Xander's POV
Allison Carter is staring at me like she has seen a ghost, her eyes widened to twice their size. She's opening and closing her mouth, too startled to make a sound.
The other woman is the one that speaks.
"Mr. Black…" she stutters, though it from surprise and not because she's flustered. "Welcome. To what do we owe this honor?"
I return my gaze to Allison, and she looks like she wants nothing more than to sink into the floor and disappear.
"I've come to speak with Allison," I say.
Allison starts, then drops her gaze. The woman— her friend, I'm guessing, based on the dynamic here— steps closer and takes her hand.
"Do you want to talk to him, Allison?" she whispers it, but my ears pick it up easily.
The audacity of this woman. She seems to have her own personal hierarchy,
