“Good to hear. I’m sure glad the two of you came to your senses, especially now. All that’s going on with your injury has to be a lot easier now that you don’t have to go through it alone.”
“True…but—” A knock at Sebastian’s door interrupted his answer. “Hang on a second, Clint. Someone’s at the door.”
The doorbell rang next. Whoever it was, they were persistent. Sebastian walked down the hallway with the cordless phone, and saw a man he didn’t immediately recognize through the stained glass windows of the front door. The stranger was dressed in a sharp suit. Sebastian wasn’t expecting any visitors, and assumed it may have been someone from the insurance company wanting to discuss his workers compensation case.
“I’ll have to call you back, Clint,” he said.
“No problem, buddy. Take it easy.”
He hung up and opened the door.
“Good afternoon,” Sebastian said. The man didn’t reply. Looking at him up close, he seemed vaguely familiar. “Can I help you with something?”
Mr. Suit took off his designer shades and gave Sebastian a slow once over as if taken aback by the sight of him. Sebastian couldn’t figure out where he had seen this man before.
Finally, the man spoke. “I’m looking for Mr. Maxwell Storme. Does he still live here? Is his daughter here?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You have the wrong address, but he lives right next door. Your timing may be off though. I don’t believe he’s staying at the house at the moment, Mister…sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Wilkes. Wilkes Barracks.” He held out a hand for a handshake and a bittersweet grin spread across Sebastian’s face.
So, this is Lexxi’s ex?
Sebastian checked him out. Wilkes came up short, in his estimation. This was the guy who sang tears-in-your-beer, down-on-your-luck, dammit-my-dog-died country songs. His hair was slicked back with enough gel to tame the Wild West. His eyes were cool and disdainful, and Sebastian swore he could see right through him. There wasn’t a hint of country and western heart in that man. With ostrich skin cowboy boots and a crisp, clean blue suit, he looked like he hadn’t worked a hard day in his life. Even the cowboy hat in his hand looked like an expensive prop. Already, Sebastian had made up his mind. Wilkes didn’t deserve Alexandra.
That may be the envy talking.
“Ah, Wynona!” Sebastian said with a dry chuckle, shaking his hand.
“No, it’s Wilkes,” he answered, repeating his name again, slowly and deliberately as though Sebastian didn’t understand English.
With that, Sebastian let out a loud, long laugh, an angry sound without humor to match Wilkes’ attitude. “That’s right, your name is Wilkes. I’m sorry, bud. That was an inside joke between me and, uh…a friend. Lexxi isn’t home. She left a while back, actually.”
Wilkes sized him up suspiciously. “Left to go where?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Sebastian clarified. “Why don’t you phone her? Or leave a note next door. She may stop by again.”
Wilkes muttered a few choice swear words and loped back out to his Stingray parked behind Sebastian’s Jeep in the driveway. Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder what Lexxi Rock’s ex was doing in town, and if that was one of the reasons she made her exit from Hotel Bash. A heated streak of jealousy passed through him, and he reminded himself he had no right to think that way after the time he and Alexandra had spent together.
Standing at the door, he looked out as the impressive car backed out of the driveway and shot down the street at a dangerous speed. He was sure Wilkes would eventually find Lexxi. Meanwhile, he sat around missing her too.
“What a loser,” Sebastian growled as he returned inside.
Wilkes Barracks had his chance and he blew it. Seeing him up close and personal, it made sense. The man seemed like an entitled pretty boy with flashy toys, not at all someone Sebastian imagined Alexandra being into.
Then again, Lexxi had apparently loved Wilkes once.
Chapter 47
ALEXANDRA hissed into her phone.
“Where are you, Eva? I’m down in the lobby. You may want to get down here so we can leave before a crowd forms, dear.”
She rushed past people milling around in the hotel lobby. For now, the huge shades that covered a third of her face, and the big floppy hat with the purple wig tucked underneath were low profile enough not to attract major attention. She ducked around behind a leafy front of a plant and waited.
“Ha! You sound tense.”
“Maybe I should have waited in the limo.”
