by Pavan Kaur
“No,” I answer in a sharp tone, making sure she knows there's no way she's coming with us.
Since Lexi mentioned that something is happening between them, I've noticed little flirty moments back and forth. I had words with Travis, telling him my sister is off limits. He said he knew and was only messing around, but I don’t trust him.
“I didn’t want to go out with you guys anyway.” She sticks her tongue out at me. “I hope you guys have fun,” she says walking out of the room.
I’m always worried about her. She ended up with the wrong crowd during college and became a drug addict. I paid for the best rehab for her, to make sure was clean and healthy, but she hasn't been the same.
“Do you want to go home to get changed?” I ask Lexi, and she turns to face me, narrowing her eyes. I already know I've said something wrong. Or have I? She keeps me wound me up all the time teasing me like she does.
“So, you don’t think I look beautiful enough for a bar?” She folds her arms across her chest.
“I didn’t say that. I thought maybe… You look beautiful,” I tell her.
“I’m just messing with you.” She kisses me on the lips, then walks over to my mom and helps her clean the kitchen.
“I love Lexi—she’s going to keep you straight,” Travis tells me with a smile that I want to punch off his face. “We’re going straight from here. Did you bring the car, or are you taking a taxi?”
“Taxi.” I walk away from them as my phone rings. “Emily,” I say, answering the phone.
“Ethan, I got an email from Selena, saying you no longer want to work with me on the children’s center. I want—”
“If you're talking or working with Edward Cult, then I don’t want to do business with you,” I cut her off. I don’t want him anywhere near my business.
“Ethan, I think that would be a mistake. Who else will put that much money into the center?”
“I'll find someone. I don’t want you and Edward involved in my center,” I say, ending the call with her. She’s right, I don’t have anyone else on my list to ask. I asked Emily because she had some insight into children and I thought she would be great, but I can’t trust her now.
“So, the children’s center is finished?” I turn to see Lexi standing behind me.
“I need to find someone new to invest in it. Back to the drawing board,” I say then kiss her forehead.
“I’m sure someone will be willing to help you,” she tells me.
“Time to go to the bar, then?”
“Dancing time,” Lexi says, spinning under my arm. I admire how she refuses to let Sam ruin her life. She knows he’s out there and knows where she lives, but she still smiles and still wants to party. In a few days, I get to take her to Washington, and I can’t wait to have her all to myself.
***
Standing by the bar, I watch Lexi dancing with her friends while Travis grinds up against some redhead. After talking to Emily, this is the last place I want to be. I want to be home, looking for someone to invest in the center, but Lexi wanted to be here, so I’m here for her.
Travis walks over to the bar. “I’m going to be having a wild one tonight.” He nods to the redhead and her friend dancing against each other. “It should be a sin to be me,” he says, before downing his drink.
I smile at Lexi as she dances. I go to reply to him, but my phone vibrates in my pocket. “Keep your eyes on Lexi for a minute,” I tell him as I answer Selena’s call. I bet Emily is trying fucking things up for me. I told Lexi I didn’t trust Emily. I didn’t want to go into too much detail about why. I’m hoping to get them all out of my life before I have to tell her about the dark cloud hanging over my head.
“Hey,” I say, standing outside the bar. I want to make sure I can see who walks in while I’m out here.
“Emily sent an email saying she's fine with canceling the ties she has with the center. Would you like me to make a list of other businesses that we can contact while you're in Washington?” she asks. I know I work her to the ground. The way she handles me and my attitude says a lot about her character. I've never had a PA as good as her.
“Yes, but I want you to come to the apartment before we can go over some details before I leave.” Ending the call, I walk back in.
As I make my way to the bar I look over at the dance floor to see if I can locate Lexi, but she’s not there. I frantically look around the bar. Where the fuck is she? My heart is pounding with fear; I’ve no idea where she is. I see Travis at the bar, chatting with the redhead.
“Where’s Lexi?” I ask him, still looking around the bar.
“Dancing,” Travis answers without even looking around at me.
“Hey, sexy. Come here often?” I turn around and there she is. The sexiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I look at her with a smile.
“Not often enough.”
“Would you like to dance?” She takes my hand in hers and starts walking toward the dance floor, but I stop her.
“I would like to do something else,” I whisper in her ear as her back hits my chest. Moving my hand down her dress, I smile as I say, “I can show you an enjoyable time.”
"I'm sure my boyfriend would kill you. He can be an asshole sometimes." She turns around and curls her lips up into a smile.
I can't help but shake my head at her. I knew she was trouble and she's proving me right. “I bet that’s because you can be a handful.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” Her hand moves down my chest to my belt buck. “My mouth is watering at the thought of having you inside it”—she rubs me over my pants—“thinking about how it'll hit the back of my throat while your hands are in my hair, trying to get it in further until you cum in my mouth.” She slides her tongue across my lower lip, and smiles as my dick gets harder and twitches. She presses her breasts against my chest. “Would you like to dance?” she asks, taking a step away from me and walking over to the dance floor.
Dancing is not what I had planned to do with her. But, if that’s what my girl wants, then that’s what I’m going to do, but we’re leaving in ten minutes so I can finish what she just started.
