Chapter 1
The hunt was always Alicia's favourite part.
She moved confidently down the hallway, with Zoe trailing just slightly behind her. When she reached the next doorway, she paused and turned.
"You should probably go in first so it doesn't seem like we're together," said Alicia.
"Agreed," Zoe replied. She walked in, brimming with energy as Alicia waited behind for a moment.
Alicia's heart melted a little bit just watching her. The feelings were still so intense, even after years together. She could scarcely begin to imagine what it must have been like for the others. She felt a little surge of guilt and pleasure mixing in the back of her mind. She paused for a minute or two, reflecting on these pleasurable thoughts, then looked at her watch.
That's long enough,
she thought.
As she walked in, she passed a few people in the break room, all buzzing quietly, but not seeming to notice her. The waiting room was small, but extremely clean. Actually, the whole space was borderline immaculate.
"Mister Bateman runs a tight ship," she said. "I like it."
"Rich, young, and good looking. I think we might have struck gold here, honestly," said Zoe. Alicia grinned and put her feet up on the coffee table.
"You seem confident," Zoe continued.
"Have you
seen
the girls around here?" Alicia said.
Zoe craned her neck around and scanned the room behind them.
"I suppose he does seem to have a type," she whispered as yet another slender, blonde haired, blue eyed woman walked past. They all seemed to be wearing the same outfit, some kind of uniform perhaps.
"Yeah. I'd say I have the upper hand with this one," Alicia said, laughing quietly.
"I'm sure I can find
some
way to get his attention," said Zoe with a wry wink. Alicia bit her lip unconsciously at the memory.
"I win by default if
that
happens," Alicia said.
"We'll see," Zoe replied, smiling. "Although I do feel underdressed."
"Yeah, I feel you," said Alicia.
Alicia would have described Zoe's outfit as winter-slutty, and she loved it. It was a tight, low cut v-neck red sweater that blended into a set of black leggings, topped off by a lace choker. By comparison, all of the staff here were all wearing fashionable short-sleeved business jackets that covered their blouse, black pencil skirts, sheer stockings and heels. The two of them looked more than a little out of place. Zoe doubly so, since she seemed to be the only person in the building who wasn't blonde. It was a rich, dark red that she'd been trying for the last few months. Alicia loved that, too.
A few minutes later, another figure approached them.
"Alicia Parsi?" she said.
"That's me!" she said. She turned to Zoe. "Looks like I'm up first." She felt a little surge of excitement again.
"Pleased to meet you Alicia," she said, shaking her hand. "I'm Janette, but you can call me Jan. Would you like to follow me?"
Jan lead her down the corridor to the meeting room that had been set aside for the interviews. Alicia couldn't help but noticing that she, too, was blonde.
And sexy as hell
, she thought, licking her lips at the sight of her curvaceous arse.
I've got this sucker in the bag.
Alicia wasn't into women before she met Zoe. A lot of things had changed since then.
Suddenly, Jan stopped just short of the door, and started twitching slightly.
"Are you ok?" Alicia said.
Jan turned and stared at her. She was visibly shaken.
"I... you have to..." she stammered, and a single tear streamed down her face. "You have to leave before..."
The door opened behind her.
"You must be Miss Parsi," the man behind the door said. "Please come in and take a seat," he continued. Jan's demeanour shifted immediately. Gone was the look of terror, replaced with an ear to ear smile. The tear was caught on her cheek.
"Yes, please do come in," she said enthusiastically. "Would you like anything to drink?"
"I'd love a coffee, Jan," the man said. "Anything for you?"
"No, I'm fine," Alicia replied.
The canary in the coal mines,
she thought. It was nice of her to give a warning, but she hadn't come here to be the passive victim of another angry man. She knew exactly what she was doing. He held out his hand, and Alicia met it with hers.
"I'm Alexander," he said.
She made sure to linger with the contact just slightly longer than necessary, and to smile her most dazzling smile while looking him dead in the eyes. She could tell that he was into it.
Of course he's into it,
she thought.
Who wouldn't be into me?
She sat down and made a show of looking around the room slowly to give him plenty of time to stare at her body.
Alicia knew very well who he was. She was the one who selected him as the mark, after all. Alexander Bateman, age twenty-nine. He'd been making his fortune in real estate, and he was on the tip of everyone's tongue. When she'd seen that he was hiring, she knew it was the perfect opportunity.
"So, we might as well get started. I've got your resume here," he said, although he was still staring at her intently.
At that moment, she felt an ache in the side of her skull. Dull, throbbing.
"It says right here that you entered college, but you never finished your degree. Why is that?"
"I um..." she said. The pain stopped, then started again on the opposite side of her head. It was as if a headache was trying to find a window that was open to let itself in. "I... I don't feel so good..." she managed, rubbing her temples as the pain intensified.
"Ignore the pain, Alicia. Focus on my words." That was easier said than done.
She'd had headaches before, but never felt anything quite like this. It pushed in harder, and harder on the one spot. There was a fog descending on her. She tried to speak, but it all she managed to do was mutter slightly. Then, she felt something, or perhaps the absence of something. It was like relaxing a muscle you've been straining too hard. She felt a wave of calm wash over her, and the dull throbbing pain had stopped completely.
"Ahhh, there we go,
"
he said.
"
Now, you were just telling me about your studies."
"Oh... I um..." she muttered as she struggled to regroup her thoughts. It was like someone had just driven a truck straight through them. "I'm sorry, I think I'm just a little tired," she said, flustered.
"Not a problem," he said affably, reaching for a tissue. "We can go over all this boring stuff later." Alicia looked up and noticed that his nose was bleeding rather badly.
"Are you alright?" she said.