Isabelle
I took a deep breath as I approached the bar. This was it. This could be the moment where we finally get some ammo against Elise. At least I hoped so anyway.
I opened the door and stepped inside. I looked around until I spotted the familiar blonde already seated at one of the stools at the counter. I walked up to her with a welcoming smile on my face.
"Hey." I greeted Alexandra as I sat down.
"Hey." She gave me a weak smile in return. "Thanks for coming out on such short notice. It's hard for me to really know when I'm going to be free most of the time."
"Completely understand." I responded.
"What can I get you ladies?" Noami asked as she approached us.
I had asked her to be here when I met with Alexandra. We agreed that she would treat me just like another customer without hinting at being my friend. I had recruited her as my backup in case this little meeting went wrong somehow.
"I'll have water for now." I answered her.
"I'd like one as well." Alexandra chimed in.
"Okay." Noami stepped away for a moment and came back quickly with two water glasses. "Let me if you'd like a refill or anything else."
"Thank you." I smiled.
Noami gave a nod and turned to attend to some other customers who had come in. It was a little comforting to know she was here. It helped Sterling relax a little knowing I wasn't going to be completely alone during this little meeting.
"So how are you?" I asked Alexandra to get some conversation started between us.
"I'm alright." She gave me a meek smile. "Just a lot going on recently. What about you?"
"I'm not too bad. Been working some really long hours lately." I decided to ease into the subject of our bosses. "It's been a little stressful but I guess it makes it worth it as my bank account seems pretty happy."
"Tell me about it." She took a sip of her water and set it down. "Does Mr. Tipton send you out for the most pointless shit ever?"
I furrowed my brows together. "What do you mean?"
"Ms. Turnt wastes a lot of my time sending me out to get things she could either have delivered herself or she sends me back to restaurants if her meals aren't season just right." Alexandra rolled her eyes. "I literally had to take a salad back yesterday because there was one tomato when she specifically requested for none. Like she could've just thrown the little cherry tomato away and been fine."
"Wow." I could tell just by the way she spoke this girl had a lot of pent up frustration directed at her boss. "That's ridiculous, but unfortunately I can relate."
"What does Mr. Tipton make you do?" She looked at me curiously.
I thought for a moment. My mind came up blank as Sterling was more like the ideal boss for someone in my position. He was laid back and treated me with respect, not because of our history but that's how he had been raised.
I still had to come up with something though. The more I related to Alexandra the more likely we were to bond in some way. The only thing I could think of is to once again think back to the pointless shit some of my old bosses made me do. Bosses that actually had close to the same personality as Elise Tunt.
"There was one day he scuffed up his shoe." I began telling her the first memory that came to my mind. "There was an important meeting and he insisted I go out and get a brand new pair because there was a slight chance that the client would notice."
"Really? Like a client's going to care about one tiny little scuff mark that they probably would only see if they were up close to his feet." She scoffed.
"Right? Unbelievable." I responded.
We continued talking and sharing scenarios. The more she told me about the things Elise made her do the more I felt bad for this poor girl. It seemed like Elise was out just to make her life hell if you ask me. She stuck around for the job though because she needed the money to pay for the care of a family member who had become ill.
She began to open up a little bit the more we talked. I could feel the both of us were getting more comfortable as time went on. We even started taking some shots together that Noami was happy to pour.
We talked about some other things and got to know each other. She really did seem like a nice girl. It's just a shame she works for such a bitch.
We ended up getting back onto the topic of our bosses. Well, Alexandra did. She had loosened up from the alcohol she had consumed and that seemed to set her off on venting about Elise once again.
"She made me go and get her condoms the other night." Alexandra spoke with a look of disbelief.
This seemed to help confirm the story Noami had spoken about. "Why? They couldn't have been for Mr. Tipton, he's practically been living at his office." I was curious to see how she would answer.
Alexandra took a sip of her drink and shook her head. "They weren't. I don't know who she was with, just some guy."
"I thought she loved Mr. Tipton though?" I pushed further. "Isn't that the whole reason she's been trying to get him back?"
"No." Alexandra chuckled. "She never loved him, I've heard her say it multiple times. She only wanted to marry him because of her dad and her grandpa."
I wasn't surprised to hear the information about her dad. "Because her dad is running for a senate seat?"
"Yup." Alexandra nodded. "And her grandpa-"
She paused and I could see she looked like she was going to get sick. This poor girl had gone far past being just buzzed. She put her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom, she must be a lightweight.
I called Sterling while she was in there for a car to pick us up. I wanted to make sure she made it home safely. She clearly had too much and someone needed to look out for her.
She came out of the bathroom and I placed down some money for Noami. I took Alexandra out to the car and sat her in the back. I took the seat next to her and rode along to make sure we got her to the right place.
Unfortunately by the time we got into the car she was too far out of it for me to push for more information. Damon was right, this may end up taking a little longer than we would like.