Alice and the Hot Banker Heir

Back to Work

Alice made her way to her desk, out of her bag, she pulled some ornaments and knickknacks she wanted to place on it. Her favourite pencil holder, her cherished tissue box made out of wood with a small dog engraved on it and her little Bluetooth keyboard that was much less clicky than the one the bank issued her, as well as a cute grey cat figurine. Now her desk seemed more colourful, cosier…it was her desk!

Her being so early gave her a couple of advantages. It meant that there was less of a possibility of people learning that Richard was driving her to work, it gave her some time to settle down before the daily office bustle started and enough quiet to write the important emails she wanted to send.

Sure enough, the quiet did not last long and she could hear Dayna chatting with other arrivals on her way across the floor before presenting herself right next to her. Alice was grateful for Dayna’s help in navigating the bank’s various systems as well as for introducing her to everyone they met along the way. Dayna was a bubbly girl and it was as if everyone knew her and wanted to chat with her. Alice was more on the shy side and it showed, but people were always friendly to her, probably because they thought that if she was good enough for Dayna, she was good enough for them.

Her Australian friend was chatting away about a trip home she planned on taking in a few weeks. She missed her family and wanted to return to Melbourne for a bit, but luckily that was not in the immediate future…meanwhile, they needed to work on various policies that needed to be updated and this is where Alice ‘unleashed her guru power’, according to her flame-haired companion. Alice was a bit of a nerd and very technologically skilled, which meant she could offer help with most glitches.

She was thankful for this job. Alice felt at home and liked the work. It was good to be independent and own her own home. It was equally as good to feel like she belonged at work. The only blip on her radar right now was Richard. He was the big boss’ younger brother and could make her life hell or even have her fired if things went badly wrong.

Yet, she had the feeling that it would be the last thing Richard would do. He was so respectful, not just with her but others too. She noticed how he spoke to the guys who took her car to the garage and the guy at the Chinese take-out…he treated everyone right and that was important in her book but sometimes she had the feeling that people might have taken advantage of that even if she could not pinpoint why. She was trying to find fault in him and she couldn’t. Granted she had not known him all that long but it was clear there was chemistry between them and she could only hope that something wonderful would come out of it.

The day was going by fast be between the actual work and people stopping by to chat with Dayna, and by extension, Alice. Break time came before they knew it and Dayna looked up from her monitor, took her earbuds out and made an eating sign which Alice answered with a smile.

Going up to the cafeteria, they found a table and, since Alice had no lunch, she headed over to the buffet to see what was available. Getting behind the queue, she decided to go for the mushroom risotto that smelled so nice. Looking over to Dayna, she saw her tapping on her phone, probably catching up with her Australian family or her many friends on social media. People were filling in, all coming in small groups. She happily noticed that nobody was isolated on their own other than those who were making phone calls. The culture at the bank was so different from the toxic drama she had endured at her ‘consultancies’ where the offices were like piranha ponds and people made their way out to get away or simply ate at their desks.

Here, the atmosphere was different. Outside the cafeteria, a terrace overlooking the city had tables and beanbags and benches with tables for those who wanted to hang out outside. Beyond the glass, Alice could see Richard, laughing and joking with other senior management. He had clearly said something funny as one of the entourages nearly spit his drink, which made things even more funny.

Alice couldn’t help but smile. Richard’s smile was adorable. His eyes crinkled, his lips pursed into a lopsided smile. Looking at him from afar, gave her the chance to admire his frame. He was tall but not so much that he dwarfed her. It was clear that he trained from his broad shoulders giving way to his girthy biceps and a V-shaped torso. For a moment, she wondered how he might look shirtless and took the person behind her, clearing their throat to snap her out of her distraction, and she walked up to the buffet, letting the person on the other side that she was going for the risotto.

Taking the cutlery and placing it on the tray, she made her way back to her table with Dayna only to see her friend laughing at her.

“What?!” Alice asked, smiling back as she took her seat.

“Girl, you were practically salivating – you’re so crushing on Richard Carrington!”