Hello All,
Let me start by saying thank you for making the choice to read "Learning the Rules." I hope you enjoy it. Although, there is no sex in this chapter, it introduces the characters. If you take the time to read chapter one, I promise each additional chapter will grow and become more exciting and sexy. Everyone knows a Novice has to start somewhere. Enjoy...and thanks again. P.S. Please don't forget to vote and comment. I would love to hear your feedback.
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The Novice meets her Teacher
It had been five years since Alexandra Rose Newman had moved into this large corner office, but she was still impressed every time she looked out the full length wall of windows of her Logan Circle office. Her view of Philadelphia was perfect. She could see the art museum and the boat houses along the river. In the evening, when everything was lit up, it was picture perfect. Alex, as almost everyone called her, checked the weather to see if it was raining. The evening news said to expect rain later this evening. No rain yet, she should be able to sprint home to her apartment and just make it to Ashley's in time.
"Shit, I'm running late. Ashley will kill me if I'm late for her dinner party again." She called for her assistant through the open door of her office. "Meg, are you finished with the changes to the last contract I gave you? And have you sent the new drawings down to William for editing? Also, did you finish those letters regarding the new rehab wing at Children's yet? I want to review everything this weekend before my Monday meetings."
Megan Reilly had been Alex's assistant for the last three years. They worked well together. Both women were perfectionist when it came to their work. Alex wasn't sure about hiring Meg initially, especially since she had only one year experience and that year was spent in a law firm. She wasn't sure how Meg would adapt to working with an architectural firm, but she was impressed with the way the young woman presented herself; she liked her enough during the interview to give her a chance.
Alex quickly found out how lucky she was by taking a chance on the young woman. Meg was priceless as far as Alex was concerned. She was more than her right arm, sometimes she was her memory, her alarm clock, and most importantly her "grey zone." Alex had a habit of seeing things in black and white, right and wrong and never really cared for anything in between.
She remembered back to the one day when Meg defined her "grey zone" theory. After a complete blow out argument with a colleague she was working with on a project, Meg came into the office and closed the door. Alex was still fuming and Meg knew that that was usually not the best time to have any type of discussion with her. Alex was walking back and forth in front of her desk mumbling, cursing and calling her friend and sometimes partner, a complete ass.
Meg took a chance and said, "Alex, you know you don't mean half of what you are saying. You love working with Matt and the two of you are a good team. You complement each other really well. You just need to give in once in a while and compromise. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you are not always right." Meg waited for Alex to turn on her and explode with more expletives.
Instead, she took a few deep breaths, rolled her neck around right to left and left to right, something she did quite often when stressed or at a loss for something. Looking Meg directly in the eye, she said, "I suppose you are going to provide me with the reason that you think I am wrong in this situation."
Meg smiled, "I didn't say you were wrong. I just said you are not always right. I heard the whole conversation between you and Matt. I also heard how you turned a simple artistic difference into World War III. No wonder why Matt left in a huff. Am I right or wrong in thinking that your whole argument was about window placement and ceiling heights?"
Rolling her eyes and sitting on her desk front, Alex smiled at Meg and said, "Well, it was more than that, but let's assume that that was the main problem. What would you have done differently to resolve the situation in a better way?"
Meg laughed and said, "Just about anything else could have been a better approach."
Alex's eyes widened and she started to laugh. "Explain, please."
Meg explained to her about the "grey zone." How sometimes it doesn't need to be one way or the other. Sometimes both ways could have certain merits and benefits. You just had to weigh the pros and cons, occasionally compromise, and make the best decision for the client's needs. The impact of the "grey zone," often made the difference between another major argument occurring with a colleague/client versus a somewhat impassioned discussion. For that reason alone, Alex was grateful she had Meg.
Meg was one of the few people Alex would listen to when it came to constructive criticism or simple advice. She liked Meg, they were friends along with the supervisor/worker relationship and so far, Meg had always had her back and had proven her loyalty on more than one occasion. Even if she didn't agree with Alex, she never let anyone criticize her or speak badly of her behind her back. In Alex's book, that was priceless, especially in her business. Like they say, you are only as good as your last design or last success. In Alex's case, she was very good. She was a highly sought after architect and had her choice of firms to work with after the first year when she won "Best New Architect" and had two stories written about her in Philadelphia magazine.
