Princess Prick Tease Ch. 03

Author's note: Thank you to JK Moreland for his editing help once again. ~ellie

Grace had floated through Monday, flirting with Tristan via email, text and an evening phone call; even work seemed more enjoyable for Grace. Adam rang Tuesday and reminded her they had a date at the club Friday night and asked if she could possibly take Friday off work.

"Are you kidding? I have already taken a week off for your art's sake. If I have any more time off they'll fire me," Grace complained.

"So quit, you hate that job anyway. Lad or Lance would give you a job waitressing I am sure until you found something else," Adam was blasé about it.

"I don't want to be a waitress, I wouldn't know the first thing about it," Grace shook her head, "It's not that easy for the rest of us who have to pay rent Adam. Most people have to hold down a proper job to survive." She knew she shouldn't say that and she regretted it as it came out of her mouth but sometimes he needed a wakeup call. He had inherited his godmother's house and a sizable sum of money when she had died. With good investments he could exist just on the dividends and the money his art brought him was a bonus.

"So move in here, there's plenty of room. I have offered how many times?" Adam wasn't letting her off the hook.

"Adam we both know that's a bad idea. After a week of living with you I needed three days sleep; you're like an energiser bunny that never runs down. I need my own space for my girlie stuff," Grace patiently explained for the millionth time.

"I can do girlie stuff," Adam said with mock femineity in his voice.

"I'll see what I can do about Friday, no promises," Grace as always gave in wanting to be off the phone in case Tristan rang again.

"Thanks Gracie, I knew you wouldn't let me down," Adam said happily, "Sweet dreams."

She hung up wondering how she was going to manage it. Adam had no idea about working in the real world. By nine O'clock Tristan hadn't called so she turned on her computer to check her emails. She considered calling him but didn't want to appear needy. It wasn't like they were actually a couple. They hadn't even had a proper date yet. Maybe he had realised he had made a mistake in starting a fling with her. It felt like more than a fling or a two night stand or something casual but she had read a guy's signals wrong before. She composed a text message in her head five times before picking up her phone to send him one.

To her horror she found a message blinking. It must have been left when she was on the phone to Adam. She kicked herself for not checking when she had hung up and listened to the message. While not quite angry Tristan's deep voice held an edge when he said that he was disappointed not to have been able to speak to her.

She swung between indignation that he would assume she had nothing better to do than hang by to phone for him to call, to sadness that she had disappointed him and she stared at the phone once again wondering what she should do. She could call him back, send the original message she was going to or just ignore him and prove she was not one of those sycophantic girls who would hang on his every movement and words. In the end the real Grace won out and she called him ready to apologise that she had missed the message when she had hung up from Adam.

Tristan did not answer and the phone went to his message bank, "Bullshit excuse number sixty-three, I was on the phone arguing with Adam when you called and I didn't check if there were any messages when I hung up. I am sorry. Sweet dreams, Sir Tristan." She hung up quickly, putting her phone on charge and getting ready for bed.

She had fallen asleep reading a book and came awake suddenly knocking it to the floor when her phone rang. She blinked her eyes reaching out for it and answering sleepily, "Hello?"

"I don't take bullshit excuses," Tristan's deep rumble greeted her. Grace gave a sleepy laugh. "What did you fight with Adam about?" He asked.

"It wasn't really a fight," Grace started, "He lives in this Adam world where everyone can do what they want, when they want and damn the consequences. He doesn't like that I don't live in a similar place where I can just drop everything for him and take days off work."

"Why do you need a day off work?" Tristan seemed genuinely interested.

"Friday is the night the finalists are supposed to go to The Zoo. He has some new costume and the body paint he does takes hours because he is a neurotic artist type," she laughed.

"Your boss won't let you have the day off?" Tristan probed.

"I doubt it. I took a week off to help Adam do that first package for the contest. Nerds aren't supposed to live exciting lives that require so much time away from work, and my direct boss is king of the nerds. I have heaps of vacation time owing but he acted like I was asking for blood last time," Grace laughed.

"What is it you do exactly, Miss Nerd?" Tristan asked.

