Alpha Incorporated

V - ii DISHONOR NOT YOUR EYE

The bathwater is hot. Isabella prefers it a touch cooler, then likes to add more hot water once she has become accustom to the heat. But she would never think of complaining, after all, she has never had a man draw a bath for her before. This is a first, and there may be other firsts ahead of her tonight. She is not sure, but she is entertaining these thoughts as she slides deeper into the tub.

Downstairs, she hears William in the kitchen. Pots clang, knives chop, cupboards slam. He does make a lot of noise, she thinks, but, again, she is not about to complain. She knows he is trying. It is kind of sweet, actually, that William Fryer is cooking up a storm down there while she relaxes in the bathtub upstairs. He wouldn't have it any other way, he said. She had a stressful day with the lawyers and has so much to think about, so much information to process, that he insisted that she take a long bath. He already had the water in the tub and a glass of white wine, chardonnay she thinks he said, on the floor next to the tub when she entered the bathroom. The soaker tub is in the centre of the room, with a full-length glass window between her and the Pacific Ocean.

Isabella is starting to think that William isn't really much of a chef. Not that she is a culinary expert herself, by any means, nor has she dined at many upscale restaurants, but she senses from the way he moved around the kitchen earlier, it was nothing like the way her mother prepared meals for her family. There seemed to be a lot of trying this pot, then that pot, or re-reading the recipe, then watching a video clip on how to mix something. He won't tell her what he is making, but the smell of something burning downstairs tells her that he isn't exactly a professional chef. Isabella smiles and takes a long sip of wine.

She thinks about her day. Fryer is right, she has a lot to think about. What Amelia told her about the chances of a getting a criminal conviction based on her claims of sexual misconduct seem pretty unlikely. A civil suit against him or Alpha is more likely to be successful, but, as she understands, will be difficult to prove. She might get some money out of them, but that really isn't what this is about. On the drive back to the beach house she asked William what he thought she should do, but he offered no advice. It's not like he doesn't care, but the way he put it was that he isn't the victim, so he can't presume to know how she feels. He wants to allow her to make her own decision.

Fryer has been more distant since they visited the lawyers. Maybe not distant, but she notices that he seems preoccupied. He has been on the phone a lot, more than usual. Often he reads a message, gives her an apologetic grimace, then steps away to make a call. He says it is work, and adds, 'you know', and ducks around a corner or into another room. He doesn't let her use her phone. He took it away from her when they left Angelo's, telling her that Angelo might be able to track her whereabouts if she had her phone on, so it was best to let him hold on to it for a few days. She trusts that he knows what he is doing.

"How are things up there?" His voice echoes up the stairs. She receives it with a stab of excitement. Isabella shouts back that the bath is beautiful and thanks him for asking.

"How is your wine?"

Isabella looks at her half-filled glass, swallows a large gulp, and answers back down the stairs, "Well, I wouldn't mind a re-fill."

She is surprised that she has just invited him to come into the room where she is naked in the bath. This is not like her at all. She knows that he will think that she is teasing him, or that she is making the first move. Maybe she wants him to think that. Maybe she wants him. Maybe.

When the sound of his feet on the steps get closer to the top of the stairs Isabella sinks a little deeper into the bath. The soaker tub is huge. Her body seems so small in here; there is lots of room for William. He could slide in next to her. She would let him. They could face each other and talk, the two of them, sipping wine and adding hot water now and then. Maybe his hands would caress her bare leg, the one that would be pressed against his.