Janna Masterson stood just inside the door, his receptionist right behind her.
"I'm sorry," the receptionist said with a frown. "She insisted."
"It's fine," he said, waving his employee away. "Let her in."
Janna walked a few paces forward and the receptionist stepped out, shutting the door behind her.
"You sonofabitch!"
Alex shook his head. Count on Janna to pull no punches.
"Janna, how nice to see you. Did you enjoy the honeymoon?"
"Don't give me any of that shit, Drake. What did you do to her?"
Alex sighed. It was evident what she was talking about. "I take it the honeymoon wasn't good, then?"
Janna frowned, then sat at a chair across the desk from him. "The honeymoon was fantastic. I almost convinced Brice to stay for another month, but there was some deal with a famous chef that needed his personal attention. Speaking of great cooks, what the fuck happened with Lila?"
Alex leaned back in his chair. "You look good." She did. Her red ringlets were arranged around her face like a halo of curls. Bronzed by the sun, Janna looked untroubled, happy. Except for the scowl, of course.
Janna sat there saying nothing, her blue eyes burning into him.
"Don't worry," he said at last. "It's over."
"Don't worry?" Here comes the explosion. "I saw the pictures. Both of them. You knocking out some other yuppie type, and then...on the kitchen table."
Alex closed his eyes and considered putting his head down on the desk. Janna was nothing if not tenacious.
"It was a mistake. One that has been rectified."
"You sure?" Janna's face softened, a wrinkle of worry taking up residence on her forehead. "You look like shit."
Alex smiled. He knew what he looked like. He'd seen the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror every morning. Foregoing shaving this morning, hating to look into his own face for longer than necessary, he sat at his desk, dark stubble on his chin and jaw, no jacket, no fucking tie. To say Janna was correct was an understatement. And she forgot to add that he felt like shit too.
"What happened?" Her tone was gentle, her eyes concerned. Damn her for being such a good friend.
"I fucked up." Alex ran a hand through his hair and stared down at his desk. "We met. Sparks flew. I couldn't help myself." He let out a long breath. "Neither could she."
"I didn't think Lila was the type to...be intimate...with an engaged man."
"She didn't know. At least not a first. And after she found out, it was too late. I honestly didn't expect any of this to happen."
Janna stared hard at him. "You did it on camera."
He scowled. "That wasn't my fault. You can thank Alana for that."
"Alana?" Janna looked surprised. "She knew about you guys?"
"She had her suspicions. Hired some asshole private investigator to stake out Lila's house. Then she leaked the picture after I found out and broke the engagement."
Janna shook her head. "Wow. You really did fuck up."
Alex groaned. "Tell me about it."
"What are you gonna do?"
"What can I do?" His mouth flattened into a thin line, his jaw hardening. "It's over."
"So that's it? Lila meant nothing to you? A quick fling that ruined your dream of a marriage of convenience?"
"That's bullshit!" Alex didn't like her accusing tone. Perhaps because it hit too close to the truth. Or at least what seemed like the truth.
The scowl reclaimed Janna's face. "Then you tell me. Because what it seems like is that you've ruined any chance Lila had of building her business here. She's been run out of town, her name dragged through the mud, and here you sit, oblivious."
"What do you expect me to do? Don't you think I would give anything to fix this mess? I'd send her money, but she'd never take it. And any attempt I'd make to promote her business would seem farcical to the public. Besides, she wouldn't let me."
Alex dropped his head into his hands in defeat. The same thoughts had been torturing his mind for days, and it sucked to have to admit them to someone else. He'd royally fucked up, and there was no getting out of it.
"Sounds like you're giving up."
He looked at Janna, his face surely showing the exhaustion he felt. "Like you said, she's left town. I don't think she'd appreciate it if I followed."
Janna blinked at him. "How do you know?"
Alex gave a mirthless chuckle. "Trust me, I know. It's better this way."
"Better for who?" Janna crossed her arms over her chest. "You certainly look miserable."
"I am miserable." His face tightened in pain.
"Then how is this better? Why don't you--"
"To what end?" His interruption left her jaw hanging open. "You know the drill. I've got to fit in with a certain group of people. I have to follow their rules. And there's no room for a woman like Lila."
"Why?" Her confused look said her question was genuine.
Alex leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers together. "Did Brice ever tell you about our...competition in college?"
Janna sighed and crossed her legs. "He mentioned you stealing his girlfriends. You know that."
"But he never told you why?"
She shook her head.
Alex let out a heavy breath. "We were in the same fraternity. Brice was a year ahead of me. Your stereotypical big man on campus. Even back east at our prestigious university where trust funds were as ubiquitous as free contraception, Brice Masterson stood out."
His mind turned back to the past. "Your husband hated me as soon as I tried out for the archery team. I hit the most bullseyes in a single session than anyone before me, shattering the former record set by Brice. Then, when I rushed the same frat he was in, he and his buddies singled me out from the other pledges and made my life hell."
