by Sotia Lazu
“Are you two okay up there, all by your lonesome?” The guy had an extremely short memory span. His voice held what he must have considered a teasing quality.
“We’re fine. We’ll be right down and out of your way.”
They left, still no closer to solving the mystery of Exotic Beast.
Angie muttered something, once they’d exited the building. Lexi caught the word option, but she was used to her friend mumbling when she was deep in thought, so she made nothing of it. Angie typed furiously on her phone while they waited at the bus stop and for most of the ride to their neighborhood.
She gave Lexi a tight hug when they got off the bus. “We’ll figure it all out.”
Lexi promised to keep her updated on any news. She didn’t miss the deep vertical line between Angie’s eyebrows before they went their separate ways. Could Angie know more about the site than she let on?
Nah. Lexi felt bad for even entertaining the thought. Angie wouldn’t keep something like that from her. She texted her college friends, to find out where they’d meet up, and went home to get ready.
Chapter Six
Ric hummed to himself while taking another shower. A cold one this time. He kept humming while making an onion-and-peppers omelet, as well as while eating it. On more than one occasion, he considered calling Lexi again, to let her know he’d solved the imaginary computer problem. In the end, he preferred to let her stew and worry she’d get caught.
What was more, calling her again was what a lovesick puppy would do, and while he was certain he wasn’t lovesick, he was a hundred percent positive he wasn’t a puppy.
The big bad wolf, maybe.
He howled—a fairly impressive imitation of a big dog, if he said so himself. He chuckled, shook his head at his own silliness, and then howled once more for good measure. If he didn’t have to clean up his place, he’d say this was a good day.
When he was done, he went for the wireless phone. A number was written on a post-it stuck to his refrigerator door. He knew it by heart, but double checked while dialing it. He punched the numbers in his phone and brought the receiver to his ear. If he couldn’t call Lexi again, he’d settle for the next best thing.
The phone was answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, Ed. It’s me. Want to go for a drink?”
Pedelty always talked about Lexi’s achievements, but Ric didn’t need anyone to tell him how brilliant she was. He knew that. There were other things he wanted to find out about her. He could do some in-depth research—he had the means to—but he didn’t want to invade her privacy, just to find a way to approach her.
****
Ric was two bottles of beer behind Pedelty, and a galaxy away from learning anything useful about Lexi. All he’d found out was that she loved monkeys and her favorite color was pink. His best fishing tactics had been in vain. Edmund seemed to work around his questions, almost as if on purpose.
Ric had to be more direct. He bought Edmund his fourth beer for the evening, and tried once more. “Must have been hard being a stepdad to a teenager, yeah?” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Having to fend off the boys with a broomstick? I bet Lexi wasn’t an easy one to handle during the rebellious years.”
Outside the workplace, he always reverted to his less polished self. It made him feel he had some control over his life. That he hadn’t gone completely soft yet.
Pedelty shrugged. “No. Not really. She was a hit with the blokes but never made any trouble for me or her mother. We trusted her to make the right choices, and she made a point to keep her dating away from home. Joy insisted on meeting her”—he arched both eyebrows briefly—“dates on several occasions, but Lexi said only Mr. Right would have to undergo the Spanish Inquisition. She did introduce us to her prom date. Nice young fellow, but his handshake left something to be desired. Like shaking a cold fish, it was. I believe she stopped seeing him after that night. And then there was her fiancé. Right pillock, that one. Wish I’d told her I expected it to end badly.”
“Fiancé? Lexi was engaged?” And Pedelty had never mentioned it before?
“Yes. Sore spot with her. The bastard moved her to the other side of the country, before he made a right mess of things.”
Ric was surprised by his instinctive need to find the guy and teach him it wasn’t polite to mess with beautiful, funny, and smart young women. “Was that why she came home?” If the breakup was so fresh, he wouldn’t make a move yet. Lexi’d need some time to herself.
“Partly. It’s been over for a year now, but—” Edmund waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Lexi had me promise nobody in the office would know her personal business. Forget we had this chat.”
