A Class Apart (54 page)

“Are you out of your mind?”

“What!” she gasped.

“I asked if you have taken leave of your senses?”

“That,” she said, picking up the file, and waving it at him, “is good! And you know it!”

“It is not what you were asked for. I thought I had made myself perfectly dear. I want to win this account, and I was relying on you to do it. I was a fool. You can’t just plan a presentation because you think it’s good, and ignore the cost.”

“I haven’t ignored the cost. I’ve discussed it with Arthur Fellowman. He knows all about it.”

Conrad looked incredulous. “You mean to say you have discussed it with Arthur Fellowman, and not with me? What the hell has gotten into you?”

“A campaign. A bloody campaign. You said you wanted to win. You as good as threatened me with what would happen if I didn’t, so I’ve gone all out to get it.”

“You have deliberately gone out of your way to make a fool of me . . .”

“You are making a fool of yourself. You know that pitch could win. You know damn well it’s good. But you’re sitting on your pride because I went to Arthur Fellowman without telling you first. Well, why don’t you ask me what he said, instead of sitting there shouting at me?”

Conrad eyed her with hostility. “Well? What did he say?”

“He likes it. He’s going to talk to his board, try and increase the budget.”

“Triple it, you mean.”

“OK, triple it.”

“Has Fellowman offered you a job?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems to me, looking at this, that you have turned the entire Marketing Department of Mercer, Burgess on its head.”

“As I said, he likes it.”

Suddenly Conrad began to smile. This threw her off-balance even more than his anger. “I have to hand it to you, Ashley,” he said, “you’ve got guts. You mean you actually took this proposal to him, and asked him to triple his budget?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s agreed to try. Has he talked to David Burgess?”

“I don’t know,” said Ashley.

“He can’t have, yet. If he had, the old man would have been on the phone to me by now.” He picked the file up again, and opened it.

“So, do you approve?”

“No,” he said, and he sounded angry again. “I certainly do not approve. I told you I was taking a personal interest in this, and you ignored it. In future, should we win this one, you will carry out my instructions. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” she said. “But you still haven’t told me what you really think.”

“I think that if you were allowed to carry on like this, you would be in grave danger of dragging this company to its knees.”

Ashley’s eyes dropped to her hands in front of her. He seemed to have already made up his mind that, success or no success, she would not be staying at Frazier, Nelmes.

He was getting to his feet, so she stood up as well. “I’m taking this with me,” he said, “And you make sure that you get that J.S. & A. file back to where it belongs. Then start saying your prayers that it hasn’t been missed. But it’s probably already too late.” He turned to go, and just as he reached the door, it opened. Jan walked in – with Alex.

Ashley sat down, and closed her eyes. What the hell was Conrad going to say about this? He was in such a vile mood, he probably wouldn’t even wait for Alex to go before he started shouting again.

“Oh, Mr Frazier,” said Jan, colouring to the roots of her hair and throwing an apologetic look towards Ashley. “I didn’t know you were in here, excuse me.”

“Obviously not,” he said, glaring at her, then he lowered his eyes to the frightened gaze of the little boy standing beside her. Ashley’s heart went out to her son. It wasn’t often that anything frightened Alex, but Conrad’s anger was so thick in the air, and his face so black, even Alex had not failed to notice it. And Conrad, standing over six feet high, would appear so daunting to someone as small as Alex.

Then, to her complete astonishment, Conrad’s face softened, and he held out his hand towards Alex.

“Hello there, little fella,” he said. “Haven’t we met before?”

Alex looked at his mother, who barely managed to nod, then turned his eyes back to Conrad’s, and tentatively took his hand.

“Isn’t your name Alex?” said Conrad.

Alex nodded, but still he didn’t speak.

Conrad looked at Ashley. “I didn’t know your family were here.” He turned back to Alex. “How long are you here for, son?”

“Three weeks,” Alex answered, in a little voice.

Conrad lowered himself to Alex’s height, and smiled into his face. “What do you say to coming to a ball game with me tomorrow?”

If it hadn’t been for her own shock, Ashley might have burst out laughing at the look that shot to her secretary’s face.

Alex’s eyes were round. “A ball game? What sort of ball game?”

“Baseball,” said Conrad. “I’m taking my nephews tomorrow. They’re about your age. Why don’t you come along too? That’s of course,” he added, turning to Ashley, “if your mother will allow it.”

Alex looked at her. “Can I, Mum?”

Ashley had to struggle to find her voice. “W-would you like to?” she finally managed to ask.

“Would I?” Alex gasped, and looked back at Conrad as if he were a god.

Conrad smiled at him and stood up again.

“Then of course you can go,” said Ashley, hardly able to take any of it in. “That’s if Mr Frazier is sure.”

“Mr Frazier is sure,” said Conrad. “And as a special treat, you can call me Conrad, just like my irreverent nephews.”

“Cor, thanks,” said Alex, glowing with pleasure. “Can Grandad come too?”

“He sure can,” said Conrad. He turned for the door. “Well,” he said to Jan, “what are you waiting for? Get on the phone and fix the extra tickets,” and before she could answer he had gone.

Jan and Ashley stared after him.

Ashley was the first to pull herself together. “You’ll catch flies any minute,” she said to Jan, whose mouth was gaping open.

Jan turned to her. “I don’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head. “I just don’t believe it.”

The phone rang, and taking Alex with her, Jan went to answer it.

Ashley closed the door and went back to her desk. She simply didn’t know what to make of it. One minute he was shouting and raving at her, and the next he was inviting her son to a ball game.

Jan buzzed through. “Bill Fownest just called,” she said, through the intercom. “He asked could you go along to his office.”

“Did he say what it was about?”

