“I’m sure that I can manage to juggle both a career and a relationship,” I said dryly. It was a good thing that she didn’t know my new boss was the relationship.
“Krys, I wish you would just take my advice for once. It’s like I’ve always said, you should wait to –,” she started, but I cut her off.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I should wait until I’m established in a career before
I think about getting serious with anyone. I know your stance on the matter, mom.”
Allyson, knowing that the situation was starting to spin out of control, decided to speak up.
“Mrs. Long, would you like something to drink? Why don’t you sit down and relax for a bit? I’m sure you’ve had a tiring day, with the drive and full day of shopping and all.”
“I’m fine, dear. But thank you,” my mother dismissed. Then without skipping a beat, she came at me again. “Krys, I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did.”
“Mom, I’m not you,” I said in a warning tone.
“I know that, and I’m not comparing. I’m talking in general here. Too often women rely on men for support, only to be left high and dry when things don’t work out. I don’t want that for you.”
“It won’t be,” I said through gritted teeth.
“How can you be so sure? You never know if –,”
“I know because I refuse to spend my life dwelling on the what-if’s!” I lashed out. “I refuse to walk around bitter at the world for things that are out of my control. I don’t want to grow old only to look back and see that I spent my life being a spiteful and untrusting human being! I can’t hate a person strictly because they have a penis! That’s who you are and I don’t want to be like you. I want to be happy!”
Her head jerked back like I had slapped her. I watched all the color visibly drain from her face.
“I have a good life, Krystina Lynne,” she said quietly, using my middle name that she typically reserved for times when she was truly angry. Or hurt. Her eyes began to glisten with tears. “I gave you a good life. I don’t want you to ever forget where you came from.”
Seeing her tears made me instantly regret losing my temper. I was in a foul mood because of the recent shock about Alexander and the confusion I had surrounding our relationship. She didn’t deserve me taking it out on her.
She just made it so hard.
She was on constantly on my case, riding me about one thing after another. We have had more arguments than I could count in the past, but this was the first time I had truly spoken back. I knew that this day would eventually come, and I thought I would feel better for it. Instead, I felt terrible.
“Look, mom –,” I started.
A knock at the door cut me off, and I could hear Frank calling from the other side to be let in.
“I’ll get it,” Allyson offered.
However, when Allyson opened the door, Frank wasn’t alone. Alexander was standing there with him.
I suppressed a groan.
Great…just what I need right now.
****
To say that there was tension in the air would be an understatement. It was more like the after shock of a nuclear explosion.
A leggy blond, who I assumed to be Krystina’s roommate, stood in the kitchen with her brow furrowed in consternation. I guessed the other woman to be Krystina’s mother because of their striking resemblance, although her eyes were red rimmed with tears while Krystina’s face was flushed in anger.
I looked to Frank Long, but he just shrugged and shook his head. The poor man looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Having little choice in the matter, I did what I did best. I put on my game face and took control of the situation.
Leading the way, I entered the apartment with Frank in tow.
“Good evening, ladies,” I greeted. Stepping up to Krystina, I planted a kiss on the top of her head and motioned over to Frank. “Look who I met in the elevator?”
“Alex, I thought Hale was coming back for me later and I was going to meet you at your place,” Krystina said. Her voice sounded strained.
“After he dropped off you and Allyson, I gave him the rest of the night off. I happened to be out, so I decided to come by to pick you up instead,” I said easily. “How was your day at the spa?”
I heard the subtle sound of one clearing their throat from somewhere behind me. When I turned to look, I saw the blond watching me carefully.
“You must be Allyson,” I assumed. I flashed her my most disarming smile, but she wasn’t taking the bait. She only narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“And you must be the infamous Alexander Stone. Krystina’s told me a lot about you.”
Hopefully not too much.
“Sorry, I’m being rude. I forgot that you guys haven’t met,” Krystina apologized. “Alex, this is Allyson Ramsey.”
“Don’t believe half of what she says about me,” I joked to her roommate. She smiled at me in return, but her grin didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’m happy to have finally met you. Krystina speaks very highly of you. The two of you seem close.”
“Of course we are. Like they say – opposites attract,” Allyson said.
I tilted my head to the side in confusion.
“She’s Aries, I’m Cancer,” Krystina explained. “Ally’s really into to stuff like that.”
“Sorry, ladies. I don’t know too much about zodiac signs,” I laughed.
“It just means that we balance each other out,” Allyson said. “And that the ram is usually very protective of the crab.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I responded, completely unruffled by her discernable warning. I smiled politely. If Miss Ramsey thought that she could intimidate me, she would be sadly disappointed.
“Alex, you’ve already met Frank, my stepfather,” Krystina continued her introductions, seeming oblivious to the undercurrent that flowed between the roommate and me. “This is my mother. Mom, this is Alexander Stone.”
Krystina motioned to her mother, who had been noticeably quiet since I had come in. Turning to face her, I extended my hand.