Lexi
My body jolts with pleasure, and I bite my lip as I fantasize about Ethan going down on me again like he did last night. I can still feel his hands on my legs moving them apart, his tongue pushing against my clit. Opening my eyes, I realize I’m not dreaming. Ethan is waking me up in the best way possible.
My back arches off the bed. “Ethan,” his name floats from my lips as my fingers curl in his hair. God, I don’t think I’m going to last much longer.
While Ethan’s thumb is still circling my clit, he begins kissing up my stomach, then taking my nipple in his mouth.
“Today, you will cum on my fingers,” Ethan whispers in my ear. His lips move down my neck to the spot he knows always pushes me over the edge. He plunges a finger inside and I dig my nails into his back, screaming as I cum.
As my body relaxes, I look at Ethan. “Best wake-up call ever,” I tell him as he kisses me.
He brings his fingers to his mouth and starts sucking on them. “I could wake up like this every morning.” He gives me a wink as his phone rings. “What?” he barks into the phone. I watch him as he walks into the bathroom. “I’ll be working on it.”
Ethan’s already told me he isn’t leaving Washington until they sign the papers to get his plans for the mall approved, and I believe him. Ethan's a man who knows what he wants and does what it takes to get it. He’s started focusing more on the children’s center recently since it hasn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.
As soon as I found out about Emily and the center, I called a friend of mine who night be able to help Ethan. He agreed to come today to talk to him. I called him because he has a children’s center of his own, and he and Ethan have the same business mindset, but I’m not sure if Ethan will agree to it when he sees who it is.
Finally getting out of bed, I walk past Ethan to I get in the shower. He's been on the pho
ne for the last hour. I can only guess it's Selena, since she’s who he’s on the phone with most of the time.
Popping my head out of the shower, I say in a seductive tone, “I’m naked and wet, where do you want to be?” I smile at Ethan and he looks at me.
“Selena, I’ll call you back.” Ending the call, he pulls his shirt over his head and steps in the shower. “Always with you.” Ethan starts kissing the back of my neck.
“That’s the right answer.” Turning around, I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “I have someone coming today to talk to you about the children’s center. Don’t fight with me about it, just hear them out, please,” I say, getting on my knees before he can ask me who it is.
I know Ethan is a great businessman and I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, but I also know this could be good for him and allow him more free time with a little less stress.
***
Taking my ringing phone off the table, I look over at Ethan working on his laptop at the table before answering. “Hi, are you here?” I ask.
“Yes.”
"Come right up. I told the doorman to let you in.” I end the call and put the phone down. I look over at Ethan. "I think this is a promising idea, so please don't say no right away." I say as Ethan walks over to me. I hope he will at least give this a chance, but he’s giving me that look I've seen so many time when he’s talking to Selena. He’s not happy, and he wants to say no.
I go to walk to the door when there's a knock, but Ethan pulls me back to him. “I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not part of it, then. All I’m doing is introducing you to someone who might be useful. If you don’t like him or his ideas, then say no and I won’t mention it again.” Kissing him, I walk away.
“Lexi?” he starts, and I turn to face him. “Never mind.” Putting his hand in his pocket, he waits for me to open the door.
I’m a little nervous about this, but what’s done is done. I open the door with a huge smile on my face. “Mr. Williams,” I say, kissing him on the cheek. “Please, come in.” I look over at Ethan, his eyes locked on mine. I’m not sure whether this is a ‘what the fuck are you doing’ look, or what.
“I had to come meet the man that took you away from me.” He looks at me with a smile then over at Ethan. “Mr. Knight,” he says, putting his hand out for Ethan to shake.
Ethan stands with his hands in his pocket, and I shake my head at him. “Mr. Williams,” he acknowledges before finally shaking his hand.
“So, before Ethan goes all crazy on us, let me tell you why Mr. Williams is here.” I walk over to stand next to Mr. Williams. “You need someone to help with the center, and he already owns three successful ones in New York. Two of them have teachers working with them. Now, I could go on and on about this, but I don’t know the business side of it. I’ve told him, and now I’m telling you. If you don’t want to work together, then don’t.” This is a business arrangement; it has nothing to do with me. “Now, I'll leave you two to talk,” I say, walking over to my bag.
“And where do you think you’re going?” I hear Ethan say from behind me.
“I thought I would go shopping while you two talk,” I tell him. Why would I want to be here while they talk about a business I’m not that interested in?
“You can sit that sexy ass back down. You’re not going out alone with that crazy asshole still out there.” Ethan points to the couch. Folding my arms across my chest, I look at him and huff. “You can look at me like that all you want. Sit the fuck down and shop online or whatever. I don’t give a shit, but you’re not leaving without me,” he says, leaning on the back of the couch with his eyes locked on mine.
Throwing my bag on the floor, I walk over to the couch and sit down, grabbing the magazine off the table. I look up and see Mr. Williams staring at me and shake my head at him because I know what he’s wondering, and the answer is no.
“Lexi, can—”
“No,” I look at Mr. Williams, and he looks between Ethan and me. “You’ve come to talk about business, nothing else,” I tell him.
