by Sotia Lazu
She’d get him later.
*
Lexi returned to her desk, and Ric was glad to hang up on the telemarketing call he pretended was work-related. He was on his way back to his desk, when he heard shuffling sounds and then the noise a stack of paper makes when it’s dropped to the floor.
“Ric Ackart, will you please go out with me?” Lexi’s voice was loud and clear in the silence that suddenly reigned in the office.
Ric turned as if in slow motion, noticing the open-mouthed faces around him before his eyes locked on Lexi’s calves.
She stood on her desk. On her desk.
“One date is all I ask for, you stubborn man. Give me a chance.”
She was out of her mind, and this was the sexiest thing a woman had ever done for him. He closed his gaping mouth and strode to the sales department. After what seemed like ages of walking, Ric stopped in front of the woman he loved and looked up at her. “When?”
“Saturday. Pick me up at seven?”
He nodded, not trusting his own voice. She’d asked him out, in front of all their coworkers. It was more than he ever thought she’d do.
He shouldn’t get his hopes up, but he was already daydreaming of where he’d take her, what he’d show her, how he’d kiss her, when she said, “I’m planning the date.”
“Right.” He’d make do.
“And, Ric?”
“Yes, love?”
“Can you help me down?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Following the show she gave the entire floor, Lexi slipped her notice of resignation on Edmund’s desk. It’d save him the embarrassment of having to fire his stepdaughter. She left the building before he returned to his office and while Ric was away from his desk.
She drove to Sarah and Angie’s, determined to work things out with her best friend.
Sarah got the door, a look of cautious optimism on her face when she saw Lexi at the opening. “Should I hide the china?” she asked.
“Nah. I’m not gonna make a mess. I’ll just shoot her. One bullet. Right to the head. Don’t try to stop me.”
They both giggled.
“Was that the doorbell?” Angie called out from somewhere inside the house.
Sarah looked at Lexi questioningly. Lexi smiled and took a step forward, and Sarah moved to the side. “It’s Lexi, baby.”
Things were heard tumbling to the floor, followed by quick stomping, and Angie appeared in the living room. Hair disheveled and eyes puffy, she came to a screeching halt a few feet away from Sarah and Lexi. “Did you come to tell me I’m an awful person and a horrible friend?”
Lexi spread her arms, and Angie ran to her, and the world tilted back into place.
Lexi told the girls how she’d come clean to Ric about everything except for her actual feelings for him. Angie acted like a puppy during the talk, bouncy and excited. She got Lexi water and cookies, and anticipated her every need. Her behavior was out of guilt, and Lexi took advantage of it by getting a foot-rub out of her while Sarah made dinner for the three of them.
When Lexi mentioned a craving for cheesecake, and Angie offered to whip one up, Lexi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Oh. Oh, you’re so mean.” Angie didn’t sound all that outraged.
Sarah all but rolled on the floor laughing.
Lexi fought to catch her breath. “I couldn’t help myself. You were so eager to please.” A fresh bout of chuckles.
“I guess I overdid it, huh?”
Lexi nodded.
“So, am I forgiven?”
Lexi pretended to give the idea some serious thought. “On one condition.”
“Anything. You can have my leather jacket. I never wear it anyway.”
“Nope, that won’t do it. You have to come shopping with me tomorrow. And I know what you did was out of concern for me, but you never ever do magic that will affect me again.”
“I promise.”
****
By the time Lexi got home, dinner was served, and Edmund had apparently filled her mother in on Lexi’s attempts to get Ric to go out with her.
“Shame on you, Lexi. You embarrassed Edmund in front of everyone.” Her mom’s voice was stern, but her eyes held something else.
“Actually—” Edmund tried to cut in but was stopped by twin glares.
“I didn’t embarrass him, Mom. I embarrassed myself.”
“You made him fire you. And for what? Did you get anything out of it?”
Ah. This was what she was getting at. “I got what I wanted.” Lexi grinned.
All reproach left her mom’s face, and the smile that blossomed on her lips made her look ten years younger. “Which means?”
“I got me a date for Saturday.” Lexi smirked smugly. “And Edmund didn’t fire me. I quit.” Yup. She was totally victorious.
Edmund slammed his hand on the table. “All right. Neither of you interrupt me this time. I didn’t fire her, and I did not accept her resignation,” he told her mom, before turning to Lexi. “I did, however, grant you a two-week leave. Make the most of your time off while today’s incident fizzles out, and we’ll discuss options once your mother and I are back from Italy.”
Lexi gaped at him.
“I almost forgot.” Edmund fished a credit card out of his wallet. “You can charge a dress…” He kept it out of Lexi’s grasp when she reached for it. “One dress and dinner on this. Anything extra, I have to authorize.”
“Any dress I want?”
Her mother laughed, and Edmund raised an eyebrow. “One that won’t bankrupt us or make me upset.”
“Yes, Sir.” Lexi mock-saluted. She snatched the card and proceeded to squish the air out of his lungs. “Now, where to make reservations?” she mumbled to herself, when she allowed him to draw breath.
“Ahem, that’s been taken care of, too.”