“Yes…um,” she stuttered, seeming to be caught off guard. “I’m Elizabeth. Elizabeth Long.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Long.”
“Please, call me Elizabeth,” she offered.
“Your daughter never mentioned that you would be in town this weekend,” I remarked courteously, throwing a sidelong glance at Krystina.
“They showed up unexpectedly,” Krystina clarified. “Had I known, I –.”
“If you two have plans, don’t let us get in the way,” Elizabeth Long cut in. “Go on ahead, honey. I’ll just go shopping with Allyson. Besides, Frank is wiped out. I think there’s a football game on that he wants to watch anyway. We’ll catch up later on, or perhaps tomorrow.”
“Michigan State, my alma mater,” Frank chimed in. “They’re playing Iowa tonight.”
“Wait, you want me to go out?” Krystina incredulously asked her mother. She seemed completely floored.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Elizabeth said innocently. A little too innocently in my opinion, and I was curious as to what went down before I arrived.
“Because you just said…” Krystina trailed off. She looked at me, seeming completely at a loss. It was if she was torn between visiting with her family and spending time with me. However, I sensed that there was more to it than just that.
Much more.
“Krystina, if you want to go shopping, that’s fine with me,” I offered, trying to lighten her burden of making a choice. “I can stay here and watch the game with Mr. Long until you get back.”
She looked absolutely appalled by the idea, and I had to stifle a smirk.
“No, that’s okay,” she vehemently shook her head. “We can still go on as planned.”
“Whatever works. But in the meantime, I have a suggestion. The night is young,” I stated, turning to address everyone else in the room. “Assuming that it won’t impede on t
he shopping trip, why don’t the five of us share a pre-dinner cocktail? I’m sure these ladies keep a decent stock, and I’ve been told that I can mix an excellent Manhattan.”
Everyone just stared at each other awkwardly for a minute upon hearing my proposition. Frank was the first to speak up.
“I think that’s a great idea, don’t you Lizzie?” he said to his wife. “We’ve come all this way, and I’d like to get to know this gentleman that Krys has taken a liking to.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Allyson agreed. She was still carefully scrutinizing me, and I knew that she was seizing the opportunity to get to know me as well.
Deciding not to wait on the approval from mother and daughter, I went to the kitchen and began pulling out glasses from a cabinet.
“Allyson, could you point me in the direction of your liquor stash?” I asked, using the occasion to engage Krystina’s roommate. Allyson wasn’t the only one with an agenda. My hope was that after a drink or two, she would begin to warm up to me.
“I’ll show him,” Krystina offered, jumping up to assist me instead.
Once we were out of earshot from everyone, Krystina swooped in like a vulture.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Well, as soon as you get me the things that I need, I’ll be mixing drinks.”
She smirked at me and handed me a bottle of red vermouth that she had retrieved from a nearby hutch.
“You know what I mean, Alex.”
“Relax, angel. Everyone’s wound a little tight. I’m just helping to ease the tension in this place.” I took the liquor from her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Because when we are done here, I thought that we might hit a club tonight.”
To my satisfaction, her eyes grew big. She had caught my meaning.
“A club?”
“Yes, assuming that you’re up for it,” I taunted.
“Well, yes…yes, it’s fine,” she stammered, sounding fairly stunned.
“Good. I was hoping that you’d say that.” I finished pouring the whiskey and topped off each of the five drinks with maraschino cherries. Handing two glasses to Krystina, I gave her a smile of reassurance and said, “Now, let’s go entertain your guests. Shall we?”
CHAPTER 42
Alexander and I stepped out of my apartment building and into the foggy night. The storm had fully passed, leaving a damp feel to the air in its wake.
“You were really great with my mother and Allyson tonight. Thank you for that,” I appreciated. “Those two can be tough. The fact that you got them laughing within twenty minutes was no small feat.”
“Piece of cake, angel,” he told me with a wink. “Besides, Allyson made it easy when she spilled her drink all over your stepfathers lap.”
“That was funny,” I agreed. I was grateful for Alexander’s ability to diffuse the precarious situation with my mother. He even managed to put Allyson’s watchful eye at ease.
However, none of it negated the fact that my head was still reeling from what I had discovered earlier in the day, and I contemplated how or if I should bring up what I had learned of his mother. I had hoped to figure out a way to approach Alexander about it when I got home, but in all the chaos with my mother I never had the chance.
Alexander opened the passenger door for the Tesla. Once I was securely buckled, he went around to the driver’s side and got in.
“Do you have any preference in music?” he asked, navigating expertly through the elaborate touch screen of the car.
“No, you pick,” I told him absently.
“Uh-oh,” he said shaking his head. He stopped tapping on the screen to look at me. His face appeared troubled. “You’ve got that tone.”
“What tone?” I asked defensively.
“The tone that says you’re thinking seriously about something.”
“No, not really,” I lied, but only because I hadn’t had a minute to process my thoughts.
