“It’s nothing that Karen won’t be able to fix when she’s finished. It will be like it doesn’t exist at all.”
Tiffany’s eyebrows drew together in an angry frown. The way her boss always tensed her jaw when she was angry, Alicia was surprised that Tiffany hadn’t ruined her perfect teeth.
“You better hope so,” she snapped. “I can’t have the station’s favorite and most watched anchor going on air looking like she’s been doing something she shouldn’t have before work.
How dare she! What she did before work was none of her boss’s damn business!
Alicia opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped it shut instead. Tiffany wanted to get a rise out of her tonight for some reason, but she wasn’t going to fall for it. Brad had her on cloud nine after their little rendezvous in his empty office building and she didn’t want to mess with that.
“Tiffany don’t worry. Everything will be fine and no one will know I have a hickey. Will you still be around after my broadcast is over?” Alicia asked.
“No, I’ll be leaving in about ten minutes. Why?”
“I want to go over with you what I have for the Drace brother’s special,” Alicia said, wondering when Tiffany might want to do it. She hoped that it wasn’t this weekend because she wanted to run an idea she had past Brad.
“We can talk about it first thing Monday morning,” Tiffany said as she turned away and left.
Alicia couldn’t believe how cocky Tiffany seemed as she sauntered from the room like she had gotten something over on her, but she didn’t realize that everything had turned out the way she wanted.
On the drive to work an idea had hit her, a way to help Brad with his business plan. She only hoped that everything would turn out as well as she hoped it would.
Brad wanted his dream to come true and she would do everything humanly possible to make it happen for him. Tomorrow would be her first step in that direction and she hoped it was the right movement.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Mr. Graf, I want to thank you so much for meeting me on such short notice. I know you’re a very busy man,” Alicia said, looking at the attractive dark haired man seated in front of her. He reminded her, a lot, of Rob Lowe, but his eyes were a dark rich brown instead of blue.
“Alicia, it was my pleasure,” Ivan smiled. “I was very impressed with the interview you did on me a few years ago. I was happy to get your phone call. Can I hope this is about a romantic interest instead of business one?”
What a flirt. It was a good thing her heart belonged to Brad or this man might have been able to seduce her.
“I’m sorry. I’ve an amazing boyfriend and an outstanding relationship. He’s the reason I’m here.”
“Lucky man,” Ivan replied disappointment clear in his voice. “What can I help you with?”
This might be her only chance to get one of the top ranked former tennis players in the world to go into business with Brad, so she didn’t want to blow it.
“I heard that you’re looking to expand your business with another partner and I was hoping you would consider my boyfriend. He used to be my tennis coach and he knows the business better than anyone I know.”
Ivan stared at her for a moment or two before he finally answered. “How did you find out about this?” he questioned, clearly shocked. “I haven’t mentioned my plans to that many individuals.”
“I can’t give away my secrets and any reporter worth her grain of salt wouldn’t.”
“I don’t know if I can be much help to your boyfriend. I’m looking for someone to help me teach the game and help certain players reach the US Open. The person will be under a lot of pressure, so I can’t give that kind of responsibility to someone who taught you tennis in their spare time. In addition, he would have to be able to handle the business side too,” Ivan said. “So, I’m sorry I have to tell you no again.”
Ivan got up to leave, but Alicia jumped up from her seat and stood in front of him blocking his path while she pulled something out of her purse. “Please just take a look at Brad in action. He’s an amazing player and he’d be an excellent asset to your team. He’s even opening his own business a couple of blocks from here that will focus primarily on tennis.”
Alicia pressed the DVD against Ivan’s hard chest. “If you take a look I promise you won’t be sorry. Brad gave it to me to help improve my game. I taped one of his business cards inside just in case.”
Ivan touched the DVD pressed against his chest and she moved her hand. “Alicia, you must care about this man a lot to go out on a limb like this for him.”
“I love him and would do anything to help him achieve his dream.”
“Okay, I’ll take a look at this on my flight back home,” Ivan finally agreed.
“Thank you.” Standing on her tiptoes, Alicia gave Ivan a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “You’re a good friend.”
“I hope that you don’t think my friendship with you will make me say yes to your boyfriend.”
“I know it won’t,” Alicia said. “Brad’s kick ass talent is what will make you agree to go into business with him. Now, do you think you can walk me back to my car? I’m going to be later for another meeting.”
“I love walking a beautiful woman to her car and especially if it’s you.” Placing his hand in the middle of her back, Ivan escorted her back towards the front of the restaurant.
Alicia was so caught up with happiness that her plan might work out for Brad, she didn’t notice the two men at the table by the far window in the restaurant. Or how they were watching her and the friendly way she was acting towards Ivan.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Don’t tell Brad about what you saw at the restaurant,” Dawn told her husband that same night as she helped him close up D4. “You and Zack don’t know why Alicia was there with that man plus a kiss on the cheek isn’t the prologue for sex. Hell, I don’t even consider it anything romantic at all.”
Richard shoved the night’s money and checks into the money bag next to him. “You aren’t going to talk me out of this,” he told her. “We both agreed that Brad had a right to know and you’re wrong.
“A kiss on the cheek with a guy can lead to something more in a man’s head. I’m beginning to think that Lee might have seen the truth when the rest of us were blinded to the fact. I won’t let her hurt my brother.”
“Alicia isn’t a bad girl. I truly believe she’s in love with Brad and isn’t cheating on him. Don’t tell him about this lunch today. You could be making something out of nothing.”
“Brad is the closet to me and if he finds out about this from anyone else, he will be so pissed that I knew and didn’t tell him.”
Dawn crossed her arms over her breasts and shook her head. “I’m getting a bad feeling about this. Please stay out of it. You might be reading more into it than there is.”
Richard gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I feel he needs to know and I’m going to tell him. Secrets can destroy a relationship and I won’t allow that to happen to Brad.”
Turning away from her, Richard went towards the back of the restaurant toward his office. Dawn watched her husband’s retreating back with worry. She didn’t know why Richard couldn’t think Alicia’s lunch with that man wasn’t romantic, but he couldn’t.
It just worried her to think what harm was about to come to Brad and Alicia’s life because her husband couldn’t wait to find out what the truth really was.
For a fleeting moment, she thought about finding Alicia and talking to her about this before Richard got hold of Brad, but she decided against it, feeling it was Alicia and Brad’s relationship…not hers. Besides, she really doubted that Alicia was cheating on Brad. She saw how Alicia looked at her brother-in law and there was too much love in her eyes for her to be cheating on him.