Roswell Fanatics

A Professional Relationship

By Trude
Category: Alex/Isabel, no aliens
Rating: Teen
Summary: I can’t really put it into words … I’m very sorry … well … not much angst in this one.
Author’s Note: Thanks to Kara for the idea/challenge and to Kara and Karen for beta reading the story and encouraging me to finally post it/get off my lazy butt. I apologize for any mistakes I made in advance.
Disclaimer: of course, nothing belongs to me, the idea of Roswell belongs to Melinda Metz and I guess, also to Jason Katims, WB, UPN.



“Oh Alex, please just chill!” Steven Salor sighed as he watched the young man pace in front of him.

“Chill? You expect me to chill after you called me stupid?” Alex Whitman growled, pacing around the small office of his lawyer.

“I did not call you stupid.” Salor replied patiently. “I merely said that you have no clue how to act around the rich, which you really don’t, and that you will need some coaching for big CEO meetings or fancy high class parties.”

Alex sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. “You really think that will be necessary?”

“Yes! C’mon, you don’t expect a party hosted by Roswell’s mayor to be the same like one that Bill Gates throws, do you?” Salor countered. “And face it, Gates will invite you sooner or later, now that your software program is making “Windows” look old fashioned and slow, well even more than usually. You’ll also need to know how to act when someone tries to charm you and buy your copyright, or a super model trying to get you to marry her or something.”

Alex snorted at that and fell into a chair. Taking his wire rimmed glasses off, he rubbed his eyes and said, “Maybe you are just over reacting and it won’t be so bad. So far, I didn’t get any invitations or anything. No one aside of you knows about the program being a hit and the bank clerk is probably thinking that I robbed another bank to get so much money on my account. I might not get any attention at all.”

“Dream on, Alex.” Salor scoffed. “Whether you want it or not, you will get more attention than you ever thought possible.”

Alex closed his eyes in frustration. If only he had known what trouble creating a computer software, that was easily compatible with any computer system, would get him, he would have thrown every technical item he owned away.

“Where do I find myself a “high society coach” then? I can’t imagine them doing some advertising at Google.” Alex asked dryly.





Checking the caller ID, Max Evans picked up his cell phone. “Hey Isabel, whazzup?” he asked his sister before taking a sip of his Tequilla Sunrise.

“Whazzup? Really Max.” Isabel chided. “Anyway, enough of you, did you already have a look at this week’s “High Style” today?” she asked, the stress obvious in her voice.

“Oh yeah, unfortunately, I did.” Max groaned. “You could have warned me. This will have me traumatized for life.”

“All right, Max. Next time some sleazy paparazzi decides to take some pictures of me sunbathing in the nude, I’ll warn you to not buy any magazines for two weeks.” Isabel hissed angrily, not pitying her brother at all. After all, she was the one who had to endure the knowing looks and whispers when entering her room and she was the one who wouldn’t be able to look her parents in the eyes anymore.

“Sorry, what do you want anyway?” Max asked.

“A place to hide.” Isabel stated.

“A place to hide?” Max echoed confused.

“Yes, I want to take an out time and don’t want to risk being at one of my places, so I hoped I could spend some time at one of your houses.”

Being the children of the owners of one of the most famous (and expensive) jewelry stores in the world, meant that Max and Isabel could enjoy the jet set life which included millions of dollars and several houses for each of them.

“Hm, I’m right now in the Hamptons myself.” Max mused out loud.

“No, there are too many celebs running around which means too many paparazzi for my taste.” Isabel said. “I want a calm, if not boring place.” She explained. “At least for a few days before it gets too dull.”

“Guess that Aspen’s not an option either then.” Max commented. “How about Roswell or Carson City then?”

Isabel was silent for a moment, hoping that Max would offer some other options but when nothing came, she realized that she had to decide between these two towns. “Well, New Mexico is supposed to be lovely this time of the year.” She sighed, and damn boring too, she thought to herself. “Can you mail me the address while I book the flight?”

“Sure and don’t forget to rent a car.” Max advised.

“A car?” Isabel asked worried, not liking this.

“Yeah, there’s no airport in Roswell. The closest one is in Albuquerque. It’s a really lovely, looooong and soothing drive to Roswell.” Max laughed before ending the connection.

“No airport?” Isabel groaned. Great, she thought to herself, with my luck, I’ll be surrounded by some freaks who believe that Rodeo is the best entertainment ever and who never heard of Donna Karen or Tom Ford in their whole life.

“At least there will certainly be no paparazzi either.” She said out loud. “Roswell, whether I am excited about it or not, here I come!”




Alex strolled down the aisle of the small grocery store in which he has been shopping since he was a little boy, looking for batteries when suddenly he stopped in front of the hygiene products.

‘Soon, really really soon.’ He thought to himself, absently running his left hand over his beard. The last weeks had been filled with working long hours on the computer software and spending time with his lawyer, discussing various contracts and other paper work that Alex now had to deal with. Facial hair hadn’t really been his main priority lately which meant that he now was sporting a rather thick beard.

“You’ll soon need a lawn mower to get rid of the fur, son.” Mrs. Schneider, the owner of the grocery store commented in kind when she passed by Alex.

Alex just smiled politely, this not being the first time that he heard that joke. He was about to continue his hunt for batteries when he heard a crashing noise from the outside. Looking out the shop window, he saw to his utter horror that someone had crashed into his car!




Isabel Evans was not happy. This trip was so not going as planned. The flight to Albuquerque had been nice but then the trouble started. Isabel had to find out that there was no big choice for a rental car, no Porsches or Mustangs at all so she finally had to settle for a five years old Mercedes SLK. Five years! Isabel never drove a car this old! At least the car was clean so she didn’t have to worry about ruining her Calvin Klein jeans and top.

Finding someone who was willing to load her bags into the car had proven to be another challenge but when she gave the boy who finally agreed to help a tip, he had looked like a child on Christmas day, repeatedly telling her to ask for ‘Jake’ when she was on her way back home so he could help her again. Just another prove that money ruled the world.

The drive to Roswell had turned out to be even more boring that Isabel had feared and when she finally had reached the town, she had discovered that some maniac had left his car just after a corner so that it was easy for an unsuspecting driver like Isabel to crash into the car.

On any other, Isabel would have sighed in annoyance and would have left her card so that the Insurance Agency could deal with the problem but today was not any other day and Isabel was extremely pissed off.

Getting out of the car, she was relieved to see that the Mercedes was barely damaged and the other car, oh who cared about the other car anyway! Angrily, Isabel kicked the other car, just as an angry voice behind her spoke up.

“Hey lady, what the hell do you think you are doing?” Alex asked. Not only was this chick crashing into his old VW but that had been a graduation present from his parents, now she was also kicking it as if the crash hadn’t been bad enough. He briefly admired the way her clothes hugged her curvy body before his attention went back to his car.

Turning around, Isabel spotted a tall man with beard, who looked as if he was in dire need of the “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy” team, coming towards her. To her dismay she realized that he had the nerve to check her out. The last thing she needed was to provide some Hillybilly with fantasy material!

“Are you the idiot who’s parking his car in the middle of the street?” she hissed angrily, not backing down from the glare she was receiving.

“Middle of the street?” Alex asked incredulously. “Listen, this is a parking lot, so it might be better if you’d look out where you driving instead of causing accidents.”

“Don’t you dare making this look like it was my fault just because you can’t park your car properly.” Isabel couldn’t believe that this … this moron dared to blame her. ’Small towns!’ She thought angrily.

“Here’s my card, so your assurance agency knows whom to pay the damage.” She said, handing him her card dismissively. This was his fault so he had to pay for it!

“Lady, that’s a rental car, so you won’t be getting any money at all. Besides, this is your fault so you probably have to pay something to the rental service.” Alex smirked back.

“Just because you wanted to get rid of this … pre-historical car and were to lazy to do it properly, doesn’t mean that you’ll get out of this easily. You’ll pay for this, buddy, believe me!” Isabel shot back angrily, not believing the nerve this guy had.

“Have a nice day!” She growled as she got into the car again, being done with the situation from her point. “And get a real car next time, loser!”

With that, she drove away, leaving Alex standing there to stare after her disbelievingly. ‘What a bitch!’ he thought to himself, as he angrily looked at the card she gave him. “Isabel Evans.” He read the name out loud in distain before shoving the card into his jeans pocket.

Alex glared at the few people who had stopped their activities to watch the show and now quickly hurried away again before he went to inspect the damage on to his old but beloved car which his parents gave it to him on his graduation day.

He sometimes still found it hard to believe that that was now 8 years ago and he still had the car which was back then already old. But, weird as it may be, the Bug certainly meant a lot to him, especially since his parents never had much money and buying their 18 year old son a car, no matter how old, had certainly meant that they had to save money for quite some time.

And now he had to get a rental car till the bug was fixed – stupid big city girl!

KarenEvans, FSU/MSW-94, PMP, Stargazer's Delight, LovinGuerin2Much, montee916, KaraGail, madroswellfan thanks for the feedback! eight people feedbacking is six more than I expected so ... thank you!



Part Two

“So, she crashed into the Bug and then blamed you for the whole thing?” Maria Deluca, a childhood friend of Alex asked.

Alex just nodded gravely.

“Wow!” Tess Harding, another friend of Alex commented.

Alex scoffed. “Yeah, meeting Isabel Evans is certainly something I won’t forget soon.”

“Well, a new car wouldn’t hurt anyway.” Tess mused.

“What?” Alex cried. “I thought you like the Bug?”

“Oh, I did ... I mean, I do.” Tess hastily corrected, knowing that Alex had some freaky bond with the old car. “I just meant that you can now afford a new car and the Bug can now ... eh … rest a bit.” She stuttered nervously.

“Yeah right, that reminds me that you aren’t completely forgiven yet for not telling us about your success with the computer stuff.” Maria announced when Tess mentioned the money Alex had now at his disposal.

“You know, the name Isabel Evans seems familiar.” Tess thought out loud.

”There are plenty of Evans in the world.” Alex commented offhandedly, playing with the card the mad woman had given him.

Maria snatched it from his hands and studied it briefly, her green eyes widening. “Alex, what does this Isabel Evans look like?

Alex shrugged. “Tall, brown eyes, blonde, long legs, great body, expensive car.”

“Oh my God!” Maria breathed. “Alex, that was Isabel Evans who crashed into the Bug!”

“Yes Maria, I know that.”

“No Alex, I mean … she is … she’s the daughter of the owners of the jewelry shops.” Maria explained but Alex still had no idea what she meant.

“You mean the “Evans Jewelry”? Those small stores with some of the best jewelry in the world?” Tess asked, her eyes also growing big.

Alex looked at the two women who started discussion jewelry and where to find the best and most expensive one.

“Uh, ladies? Could you enlighten me? If possible in a way that I also understand?” Alex asked after a few minutes.

“Evans Jewelry! It is one of the biggest and most known shops in America if not in the whole world when it comes to jewelry.” Maria told her friend. “It looks like you already had your first meeting with one of the rich and famous. One who just had some negative press thanks to some not so conservative pictures and who might be hiding here in Roswell.”

“In Roswell?” Alex asked skeptically.

“Yeah, they have a house not too far from here.” Tess chimed in.

“Great.” Alex muttered sarcastically. This might mean that he probably had to meet her again.

“I have an idea!” Tess exclaimed excitedly, snapping her fingers. "You just told us that you needed someone to give you some society pointers. Who best to help you but the "Ice Queen" herself? It is the perfect solution."

“What? Like hell I will!” Alex growled. “Meeting her that one time was already horrible, I have no desire to see her again! Let alone ask that snob for help. No way!”

