Page 24 of Sinful Beauty

“Thanks Robert. I am so sorry.”

“Hey, if we ran the world…”

There’s a dial tone, and I hang up the receiver.

“What happened that Pelz had to get out of here so fast?”

Startled, I spin my chair toward the deep voice. Tristan leans against the door frame, arms crossed, looking like he’s been there the whole time.

“He has a lunch meeting.”

“Who’d he cancel on?”

“Blanchard. About twenty people in the meeting.”

“She’s one of Pelz’s direct reports, right?”

“Yes. She oversees our clients in Europe and Asia.” I offer him a small smile. “Expect to be treated the same.”

“What took precedence?”

“Oh, a lunch with…” I hesitate. I’m fairly certain Ms. Landry is a friend.

He raises an eyebrow. “An associate?”

“Yes.” I nod, liking that answer.

“Internal or external?”

“She doesn’t work here,” I answer. He’s the son of the former owners. He’s not just an executive. There’s a fine line to be walked. I don’t want to offend him, but I also don’t want to come off like an assistant who can’t be trusted.

“Interesting. Pelz is married?”

“Yes.” His wife comes into the office over the holidays and delivers gifts to each of us. She’s a kind, grandmotherly type.

It could be my imagination, but I think his eyes narrow, as if he’s putting two and two together for himself. Is my boss having an affair? Possibly. He does value these lunch dates with Landry, a woman I’ve yet to meet or talk to, but it’s difficult to imagine a man his age cheating on his wife. We have clients I haven’t met. There are plenty of reasonable explanations.

Tristan leaves and I focus on rescheduling the afternoon meetings and preparing the competitive report to have on Pelz’s desk.

A green glass bottle and a sandwich wrapped in wax paper enter my peripheral vision. I spin in time to see Tristan’s back entering his office.

“Did you bring me lunch?”

“Can’t you have starving because you’ve got an inconsiderate arse for a boss, can we?”

I’m taken aback. I can’t remember the last time someone did something like that for me.

“Thank you. Ah, how much do I owe you?”

“Well, I’d like to take you to dinner.”

“Excuse me?”

“As repayment. I’m new to Geneva. Or, it’s been decades since I’ve lived here. I’d love the company, if you don’t mind. At my age, it’s difficult to meet people in a new city.”

I should say no. Executives don’t mingle with the assistants. And he’s not just any executive. He’s heir to the crown, so to speak. My boss doesn’t like him and if it gets out that I’m becoming friendly with a potential threat, he’ll bite my head off daily.

But he brought me lunch. He’s a connected executive and building a professional relationship with him is an opportunity. And what he’s saying is true. Moving to a new city can be challenging. And while I’ve lived here for years, my close circle of friends moved on. Company over dinner would be nice.

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