Chapter Two #2
Several thoughts ran through Alex’s mind in rapid order. The first was Is this an earthquake? Only the building wasn’t moving, and the massive sound that accompanied an earthquake didn’t come.
Once she quickly ruled out an earthquake, she thought, Is the power going out? Staying on? What is the building protocol when the power shuts off? Alex knew the building had a backup generator that kicked on, making it possible to exit the building with a lighted path.
The emergency lighting in the office flickered on and then off just as rapidly.
Alex released a breath when the hum of the lights evened out.
“Good. I don’t have time for a power outage today.”
Dee opened the office door. “Did you want more coffee before I get into this?”
Alex almost never took Dee up on her offer to serve coffee. But the clock suggested she should if getting to the meeting on time was a priority.
And timeliness was always a priority. “That would be nice, thank you.”
The coffee wore off by noon. While everyone else filtered out of the office for lunch, Alex ignored her jumpy pulse and started a fresh pot of coffee in the office kitchen before taking a cup back to her desk.
A small built-in bar refrigerator sat inside a cabinet that once housed an actual bar.
When her father worked in the space, the man had a collection that could inebriate every employee on the top floor.
Alex had since removed all the alcohol and replaced it with mineral water of several types and healthy juices that often substituted for lunch on days when she simply couldn’t stop to eat.
Piper had hired a service to stock this personal space with fresh, quality, ready-to-eat options. It was a godsend on more days than Alex cared to admit. And the meals were so good, she was tempted to have the service stock her up at home.
The culinary arts and Alex had never made peace. If having a private chef wasn’t so damn pretentious, she’d hire one. Not to mention, once she started using a chef to prepare her home meals, she was going to lose her grip on the realities of life.
So, like any busy executive that didn’t have time to shop, prepare ... and clean up after cooking anything worthwhile, Alex lived on easy-to-heat-up options.
Eventually her business life would slow down. At some point she’d feel like Stone Enterprises was on autopilot, or at least she’d trust the executive staff to do their jobs without worry that they were undermining her.
Just before four that afternoon, there was a rapid knock against her half-open office door.
She glanced up from her computer to see Floyd standing there.
Her fingers stalled over her keyboard, and she attempted a smile.
“Do you have a second?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Floyd Gatlin was the VP of Stone Enterprises. A man who kissed up to her father when he was alive, praised the man in his death ... and truly thought he would be appointed the CEO of the company with Aaron Stone’s passing.
Neither Alex nor her brothers trusted Gatlin any further than she could pick the man up and throw him.
But as scholars much better versed than her had said .
.. keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
And since she had only her gut telling her to regard the man with caution, she didn’t have a legitimate reason to fire him.
That didn’t stop her from looking.
“I wanted to make sure you had the correct address for tonight’s reception.” Floyd stepped into the office and stood a few paces from her desk as if he was truly just popping in for a “quick second.”
Tonight?
Reception?
Had she forgotten a dinner?
Two clicks of her mouse brought up her schedule.
No. No evening engagements.
“There is nothing on my calendar.”
The smile on Floyd’s face fell. “I was afraid of this. I’m glad I stopped in.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she asked, “What reception?”
“Bakshai,” he said as if that was supposed to mean something to her.
Her face must have given away her confusion.
“You don’t know who that is?”
“Enlighten me, Floyd.”
He took a couple of steps farther into the room. “The Bakshai family is part of a bigger company that owns a chunk of the oil in the Middle East.”
“What does oil have to do with us?”
Floyd stepped around a chair in front of her desk and took a seat. “Your father kept an ongoing relationship with the Bakshais. A ‘you scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours,’ if you will.”
Alex searched her internal database to try and recall seeing the name on any of Stone Enterprises’ documents.
“What kind of scratching have we done?”
“More introductions than anything. Your father felt it imperative to keep relations with families like the Bakshais. Especially with the increasing restrictions and red tape around conducting business in places like the Middle East. Likewise, Bakshai wants to know that companies and men like your father will be there for them when in need of a favor ... or introduction.”
This sounded like a golf date.
One she hadn’t planned on.
“We’re expected at a reception tonight?”
Floyd looked away. “Yes. I should have checked with you sooner. I saw the invitation come through, saw your father’s email, and assumed it was forwarded to you.”
All of her father’s mail was forwarded to her.
“I can represent the company. It’s not imperative that you go ... or maybe Chase can—”
“No. I’ll be there.” Alex felt the tired behind her eyes already. She picked up a pen and poised the tip over a pad of paper. “Where and what time?”
Floyd rattled off the name of a restaurant and gave her a time before standing to leave. “If I see anything like this come through again, I’ll be sure and forward the messages to you directly.”
“Thank you,” she told him. And meant it.
Floyd offered a nod and stepped out of her office.
Once he was gone, she buzzed Dee at her desk. At the same time, Alex typed in the name of the restaurant on her computer.
“Yes, Ms. Stone?”
“I need you to stop whatever you’re doing and look up the name Bakshai. I need to know who they are, a snapshot of what they do, and who they do business with. And I need it before you leave today.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Alex put the phone down and sifted through the restaurant’s website. An entire page was dedicated to pictures of celebrity events that had taken place at the location. Swanky sophistication. The kind of place where you wore evening attire and not a business suit.
The kind of place where you hired a driver when you went unaccompanied.
Alex rang Dee again.