Maria rolled her eyes at Alex’s outburst. “Alex, you know we love you but you shouldn’t be so stubborn. It would be for the best when she helps you out a little.”

“If she helps me out.” Alex corrected. “I’m sure she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, let alone want to help me out, which, I might add, is just fine with me.”

“You won’t know that until you ask her.” Maria said. “And a simple ‘Will you help me?’ won’t do the trick, I think.”

”You want me to beg now?” Alex asked.

“No, of course not. We’re just saying that you might have to put some effort into convincing her to help you.” Tess said patiently.

“Sure.” Alex said unenthusiastically. He doubted that Isabel Evans would help him or that she would be any help at all but if it made his friends happy, he’d ask the woman. If he ever saw her again, that is.




Three days later, Alex was just coming from the auto body shop where he had learned that his old reliable green Bug could be saved. He was about to cross the street when he spotted a familiar Mercedes parked a few feet away. Alex just wanted to continue with his day but knew that once Maria and Tess learned of him passing up this opportunity, he’d never hear the end of it. Because of this, Alex slowly walked to the car and leaned against it, praying that its driver would soon be back.

After fifteen minutes that seemed to last forever, a familiar blonde walked in his direction. Alex was sure that he could tell the exact second she noticed him because the way she started to frown was a good indicator that she recognized him.

“Oh great!” Isabel muttered when she saw the guy who was leaning against her car. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

“Hello to you too, Ms. Evans.” Alex replied, having suspected that he wouldn’t get a warm welcome. “Looks like you remember me. I’m Alex Whitman by the way.”

Isabel ignored his offered hand and started to put her purchases into the backseat of the car. “I couldn’t care less about who you are and stalking is a crime!”

Alex rolled his eyes, already cursing himself for not running when had had the chance to.

“Did you at least already inform your insurance agency about your accident?” Isabel asked when she turned back to Alex.

“Of course.” Alex lied without shame.

“Good.” Isabel said, impatiently looking at him. “Is there something else then?”

“Uh yeah, actually, there is.” Alex said, scratching his head. He hadn’t really thought about how he would formulate his request.

“Well?” Isabel asked again with a pointed look at her watch.

“I uh … just wanted to ask you if you could help me with …” Alex began but was immediately interrupted by Isabel.

“No!” She stated as she went to get into the car.

Alex stared at her in shock. “But … but you don’t even know what I wanted to ask!” he managed to get out.

“You wanted to ask me to help you with something and … whatever it is, the answer is no!” Isabel told him with a sweet smile. “Sorry, Al.”

“It’s Alex.” Alex growled, hating that nick name since high school where he had to endure all those jokes about Al Bundy.

“Whatever!” Isabel quipped and started the engine.

Alex moved back onto the side walk, certain that the blonde wouldn’t care if she accidentally drove over his foot.

“Bye, Al!” Isabel waved before driving off with a smirk on her face, leaving Alex to stare pensively after her.

‘Well, at least I’ve tried so Maria and Tess can’t complain.’ Alex thought, not really minding that Isabel didn’t want to help him. He didn’t need her help anyway! What had annoyed him was that she had acted like she was some sort of Royal while he was a lowly pawn. He thought back to Tess’ words from earlier this week. ’Ice Princess? Like hell! Ice Queen is the more accurate term.’

Alex realized with a start that he was still standing on the side walk, staring after where Isabel Evans had disappeared and what was worse, he was still thinking about her! With a shake of his head, he finally crossed the street to his lawyer’s office where he and Salor had to discuss yet another boring contract and business option.




Isabel couldn’t believe her rotten luck. First, there were these pictures of her, pictures that might be the norm for Paris Hilton but not for her. Next came the lame drive to this lame town where some idiot crashed into her car and now, to top it all, she had discovered this morning that the power was out in the house and she wouldn't be able to take one of the hot baths that she enjoyed. When she had called the electric company to find out what was wrong they informed her that some lines were down in the area and it may be days before they get to hers.

So, aside from hiding at the end of the world from people who’d take sadistic pleasure in teasing her about the pictures, she was now also without warm water. Walking down the street while looking for her cell phone in her purse, she bumped into someone. “Hey! Can’t you watch where you are going? Oh, it is you!” Isabel should have known that the day wouldn't be complete until she met up with Mr. Idiot himself.

“Good morning to you too!” Alex muttered, not at all surprised that it was his fault that she had looked into her purse instead of where she was going.

Alex knew he had to seize this opportunity, especially since Maria and Tess hadn’t been impressed when he had told them about his last encounter with the blonde and had complained about him not putting enough effort into the task.

“Listen, about what I wanted to ask you during our last meeting …”

“NO! You listen!” Isabel interrupted him angrily. “I’m stuck in this dumb town that doesn’t have decent stores or clubs, worried about spotting a paparazzi and since this morning, my place is without electricity or warm water so I’m not in the mood to talk to you!”

“I have a house with electricity!” Alex cried out, earning himself a ‘who cares, idiot?’ look from Isabel. “What I mean is, you could move in with me.”

“Yeah right!” Isabel snorted. Who knew if the guy was a serial killer?

“No really.” Alex insisted, realizing that this was his chance. “My house has three bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, so we’d barely see each other.”

Before Isabel could make another snippy reply, a voice behind Alex spoke up. “Excuse me, could you please let me through?” The two turned to see an elderly woman standing behind Alex.

“Sure Mrs. Ragsdale.” Alex replied cheerfully. “Here let me help you.” He said, taking her arm with one hand and opening the door to the grocery shop with the other, leading the woman inside.

“Thank you, Alex.” The lady said before disappearing inside the store.

Isabel looked at Alex thoughtfully. The woman had seemed nice and to know Alex. So, he might be known in this small town where everybody probably knew everybody. This might mean that people would notice if someone suddenly lived with him and then disappeared mysteriously.

“What kind of help do you need anyway?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

“Uhm, I created a computer program that seems to be a big hit and my lawyer told me that it might be good if I have someone who can … teach me something about how to interact with the rich and famous, so I won’t be in a losing position from the beginning during meetings and conferences.” Alex explained, hoping that her interest was a good sign.

“A friend of mine told me who you are after seeing your card and …” he shrugged a bit, “she thought that since you are rich and famous yourself and might be able to give me a few pointers.”

He marveled at how stupid that sounded when said out loud, hoping that he also didn’t sound too desperate.

Isabel had to admit that he could certainly need a few pointers but refrained from saying that out loud. “What do you mean with your program being a ‘hit’?” she asked instead. “And before you go into detail, I don’t know much about computers so try to keep the explanation simple.”

“Uh, okay. Uh, the program can combine Windows and Linux and any other computer system easily so you don’t have to worry about not being able to work with Windows files on a Linux computer and such stuff. So far it's a hit because this program in a one of a kind and already it's generating a buzz as well as making it possible for me to not worry abut money anymore.” Alex explained, hoping to make sense and not sound too much like the computer geek that he was.

"And your lawyer thinks you need some help with social graces so that you can speak with these other Computer magnate's on their level and not look like the small town hack that you are?" Isabel questioned.

Alex nodded. “Yeah, or at parties after meetings and such stuff.”

Isabel regarded Alex silently. He didn’t look like a computer genius at all but neither did Gates, so he might be telling the truth. She had to admit that she was bored most of the time, so helping this guy might at least bring a little action into her days but … she didn’t know him and while she had complete faith in her pepper spray, a girl could never be careful enough.

"Why then are you driving such a piece of junk if you can afford something else?" she asked, not seeing the logic in that.

“It was a graduation present from my parents.” Alex explained with a shrug, used to people not getting why he liked the Bug so much. “They never had much money so it was a very big thing for them and therefore meant a lot to me. Still means a lot to me.”

Isabel nodded, actually understanding what he meant. “So, if I help you, and I’m not saying that I’ll do it, I’d have to do what exactly?”

“I don’t really know myself.” Alex admitted. “How to behave as one of the rich ones, what you guys talk about, what you do in your free time and stuff.”

An idea came to Isabel’s mind. “So, also what to wear, where to shop and such things?” Who was she to refuse a chance to shop, even if it wasn’t for her.

“Yeah, I guess.” Alex agreed uneasily, not liking the glint that came to Isabel’s eyes.

“Give me your card.” Isabel demanded, holding out her hand. “I’ll think about it and give you a call or something when I have decided.” She wanted to check out this house of his before she agreed to anything. Also tell her brother where she could be find just in case … something weird would go on. Not to forget that she also wanted to check if some Alex Whitman really came up with some computer program and that this guy wasn’t trying to fool her.

“Oh sure, here you go.” Alex said, taking one of his cards (that Maria had insisted he should get) from his wallet and handing it to Isabel who briefly looked at it before carelessly throwing it into her purse.

“One more thing, if I really agree to this,” Isabel said, “then I’m the boss and you have to do as I say! When I say you have to change this or that, you’ll do that, is that clear?”

“Uh, sure, I guess.” Alex stammered. “As long as it isn’t illegal.”

“Good.” Isabel gave him a polite smile before walking past him without another word, aware that he was looking after her.

“That went well, I guess.” Alex thought to himself, confused about her mysterious departure but hoping that she’d agree to help him nonetheless.

thanks for the feedback Stargazer's Delight, madroswellfan, KarenEvans, KaraGail, FSU/MSW-94 and LovinGerin2Much

Part Three


Alex looked up in surprise when he heard the door bell ring and got up from the couch where he had watched a ‘Dead Like Me’ marathon on tv. Walking towards the door, he wondered who it could be.

Isabel waited anxiously for someone to open the door, glancing up and down the street as if waiting for a paparazzi to show up out of nowhere, leading to a story about her moving in with her new boyfriend. Shaking her head at that thought, she realized that she was slowly becoming paranoid.

Isabel had spent the afternoon with googling up Alex Whitman and had learned that he had indeed invented a computer program. Afterwards, she had contemplated whether she should take up his offer or move into a hotel instead. By the time her suit cases were packed, she still hadn’t decided and after eating at a local diner, she had driven through town, looking at the various hotels not being impressed by one of them.

Alex Whitman’s house had turned out to be a pleasant surprise, Isabel had to admit. It looked big enough to really have three bedrooms, even though it wasn’t as big as Max’s house. She had parked in front of it for five minutes, wondering if she made a big mistake but her need for a nice long hot bath had won over her worries.

Isabel was torn out off her reverie when the door opened and Alex Whitman himself appeared at the front door, dressed in an unfortunate combination of a white t-shirt with neon green sweat pants. Deciding to overlook this fashion faux pas for now, Isabel gave the tall man a brilliant smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting something.”

“Uh, no … you aren’t.” Alex answered a bit confused by her sudden appearance on his door step.

“Great! Can I come in then?” Isabel asked, peering inside.

“Oh, sure.” Alex hastily said, wanting to hit himself for his rudeness.

“Thanks. Would you be so kind to take my other suit cases?” Isabel asked as she walked into the house, looking at her surroundings.

It was then that Alex noticed the one bag Isabel was carrying herself and the other three that were still outside. Alex frowned slightly, guessing that this was Isabel’s way of saying that she’d move in with him.

Somehow managing to carry all three bags at once, Alex put them down next to the staircase before turning to Isabel. “Only four suit cases?” he joked.

“The other two are still in the car, I’ll get them tomorrow.” Isabel said, missing Alex’s shocked look as she slowly walked into the living room of his house, Alex right behind her, a mix of annoyance and amusement on his face.

“You have a nice house.” Isabel said honestly.

