Game Player

15 - Alex

"You went where?!" Sam practically screeched at her.

"I know, it was....interesting." She smiled, looking at Jo.

"Why wasn't I involved?" Sam admonished. "I always miss out on the fun!"

"That's cause you're always away, prancing around on the runways of Europe." She supplied.

"So.....? Did you get any action?" He asked looking at both of them.

"I wasn't looking for any, just merely observing. I did run into Cal though which, let me tell you, was a shock. Jo got some though I believe." She winked at Jo.

"Holy shit, did you? Wow, so he's into a bit of kink aye? Jo - spill!" Sam looked between her and Jo, seeming about to burst from trying to control his thirst for gossip.

"You never told me you ran into Cal!" Jo said her pointedly. "I got action with a couple of guys." She said wickedly.

"Oooohhhh, you naughty girl!" Sam laughed.

"Nothing to say about Cal, other than that I now think he's the most righteous asshole. I gave him a piece of my mind as he's accused me of a few things around the negotiations which I haven't done and then left." Alex responded to Sam's question.

"Ok, so the launch party tonight will be interesting then?" Sam's eyes danced mischievously.

"Well, not from my perspective. I'll just avoid him as much as possible and be civilized when I need to. As long as he can do the same then all will be fine." Alex picked up her dress and slipped it on. "On another note, Marcello contacted me the other day and said that he was about to change jobs and wanted to explain. So I'll see him tonight before I head to the launch...but I think it's fairly obvious what his explanation will be."

"Ok...couldn't it have waited?" Sam asked.

"No, apparently he's flying to New York tonight and will be away for a month and wanted to see me before he left," Alex explained while slipping on her shoes.

"Are you intending to show him what he's been missing dressed like that? Sam eyed her assessingly.

"Ignore Sam, you look fab and perfectly suited for the occasion - professional with sexy sassiness." Jo looked at her short pleated satin skirt, endless legs in strappy heels, and smart cropped jacket.

"Thanks, Jo, you're looking not too shabby yourself - I'll see you there." Alex smiled then turned to Sam, "As for you Sam - I only intend to listen to Marcello and then go from there. Now - if this party ends as quickly as I think it will, then Jo and I will see you at Cubis for a drink as planned." Alex waved and grinned as she left while Sam pleaded to Jo for more details of Boudoir.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll see you when I get back, Alex?" Marcello asked as they stood outside the entrance to the Savoy by his taxi.

"Yes, thanks for explaining everything. I really appreciate it. I understood the conflict of interest and the predicament you were in. It was lovely to see you again," she replied, smiling up at him.

"I'm glad I made the choice to remove myself from that toxic environment. I'm just sorry that it took so long to sort out and I stayed out of touch longer than I had anticipated. I'll take you on that promised date when I come back." Marcello leaned in and pressed a gentle lingering kiss to her lips, looking at her meaningfully. "And I'll be in touch while I'm away." He kissed her on the cheek and stepped back into the awaiting taxi as there was a queue building behind them. She waved him off just as Cal stepped out of the next taxi, obviously having witnessed her exchange with Marcello and giving her a scrutinising look.
Ignoring him, she made her way into the lobby just as David was heading to the convention room.

"David, you made it! I really didn't think you would be up for it with the flight delays and jetlag!" She gave David a hug.

"I did almost flag it but I felt fine after I freshened up. Kind of bittersweet this - that we're working with EoN and not Serkos."

"Yes and no, after that episode with Shane, I really don't think it would have been a good look to win Serkos which pisses me off but this is the safer route for now. I laid my complaint against him and all I know is that they're investigating it. Bad enough that I'll no doubt see him tonight, I couldn't have been in the same room with him all the time - I'd consistently want to wring his neck. I do think we have some advantages with EoN - we just have to make the most of it. And also, Kerry is a lot more onto it and has far more integrity than Shane."

"Yes true. I can't believe that they reverted to tossing the coin to decide after all that effort to meet people and teams!" David laughed.

"Well, it's reassuring that after all of it, there wasn't a clear winner and it got to a coin toss." She grinned, grabbing a couple of wines from a server. "Cheers David, step one started off not too badly, a bit tricky for sure but we made it." She beamed.

"You've done an excellent job setting up the London office, getting this gig, and building a team." David hugged her tightly.

"You are deserving of that hug I believe," Geoff said as he and Cal approached them. "We've all worked tirelessly to get here. Congratulations to all, we're looking forward to working with you." Geoff smiled and held out his glass in salutations. Cal looked at her broodingly but remained silent. "Although commiserations to us for having to deal with Shane. I would have rather that we worked with Kerry." He mused in a mock whisper.

"I don't think it's a secret that he can be difficult to deal with....no different to some of the other personalities around here." Alex responded, looking directly at Cal. "I think Sasha will keep him in line. I'm glad she's landed the exec programme manager role. She seems pretty direct and straight up about things." Alex said, looking at the two women not far away, standing with their heads huddled together.

"I hear Shane likes the pretty ladies so you better look out Alex. He'll be targeting you if you're not careful." Geoff laughed while Alex felt Cal's scrutiny. David stroked her back with concern, aware of the incident with Shane and Cal and understanding that the discussion would touch a raw nerve.

"Well Sasha will no doubt lay into him if he dabbles with any of the team," David said, squeezing Alex's shoulders gently.

"Excuse me, can I please have a chat with you for a moment Alex?" Kerry asked as she approached the group.

"Sure Kerry." Alex excused herself, glad she could escape Cal's presence and avoid having to make polite conversation with him. She followed Kerry to a quiet spot beside the makeshift bar.

"This is slightly awkward but I couldn't help overhearing some of your conversations and thought it timely to bring this up. There's something you should know - Sasha said there's been a complaint against Shane about inappropriate behaviour. She doesn't know the details and told me in confidence. I also don't know how serious the complaint is but it's likely to be fairly serious if Sasha was made aware of it and the ability it has to impact the programme. I'm telling you so that you have your wits about you where Shane's concerned.

"Thanks, Kerry. I really appreciate you sharing this with me...." Pausing and debating about retelling her encounter. "I've had a run-in of sorts with Shane already so I'm aware." Kerry's eyes rounded while listening to her. "Don't worry, I've already laid a complaint and if he even looks in my direction again he'll be missing some vital anatomy. I fully intend to keep the females in my team far away from him. I've let Sasha know about my incident because it has implications for the project. She was very supportive of my complaint. Thanks for the warning...I think we will make a formidable team." Alex smiled warmly at Kerry. "We are looking forward to working closely with you."

"Good on you - I think you and I are going to give those boys a run for their money Alex - and break their balls if necessary," she laughed.

"Let's get this show on the road." Alex beamed, looking up to see Cal gazing directly at her with a look of curiosity and something else she couldn't define. She turned away, vowing to not let him affect her and to fight with everything she had to come out the victor. Winning would be that much sweeter if Cal was the loser in this game.

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