“Is it the club?” he pushed. “I thought that you wanted to go, but if you’re having second thoughts then we can always do something else.”
“No, I want to go. But I have to ask – what made you change your mind about taking me?”
“A couple of reasons actually,” he admitted. “For one, you seemed like you could use a distraction. I’m not sure what was going on before I arrived, but it didn’t look pretty.”
“It was just my mother being…well, my mother. I don’t feel like rehashing it.”
“That’s okay. I’d rather you didn’t, at least not tonight anyways. I don’t want to see you get all worked up again.”
“So what’s the other reason?”
He sat back in his seat and stared thoughtfully out the windshield.
“You gave me a lot to think about last night. Your opening up made me realize that I needed to give you something in return. And while I can’t give you the truth that you’re after, I can give you this. You were right, Krystina – there is a lot that we don’t know about each other. If going to my club gives you better insight into my life, then we’ll be better off for it.”
I sat there quietly and contemplated his words. My instinct was to confront him about what I heard his sister talking about at the Mandarin, but what he had to say made me think twice about doing it. In his own way, Alexander was trying. It may not have been in ways that I envisioned, but it was something at the very least.
Respect his limits. Let him be the one to tell you.
However, there was another thing that left me wondering as a result of my eavesdropping.
“Who is Suzanne Jacobs?” I asked.
Alexander turned to look at me peculiarly.
“She’s a friend of my sister’s. Why do you ask?”
“I stumbled upon an article about you and the redhead online,” I told him, deliberately evading the whole truth.
“Oh, yes. That’s right. I remember you bringing this up once before,” he recalled with a frown. “I can’t imagine that the article was very lengthy. There isn’t much to tell. She accompanied me to a couple of political functions a while back. Long story short, she read too much into it and wanted things that I couldn’t give her.”
Alexander turned his attention back to the car and started the ignition. The car hummed quietly to life.
“So that’s it?” I pushed.
He pursed his lips in mild annoyance.
“That’s it,” he said, looking pointedly at me. “Now, we can do one of two things. Either remain sitting here at the curb so that you can continue with this unwarranted cross-examination, or you can pick out music for the drive. You choose.”
“I didn’t mean to sound like I was giving you the third degree. Just go ahead and pick out a song. Something upbeat,” I conceded. Until I could wrap my head around the events of the day, it was better to just let it go.
A punchy drum pattern combined with a bluesy guitar riff filled the quiet space of the car. Alexander tossed me a roguish smile before pulling out into traffic.
“You can never go wrong with The Black Keys. Cause, baby – I’m howlin’ for you!” Alexander said and then followed up with a long wolf cry.
I busted out into a fit of laughter.
“You’re crazy!” I exclaimed. Alexander grinned and rapped his thumb on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.
“Angel, you bring out sides of me that I never knew I had.”
I laughed again, and then sat back to appreciate the tune that was sure to lighten my dismal mood.
When the car came to a halt a short while later, I was surprised to see that we were in front of Alexander’s penthouse.
“Why are we here?” I asked in confusion.
“You’ll need to change. You can’t go to the club wearing jeans and a sweater,” he paused to give me a devilish look. “And I have just the thing for you.”
****
Krystina looked nothing short of amazing in the outfit that I had bought for her, and I was glad that she didn’t protest
over wearing the black leather pants and emerald green silk halter. The thin top was cut low in the back, forcing her to go braless. When she moved the right way, I could see just a hint of her nipples swaying beneath the shirt, something that was sure to drive me insane with lust for the rest of the night.
She had taken it upon herself to touch up her makeup, darkening her eyes and donning siren red on her lips. Although the shades were darker than what I was used to seeing on her face, I couldn’t say that I didn’t like it. In fact, she was downright sexy as all hell, with her mane of curls cascading down her back. I had half a mind to turn the car around and bring her back to my place.
However, I noticed the way she kept looking at her reflection in the side view mirror as we made our way to the outskirts of the city. It was if she wasn’t confident in her appearance. Her hands hadn’t stopped fidgeting since we got back into the car, and they would move up to needlessly rearrange her hair every thirty seconds. She seemed nervous.
“You look beautiful, angel,” I told her. “Just relax.”
She gave me a small smile.
“Am I that obvious?” she asked wryly.
“You can’t seem to sit still.”
“I’m just anxious, that’s all,” she admitted. “I’ve been pushing you about this, but…”
“But what?”
“It’s nothing. My imagination gets the best of me sometimes. I’m just hoping that this place isn’t too terribly scary,” she admitted with a halfhearted laugh.
“You’ll be fine.”
I hope.
We pulled up to a black iron gate, and I lowered the car window to insert my key card into the access slot. The gate opened and we drove through.
“What’s with the key card?” Krystina asked.
“It keeps out voyeurs.”
“Voyeurs?”
“Yeah, you know – Peeping Toms. Everyone who comes here has to go through screening in order to be allowed admittance,” I told her.
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