Grantham Global: Strictly Business: Dark Alley 2.1 (Dark Alley Season 2) Read online

  Grantham Global:

  Strictly Business

  Episode 1

  D. S. Wrights

  Copyright © 2017 D. S. Wrights

  All rights reserved.

  Dedication

  This is still for Christine.

  Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Amy, and Ella!

  Big thanks to Gill, Amanda, and Janneke!

  One

  ♥ Alice ♥

  Alice stood at the glass wall of the meeting room, up high at Grantham Global headquarters, and looked down to the city that spread out in front of her. The level was so high that it was impossible to see the ground beneath her. She loved this big and restless city that has been her home for several years now and she couldn’t imagine going back to the town she grew up in.

  There were times that Alice had been worried she might have to go back home to her family home, because of her failing at work, or her mother’s illness demanding her return, since her younger siblings expected her to. But now, after the experiences she’d had the past few weeks, she wouldn’t allow anyone to pressure her into doing anything she didn’t want to.

  Apart from Jason.

  King of Diamonds could do with her whatever pleased him, and she would love it.

  A smirk appeared on Alice’s lips when her imagination began to come up with all sorts of sexual fantasies she used to be ashamed of. Now, she wasn’t anymore.

  Now, she wondered, which of these fantasies would come true the next time they visited the Dark Alley.

  Although the past nights with Jason had been vanilla, she had enjoyed them nonetheless. Especially because she had been staying with him, in his bed, at his apartment, without a worry in the world. Apart from how to get back to her apartment, unseen, and before Jimmy picked her up for work.

  Now, standing here in the meeting room Alice had just finished setting up for the board’s short notice meeting, those nights felt strangely surreal to her. As if they had been nothing but a fantastic dream, and too good to be true. It was easier to believe that she had dreamt about being Jason’s secret girlfriend, than it actually being true.

  But it was true. She wasn’t only the big boss’ secret girlfriend, she was his mistress. And, his wife didn’t only condone their relationship, Adelaide had been the very one clearing the path. Alice still had the letter to prove that.

  And yet, it was easier to believe that all of this was a dream, because if this was reality, no matter if Adele approved of it or not, she was the secret lover of a married man, and that was something her old self despised. The old self that had held society’s opinion above her own, that wanted everyone to approve of her, that had wanted to marry a respectable bachelor, and have 1.4 children with him, so that her family didn’t see her as a failure.

  Alice let out a sigh, and tried to calm down her nerves as her heart started racing, thinking of how far she had strayed from the ideals that she had always thought to be her own.

  “I am okay with this,” she said lowly, merely to assure herself. “I am okay with this.”

  Of all her family and friends, she couldn’t imagine that anyone would show sympathy with her decision. None but her best friend Bianca. Somehow, Alice knew that Bianca wouldn’t judge. Or at least that she wouldn’t judge her.

  Bianca was a better person than Alice. She herself had treated her best friend poorly. All because Bianca had gotten pregnant, which had left Alice as the only single and childless woman of their old clique. But she had still been sympathetic, despite it all. Alice knew Bianca would not only be an amazing mother, she would be the best. Far better than Alice’s mom.

  Alice’s business phone vibrated in her hand. It was the final reminder for the meeting, alerting her to get back to her desk to welcome the board members.

  Before leaving the meeting room, Alice did her final round around the long table, checking if the papers were put together neatly and if everything was where it needed to be.

  This meeting would be the last one she would have to prepare on her own. On Monday, Grace would be back and that meant Alice wouldn’t have to get up that early in the morning or stay as late as she had in her first weeks of the new job.

  Thinking of Grace made her nervous. Although they had talked a few times through video chat, and the elderly woman hadn’t only seemed very nice, but also genuine, Alice still dreaded the moment. It didn’t make any difference that Jimmy, who was their company assigned driver, had only confirmed Grace’s sweet character, and called her the grandmother he had never had.

  Monday was still far away, and if Alice was honest with herself, the true reason she thought about Grace now was because she didn’t want to be a nervous wreck about meeting Jason at the office for the first time since they agreed on their secret relationship.

  Jason would be the first to step out of the elevator. He would be the first she would have to welcome and she would have to be strictly business with him. At least, that is what she believed he expected from her. Alice had avoided the topic of how he wanted her to behave around him at work, simply because she didn’t want to feel awkward, and now she was living with the consequences.

  However, Alice was adamant that he expected her to be professional and steer clear of any innuendos. And even if he didn’t, Alice wanted to act as if there was absolutely nothing between them, because if she didn’t, she knew she would be busy making sure to keep her hands off him, which would only make things more complicated. And apart from that, if anyone noticed their special kind of relationship, it could be exposed before it had even begun.

  Plus, there was a whole other level of anxiety waiting in the corners of Alice’s mind, ready to attack.

  The weekend was coming.

