I really need something to wear for Wednesday. Do you fancy a trip up town?"
Making Adrian promise he'd call to confirm Hensen's evening report had gone OK, the two of them set off to dress Alex for her date with client number one.
"Do you want him to fancy you, babe?" Kerry asked as they climbed the stairs at Green Park.
"Of course not...well, maybe slightly, but only for business reasons," she replied.
In Prada, Alex checked the ticket on what both of them agreed was a seriously beautiful dress.
"It's £1300!"
"Sweetie, you are drop-dead gorgeous, you are successful, or at least becoming successful and you have that adorable accent. And you are going to lunch with a multi millionaire or billionaire or whatever he is. Look on it as an investment and try it on."
Twenty minutes later Alex was handing over her credit card.
"I should have come on my own," she remarked as they left the shop.
The rush hour, or what would be better described as the rush hours, had started, and the tube platform was packed.
"Let people off the train first and move down the carriages please," came an announcement over the Tannoy. "Please use the whole carriage," said the announcer, sounding rather exasperated as commuters continued to hog space by the doors.
After kissing Alex on the cheek, Kerry promised to call her later and got off the train at Tottenham Court Road, while Alex continued east, trying her best to keep some of her own space in the cramped train.
When she got off at Liverpool Street, her mobile phone bleeped. A text message from Adrian "All good" and two voicemails, one from Katherine Price.
Holding a finger to one ear, she could just hear the message against the din of the traffic. "Hi Alex, I've booked Galvin at Windows, that's the 28 th floor of the Hilton, for lunch Wednesday, One o'clock. Let me know if you have any problem. If not, I'll tell Nick to meet you there. If you ask for him at reception then someone will take you up."
Alex, whose idea of a fine lunch was a sandwich in a good pub, didn't know much about the restaurant, but it ought at least to have some good views, she thought.
Once home she thought about going for a run, but instead tried on her dress again to make sure it looked as good as in the shop. She wasn't disappointed.
She changed into shorts and T-shirt, and put a ready meal of curry and rice in the microwave. She liked the fact that she had never even tasted curry before moving to England and now she was hooked on two or three a week. Her previous self she'd left behind in New York.
Later in the evening, Kerry called and tried to persuade her that spending that much on a dress was totally justified bearing in mind her forthcoming lunch meeting with a "totally loaded" client.
Then Alex called Adrian to doubly check that all was well.
"Modern Warfare, do you know how difficult this game is?" he responded.
"You are too old to be playing computer games, Ade."
"Tell me about it. Sadly, it's also what I do for a living."
"Ade, I 'm so going to fire you in the morning."
"Good, I'll be able to get a proper job."
She laughed. "Good night Mr Wilson...oh, wait, where's my report on Mr Hensen?"
"Handed it to Suzie before I left. If you hadn't gone shopping you could be reading it by now."
"I wasn't shopping, I was investing. Keep killing the baddies."
She grabbed her iPad. Another night of just me and BBC iPlayer, she thought. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
In the morning she was surprised to find that Adrian had beaten her to the office. He must have had a row with his girlfriend. Everything was, he promised, going smoothly with client number one. And he suggested again that she ought to give clients numbers two and three some attention.
"You are right. I'll call round and do some PR this afternoon.
"But first I'd like to see the stuff you dug up on Hensen. Where is it?"
"Like I said, I gave it to Suzie. Probably in her drawer."
Alex went to look but the drawer was locked.
Her wait
Making Adrian promise he'd call to confirm Hensen's evening report had gone OK, the two of them set off to dress Alex for her date with client number one.
"Do you want him to fancy you, babe?" Kerry asked as they climbed the stairs at Green Park.
"Of course not...well, maybe slightly, but only for business reasons," she replied.
In Prada, Alex checked the ticket on what both of them agreed was a seriously beautiful dress.
"It's £1300!"
"Sweetie, you are drop-dead gorgeous, you are successful, or at least becoming successful and you have that adorable accent. And you are going to lunch with a multi millionaire or billionaire or whatever he is. Look on it as an investment and try it on."
Twenty minutes later Alex was handing over her credit card.
"I should have come on my own," she remarked as they left the shop.
The rush hour, or what would be better described as the rush hours, had started, and the tube platform was packed.
"Let people off the train first and move down the carriages please," came an announcement over the Tannoy. "Please use the whole carriage," said the announcer, sounding rather exasperated as commuters continued to hog space by the doors.
After kissing Alex on the cheek, Kerry promised to call her later and got off the train at Tottenham Court Road, while Alex continued east, trying her best to keep some of her own space in the cramped train.
When she got off at Liverpool Street, her mobile phone bleeped. A text message from Adrian "All good" and two voicemails, one from Katherine Price.
Holding a finger to one ear, she could just hear the message against the din of the traffic. "Hi Alex, I've booked Galvin at Windows, that's the 28 th floor of the Hilton, for lunch Wednesday, One o'clock. Let me know if you have any problem. If not, I'll tell Nick to meet you there. If you ask for him at reception then someone will take you up."
Alex, whose idea of a fine lunch was a sandwich in a good pub, didn't know much about the restaurant, but it ought at least to have some good views, she thought.
Once home she thought about going for a run, but instead tried on her dress again to make sure it looked as good as in the shop. She wasn't disappointed.
She changed into shorts and T-shirt, and put a ready meal of curry and rice in the microwave. She liked the fact that she had never even tasted curry before moving to England and now she was hooked on two or three a week. Her previous self she'd left behind in New York.
Later in the evening, Kerry called and tried to persuade her that spending that much on a dress was totally justified bearing in mind her forthcoming lunch meeting with a "totally loaded" client.
Then Alex called Adrian to doubly check that all was well.
"Modern Warfare, do you know how difficult this game is?" he responded.
"You are too old to be playing computer games, Ade."
"Tell me about it. Sadly, it's also what I do for a living."
"Ade, I 'm so going to fire you in the morning."
"Good, I'll be able to get a proper job."
She laughed. "Good night Mr Wilson...oh, wait, where's my report on Mr Hensen?"
"Handed it to Suzie before I left. If you hadn't gone shopping you could be reading it by now."
"I wasn't shopping, I was investing. Keep killing the baddies."
She grabbed her iPad. Another night of just me and BBC iPlayer, she thought. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
In the morning she was surprised to find that Adrian had beaten her to the office. He must have had a row with his girlfriend. Everything was, he promised, going smoothly with client number one. And he suggested again that she ought to give clients numbers two and three some attention.
"You are right. I'll call round and do some PR this afternoon.
"But first I'd like to see the stuff you dug up on Hensen. Where is it?"
"Like I said, I gave it to Suzie. Probably in her drawer."
Alex went to look but the drawer was locked.
Her wait
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