The house was decorated nicely; it was obvious that a woman was responsible for the interior. It wasn’t designer furniture but not Ikea either and Isabel briefly wondered whether his mother or his ex-girlfriend had decorated the house. She was sure he didn’t have a girlfriend right now because it surely would have made her living with him problematic for a relationship.

“I take it that you are taking up my offer to move in?” Alex asked with a small smile.

“Yeah, I thought it was worth a try.” Isabel said casually, not looking into his eyes. “I called my brother and informed him about my move and about the fact that the electricity is off for the next few days.” She quickly added, so Alex knew that her family was aware where she was and he didn’t get any ideas.

“Cool.” Alex commented mildly. “Do you want to see your room or are you maybe hungry?”

“I’m not hungry, thanks.” Isabel replied. “But seeing my bedroom and a small tour of the house would be nice.”

“Sure, Uhm, well this is the living room as you can tell, then here …,” Alex started as he began to lead Isabel through his home.

A few minutes later, Alex opened the door to Isabel’s room and put two of her suit cases next to the bed. “I thought you’d like to stay here. This is the bigger one of the two free bedrooms and it has the nicer view too. The bathroom is over there and I think that is all there is to say.” He finished, looking expectantly at Isabel.

Isabel gave him a polite smile. “Thanks. Could you please get my other suit cases while I look around a bit?”

Alex gave a nod and left her alone. Sitting down on the bed, Isabel tested its softness when she heard Alex coming upstairs again. He knocked slightly, “Are you decent? Can I come in?”

Rolling her eyes, Isabel replied graciously. “You may come in.”

Putting the bags down, Alex asked. “Is there anything else you need?” He made sure to not look directly at Isabel who was still lying on the bed. He had been single for way too long!

“No, I’m fine.” Isabel sat up. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“I have a meeting with my lawyer in the afternoon but till then I’m free.”

“Great.” Isabel nodded. “Remember when we agreed that I was going to be the boss when it comes to your … education?”

“Yeah?”

“Very good. I want you to get a new haircut. One like this.” She tossed a magazine at him, with the picture of a male model with short hair. “Oh, the animal on your face that you call beard has got to go too. Actors might wear such beards but only to get ready for a movie but otherwise, they are a big NO!”

“Yes, Professor Higgins.” Alex murmured, realizing that Isabel obviously took her ‘job’ serious.

“Excuse me?” Isabel asked confused.

Alex blushed, not having thought that Isabel could hear him. “Oh, it was just a reference to ‘My Fair Lady’, you know, it’s like you are Professor Higgins and I’m Eliza Doolittle. Not that I’m saying that I’m a girl or something … uh, just forget that I said anything at all.”

Isabel chuckled and then nodded with an amused smile at his nervousness. “All right, how about we meet tomorrow at 11 am at the town’s optician so we can get you new glasses and contact lenses.”

“What’s wrong with my glasses?” Alex asked, almost reaching up for them before he realized he wasn’t wearing them. “And contact lenses?” he’d never been a fan of the thought of putting something into his eyes.

Isabel gave him a “do not mess with me” look and said, “Your glasses are out of fashion and just because Woody Allen is wearing the same type of glasses for 30 years, doesn’t mean that you’ll do that too. During parties, where you don’t have to be too formal, contact lenses are way better than glasses. Believe me. So, tomorrow at 11 am, without the beard and with a new haircut in the optometrist office.” Isabel said as she led Alex out of her bedroom. “Good night, Alex.”

With that, she closed the door, leaving Alex to stare at it. Sighing, Alex made his way downstairs again, knowing that a long day lay ahead of him and hoping that all the trouble would be worth it in the end.

thanks for the feedback Kara, Karen, LovinGuerin2Much


Part Four


Waking up, it took Isabel only a moment to remember where she was, thanks to years of traveling which had made her adjust easily to new surroundings. Stretching slightly, Isabel got out of the bed, the alarm clock telling her that she still had two hours till she was supposed to meet up with Alex. This meant that she had plenty of time to eat breakfast and to explore the house some more on her own.



At the same time, Alex was sitting at the barber’s shop, the beard already gone from his face and the haircut almost done. Al least Alex hoped that it wouldn’t take much longer anymore. Spending hours to get a new hair cut wasn’t what he’d call fun.

”Would you like some color too?” the barber asked Alex suddenly.

“Color?” Alex echoed dumbly.

“Yeah, a little bit darker so your hair appears black or maybe a lighter touch?”

Alex panicked slightly, sure that Isabel hadn’t ordered him to change his hair color but the model on the picture she gave him did have black hair.

“No, the color’s fine.” He finally sighed, thinking that if needed, it could be changed later.

”All right, sir. I’ll just have to blow dry your hair and then we’re done.” The barber told Alex cheerfully.

Alex almost cried out ‘Thank God!’ but could restrain himself and instead, he simply smiled happily.



“How can I help you, miss?” a middle aged man, whom Isabel suspected to be the optician, asked her when she entered the optometrist office.

“I’m just looking around.” Isabel replied politely. “and also waiting for … someone.” She’d almost said ‘friend’ but her and Alex weren’t really friends, they were … business partners, she guessed.

“All right then.” The man gave her another smile and turned back to his work table.

Isabel started looking around, already seeing different glasses that she wanted Alex to try on. Earlier, she had walked around Alex’s house for almost an hour and had to admit that it really gave of a nice and welcoming feeling. It was easy to tell that Alex didn’t use all the rooms but since they all appeared clean and pretty dust free, Isabel guessed that Alex had hired someone to keep the place clean, not that she’d seen anyone this morning. Finding out that there was a small pool, nothing as big and fancy as the one at her brother’s house but still nice, was a pleasant surprise and Isabel already planned to spend an afternoon next to the pool, getting a nice tan.

Hearing the door bells jingle, Isabel turned towards the entrance, expecting it to be Alex since it was already past eleven. She was slightly annoyed when it wasn’t him but a woman in her forties instead.

However, behind that woman, a tall dark haired man entered the office. Isabel’s eyebrows rose slightly and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. ’That one’s definitely easy on the eyes.’ she thought to herself as she quickly took in his outfit – black jeans, fitting blue shirt and a black jacket that suited the man really well. ’Looks like Roswell has more to offer than I originally thought.’

Isabel registered with mild surprise that the handsome stranger was headed towards her. Sure, she was used to men approaching her but this one was certainly a fast mover.


Alex felt very self conscious as he approached Isabel. He knew he was late but the look Isabel gave him, he couldn’t tell if she was angry with him or just taking in his new look. A look that, he had to grudgingly admit, looked actually good.

“I’m really sorry for being late, Ms. Evans. I just remembered that the fridge is pretty empty and I bought us something to eat which, sadly, took longer than I expected.” Alex quickly said, figuring that apologizing couldn’t really get him into trouble. “Sorry.” He said again when Isabel still hadn’t replied.


Isabel’s mouth dropped open in shock when the stranger started to talk and she finally realized that it was actually Alex Whitman. Damn! She knew that extreme makeovers were possible and that she was good when it came to the topic of how to look good but … wow! Who would have thought that hidden underneath the beard and small town behavior, there was a handsome guy waiting to break free.

“Are you alright?” Alex worriedly asked when Isabel continued to mutely stare at him. Maybe he’d been too optimistic about his new look and it didn’t look as good as he’d thought.

“Alex! What a pleasure to see you again!” the optician said before Isabel could reply. “How can I help you?”

“Hello Mr. Jacobs.” Alex greeted the older man, shooting a worried glance at Isabel before shaking the older man’s hand. “I’m here because of my glasses.” Alex said as he took them out of the pocket of his jacket.

“Oh, is there something wrong with them?” the optician asked.

“Not in my opinion.” Alex murmured softly so only Isabel could hear him. Louder he said, “My … friend here thinks that they don’t suit me that well.” With that, he motioned to Isabel, hoping that she had gotten over … whatever it was.

Feeling the men’s eyes on her, Isabel straightened up, shook off the shock and smiled brightly. “I just thought that it might be time for a few changes.”

“Looks like you were successful so far.” Mr. Jacobs smiled with an approving look at Alex who shifted uncomfortably. “I have some nice models …” he began but Isabel quickly interrupted him.

“I was actually thinking of dark rimmed glasses, black, dark blue or brown maybe and not round glasses, more oval shaped.” She interjected with a sugar sweet smile, that always helped her to get her way. “If you don’t mind my input, that is.”

“Oh, not at all. It is always great when the customers already have some ideas about what they want.” Mr. Jacobs replied kindly. “Why don’t you follow me and I’ll show you some glasses that fit that description.”



“I can’t believe that I really let you talk me into contact lenses.” Alex muttered as he and Isabel left the optometrist office half an hour later.

“You better start believing it then.” Isabel replied without pity. “You knew it was going to happen.”

“But … it is horrible to put the lenses in.” Alex moaned, thinking back to the many tries it took him to get it right.

“Don’t be such a drama queen.” Isabel commented with a roll of her eyes.

“Drama queen? Do you know how hard that is?” Alex asked indignantly.

“Yes, I saw how difficult it was and I know it from experience so you can believe me when I tell you that it gets easier.”

“You wear contact lenses?” Alex asked surprised.

“Unfortunately yes. I only wear my glasses at home where no one can see me.” Isabel replied with a shrug. “My glasses are actually similar to yours.”

“Glasses too.” Alex mumbled to himself, for a second picturing Isabel with them and in a business outfit, hair in bun before shaking his fantasies off for now.

“So when will I see you wearing your glasses?” he asked.

“Never!” Isabel said. “Like I only said, I only wear them when I’m alone in my apartment and no one sees me. That’s why I’m wearing the contacts now and not the glasses.”

Alex looked at her perplexed, not seeing the logic in that. “Do I have to understand that?”

Isabel looked at Alex for a moment. “No, you don’t. Lets just say it’s a girls’ thing.”

“Thank God!” Alex said relieved, pleasantly surprised when Isabel actually laughed. “You wear the lenses now?” he asked, squinting his eyes as he looked at her.

“Yeah, when you look closely, you can see them.” Isabel said with a shrug, turning slightly to Alex so he could take a look.

Leaning closely, Alex really could see that she was wearing contacts and also that her eyes were even more beautiful than he had thought. He couldn’t help it, he just at to stare into them a bit longer.

Isabel thought to herself that it was a wise decision to not choose colored contact lenses but the normal ones. ’He really has pretty eyes’ she thought to herself as she looked into the green orbs that had some hazel spots in them.

Clearing his throat slightly, Alex took a step back, embarrassed that he’d been so caught up in Isabel’s eyes and glad that she hadn’t chided him for that. “So, what else is planned for today?”

Looking over at Alex, Isabel marveled once again at how different – and better – Alex looked now. “I think that for today we’re done. Do you actually have many business suits?”

“No, not really.” Alex admitted.

“I thought so. Well, we have to go shopping then.” Isabel said and ignored Alex’s groan. “I already saw a few shops that actually might have what we’re looking for.” She was about to walk towards her car when she turned back to Alex. “By the way, what about your car situation?”

“The Bug can be saved.” Alex grinned, slightly surprised that Isabel cared.

Once again, Isabel was stuck by how good Alex looked, especially when he was happy but then his words registered in her brain and she rolled her eyes at him. “Alex, I meant that you need to get a new car. No one will take you serious with your old car. I’m not saying you can never drive it again but you need another more impressive one too.”

“Oh.” Alex said thoughtfully. “What car would that be?”

“I don’t know yet, but we’re certainly going to find you the perfect car.” Isabel grinned impishly, glad that another shopping opportunity had appeared. “See you later.” She waved at Alex before walking to her car, leaving Alex once again to stare after her.