  That was something she really didn’t want to think about right now. Not when she had to work and push all emotions aside, acting like an adult, rational person. But as the door in Alice’s mind had been pushed open, she was incapable of closing it.

  What would happen when this day was over?

  Jason would have to go back home eventually.

  Home, as in the place his wife and he were living at. He had to, because, if he didn’t, someone would notice. That, Alice was sure of.

  And that someone would most likely be the tabloids. Jason had no reason to stay in his downtown penthouse when meetings were over. At least not without his wife. If he did, it would send the wrong signal.

  Alice couldn’t help but wonder if paparazzi were out for Jason, waiting for him to make a mistake, a minor mishap, anything to sell their pictures. But then again, she hadn’t even known who he was when she first met him. He wasn’t a film star, or a famous musician.

  J.J. Grantham was a business man, head of one of the greatest businesses in the world, but most people weren’t even aware of the company. What she had found on him online had been nothing but boring. There was no chance she would have missed a scandal concerning one of the biggest companies in the world, located in her city.

  Jason was careful. Not only him but Adelaide, as well. They stayed close enough to the limelight to keep people informed but far enough to not get burned. It had to be exhausting to watch your every move, but when Alice thought of the pictures that she had seen of them, there was no sign of them struggling to keep up the charade.

  Being a secret had the benefit that she wouldn’t have to be a deer in the headlights that were the tabloids. Alice wasn’t sure if she could endure people judging her outfits, makeup, and loo
ks as if they had all the right to do so.

  And then there was the big possibility that the tabloids would brand her a gold-digger, a woman that ruined the perfect marriage. That thought was horrible.

  The high pinging sound of the elevator made her freeze, but freed her of the dreadful image that had taken over Alice’s mind, almost rendering her immovable.

  Alice wasn’t at her desk, but stood right in the middle of the room, and blocked the way towards the meeting room. The metal doors slid open in slow motion and there he was, J.J. Grantham, in all his glory. Alice could feel her face blush as she recognized the suit that had hung outside of his closet this morning when she left hastily to shower as well, and get a set of fresh clothes. Her heart beat in her throat and her hands clung to her smartphone in front of her lower abdomen as if it was a lifeline.

  For a moment, Alice believed Jason cocked one brow, but then his facial expression was unreadable once more. Then she noticed her boss wasn’t on his own. Another board member was standing right next to him, talking to him. Quickly, she stepped aside and moved backwards until she felt her buttocks collide with her table.

  “Good morning, Alice.” Jason’s voice was smooth and devoid of any innuendo, but it chased goosebumps down her spine all the same, because it was still the voice that had whispered dirty words and sweet nothings into her ear.

  “Good morning, Mr. Grantham.” Alice was relieved that she didn’t sound anxious at all, at least to her own ears. “Good morning, Mr. Debouchez,” she continued to welcome the other man stepping from the elevator without giving her emotions away.

  The board member stayed innocently oblivious to her troubles.

  “Ms. Boise,” he responded in the same way.

  Both men passed her by, continuing the conversation they had been having, and Alice carefully let out a breath she didn’t know she had held.

  Carefully, she pried her right hand from the rim of her desk, and stretched it, since her tense grip had caused it to cramp, painfully.

  Alice knew she wouldn’t be able to sit still and remain calm, so she decided to keep standing.

  ♦ Jason ♦

  Jason hadn’t expected it to be that hard to pretend that Alice was just another employee.

  Usually, strictly business was his forte, staying rational was a piece of cake, but not when that woman, who had sneaked from his apartment while he was taking a shower, was presenting herself like a tall drink of water, reminding him that he was parched, as the lift opened.

  She was wearing one of these lilac-lavender colored blouses again, which complimented her skin tone and the color of her greenish-blue eyes. Her black pencil skirt was hugging her female form and Alice held her mobile phone with both of her hands covering the spot he had sunken his tongue and cock into just hours ago.

  Thinking of that, he could still taste her on his lips.

  “Good morning, Alice.”

  His own voice was foreign to his ears, as he sucked in the calm expression on her face that was betrayed by her flushing cheeks.

  Fuck.

  “Good morning, Mr. Grantham.” Alice sounded calm and collected, but he could see in her eyes that her heart was fluttering in her chest.

  This woman was temptation in heels and she wasn’t even aware of it. Unbelievable.

  Jason wanted to grab Alice, bent her over her desk and make her scream his name and beg for mercy, while he spanked her full butt cheeks to the same color her face had right now, but instead he listened to her greeting the man he had forgotten about for a moment.

  After René Debouchez responded to her, he continued to talk about the project they had been discussing in the elevator. The takeover of an American shipping company, whose main ports of destination were China, as well as the political mine field they had to navigate through to make it happen. But China was the future. And the fact that his country had more than a billion potential consumers was just one of many.

