Hold On, page 8
“Mr Wright, I will require Miss Aliannah’s expertise for much of the day. My collection is extensive, and obviously, not all of it is held in one singular location. I do hope you will ensure she receives a full day’s pay for this,” Aliannah could hear Mr Wright flustering on the other end of the phone, insisting she would not be docked for today and would receive a bonus for acquiring such a generous client. Jasper hung up the phone and gave it back to her.
Aliannah sat there speechless. “You didn’t have to step in, you know, plus now I’m going to have to find some story to tell him when I have no pieces for the showcase.” Jasper lay back in the bed and pulled her into his chest. He kissed the top of her head.
“You don’t need to fret; it was not a complete lie. I do have an extensive painting collection. I will loan some pieces for the showcase. Do I need your expertise? Not really,” he laughed. “You can choose whichever you like to put in the showcase, but first, let's go get something to eat. I am starving!” Jasper jumped up and headed for the shower. “We can stop by your place so you can change if you want?” Aliannah nodded. She got her clothes together and dressed while Jasper hopped in a quick shower. Cooper met them in the garage.
“Wait here in the car; I’ll be maybe ten minutes. My place is a mess right now, and I will not have you up there,” Aliannah said in a take-no-shit tone. She was concerned Ivan might have been lurking at her door again and did not want the men to end up in a pissing contest should they meet.
Jasper was content to wait in the car. “I have some business to sort anyway. You go do what you need to do, and I will be here when you are done.” He dropped the partition. “Cooper, we will be parked here for a short while.” Cooper nodded and raised the partition again. Jasper kissed Aliannah on the cheek before she got out of the car.
Harry was dusting the lobby as Aliannah walked in. “Good Morning, Miss Aliannah,” he smiled. He seemed extra happy today. She noticed a basket of fresh pastries on the lobby counter. “You must pass on my thanks to your husband for the pastries. He is such a kind fellow. I can see now why Miss Michelle moved out.”
Aliannah stopped in her tracks. “Husband?” She raised a brow. “Harry, I’m not married?” Harry continued tending to his dusting, smiling and humming to himself. She was about to quiz him some more when she saw him put in his earphones and turn on the hoover. She rushed into the elevator. She put her hands to her temples to massage away the stress. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she hurried to her door. There was no one outside. She let a sigh of ease out and slowed her pace the rest of the way to catch her breath. Aliannah entered her apartment and bolted the door behind her. She turned around and screamed.
Ivan was sitting on her sofa with a whiskey glass in his hand. He looked out of sorts. “How the fuck did you get in here? You need to leave now!” she shouted.
Ivan scoffed a laugh and downed the end of his whiskey. “Leave? What? So you can run back to Lover Boy outside? I warned you to stay away from him, darling. He is not who you think he is.” Aliannah rolled her eyes, walked to the bathroom, and locked the door. She was not in the mood for Ivan and his jealousy. She stripped off and turned on the shower.
She could hear Ivan banging on the bathroom door but ignored him. She scrubbed quickly before towelling off. Ivan stood out the bathroom door when she came out wrapped in a towel. Ivan looked her up and down and subtly licked his lips. Aliannah walked straight past him and into her room.
“Darling, please hear me when I say he is not a good man.”
She picked out some black jeans and a blue hoodie; she chose comfort and warmth over style. It was cold out now that it was the end of October. Ivan stood in the doorway watching her. She could feel his stare burning into the back of her head. Aliannah purposely chose a black lace underwear set, knowing he was watching. She turned to look at him. “Do you mind?” she shooed him with her hand.
Ivan clenched his jaw and did not budge. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door frame. “It is nothing I haven’t seen before, Darling,” he said cockily. Aliannah marched over and shoved him back out of the door frame before slamming the door shut.
“YOU LOST THAT PRIVILEGE WITH MILENA!” she shouted through the door. Ivan didn’t respond.
