After she left Jake to the tailor, Alex had spent the day poking around the city looking for this mystery Sasha. She had located the coffee shop that Jake had stopped in that morning. The waitress remembered Jake and Sasha's meeting earlier.
"yeah, she's always in here." The little waitress grinned and snapped her chewing gum. "Every morning like clockwork at 9 am except for Tuesdays. Tuesdays she's in here at 11 am. Always the window on the street, always cocoa with orange syrup. She's a good tipper."
"Any idea where I can find her outside of here tomorrow morning at 9?"
"uhm, there is a dance studio a few streets over. I know she's a dancer. No other way she could have legs that good if she weren't. She's pretty too. You know that hottie who met her this morning?"
"yeah, he's a friend of mine. Thanks for the information miss." Alex left her a tip and headed out.
"A few streets over she says. Great..." Alex made her way over in the direction indicated by the waitress and kept an eye out for a woman matching the description that Jake had given her. Roughly 15 minutes after finding the right street, Alex found the studio.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Sasha that might work here?" The girl behind the desk looked up at her and chuckled.
"No Ma'am, she doesn't work here - she owns the place. And she's in with a class right now."
"How long will she be? I kinda really need to talk to her."
"Alright Miss...?"
"Cross."
"Alright Miss Cross. The class should be finished in a few minutes. If you'll wait here, I'll go see if she can talk before her next client comes in." The woman stood up and disappeared into the back. Alex wandered around the foyer of the smallish studio, looking at all the certificates and pictures. "Juliard... Royal Dance Academy of London... Royal Danish Theatre... New York Metropolitan Modern Dance Theatre... Impressive."
"Thank you Miss Cross."
The soft accent behind her startled Alex for a moment. She turned around to see the woman that Jake had described to a tee - right down to the fishnet stockings. Only there were black dancing pumps on instead of the combat boots. But that accent... she'd heard that sort of accent before.
"Miss Sasha, I'm Alex Cross. I need to speak with you a moment if I could?"
"That's what Melissa said. And it's just Sasche, please." She smiled and motioned to one of the chairs. "I'd offer to take you into my office, but I don't have one really. What is this about?"
"Earlier this morning, you ran into someone at a coffee shop. His name is Jake... sound familiar to you?"
Sasche's face lit up a moment then fell. A woman was here, asking about the man she met at the coffee shop earlier... "Say no more Miss Cross. I understand and I'm sorry. I didn't know. I mean, we just met this morning so..." Her voice had become a bit tight and clipped. It was obvious that this woman was involved with him if she was here.
Alex was confused. "Sorry? For what?" She got a look at the woman's face and it dawned on her. "Oh no, no, no! It's not what you think. I'm only a friend of his, I work with him. He was talking about you while we were shopping this afternoon and, well... I figured I'd step in."
"I don't understand Miss Cross."
"Call me Alex, please. Sasha, are you free tonight?"
Sasche blinked a moment. "I refuse to be set up on a date where he doesn't even know I'm going to be there. It's too awkward enough on a first date. Thank you, but if I you're planning what I think you're planning, then it will be have to be Jake who asks me."
--
Alex sighed and was about ready to bang her head against the wall. First Sasha refused then Jake was giving her a hard time.
"How hard is this going to be Jake?!" she hissed into the cell phone. "Just say yes and I'll bring her to dinner with me."
"She really wants me to ask her?"
"Isn't that what I said? She made it very clear that she is free tonight but if she goes out and meets you, then it will be you who asks her."
"I don't know Alex... Why didn't you tell me you were going to go find her and set me up on a blind date?"
"It's not a blind date you ninny! You know who she is and what she looks like... think of it as more of an engineered date. You two met... and I'm engineering the first date. Just say yes Jake."
"Alright." He sighed heavily. "Tell her I'm going along with this." One day Alex's schemes were going to get him into serious trouble.
"YAY!! You're a peach Jake. You won't regret this!" She closed off the phone and went back inside.
'I might be already, Alex' he thought as he hung up his cell phone and proceede to bang his head against the desk.
"He'll meet you there and he's more than excited to!" Alex fibbed a bit, but if this woman didn't think that Jake was willing to meet her, then she'd back out completely.
"You're sure?" Sasche looked doubtful even still.
"Trust me Sasha. He's dying to meet you for dinner tonight!"
"And you're sure you didn't have to twist his arm?"
Alex was about to answer when the phone on the desk started ringing. Sasche answered it.
"This is Sasche. Yes. Oh I was just thinking about you. Uh huh, you make it to work on time? No, I'm busy tonight. Tomorrow morning is fine. Breakfast, yes... You're not going to break our weekly date? Better not, you might be older and bigger but I'm younger, faster and meaner." She let loose a peal of laughter at that statement.
Alex chuckled. Whoever it was had to be well known to Sasha. She didn't seem to be the type to be downright mean to anyone.
"I have to go, got someone standing here. Yes yes, she's nice. Stop worrying so much about me and let me live my life. I know you're concerned and all but... oh come on now, you know I am capable of taking care of myself. Love you too." She hung up the phone and sighed.
"Don't ever have older brothers, they're a pain in the ass!" Sasche burst out laughing again at the shocked look on Alex's face. Finally Alex relaxed and started laughing as well.