“Beauty takes patience, darling,” Eva cooed.
“I don’t have any patience at the moment, Evangeline Reese, and things are about to get ugly. I just got out of a game-changing meeting with the label. They’re taking over everything! They even want to push the release date back to squeeze in more promo time. I’m ready to punch something! Maybe someone. Anyhow, get down here soon if you can.”
“Will do.”
Before Alexandra hung up, she heard a familiar voice behind her that said, “Well, I’d better make sure I stay out of arm’s reach if you’re looking for a punching bag.”
The familiar Southern drawl stunned her. She spun around, eyes widened under the large sunglasses.
Holy fuck.
“What the hell are you doing here, Wilkes?”
“Throwing caution to the wind, my love,” he answered, dragging her into his arms in a tight squeeze as though they were still together.
Alexandra forcefully pushed away from his chest and gave him a disapproving scowl. “Really, Wilkes? I mean seriously? What part of ‘I won’t marry your low-down, cheating ass’ did you not get? Now you think you have a right to show up here?”
On the phone, Eva gasped. “Is that Wilkes? Here in Tucson? What in the name of—Lexxi Rock your life is quickly becoming my favorite soap opera. I’m coming down right now!”
Eva hung up and Wilkes dropped to bended knee in the middle of the lobby in front of everybody, drawing the attention Alexandra had been desperately trying to avoid. She peeked around the tall houseplant and noticed several people were now peering in their direction to see what was going on.
“You can call it whatever you want, Lexxi,” Wilkes replied. “I’ll follow you into the sunset, and it’ll never be the end for me. I had to come and see you. God, I wish I could show you how good it is to see your smile.”
“This isn’t a smile, Wilkes. This is distress…and I’m sure you’ve practiced that little speech of yours, so you can save it!”
She hissed a warning for him to stop. The rascal boldly grabbed the hand she tried in vain to jerk away from him.
“Lexxi, baby. Don’t make me beg,” he crooned.
His eyes glistened. His voice was smooth and raw like whiskey, but he didn’t hit a single sincere note, not in Alexandra’s book.
“I guess trying to make a fool of me by cheating on me wasn’t enough for you. You have to come back and make a fool of yourself now, too!”
Alexandra was already having a shitty day, with no time for Bash, or Dad now that he was out of the hospital, and the label was now about to put a cookie cutter around her and keep her on a leash. Her soul belonged to the devil now, with that contract with the label hanging over her head.
I don’t need this crap from Wilkes on top of everything else.
She snatched her hand away again and turned to leave, only to come face to face with a freelance photographer who had some run-ins with her in the past. He snapped a picture, a candid shot of Wilkes in the background holding his pose on one knee and Alexandra’s face twisted in contempt or blurred with surprise—she wasn’t entirely sure how it looked but she could imagine. All she knew was he caught her off guard. Already she could damn near hear the sordid headline likely to accompany the image. Growling, she pushed past him too.
The elevator ahead dinged, and out walked Eva. “Where’s the asshat?”
The photographer chased after her as she rushed tow
ard Eva, the light from his camera flashing incessantly for pictures of Alexandra and Eva in one shot.
“Please leave us alone!” she begged him. Well, the plea was directed at both the photographer and Wilkes.
She and Eva hurried towards an exit at the end of the corridor, avoiding the main entrance of the building. Her driver was outside, ready to take them to her father’s house. She threw up a hand to hide her face, simultaneously holding up the middle finger in frustration.
The photographer taunted her. “C’mon, Lexxi. I’ve got to make a living too. You don’t have to be a bitch.”
He laughed as he said it, probably hoping to get a visceral reaction from her. She wanted to strike him, but this was more of the same normal she had come to know in Los Angeles. Taking photos along with the usual low blows was his job, and being in the public eye was part of Alexandra’s job. She just wished that today he wouldn’t have made her job that much harder, with Wilkes only adding fuel to the fire by capitalizing on the publicity.
Before she could get in the limo, Wilkes made his way beside her again. He dropped an arm over her shoulder and said, “I know you don’t want to make a scene in front of everybody, do you? I just want to talk to you.”
