by Locklyn Marx
“You’ve what?” No one was supposed to talk to the client without Reid there.
“We talked to the client. They called, and since you weren’t around….we just assumed it would be okay.”
It was bullshit. Of course Richard didn’t think it was okay. But he’d done it anyway, probably in an effort to undermine something Reid had done. And sure enough, Richard said, “I told them the direction we were going in, and they seemed a little concerned. They’ve requested a meeting with us.”
Reid closed his eyes. What. The. Fuck. One of his biggest rules was that you never, ever told the client anything about campaigns that were in progress. Sometimes the campaigns simply weren’t ready to be talked about. Sometimes the client needed to see the visual before they could understand the concept. And sometimes you just didn’t want to tip your hand, because the client could inadvertently let something slip to another agency.
Reid didn’t say anything for a moment, and neither did Richard. Reid realized Richard was waiting for him to go ballistic. But he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
“Great,” Reid said brightly. “When are they going to be in the city?”
“They’re not coming to the city,” Richard said, savoring the bombshell he was about to drop. “We have to go to them.”
“In Tampa?”
“Yes,” Richard said. “In Tampa. I checked the calendar, and it seems like the only time that works for everyone is tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. And the client had an opening then, too. Isn’t that fortuitous?”
Reid had the sudden urge to punch Richard in the face – there were lots of reasons for this, not the least of which was the fact that Richard thought it was okay to use the word “fortuitous.”
“That’s extremely fucking fortuitous,” Reid said.
There was a pause. “Of course, if you can’t make it because of your personal situation, then I’d be happy to –”
“Oh, I’ll be there,” Reid said. “Tell Grace to book me on the earliest flight possible.”
“Wonderful!” Richard said, sounding like he thought it was anything but.
Reid hung up on him without saying goodbye.
He turned back to Alexis.
Her head was resting on the pillow, her eyes closed, her breathing deep and steady.
She’d fallen asleep.
***
Alexis was dreaming.
In the dream, she was back in Philadelphia, in her apartment, running down a hallway. But it wasn’t the actual hallway that had been in her apartment – this was a different hallway. It looked like something from a funhouse. The walls were covered with mirrors. She kept running and running, but the hall didn’t end. There were big, heavy oak doors every few feet, and she could hear voices behind each one, taunting her, telling her to come in. And then a shadow overcame her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Hello, Alexis,” a voice whispered. “Let me take you to my room.”
She woke up, her heart pounding, her t-shirt soaked with sweat. It took her a moment to figure out where she was. In New York. At Reid’s apartment. On the couch.
She glanced at the clock. It was nine o’clock at night. She must have slept all day.
He’d left a light on for her in the kitchen. She threw the blanket off and headed for the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror, surprised at how out of it she looked. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair hung in clumps around her shoulders, and her skin was blotchy. God, she was a mess. And it wasn’t just her physical appearance, either. It was her whole entire life.
There was a knock on the bathroom door.
Alexis took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened it.
Reid stood in the hallway, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a navy t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders. His hair was rumpled, and the stubble on his chin had grown since this morning.
“I thought I heard you,” he said.
“Oh.” She swallowed. “Sorry. I was trying to be quiet.”
“Oh, you didn’t wake me.” He held up the notebook he was holding. “I’m trying to get some work done for a meeting tomorrow.”
“Oh. Okay.” She stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. It was weird being in someone’s bathroom at night. Especially a man she didn’t really know. She prayed he wasn’t going to ask her about what happened earlier. She wasn’t ready to talk about it.
Not with him. Not with anyone, really.
“So, listen,” Reid said.
“Reid, please don’t ask me about what’s going on. I… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I wasn’t going to.” He shook his head. “Whatever’s going on is your business.”
“Thanks.”
“But I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be leaving tomorrow.”
“Leaving?”
“Yes. I’m going to Florida for a work trip.”
Her heart sped up. She was going to be alone, in the apartment? The thought terrified her. Leo was here, in New York. She was sure of it. Who else would have been down there, at the door, looking for her?
“Okay,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know.” She went to push past Reid and into her room, but he stepped in front of her. She was so close to him she could smell his cologne. It was something musky and manly, and her body flooded with a delicious warmth. He didn’t make a move to step back, just stood there, like he didn’t care that he was standing so close to her.
She could see the smooth outline of his jaw, the curve of his brow, and the tiny nick right above his lip where he must have cut himself shaving.
“Are you going to be okay here alone?” Reid asked. His eyes were on hers, dark and serious.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. His closeness was unnerving. She wanted to take a step back, but she didn’t want him to think he was having an effect on her. Besides, there was nowhere to go.
“Are you sure? Because you didn’t seem fine earlier.”
