Time Changes

Another new story, hope you like this.
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"Alexis Carmichael?" a voice called across the reception of the five star hotel hosting the conference she'd been talked into attending. Her father, Oliver, had been Joan Collins obsessed, and had named her after her Dynasty character, as most people seemed to guess with glee. It was her father's fault she was here, in snowy, cold, expensive Stockholm. She'd booked to go to Mexico with Steve her boyfriend. Her father hated him, and she knew this was a deliberate sabotage of her plans.

Her father was a well respected Economics lecturer, over the years he had produced cutting edge research that had changed the area for good. For the last twenty years he'd had been the head of the best Economics school in Britain, and a very successful author and consultant. He now traveled all over the World consulting with huge companies, even governments. Alexis had shied away from the field, but had just graduated in medicine, and was planning to take a year off to find herself. She had a few tentative ideas lined up for the year, but she'd planned to travel in Mexico first.

She'd been pondering what to pack when her father had called. He had a famous politician contact him, and he needed to see him urgently, but he was due to pick up an award at a huge conference in Stockholm, and he had begged her to attend in his absence. Her older sister Henrietta (Joan's middle name) was pregnant with her first child, so 'couldn't possibly' go. So it left her. Steve and a few other friends were flying out the same day as she was leaving for Sweden on this trip of a lifetime backpacking in Mexico, there was a strict itinerary, and even if she left as soon as she'd finished in Stockholm, she'd miss the majority of the places she wanted to visit.

"Alexis Carmichael?" the voice shouted again. She roused herself from the self pity she'd cocooned herself in, and stood to acknowledge the elderly gentleman carrying a large parcel.

"I'm Alexis."

He nodded, "this arrived for you today!"

She took the box, tipped the gentleman, then took it up to her room to open.

She placed it on the bed, pulling away the tape sealing the lid, pulling open the flaps, she gave a little sigh. Inside was a boxed bouquet, opening the attached note, she half smiled. It was from her father.

"Thanks for this again Alexis, the French Government, and indirectly the people, are also extremely grateful to you for relieving me! Enjoy the five star luxury. I'll see you next week!"

That was another downside, the conference was lasting five days, and her father wanted her there for them all. This was the conspiracy that she was talking about.

Her conference information did say that there was nothing but an informal evening of drinks on the first day, so she changed into cycling shorts and a short sports top and headed for the gym. She ran a few miles, cycled a few more, then did a basic circuit program. By six o'clock she was rejuvenated, so she headed back to her room for a shower.

At half past seven she entered the cocktail lounge, and accepted a Cosmo from a waitress, slinking into the crowds as discreetly as she could. She was glad she'd worn her favorite cocktail dress, it did give her confidence when she was alone like this. It was gray and white chiffon, soft floral in pattern, sleeveless with a thick darker band just below her breasts that tied in a bow behind her. She wasn't a great fan of heels, but for this occasion had worn them along with some pull up stockings. She'd always been tall, and at five feet eleven, she was taller than some men. Because of her height she'd spent a long time trying to make herself invisible. Somewhere in her Uni years she'd got over it, and now carried her head high. She was no oil painting in her eyes, but with dark almost black thick hair and deep blue eyes she was more intriguing than she gave herself credit for.

She still didn't see why she had to attend all five days of this conference, but as usual her father dictated, she ended up doing! It was the easiest way to get through life. Her father was a flamboyant man, very sociable, so fortunately she recognized a lot of the people there from holidays, dinners and other functions from her past.
She perched on a stool near a bar, and was glad to see a familiar face smiling as he approached.

"Uncle Bob!" she announced as Bob Mattison an Economics consultant to the major universities on the East coast of the USA, enveloped her in a hug. He was a similar age to her father, and they'd been good friends and acquaintances for years. They'd both worked in the same university in Australia back in the 70's and had been close ever since.

"Can you drop the Uncle bit now? You are the most beautiful woman in here and now everyone thinks I'm a bit pervy!"

She laughed, "you are always going to be my Uncle, sorry."

He smiled pulling a bar stool next to her, "Olly did email me last week to say he was bailing, I didn't know till today he was sending you in his place."

"For what use I am!" she shrugged. "Think it was more a chance to interfere with my plans." She turned to him and with an exaggerated look added, "I don't think he approves of my latest beau!"

Bob swung an arm over her shoulder, "what father does?" Chuckling he started to fill her in on the latest escapades of his own children.

They were still chatting at the bar when they were joined by two other eminent men in this field, John Murphy from Dublin and Mike Nesbit another British representative. The four of them chatted together amicably. Oliver Carmichael had always prided himself on his daughters, they'd been well socialized since they were babies. Both were well read and could converse on most subjects, for this reason the three middle aged men barely acknowledged that she was a twenty two year old girl, as they discussed golf handicaps, prominent golf courses they'd played and of course the upcoming football World Cup.

A lot of younger less experienced attendees looked on with envy, most not knowing who she was, but willing to lose part of a limb to be able to converse so amenably and effortlessly with three such prominent field leaders.

Peter Marlow stood and surveyed the room. He hated the pomp of these occasions, but it did his career good to fraternize with these guys. He'd rather be skiing, and the snow and cold only brought that back home. A waiter passed by and he took a glass of champagne, he'd rather beer, but this would do.

