The Hellman

Chapter 2

Two weeks later as Elaine walked into the lobby of the Hellman building early to catch up on some last-minute tasks Alexander had given her. She walked with a confidence that had not been there the first day she had come in. She had used her sizable starting bonus to get herself an entirely new wardrobe which had given her confidence an extra boost. Today she wore a dark grey pantsuit with a pink blouse that complimented her pale skin.

“You’re in early,” Jessica said as she walked towards her desk.

Elaine stopped and smiled at the woman who had become her friend over the last two weeks. They had shared many lunches and late-night dinners while Jessica trained her to be Alexander’s assistant. It was the only relationship she had developed outside her best friend Charlie.

“I know, I came in early to do some work on an account Alexander has to update today. The system needs to be upgraded.” Elaine said.

“I know,” Jessica said giving her an apologetic look, “the one Martha used was outdated but it suited her.”

“I’ll have it updated within a month,” Elaine said thinking of all the work she had already done to transfer the information from one system to the other.

She had been working her hardest since she got here to make a good impression. It wasn’t just her desire to be a great assistant and keep this job but also the strange feeling of gratification she got when Alexander complimented her on a job well done. He was a handsome man, possibly the most handsome man she had ever met, and he was just as charming. Although there was a dangerous brooding side of him that she often saw when she walked into his office, it only added to her attraction to him. Each time she saw him, she had to suppress the butterflies in her stomach and remind herself that to him, she was a nobody and that with the possibility of numerous prospects, it was unlikely that a man like him could be interested in her.

“Don’t work yourself too hard.” Jessica said, “you need to get a social life.”

“Oh no.” Elaine replied, “I have all I need right now.”

Jessica laughed and flashed her a pitying look.

“A beautiful girl like you doesn’t know what she’s missing,” Jessica said

Elaine knew she was beautiful but after the life she had lived, she knew better than anyone else that her beauty was as much a curse as it was a blessing. She was never going to allow her beauty to get to her head.

“Beauty is fleeting.” Elaine said, “but a job well done is a job well done.”

Jessica laughed. and Elaine used that as her opportunity to walk away from her desk. She was almost across the room when Jessica called out to her.

“I forgot to tell you that the rest of the Hellman children are coming in today.” Jessica said, “just thought you might want to know.”

Suddenly Elaine felt a prick of unease. So far, she had only met Alexander and from what she had heard, the other Hellman children had been out on missions and wouldn’t reconvene for at least another two weeks. She wondered nervously if they had come because of her and the thought terrified her.

“Thanks,” she said to Jessica as she walked away briskly.

She went into her office which she had re-arranged over the course of two weeks to fit her needs. She had arranged for the grey walls to be repainted a soft green and she had removed most of the furniture and gotten a new larger desk. She had replaced the couch in the office for more professional chairs and altogether the office decorations made the room look more professional and organized. She would never have been able to function in the clutter that Martha has left and the grey walls that have been there before did nothing to promote her productivity.

As she sat down behind her desk she had the sinking feeling that her cover was about to be blown. Picking up her phone, she dialed Charlie in hopes that her friend could calm her nerves.

“Hey, Elain-Michelle.” Her friend corrected herself before her real name slipped.

“Hey, Charlie.” Elaine replied, “are you free?”

Charlie worked in a crisis office for women who were victims of s*x trafficking. They had met when Elaine came to America and Charlie had been the only person she had intimate contact with since she had escaped. Charlie was a few years older than her and well educated and Elaine had admired that. She had been homeschooled all her life by nature of her circumstances, but she had never learned anything about real life.

“What’s up,” she asked, “I thought we were going to meet up later to talk.”

“Oh yes,” Elaine said, “I just needed to talk to someone. I think the Hellmans know who I am.”

“Why do you say that?” Charlie asked in a low tone.

“Because they’re all meeting up here today.” Elaine replied, “they weren’t supposed to be here for another two weeks. I think I’m the reason they’re here.”

“I doubt it.” Charlie said, “you’re out of that word now Elaine if they have a problem with you they’ll go to HR and fire you.”

“I guess so,” Elaine replied as her fears began to ebb.

She depended on Charlie heavily for her reintegration and whenever things got too hard to bear she could always depend on her to calm her down.

“We can talk about this later.” Charlie said, “in the mean-time just watch and see what happens. You’re not in any danger there.”

The line went dead, and she knew her friend was gone. Charlie wasn’t good with words which Elaine had come to realize over the time she had spent living with her but that was what made her so good at her job. Charlie’s commanding tone and self-assurance helped to calm all her fears in a way that no-one else could.