“Make a scene!” she screeched.
The camera flashed again and she squeezed her eyes shut in frustration.
I just want to leave.
“Come on, Lexxi. We have to get out of here,” Eva said in her take-charge tone.
Her eyes pierced Wilkes with a glare fierce enough to peel off the top layer of his skin. If Eva had said anything to him now, he would likely end up on the floor in the fetal position, her distaste for him was so strong. Thankfully, she spared him the absolute degradation. Wilkes turned to Alexandra with sad, manipulating puppy dog eyes and an almost trembling bottom lip.
“All right, baby. You have someplace else to be. I won’t hold you up,” he said, backing down. “Whenever you’re ready to talk to me, I’ll be here. I’m staying at this hotel. Lexxi, you can call me anytime, day or night. I’ll wait for you. By the way, I know there’s someone else. I met him earlier today. I want you to know I understand and accept your need to explore other avenues. I can only hope you remember your way back home to me. I love you, Lexxi.” Wilkes turned away with a contrived, miserable expression.
Eva impatiently called Alexandra’s name again from the other side of the car where she waited with one foot inside.
Alexandra held up a hand to her, signaling for her to wait. She turned to address Wilkes. “Wait a minute. What do you mean you met him?”
Wilkes didn’t turn to face her. He played the photographer like a violin, acting like he was hiding his pain from her. For some reason, she remembered the day he called to propose, while she was still being Alex Roberts. She had refused him outright and told him there was someone else, but at the time, it was a lie.
So, what the hell is he talking about now, saying he ‘met him’?
Wilkes replied with a depressed sigh, eyes blinking sadly for the photographer when he said, “Before I figured out you were staying at this hotel, I thought you’d be at your daddy’s house. I stopped by there earlier, but ended up at the wrong house. I met the next door neighbor, Lexxi.”
“What? You met Bash?”
Crap. God, I hope this photographer doesn’t have a voice recorder on him.
Eva got in the car and slammed the door. It made Alexandra jump, startled by the sudden bang, but also floored by what Wilkes was saying. He met Bash, and he automatically assumed Bash was the man she had been talking about when she told him she had already moved on. True, Bash was the man she had in mind when she had said it, and now, even though she and Bash were still getting to know each other, it was reality. Still, she had to do what she could to protect Bash before all hell broke loose for him.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Wilkes,” she spat out bitterly. “Sebastian is a friend and my neighbor. Nothing more.”
Wilkes walked back to her and grasped her shoulders. “Honey, you don’t have to lie to me. I’m not angry with you. I told you I understand. I can see how a man like that might take advantage of your loneliness and vulnerability after finding out I was…with Lydia. I am truly sorry for putting you in the position of seeking out someone else for the fulfillment I never gave you. Lydia is in the past now, but I’m wise enough to realize I can’t take back that mistake. I have to suffer the consequences, and I’ll gladly do that to show you how much you mean to me. Just know that it’s killing me, killing me! Seeing you with someone who can’t possibly appreciate your level of…refinement. It’s probably only sex to him, sweetheart.”
Alexandra shook herself out of his clutches and sneered. “Nice try, Wilkes. Like I said, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She jumped into the back of the limo and slammed the door for effect. The driver took off, and finally Wilkes was out of her space.
“Why did you encourage him like that, Lex?” Eva asked. “You know he was only doing that for the publicity.”
“I don’t know…Gosh, I can’t wait for this day to end.”
“I can see that, lovey. What was he going on about?”
“Apparently he went to the wrong house earlier today when he was trying to get to Dad to find me. Guess whose door the bastard happened to knock on?”
Eva’s eyes widened to the point of ogling. “No!”
Alexandra nodded. “Yes. Sebastian Sullivan’s. Wilkes said he’s letting me ‘get it out of my system’ so I can eventually take him back. He’s delusional if he has his mind set on marrying me, and he doesn’t seem to understand the definition of the word no right now.”