Watching her leave, Alex thought that so far, the day had been a success – no snotty comments or not-so-nice nicknames for him and Isabel had even said that he looked good. Okay, so she hadn’t really said that but she hadn’t said anything against the haircut and his appearance so he took that as a good sign.

There were certainly worse ways to spend a few hours with a beautiful blonde, he thought as he started walking towards the rental car the shop had given him today. If only he could get the image of Isabel with glasses and a business outfit out of his head!

thanks for the feedback Karen, Kara, maya and LovinGuerin2Much


Part Five


Alex was whistling to himself as he walked to his front door. Today had really been a good day. After parting at the optometrist’s office, he and Isabel had met up again at his house where Alex had quickly made them a small lunch that was eaten in a comfortable silence. So, it wasn’t romantic but it had been a while since Alex had last eaten lunch in female company and it was a beautiful company so who was he to complain? Then, his meeting with Salor had gone well and Alex really felt like the whole business thing might turn out to be a success after all.

Reaching his door, Alex hesitated for a moment, remembering what he saw before he left for his meeting with Salor. One bikini clad Isabel Evans, relaxing next to his pool, looking very desirable in her fire red swim outfit. And it had all come so sudden and unexpected!

Alex had come downstairs and had walked into the kitchen to drink an orange soda before leaving and had made the huge mistake of looking out the window to his back yard where his pool was. He was pretty sure that his eyes had doubled in size when he had spotted Isabel lounging on a towel next to the pool, absorbed in a book.

He had spent the next few minutes just looking at her, letting his eyes roam over her body. He had to admit that it was a very nice body, he had already guessed that before but now, when she was almost naked, it was impossible to deny that.

He couldn’t help and wonder what she was reading, the book appeared to be pretty thick and Isabel was certainly totally in her own little world right now, which was good because otherwise she might have caught him staring and accused him of being a voyeur.

Blinking, Alex realized that right now, he was just that – a voyeur, so with a shake of his head, he tore his eyes away from Isabel and concentrated on the kitchen counter, trying hard to figure out what just happened.

Okay, so he hadn’t had a girlfriend in a long time and aside from his mom, Tess and Maria he had very limited contact to women but still … he wasn’t supposed to have some fantasies in the middle of the day that involved his pool, discarded bikinis and Isabel Evans! They were too different to ever work out, Isabel would probably be able to tell him 24.398 reasons why there’d never be a chance for them.

Not that he wanted a chance! No sir, he didn’t! He was just on a dry spell and … and the heat was getting to him. Yeah right, the heat along with all the stress he had had lately. Just his hormones getting the better of him, nothing he couldn’t deal with.

Still, Alex hadn’t been able to not think about Isabel every now and then during the whole afternoon. Yet, he didn’t fool himself that aside from some ‘What ifs’ and day dreams that there would be something coming from their time together. She probably had some boyfriend back home or at least two dozen guys who were willing to be her future boyfriend and who were used to her life style while he was just a small town boy who had the luck of creating something that would make sure that he wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore.

Praying to himself that she was dressed decently, Alex opened the front door and walked in, a sudden idea causing him to yell, “Hey honey, I’m home!” he cringed the second the words left his mouth when he heard footsteps coming from the living room.

When he saw Isabel appear, dressed in designer jeans and a blouse, he already expected some resentful remark coming and was strangely even hoping for one, thinking that another show of dislike from Isabel might help him get over his weird obsession.

Isabel just raised an eyebrow at Alex’s comment and then rolled her eyes in a manner that Alex was already used to. “Oh great darling, dinner is ready and the kids already made their homework.” Isabel said before shaking her head in exaggeration and walking back into the living room.

Alex was left speechless for a moment, not suspecting such a reply at all before he walked into the kitchen. He wasn’t very surprised to not find dinner ready. Not feeling like cooking himself, he entered the living room where Isabel was watching tv and asked, “I’m hungry. Can I interest you in going out to a tiny Italian restaurant for dinner?”

“A tiny restaurant?” Isabel asked, not really liking the sound of that and already seeing a greasy, dirty place in her mind. But like Alex, she was too lazy to cook herself and really hungry too.

“Yeah, it is really small but it has the best Italian food in New Mexico. You’ll love it!” Alex told her convincingly.

Isabel looked over at him doubtfully and mentally patted herself on her shoulder for picking out the black rimmed glasses he was currently wearing. They really suited him to perfection. “All right, but if we go to this tiny place today, I expect you to invite me to really fancy restaurant tomorrow.”

“Deal.” Alex said automatically, being ruled by his empty stomach right now and desperate to get something to eat before he fainted out of exhaustion.

“Good. Give me half an hour to get ready.” Isabel said as she got up from the couch and was about to pass by Alex.

“What for?” Alex cried. “It is just a nice Italian restaurant where families and teenagers eat. You are perfectly dressed for it.”

“Oh, you have so much to learn about women.” Isabel patted his shoulder in mock seriousness. “I’ll be ready in 40 minutes.”

“What? A minute ago, it was 30 minutes.” Alex said with a slight glare.

“You want it to be 50 minutes?” Isabel asked, waiting for a moment so Alex could answer before making her way upstairs with a victorious grin when Alex just shook his head defeated. ’This is too easy. she happily thought to herself.

Waiting impatiently and very hungry outside the house, Alex was deliriously happy when Isabel already arrived after only 25 minutes, now dressed in a red mini skirt with a black top and black vest, her hair in a pony tail while Alex was still dressed in what he’d been wearing when he got home – khaki pants and a red shirt.

“I’ll drive.” Isabel announced as soon as Alex had locked the door. While the rental car Alex had now instead of his old car was certainly a step up, Isabel preferred being seen in the Mercedes than in Alex’s Volvo.


Fifteen minutes later, Isabel parked the car and they got out in front of a really tiny restaurant. Not impressed by the outside of the place, Isabel hoped that she hadn’t made a mistake by agreeing to this.

Opening the door for Isabel, Alex walked in after her, relieved to see that there was still a free table for them. Waving towards the woman behind the counter, he lead Isabel to the table, pulling out the chair for her and being rewarded with a surprised yet brilliant smile from Isabel.

Indiscreetly looking around, Isabel thought that the interior screamed small town and old, with the blue and white colored table cloths, the thick red candles on every table and the dark wood but yet, it still managed to give off a feeling of being inviting and charming.

“Good evening Alexander!” A warm voice said and Isabel turned her head to see a the woman who’d been standing behind the counter a few minutes ago now next to their table. “Good evening to you too, dear.” The woman then said to Isabel.

“Hello Carmen.” Alex greeted the woman before turning back to Isabel. “Isabel, that’s Carmen Brunossi, the owner of this fine establishment. Carmen, this is Isabel Evans.” He introduced the two ladies.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Isabel.” Carmen said with a smile before giving Alex a mock glare. “If he makes any problems, just call me and I’ll make sure that he behaves again.”

“Oh, I certainly will.” Isabel grinned, immediately liking the older woman.

“Hey! No need to gang up on me!” Alex exclaimed in mock hurt.

“Poor baby.” Carmen teased Alex before turning back to Alex. “Don’t let the innocent boy look fool you – he can be quite the charmer when he wants to be.”

“Really? Who would have thought?” Isabel said eyes wide in fake wonder.

”You know, you really don’t have to sound that surprised.” Alex told Isabel with a dirty look, causing her to laugh.

After being told what they wanted to drink, Carmen left their table, saying she’d be back soon so they could order their food. She didn’t know who the mysterious Isabel was but she certainly hoped that her and Alex would be coming by more often because she really liked the girl and her and Alex certainly made a cute couple.

“She’s very nice.” Isabel commented with a smile as she watched Carmen leave.

“She certainly is.” Alex agreed. “Even though I can’t believe that she so easily picked you as her new best friend over me.”

“Well, that’s because I’m cute!” Isabel said with an innocent expression on her face before she broke out laughing at the sour look Alex gave her.

“You just sit there and laugh at me, I can take it.” Alex said with a mournful expression on his face, secretly ecstatic that Isabel seemed to like the restaurant.

“I’m sorry.” Isabel said still smiling. “You just don’t look very convincing, that’s all.” She tilted her head slightly to the side to look at him more closely. “You actually look tired.”

Alex was a bit surprised by her observation and shrugged. “Well, it has been a long day and I am not lying when I say that I will certainly sleep very soon when I go to bed tonight.”

They were both quiet till Carmen returned with their drinks and they told her what they’d like to eat – pizza Diavlo for Alex and Tortellini Alfredo for Isabel – before Alex asked, “So, when do you want to start shopping tomorrow?”

Taking another look at Alex’s tired eyes, Isabel shook her head. “No, not tomorrow. You look like you can need some time to rest and the day after tomorrow will be enough and give me some time to think of suitable cars for you.”

“Hey, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Alex protested, not wanting Isabel to think of him as a weakling.

“Nope, forget it. I say we won’t shop and I’m the boss, remember?” Isabel said with a voice that left no room to argue. “Besides, you’ll need all your energy for the shopping trip anyway.”

Alex didn’t look very convinced by that but decided to not argue anymore, not wanting to ruin the relaxed atmosphere between them. “So, how do you like it so far?”

“Uh, it is … a really tiny but also … nice place.” Isabel said after a moment, for some reason not wanting to admit to Alex that she actually found the restaurant to be a great place.

“Great.” Alex grinned. “Just wait till the food arrives.”


After their food had arrived and they had eaten, Alex went to the counter where Carmen was to pay the bill.

“Carmen, it was fantastic as usual.” He told the woman with a grin as he pulled his wallet out.

“Thanks Alex but honestly, did you expect anything less?” Carmen teased him, glancing to where Isabel was sitting. “And, did the lady enjoy her stay?”

“Oh yeah, she likes the place.” Alex replied with another smile, secretly very glad that Isabel liked the small restaurant.

“That’s good. Isabel seems very nice too … not that I expected any different, you always had good taste.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Alex said absently, as he paid the bill for looking up surprised. “Huh? Great taste?”

“Well, you always only dated nice girls, I didn’t expect this time to be different. That’s all.” Carmen explained with a smile. “You two really look cute together, don’t let go of her!”

“What? Oh no, Carmen, you got it all wrong! Isabel and I … we aren’t together. We are just … something like business partners.” Alex tried to explain.

“Business partners? Of course, darling!” Carmen laughed before suddenly looking serious. “Oh my, she’s married, right? And that’s why you two are having this business charade going on?”

“What? No!” Alex cried, not believing what he was hearing. “Isabel’s not married!” he actually didn’t know but she wasn’t wearing a ring and hadn’t mentioned anything so he assumed she wasn’t. “And we really are just business partners. It is … just complicated and totally unromantic. Really Carmen, there’s nothing going on between us!”

Carmen looked very skeptical but finally nodded, deciding to believe Alex for now. “When you say so, Alex. But believe me, it is really a pity you two look very good together.”

Alex just nodded in reply before he said his goodbyes and returned to Isabel who watched him curiously. “What was going on? You two seemed to have an intense discussion.”

“You don’t want to know.” Alex sighed as he pulled Isabel’s chair back to help her up. “Believe me, you don’t.” he added when she looked confused. Alex was pretty certain that upon hearing Carmen’s thoughts, Isabel might go into another fit about small towns, stupid gossip and started listing all the reasons why such an assumption was totally out of line and never gonna happen.