With her fears dispelled, she delved into her day’s work. She was so busy that she didn’t realize when the side door of her office opened, and Alexander walked in.

It was the faint scent of his cologne that first alerted her that he was in her office and she looked up from her computer to see him watching her curiously.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “did I miss your call?”

“No,” he replied leaning against the door jam and looking down at her.

He was wearing a suit today which was unusual for him because he usually only wore dress pants and shirts. The tailored suits made him look so handsome that she almost forgot her own name.

“Oh,” she said wishing that all the oxygen that had left the room would come back. “is there anything I can do for you right now?”

He stepped away from the door jam and walked over to her desk so he was standing directly before her.

“I need you,” he said.

His words set off a frenzied attack of butterflies on her stomach.

“I need you to sit in on a meeting I’m having with my siblings in a few minutes.” He said

Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over her and she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

“Don’t worry?” he said as if he noticed the sudden dread that filled her. “it’s just a new contract that recently came in and needs some crucial planning.”

Elaine let out a nervous sigh of relief.

“I wasn’t worried,” she lied, “I was just thinking about some work I have to catch up on.”

There was a slight smirk at the corner of his lips that told her he wasn’t impressed with her lie and he did not believe it.

“Regardless,” he said, “the meeting will begin in a few minutes, you should come by and meet them before it begins.”

Again, Elaine was filled with dread. She didn’t know if she had the gut to meet up with Hellmans just yet.

“I know you’re reserved,” Alexander said walking over to her desk and taking a seat in one of her chairs. His large frame dwarfed the tiny chair. “but these are my siblings, they won't bite neither will they make you feel uncomfortable.”

For a moment she wondered why he was doing all that. She knew that the way he treated her was different and sometimes when he looked at her with those deep searching eyes she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to put all her trust in him and beg for his protection.

“I understand.” She said giving him a nod to show that she understood. He stood then and held out his hand for her to take it.

It was a simple gesture but the idea of touching him was all that she could think about at that moment. She had only ever touched her boss once before on the first day they met, and she had done her best to ignore the way it made her feel.

“Come with me.” He said in a bossy urgent tone.

Instead of resisting, she made her way around the table and took his hand. His hands were massive and they dwarfed her tiny hands as he held them. The zing of apprehension she felt as soon as he touched her made it hard to breathe. Once they were standing side by side he released her hand and placed his hand in the small of her back as he led her through her office door and down the hallway to the conference room where all confidential meetings were held.

When she walked inside she was surprised to see all the persons sitting around in the room. They all looked like Alexander in some way and they were all just as good looking as he was.

“Michelle,” Alexander said, “these are my siblings; Jamie, Theodore, William, and Laura.”

Elaine let her eyes scan over each sibling and she noted their look of surprise when they saw her. To note was the look of excitement on Laura’s face when she saw her.

“You must be Elaine!” Laura said leaving her seat and rushing over to where Elaine stood. The woman had to be a few years older than her or at least her age. She was tall and beautiful with bone straight blonde hair that stopped at her ears and brushed against her shoulders. She had bright blue eyes like her brother and when she spoke Elaine was almost sure animals would spontaneously burst through the windows at the melodies in her voice.

“I am,” Elaine said shyly.

“Yes, this is my assistant,” Alexander said in a commanding tone shifting the attention from her to himself as he nudged her into the room. She took this as an opportunity to make her way across the room and take a seat at the end of the table away from all the others.

“Brother, it’s been too long!” Jamie said patting Alex on the back when he walked in.

She watched as Alexander greeted all his siblings. His brothers were all just as tall and handsome as he was and the way they greeted each other showed just how deep their bonds went. He was affectionate to his only sister and the way he teased her unleashed a slight ache inside her that she didn’t quite understand. She didn’t know what it was like to grow up with a sibling; she knew even less about how it felt as an adult to feel the love, appreciation, and support of family members.

“All right settle down, settle down.” Alexander said after a few minutes of catching up with his siblings. “you all know why I called you here today.”

“Yes, we got a new contract in Berlin,” William said in a know-it-all tone.

“Yes, William’s right.” Alexander replied, “I need you all on it, the situation is pretty complex.”

“What’s the issue?” Theodore asked

“A terrorist cell.” Alexander replied, “we’ve been called in to infiltrate and gain information on a new terrorist cell forming in Berlin with ties to American citizens.”

“That’s a crisis.” Laura declared in a serious tone that banished all beauty from her voice, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in and handle them?”

“The situation is delicate.” Alexander said, “And no, the only person we’re sending in is Theodore.”

