87

Carla

The following morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I got right on the phone and dialed the number of the alpha king. I did this as soon as I could. Hearing his voicemail message left me feeling frustrated and let down because I had been looking forward to having a conversation with him. The secretary entered the information into the minutes of the meeting.

I finally got his attention by hanging up the phone and heaving a sigh of exasperation before asking myself why he hadn't answered the call. I was interested in learning his whereabouts at the present time because I was curious about them. Was he away on some kind of work trip that required him to be out of the country?

After the initial call had come to an end, he dialed my number once more after a ten-minute pause. It was at this point that he made the decision to seize control of the receiver. The tone of his voice gave the impression that he was both exhausted and relieved at the same time.

He said, "Hello?"

I answered hi