Chapter 7

 

"I get the feeling your supervisors don't like you," Alex spoke up as we rode the elevator down to the warehouse.

"You'd be right. Stouten wants to see me run over with my own forklift and Mullen just asked me to do something so horrible that I bluntly refused him. I wouldn't be surprised to find a pink slip in my mailbox tomorrow."

"Horrible?" Alex repeated. I detected a faint hint of jealous in his voice. "What was that horrible?"

A sly smile crept across my face. "He wanted me to be nice to this big jerk, and I told him I wasn't that good of an actor."

Alex smirked. "That big jerk didn't happen to look a lot like me, would he?"

"Oh, I'd say he's about your height and build." I stepped back and surveyed his form. "Now that you mention it, you two could probably pass off as twins."

"Practically the same person," Alex quipped.

"Practically," I agreed.

"Well, just to avoid any confusion let's assume it was me. Why did Mullen ask you to be nice to me?" he wondered.

"It's all about the merger. He wants it do bad he'd be willing to sell off his grandmother to get it."

"I'd rather have you."

"He'd sell me, too, if he could get away with it."

"Did he happen to name a price?" Alex teased.

"No, but there'd be too many zeros for even you to afford."

"Try me." At that moment the elevator reached our stop and I stepped out to face him.

"I thought I was stubborn, but you not only take the cake but the whole bakery," I quipped.

"And speaking of food, what about dinner tonight? My treat."

I snorted. "If it wasn't your treat I'd be taking you to a cheap burger joint."

"As tasty as that sounds, I was thinking more of the Dillfonico's."

My eyes widened. Dillfonico's was the most expensive restaurant in town and could only be had by reservations made in a previous life. "That's a little out of my budget," I pointed out.

"But you'll be my guest, and my family's very eager to meet you," he persisted.

The color drained from my face. "Your family?" I repeated.

"Yes. You want to know if our intentions are pure, so I'll show you we're not monsters in suits."

"There's that word again. I still don't think you're using it right."

"Maybe I am, but you have to give me a chance to prove it."

I cringed. He had me trapped, but I couldn't gather enough courage to face his family, even for a meal at Dillfonico's. "I don't know-"

"Great!" The doors to the elevator began to close, and he got in a few last words before they shut. "I'll pick you up at six!" I opened my mouth, but the door was closed and so was the conversation.

There was only one thing to do in a situation like this, and that was hide in my apartment and hope he forgot all about it. That's exactly what I was doing at five-fifty-five that night after a long day of avoiding my bosses. I sat on the couch with the door shut and locked, and Mr. Smith seated beside me. "You think he'll come?" I whispered to my cat. He loudly yowled, and I slapped my hand over his mouth. "You want to get us found out?" I accused him. He replied by growling and pulling his head away. "Traitor. . ." I growled in return.

The minutes ticked by and five-fifty-nine came on me. That's when I heard the knock on the door. I froze and held my breath, hoping whoever it was would go away. The knocking persisted, and even escalated into the theme song to the Lone Ranger. I couldn't take that much tapping, so I marched over to the door and swung it open. Alex stood there with a sheepish grin on his face and a black suit on his body. His hand suspended in midair where he'd been tapping his tunes.

"You are incredibly stubborn," I commented.

"So are you. I thought you'd never answer," he returned. He glanced up and down at my work attire, and a smirk spread across his lips. "I suppose you could go in that, but I don't know what the other patrons of Dillfonico's would think," he scolded.

"They'll think you're going on a date with an invisible woman because I'm not going to be there," I retorted.

He leaned against the door frame which prevented me from slamming the door shut without causing some cerebral damage. In his case that might not have had any long-term effects. "Is it me, or are you afraid to meet my family?" he challenged me.

"Yes," I quipped.

He playfully winced. "Ouch. I demand retribution for that insult."

"Let me guess, I get to go with you to meet your family?" I replied.

Alex smiled. "Exactly. Won't that be fun?"

"Like getting my teeth extracted while having warts burned off my feet, and all without painkillers."

He glanced down at my feet, and raised an eyebrow. "You don't-?"

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "No, I don't. I was just trying to tell you exactly how painful that would be."

"But I already told my family you'd be there except my sister. She's been delayed in Delhi for a business deal," he told me. "But even with her absence, that still means you have to come."

"No, that means you jumped the gun," I countered.

"Would you do it for the food at Dillfonico's?"

"And a box of Scooby snacks, but you didn't bring any of those, did you?"

"So the food won't get you to come with me?"

"Do I look like a male?"

"Very much not so," he replied.

"Then the answer to that is no. A girl is more complicated."

"Then you're a perfect specimen of your gender, my dear George."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'd be glad if you discarded the compliment and took me," he persisted.

"Is there any other way I'll be able to get rid of you other than going on this family date?" I asked him.

He furrowed his brow for a moment and then shook his head. "Nope." My shoulders slumped and my face fell. He also looked disappointed. "Do I have to beg?" That sounded like a threat.

I sighed and hung my head. "All right, you win. I'll go get dressed. Wait here." I pushed him out into the hall and slammed the door. I would have let him in, but I didn't want him to see what I was going to do next. I turned to Mr. Smith, who still sat on the couch, and tried hard not to squeal. "He really likes me!" I whispered to my cat. Mr. Smith yowled. "Oh, right, the dress."

I raced into my bedroom and flung on one of my best dresses, one of those that makes you look sleek even if you're more than a little pudgy around the middle. The secret was a corset discreetly hidden around the middle. It was as comfortable as having a boa constrictor around your waist, but it did the job. I dashed out of the bedroom with one foot in a high heel and the other hopping to get shoed. "Hold down the fort for me, Mr. Smith," I called to him as I rushed to the door. He yowled back. "Fine, I'll see if I can save you any, but no promises." I opened the door and found Alex still rubbing his chest. I opened my arms and showed off my dress. "Ready!"

He looked me up and down, and smiled. "That's a nice dress."

"Yeah, and cheap. It was on one of the sale racks at the store a few years back."

He laughed and offered me his arm. "Let's go. My driver didn't like the look of the place, so he probably thinks I've been mugged or murdered."

"Or both," I added. "It's a dangerous building full of cutthroats." We passed a door that was ajar and inside was one of the many elderly ladies sewing in front of the television.

Alex noticed the elderly woman. "Must be hard living in constant fear your yarn will be stolen," he quipped.

"I can hardly sleep," I laughed.