“Okay.” Isabel said shrugging as she grabbed her purse and followed Alex outside into the warm evening. She had really enjoyed herself tonight which actually surprised her a little but she certainly wasn’t going to complain about that.

thanks for the feedback Karen, Kara, LovingGuerin2Much

Part Six


“What are you going to do tonight, Isabel?” Alex asked his houseguest when she came inside after being in the pool. Alex hoped that he wasn’t blushing because he’d actually been watching Isabel in her tiny bikini more than he probably should have.

“Hm, I thought we could go out – to some fancy restaurant this time.” Isabel suggested. “I need to make sure that you know how to behave in such places after all.” She added teasingly.

“There’s only *Scardino’s* here in Roswell that would fit the ‘fancy’ description but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get a table tonight.” Alex said, already reaching for his cell phone.

He turned partly away from Isabel when he saw her leaning against the counter, still clad in that almost illegal tiny piece of cloth. Alex worried that he might start drooling if he looked at her all the time – even if ‘all the time’ just meant three minutes.

“Hello, I wanted to ask if I can get a table for two tonight. No? Oh … how about tomorrow then? No. Okay … oh the day after tomorrow is possible?”

Alex turned to Isabel with a questioning look on his face. Isabel nodded at his unspoken question, she was a bit disappointed that they couldn’t get a table earlier but still better than nothing she guessed.

Tuning out Alex who was still on the phone, Isabel ran her eyes slowly over his body. She silently congratulated herself again for her make over, thinking that he looked really dashing in the casual jeans-and-suit-jacket-outfit she had persuaded Alex to buy. It brought out his lanky but yet athletic frame and the colors looked really good on him. She briefly wondered if she’d be able to talk him into buying underwear with her so she could check out what he looked without clothes on.

Blinking at this thought, Isabel straightened up surprised. Where had that come from? She silently asked herself, giving Alex a forced smile when he frowned at her. Letting her eyes wander over the kitchen, Isabel decided it was best to not look at Alex for a few moments till these … weird feelings passed.

“Okay, we have a table on Thursday.” Alex stated as he put his phone down and turned to Isabel who seemed strangely fascinated by his coffee machine.

“That’s cool. We just have to find something to do and to eat for tonight and tomorrow then.” Isabel said with a shrug, confused by suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable around Alex.

“How about we stay here tonight and cook something ourselves?” Alex suggested after a moment.

“Do you really expect me to cook something for you?” Isabel asked with a raised eyebrow, letting the big city girl attitude shine through, something she hadn’t really done in the last few days.

“No, I expect you to cook *with* me.” Alex corrected her with an easy smile. “We could make a Paella or Lasagne or …”

“Hey hey! Wait a moment, Jamie Oliver!” Isabel stopped him with a laugh when she saw Alex’s eyes glaze over slightly at the mention of Lasagne. “I don’t cook, Alex. I never have and … I’d just burn down your house.”

Alex wasn’t really surprised that Isabel had never cooked before but he didn’t give up that easily. “I never said I’d let you come close to fire.” He teased. “Just helping me a little, Isabel. A bit cutting here, some mixing there – nothing hard or difficult, just helping me out a bit. C’mon, there’s nothing better than eating something you cooked yourself.” He coaxed.

“Hm, how about being served a delicious menu on a yacht while being on a harbor cruise?” Isabel replied unimpressed.

“Isaaabeel!” Alex whined like an eight year old. “Come on, don’t be a spoil sport – it will be fun! And if you really don’t like it then I’ll … never ask you to cook again.”

“That’s all?”

Alex let his head drop in mock desperation, making Isabel bit her lip to keep from giggling at his antics.

“How about a massage too? When I was in high school, Liz and Maria had me massage them at least twice a week – they trained me well. And I’ll brush your hair!” Alex instantly regretted this offer as an image of Isabel not clad in more than she was currently lying on his bed while his hands were running over her glistening body.

“Deal. How could I refuse such an offer?” Isabel replied after a moment. Truth was, she was actually a bit curious about cooking herself. She really had never done that before and thought that trying couldn’t hurt. “Uh, you do know how to cook, don’t you Alex?”

“I’m no big star cook, but yeah … I can cook, don’t worry you are in good hands.” Alex replied, a bit surprised that Isabel had agreed after all. “How about we meet here again in half an hour? Wear something comfortable without long sleeves and your hair in a ponytail.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Isabel saluted mockingly before turning around and walking out of the room, Alex’s eyes following her with keen interest till she disappeared from view.

Exactly thirty minutes later Isabel walked downstairs again, took a deep breath and entered the kitchen. She was still a bit shocked about her earlier musings about Alex’s body but let out a relieved breath when she saw him. It was hard to fantasize about him when he wore a silly looking pink apron.

“Okay chef, what will it be?” she asked as she stood beside him looking over the kitchen supplies on the counter.

“Nothing fancy, I’m afraid.” Alex replied, handing Isabel a white apron. “Just some roasted meat with a sauce containing of tomatoes, onions, paprika and rice. It is easy to cook and tastes really good. Okay, how about you start chopping the onions here while I take care of the meat and prepare the sauce. Oh, here you’ll need this.” Alex said, handing Isabel a glass of cold water. Seeing her confused look, he explained, “While cutting the onions, make sure that you have a sip of cold water in your mouth. I don’t know why but as long as something cold is in your mouth, you won’t have to cry.”

“Oh, okay.” Isabel said taking the glass in one hand and a knife in the other. Looking at the onions for a moment she glanced back at Alex who was already cutting the meat into small pieces. “Alex?”

“Yes?” he glanced at her, knife poised above the counter.

“How am I supposed to cut the onions?” Isabel asked embarrassed, feeling like the biggest idiot in New Mexico.

Alex blinked a few times in confusion before he understood what Isabel meant. Suppressing a smile, he put his knife down and took the one Isabel was holding. Bumping his hip slightly against hers in a friendly manner, he moved her a bit away and started cutting the onions slowly so Isabel could watch.

“Just like this – just be careful that you don’t cut yourself, okay?” Alex didn’t go into anymore detail, fearing that he might embarrass Isabel if he started to explain more and instead motioned to the tomatoes. “Would you mind cutting those too? Just cut them in half and then cut them a few more times, it doesn’t have to be small pieces.”

“Yep, okay, thanks.” Isabel replied with a nod and got to work.

The next 45 minutes were spent with cooking, preparing the table, telling some silly childhood stories and lots of laughter. Glancing at the oven, Isabel sighed. “I guess I better go and change.”

“What for?”

“Well, dinner!”

Alex chuckled at that. “C’mon on Isabel, it’s only you and me and a relaxed home-cooked meal, what you are wearing is more than fine.” He commented with a glance at her jeans and orange shirt.

“Hm, I don’t know.” Isabel murmured unsure, it somehow felt weird to not dress up for dinner.

“Besides, it wouldn’t be that wise to do the washing while wearing Gucci anyway.” Alex said, smiling innocently when Isabel fixed him with a hard stare. “What?”

“You don’t really expect me to do the washing, Whitman, do you? That was no part of the deal!” Isabel told him seriously, poking a finger in his chest.

“Okay, I’ll do the washing myself.” Alex surrendered with a grin but then frowned. “Hey, I only said that I’d massage you if you weren’t having fun and … I am thinking that you did enjoy the whole experience!”

“Well, you think wrong, Alex.” Isabel replied with an innocent smile. “Tomorrow evening, I expect a grade A+ massage from you and you better not be hurting me, mister!”

Alex was about to protest, not sure if his poor body could handle massaging Isabel without having a heart attack but a beeping sound from the oven got his attention.

Knowing that she’d won; Isabel took their salad and sat down on the small kitchen table, eager to try out her first self-cooked meal. Not that she’d ever admit that to Alex. He had been right, cooking was nicer than she’d thought it to be. Okay, she knew that Alex had been kind on her and only gave her easy tasks but still … she didn’t do that bad she thought.

“Here you go, Martha Stewart!” Alex said as he put their food down on the table, easily dodging the serviette Isabel tossed at him before taking Isabel’s plate and filling it.

Sitting down opposite her, he looked at her expectantly. “So … come on, try it!”

Grinning back at him, Isabel took a bite and closed her eyes momentary to savor the taste, missing how Alex’s eyes fixated on her lips for a second. “Oh my god Alex, this is delicious!”

“You sound surprised! Did you doubt yourself or worse … me?” Alex asked with mock hurt before he also started eating. Rolling her eyes at the clown opposite her, Isabel refrained from saying anything and instead concentrated on her food.

After they finished eating, Alex prepared a banana split for Isabel and started attacking the dirty dishes while Isabel ate her dessert. After a few moments, Isabel got up, took her ice cream with her and moved to the counter to turn on the radio. Some soft rock music filled the kitchen while both adults remained silent.

When another song came on, Isabel started to softly sway her hips subconsciously and looked at Alex. It still amazed her how different Alex looked now just because she got him to wear contacts and get a new hair cut.

“What?” Alex asked, feeling slightly uneasy under Isabel’s penetrating gaze.

“Oh nothing, I just like to watch people work.” Isabel replied innocently, putting the now empty dessert dishes down.

With a shake of his head, Alex dried his hands off and surprised Isabel by taking her hand and pushing her away from the counter. Glancing at Alex confused, Isabel soon started to grin when he put one hand on her waist and tightened his grip on her hand and started to dance slowly with her in the middle of his kitchen.

“Oh wow, looks like they teach you how to dance in New Mexico.” Isabel said with mock surprise, delighted that Alex could actually dance. “Tell me Mr. Whitman, how many ladies did already have the pleasure of dancing with you in your house?”

”Oh well, there have been a few.” Alex replied with a smirk.

“Liar!” Isabel cried good naturally, thumping him lightly on the shoulder before resuming their dance again. “Is there a dance area at *Scardino’s*?”

“Yes, there actually is.” Alex replied after a moment, having to think about it.

“Good.” Isabel sighed and closed her eyes in bliss but then gasped in shock when Alex suddenly dipped her backwards.

“I take it that you like my moves then?” he grinned at her cheekily before pushing her up again.

”You wish!” Isabel rolled her eyes but they were twinkling happily, making it clear that she wasn’t annoyed at all.

”I do actually.” Alex said softly, surprising both of them. They stopped dancing and looked at each other silently for long moments, Alex realizing how close Isabel’s face was to his. He’d only have to move a few inches and …

Isabel broke the spell by taking a quick step back, laughing nervously and glancing around the room, “Well, this was really fun. We really should dance again in … two days then. I … really am tired and … better go to bed. Thanks for … cooking, it was great and I … enjoyed it a lot.”

Looking back at Alex, Isabel opened her mouth then quickly closed it again, slightly shaking her head. “I … good night, Alex.”

With that, she was gone, leaving Alex to stare once again after her. After a minute, his brain finally realized that she wouldn’t come back anymore and with a sigh, he went to dry the dishes, wondering what just happened and if it was something good or something very bad.

Part Seven

The next evening, Alex came home after having a drink with Maria and Tess and found some blankets lying on the living room floor. Frowning he went to search for Isabel, curious as to what she had been doing.

He headed to the stairs but then heard a noise from the kitchen and went there instead, almost having an heart attack when he entered the room: Isabel was looking into the fridge, bending over slightly, only wearing a navy colored bikini and a short see-through white blouse which had moved up so Alex had a perfect view of her behind.

Nervously clearing his throat, Alex hoped that he wasn’t blushing beet red or appearing like a gawking pervert. Isabel just turned around at the sound, a bottle of water in her hand and moved to get a glass, either not noticing Alex’s slightly red face and nervous behavior or just not caring about it.

“You are late.” She said after taking a sip of water, “I already thought you had forgotten about the massage you promised me.”

“Massage?” Alex echoed. “Oh, that’s why the blankets are on the living room floor.”

