Page 26 of The Alpha Escort Agency
“It wasn't a date.”
“You met up in the evening for food and drinks.” Maria stabs her fork in Alice's direction. “It was a date.”
“It was two friends meeting up ….” Her words dwindle away as Maria's glare intensifies. “Okay, maybe it wasonedate, but that doesn't mean we are dating.” Although she isn't sure that is strictly the truth, but then again the truth doesn't seem to be going down as well as she thought it would with her best friend. “Anyway, I thought you wanted me to date. How many years have I had to put up with your 'why do you want to be alone, Alice?' and 'why don't you find an Alpha to keep you company, Alice?'” She smirks.
“I've wanted you to have someone, yes, but honestly, Alice!” She twirls the fork dramatically in the air. “Finally,finally, you go on a date for the first time in years, but of course it would have to be with a,” she lowers her voice to a whisper, “prostitute.”
Alice flinches. “He's not a prostitute, Maria,” she says weakly.
“Trust you to develop feelings for the man you paid to sleep with you.” Rolling her eyes, she skewers a baby tomato onto her fork, pops it into her mouth and chews furiously.
“I'm not developing feelings for him, I just enjoy his company.”
“Same thing,” Maria grumbles with her mouth full.
“And anyway it was one date and as I've told you many, many times: I'm not interested in dating. Especially now, when I'm so tied up with this pitch. That is the only thing I'm interested in right now.” She shovels pasta into her mouth to prevent herself from saying anymore, because perhaps that is not strictly the truth either.
“So what are you going to do about your next heat?”
“My next heat?” Alice feels the blood drain from her face. Maria's got her now.
“It's next week, right? What will you do this time?”
“Jhhcvcjhgjv,” Alice mumbles.
“Pardon?”
Lifting her coffee to her lips, and shielding herself behind the cup, she says, “He's coming again.”
When she lowers the cup back down, Maria is staring at her open-mouthed. “Bloody hell, Alice," she says eventually. “That is—”
Alice pushes her food away and jumps to her feet. “Stop lecturing me, will you, Maria?” Raising her shoulders and her chin, she adds, “Just because your life is so damn perfect.”
Her friend balks and for a brief second everything seems to freeze, time suspended, before the corners of Maria's mouth fall and her body slumps.
“Shit! Maria, I'm sorry,” Alice says, racing around to gather her up in her arms. “I'm sorry. Did something happen?”
"No, nothing new. Just Ed acting strangely." Maria sniffles. “I'm sorry if I seem a nag — I just don't want you to get hurt like me.”
Alice squeezes her tighter. “I won't. I promise.”
Perhaps she should feel uneasy after this conversation with Maria, but instead there is something bubbling away in her stomach that seems to grow by the day. She tells herself it's the pitch. The preparation is going even better than she'd hoped. The proposal is shaping up and Callum has created some fantastic visuals. On Friday, she meets up with Lisa for their weekly update and Alice reports the progress.
Lisa runs her eyes over Callum's designs. “These are good,” she says, “a little more finessing needed perhaps, but good. Have you started the pitch presentation?”
“That's on the list for next week. I think it should write itself, though. We've done all the preparation and thinking already.”
“We need something that's going to blow them away.” Lisa lowers the paper back to the desk. “How about we meet first thing Monday with the team for a bit of a brainstorm? I'm willing to invest in some creatives for this, but it's got to be good.”
Alice collects up the paperwork. “I can't do Monday — it's my heat,” she says.
Lisa is silent.
“We could just go ahead without you on Monday — get a head start," Lisa says eventually, "I have some great ideas brewing away in my mind for this.”
This is Alice's fear. That despite handing her the pitch and saying it is hers, somehow and at some point, Lisa will wrestle it away for herself. Her boss has a fantastic way of contributing little of the groundwork but collecting all the credit. But this is Alice’s baby and she's not willing to let it go without a fight.
“I'll be back in on Tuesday. I'd prefer it if you waited for me.”