Alex couldn't forget all the petty slights and ridiculous duties those bastards had set for him. But none of it had bothered him until Brice had kept him up the night before the big tournament, scrubbing the whole bottom floor of the frat house with a bottle brush. Alex had supposedly earned the punishment for a minor rule infraction -- being late to a house meeting. Too bad his frat brothers didn't take into account the long hours he had to work off campus. He'd gotten only an hour of sleep before he was up again, rushing to the tournament. But the damage was done. His concentration was gone, and he couldn't hit shit.
"During an archery tournament, my game was off and Brice mocked me mercilessly, even going so far as to suggest to the coach that I be dropped from the team. I immediately sought revenge and snuck off with his bow, loosening the bolts on his bowstring. When his turn came up, he didn't recheck his bow and let loose. The arrow flew wild, hitting a tree not far from the coach's head. He almost kicked Brice off the team instead."
Janna's eyes widened, then she shook her head. "I don't understand what this has to do with Lila."
Alex frowned. "I'm getting to that. After that tournament, Brice and his cronies increased their torments. But the worst of it was the new member kegger. I brought a girl I liked, a girl a little smaller than Lila, to the party. And Brice's two closest friends teased her mercilessly while the crowd looked on and laughed. It took several brothers to pull me off of one of them, and they brought me up before the council, deciding on whether or not to kick me out of the frat."
He still remembered that night, standing in front of the council, his blood on fire, his face flushed with anger, but his fear at losing his chance of remaining in the most prestigious frat on campus was warring with his rage. Brice had stared hard at him, and Alex had known what he was thinking. Here was his chance to rid himself of an annoyance. And yet, Brice hadn't.
"Your husband cast the deciding vote to keep me in. And for some reason, that just made me feel worse. I hated Masterson then and swore revenge."
"But why?" Janna's voice interrupted his reverie.
Alex's brow furrowed. His recitation of the past was making him view things from a new angle, an angle t
hat he wasn't proud of. "I resented him. The teasing at the kegger, it pissed me off. But the fear I felt at being kicked out of the frat, at being cast out of the group I knew would help further my ambition, it was bigger than my anger. I had to be accepted by these people, and that meant making a lot of changes. Brice represented everything I wanted to achieve. He knew the rules. Hell, he made them, evidenced by his decision to keep me in the frat."
Janna nodded as if she understood. Hell, he barely understood it himself.
His voice was rough as he continued. "That's when I decided to play dirty. If I needed a hot sorority chick to fit in, then fuck it, I'd steal theirs. Brice's girlfriend was my first. I didn't realize how serious he was about her until I'd already convinced her to break it off with him and go out with me." He gave Janna a smile. "Still, he should be thanking me for taking her off his hands. She was a heartless bitch."
Janna's lips twitched. "Brice seemed to have a penchant for heartless bitches in the old days."
Alex grinned. "A habit you must have broken."
"Damn straight." Janna's expression turned serious. "But I still don't understand what this has to do with Lila."
"Can't you see?" Alex thought it was painfully obvious. "Things haven't changed since college. I still need that bit of eye candy on my arm to fit in."
Janna's head shook, her red curls bouncing around her shoulders. "That's nonsense."
"Is it?" His voice became hard. "You should see the looks I've been getting from my colleagues. I won't expose Lila to that kind of derision."
"You can't be serious."
Her incredulity pissed him off. "Fuck yes, I'm serious. You don't know what these people are like."
"You're wrong." Janna leaned in to stare him down. "I swim with the same sharks now, remember? You're the one who showed me how. You showed me all the dirty secrets they keep in their closets. How is this any different?"
"Lila's not a secret."
Janna nodded. "That's for sure. The poor girl's name's been spread all over the press."
"Exactly." It hurt to think how his actions might have caused Lila pain. "Even if that hadn't happened, I couldn't keep her a secret. I wouldn't."
His friend's blue eyes were bright. "There's one thing you haven't realized yet."
Alex scowled. "And what is that?"
Janna smiled and leaned back. "You're the one who's chosen to swim with sharks."
Alex blew out another breath. "You don't get it."
"Sure I do. You said it yourself. People like Brice make the rules. So be like Brice. Change the rules of the game."
Janna stood up and straightened her dress. "Stop moping around and acting like a martyr. Get off your supermodel cross and get back the girl who means something to you. You remember how scared I was when I dipped a toe into Brice's world. Into your world. But I realized pretty quickly that none of that high society shit mattered. Only Brice mattered. If you feel even an inkling for Lila of what I feel for Brice, then go after her."
Alex stared up at her. His friend. His brilliant and beautiful friend. "Thanks for the advice, Janna-Banana. I hope your husband knows how lucky he is to have you."
"You know he does." She laughed. "In fact, he was all set to come down here today because he saw how upset I was after finding out about you two. You're lucky I talked him out of it."
Alex nodded. Brice's devotion to Janna was legendary, and it was easy to see why. Masterson would do anything to protect his woman. Suddenly he realized that he'd been doing much the same with Lila, but as Janna has pointed out, his attempts were misguided. Instead of saving them suffering, he'd made things worse for both of them.
Alex rose and gave Janna a hug. "Don't tell Brice we did this," he whispered into her ear during their embrace, and they both laughed. "I don't want to find an arrow in my back."
"You better make things right with Lila, or I'll shoot you myself."