Aliannah threw her hair into a messy bun and grabbed a scarf before she left her room. “Darling, please, stay,” Ivan pleaded from his seat on the couch and gestured for her to sit next to him.
Aliannah grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Stay or leave. I don’t care anymore, Ivan. I am done. Oh! I will be telling Harry that my ‘Husband’ is a psychotic stalker maniac that I have a restraining order against if you ever pull a stunt like this again” Ivan’s jaw hit the floor. She turned and left. She could only hope that he would be gone when she returned.
Aliannah was out of breath as she walked out of the lobby and back towards the limousine. Cooper stood at the back door and gave her a nod as she approached. He knocked on the window before opening the door. Jasper was inside on the phone. He motioned for her to come in as he wrapped up his call.
“Danke, meine freunde.” Jasper ended the call and kissed Aliannah on the hand. “Sorry about that. Germany needed to speak to me directly, but I am all yours now.” He smiled and looked at her. “You okay, dear? You look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders?”
Aliannah smiled and shrugged; “Just out of breath from trying to be super quick.” She wasn’t sure how long she had been gone. “Where are we going?” she chirped as her stomach growled. She blushed with embarrassment, and Jasper laughed. He buckled her into the seat belt.
Jasper put on his own belt and lowered the partition. “Cherubs Tearooms Cooper!” Cooper nodded and raised the partition again. He noticed Aliannah still clinging onto the door handle. “You can let go of the door, you know? You are belted in,” he laughed, taking the hand nearest to him and holding it. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand in a reassuring motion.
It was too chilly to sit outside on the terrace, so they chose an inside table by the window instead. Jasper ordered a full breakfast with tea, while Aliannah ordered an acai bowl and a coffee. The service was super quick since they were the only patrons there. The lunch rush wouldn’t happen for at least another hour.
“Halloween is in two days,” Aliannah said excitedly. “Are you doing anything for it?” she asked as she prepared to eat more of her acai. Jasper looked at her, so confused.
“What? Like Trick-Or-Treat? Dear, that is for children. You can’t be thinking of doing that now,” he huffed. Jeez, who dumped in his tea this morning, she thought. “Do you have plans, dear?” he asked, having realised maybe he sounded a little stand-offish.
Aliannah was beaming with excitement. “Mich and I are going to a costume party at Zino’s. Gavin is off work for once, so he will actually get to be part of the fun this time instead of just watching it. You should totally come!” She was bouncing in her seat. “Mich and I always coordinate our costumes. This year, we are going as a devil,” she pointed to herself, “and an angel.”
It was Jasper's turn to roll his eyes, but he fought the urge to do so. “I find Halloween so cheesy and tacky if I’m honest. It is for children.” Aliannah felt her bubble of excitement burst. “I won’t be able to go, unfortunately,” Aliannah cocked an eyebrow. Her mouth was full of food, so she could not speak. “I leave tonight for a CEO conference in Dallas. I won’t be back until the day after Halloween, so you will have to have fun without me.”
“Oh….right…ok,” she couldn’t hide her disappointment from her face, but she understood. The business world never sleeps. It barely takes a day off for Christmas. She had been mentally picturing Jasper in all sorts of costumes since she made the plan with Michelle. He could have been a fireman, a vampire, a zombie – no, not a zombie, he was too hot for that. The possibilities that ran through her mind had been endless.
“Maybe next year then,” she said as her shoulders sagged.
“Hey, why don’t we swing by my gallery before I drop you home? That will put a smile back on your face, won’t it, dear?” Jasper motioned for the bill to be brought over and handed the waitress his black Amex card.
“Sure,” Aliannah nodded. She had to check out these pieces for real, or Mr Wright would indeed eat her alive – and not in a good way. The waitress returned with Jasper’s card, and they left. Cooper drove them downtown to the docklands. Aliannah saw two armed security guarding the entrance to the warehouse they were in front of. She raised a brow at Jasper. “What is this place?”