The first article detailed her first year in the city as an architect and spoke of her immediate success and profiled her most recent work for a children's museum. The second was a profile story on her not only as a successful and talented architect, but as a "single" woman in a career still dominated by men. That article followed the "Top 25 Bachelors of Philadelphia." Its placement, in the magazine, made it look like Alex was the Top 1 Bachelorette of Philadelphia.
Alex broke from her stroll down memory lane and called out to Meg. Meg was already popping up from her desk and coming over to the office door before Alex finished her name.
Smiling she said, "Yes, the changes to the contracts are complete and I sent them to your home email. Yes, William had the new drawing by five o'clock and said he would make the changes and have them on your desk first thing Monday morning. No, the letters for the Children's rehab wing are not complete, but I will finish them before I leave and email them to your home for final approval." With a more serious look on her face, she said, "And if I were you I would leave now, because Ashley has called twice today to tell me to make sure you are not late again and I promised her you would not be. So get a move on it, I don't want to be on Ashley's shit list." The two women looked at each other and laughed. "Believe me Alex said, neither do I. It's too hard a list to get off."
"Okay, okay, I'm going now. I just have to shut down my computer and check the changes to Monday's schedule and then I'm out of here."
"Seriously, Alex, I really don't want to be on Ashley's shit list. You know how she carries on and I will have to listen to it and apologize every time she calls here. I'll close down your computer and send the updates to your calendar. I'll also send a Word copy to your home email. If you're going home to change, you better leave now."
"Okay, I'm already gone. You don't see me here and I'm not saying, thank you, you are a doll and I owe you." Grabbing her raincoat and bag, she headed for the door. It took her twenty minutes to get over to her apartment. Taking off her jacket as she got in the door, kicking off her shoes as she headed to her bedroom and practically tearing off her skirt and blouse, Alex decided she could fit in a five minute shower and still make it to Ashley's on time.
Shower complete, make-up and hair given a quick touch up, she heads to her closet. She pulls open both doors to her closet and starts flipping through hanger after hanger of outfits.
Thinking to herself, what to wear, what to wear? Not the green dress, I wore that to Ash's birthday party. Not the little black dress, everyone will be wearing black. Ah! I forgot I bought this. This is the one.
She pulls out a midnight blue silk dress and cuts the tags off. Opening her lingerie drawer, she pulls out a royal blue teddy with a built in underwire and matching panties. It's cool out tonight, even though it is only the end of September, so she decides to wear stockings. She gently pulls the black shear silk stocking over her knee and runs her fingers lightly over the lace elastic top that will hold it in place around her mid-thigh. She gently repeats the same careful orchestration on her right leg. All too often she has been in a hurry and put a finger nail through the stocking.
She has expensive taste and when it comes to the articles of clothing that are closest to her skin, she enjoys the feel of some of the finest lingerie. It's the one thing she has no guilt about splurging on for herself. Pulling on her dress, she inspects herself in the mirror. "I look pretty good if I do say so myself." She smiles at her reflection in the mirror. She puts on a pair of simple diamond stud earrings, a platinum chain necklace with a small diamond lock and key that rest just above her breastbone and adds to her ensemble the highest pair of heels she owns. A platinum strappy stiletto with four inch heels.
Hoping she will be able to walk in them, she takes a final once over in the mirror. She exams herself from head to toe. Her auburn brown hair still has a lot of the gold and reddish highlights left in it from the summer sun. Her thick silky locks hang just below her shoulders and her hair has a natural wave and bounce to it. It frames her face perfectly. Her skin still holds the summer tan and the botanical oil she applied after her shower has the lightest floral sent and the oil adds a healthy shine to her skin.
She looks great. Her dress crisscrosses across her breast but has a plunging V neck to it that shows ample cleavage and just enough of her breast to be interesting without being slutty. The dress ends a few inches above her knees and the strappy stilettos make her look like her legs never end. At five feet, nine inches tall, Alex is already a tall woman, but with the heels, she stands just over six feet. Happy with the overall look, she heads to the elevator. Checking her cell phone for the time, she realizes she just might make it to Ashley's in time.
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