Alex grinned, then his expression grew serious as he considered her words. How could he make things right with Lila? A direct assault would just aggravate her. He doubted he could get near her without her freaking out and running away. No, it would have to be a stealth mission. Get her somewhere unfamiliar, never giving himself away until he could blindside her, have her at his mercy.
And he thought he had an idea of how to do that.
"Hey Janna," he said. She turned at the door, her expression inquisitive. "Tell Brice I need a favor. Do you think he'd let me borrow that assistant of his?"
Chapter Seventeen
Lila answered the door in her sweatpants and an old t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. Her appearance didn't seem to affect the delivery man who handed her the floral arrangement and then hurried back to his van. Lila carried the flowers into the house, taking them into the kitchen and setting them on the table.
The arrangement wasn't large. A few carnations, some daisies and green pom poms. She pulled out the card, surprised to see the message inside.
I heard you were back in town. I'm down
visiting my mother. How about dinner?
--Dave Cooper
503-541-5118
Lila held the card, ignoring the bitter taste of disappointment. The flowers weren't from Alex.
She didn't know why she expected them to be. He hadn't tried to contact her at all in the weeks since she'd left Portland. Apparently he was taking the separation better than she was. She doubted he'd been moping around in sweatpants for days on end.
Lila had only left the house when forced to go out for supplies. Even then she often ordered pizza instead of going out for groceries. After a slice or two she generally gave up, her appetite deserting her for the first time in her life. The kitchen no longer seemed a safe haven, and she hadn't bothered to cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs since her return.
At least I could probably fit into my size 18 jeans again, she thought. If I ever changed out of these sweatpants. But now it appeared she might have a reason. Dave Cooper wanted to have dinner. Maybe he hadn't heard about the implosion of her business and her personal life.
He'd sent her a few emails, very polite with a flirty undertone that had increased over time. She hadn't had the heart to say much in return and had kept things neutral. How could she consider flirting when her heart felt like it had died in her chest?
Because my business is dead. That's what she told herself was causing the pain anyway.
Now Dave was upping the stakes.
Two hometown heroes, he'd called them. Lila didn't feel much like a hero. A hero didn't hide out in her mother's house, wishing for things that could never be. A hero didn't drive her business into the ground before she'd even managed to get it off said ground.
And yet, maybe Dave Cooper was just what she needed to get out of her funk. Perhaps he'd have some advice about bringing a business back from the afterlife.
And, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind, maybe he can resurrect some confidence as well. A little light flirting with another man might help her shame pull out of its downward spiral.
Lila dialed the number, secretly hoping to get his voicemail. A message seemed much more manageable than conversation.
"Hello?"
No luck. "Hello, Dave?"
"Speaking."
"This is Lila Johnstone."
"Lila! It's great to hear from you."
"Likewise. Thank you for the flowers. They're lovely."
"Sure, sure," he said, his voice taking on a serious tone. "I know you've been going through some tough times."
Shit, so he had heard. Oh well.
"I appreciate it," she said, unsure of what else to say.
"So what do you think?" he asked. "About dinner?"
Lila made to answer, but a noise in the background distracted her. "Who are you talking to, David?" The voice was muffled, but sounded like an older female.
She thought he might have covered the phone, but could still hear his response. "It's Lila, Mom. I'm asking her to
dinner."
"Oh no you're not."
Lila cringed. What happened to Mrs. Cooper being on her side? Alex Drake and you, fucking on the kitchen table, that's what happened.
"Stop it, Mother. Leave me alone." Lila heard some shuffling, then what sounded like a door closing. "Sorry about that," he mumbled.
"No problem," she said, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
"Look, I hope that didn't put you off dinner. I'd love to take you out."
Lila held back a sigh. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."
"I disagree. We're both back in town at the same time. I consider that to be more destiny than coincidence. Besides, you never came by my burrito cart, so technically you owe me."
Lila let out a stilted laugh. He was correct, but she wasn't sure if she liked his pointing it out. Still, there was nothing else going on, she realized as her gaze scanned the empty kitchen. And the flowers were nice. She'd never received flowers from a man before.
"Okay," she said at last. "Dinner sounds nice."
"How about tomorrow night? I can pick you up at 7."
"I'll see you then."
The next day Lila forced herself out of bed and into a hot bath. She soaked, gathering her strength, willing herself out of the house and back into public. A date. At least it sounded like one. What did she know about dates? About flowers? About a normal relationship between a man and a woman?
Next to nothing.
She climbed out of the tub and concentrated on grooming. She painted her nails, shaped her eyebrows. Picked out an outfit that wasn't too casual, but wasn't very dressy either. Pulled up her hair into a sleek pony tail.
That still left too many hours of the day to wait. So she paged through magazines and stared out the window, wondering how she'd make it through dinner. Dave was nice enough, but she wasn't sure of his intentions. Or her own, not really. And his mother hates me now. Can't forget that.
She went through the motions of picking up the house to distract herself from her thoughts. There wasn't much to pick up, besides a few empty pizza boxes. She carried them out to the garbage can, then put the can on the curb. Stopping by the mailbox, she was surprised to find a large manila envelope inside.
Worth the Risk: (A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) Page 67