She swallowed. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “I don’t… I mean, yes, I’m going to be fine.”
“Alexis.” The way he said her name set her on fire. It was so full of concern, so full of caring. She looked away. No. He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t even know you. He’s just a guy who you happen to be staying with. He feels sorry for you. He thinks you’re some kind of damaged flower, some kind of girl with a bad past and lots of secrets. He probably has some fucked up fantasy about saving you, about taking you away from all of this. And once he realizes he can’t do that, he’ll get bored.
“I’ll be fine,” she said again, trying to sound forceful this time.
He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. “No,” he said finally.
“No?”
“No. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I can’t just leave you here by yourself.”
“Reid, I’m okay.” She rolled her eyes.
He reached out and grabbed her shoulders, then tilted her chin so that she was forced to look him in the eye. “Alexis, you’re not okay. You had some kind of panic attack today, and you’re terrified about someone showing up at this apartment.
Something’s going on. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, but you’re coming to Florida with me, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
She wanted to fight him, but she was too exhausted. And besides, as much as she hated to admit it, she didn’t want to be alone. She tried to tell herself that she should stay here, and that going to Florida was a bad idea. But the truth was, she couldn’t help but be relieved by his offer. And his insistence.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll go.”
“Good.” He relaxed. “Our flight leaves at six am. We’ll have to be at the airport by five.”
“Okay.” She swallowed. Suddenly, she was exhausted again.
“You should get some more rest.” He
looked her up and down. “You’re okay, though? No headaches?”
She shook her head.
“Okay,” he said. “If you need anything, I’ll be awake.”
Alexis nodded and then headed for her room, wondering how it was that she’d only just met him, and he was already able to make her feel so safe.
Chapter Five
The airport was dead at five am, and Reid was grateful for it. He liked to get into a zone before a client meeting, a zone that involved lots of silence. The only problem was, Alexis seemed like she didn’t really feel like being silent. In fact, she seemed as if all she wanted to do was talk.
“Are you going to get a coffee or anything before we get on the plane?” she was asking. She’d brought along one tiny suitcase, a flimsy duffle bag that didn’t look like it was holding much of anything. He, on the other hand, had two large suitcases, a garment bag for his suit, and a separate bag for his laptop.
He’d tried to explain to her that he didn’t know how long they’d be gone, and that she should pack accordingly. When it came to trips like this, you never knew what kind of meetings and brainstorming sessions the client was going to want. If the people at Vista Collection wanted him to stay in Tampa and work closely with them, Reid would have to drop everything else he had going on. Alexis had seemed to understand this when he told her, and yet she’d still only packed the one bag. It was a foreign concept to him, a woman traveling with only one bag.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Reid said.
“Oh, okay.” Alexis pushed her long blonde hair back from her face. “I just didn’t know if you were going to sleep on the plane, or if you were going to try to power through with caffeine. You know, since you were up most of the night.”
He almost laughed. Sleep? What was that? “I’m going to stay awake.” He shrugged. “We can get a coffee if you want.”
“Good.” She brightened, like it was that most exciting thing she’d heard all morning. He followed her over to the Starbucks that was nestled in the corner of the airport.
“I’ll have a cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso,” Alexis told the barista.
“Oh, and can you add a vanilla shot? And put whipped cream on top?”
“Sure,” the barista said. She looked at Reid.
“Just a plain coffee. Black.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “Boring.”
“It’s not boring,” he said. “It gets the job done.” He’d always taken pride in the fact that he could drink his coffee black. He didn’t need anything to mask the taste or take away the bitterness.
“Yeah, but what’s the point?”
The barista was sliding their paper cups across the counter, and Alexis picked hers up and took a sip. Reid handed the barista a ten-dollar bill and told her to keep the change.
“The point is to get caffeinated,” Reid said.
“Well, yeah. But I’m getting caffeinated, too, and I’m actually enjoying what I’m drinking.”
“Yes, but not needing anything extra for my coffee puts me at an advantage.”
She frowned. “What kind of advantage?”
“Well, if I were someplace where they didn’t have cream or sugar or whipped cream or espresso shots, I’d be fine with just a plain coffee. I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.”
Alexis shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. When was the last time you were somewhere that had coffee but no cream and sugar?”
Reid just sighed and said, “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Probably not.” Alexis looked at thoughtfully and nodded, like she’d just figured something out about him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Reid asked, frowning. He didn’t like people analyzing him. It made him nervous.
“Well, you’re obviously a control freak. So it would make sense that you like to drink your coffee black.”
“I’m not a control freak.”