“Forgotten already.” Ric was such a liar. He wanted to find out exactly what happened. Pedelty seemed a bottle away from answering more direct questions, but Ric thought he’d better not push him to drink more. He didn’t want to have to explain it to the man’s wife. He’d met Joy a handful of times, during her brief visits to the company, but he didn’t need to ask who Lexi inherited her fierce glare from.
Edmund downed the bottle in a couple of gulps, mumbled something about it not even remotely resembling British ale, and ordered another.
Ric waved for the check. “I’m good, thanks. I’m driving you home after this one. All right?”
“What’s the rush? The night’s still young, and you’ve yet to tell me why you wanted to see me—let alone get me drunk.” Yup, someone’s words were slurred.
“I didn’t…” Ric felt all of five years old under Edmund’s scrutiny.
“Save it. You did. Now, what’s the problem?” Pedelty’s accent had slid closer to the one Ric adopted as Rex. He hadn’t always been the respected family man and business owner he was now. Ric’s dad had often mentioned Edmund’s promiscuous and alcohol-soaked dark years, but never got into further detail about that era.
“There’s a girl,” Ric said.
“When isn’t there one? Come on, mate. Tell me about her.”
“Not much to tell, really. She’s nothing like anyone I’ve met before. And she hates my guts.”
“There’s passion, then.” Ed leaned back and crossed his arms. “What are you going to do about it?” He squeezed his eyes to slits, and Ric hoped it was because of the poor lighting in the establishment, and not a warning. It couldn’t be a warning. Edmund didn’t know who the talk was about.
Did he?
“I want her.” Ric too crossed his arms, feeling nowhere near as nonchalant as his boss appeared. He turned his gaze to the ceiling, afraid Edmund’s would read the truth in his eyes. “So, I guess I should go after her. Yeah. I will go after her, Edmund.” He chanced a glance the man’s way.
Pedelty nodded. “You do that.” He raised his beer upside down and caught the last drops with his tongue, before setting the bottle on the table with a thud. The talk was apparently over. “Glad to have helped, boy. Now let’s get out of here before Joy makes me sleep on the sofa, shall we?”
The grace with which he unfolded himself from the chair and draped his jacket over one shoulder was at odds with the slurred speech from moments ago. So was his swagger, as he led the way out the door.
Ric followed after him, dumbfounded. He had no idea whether the man believed him about the random girl that tickled his fancy, or whether he understood and gave Ric the green light to go after his stepdaughter.
****
Joy threw the door open, just as Pedelty pushed his key into the lock. Her scowl put her daughter’s to shame. “Edmund Pedelty. Coming home later than Lexi, reeking of alcohol and unable to find the keyhole? Honestly.”
She ignored Edmund’s protests that he was perfectly able of letting himself in his own bloody house, and turned to Ric, her gaze softening. “Thank you, Richard, for making sure he got home safely.”
Pedelty leaned sideways on the doorframe and graced his wife with a naughty smirk, as she stood there full of passion and f
ire.
Ric smiled. “He isn’t drunk, Mrs. Pedelty. Just a bit tipsy.”
“Call me Joy, honey. He could have been mugged if he’d walked home. Or worse. You must let me make it up to you.” She paused and did that thing with her nose that Lexi did when she was deep in thought. “You should come to lunch tomorrow.”
Edmund chuckled. “Good luck with that one. I’ve asked him over time and again, but he keeps saying he doesn’t want to impose.”
“This time it’s the lady of the house asking.” As if Ric would miss this opportunity. “I’d love to, Joy. Can I bring something?” He hoped his smile wasn’t frightening. It had been a while since he had reason to smile this widely, and it felt foreign on his lips.
Edmund gave him a surprised look for a split second, before his face settled on his previous smirk.
“Just bring yourself, dear,” Joy said. “We’ll be expecting you around one. Good night, and drive safely.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded to Edmund, who was pulled inside by the lapels and definitely in for a tongue lashing.