Jasper walked ahead of Aliannah, and when he approached the door, the two armed security guards nodded, “Alright, Boss,” and stepped aside to let them inside. They walked through some corridors to the main room of the warehouse. Aliannah could not believe what she was seeing. On one side, there were crates stacked ten feet tall; on the other side, there was a line of luxury cars, and in front of this, there were tables. There were men sitting at these tables smoking, lounging, playing cards, and chatting. Jasper led her past all of this. As each man noticed him, he was greeted with “Alright, Boss.” Aliannah began to question what all these men were doing here.
They walked to the back of the warehouse and went through another door that led to a high-security room. Jasper punched the code in and allowed Aliannah to walk through first.
Aliannah’s eyes went wide. “This…this is amazing!” It was a large room – not as big as the main warehouse but still decently sized. The walls were lined with paintings. Banksy, Picasso and Monet, to name but a few, she paused at each one to take in its glory. She was mesmerised. “Where did all these come from? How do you have these?”
Jasper laughed. “This has been in the family for generations. I am sure you know how high-value everything in this room is?” he paused as she moved to admire the next painting. “This is why I have heavy security all over this building. Between the paintings and my cars, there are many millions worth of assets here.” Aliannah nodded in agreement while examining the paintings.
She chose three nature-themed paintings for the showcase and a portrait of an angel in a seashell. Jasper ordered his men to box them up and transport them to the museum so Mr Wright could see Aliannah truly did source new inventory for the showcase in December. Jasper escorted her out of the warehouse and back to the car.
“Are you sure you can’t bail on the conference and come to the party?” she looked at him with doe eyes, hoping to sway his mind in her favour. “I’m sure you would really like my costume…” She added for emphasis.
Jasper shook his head. “Sorry, dear. It's business. I cannot bail,” he kissed her knuckles. "Maybe you can give me a private demonstration when I return, “he winked at her. But for now, I am afraid I must drop you home before heading to the airport. My flight leaves soon.” Aliannah was disappointed. She for sure thought she could change his mind.
Jasper followed Aliannah out of the limousine outside her apartment and pulled her in for a kiss. “I will miss you, dear.” He kissed her again before getting back into the limousine. Aliannah did not wait to watch Jasper drive away. She was too disappointed.
Chapter Eighteen
Mr Wright sang Aliannah’s praises as he walked into the museum's back warehouse. “Aliannah, you are an angel! For years, we have been trying to convince the Conrad’s to loan some of their pieces to our showcases—years! I don’t know how you did it, but thank you; they are exquisite!” Mr Wright hugged Aliannah tightly. Aliannah felt very uncomfortable. She didn’t know why Mr. Wright was acting so strangely. He is not a hugger.
“I simply asked Mr Conrad for a temporary loan for our Christmas showcase that is being held to raise money in aid of The Children’s Trust, and he happily obliged.” It was a flat-out lie, but she did not need to tell Mr Wright exactly how the loan came about.
Mr Wright nodded as he watched Jasper’s men unload the truck with the boxed-up paintings. He was eager to inspect them. Apparently, no one had set eyes on the collection in years, not since Alicia Conrad – Jasper’s grandmother had passed six years ago. It had pained Jasper’s grandfather too much to keep the paintings hanging about the house after her death, so he moved them to a secure storage facility. Jasper’s grandfather himself passed about a year ago; the paintings had been willed to Jasper. It was all over the papers at the time regarding which family member the collection had been entrusted to.
“Very well! We must put your charms to use again with our other difficult clients,” Aliannah squirmed in her skin. Mr Wright, without a doubt, had no clue how she had gotten the paintings and no clue that she was in Jasper's bed when he had called her.
“Don’t worry about the missed delivery either; you were correct in pursuing this avenue! I put Christina on it yesterday afternoon when the truck returned, although I must say I prefer your work to hers. She has always been a bit…. slow,” he shrugged and walked closer to the unboxed paintings to inspect them.