  Not looking at Alice helped him to focus back on the task at hand, but somewhere at the back of his head Jason faced the fact that, when it came to the woman his own wife approved of to be his mistress, things were different. Because Alice was different.

  Still, after René Debouchez and he entered the meeting room, and Jason closed the doors behind him. He was glad his fellow board member preferred studying the papers, instead of continuing to converse about something they would have to go through again in a few minutes time, like always. Usually, Jason would do the same, browsing through the information and getting a first look at the topics that would be discussed, but this time the image of Alice was distracting him.

  Probably it would be a wise decision to assign her to a different job at the company, but it wasn’t fair to her. She wasn’t intentionally the reason Jason had to readjust himself beneath the table, as he was already rock-hard. And all that just because he had seen her for mere seconds. As far as he knew she was doing an excellent job without having Grace around to show her the ropes and help her.

  No.

  This was a first for him, being involved with one of his employees, but it could have been worse, she could have become his new assistant.

  Like this, he would at least get to see her every other week outside of his bedroom and was sure that she had a decent and safe job at a good company that wouldn’t lay her off without warning.

  And as long Alice was fine with being his employee, or rather, an employee of a company he owned, Jason would be fine with her being one of the two board assistants.

  As long as she did her job well, which he didn’t doubt, at all, he had no reason to intervene with Alice’s career.

  Jason admired her for not bringing up work while she had stayed with him every night since she said ‘yes’ to his proposal.

  Even though it might have been smart to agree on certain rules, that would help them navigate through these tricky waters. However, like that, she truly kept their work life and private lives separate. And, because of that, Jason he knew Alice would keep things strictly business between them once she left his apartment.

  There was just only one problem. He didn’t want her to leave his apartment.

  At all.

  Jason had caught himself enjoying simply having her around and waking up next to her. Adele and him never share a bed, not even for sleeping. The last time he had woken up next to a woman was so long ago that he couldn’t really remember even what year it had been. He hadn’t allowed anyone this close to him, and Jason now realized that – without even thinking and assessing about the consequences – he had allowed Alice to stay over several nights. Noticing that she had gone while he had showered caused a serious yet foreign sting.

  He had no idea when he had fallen that hard for her.

  Jason slowly suppressed the smile that sneaked onto his mouth, as he thought about how easily he could get used to a living arrangement like that.

  But they had to be careful.

  Even with having a private elevator leading straight into his apartment, Alice still had to walk a few steps from said elevator to her apartment and make sure not to be seen riding down instead of up. Plus, he couldn’t stay at his penthouse every night of the week, especially not on weekends. Not without Adelaide when she was in town. The tabloids would find out and they would weave their own story, which would undeniably contain that Adelaide and his perfect marriage wasn’t that perfect after all.

  If Alice and he should really become serious with each other, then Adele and he had to orchestrate their divorce and everything prior to that with utmost care. They already had planned it out, for when the date set in their contract arrived, and until then Alice and he had enough time to find out if they could work as a couple.

  Right at this moment Jason Jeremiah Grantham caught himself doing something he never did: he hoped it would work out between them. And he realized that it was him and not Alice who couldn’t wait for that day to come, when they didn’t have to be careful anymore.

  Three years.


  Jason wanted to go out there and date Alice out in the open. He wanted to show her to the world, and let it know that Alice Boise was his girlfriend. Jason wanted to be able to go on spontaneous trips with her, show her his favorite spots all around the world.

  But he couldn’t.

  Yes, their arrangement had just begun, yes, it was the safest and most reasonable way to handle things. But Alice made him want more. She had ignited a need for him to break out from his disciplined daily regiment and just live in the moment. As long as that moment was with her.

  So, this was how it was like.

  This was what it felt like.

  To be in love with someone.

  After a few hours of discussion about their plans regarding the shipping company, during which Jason did his best to not be distracted by Alice who entered now and then to serve coffee and pastries, they took a well-deserved break.

  Jason got to his feet and walked over to the glass front of the room, stretching his tired limbs, as he looked down at the city that lay at his feet. He drowned out the chats of his fellow board members and tried to focus on the traffic he could make out, but was incapable of relaxing. Alice’s steps were all he heard when she entered the room, collecting the used dishes. Jason knew exactly where she was even though he didn’t turn around. He caught himself looking for her as he stared at the windows’ reflection.

  Admittedly, Alice wasn’t the first woman Jason had offered this kind of secret relationship to, but she could be the last. The last time Adelaide hadn’t stepped in, but she had given her approval when he had asked her for it. The relationship had been at the Dark Alley only, and the woman hadn’t known who he was, since Jason had never taken off his mask. And, he never woke up next to her. When the intimacy had eventually become more intense, it had been time for him to reveal himself. It was then when he had stopped seeing her, ending the relationship rather abruptly. It hadn’t been difficult for him to cut her off. That had been two years ago.