Alexis was moving through the airport now, back toward the gift shop. He followed her, glancing up at the arrivals board as he went. Good. Their flight was on time. If there was one thing Reid hated, it was flights that were delayed. Waiting in the airport was the worst. It was like you had lost control of –
Wait. Was it true? Was he a control freak?
“I’m not a control freak,” he said again, as if saying the words out loud would make them true.
“Yes, you are,” Alexis said cheerfully.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“How do you know? You barely even know me.”
“I know that you color-code the suits in your closet. And I know that your sweatshirts look like a display at the GAP. And I know that your bathroom is cleaner than any guy’s bathroom I’ve ever seen, and that your takeout menus are in alphabetical order.”
“I just like to have things organized. That doesn’t mean – ” He stopped. “Wait a minute. How do you know all that?”
“All what?” She set her bag down on one of the chairs in the waiting area and suddenly became extremely busy rummaging around in her stuff.
“The things you just said. About my suits.”
“Oh.” A look of guilt passed over her face. “I don’t. I was just guessing.”
He looked at her. “Jesus,” he said, stunned. “You went through my shit!”
“I had to make sure you weren’t an ax murderer.” She pulled a hair tie out of her bag and flipped her head over, gathering her hair into a ponytail. He got another view of that luscious cleavage and the image of her in that towel yesterday flashed into his mind.
He remembered how soft her skin had looked, how easy it would have been for the towel to accidentally fall from her body.
“Whatever,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m going to get some snacks for the plane. You want anything?”
“No, thanks.”
He started to walk to the gift shop, but she called after him.
“Hey, Reid.”
“Yeah?”
She held up her cup and gave him a smile. “Thanks for the coffee.”
***
Reid didn’t seem mad at her for poking around in his apartment, which, Alexis had to admit, was pretty cool of him. She followed him through security, setting her bag on the conveyer belt and walking through the metal detector. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was moving even further away from Philadelphia or because Reid wasn’t pushing her to talk about what happened last night, but for the first time in the past forty-eight hours, she began to feel relaxed.
She’d only had one panicky moment, when they’d first gotten to the airport and the airline clerk had asked for her I.D. Alexis had been tense as she’d pushed her license across the counter. She was half-expecting herself to be on some kind of no-fly list that would cause her to be pulled aside and arrested. Of course, deep down she knew that was ridiculous. What she’d done wasn’t against the law. Running away from your life was perfectly legal.
Alexis followed Reid down the tunnel and onto the plane, and once they were settled into their seats, she snuck at glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He was studying something on his phone. He seemed very focused and intense. He was wearing a suit, which she found completely crazy. Who wore a suit on a plane? She guessed business people did. But still. He had to be uncomfortable. Of course, he didn’t look uncomfortable. He looked strong and in control.
The captain came over the loudspeaker and asked everyone to turn off their electronic devices. Reid put his phone away, then opened up a notebook and started making notes.
“What are you working on?” Alexis asked, trying to sound nonchalant. She always got nervous during takeoffs and landings, and she found it helped to have someone to talk to. Not that she flew that much. Being a teacher didn’t exactly give you the money to be jaunting all around the country. And Leo certainly hadn’t been willing to pay for any trips.
“Refining some notes for a meeting.”
“What kind of meeting?”
“A meeting with a client.”
“Has anyone ever told you that talking to you is like pulling teeth?”
“Yes.” He continued to work, sliding his eyes over his paper, his pen making scratching noises as he wrote.
The plane’s engines roared to life.
“So what kind of client are you going to meet?” Alexis asked.
“A woman’s clothing company.”
“Nice.” She shifted on her seat as the plane started speeding down the runway.
“Do you have many women working on the campaign?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Why not what?”
She sighed. “Why don’t you have many women working on the campaign?”
“We don’t have many women in our office.”
“Oh.” She shifted again on her seat. The plane was ascending now, and she was gripping the armrests so hard her knuckles were turning white.
“You okay?” Reid asked.
“Yes.”
“You seem nervous.”
“I don’t like take offs and landings,” she admitted.
“It’ll be over before you know it.”
The plane began to level off, and she let out the breath she’d been holding.
“See?” he said. “All done.”
“You don’t get bothered by flying?”
He grinned and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “Guess I’m not that much of a control freak after all.”
***
They spent the rest of the flight in silence. Reid let her use his iPad to read a book while he worked on refining his pitch.
By the time they touched down in Tampa and Alexis’s stomach had stopped flipping around from the landing, she was excited to be in a new place. She was going to think of her time in Florida as a chance to recharge her batteries, to take a little time for herself before she got to work on rebuilding her life.
They took a taxi from the airport to the hotel.
“Wow,” Alexis said as they walked into the lobby. “Your company likes to travel in style.”