Trust in Advertising
Page 93“Holy cow,” Lexi muttered, still shocked by how deeply Hope was affected by him.
Hope waved a hand in the air. “Enough about me. How was work the last few days? Sean told me about your promotion.”
“Was that before or after he gave you that love bite?”
“How’s Vincent? Kiss him again lately?” Hope asked pointedly, knowing it would shut Lexi up.
Ignoring her, Lexi answered her original question. “Work’s been fine. It’s amazing how much goes into the campaigns that you never see. Vincent’s a master of negotiations. The way he works with people to get what he wants is awe inspiring. And the ideas he comes up with are brilliant. Some are cutting edge, and yet he can also do more classic approaches. His mind is really amazing.”
“You are aware that you’re gushing, right?”
“He’s also the moron who is still dating Jade.”
“What’s the deal with the two of them? I mean, the guy kisses your face off one day, texts you that it was a big deal to him, whatever the hell that means, and then he stays with the vilest creature to walk the planet. What the hell is that about?”
“You mean the day you told her if she broke up with Vincent you were going after him? Sean loved that story, by the way.”
“You did not tell him I said that!”
“I sure did. I need to know someone in that place has your back when the shrew is around.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks. But for whatever reason, I think Jade’s been handled. She really doesn’t even acknowledge that I’m alive anymore. She and Vincent got in a horrible fight that day. Now she doesn’t say a word to me. Don’t get me wrong, if looks could kill, I’d be dead ten times over, but her mouth has stayed surprisingly shut lately.”
“Give her a few more days, and I’m sure she’ll show her true colors again.” Hope stood up and refilled her coffee. “So, what are you doing today?”
“Not much. I think I might head into work for a few hours.”
Hope quirked an eyebrow at Lexi. “On a Saturday? Any chance Vincent is going to be there?”
“Oh, somehow I don’t think you mind that at all, especially if he’s wearing that cologne you love so much.”
With one hand on the door, Lexi turned around and glared. “I hate you.”
“I love you too. Have a good day.” Hope kissed her fingertips and blew a kiss in Lexi’s direction.
“Go put on a turtleneck, you hussy.” When the door shut, Lexi was still laughing.
Vincent sat at his desk, scouring through the Marradesi file again. The date of their initial meeting with Paolo was fast approaching, and Vincent wanted to make sure he knew every minute detail about the company.
As he flipped through the papers, he found a Post-it with a small notation in Lexi’s angular script, and an inadvertent smile spread across his face.
European or American?
His fingers grazed the edge of the yellow square wistfully. Lexi. His pulse quickened at just the thought of her. It was her grace and unassuming beauty that Vincent craved, and it was her gentle spirit that made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He was beginning to realize how much he wanted her.
Even with the stress of knowing that someone in the company was betraying them, Vincent couldn’t help but look forward to his afternoon meetings with Lexi. He could get through the most painful of mornings if he knew for sure that after lunch she was going to peek her head through his doorway. Her long brown hair would fall over her shoulder as she walked inside, clutching her legal pad and pen in hand, like the eager student she was.
His cell phone vibrated on the desk. Jade. How four small letters could bring such a sour taste to his mouth was astonishing. He had cared about her at one time, but now all he could do was see the hateful things she said and did to the people he cared most about and compare her to Lexi and her selfless ways. There was no competition. Jade lost every time.
When they had met months ago, Vincent had found a woman who wanted him but didn’t need him refreshing. She was successful on her own and was highly focused on her career; therefore, she wasn’t dependent on him. Her job required her to travel extensively, so their relationship occurred in small doses. About the time she started getting on his nerves, she would jet off to some exotic location for a week. When she returned, everything went back to normal, not because he had forgiven her, but because he was absorbed in other things and had long forgotten the source of the argument.
His family hated her. They would never tell him that to his face, and he may have been oblivious, but he wasn’t stupid. Whenever Jade walked into a room, Anna and Elizabeth would get identical pucker-lipped scowls on their faces. They never had lengthy conversations with Jade, only speaking to her when absolutely necessary, and Jade was the constant butt of Sean’s jokes. Erik, who had worked with her professionally on photo shoots long before Vincent met her, had warned him to stay away from the infamous Jade, but he didn’t listen.
A few nights ago he had finally been ready to break up with her and end his misery, but as soon as she suggested the possibility of a mole at Hunter, he knew he was screwed and had to keep her around. Jade knew everyone in the business. Her connections ran deep. Her model friends were sleeping with the most influential men in the business, and they spent the majority of their time on location smoking, drinking, and spilling their dirty little secrets. Jade would be an invaluable source of information no matter how much Vincent hated to admit it. And so she stayed.
Lexi made it clear she wouldn’t be pulled into the middle of their unraveling relationship, and he admired her for that. Vincent had blurred the professional line between the two of them enough. He should never have kissed her, no matter how much he wanted to. Lexi deserved better than that. She deserved a man who was committed to her one hundred percent of the time. Now that he had to keep Jade in his pocket, all hopes of developing something more with Lexi would have to wait. He only prayed she would still be there when he was finally free.