“Yes, I’m not going to lie on the floor after all. You ready?” Isabel asked as she walked past Alex.

“Uh yeah, just a bit surprised that you really intent on me massaging you.” Alex commented as he followed her.

“How could I refuse such an offer?” Isabel teased with a glance over her shoulder. “I even bought some massage oil so whenever you are ready, lets get this started.”

Swallowing hard, Alex’s eyes skimmed briefly over the bottle of oil, his imagination already coming up with the various fantasies, all starting with his hands touching her all over. “Uh, why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll be with you in a minute, I just want to drink something first.”

Quickly filling a glass with water, Alex gulped down the liquid hastily. ’Oh God she’s going to kill me if my body reacts to being so close to her when she’s wearing almost nothing.’ he thought miserably. He briefly contemplated a very cold shower but knew that there was not enough time for that.

“Okay, here we go. Last chance to rethink this since I’m not a professional …” Alex said as he stepped into his living room, trailing off when he saw Isabel sprawled on the blankets in front of the TV, watching some hospital soap. He swallowed again at the sight of so much naked flesh, both disappointed and relieved that the bikini bottom wasn’t a string but one with much more cloth.

Tearing her eyes away from the screen for a second, Isabel smiled up at Alex who was standing a few feet away from her, an unsure expression on his face. “No chance in hell, Mister! You promised a massage and I expect you to deliver one.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best.” Alex commented cheerfully, clapping his hands together. Getting down on his knees besides Isabel, he glanced at the two bottles. “Strawberry or coconut – which one do you want me to use?”

“Huh?” Isabel had been absorbed in the tv show again, making Alex smile slightly that the up-to-date-big-city-girl would be so enchanted by a simple soap. “Oh, I’m feeling like coconut today.”

“Coconut it is.” Alex said with mock seriousness as he reached for the bottle. Then a thought occurred to him and he frowned, “We are just talking about me massaging your shoulders and back, right? Nothing else?”

“Why Mr. Whitman, what else do you want to massage?” Isabel asked with a saucy grin as she turned to look at him again, her grin broadening when she saw Alex blush slightly.

“Uh well, I thought maybe you wanted me to massage your … eh, feet too or something.” Alex stammered; his eyes fixed on the bottle of massage oil.

“Hmmm.” Isabel pondered Alex’s suggestion for a few moments. “We’ll see, if you are good with the back rub, you might just have to do that too.” She wiggled her shoulders a bit, “But c’mon, get started!”

“Alright then, let’s begin!” Alex said over cheerfully, squirting some oil on his hands.

“Oh wait a second.” Isabel cried, reaching back with one hand and undoing the clasp of her bikini top. “Okay, I’m ready.”

’Oh c’mon, you’ve got to be kidding!’ Alex thought, glancing up at the ceiling with a look of pure torture on his face. ’Is she trying to give me a heart attack?’

“Alex? You still here?” Isabel asked when nothing happened for a few moments.

“Yeah yeah, just trying to figure out how to start the best way possible.” Alex replied distractedly. With another inward sigh, Alex leaned forward slightly and started rubbing small circles on the center of Isabel’s back, gradually moving up to her shoulders and to the small of her back every few strokes.

Isabel had actually been engrossed in her tv soap but shortly after Alex started his work, her eyes fluttered closed and with a soft sigh, she forgot about the tv and concentrated fully on Alex’s wonderfully talented hands.

Thinking that he was done with Isabel’s back for the moment, Alex moved his attention to Isabel’s neck and shoulders. With slight pressure, he began to knead the taut muscles in her neck and slowly worked his way outside to her shoulders, adding more pressure as he moved before returning to her neck where he started again with less pressure.

When he heard Isabel sigh, Alex had to bite his lip to keep from sighing himself, forcing his focus to stay at the job – massaging Isabel, as a *friend*, nothing else. His self control would have been put to a hard test if Isabel had just been lying half naked beside him, but now, that half her body was slippery and glistening with the coconut oil, it made the task at hand 100 times more cruel and tempting.

“Could you add a little bit more pressure?” Isabel asked, then moaned softly when Alex quickly applied more pressure. “God Alex, that’s heavenly.”

“Mhm.” Alex muttered, not really listening to what Isabel had said. He was fully concentrating on was massaging Isabel and making sure that he didn’t start to just touch and stroke her skin instead. That certainly wasn’t an easy task, after all, she was lying there in front of him half naked.

“Uh, Alex, I don’t want to be picky but could you remove the oil bottle? It is poking me in the side.” Isabel commented after a few minutes, eyes still closed, not moving a muscle.

Alex frowned in confusion. The bottle with the oil was on his right, it certainly couldn’t be even touching Isabel, so what did Isabel … oh!

Looking down to check what Isabel meant, Alex felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Obviously, all his thoughts about touching Isabel’s soft and slightly slippery skin and her being almost naked had finally caught up with his body.

Quickly glancing over at Isabel, Alex breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t seem to have noticed his discomfort yet. Moving slightly away from Isabel, Alex started thinking of how he could end this as soon as possible. It didn’t seem as if Isabel had any intention of putting a stop to her massage so Alex had to think of some logical reason that would allow him to leave.

Looking down his body again, Alex cursed his hormones, realizing that even if he came up with a smart way to weasel out of this, there was no way that he’d be able to walk away – at least not without Isabel noticing what was going on.

Alex knew that thinking about baseball or the Jerry Springer show wouldn’t be of any use and not calm his body down. In case Isabel noticed what was going on, she’d either run away screaming or tease him endlessly but Alex had no clue how to maneuver himself out of the situation.

He could not just stand up and walk away because Isabel could see the effect she had on him then and if she got up and walked somewhere (which didn’t seem likely) she’d also notice his discomfort. He finally knew the real meaning of the saying ‘Between a rock and a hard place’.

Both Alex and Isabel were startled when the doorbell rang all of sudden.

“Damn!” Isabel pouted, looking back to the tv, not even glancing at Alex. “Guess we’ll have to stop this early.”

“Yeah, guess so. I better look who it is.” Alex said, carefully getting up and moving out of the room as quickly as he could. He had no idea who was outside his house but Alex had never been happier at having a visitor.

When he was out of Isabel’s sight, he quickly adjusted his pants, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of whoever was outside his door and with a deep breath, he opened the door slightly.

“Hey Alex!” Tess greeted cheerfully while Maria waved at him impishly.

“Hello ladies, what are you doing here?” Alex asked surprised, not expecting a visit from his two friends.

“Well, we’d like to meet your roommate.” Maria stated directly, peering past Alex into the house.

“Oh, come on girls, you can’t be serious!” Alex moaned, slumping against the door.

“Alex, it’s not like we are going to circle her and go all *Oh* and *Ah* like we are kids in a zoo. We just want to meet the new woman in your life.” Tess explained, a smirk on her face when she said the last.

“Yeah, she is an Evans – a jewelry Evans! Did you really think we’d not want to meet her and talk about jewelry and other stuff with her?” Maria added.

Before Alex could say anything, Isabel appeared in the hall, her bikini top in place again and also wearing her tiny blouse again. She had heard Alex talking with someone and after realizing it was a woman, she had gotten immensely curious about whom it was so she had quickly thrown her blouse on and had walked out into the hall. “Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for earlier, Alex.”

Both Tess and Maria took a look at Isabel’s outfit and then after hearing what she said turned to Alex with raised eyebrows.

Seeing the looks they gave him, Alex frowned before realization dawned on him. “Oh please! Don’t be ridiculous!”

Isabel giggled slightly, having put two and two together quicker than Alex. “I was just out sunbathing when Alex came home, bringing me some things I asked for.” She lied, knowing that saying Alex had given her a massage would only lead to more speculations on the women’s part and might start nasty rumors.

Maria raised her hand in a calming gesture before looking from Isabel to Alex again.

Sighing, Alex straightened up (not having to worry about embarrassing himself anymore), “Isabel, these are my two friends Maria Deluca and Tess Harding. Maria, Tess, this is Isabel Evans who is living here temporary.”

“Nice to meet you.” Tess said politely, shaking Isabel’s hand before Maria did the same. “I hope we weren’t interrupting you.”

“Oh no, not at all. I was just watching some E.R. reruns.” Isabel replied.

“Really?” Maria piped up. “An episode with Dr. Ross or Dr. Kovac?”

“Luca.”

“Pity, I always preferred George Clooney.” Maria sighed.

“Yeah, he was the best.” Isabel agreed just as Tess said, “Hey, what’s wrong with Luca?”

All three women laughed at that and began comparing the two doctors while Alex stood next to them, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. He so didn’t expect the three to get along so well and so quickly and wasn’t too sure what to make of it.

“Would you two like something to drink?” he finally asked, realizing that Maria and Tess would probably stay for a bit, now that the ice between them and Isabel was broken.

“Sure, if that is okay with you?” Maria said, the question directed at Isabel which Alex found odd since this was still his house after all. “I haven’t seen E.R. in ages.”

Realizing that the blanket and oil were still in the living room where Maria and Tess would surely spot them and start asking questions again, Isabel said, “It’s already over.”

“Damn.” Maria sighed.

“You can still drink something in the kitchen, even if there is no George Clooney for you to ogle at, can’t you?” Alex asked sarcastically, earning himself a dirty look.

“Well, I’ll leave you three alone then.” Isabel said, moving towards the staircase.

“You don’t have to leave because of us, we won’t bite.” Tess said with a smile. “Why don’t you join us, I’m sure that there are some stories about Alex that you’d love to hear.”

“Hey!” Alex protested half heartedly.

“I don’t want to intrude …” Isabel began but was interrupted by Maria.

“Nonsense, you aren’t intruding. We don’t want to force you to join us but we’d be pleased if you did.”

“Well then … I’ll just go changing then. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Isabel replied with a smile before disappearing upstairs.

The three friends look at each other for a moment. “You know the way.” Alex said motioning towards his kitchen while closing the door.

“She seems really nice. I admit that is a pleasant surprise.” Maria admitted once Alex gave them their drinks.

“Yeah and … you two would make such a cute couple.” Tess added wistfully.

Alex groaned at that, just as Isabel was entering the room. “So, what did I miss?”

thank you for the feedback I appreciate it very much
this is the second-last part, hope yo enjoy




Part Eight

“So, everything is packed?” Alex asked as he walked into the dark house after Isabel.

“Yeah.” Isabel sighed as she turned on the lights. “Everything is ready for my drive back home.” She didn’t look forward to going home as much as she had thought she would. In the last weeks, the small town had certainly grown on her. “You don’t have to worry about carrying any more bags downstairs from my room.”

Alex smiled slightly at that, remembering how earlier today, he’d carried more bags down than he’d carried upstairs to the guestroom when Isabel moved in a few weeks ago. Considering how their first meeting had gone, Alex was pleasantly surprised that the two had actually become friends and he was certainly going to miss the tall blonde.

Snapping out from his thoughts, Alex saw that Isabel was obviously looking for something in one of her bags. His lips curved into a small smile when he noticed that Isabel had taken off her heels and was now bare foot, her light blue dress now touching the floor.

Alex took off his suit jacket and tie, carelessly hanging them over a chair as he walked up to Isabel, asking, “Everything okay or is something wrong?”

Not expecting Alex to be so close to her, Isabel straightened up in surprise and turned around quickly. A bit too quickly because now that she wasn’t wearing heels anymore, her dress pooled around her feet and the sudden movements almost caused Isabel to step on it. Not wanting to damage the dress, Isabel tried to balance on one foot but because all of this happened within a few seconds, it was only Alex’s quick reflexes that saved her from falling face down on the floor.

