Trust in Advertising (44 page)

“I’m hungry.”

“I don’t work for you,” Lexi said, not even looking away from her BlackBerry.

“Fine, your hero Vincent’s hungry.”

“Has he suddenly been rendered incapable of speech?”

“I’ve just about had it with you.”

Lexi gracefully stood up from behind her desk and walked over to Jade with not a bit of amusement on her face. “That makes two of us.”

Before Jade could say anything, Vincent appeared in the doorway. “Jade, your phone’s ringing.” He stepped aside so she could retreat into his office, out of the way. “Hi,” he said to Lexi, closing the door behind him, and thereby muffling Jade’s gossip-mongering.

“Hi,” Lexi replied, for a second getting lost in his green eyes at such close proximity.

“I’m sorry about before.” He said it so fast, she almost missed it. Raking his hand through his hair, he sighed. “What I said before was … inaccurate.”

“My head hurts, Vincent.”

“I know I hurt your feelings before, and that was not my intention.” He leaned his shoulder into the wall beside her.

“And what was your intention? Just tell me. I’m a big girl, I can take it.”

Lexi steeled herself for his answer. Telling herself not to cry, she held her breath and waited.

“What I wanted to say was—”

“Lexi! Hey, Vincent.” Christina and Julian came down the hall with Peter right behind. “You ready to get lunch?”

Julian walked over and shook Vincent’s hand. “Hey, man, you mind if we borrow Lexi for a little bit? Tina wanted to take her to lunch, and Peter and I kinda decided to crash their girl time.”

Vincent looked down at Lexi, who refused to meet his eye. Instead, she focused her attention on the potted plant beside her. “S-Sure, Lexi can go 265

Victoria Michaels

to lunch.” He nodded his head at the helmets, his brows knitted together in concern. “Motorcycles?”

“Yeah, I got a new bike and thought I’d take Lexi for a ride.” Peter’s stance was one of complete male arrogance.

“Helmets are required by law in California. I assume you have an extra?”

Lexi glared at Vincent, incredulous at his questioning of Peter. She glanced back and forth between the two men, watching them posture and scowl at one another. A giggle escaped from Christina just before she buried her face against Julian’s shoulder, earning her a glare from Lexi as well.

“Don’t worry, Vince, I’ll take good care of your girl.”

Furious, Lexi waved her hand at both of them. “Hi, I’m standing right here.” She elbowed Vincent and pulled him away from the group. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I don’t like that guy,” Vincent whispered back.

“I don’t remember asking your opinion.”

“Oh come on, like you didn’t see him staring at you during the presentation, undressing you with his eyes. Look at him. He can’t wait to get you wrapped around him on that bike.”

“You have lost your mind,” Lexi snapped, glancing back at their guests and smiling politely as she and Vincent continued their hushed discussion.

“No, I haven’t. He wants you.”

“He wants lunch, Vincent. And maybe he wants to show off his motorcycle a little. I think I can handle it.”

Vincent gave her a patronizing smile. “Have fun on your date, then.”

“It’s not a date; it’s lunch. And so what if it is a date? I don’t remember joining a convent. Believe it or not, Vincent, I do enjoy the company of men.

I do have a pulse.”

“He’s not your type. He isn’t right for you.” Peter stood across the room, checking out his reflection in the glass of one of their framed print ads.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to go check on?”

“Enjoy your lunch,” Vincent growled and stepped away from her, approaching his office door. He flashed a dazzling smile and a wave back at Christina, Julian, and Peter, and then disappeared into his office slamming the door shut behind him.

“What’s his problem?” Peter asked as he held out Lexi’s coat for her.

266

Trust in Advertising

Lexi shrugged. “His girlfriend just got back into town, and she tends to suck the fun out of everything and everyone in a five mile radius.” She tossed her purse over her arm and followed Christina and Julian to the elevator.

“Enjoy yourselves.” Leigh grinned from behind her desk. She pointed at Peter when he had his back turned and flashed Lexi a big thumbs up.

Peter smiled at Lexi and whispered in her ear, “Thanks for letting us crash your lunch with Christina.”

His massive shoulders and chest brushed against her back as he ushered her into the open elevator doors. The heat from his body felt good as he stood behind her on the elevator, close but not crowding. A shiver went down Lexi’s spine when his fingers gently pushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. “N-no problem.”

As they stepped off the elevator, Lexi’s phone went off. Without even thinking, she slipped it out of her pocket and glanced at the tiny screen. Her heart flew into her throat as she read the words. To anyone else, it would seem like an aberrant message, a mistake. But Lexi, who had been replaying Vincent’s earlier words over and over again in her head, knew exactly what it meant.

It was a very big deal.

She froze in the lobby, the sun streaming in through the large, glass windows. People moved past her, jumping in and out of the elevators on their way to appointments. Lexi simply stood there, rereading the message as if her life depended on it.

Their kiss was a big deal in a good way or a bad way?
If it was such a big deal, then why was Jade still wrapped around him like an anaconda? Why had he bit Lexi’s head off all morning, and why did he just act like a complete prick in front of Peter? There was no understanding this man, no matter how hard she tried. He only created more questions that would forever go unanswered.

He couldn’t just say something like that and leave it hanging out there between them. What did it even mean? Did he want her? Her pulse soared at the mere thought, but was stopped by the ache in her heart when she remembered seeing him with Jade today. Until he made up his mind about what this thing between him and Lexi meant, she wasn’t going to put her life on hold. She had been there done that.

“Everything okay, Lexi?” Christina asked as she wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “We don’t have to do this. It seems like you and Vincent 267

Victoria Michaels

might have some … unfinished business.” Christina recognized what was going on between them.

Frustrated tears welled in Lexi’s eyes as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She refused to let them fal and took Christina’s hand, leading her toward the door. She could see Julian and Peter beside their bikes, the chrome of their motorcycles shining in the sun. “Vincent and I have no business. Let’s go to lunch.”

Peter held an outstretched hand to her, a handsome smile welcoming her to his side. “You ready to have some fun, babe?” He brushed her hair out of her face and slid the helmet over her head, giving it a little tap to make sure it was on tight.

Lexi smiled. “Absolutely.”

Peter strode over to the bike and hoisted one leg over the beast, straddling the seat. “Jump on, babe. And hold on tight.”

Tentatively, Lexi approached the bike. It was big and intimidating, almost as intimidating as the confident, sexy man who was on it. But Lexi needed this. She needed to clear her head and feel alive. She was tired of sitting around waiting for life to happen. She wanted to be out there living. Sitting at her desk, working her fingers to the bone and waiting on Vincent was no way to live. She needed fun. She needed to feel desired, even if it was only for an hour.

Her heart clamored with excitement as she climbed onto the bike. She gingerly wrapped her arms around Peter. The closeness and intimacy felt awkward since she didn’t know him very well. His body shook as he chuckled, then Lexi heard his voice through the head set in her helmet.

“I drive fast, babe. You need to hold on tighter. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt me. And if you do, I’ll probably like it.” Peter took her hands and pulled them more tightly around his chest. Lexi’s fingers danced over the hard outline of his muscles, holding on, but also exploring what he had going on under that T-shirt. “Ready?” he asked, revving the engine. When Peter saw Lexi nod her head, they took off from the curb and went flying down the street with Christina and Julian at their side.

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 268

Trust in Advertising

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.”

269

Victoria Michaels

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 …”

270

Trust in Advertising

“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.”

271

∙ 22 ∙

Lexi 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.