Ric bounced down the porch steps and opened his car door with a chuckle. Lexi would freak out, as America’s youth put it.
Chapter Seven
Lexi had to remember to switch off her phone before going to bed. She’d drunk a little too much last night, and couldn’t endure the noise pounding inside her head.
She accepted the call. She’d chomp Ric’s head off, if it was him again. “What?”
“Um… I woke you, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I’ll call—”
“Hi, Sarah. No, it’s okay. I’m up.”
“You sure? ’Cause I can—”
“It’s fine. Really. What’s up?”
“We wanted to see if you’d come over for lunch at our place. Angie’s cooking.”
“And you don’t want to risk food poisoning all by yourself?”
“Never said that.” Sarah’s smile carried in her voice. “Her cooking has come a long way.”
Eh, that was true. Angie tended to—in time—excel in everything she busied herself with. “Let me pour some coffee into my body, and I’ll call you back. Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Talk later.” Lexi hung up and rolled onto her stomach. The idea of going to Angie and Sarah’s for lunch wasn’t unappealing, except for the fact that she didn’t feel like getting up and getting dressed.
There was a knock on her door, followed by her mom’s voice. “Xandra? Honey? Are you awake?”
Uh-oh. Use of Xandra was never good. There had to be chores in the immediate future.
Lexi pulled the covers over her head, praying her mom would give up. In her twenty five years, she should have learned there wasn’t much chance of that. She snorted when her mother knocked harder. “Xandra? It’s almost eleven o’clock. Rise and shine.”
No way she’d go back to sleep now. With a groan, she kicked the covers off. “I’m up,” she mumbled.
“What was that, honey?”
“I’m up, Mom.” She had to step up the search for an apartment, or she might have to kill her mom to keep her sanity.
Her mother’s footsteps echoed down the hall, and Lexi forced herself out of bed. She looked through her drawers for a set of underwear, a pair of jeans, and her favorite sleeveless top. “Of course I’m up,” she said aloud. “Why would I want to stay in bed on a Sunday? The only day this week I had no reason to wake up?” As she pulled out a pair of lace panties, her vibrator rolled forward. There might be hope for her morning yet.
She didn’t feel like a bath, and from the way her mom tried to get her up, it was obvious she had an itinerary Lexi wanted no part of. Her best bet was a quick shower and a quicker getaway.
Well, the shower didn’t have to be that quick.
She stepped under the spray, Mr. Purple already buzzing at the lowest setting.
She ducked, for the hot water to fall on her head and back, her mind rehashing scenes of Rex and Xandra making love. She imagined fingers running down her spine and caressing her hips along the path the water made, while she traced her slit with the toy, letting it linger on her clit. She slid the vibrator inside her pussy a fraction of an inch at a time and clamped her thighs shut to hold it in place. Letting the low hum build up her arousal, she poured some of her jasmine-scented shower gel in her palms, and massaged her body from the neck downward. She cupped her breasts, grazing her sensitive nipples with her thumbs, and couldn’t stifle a moan.
By the time she feathered the fingers of one hand over her mound, the accumulated sensations made her lightheaded. She had to find purchase on the wall. A quick twist of the vibrator’s base between index and middle finger, while she pressed on her clit, and her release hit her with a force that buckled her knees. She leaned her forehead against the cool tile and bucked her hips into her hand, riding out her pleasure.
When she caught her breath, she extracted the plastic phallus, washed it clean with jerky movements, and set it aside. She felt grumpier than before, while lathering her hair and rinsing, but couldn’t find a reason for the deterioration of her mood.
No reason other than the fact that what sent her over the edge was the memory of Ric—IT nerd and asshole extraordinaire—saying, “I’d expect that to make you scream.”
She wrapped a towel around her head, pulled on her clothes, and left the bathroom. Back in her room, she applied some light makeup and her favorite strawberry-flavored lip-gloss. She pushed all annoying thoughts from her mind, slipped on a pair of loafers, and stormed downstairs. If she was lucky, she’d make a clean exit.