Eva scowled. “This is why there are restraining orders, Lex. At some point you have to take responsibility for letting him anywhere near you.”
“You really think I’m encouraging him?”
“Well what the hell was that back there? You have to start treating him like he’s a crazed fan trying to get in your space, except he’s worse than a crazed fan. He doesn’t even buy your albums. Anyway, the point is Wilkes doesn’t deserve you! I just hope you don’t get suckered in by that cheap cowboy impression he puts on. He’s shameless. He’s fake. He’s using the situation to his advantage, and if you keep it up, he’ll be the reason you lose Bash. You don’t need him in your life, dear.”
Alexandra laughed in sheer amusement. “Are you serious? You should know you don’t need to warn me about Wilkes, Eva. There isn’t a chance in hell I’ll let that jerk weasel his way back into my life.”
Eva gave her a sideways glance. “That’s not what the last five minutes looked like, Lex. You’re already letting him in. I can see it in your eyes right now. Admit it. You felt some pity for his conniving little game just now.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well pardon me for getting all riled up at the very thought. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had about all I can stand of Wilkes. My vote goes for the boy next door. I’m totally Team Bash from now on.”
“You know where I stand with Bash, Eva.” Alexandra slumped back against the leather seats. “The closer I get to him, the more I feel all I’m going to do is open him up to the insanity that is my life.”
Chapter 48
ALEXANDRA knew Eva wouldn’t let up.
“Why don’t you let him decide if it’s insane,” Eva asked. “Maybe he’s just the guy to bring balance back to your sordid state of affairs right now. How long are we stopping by your father’s house tonight?”
“Just for a few minutes. Dad wanted me to pick up a file in his office cabinet. After that, I thought you and I could do dinner before I drop off the file.”
Eva rubbed Alexandra’s back and looked over at her. “Let me be the first to say that idea sucks.”
“Why is that?”
“Because there’s no ‘Bash’ in that plan. Come on, dear. You’ve got a few days left in town. Make the best of it. You go ahead and stay with Bash, and
let me go with the driver to take the file to your father. You don’t know how good it is to be here in Tucson with no one after me for appearances or interviews or auditions. I can do dinner in my suite, kick my feet up and relax for a change. We can get together in Los Angeles when we head back, but for now any free time you have should be with that sexy neighbor who I’m betting really cares for you. What’s holding you back?” Eva scooted closer in the back seat. She hugged Alexandra, and pressed her head on her shoulder.
“Common sense,” Alexandra said to her. “I just can’t see how things could work out in the long haul, you know? Not without major compromise and probably way more media attention than Bash ever hoped for.”
Eva rubbed Alexandra’s shoulder. “Between me and you, as much as I respect your ability to make good decisions in your life, it’s hard to keep watching you run into brick walls when it comes to love and romance. You finally meet a man who fits. He’s a really nice guy, yet you’re ready to give up on him? You’re jumping the gun, Lex. I’ve watched you fight harder than this to stay with downright scoundrels. Bash is a great guy worth fighting for, and you’re throwing in the towel? I just don’t get it.”
Alexandra lifted her head and leaned back to look at Eva, slightly shocked by her best friend’s blunt choice of words. Dropping her face into her hands from embarrassment, she slowly accepted the accuracy of Eva’s assessment, even though she hated hearing it. Still she had to ask. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Eva. I agree with you, but tell me something. Where exactly do you think Bash will fit in this picture? Should I work him in before or after the recording, the album release, or the scheduled tour? Should I ask him to give up his life to be with me?”
“You’re missing the point.”
“No, I think I see the point. Let’s face it. I’m not running this show. There is barely any room in Lexxi Rock’s life for Alexandra Storme, let alone Sebastian Sullivan. That’s not a choice—it’s reality. Maybe I did fight harder in the past for lesser men, but I’ve grown from fighting those losing battles. I’m learning from my mistakes.” She swallowed thickly. She was close to tears now, and blinked them back. “I don’t want to see him hurt. It doesn’t matter how I feel about him. I’d blame myself if my lifestyle burns him. He’s too good for that.”
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