****
If Lexi had been stressed when she and Ric went on what was so not a date, this time she was driven to paranoia, trying to anticipate and prevent anything that might go wrong.
She double-checked the straps of her dress for loose threads that could lead to the unimaginable catastrophe of a nip slip. She stowed a second pair of silk stockings in her purse, in case she got a snag in the ones she wore, and she spent about a quarter of an hour trying to calculate the probability of one of her high metallic heels breaking off. Should she just pack another pair of shoes? A rucksack that fit her boots in wasn’t the best accessory for a classy date. She’d have to mind her steps.
Deciding on makeup wasn’t any easier. Luckily, she’d foreseen this and started putting it on about three hours before Ric was to pick her up. The first try was smoky eyes and red-lacquered lips. Nope. Too eager and vampy. She took out the makeup-removal tissues and started over. The second try wasn’t eager enough—sticking to mascara and lip gloss was too little effort for a first date that needed to leave a lasting impression. She went for a mix-and-match and liked the outcome. She enhanced her green eyes with a thin line of eyeliner and put the red lipstick back on. There. Simple, clean, and with a touch of sexy.
She ran first one hand and then the other along the line of her cleavage to adjust her breasts. They looked full and enticing but, not overly so. She was lucky to find the perfect date-dress yesterday. Short but not too revealing, it hugged and accentuated her curves in black satin, and the square neckline showed just the tops of her breasts. It took her and Angie hours to spot it, but Angie’s promise meant she didn’t complain once during the hunt for the perfect outfit.
Unfortunately, it also meant Lexi couldn’t call her now and ask for a spell or charm, to ensure her date went smoothly. Lexi toyed with the idea of begging for one nonetheless.
No. No need. She’d make it work. She’d get her guy and her happy ever after on her own.”
She removed the curlers from her hair, twisting each blonde lock around her finger so it kept its form, while she went over the details once more, to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything
. She was loosening the tight ringlets so they showed their length, when her phone rang. Ric could be calling to cancel. Her heart leaped up her throat, as she rushed to get it. Still running the fingers of one hand through her tresses, she looked at the little screen.
Not him. “Mom. How nice of you to call. Again. For the fifth time today. What can I do for you now?” Her light, playful tone didn’t match the abruptness of her words.
“Careful how you talk to your mother, young lady,” her mom replied in the exact same manner.
“Yes, yes. How is Milan? Want to pay some attention to it and leave me alone for tonight?”
“I will, as soon as you tell me how you’re wearing your hair.”
The woman had a radar. No other explanation. “It’s down. Bye now.” She started to press the little red button, but her mom's drawn out plea to wait made her bring the phone back to her ear. “What?”
“Pull your hair up. You appear more serious when you do. Richard has to realize you’re serious about the two of you. It also makes you look taller.”
“Bye, Mom.” Lexi hung up. She turned to leave her phone on her dresser, and caught her reflection in the mirror. She loosely pulled up her hair on the visible side of her head. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Once her hair was done, she had reservations at the classiest restaurant in town, wore a little black dress to kill for, sported the perfect coif, and was waiting for the most awesome guy in the universe.
And she had cold feet.
She glanced at her tiny, bejeweled wristwatch. Twenty minutes till he showed up. Too late for her to freak out over whether he’d like what she had in store for him.
The doorbell rang ten minutes too soon, and Lexi made her way down the stairs on wobbly legs that balanced on higher-than-high heels.
She took a deep breath, put on her brightest smile, and opened the door.
Her brain shut down, and her heart missed a beat, at the sight that greeted her.
Ric grinned and offered her an armful of daisies. “Sorry I’m early. Thought a fourth walk around the block would make me sweaty and ruin the outfit.”
“My favorite. How did you know?”
“Edmund mentioned it at some point.” Did he blush?
Lexi kept stealing glances at him, as she scouted the house for a vase. She’d hoped he would wear a suit but didn’t expect him to, even after he called this morning to ask if they were going somewhere fancy. And he cleaned up nicely. He was dressed all in black, matching her perfectly, the color and fabric of the suit adding a feline quality to his movements. He looked like a panther as he prowled the living room, while she figured out where the flowers would look best displayed.
Afraid she’d lose it and jump him, Lexi wanted to leave immediately, so they arrived early at the restaurant. Not that being at a public place made it easy on her. It didn’t help that said public place didn’t exactly qualify as public. Edmund had made a reservation at a very exclusive restaurant, and she and Ric had their own booth.
Lexi was grateful for the waiter hovering and fussing over them, as well as for the wine that flowed freely, making her feel less self-conscious and allowing her carefree self to surface. The conversation didn’t focus on their relationship at any point. Instead, she kept discovering more things she liked about Ric, or interests they had in common. They shared an intense dislike for okra and were willing to kill for chocolate. So maybe these examples weren’t very unique, but they managed to keep talking about them for a good half hour and laugh the entire time.
By the time the main course was over, Lexi couldn’t believe she’d resisted his charm this long. Other than gorgeous and a sex-god, Ric was smart, funny, caring, proficient at snark, and easy to talk to.