“Seems Reeds wants to relaunch their series of Winter Love novels. I’ve sent down to Julia Peterson’s office for the files. She handled them last time.”

“Thanks,” said Ashley. “Be right out.”

When she returned to her office later, she found Alex enveloped in the chair behind her desk, picking up the telephones and playing with them. She laughed at his little face, barely peeping over the edge of the desk. Obviously, in his lone attempt at adjusting the height of the chair, he had only succeeded in lowering it.

“Grandma will be here any minute, young man,” she said. “Have you got everything?”

“Sure have.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Very American.”

“Sure am,” he answered, making her laugh.

“What have you got there?” she asked, watching him pick up what looked to be a rather heavy bag.

“Conrad gave it to me.”

“Conrad?”

“Sure, he came back just now.”

“What is it?”

“It’s for baseball,” Alex answered, emptying the bag out on the floor. “A hat, a shirt, a bat and a ball. They’re American.”

“Well, it looks like you’ve got some growing to do before you’ll fit into this,” Ashley remarked, holding the shin up.

“Doesn’t matter,” said Alex. “Conrad said that everyone wears them big.”

“Oh, I see. And what are those there?”

“Photos of the players. That’s the most famous one, but I can’t remember his name. Conrad said he’s really mean.”

Ashley gave a wry smile and took the picture from him.

“Conrad said that after the game tomorrow, we could go to the park, and he would teach me to play.”

“Did he?” said Ashley, unable to hide her surprise.

Alex nodded. “He said that his nephews play it all the time, and that I should learn too, if I was going to live in New York.”

Ashley looked at her son in amazement, but she didn’t comment. More than anything else in the world, she wanted Alex to live with her here, but she hadn’t plucked up the courage to tell her parents yet.

“You seem to quite like Conrad.”

“He’s great!” said Alex. “Can we take him to Long Island with us at the weekend? I think he’d like to come.”

Ashley laughed. “I don’t think so. I’m sure he has plans of his own.”

“He hasn’t,” said Alex. “I asked him. He said he was going anyway, and that he might see us there.”

“Long Island is a very big place. I don’t expect we will.”

“But he said that we might. He said he’s got horses there, and that I could have a ride on one of them.”

This was getting to be just a little too much for her. “Tell me, darling, just what else did Conrad have to say?”

“Quite a lot, as a matter of fact,” said Conrad.

Ashley spun round and saw him standing at the door. “I’m sorry,” she said, blushing, “I didn’t realise you were there. You’ve really been very kind. You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble, you know. Did you say thank you, Alex?”

“Thank you,” said Alex, obediently, and threw his ball up in the air.

Ashley gasped, and grabbed it from him. “Later,” she said.

She looked curiously at Conrad as she saw him wink at Alex, and then abruptly his expression reverted to a scowl.

“Thursday evening,” he said, “Warners are holding their annual ball and, as usual, they have invited some of us along. I’d like you to be there. Bill Fownest will be there too, with his wife.” Ashley didn’t miss the emphasis Conrad had placed on the word wife, and she flushed. “I take it you’re free.”

“I don’t suppose it would make much difference if I wasn’t.”

“No,” he said, and left.

“Well,” Ashley sighed, turning to put an arm round Alex. “That is one strange man. He might like you, darling, but he certainly doesn’t seem to like me very much. I wonder what one has to do to please him.” She smiled at Alex’s upturned face. “But that would never do, would it?” she laughed, and not understanding in the least what his mother was talking about, Alex laughed too.

THIRTY-ONE

Thursday evening at seven thirty prompt Conrad arrived at the Montclair building on East Seventy-fifth Street. The doorman announced him, then pressed for the elevator to take him up to Ashley’s apartment. Ashley’s mother was already waiting at the door, and surprised Conrad with the warmth of her greeting. She couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked in his black dinner jacket and white starched evening shirt. Seeing him standing there she could now understand what all the fuss was about. Alex had talked of practically no one else since they had gone to the ball game on Wednesday, and even her husband had said more than he usually did after meeting someone for the first time. Ashley, on the other hand, was coolness itself when it came to talking about him. So much so, that Mrs Lakeman had smiled to herself on several occasions, but had refrained from making any comment.

“My husband’s through here,” she said, leading the way across the hall. “Ashley will be right out.”

“Thank you,” said Conrad.

“Conrad,” said Mr Lakeman, as he came into the room. “Good to see you again. Will you have a drink?”

“Mr Lakeman,” said Conrad, shaking him by the hand. “Scotch, please.”

“Do sit down,” said Mrs Lakeman, hurriedly clearing the chair of the discarded Bergdorf Goodman carriers that Ashley had left there.

“Thank you.” Conrad looked across the room, taking it all in, and particularly admiring her taste in art. “No Alex,” he remarked, as Mrs Lakeman took a sherry from her husband and settled in the chair opposite.

He didn’t miss the quick look Mrs Lakeman threw her husband.

“He’s gone to the cinema,” she said.

“Oh? Don’t tell me he’s made even more friends.”

“Uh, no, not exactly.”

“Thank you,” said Conrad, taking his drink from Mr Lakeman.

“Actually,” Mrs Lakeman continued, “he’s gone out with his father.”

Conrad raised an eyebrow. “I had no idea that Ashley’s husband was in town.”

“He arrived this morning,” said Mr Lakeman, “a little unexpectedly.”

“Well, I’m sure both Alex and Ashley are delighted,” said Conrad, but Mrs Lakeman didn’t miss the strain in his voice.

“Well, Alex certainly was,” she said. “But I think surprised would be a better way to describe Ashley. Ah, here she comes.”

“Good evening, Conrad,” said Ashley, standing in the doorway.