The lunch was exactly what Lexi needed. Peter was sweet and flirted shamelessly with her. The blatant interest from a man was nice compared to the mixed signals she had to decipher from Vincent. Peter was all man and had no qualms about telling Lexi that he wanted to see her again.
The moment she stepped off the elevator, Leigh nearly tackled her, wanting every detail. “Who was the hottie? Obviously a friend of Julian’s, but what’s his story? Did you like him? Did you give him your phone number? What did you eat?”
“Whoa,” Lexi held up her hands at her friend and laughed, “take a breath, woman.”
“He was tall, dark, and handsome—don’t you dare decide to play modest. My love life’s in the toilet currently, and I need to live vicariously through you. Start talking.”
Lexi leaned against the granite counter of her desk and grinned like a school girl. “His name is Peter, and he’s very sweet and confident. The man is also the biggest flirt, which I kind of enjoyed. He works for Julian, and they’ve been friends since birth, I guess. I did give him my phone number, and we went to Celsius for lunch. I had the chicken with mushrooms and capers.”
“Does he have a brother?” Leigh asked hopefully.
“I’ll check next time I talk to him.” Lexi glanced down the hall that led to Vincent’s office, suddenly apprehensive about taking another step. “Is she still here?”
“Yep. She’s screwing up his whole day. He’s in a fantastic mood. Why he doesn’t ship her skinny butt home, I have no idea.”
Vincent’s office door was open, and Lexi heard Jade complaining about being bored. Lexi sat down at her desk and got to work. The entire Stone file was sitting there on top of everything else with a Post-it that said “please review” in Elizabeth’s handwriting. Lexi grinned, knowing that Elizabeth was trying to get her to say yes to her offer with this little enticement. Curious, Lexi went over the contract details and added the suggested dates on the timeline to Vincent’s calendar.
Jade appeared in the doorway with what was becoming her typical scowl. “Ugh, you’re back?”
“Yes, I do work here.” Lexi rolled her eyes and went back to her calendar.
“You were gone a long time for lunch. I hope you don’t think you’re getting paid for the extra half hour you took.” Jade crammed the empty carryout bags into the small trashcan beside Lexi’s desk.
Lexi was in a great mood after her lunch and wasn’t about to let Jade ruin it. “I’m sorry, but do you sign my paychecks now? What business is it of yours how long I take for lunch?”
“I think Vincent would be very interested to know.”
In a sickly sweet voice Lexi said, “Aww, Vincent’s interested in what I do? That’s so nice of him.”
When Jade heard Vincent talking on the phone, she crept closer to Lexi and responded. “Just admit it, you little wench, admit that you want him. I’ll respect you more if you have the nerve to say it to my face.”
“Vincent’s an amazing man, Jade. He’s smart, sexy, and kind once you get to know him. What woman wouldn’t want him? I’m sure thousands of women fantasize all the time about the feel of his lips or his touch and how gentle of a lover he would be.” Lexi’s voice was a soft purr as she spoke, the caressing tone only incensing Jade more.
“I knew it,” she pointed an accusing finger at Lexi. “I knew you wanted him. You will never have him. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll keep you away from him. You are trash and don’t deserve a man like Vincent. You could never make him happy.”
Jade meant for her words to hurt Lexi, to cut her, but they didn’t. If anything, they made Lexi see her for the truly weak and desperate woman she was. Her relationship with Vincent wasn’t nearly as strong as she put out to the world. If it was, she wouldn’t be this insecure and attacking Lexi every chance she got. Lexi actually began to feel sorry for Jade. Until she opened her mouth again.
“You’re all alone, Lexi. You have no one who loves you and never will.”
“Jade!” Vincent snapped form the doorway, having heard the last bit of the conversation.
Lexi glanced in his direction and saw the horror on his face at Jade’s words. He was mortified. For some odd reason, that made Lexi happy. She could see that he cared in his own dysfunctional, immature, and scarred way, and that made her happy.
The decision she made next wasn’t about Vincent anymore, and it wasn’t about Jade. It was about Lexi and what she wanted, what she needed.
For the first time in a long time, Lexi had options. She had things to learn and a life to lead. There was only one way to make that happen, and she wanted to go for it, even if it was risky. She had to try. In front of both of them, she picked up the phone and pushed a three digit extension.
“Elizabeth, it’s Lexi. I’ll take the job.” After a few excited words from Elizabeth, Lexi put the receiver in the cradle and turned her attention to Jade with a smile. “Go away, Jade.” Lexi waved her fingers at the irate woman, dismissing her.
“You little …”
“I really don’t feel like arguing with you anymore. Vincent is your boyfriend, you’ve made that abundantly clear, and I’m not about to be the other woman.” She glanced over at Vincent, making sure he was listening too. “So you have nothing to worry about from me, Jade. I won’t come between the two of you.” Lexi leaned closer to Jade so she could have a private word with her. “But, if you’re a fool and screw things up with him, I can promise you the second you break up, all bets are off, sweetie.”
· 22 ·
l exi padded around her apartment, wandering aimlessly from her bedroom to the kitchen with her large cup of coffee firmly in hand. She ran her hand over the cool, smooth surface of the granite countertop, brushing a few stray crumbs onto the floor. Paperwork from the office sat within arm’s reach, but Lexi was too distracted to focus on it. So much had happened since Lexi had accepted Elizabeth’s offer a few days earlier.
Elizabeth began checking in with Lexi, often asking if she needed anything, while Vincent went into full teacher mode. He was perfectly professional, and his focus set the tone for the meetings. There was a purpose behind every detail he shared so he expected her to pay attention.
Often during these meetings with Vincent, Lexi would find herself getting lost in the melodic sound of his voice. It was impossible not to be mesmerized by him when he talked about the various projects. He always made sure Lexi understood the whys and hows of each scenario before moving on to something new. When he was done, she knew so much about them that she could explain the reasoning behind each color palette, even if it was only based on an obscure comment about the color blue always catching the client’s eye. A tiny piece of information like that, when used the right way, was another tool to ensure a successful campaign. Vincent could talk in-depth about these things, but when it came to his life and his feelings, Lexi had never met a more closed-off person.