"Can I help you?" The brassy haired secretary asked with a sneer. Apparently she wasn't too thrilled about having to put whoever she was talking on the phone with on hold and respond to the impatient tapping of Alicia's foot.
"I don't know, can you?" Alicia spat back; she wasn't too thrilled about being made to wait for five minutes while the other woman gossiped. She was sweating and hot and the cab from the airport had gotten stuck in traffic and she was none to happy at the moment. "I'm here to see Mr. La Pierre."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. I wasn't sure what time I was getting in so I didn't…"
"Well he's not here so you can wait until he gets back or you can leave. It's your choice." The woman pointed at the uncomfortable looking couch on the other side of the room and returned to her phone call.
Alicia rolled her eyes at the woman and sat heavily on the couch. At least this room was air conditioned so she didn't mind waiting here too much. Besides, it was still early in the day and there was no rush to get to a hotel. She dropped her duffel bag on the ground by the couch and reached over to dig through a stack of magazines that looked to be from the stone ages to pass the time until the zoo's director returned. She knew it shouldn't be too long because most zoo directors didn't like to be too far form the safety of their offices unless they were putting on a good show for someone important.
Ten minutes later a frazzled looking man stormed into the office and headed for the door behind the secretary's desk when she pointed at the couch where Alicia sat. "Lynda, hold my calls for the rest of the day unless it's someone… I'm sorry who are you?" he said as he turned to face Alicia.
She stood up slowly, nearly regretting the fact that she'd dressed comfortably instead of professionally but five hours on a plane means you need comfort not stiff shoes and panty hose. "I'm Alicia Caine," she said holding out her hand to the man. He looked at her dumbfounded and glanced over his shoulder to the secretary who merely shrugged. "Jim Gresham sent me to look at your tigers?"
The director's eyes traveled up and down her tall frame, taking in her tattered jeans, black Doc Martins boots and black tank top. She realized what she must look like to the man but her work should more than overcome the opinion he was currently forming of her. "I hardly think that you're qualified miss. Perhaps you are mistaken."
That set Alicia's irate mood off and she couldn't help herself as she blurted out, "Look pal, I'm not happy to be here either. I spent five uncomfortable hours on a crowded plane that stunk to high heaven. Then the cab I got had a broken air conditioner so I stink now too and I'm hot and I'm sweaty and my feet hurt. If you don't want your cats to get better then I'll be on my way. But it's up to you to call Jim back and tell him that you turned down the help he sent you. I, for one, am tired of getting my ass chewed by that man. And don't you dare try to blame me when your cats die because it's on your head now buddy."
She'd been edging closer to the man as she ranted, her height advantage over him making him shrink even further down into himself as she waved an angry finger at his face. He swallowed loudly and blinked at her, "Perhaps you'd like to take a look at them?"
She leaned back to let him stand up to his full height again and nodded once. "Lead the way."