The usual suspects were there, he'd hated this set up since he'd first decided to pursue Economics. He wasn't your typical career driven man that graced these events, but in all reality he knew he had to attend. His reputation did influence his success obviously, so he bit the bullet on these occasions.

He sipped the champagne, and again perused the room. His eyes landed on a group he knew from college days, not his idea of a good evening, but nice enough. Then he spotted Bob Mattison, he and Oliver Carmichael had been his educating mentors in the early days, he hadn't seen them in a few years, and he had so much respect for the two men, who were never far apart. As he started to walk towards them he stopped dead, there was no sign of Oliver, but sat between Bob and a man he didn't recognize was someone he did know. Alexis! He'd know her anywhere, even though the last time he'd seen her she'd been sixteen, a lanky, geeky but friendly kid. When did she become this.....this vision! The three men were captivated by her, as she laughed along with them. He felt completely floored, unprepared for this, but yet, it was just Alexis, he'd spent a lot of time with her and her family that summer.

Taking a deep breath, he mentally gave himself a shake then headed across the room.

Bob was holding court, a story about a cruise he'd been on the previous year. He was a natural storyteller, and several people in the fringe of the group had started to listen intently. Peter stood a meter or two away, waiting for the climax of the tale before tapping Bob on the shoulder and announcing.

"You always did love a crowd!"

As Bob turned a smile beaming across his face, to embrace the man, Alexis looked up and met a pair of dark eyes, over Bob's shoulders. Eyes that instantly started her heart thudding.

Oh my God, her mind was racing. Peter Marlow. He hadn't changed, though he was obviously older. His eyes had always been the most beautiful warm brown, but the one time she'd got close enough, she knew they were flecked with a honey color in the sun. His hair was longer than she'd seen it, brushing his collar, but despite this it was impeccable, as was his black tuxedo. What cruel twist of fate brought the object of her childhood crush back into her new calm and more sophisticated life?

By now Bob and Peter had separated and were exchanging pleasantries as the older man introduced the younger to the rest of the group.

"And Peter you must remember Alexis? She's here as her father is away. He needed someone to collect his award."

She looked up and smiled, but then his eyes flitted to hers and she was a goner. He looked at her for a few moments before a smile swept across his face, "little Alexis! Wow how you've grown!"

He took her hand, but stooped down to kiss her cheek, "how did that rat Oliver managed to produce such beautiful daughters?"

He asked the group in humor.

Alexis saw red, and turned to him, "I think you're trying to flatter me, but if there is any beauty in my family then you need look no further than my mother who was a model in her youth! But then having practically lived with us in the past you must be fully aware of how enchanting she is?"

Ouch, he thought, I've struck a raw nerve. Smiling nevertheless, he dropped her hand and added, "I do remember, and am glad to see you shine in the same manner."

"Peter," Bob called, sensing some tension in the atmosphere. "You must come and meet Rajesh! He's staying with me in the States, he's a whizz! Reminds me of you as a kid!"

Peter looked at Bob and nodded, then gestured a goodbye to the rest of the group. But it was Alexis who his gaze rested on for the longest, and the one he reluctantly left behind.

As he talked to the other surgeons, he could think of nothing but her. He'd last seen her more than six years ago, she'd been sixteen, to his twenty four. He'd been a student of her father's and was kept on for a two year research placement, which had been the best experience he could have hoped for and had been the turning point in his career. On the back of that he'd been one of the youngest consultants of his type, and had a prospering livelihood traveling the globe because of it.

He looked across the room and caught her eye, she rushed her face away. God she was stunning, but then he'd always had a soft spot for her, even back when she was a kid. He'd spent many an evening at the Carmichael house, Henrietta had been dating the man he'd heard she now married, Alexis had always been there, her parents were very protective, and she seemed lonely. So he, who'd been new to the city and a bit lonely himself had started to spend more time with her, school level biology and maths were easy, so he'd helped her with homework, and she'd spent hours discussing life. She'd seen things so innocently back then, it was refreshing. She was unlike any other sixteen year he'd met, despite her naivete over life, she was well educated and could verbally battle so many topics, very well. He knew he'd ended up spending too much time with her, and things had ended more than a little awkwardly.

Alexis couldn't concentrate on anything, the man she had only just stopped fantasizing about had burst into her life with a bang and everything had been turned upside down. For the first time in days she wasn't thinking about Steve, and the flight he was probably on to Mexico with their friends. She was thinking back to the only man who saw her as more than just a geeky kid at a time when she'd been feeling very lonely.

She'd had enough, surely her father could only expect her to show her face at these events. She'd deliver his prepared speech then get away as soon as she could.

As she waited for the elevator to arrive, she felt a presence to her right.

"Decided to get away the same as me then?"

She turned to look up at Peter, wanting to be nasty, wanting to hurt him, but his smile was honest, he was glad to see her. They entered the lift and pressed their appropriate floors.

"It's not really my scene. I'm only here because my father doesn't like my boyfriend." She dramatically looked at her watch, "I should be on a flight to Mexico with him as we speak, but it seems my father yet again interferes with my life - and succeeds!"

At that moment the doors opened, and she stepped out.

Well that told me, he thought, she obviously knows more about what happened than I thought. No wonder she hates me!
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MZ