"It's too boring to talk about, business accounts and data analysis in a nutshell," she said lightly, "for Morgan Black."

"The Telco firm?" Tristan seemed to be weighing his words.

"Yeah, I thought they would be a bit cool and up with the times, they have come up with some really innovative designs but it's a stodgy old boy's network and well, you don't need to hear about that I expect."

"Actually I am fascinated," Tristan said sounding sincere.

She told him about how Morgan Black recruited her straight out of university offering her great advancement opportunities and bonus packages and so on. The reality was though that nepotism ruled and those with enough brains to ride off the back of the nerds who actually did the job properly got the bonuses and promotions. She claimed that if one more young guy who happened to go to some elitist school sailed past her while she banged her head on a glass ceiling yet again she may just quit like Adam wanted. Tristan stopped her every so often to ask questions and let her carry on.

"Oh god," she groaned. "Did I tell you I suffer from verbal diarrhoea as well as lame excuses. People will be following me around with shovels one day," she laughed in a self-depreciating way. "Go with Adam's explanation of my job. He tells people I am an accountant rather than an accounts manager, it's simpler that way."

Tristan had laughed and wished her sweet dreams, saying he was looking forward to their date. Grace picked her book up from the floor and tried to go back to sleep. She was happy, Tristan was certainly an unusual man but he seemed to just get her. He wasn't as foreboding as he came across as and best of all he seemed genuinely interested in her and her life. She hadn't had a steady boyfriend in what seemed ages, especially not one who seemed as in control of his life as Tristan. She didn't want to get her hopes too high, they hadn't even been on a real date yet, but so far things were looking great.

It was as she was arriving at work the following morning that her phone rang. It was from a number she didn't recognise. Grace almost didn't pick it up when she wondered if it could be Tristan on a work line. She moved slowly through the lobby as she said softly, "Hello?"

"Grace?" A deep voice asked.

"Yes, speaking," the confusion showed in her voice prompting the caller to identify themselves.

"Galahad the good here," he chuckled loudly.

"Oh Lad," Grace smiled even though he couldn't see her, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I have a proposition for you. What time do you have lunch?" Lad inquired.

"What sort of a proposition?" Grace was curious.

"Have lunch with me and find out." Lad said mysteriously.

"I usually work through lunch, just snacking at my desk." She laughed.

"Make an exception you won't be sorry," Lad tempted her.

"Fine, there is a small café called Steward's about a block down from..." Grace began.

"I know the one. What time?" Lad pressed her.

"About one, okay?" She said after some thought.

"Great see you then," and just like that he hung up, leaving Grace with a million questions as she rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and her small desk. She turned on her computer and started downloading the data packets from the night before wondering how to approach her boss about Friday. Getting lost in the numbers and coding she worked through the morning on several file errors and possible flaws in certain client packages. She totally lost track of the time until she looked up at a few of the younger colleagues leaving for lunch. "Damn," she thought I forgot to tell someone I was going out for lunch for a change. She had always been the one to stay and man the phones preferring to eat at her desk. She hoped they came back on time.

She had started working on the next issue on her list and dealing with the stream of data when she lost track of time again. Her phone buzzed beside her and she noticed the time, Picking it up she grabbed her bag and headed for the lifts, "Yes Lad, I am sorry on my way now I will only be five minutes."

Grace fled the building and was out of breath by the time she made it to the café. Lad waved her over and pulled out a seat for her at a small corner table. As she walked through the restaurant, a voice nearby squeaked, "Grace! Who's manning the phones?" It was the administration assistant from the floor she worked on.

"I don't know. No one asked me to so I assumed they were covered. You did leave for your lunch hour almost two hours ago now," she shrugged and kept on walking, hearing the girl mutter under her breath, "What's got into her, she always does it."

"I guess no one ever asked her if she minded," a second girl said,

"But still she could have told us, what a bitch," they spoke the last loudly enough for Grace to catch it.

Lad raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He introduced the other man at the table as Val and Grace smiled at him in greeting as Lad continued, "I usually have to have a translator with me when I take Val anywhere but I assumed you speak nerd or geek or whatever it is he speaks."