“You okay?” Alex asked worriedly, his hands holding onto Isabel’s left arm and her waist, trying to steady her.

“I’m fine. Thanks to …” Isabel started to answer but her voice faltered slightly when she met Alex’s intense gaze. “… you.”

Alex continued to look at her intensely. “That’s good.” He said after a moment, not being able to let go of Isabel or stop his eyes from moving from Isabel’s eyes to her lips.

Seeing that Alex’s gaze had wandered, Isabel allowed her own eyes to drift down too, briefly thinking that Alex’s lips looked very kissable.

Immediately following that thought, Isabel found herself leaning closer to Alex and was delighted to realize that he was mimicking her actions. She had about a second to enjoy the feel of Alex’s breath on her face before their lips met.

They pulled back after a few seconds, Isabel’s eyes opened and fixated Alex’s lips again. ’I was right,’ she absently thought, ’he does have kissable lips.’

Alex was looking at Isabel’s face, searching for any sign of regret or discomfort. Finding none, his right hand quickly slid from Isabel’s arm up to the back of her head, holding her head in place as his lips crashed down on hers again in a more heated kiss.

Isabel let out a pleased sigh, also running one hand through Alex’s short hair while Alex took advantage from her partly opened lips and slid his tongue into her mouth. Moaning, Isabel kissed Alex passionately back, feeling extremely giddy when she more felt than heard Alex groan in response.

Somehow, she managed to get her hands between their bodies and started to pull Alex’s shirt out of his trousers and began to unbutton it hastily which didn’t get any easier when Alex lifted Isabel off the floor, causing her to momentarily give up her task and wrap her arms and legs around his neck and waist to steady herself.

Saying a silent thanks that there were none of Isabel’s bags and suit cases anywhere near the living room, Alex maneuvered them into it and Isabel made short work of the buttons on Alex’s shirt. She actually tore a few off but none of them noticed, not that they would have cared.

Managing to take Alex’s shirt off, Isabel almost growled in frustration when she discovered that Alex was wearing a wife beater underneath it. Before she could take care of that problem, Alex put her down on the couch in a slightly awkward half sitting-half lying position that gave him easy access to the back of her dress so he could unzip it.

Their lips finally parted for longer than two seconds when Isabel pulled off Alex’s wife beater. Bending down, Alex began to rain kisses down Isabel’s throat and neck, occasionally pausing to lightly suck on her skin.

Sighing contently, Isabel tilted her head slightly to give Alex more room and let her hands roam all over his back and chest, enjoying the way his muscles worked underneath her hands.

Alex moved a bit away from Isabel, his breath coming in short gasps and searched her face again for a sign of regret. Not seeing any, he enjoyed the view of her flushed face and swollen lips for a second longer before moving closer and kissing her again.

Feeling Alex pull down her dress below her breasts, Isabel tightened her grip on his shoulders, gasping when she felt his hands softly caressing her breasts with ever growing confidence. Enjoying the feeling of his hands on her skin for a few moments, Isabel wanted to play a more active part again and ran her hands slowly down Alex’s back and to his front, stroking his stomach teasingly before trying to undue his belt.

Isabel was quite surprised when she felt Alex grasp her hands and pull them away from his body and above her head while also leaning her body back onto the couch, pinning it to it effectively with his own body, her hands trapped in his on the arm of the couch.

Isabel found herself unable to move at all as yet again, Alex began to trail kisses down her neck, now also moving lower and kissing the area around her breast too. Isabel decided that she could certainly live with this kind of helplessness.

Alex began to completely pull Isabel’s dress off when suddenly, Isabel’s cell phone began to ring. The two locked eyes, Alex unsure if she wanted to continue and desperately hoping so and Isabel was about to dismiss the intrusion when she realized that from the ring tone, it had to be her mother.

Giving Alex an apologetic smile, Isabel squirmed slightly underneath him and after a moment, he got the message, let go of her hands and moved off of her and the couch with a sigh.

Isabel got up from the couch, clutching her dress to her body and tip toed to her purse where her cell phone was, Alex’s eyes following her every move. She was disappointed that they got interrupted but … it was her mother. She couldn’t really tell her later that the reason she didn’t answer her call was that she was about to get laid, could she?

Grabbing his shirt from the couch table, Alex stood up on unsteady legs, running a hand through his already messed up hair. Cursing cell phones and modern technology in general under his breath, he slowly walked into the kitchen, thinking that he needed a cold drink to cool down again.

“Hey mom, what’s up?” Isabel asked.

“You okay, honey? You sound out of breath.” Her mother inquired worriedly.

“Uh, I’m fine, just had to run to the phone cause I was in another room.” Isabel replied with a blush, hoping that her mother wouldn’t ask for more details.

“Good, I only wanted to confirm that you are coming home again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow afternoon, probably around two or three.”

“That’s great because … this weekend, Grant Sorenson is going to marry Courtney Banks.!”

“Really?” Isabel asked surprised before adding a hesitant. “I’m … happy for her and Grant.”

”I know how you feel, Isabel, this really is sudden but if they are happy then that’s all that counts.”

“Yeah, you are right mom.” Isabel replied like a good girl while in reality, she was thinking that Courtney, bitchy as she was, was in for a big surprise when she realized what an ass she was marrying. Better her than me. Isabel thought.

She failed to notice Alex standing behind her, an unreadable expression on his face. He had walked back from the kitchen and only heard a few sentences from what Isabel said and now, didn’t listen at all anymore.

’Grant? As in Grant Sorenson the guy who broke her heart a few months ago? No wonder that she doesn’t sound happy. Alex thought before another thought entered his brain. ’It’s only been a few months till they were together and from the tone of her voice, she is obviously not happy … probably jealous because she still wants the guy. What was I thinking?

Suddenly, Alex was great that they were interrupted. If they had continued and ended up spending the night together, he would certainly have been more into her than he already was while she was back in the big city, pinning after Grant Sorenson.

“Yeah, I miss them too and can’t wait to spend some time with my friends again.”

Hearing Isabel say that, only confirmed Alex’s thoughts. Turning on his heels, Alex walked back into the kitchen, waiting for Isabel to end her talk so he could profoundly apologize for what had happened.

After five more minutes, Isabel finally said goodbye to her mother and walked back into the living room, expecting Alex to be there. Not finding him, she walked back out into the hall and hearing a noise from the kitchen, she followed that sound and saw Alex standing next to the sink. Disappointed, she noticed that he was wearing his shirt again, meaning that all her hard work had been for nothing.

“Hey, that uh … was my mother.” Isabel cursed herself for that lame start but didn’t know what else to say since the whole situation was slightly awkward now that they both had managed to calm down.

“That’s okay.” Alex replied without turning around. “It’s good that you mom called … I … I really want to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

Isabel frowned at this. What did he want to apologize for?

“I shouldn’t have kissed you, I’m really sorry for that.”

He was sorry? Isabel fought back the urge to cry at this. ’He doesn’t care! This was all a huge mistake for him! God, and here I thought ...’

“Yeah, I … I get what you mean. That would have been a mistake, I mean, I’m leaving tomorrow and all.” Isabel said in a monotone, starring hard at the floor.

“Yeah, right.” Alex replied bitterly, hurt that she really thought it had just been a mistake.

Had they both not avoided looking at each, they would have noticed that the other was lying and not as casual about the whole experience as their words made it appear. But since they weren’t, they both believed that if something had happened, it would only have been an one night stand for the other, without any deeper meaning behind it.

“Well … I … better go to bed, I have to get up early.” Isabel stammered after a moment, not wanting to fall apart in front of Alex.

”Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” Alex sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight and the coming nights, because the events of earlier would be repeated over and over again in his mind.

“Night.” Isabel said quietly before quickly leaving and running upstairs, leaving Alex alone in the dimly lit kitchen to stare out the window.

Okay, this is it, another story finished
thanks to Kara for giving me the idea for this story, also for test reading it, thanks to Karen who also beta read it and also thanks to everyone who read my story
thanks
Trude



Part Nine


“Hey! What are you doing?”

Isabel looked up from her newspaper to see her brother standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Just reading.”

Max nodded as he stepped into the room and looked over his sister’s shoulder. “When did you start reading the business section?”

“A few weeks ago.” Isabel replied nonchalantly. After leaving Roswell, Isabel figured that if Alex’s name appeared in the news, it would be connected to business related things and indeed, she already spotted his name twice. “What do you want, Max?”

“Why do you think I want something?”

Isabel raised her eyebrows. “Lets say it’s female intuition.”

“I don’t believe that but yes, you are right, I do want something. Actually, it’s not even for me but for you.” Max said as he sat down on a chair.

“You want something from me which I’ll benefit from? That certainly sounds interesting.” Isabel commented as she put the newspaper away, slightly disappointed to not see Alex’s name anywhere.

Sure, they still had contact, wrote emails regularly and had talked to each other on the phone a few times, even though those talks where slightly uncomfortable and filled with awkward silences.

“Yeah, since you returned from Ros’ you have been hiding from the world.” Max hold up his hand when he saw Isabel open her mouth. “Our friends already asked if you are okay a few times or if something’s wrong with you.”

Isabel really wanted to snap at her brother that just because she had realized that there’s more to life than partying didn’t mean she had problems but remained quiet, deciding to hear Max out first.

“Anyway,” Max continued, “there’s a formal dinner party in the Plaza and I have an invitation and I’d like you to go instead of me.”

“Why aren’t you going?”

“I already have plans and you know that ignoring the invitation wouldn’t look good.”

Isabel had to smother a laugh at her brother’s words. It sounded more as if he was worried about not getting invitations anymore than her well being. She knew better though, this was just Max’s warped way of showing that he cared and Isabel was pretty sure that he didn’t have any plans at all that evening. At least, he didn’t have plans yet.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

“Good.” Max said with a smile as he got up. “I’m certain you’ll enjoy yourself and … who knows, there will be some charming bachelors there, maybe you’ll find your Mr. Right.”

Isabel laughed at that. “Yeah right, I’m sure I will be swept off of my feet.”




Emerging from the bathroom, Isabel glanced around the large room. She had arrived about three hours ago, chatted with some friends and business partners of her family and enjoyed herself more than she had expected. Still, she intended to leave within the next few minutes since the party wasn’t *that* exciting.

Casting yet another look over the crowd of people attending the party, her eyes came to an abrupt halt when she spotted a familiar dark haired man who stood slightly away from the big crowd. Resisting the urge to quickly check her hair, make up and dress since she had just done that two minutes ago, Isabel took a deep breath and slowly walked towards Alex Whitman.

With an inaudible sigh, Alex took another sip of the expensive champagne that was thrust into his hands half an hour ago, hoping to come up with an excuse that would allow him to leave early. The invitation was from his business partners so it would be impolite to just leave without a good reason.

Feeling the hairs on his neck stand up, Alex looked around and spotted Isabel Evans in the room. Actually, she was walking towards him and he couldn’t help but grin at her. “Ms. Evans, what a lovely surprise to meet you here.”

Isabel’s eyebrows rose up at the formal greeting and she grinned back. “Mr. Whitman, it’s also nice to see you again but … may I ask where your contacts are?” she teased, taking in his appearance – the slightly mussed yet stylish hair (a bit longer than she remembered), the glasses she had picked out for him and a scruffy three day beard which really was a turn on.

Alex rolled his eyes, “I wore them the whole day! My eyes need to relax!”

“Poor baby!” Isabel mocked him without mercy.

They looked at each other for a moment and then moved together, hugging each other, not caring if someone might look at them weirdly.