She let him choose desserts for both of them from the cart the waiter wheeled to them, and was delighted to see him place a steaming triple-chocolate soufflé in front of her. She cut into it with her spoon, and melted chocolatey goodness poured out. Momentarily forgetting everything but the sweet in front of her, she took her time assembling the perfect spoonful. Spongy cake and gooey chocolate lava topped with Madagascar-vanilla ice cream. As soon as the rich combination of flavors touched her taste buds, she couldn’t hold back a moan.
“Good, huh?”
“Mmm…” She swallowed and licked her lips. “Oh, my God. This may be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth.” She winced, but it was too late to hold back the innuendo.
Ric’s eyes darkened. “Truth be told, kitten, I didn’t give you enough time to have something to compare it to.” He tilted his head to the side and waggled his eyebrows.
Should she reply in the same tone or ignore his comment altogether? He helped her out of that conundrum by chuckling. “You’re adorable when you’re frazzled.”
“You’re such a jerk.” She scrunched her nose, in an effort to keep a straight face.
“You should have seen your face.” Tiny laughter lines formed around his eyes. She wanted to kiss them one by one.
They laughed and teased one another until the waiter cleared his throat. One look at her watch showed it was well after the establishment’s closing time.
*
Ric’s heart had been racing in his chest since she opened her front door. She was a vision in black, which screwed his plans of playing it cool and aloof. The only thing that kept him from skipping the small talk during dinner, granting Lexi forgiveness, and having her on the spot was the very proper waiter, who was never more than a few feet away from their table.
Their waiter signaled it was time for them to go, and Ric stood and pulled out Lexi’s chair. He wasn’t ready for the night to be over, but he hoped there would be more. He helped her up and was elated when she didn’t let go of his hand while they walked to his car in silence.
When they were both seated and buckled up, he couldn’t help but ask the question that had been at the tip of his tongue since she asked him on this date. “What changed your mind?”
“A talk with a friend.” She gave him a cryptic little smile.
Ric groaned. “Not about omens and spells again.”
“About us”—she hung her head, averting her gaze from him—“and feelings. I realized I really, really like you.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was more than he dreamed of just a few days ago. He nodded and closed his palm over hers. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, before bringing her hand to his lips and laying the gentlest of kisses on her fingertips. “And you want us to be together?”
“Do I have to get you a ring or something?” She turned to look at him, her misty eyes belying the lightness of her question.
Instead of answering, Ric cupped her face with his free hand and leaned in to answer with a kiss that had nothing to do with lust, and everything to do with tenderness and love and the promise of a future.
As much as he hated letting her go when they reached her doorstep, he felt as bouncy as a teenager on his first date. In a couple of seconds, he’d be kissing her goodnight.
And maybe this kiss would be mostly about lust.
“So…” He couldn’t come up with a wittier intro to a goodnight kiss.
“I had a great time,” she said.
Ric wanted to slap his forehead. He could have said that. “Me too, and I can’t wait for our second date. Till then, goodnight, kitten.” He smiled and leaned closer, lips already parted.
She stopped him with one palm on his chest. “Um, we don’t have to say goodnight yet. You could come in.”
There she went, nibbling that bloody lip again. It was so sexy, it should be illegal.
“There’s something I… Just come in for a drink?”
He should say no. The first date should be chaste and romantic. His mind had to be clear of thoughts of wild, passionate sex, if he wanted a fresh start.
“Lead the way,” he said finally. He’d trust her not to make their date a prelude to more of the same.
Trust her with his heart.
She
left him in the living room and said she’d go take off her shoes because the heels were killing her. Nothing in her voice indicating a sexual invitation. As much as his body ached for her, Ric was happy for that.
“Ric?” Her voice came from upstairs, lined with urgency.
“Is everything all right, love?” He was already on his feet and flying up the stairs. “You hurt?” He ran to the direction of her voice, and entered a room at the end of the corridor.
The sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks as effectively as a punch to the gut. Lexi was buck naked in bed, on her back. Her legs were spread, and her wrists secured to the headboard with handcuffs.
Ric hated his cock for stirring to life. He hated Lexi for cheapening everything he felt, pummeling everything they could have into a pulp, until there was no room left for hope anymore. Sex was a vital part of every relationship, but it couldn’t be all said relationship consisted of.
He was an idiot for believing things had changed. She just wanted him to keep fucking her, and played the romance angle to get her way. He said nothing—what could he say? Shoulders slumped, he turned to leave. He hated himself for worrying she might not be able to free her hands on her own.
“Ric, wait. It’s not what you think.”
He wanted to rip his ears off, for hearing the plea in her voice. Rip his heart out, for making him pause to hear her excuse. To give her another chance. “What is it then?”
“Please look at me.”
He wouldn’t face her. She could say her piece to his back.
“This is not about sex, Ric. It’s about control. I’m giving control to you. I’ve never consciously handed it to anyone before. I couldn’t. Not even…” She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, she sounded composed. “I didn’t love him this much.”
And he ran to her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
He fell to the bed on one knee and brought her to him with an arm around her shoulders. “My love,” he whispered over and over again, kissing her lips, her nose, her cheeks… With his free hand, he fumbled with the handcuffs, thinking they were the kind with the safety latch.