Grace laughed, "Don't believe everything that comes out of Adam's mouth, I am not that bad."

Val was studying her, "So you're the one huh?"

"The one what?" Grace furrowed her brows.

"What do you know about smart homes?" Val asked. Grace listed off the generalised information with ease. Val asked some more in depth questions and Grace found she held her own even though some of the stuff he spoke about nearly went over her head. "How old are you?" Val asked suddenly as Grace was enthusing over a new technology he had said he had seen a prototype of.

"Twenty-six, and you are?" Grace could feel her Princess side become indignant as she couldn't work out if he was trying to be rude or just lacked reasonable social skills like many nerds who didn't get away from their computers into the real world often enough.

"Impressed," he smiled and slipped an envelope across the table to her. "That's the prospectus of a new Telco. It has major backing from the finance industry who are looking to upgrade from the tired old ways of doing things. Look it over. I have highlighted the position I am offering you. Get back to me before Friday."

"It's Wednesday," she mused as she picked up the heavy looking envelope. "Why me? You don't even know me?"

"I know that you were recruited, head hunted even, straight out of university by Morgan and Black. I know that they stuck you in some corner office because they had to hire a girl or be brought up on discrimination charges again and it saved you going to their competition." He paused and she gaped at him. "I wouldn't offer a job to anyone without checking them out first even if two of my brothers seem to have fallen in love with you." A slow half smile began to form on his face and she realised who he was.

"Three brothers!" Lad corrected. "If you could see the way she teases Tristan you would love her too, I have never laughed so hard in my life."

"Tristan did this?" Grace said in a whisper putting the packet back down and pulling her hand slowly away.

"Actually," Lad cut in, "It was Adam, though he told me you were an accountant. He doesn't really know what you do, does he?"

"He's a little bit narcissistic, but he's always been that way. I guess we all just love him the way he is. In Adamworld, as I like to call it, every day is full of sunshine and lollypops, it's addicting really," Grace laughed.

"Just take it and look at it," Val pushed the packet back toward her again, "I have been looking for a business services manager for ages who is young and dynamic and can think outside the box. This is about innovation and exciting new leaps in technology. You owe it to yourself to check it out."

"Fine, I will read it but it feels weird, you know? I meet one guy a month ago and suddenly I am surrounded by his family. It's bordering on creepy," Grace smiled crookedly, "Like I am being sucked into some Knights of the Round Table vortex." She turned to look at Val a smile pulling at her lips, "Perci-val!"

"Fuck! Who told her?" Val groaned.

"Lance as always," Lad rolled his eyes.

"Shit! I better get back to work," Grace reached for her wallet.

"Let me get it, I'll write it off as a business lunch with my new BSM," Val grinned.

"Well, this was certainly interesting," Grace said, "Thanks for lunch." She picked up the packet looking at it strangely and walked out glancing back over her shoulder once to see them watching her.

Returning to work, she sat at her desk still holding the envelop packet. She was torn between being grateful to her friends for wanting to help her find a new job and standing on her own two feet. She knew she probably wasn't qualified for the job Val offered her. She couldn't even get a bonus in this place let alone a promotion. What if it didn't work out, she would have to move in with Adam or worse home to her parents as a failure. All her insecurities rose to the surface and she pushed the packet of information deep to the bottom of her handbag and started working on the data block she had begun before she went to lunch.

It was close to five when she finally stopped and began the shutdown of her work station. On the dot of five she got up and walked to the elevators planning on going to see the HR supervisor about Friday as she knew what her department manager would say. Walking past the manager's office she heard the words fraud and discrimination shouted from an unknown voice making her ears prick up as she passed the door.

She made it to HR as the supervisor was rifling through paperwork and looking frazzled. "Is this a bad time?" Grace asked from the door.

"Oh Miss Woodville, good you're here. That will save me finding you tomorrow," He said distractedly, "Take a seat. This mess will wait for me." He clicked away at his keyboard and brought up her work history screen. "The problem is that you didn't take any holidays the first three years you were here. New regulations from the top state that you can only hold over a certain amount of annual leave each year, you have quite a bit stocked up despite the recent time you had off."

