Chapter 4

      “Finer than Ian?” Naomi squeaked in disbelief.

      “Yes. They haven’t invented the word to describe the man.” Alexis put her feet up on the couch and snuggled into girl-talk mode. She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip.

      “Details, details. Let me live vicariously.”

      Alexis giggled and then began to fill Naomi in from the moment they met in the car to his dropping off her misplaced groceries.

      “Sounds yummy, and a Brit accent, too. Got a little Idris Elba thing going on. Is he single? No, forget that question. You know that mixing business with pleasure is always a disaster.”

      Alexis sighed. “I know. Bad business for all concerned. Great if it works, a nightmare when it doesn’t.” She finished off her wine. “But a girl can dream.”

      “Make sure it’s only a dream, Lexi,” Naomi warned. “This is a phenomenal career move for you, don’t sabotage it. Besides, if he is as fine as you say he is, then he probably has a string of women nipping at his heels anyway.”

      “You’re probably right. But I still have my dreams,” she said on a playful note. Naomi had always been the more provincial, live by the rules, don’t rock the boat kind of girl. She was her conscience, and Alexis knew in the months to come that she was going to need Naomi’s good sense to whisper in her ear when it came to Graham Stone.

      * * *

      At eight forty-five on Monday morning, Alexis walked through the doors of R.E.A.L. The offices were located on the fifteenth and sixteenth floors of what was once part of the ABC Television offices on Avenue of the Americas and Fifty-Third Street in Manhattan. Everything looked pretty much the way she remembered from her last visit.

      The receptionist looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “Good morning, how can I help you?”

      “Good morning. I’m Alexis Montgomery. I start work today.”

      The young woman’s eyes widened. “Oh, Ms. Montgomery.” She hopped up from her seat. She extended her hand across the horseshoe shaped desk, which Alexis shook. “Mr. Stone told me to send you straight to his office when you arrived.”

      Alexis’s pulse quickened at the mention of his name. “Certainly.”

      “Let me advise him that you’re here.” She quickly pressed a button on the multiline phone and spoke into her headset. “Yes. Of course.” She looked across the desk at Alexis. “Straight down the hall, make the first right and his office is on the left.”

      “Thank you.”

      Alexis followed the directions and passed several employees in the hallway and others who were getting settled into their offices. She made the turn and slowed her step. The door was partially open. She could hear his distinctive voice but couldn’t make out the words. Alexis approached the door and knocked.

      “Yes. Come in.”

      Alexis pushed the door open and stepped inside. Graham stood up from behind his desk. A stunning woman with large, luminous dark eyes and a short pixie haircut turned from her seat to look at Alexis from over her shoulder. She had on a soft pink skirt suit. Everyone couldn’t get away with wearing pink without looking like Barbie. But this woman could.

      Graham came from around the rather large desk. “Alexis. Good morning.” He turned to the seated woman. “Tracy Carter, this is Alexis Montgomery.”

      Tracy extended her hand but didn’t get up. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

      Alexis shook her proffered hand and was drawn to Tracy’s green eyes that reflected like hidden jewels against her sandy-brown complexion. “Nice to meet you.”

      Tracy’s softly tinted lips barely lifted into a smile. “Welcome aboard.”

      The two women held each other’s gaze. Tracy was the first to turn away.

      “Tracy is my executive director and probably knows more about how this business runs than I do. She’ll bring you up to speed and get you set up in your office.” His phone rang. He reached for the phone and gave them a brief look that the meeting was over.

      Tracy retrieved her iPad from the desk and stood. “I’ll direct you to your office,” she said, swinging past Alexis. Alexis offered Graham a tight smile that he completely missed before leaving with Tracy.

      “So how long have you been with the organization?” Alexis asked while they walked down the hall and back to the elevators.

      Tracy tucked her iPad under her left arm and pressed the up button on the panel. “Since we opened,” she said without any further elaboration.

      Alexis’s right brow flickered upward. She slid a look at Tracy from the corner of her eye. This was going to be interesting.

      They got off on the sixteenth floor and Tracy silently led the way to the corner office at the end of the wide hallway. She took out a key card from the pocket of her jacket and slid it through the slot like a hotel room. The lock clicked open. Tracy opened the door and stood aside to let Alexis go in. Her first gracious overture since they met.

      Alexis looked around. A genuine corner office. Wow. She turned to Tracy. “Thank you.”

      “IT will be up in about—” she checked her watch “—twenty minutes to get your computer set up, and give you a company cell and iPad. I’ll send in Claire. She’ll be your assistant. Graham... Mr. Stone has you on his schedule for eleven-thirty in his office.”

      “Thank you, Tracy.”

      “I’ll send Claire right in.” She handed Alexis the key card, walked out and closed the door behind her.

      Alexis stared at the door for a moment. Tracy Carter clearly had a bug up her behind. Alexis wasn’t quite sure how she fit into the equation but she wasn’t going to let Tracy’s cold shoulder rub off on her. She walked to the window that overlooked the city. In the distance she could see the treetops of Central Park, and felt the buzz and electricity of the city speeding by below. It was like looking at a magnificent movie with the sound muted.

      Her heartbeat escalated. She was here—New York City, with a six-figure job and an apartment on Sutton Place. She had the opportunity to make major changes in education on a global scale. It was everything she could possibly hope for. And then, of course, there was the Graham Stone factor that made the package perfect.

      She turned away from the window at the sound of a knock on the door.

      “Yes, come in.”

      The door eased open and a young woman peeked her head in.

      “Claire?”

      “Yes.”

      Alexis crossed the room as she spoke. “Please come in.”

      Claire stepped fully inside. “Good morning, Ms. Montgomery. Claire Davis.”

      Alexis extended her hand. “My pleasure. I understand we’ll be working together.”