Chapter 15
Alice Mendes
I knock three times on Mr. Oliver’s office door. We need to head to lunch with Mr. Gabriel. I wait for permission to enter, but I’m startled when the door suddenly swings open.
“Aaah!” I let out a little shriek.
“Let’s go, miss, or we’ll be late for lunch.” I catch a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips—he’s enjoying how much he startled me. Idiot. Ogre. I curse him silently.
I grab my purse and tablet, then hurry after him. He doesn’t wait for me—he’s already calling the elevator. We arrive at the hotel restaurant and head to the VIP area, where Gabriel is waiting for us. He comes over to greet me. Always the charmer.
“Hello, Miss Alice, how are you?” He kisses me on the cheek. I glance sideways at my boss, who looks none too pleased.
“Hello, Gabriel, I’m well, and you?” I glance at Oliver, who keeps the same stony expression. I let out a small laugh and take the seat Gabriel has already pulled out for me.
“You must be Oliver. Pleasure to meet you.”
“You’re Gabriel, son of Mr. Homero Pacheco?” Oliver asks.
“Yes. I’ll be taking over the company now, along with the partnership with you.”
“Ah, of course. Make yourself comfortable.” Oliver gestures to the chair.
“Well, as I said, my father left me in charge of the contract with Ferri Hotels. I’ve read through the entire contract and I’m fine with all the terms. Actually, I’d just like to make one addendum: when I visit the hotels, I want Miss Alice to accompany me.”
I look at him in surprise—that’s not usually part of my job.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not her job. If you’d like, I can arrange for someone at each hotel to assist you during your visits.”
“This is my only requirement. I don’t want anyone other than Miss Alice.” He stares at me intently, and I decide to speak up.
“I’m sorry, sir, but unfortunately I can’t leave my work at headquarters. Mr. Oliver needs me.” Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Oliver’s small, victorious smile—but it doesn’t last long.
“We need to work this out. From what I understand, Alice is the president’s right hand—she knows everything. There’s no one better to accompany me.”
Oliver’s smile vanishes. We weren’t expecting this.
“As you said yourself, she’s my right hand, and I can’t do without her here. I’ve just taken over the presidency, and she needs to be present to help me with everything. This is out of the question.” Oliver stands up, clearly irritated, and heads for the exit.
“One moment, Mr. Gabriel, please!” I say awkwardly, jumping up and hurrying after Oliver.
“Of course, I’ll wait as long as necessary.” Gabriel nods.
“Mr. Oliver…” I touch his arm, and he stops immediately. “We can work this out. You need to visit all the hotels anyway to get familiar with them. We can kill two birds with one stone. We can’t lose this contract—they’re the best meat suppliers we have.”
He pauses, considers my idea, then says:
“Good idea, Alice. We’ll do it that way, then.”
I smile and breathe a sigh of relief. Oliver returns to the table and says:
“It’s a deal, Gabriel. Miss Alice will accompany you on the visits.” He smiles at me.
“Perfect! When do we leave?”
“We have some contracts to settle here, and I can’t spare her—she’s the one who drafts and schedules all the meetings. I’d say she’ll be available in about three weeks.”
“Excellent, I need to get things organized at my company too. That timing works perfectly. In the meantime, we’ll continue with the supply of meats, fish, and seafood, as always.”
The rest of lunch went smoothly. We agreed to leave on the trip in a month, since I had a lot of work to get in order. As we were leaving, Gabriel took my arm, and I glanced at Oliver, who noticed the gesture.
“You owe me a dinner, miss. You already have my number—I’ll be waiting for your call so we can set it up.” He winks, making me blush.
I manage an awkward smile and leave, followed by a grumpy Oliver. That’s all I needed—him interfering with my dates. And was I actually thinking about having dinner with Gabriel? I ask myself, and then think: why not?
When we get to our floor, Oliver shuts himself in his office, saying he’s going to read the contract… even though he’s already done that several times, I think. A second later, he calls me on the phone.
“Come here, please.” He sounds really irritated, so I rush to his office.
“Yes, sir.” I enter without knocking and find him standing at the window, staring out.
“Are you two together, by any chance?” I’m confused for a moment, then realize he must be talking about Gabriel.
“Gabriel and me? I don’t think that’s any of your business, sir.”
He turns to face me, steps closer, and takes hold of my chin.
“What do you mean it’s none of my business, when just Friday you were melting in my arms?”
“Oh, so that's it? You're butthurt because I didn't remember the kiss you gave me?”
“Ah, little Alice, you're so bold.”
“That's my gift. And I love it.”
“You should learn to hold your tongue.”
“I'm sorry, but I prefer to use it in a different way,” I say with a flirty edge. Wait... where is this naughty side of Alice coming from?
“How? I'd like you to show me,” he says, grabbing my waist.
But nothing would go the way he expected, I think!