“Am I missing something here?” Ethan asks, looking back at us both, but I don’t break eye contact with Mr. Williams.
“This man was willing to pay millions to go on a date with you, and knowing about Sam, he’s still standing next to you. Lexi, why you haven’t told him? Are you planning on leaving him, or are you just scared?” Mr. Williams sits on the couch next to me. “When you called to tell me that Sam found you, I told you then, and I’m telling you now. The condo in New York is yours.”
“So, have we found a new lady friend, yet?” I ask him, and he starts laughing.
Mr. Williams turns to Ethan. “I take it she’s still as stubborn as always.”
“Good to know she isn’t just a pain in my ass.” Ethan looks at me and gives me a wink, but I'm aware this conversation isn’t finished no matter how much I might want to avoid it.
They both spend ages going back and forth about the center. I heard a few words here and there, but nothing that interested me. Ethan called Selena to come over with all the paperwork for the new plans.
On top of that, Travis has been calling a lot today. He would call with good news, then turn around and call with something bad. Ethan would yell at him, telling him how useless he was. In the end, he told Travis to come over too, since talking to him over the phone was getting him nowhere.
“You two want some coffee?” I ask, walking over to the kitchen.
“Please,” Mr. Williams says.
“Yes,” Ethan says looking through the papers without looking up at me. I know when Ethan is in business mode, he’s not looking at things around him.
“Ethan, the word please means—”
“Mr. Williams, you’ve come to talk business,” I cut in. I’m not ready to tell Ethan why please is a word that has been drilled into me. It never got me anywhere—I still had to beg. To me, please is a word you should use and should get some respect for using it too.
“All I was going to say was, the word please means more than you can imagine,” Mr. Williams tells him. Ethan looks over at me, holding my eyes for a moment, and I can already see the questions running around in his head.
Breaking eye contact with him, I go back to making the coffee. Standing there for a moment, I bite my inner cheek, close my eyes, and take a deep breath in trying to forget the day I begged. Please didn’t help me that day.
Placing the coffee on the table for them, I hear the doorbell and turn to answer the door. “I can get it.” I walk away from them. “He’s pissed with you,” I say with a smile at Travis and Selena as they walk into the apartment.
“He’s angry all the time.” Travis kisses me on the cheek. There’s no fighting with that reasoning because he’s right—Ethan is pissed all the time.
"Travis, give me five minutes. Selena, give Mr. Williams the paperwork, and you…” Ethan points at me. “Follow me.” I look over at Mr. Williams because I already know what this is about. “Now, Lexi. I have work to do,” Ethan shouts from his room.
“Looks like someone is getting a spanking,” Travis says in a playful way that makes me laugh. Shaking my head at him, I walk over to Ethan’s bedroom.
Ethan closes the door behind me. “Why is it that Mr. Williams knows everything about you, and I know fucking nothing?” Ethan asks, putting his hands in his pockets and watching me.
“Well, you know more than you think. You know how to kiss my neck to make me—”
“Don’t. Don’t think you can talk sexy and I'll forget,” he snaps. Yes, that was the plan.
“For the first few months, Mr. Williams wanted someone to talk to about his wife and their life together. Then, one day, he asked about mine. I only told him things that you already know. There was a weekend that I had to cancel on him because I thought Sam had found me. He hadn’t, but it was enough to scare me. The following weekend, Mr. Williams looked so worried about me. He said there was something diff
erent in my voice. We had gotten to the point where our relationship was so much more than just a business deal. I saw him as a very close friend, so I told him about Sam,” I tell him, who's watching me carefully. I don’t know if he's pissed off with me, or what. He’s so hard to read.
“And the word please, why does that word have so much meaning?” I tense up a little as he walks over to me. “I don’t want you to hide from me, Lexi,” he says before placing his hands on my waist. “I want to know everything. I want to know what I can do to make you happy.”
I shake my head because he doesn’t get it. “Ethan, the only reason I haven’t moved and changed my name again, is because of you. You make me happy. I’m here because I’m falling in love with you. I’m scared that Sam will take it all away from me,” I tell him, leaning my head on his chest.
He wraps his arms around me pulling me closer to him. “I don’t need to say I’m falling in love with you, Lexi. The second I kissed you, I knew I was in love with you,” he says, bringing my arms around him. “Talk to me, please.”
“When everyone has gone and your work is finished for the day, I’ll tell you.” I heard Ethan say he loves me, but right now, I have no idea how to take it. It scares me that I’m falling in love with him, and it scares me even more knowing that Sam can use it to hurt me.
“They’ll all be out within the hour.” He kisses my lips softly. “Lexi, I'll never hurt you, and I'll never let anyone else hurt you, that’s a promise,” he says in a whisper. Looking up at him, I smile.
***
After more than an hour, everyone has finally gone. Travis and Ethan got a plan together for the London mall they're working on and will start on it when we get back from Washington.
Then there was Selena. I have no idea how much he pays her, but I can say it can’t be nearly enough to deal with how awful he treats her. He's downright mean to her sometimes. He went as far as to tell her to call the police if Edward or Angie even call the office as he has had enough of them.