"Well, I don't have any older brothers, but I can sympathize. Do you know how to get to the restaurant?"
****
"yeah, she's always in here." The little waitress grinned and snapped her chewing gum. "Every morning like clockwork at 9 am except for Tuesdays. Tuesdays she's in here at 11 am. Always the window on the street, always cocoa with orange syrup. She's a good tipper."
"Any idea where I can find her outside of here tomorrow morning at 9?"
"uhm, there is a dance studio a few streets over. I know she's a dancer. No other way she could have legs that good if she weren't. She's pretty too. You know that hottie who met her this morning?"
"yeah, he's a friend of mine. Thanks for the information miss." Alex left her a tip and headed out.
"A few streets over she says. Great..." Alex made her way over in the direction indicated by the waitress and kept an eye out for a woman matching the description that Jake had given her. Roughly 15 minutes after finding the right street, Alex found the studio.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Sasha that might work here?" The girl behind the desk looked up at her and chuckled.
"No Ma'am, she doesn't work here - she owns the place. And she's in with a class right now."
"How long will she be? I kinda really need to talk to her."
"Alright Miss...?"
"Cross."
"Alright Miss Cross. The class should be finished in a few minutes. If you'll wait here, I'll go see if she can talk before her next client comes in." The woman stood up and disappeared into the back. Alex wandered around the foyer of the smallish studio, looking at all the certificates and pictures. "Juliard... Royal Dance Academy of London... Royal Danish Theatre... New York Metropolitan Modern Dance Theatre... Impressive."
"Thank you Miss Cross."
The soft accent behind her startled Alex for a moment. She turned around to see the woman that Jake had described to a tee - right down to the fishnet stockings. Only there were black dancing pumps on instead of the combat boots. But that accent... she'd heard that sort of accent before.
"Miss Sasha, I'm Alex Cross. I need to speak with you a moment if I could?"
"That's what Melissa said. And it's just Sasche, please." She smiled and motioned to one of the chairs. "I'd offer to take you into my office, but I don't have one really. What is this about?"
"Earlier this morning, you ran into someone at a coffee shop. His name is Jake... sound familiar to you?"
Sasche's face lit up a moment then fell. A woman was here, asking about the man she met at the coffee shop earlier... "Say no more Miss Cross. I understand and I'm sorry. I didn't know. I mean, we just met this morning so..." Her voice had become a bit tight and clipped. It was obvious that this woman was involved with him if she was here.
Alex was confused. "Sorry? For what?" She got a look at the woman's face and it dawned on her. "Oh no, no, no! It's not what you think. I'm only a friend of his, I work with him. He was talking about you while we were shopping this afternoon and, well... I figured I'd step in."
"I don't understand Miss Cross."
"Call me Alex, please. Sasha, are you free tonight?"
Sasche blinked a moment. "I refuse to be set up on a date where he doesn't even know I'm going to be there. It's too awkward enough on a first date. Thank you, but if I you're planning what I think you're planning, then it will be have to be Jake who asks me."
--
Alex sighed and was about ready to bang her head against the wall. First Sasha refused then Jake was giving her a hard time.
"How hard is this going to be Jake?!" she hissed into the cell phone. "Just say yes and I'll bring her to dinner with me."
"She really wants me to ask her?"
"Isn't that what I said? She made it very clear that she is free tonight but if she goes out and meets you, then it will be you who asks her."
"I don't know Alex... Why didn't you tell me you were going to go find her and set me up on a blind date?"
"It's not a blind date you ninny! You know who she is and what she looks like... think of it as more of an engineered date. You two met... and I'm engineering the first date. Just say yes Jake."
"Alright." He sighed heavily. "Tell her I'm going along with this." One day Alex's schemes were going to get him into serious trouble.
"YAY!! You're a peach Jake. You won't regret this!" She closed off the phone and went back inside.
'I might be already, Alex' he thought as he hung up his cell phone and proceede to bang his head against the desk.
"He'll meet you there and he's more than excited to!" Alex fibbed a bit, but if this woman didn't think that Jake was willing to meet her, then she'd back out completely.
"You're sure?" Sasche looked doubtful even still.
"Trust me Sasha. He's dying to meet you for dinner tonight!"
"And you're sure you didn't have to twist his arm?"
Alex was about to answer when the phone on the desk started ringing. Sasche answered it.
"This is Sasche. Yes. Oh I was just thinking about you. Uh huh, you make it to work on time? No, I'm busy tonight. Tomorrow morning is fine. Breakfast, yes... You're not going to break our weekly date? Better not, you might be older and bigger but I'm younger, faster and meaner." She let loose a peal of laughter at that statement.
Alex chuckled. Whoever it was had to be well known to Sasha. She didn't seem to be the type to be downright mean to anyone.
"I have to go, got someone standing here. Yes yes, she's nice. Stop worrying so much about me and let me live my life. I know you're concerned and all but... oh come on now, you know I am capable of taking care of myself. Love you too." She hung up the phone and sighed.
"Don't ever have older brothers, they're a pain in the ass!" Sasche burst out laughing again at the shocked look on Alex's face. Finally Alex relaxed and started laughing as well.
"Well, I don't have any older brothers, but I can sympathize. Do you know how to get to the restaurant?"
****