the living room mirror hanging by the window. A ratty white T-shirt and frayed denim shorts looked back at her. Her hair didn’t look much better. Needed a good combing, that was for sure. “Give me ten minutes to get changed. Tell Ms. Moreau that I’ll be…”
Alicia hadn’t even finished talking when Ms. Sarah Clayborn lowered her headset and confirmed that Alicia Colbert would be coming. Promptly.
Chapter 5
Alicia rode in the back of a Lincoln Town Car. A common enough sight on the streets of downtown, where high-rollers lived and played during the week.Never thought I would be riding in one of these, though.Sarah Clayborn sat beside her, silent and stiff. The driver was an older man who spoke with a posh accent and had the shiniest hat Alicia had ever seen. She had tried to introduce herself when she got in the back of the car, but the man kept his eyes forward and pretended not to know that she existed.
She was offended at first, but as the car rolled down the street, diving deeper into downtown, she realized this man was paid to keep his nose out of everyone’s business.
I look and feel ridiculous.Alicia had no idea how to dress, so she could compete with designer labels. The best she could do was a black pencil skirt and a black and white striped silk blouse that showed off her cleavage. Not that both pieces were anything more than simple department store fare. She hadn’t even bought them at DeMonte’s, the ritziest chain around.
Her jewelry was made out of nickel and cubic zirconia. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail that showed off the nicest makeup in her apartment – Candice’s Elf collection. Ms. Moreau wouldn’t hold any of this against her, right? She knew Alicia was a poor girl, right? Ms. Clayborn hadn’t said anything when Alicia walked out of her room dressed to go to a middle-class job interview. Had the tights been a nice touch? Or too much? With her luck, her black heels would break halfway up Danica's front stoop.
Haha. Like she had a stoop!
Alicia didn’t know where the woman lived, but she was not expecting to park in front of a high-rise building. The driver got out and opened the door for her. “This is it?” she asked Ms. Clayborn, stepping onto the busy sidewalk swarming with office workers on their commute home. “I thought you said she had a house downtown.”
“She does.” Ms. Clayborn pointed upward. “In there.”
Okay!
The doorman coolly greeted them. They took a hidden elevator away from the main lobby. When the gilded doors opened on some unknown floor, Alicia was greeted with utter, peaceful silence… and a red carpeted hallway.
“This way.” Ms. Clayborn pulled out a keycard and flexed her fingers on a door’s keypad. Alicia felt like they were stealing through the servants’ entrance.
Far from the truth.
“Wow.” She entered an atrium. That’s what this was, right? No way was this a woman’s humble abode.Ha! Humble!Alicia had to crane her head back to look up three stories, where a myriad of steel beams crossed and distributed the sunlight streaming through the polished skylights. When she lowered and focused her eyes again, she realized she was standing in an open room full of sparse leather furniture and potted plants, each sweetin scent and texture. A fountain trickled in the center of the atrium, topped with a statue of a warrior-like mermaid carrying a trident.
“Please, Ms. Colbert.” Ms. Clayborn gestured to the floating staircase leading up to the second floor. “I will take you to where you are to wait for Ms. Moreau. She’s on a call.”
Alicia nodded. She was too busy making sure she didn’t trip up the stairs to say anything of substance.
Ms. Clayborn left her in a dark, medium-sized room that boasted a single window overlooking the downtown metropolis. At least it was a great view. Alicia bypassed more leather furniture and antique standing lamps to take in the purple and pink clouds appearing on the far horizon. An airplane floated not too far away. The soft carpeting of the room made her heels slowly sink, her hand gripping the windowsill to steady herself.
She didn’t know how many minutes had passed before she heard a familiar voice.
“So glad to see you again, Ms. Colbert.”
At least Alicia wasn’t startled this time. When she turned to face the woman who got her fired – and took her virginity, one could not forget – she was prepared to see Danica Moreau dressed in another crisp suit.Oh, it’s better.Instead, Danica wore a loose-fitting black tunic dress that met her knees, her bare calves tapering into stylish black heels. She also had the perfectly combed black hair and the kind of dark, stark makeup that would grace Alicia’s imagination for a while.
The perfume. It was back. Stronger than ever? Well, something had to herald her arrival.
“I hope you summoned me here to apologize.” No need to impress the woman now. Not like she was her boss or anything.
Danica stopped her slow advancement. Her eyes glistened in curiosity before she spoke. “Now, what do I have to apologize for?”
Alicia snorted. “Let’s start with purposely seducing me so you could turn around and get me fired. I was let in on your game.”
“Ah.” Danica stuck her hands in her dress pockets before sauntering over to a coffee table along the edge of the mahogany paneled wall. One hand came out to flip open a first edition copy ofWuthering Heights. “To be fair, Ms. Colbert, you were made aware of the rules. You chose to ignore them. For that, you were justly let go from your position. I can’t have hostesses in my club who will do such things with guests.”
Heat flamed in Alicia’s cheeks. “What makes you think I thought of you as a guest?”
“You’re not suggesting that I forced you… are you?” That careful gaze over her shoulder made Alicia shudder where she stood.What a bitch.