"Oh that works out well then because I really need Friday off," Grace smiled pleased she had made the effort to come see him rather than her department manager.

"Well that's a start," he mumbled. "I probably need you to take more in the vicinity of a week or two to get you back under the threshold or you will lose it at the end of the year and with the latest rumours of some social justice lawyer coming at us again, I don't want anyone having their vacation time swept. The week over Halloween would work for me if it's not a bad time and you can let me know how the numbers stand then."

"We'll fill in the form now while I have your screen open, if you have time of course, and I will approve it right away so you can make plans," He pulled open the digital form and filled it in for the first the Halloween week, then the single day calculating the numbers, "Tomorrow too soon?"

"Not if I go back and check in the project I am working on so someone can finish it," Grace said.

"Good, and if you take the six days before Christmas off you should come in just under the threshold," he pushed his glasses up onto his head and rubbed his eyes. "One down another ten to go, Thanks for popping in Grace, I don't usually have to convince people to take their vacation time."

"When I asked for the week off last month, my manager told me that if I took anymore time off it would have to be without pay. I just assumed I had run out somehow," she laughed as if it was a misunderstanding but knew very well her manager often got bonuses for monthly productivity compared to other departments and that she worked hard on the accounts given to her to set up and manage.

The man raised his eyebrows but said nothing and Grace farewelled him looking at her watch as she headed back to her desk. She went to close out the files she had opened and left on her desk top but seeing there was only a little to do on that last file and hating to leave work half done for her colleagues Grace started to type and check data.

Her phone rang and she picked it up distractedly, "Thought you were coming over after work tonight," came Adam's plaintive voice.

"Well if I am having Friday off then I have to get some stuff done here," she sighed.

"You're still at work?" he sounded shocked.

"Uh huh," Grace continued typing keeping the phone under her chin.

"Get a security guard to walk you down to your car. It's not nice there at night," Adam said seriously.

"Yeah, okay. I will ring you when I am leaving okay?" Grace had had this conversation before. "Now let me get my work done so I can leave before midnight."

"Make sure you call me," Adam said before hanging up.

It only took another twenty minutes or so to finish the job at hand and Grace cleared off her desk, leaving it clean and tidy for her to come back to on Monday. She gathered her bag and headed for the elevator. Too late she remembered about calling for the security guard to escort her. She would get out in the lobby and find one, she reasoned, so she grabbed up her phone and called Adam. The phone was still ringing when her department manager saw her and waved her into his office.

She walked in and looked at him startled that he would still be there. "It was you, wasn't it?" he said with venom in his voice. "Staying back late, no doubt keeping computer logs of your time working on the client accounts."

"The system does that automatically she explained, it's how we invoice the customers," she was genuinely confused by his seeming hostility toward her.

"If I find out it was you who put in a complaint about me, your employment here is over. Not just here," he threatened, "everywhere. I will make sure your name is ruined and you never get a reference from this company that says anything except that you are a lazy, insolent, bitch, who looks for any opportunity to malign those she works with."

Shaking with fear and anger she could vaguely hear Adam who had answered the call she had momentarily forgot she had made, so stunned was she by the confrontation with her manager. Managing barely to control her shaking she voice she replied softly and calmly, "I have no idea what you are talking about. There have been numerous occasions I have felt passed over, belittled and unappreciated and have said nothing, never complained because as you have pointed out who would believe me over you?"

"I know it was you, who else would know details of the Greenhagl account. You think you're so smart going over my head to get credit for a project you messed up and I had to fix," he was snarling at her and moving closer as he spoke.

"I finished that account off months ago, and you know it. No mistakes, no errors, it ran like clockwork. I even kept it an extra week to make sure the customer was happy before handing it over to you," Grace was livid that he would accuse her of shoddy work. The man was practically frothing at the mouth and began ranting that it wasn't her job to contact customers, that the mess she created was so big now the whole department was being put under the microscope.