Maid for the Alpha

Chapter 4

So sorry for the long delay in posting the next chapter.  I have a lot on my plate and wanted to focus on one project for a while.  But inspiration struck and I felt the need to add more to this story.

Enjoy :-)

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In all her life Liz had never dreamed she'd ever walk into Barneys New York. This was the store she and Jenny dreamed about, but never dared to enter. She spun around, taking in every display, the clean scent, and fabulous clothing. For a moment she felt like she was in a fairytale. Was she Cinderella at the ball?

Watching the pure innocent joy on her face made Leland smile. A part of him wished he could give her happiness like this every day, which made his stomach nervously twist. This was a new feeling that he was not used to. In his life he pursued what he wanted, was always in control, and ensured that everyone around him knew their place. He never took the time to just enjoy a moment. Especially with someone like Liz, who was showing him, without realizing it, what it meant to experience the simple joys in life.

"Hello Mr. Moore," a young and pretty sales associate approached him.

He recognized her from previous visits. "Hello Sally. How are you today?"

Her eyes lit up. This was a normal reaction women usually had to him. "Very well, thank you. How can I be of service?"

He was pretty sure of what kind of service she was willing to provide, he practically smelled it dripping off of her. But today was not merely about him. "I have a friend here who needs to replace her shirt."

Sally looked over at Liz and frowned, "Oh dear, what happened?"

"I'm afraid we had an accident," he indicated his tie.

"Oh no!" Sally exclaimed. She knew exactly how expensive that tie was compared to the shirt Liz wore. In the associate's mind the tie was more important.

"Could you give us a hand?"

"Of course, right this way." She began to lead them to the men's section, where the ties were on display.

"Sally," she turned to him. He hadn't moved an inch. "Could you take care of Miss Soler first, please?" He pointed to Liz.

Sally eyed her up and down and let out a soft, indignant sigh. Her silent criticism did not go unnoticed by Liz. "No need," Liz said, her chin raised just a touch. She didn't like judgmental jackasses very much. "This is not my kind of store. Everything here is a bit boring." Sally's eyebrows sprang up in surprise. Leland's lips curled up into a smile. And he had worried his day would lack entertainment. It was nice to see that it wasn't.

"Perhaps we should see what ties we have for Mr. Moore then?" Sally turned her attentions to the handsome man.

"Perhaps," Liz grumbled.

Was that a taint of jealousy he detected? He certainly hoped so. "Thank you Sally, but I'm sure we will manage."

The disappointed clerk sauntered off, much to Liz's satisfaction. She followed Leland over to the tie rack. There were so many. He picked up a dark grey one, "What do you think?"

She tilted her head. "It's okay."
"Just okay? This is a $500 dollar Diamond-embellished neck tie."

"What?!" she nearly yelled, "$500 dollars for a grey tie?"

"With diamonds."

"Why does a tie have diamonds?"

"Why not?" he inspected the tie and thought it was nice.