“You look great, Isabel.” Alex told her honestly, quickly glancing at her elegant black dress and the simple yet stunning jewelry.

“Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself. How long are you staying here?”

“This is the 3rd day.” Alex sighed, “Aside from the hotel and the Microsoft building, I haven’t really seen anything yet.”

“How long will you stay? I could show you around if you want.” Isabel suggested.

Before Alex could reply, a brunette suddenly appeared beside him. “I’ll leave you alone for a five minutes and already you start flirting.” She commented with raised eyebrows.

Isabel blinked a few times. She hadn’t expected Alex to be here with another woman, so this threw her off-balance. The joy she had felt when spotting Alex quickly turned to a sickening feeling and Isabel desperately wished for a drink, or even better, lots of tequila shots. The killer headache she’d have the next day would certainly be better than the weird feeling in her stomach.

Managing to focus on Alex and the mysterious woman again, Isabel realized that she must have missed parts of their talk.

“Okay, you are lucky that I spotted Dean from marketing earlier, so I guess I’ll see you later.” The woman then turned to Isabel, “Have fun!”

Have fun? Who the hell was this chick? Not even introducing herself and then trying to …

Noticing that Alex was looking at her, Isabel forced a smile, “Your girlfriend seems really nice.”, she lied.

Alex had just taken another sip and started choking when he heard Isabel’s words. Alarmed, Isabel rushed to his side and nervously started clapping him on his back. “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly when his breathing returned to normal again.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. It was just …” Alex chuckled slightly, “I just had to laugh when you called Kim my girlfriend and since I was in the process of drinking, it went down the wrong pipe.”

Seeing Isabel’s confused look, he explained, “Kim is not my girlfriend, she is a member of the financial resort of WCA Corp.”

“WCA? Whitman Charles Alex?” Isabel guessed and smiled when Alex nodded. “But … you want Kim to be your girlfriend and that’s why you invited her, am I right?”

She prayed that she wasn’t but she just needed to know what was going on with Alex and ‘Kim’.

“No, I’m not interested in her that way. I just followed your rules.” Alex said, taking another sip. “Rule six, ‘Never attend a party without a beautiful woman on your arm.’”

“Oh.” Isabel sighed relieved. One second later she added, “I’m glad to hear you are listening to my advice.”

Putting her empty glass on the tray of a bypassing waiter, Isabel took a calming breath and turned back to Alex. In the last minutes, her emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride – first the joy of seeing Alex again and the butterflies in her stomach when they were talking again, then the cold horrible feeling in her heart when Kim appeared, only to be replaced by enormous relief and happiness when it had turned out that Kim was not Alex’s girlfriend but just someone he worked with.

Now that she knew that Alex had no girlfriend, Isabel was slightly unsure about what she should do next. She couldn’t really drag Alex into a dark bedroom and demand of him to finish what they had started in his house in Roswell all those weeks ago.

Another thought crossed Isabel’s mind, causing her to frown slightly. Just because Kim wasn’t Alex’s girlfriend didn’t mean that there was no girlfriend at home, waiting for Alex to come back to her. Shaking her head slightly, Isabel tried to dismiss this thought, Alex wasn’t like that after all. He wouldn’t leave his girlfriend at home just because he knew a woman who might be prettier just so he could show of.

Still, what if there was a girlfriend who just hadn’t had the time to accompany Alex to the party? Deciding that this was at least one problem she could easily solve, Isabel grinned at Alex.

”So, you have your girlfriend all alone at home while you enjoy the night with Kim?” she teased.

“Isabel!” Alex said shocked. “Of course not!” Embarrassed, he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit. “If I had a girlfriend, I’d be her with her and not someone from work!”

Isabel’s grin widened even more for two reasons. One reason was that he had no girlfriend and the other that he looked pretty cute when he was flustered and his hair slightly mussed up.

“I have way too much work to find myself a girlfriend.” Alex sighed, causing Isabel to narrow her eyes slightly in worry.

Was he actually on the lookout for one? Thinking he needed some bimbo by his side? Suddenly noticing that Alex was looking at her expectantly, Isabel also flushed slightly. “Sorry but … I was just thinking of something, what were you saying?”

Alex smiled gently at her and repeated his words. “I asked if I could talk to you for a moment. There is something that I think we should talk about. At least I know that I *have* to talk about it.”

“Sure, of course. I don’t think it should be too hard to find an empty room here.” Isabel replied with a shaky smile, wondering if Alex might actually asked her if one of her friends would make a good girlfriend.

Following Isabel on her search for a more private place, Alex convinced himself that it was a good thing that he asked Isabel for a talk and hoped that he wouldn’t lose his nerve.

After Isabel had left Roswell all those weeks ago, it hadn’t taken Alex long to realize what a complete fool he was. He had completely overreacted after he heard Isabel’s side of her phone conversation and had jumped to the conclusion that she was glad to leave the town again and get rid of Alex’s company just because she missed her family friends.

The fact that he hadn’t been able to think clearly after the kiss he and Isabel had shared, okay after making out with her, wasn’t an excuse at all. He had totally ruined the moment by his jealousy after hearing Isabel say the name of her ex, instead of finding out what that was about, he’d just blown it all by acting as if the making out had been a huge mistake.

The two should have talked about what had happened between them and he should have admitted that he really liked Isabel. Liked her a lot and wanted to spend more time with her. As much time as possible if he was honest. But nooooo, he just had to go and be a jerk!

Alex shook his head slightly in despair when he thought about all of this. Isabel had been on his mind very often in the last weeks when he had some time for himself and especially when some of his newfound friends had tried to play matchmaker for him. It was no real surprise to him that he had compared all the ladies with Isabel and that they had all lacked something. Something that was … that was hard to explain but had mattered a great deal nonetheless.

But now, he had another chance. Spotting her minutes ago was like fate giving him one last opportunity to make up for his stupidly and he was determined to not ruin things tonight.

“Will this room do?” Isabel asked when she and Alex entered a room that appeared to be a small library. Seeing Alex nod with a troubled look on his face, Isabel tried to tease him so he’d relax a bit. “You are not going to try and ravish me now that you got me all alone in a dark room, are you?”

“Huh? Oh no, you don’t have to worry, Isabel.” Alex replied, walking past her to the window and then turning back to her.

“Alex, what is it?” Isabel asked, putting her hand on his arm. “You are starting to worry me here.”

“Sorry, Isabel, that wasn’t my intention.” Alex sighed. Okay Whitman, be a man and tell her! “I wanted to talk about your last evening in Roswell. You know, when we kissed and … more.”

“Oh.” Isabel said, stunned that he wanted to talk about *that*. Taking her hand off of his arm, she took a step away from him, looking down at the floor. “I thought we already talked about it, you saying it was a mistake and …”

“That was a mistake.” Alex agreed, closing the distance between them again and putting his hands on Isabel’s shoulders, causing her to look up at him. “It was a mistake that I said it was a mistake instead of …”

”Instead of what?” Isabel asked breathlessly when Alex didn’t continue.

“Instead of being honest and admitting that I loved kissing you and that I like you, Isabel. That I like you a lot.” Alex said softly, looking straight into Isabel’s eyes. “I’ve been thinking about you so much in the last weeks, wishing I could go back to that moment and make things different.”

“Really?” Isabel asked, feeling like jumping up and down in joy. He had thought of her in the last weeks! It wasn’t only her who had been missing him but he’d obviously missed her too!

“Yes, really.” Alex smiled. “I don’t want to not see you again after tonight. I want to spend lots of time with you … date you … if you want to go out with me, that is.” He added the last bit softly, slightly stepping back of her, insecure about how Isabel would respond.

Isabel stared up at Alex, hearing her heart thump loudly in her chest and feeling a huge smile spread across her face. Throwing her arms around Alex’s neck, Isabel pressed her face into his neck, giggling happily.

Thoroughly confused by Isabel’s actions but extremely pleased to have her in his arms, Alex hold on tightly, enjoying the feel of her body pressed along his. He could hear her laughing slightly and just hoped she wasn’t laughing at his words, he didn’t think he could take the mortification.

Finally, Isabel drew back slightly, glancing up at Alex, her eyes sparkling. Alex sucked in a breath when he felt Isabel’s breath on his face. Her next words almost made his knees go to jelly.

“Of course I want to be with you, Alex. You have no idea how much I missed you in the last weeks, looking in almost every paper if I could see your name printed somewhere or a picture of you. I’m so glad that I accepted the invitation to the party and saw you.”

It was now Alex’s turn to stare at Isabel in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it and instead leant down kissed Isabel. Eagerly returning the kiss, Isabel tightened her arms around Alex’s neck before she remembered something and drew back again.

“Hold that thought.” She said breathlessly. “I just … I need to know … why did you say the kiss was a mistake when you clearly didn’t think of it as one?”

Alex felt his face heat up in embarrassment and looked down on the floor. “Uh … I … accidentally heard you talking on the phone afterwards and … “

“You were eavesdropping?” Isabel asked amazed, more amused than angered.

“No! I wasn’t … I just heard you say that you missed your friends and family and … also you mentioned you ex’s name so …” Alex knew he was babbling but he couldn’t help it, “ … I wasn’t thinking clearly, still on an emotional high from the kiss so … I came to the conclusion that you couldn’t wait to leave Roswell … and me and to … forget about everything that had happened. It was the most stupid thing to do …”

”Yes, it certainly was!” Isabel agreed whole heartedly. She shook her head slightly. “But I didn’t really ask for a talk either so we could discuss our feelings so I’m just as much to blame and … it doesn’t matter anymore. We are here and we are together, that’s all that matters.”

“So you forgive me for being such a huge idiot?” Alex asked with a small smile, already guessing what Isabel’s answer would be.

”Yes, this one time I will.” Isabel giggled before Alex’s lips swooped down on hers again.

“I’m so glad.” Alex murmured against her lips, tightening his grip on her.

“Me too, me too.” Isabel sighed as Alex ran kisses down her throat, her hands running through his hair. “Uh, Alex?”

“Yeah?” came the distracted reply.

“Didn’t you say earlier that you wouldn’t ravish me?” Isabel asked, chuckling when Alex’s head fell on her shoulder and he sighed indignantly.

“Hey!” she protested when he suddenly stepped away from her, coming to a halt one foot away from her.

“You are right, Isabel.” Alex said with a straight face, even though there was a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes. “I’m sorry for trying to take advantage of you and … “

Isabel narrowed her eyes at Alex, deciding that he was enjoying this way too much and with a low growl, grabbed his tie and pulled him back to her, effectively shutting him up with a sound kiss.




Epilogue

Life’s good when you’re a computer geek
By K. Trudens

Alex C. Whitman, owner of the WCA Corp., was spotted in Santa Monica, taking a break from his business along with his wife Isabel, daughter of the well known jewelry boutique owners Evans, and their son Matthew.

Not only is Mr. Whitman enjoying the time he spends with his family, reading the business papers is probably bringing a smile to his face too since his business is doing extremely well lately, so he will certainly not have to worry about his future.

This is actually one of the rare moments when the family is on such public display since the Whitman’s are keeping their private life … private, thinking it not good for their son to grow up in the family spotlight unlike some other celebrities.

But since this weekend, Mrs. Whitman’s fund raiser for Fortune Orphanage is taking place, they are bound to show themselves to get others to help.

When asked about his opinion on being on this year’s “Top 25 Hottest Families” list, he just laughed and said, “This is all Isabel’s and Matthew’s fault since they are the good looking ones in the family.”

Charming, rich, good looking, funny, not gay and married. Just another proof that the good ones are already taken when you meet them.



The End