Aliannah slowly backed away before returning to her desk on the main floor. She was glad to get away from Mr. Wright. He always gave off an energy that made her uncomfortable. He would stand a bit too close or phrase things with strong underlying tones of ill intent. It sometimes made her wonder how he got to be in such a position of authority.
She just had to get through today, and then she could begin the Halloween fun. She was delighted when the roster showed that she had the day of Halloween off work. It would give her plenty of time to prepare for the night ahead. The plan was for Michelle and Gavin to come over for prep and pre-game before heading to Zino’s.
It was time for the first door jingle of the day. Aliannah took a big breath in and put on her best customer-friendly face. A coachload from Sunflower Seniors Home was in for an outing today. They were so happy to visit the museum, and Aliannah smiled at their joy. The tour changed from Aliannah giving them the information to the seniors educating her on all the artefacts and paintings.
It was amazing to hear all their recounts of the war and what life was like back then. The men in the group proudly told their stories of their soldier days with such pride, and the women told stories of how they went from being homemakers to working in the factories making weapons and uniforms for the soldiers since all the men had been drafted into the war effort. She got a notebook from her desk and began to take notes to add to her future tours on this exhibit. It was incredible how they lived back then.
One of the women, Dolores, commented on how much technology has advanced in the last fifty years. They didn’t think any of the current advancements were possible fifty years ago and commented on how futuristic modern society is.
“No one appreciates the art of a handwritten letter anymore,” the woman said sadly before continuing, “It takes true heart and feeling to put pen to paper and not just ping across a quick text. Young people these days are glued to those stupid devices.”
Aliannah was in agreement. “You are absolutely right, Dolores. A handwritten letter is the most beautiful form of communication, be it a love note or a simple letter from a friend. It shows that time and effort went into making it, whereas none of that goes towards typing out a text on your phone.” The rest of the seniors in the group agreed in unison. The group moved into the ballroom area for afternoon tea and demanded Aliannah join them to continue their conversations about war stories and the good old days. She was more than happy to join them.
The next hour was spent drinking tea, eating sandwiches, and chatting with the seniors. It filled Aliannah’s heart with joy to know that her job had afforded her the opportunity to meet these amazing people and learn so much from them.
She left work on a high that evening. She felt re-energised in her work, and her passion reignited to go further. She was determined that the museum would take her on with a permanent contract by the end of her internship. After all, she put in the most work out of everyone on the lower staff. She deserved to be kept on; in fact, she deserved a promotion. She had a new level of confidence as she walked home. Aliannah decided to pick up some Chinese takeout for dinner on her way home and made sure to order a fortune cookie, too. She had a good feeling about this one.
“Good evening, Miss Aliannah,” Harry greeted her as she walked through the building lobby. She was grateful he did not have any packages for her. She needed a night off from it all. Jasper was gone to his conference, and who cared where Ivan was as long as he was not in her apartment when she got upstairs. She felt like the tug rope between Ivan and Jasper; she did not like it. The more Ivan pulled, the further he pushed her towards Jasper. She stepped out of the elevator on her floor and went to her door. She did not relax until she was inside her apartment and completed a full sweep to ensure no unwanted visitors were lurking inside again.
She plonked down on the couch and turned on the TV. A crime documentary took her fancy; she ate her dinner while trying to solve the crime before the detectives did. This was a favourite activity she used to do with Michelle; nine times out of ten, they would guess correctly who the killer was and scoff at the idiotic ways they had gotten themselves caught. It was always the cocky ones that would have the dumbest mistakes. She lay back on the couch to continue watching the documentary when she had taken her fill of the Chinese takeout. She was fit to burst because she had eaten so much. They always sell such big portions. The red metallic foil of the fortune cookie glinted on the coffee table. Red was deemed a lucky colour in Chinese culture. Aliannah reached for it and cracked it open to read what fortune it contained.
Don’t be deceived by a pretty face. A pretty face can hide an ugly truth.