“Score!” Theodore said with a slightly triumphant smile.

Elaine smiled at the glee she witnessed on his face. It was strange to see someone get excited at the thought of danger.

“Don’t get too excited bro.” Jamie said, “This isn’t as simple as it sounds.”

“Jamie is right.” Alexander said, “The cell has no ties to any organization, the only reason they even made it on the radar is because of a chance encounter a CIA agent had with one of their members in a store.”

“What do you mean?” Elaine asked without realizing what she was doing.

All the eyes in the room turned and looked at her. Alexander flashed her a curious smile that made her want to melt and disappear.

“Good question.” He replied pulling attention away from her and back to the front of the room. “She recognized a CIA agent as soon as she saw him. She was shopping when he walked into the store and as soon as she saw him, she left her cart, walked out of the store and left.”

“That’s odd, but why would he think she recognized him as CIA?” Jamie asked

“They trailed her although she tried to lose them” he replied, “they intercepted her communication and found evidence she had altered a few persons of CIA presence in Berlin and its possible effect on their plan.”

“Sound’s scary,” William said.

“I have no idea what’s going on but Theodore you have to take the lead on this. William, you’ll go as his backup.” Alexander said.

“Why him?” Laura whined.

“Because William can intercept the communication lines better than the CIA.” Alexander replied, “plus aren’t you working on something right now?”

“I have time,” Laura said with a sneaky grin.

“No, you don’t,” Alexander replied. “Michelle will run the operation from here.”

Elain held her breath as her name came up. She had no idea she would have any part in any of this.

“Yes, I need you to run the operation as it’s confidential and will be kept from the rest of the company,” Alexander said carefully.

“Oh.” Theodore said, “are you sure.”

“I’ll work on it with her. I know she’s new but with the new landscape of our business I’ll need her to do jobs like this more often.”

The way he looked at her with total confidence was beginning to scare her.

“So, when do we begin?” Theodore asked.

“We begin right away. I need you to go for a few weeks and get a foothold with one of the members of the cell. From what I can tell, you might become an asset to them if you appear as a member of a pharmaceutical giant. We’ve got your legend ready to go.”

“I’m ready to go whenever.” Theodore said. “does William have to come this time?”

“William can come when the plan to oust them has been established.” Alexander said. “for now, you just need to go and get a lay of the land.”

They sat and planned for another few hours. Elain took note of everything that happened and began to formulate a plan to work with Alexander in her new capacity. She had been made aware that the extra work would come at a cost of more of her time, but she had been promised extra compensation. None of that mattered to her, the only thing in her mind was that she would be spending countless hours with Alexander. Just the thought of being near him was making her stomach twist with nervous anticipation.

“So, I think we’re finished for the day.” Alexander said pulling her from her thoughts, “I have arranged lunch for you all here in the conference room.”

“Oh no,” Laura said, “I’m having lunch out with Michelle today.”

Elaine looked over at her with a questioning look and Laura winked at her.

“Is that so,” Alexander asked,

“I guess so,” Elaine replied,

“We’ll have lunch here,” Jamie said.

“Well, if that’s all, this meeting has come to an end,” Alexander said.

Elaine stood and walked to the door but as soon as she as outside Laura was on her heels.

“So where do you want to get lunch?” Laura asked.

Elaine thought about it for a moment and came up with a blank. She had brought her lunch to work every day to avoid going out and getting lunch.

“I’m not sure.” She replied, “to be honest I don’t know much about this place. I haven’t had the chance to go out and test out any restaurants for lunch.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Laura said, “I know a great place downtown. We can take my car.”

Elaine didn’t have time to react she was gently tugged towards the elevator. She managed to flash Jessica a quick pleading look before the doors closed and she was heading down to the garage with Laura. She was silent on the ride down and when the doors opened into the garage she let out a silent sigh of relief.

“Over here,” Laura said leading her to the garage to where she had parked.

Elaine didn’t drive so she had never been in the garage, but she was impressed with the high-end cars she saw all around her. She came to a row of cars she could tell were too expensive for any employee. When Laura pointed out a low riding Bugatti Elaine had to stop for a moment.

“Is that your car?” she asked

“What did you think I drove?” Laura asked, “a minivan?”

Her laugh made Elaine chuckle a bit. She should have known that the woman was something special. As they sped away from the building she wondered what Alexander thought of her going to lunch with his sister. She knew she shouldn’t be concerned with what he thought but after the meeting they had just had, she wanted so much to ask him what he thought and why he had chosen her to run the operation when they knew practically nothing of her past. Instead, she would have to hold it in and have lunch with his sister.