She threw open the front door and turned to yell that she’d be at Angie’s, when she bumped into a hard body.
A strong hand coiled around her right upper arm and kept her from toppling over. “Steady there, love. Were you in such a hurry to greet me?”
Lexi’s breath hitched in her throat. The endearment was one Rex had used in the book, and she knew the voice, even though the accent wasn’t his usual one. She looked up, and found Ric’s bluer-than-blue eyes.
Shit.
Lexi took the opportunity to study him as much as their respective positions allowed. He stood on her porch in a charcoal button-down shirt and slim-fit light-blue jeans. She almost swooned at his closeness, his strength, and the firm muscles bulging in his arms. The boy sure cleaned up nice. She shook her head, to snap out of it. Hot or not, he was a jerk, and she was leaving
“What—what are you doing here?” And why had he called her love? It had to be a British thing… though Edmund never used it.
She scowled, channeling her surprise and grudging attraction into anger. It was either that or acknowledge the heat inside and try to make sense of it.
Whatever showed on her face was enough to make him let go. She took a step back and poked his sternum with her finger. “Don’t tell me you’re making surprise house calls to check on Internet Explorer.”
“Actually, I was invited.”
“Oh? Edmund asked you to come over on a Sunday, to talk shop?” She gave him her best and-I’m-the-Queen-of-England look, but her mother’s voice made her spin on her heel.
“I asked him, Lexi. For lunch. And where are you going? Last night you said you’d be eating with us.”
Lexi had been tipsy enough to agree to anything last night, but she knew better than to say so. She took in the box Ric held. Cupcakes? “I forgot I’d already made plans with Angie and Sarah, Mom. Didn’t know we’d have guests.”
“It’s perfectly all right, Joy. I’m sure we’ll have fun without Lexi. There’s no reason for her to reschedule on my account.”
Lexi turned back to him with frown. Had he just been nice? For the second time in two days? Oh, he was up to something. Maybe he wanted to convince her mom Lexi didn’t belong with Pedelty Electronics, since he couldn’t get Edmund to fire her. “I guess I could stay,” she said.
“No, Richard is right. Hold on. I have some cake you can take with you to the girls.”<
br />
“Mom, I’m riding my bike there. I need the exercise.”
“I’ll put it in a bag for you. Come in, Richard.” Before Lexi could protest, her mom left for the kitchen.
Ric winked and walked past Lexi, but she caught his sleeve. “Not so fast. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you better not…” Better not what? Not be in her home, unsupervised—by her. “Just don’t, okay?”
“I wouldn’t.”
His simple reply left Lexi speechless. She wanted the last word, but her mom brought out a platter with half a round cake covered in tin-foil, told Lexi to give Angie and Sarah her best, and all but shooed her away.
****
Angie opened the door, and Sarah rushed to gather Lexi into a tight hug. Even visually, they completed each other. Where Angie was petite and lean, Sarah was plump, taller, with an ample bosom and round rosy cheeks. Sarah’s soulful brown eyes and the air of calmness she exuded added to a wholesome, nurturing image that came at odds with Angie’s wiry, nervous energy.
They were both smiling, and Lexi once more wondered at how perfect they were for each other.
Lexi muttered a subdued greeting and dragged her feet to the couch. She planted her ass on it, clutching the cake which had miraculously survived the hugging. “IT-Richie is at my house,” she said. “He’s probably charming my mom and planting alien spawn in her and Edmund’s bodies, to use them as mindless soldiers in his battle against me.”
Sarah elbowed Angie, who patted Lexi’s shoulder but didn’t speak.
“Would you like me to go?” Sarah asked. “Maybe you want to talk to Angie alone?”
Lexi shook her head. “It’s not a secret. This guy from work seemed to dislike me till—like—five seconds ago but is now all nice and alone with my parents. He has to have an evil plan.”
“Hon, maybe you’re overreacting?” Despite her sweet tone with Lexi, Sarah gave Angie a stern look. She mouthed something Lexi didn’t even try to catch, and Angie shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her eyes.