The Liberation of Alice Love(74)
Author: Abby McDonald

Alice took the papers with a breezy smile. “Thanks. And I’m not sure about the intercom. They said it was beyond repair.”

“Then why not get a new one?”

Alice shrugged. “I’m sure I will, when I get the time.” The intercom was, in fact, in perfect working order, sitting in a box at the bottom of Alice’s wardrobe at home. But since she’d apologetically announced news of its passing, her co-workers had ceased their interruptions almost entirely, as if making their helpless requests to her face was too much of an effort.

“Fine.” Saskia didn’t appear pleased by the thought of navigating those stairs on a more regular basis. She turned to go, but then paused. “Oh, Vivienne said she wants to talk to you.”

Alice froze. “Did she say why?”

Saskia shrugged. “I don’t know. She said to go see her after the agent meeting.”

Of course she did. Alice had known her extracurricular activities wouldn’t go unnoticed for long, and she could just imagine what choice words her boss would have waiting to deliver. That was, unless…

“The meeting—” Alice stopped Saskia before she left. “Has it started yet?”

Another shrug. “Maybe. They’re all down there.”

“Thanks.”

Alice waited until she’d departed, then began to collect her notes. The weekly meetings were a tradition, gathering to exchange news of clients and possible agency opportunities, and to boast about their particular successes. It wasn’t that she was excluded from attending, but Alice—or Vivienne—had never seen the point. After all, she wasn’t an agent.

At least, she hadn’t been before.

Skipping lightly down the staircase, Alice found the agents in Vivienne’s salon, distributing themselves among her array of antique furniture. She took a seat on one of the velvet-upholstered wing chairs, feeling every inch the interloper. A few of the other agents gave her a look of brief interest, but they were quickly distracted by Vivienne, who was holding court with a story involving all manner of London theater luminaries.

“And so I said to Sir Kenneth, if you expect me to put that thing in my mouth—” She broke off, looking at Alice with confusion. “Didn’t Saskia say, darling? After the meeting, after.”

Alice gave a pleasant smile and braced herself. “Oh, she did. But I thought I’d join you all. Now that I’ll be moving to the agent side of things, I mean.”

That caught their attention. Even Tyrell, sharp suited in navy pinstripes and his usual black Converse sneakers, lowered his phone to look at her in surprise.

“Well, I didn’t think…” Vivienne looked perturbed, but Alice turned her attention to the others.

“Don’t worry, I’ll still be taking care of contracts, for now,” she said carefully. “I’ll just be working with a couple of clients as well, sort of testing the waters.”

Alice felt a faint wave of nausea roll through her. Never mind Rafael and moonlit seductions; this was by far the boldest thing she’d ever done. “Vivienne suggested I start with Kieran and Julia,” she continued. “So I can get a feel for things.”

Vivienne, having suggested no such thing, was looking even paler than usual, but before she could speak, there was a cough.

“Ah, congratulations,” Anthony said, reaching to shake Alice’s hand vigorously. “Yes, well done indeed. Excellent news.”

At his cue, the others joined with their own warm words. “Good luck to you.” Tyrell flashed his gleaming smile at her. “Just make sure you don’t fall behind with those contracts!” He laughed, not at all joking.

“Thanks.” Alice beamed back regardless. “It’ll take me a while to get the hang of things, I’m sure, but I’m looking forward to being a part of the team.”

There was silence.

Vivienne cleared her throat. “Well, now that we’ve got the…big announcement out of the way, shall we get down to business?”

As the rest of the agents settled, pulling out files and papers, Alice took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Vivienne. She was staring at her leather-bound notebook, but the tight smile on her scarlet lips betrayed her obvious displeasure. Alice forced herself not to waver. This was a calculated move, she reminded herself; the lengths that Vivienne had gone to avoid directly confronting Alice over the Rupert affair had proved, if anything, how indispensable Alice was to the agency. If Vivienne hadn’t wanted to risk offending Alice over that, then neither—she hoped—would she object to this.

“So, Alice.” Vivienne finally looked up, fixing her with a dangerous smile. “Why don’t you go first? Let’s hear what you’ve achieved so far for dear Kieran and Julia.” She waited, clearly expecting mumbled apologies, but Alice simply opened her notebook.

“I haven’t had much time, I know, so please bear with me.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’ve withdrawn Kieran from those comedy auditions and decided to focus on pure drama. So, I’ve managed to set him up with some meetings next week: just informal drop-bys with commissioning editors at Juno, Pipergate, and BBC Drama, but it should give them a fresh reminder about his look, to keep in mind for future castings.”

Vivienne’s smile slipped.

“Now with Julia, I think her problem has been more at the audition stage,” Alice continued, her confidence growing. “So we’ve had a chat, and she’s agreed to meet with me to pick out a new work wardrobe and change her look to target older roles.”

“That’s all very well.” Vivienne seized the chance to interrupt. “But shopping trips aren’t exactly jobs, now, are they?”

“You’re right.” Alice smiled back. “So I also have a list of eight different auditions lined up for her next week. We’ll be able to get immediate feedback on the new approach and move on from there.” She closed her notebook and waited, heart pounding. If there were ever a moment for Vivienne to lash out, then this was it.

An eyebrow flickered in displeasure. Alice steeled herself for war. But, as if realizing the delicacy of their public setting, Vivienne just pursed her lips. “Hmm. We’ll see.” Her gaze drifted to the next victim. “Tyrell? This is no time to be checking emails. Put that thing away and tell me about what’s happening with Nick Savage.”

Alice felt a great rush of celebration. She was officially the newest agent at Grayson Wells.