by K. A. Linde
After acquiring her black suitcase, all thoughts of Chyna left her mind. She walked through the double doors of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and let her eyes strain for the familiar, sleek, black Mercedes. She knew there were probably a bunch of them gliding past the entrance, but she was always able to pick out Ramsey’s.
Her stomach filled with butterflies as she searched for the car. She had really missed him in his absence. He had been busy with work while she was trapped in the law library nearly twenty-four hours a day. Neither of them had had the time to see each other. She was distressed with how close they had gotten and hoped the distance hadn’t changed him. She knew she shouldn’t think like that. They had waited so long to be involved romantically and physically that she knew that train of thought wasn’t logical.
Still a part of her wondered what he did while they were apart. Yes, they were exclusive, and she had told herself that she was only going to be with him. No more lies on her end…ever again.
Just when she moved to sit on a bench to wait, a black Maserati pulled up in front of her. She gawked at the extravagant car. She never could figure out why someone would drive that beautiful car around Atlanta, where the traffic sucked and no one knew how to park.
“Lexi, let’s go,” she heard someone call.
Lifting her eyes to the driver’s side of the Italian sports car, she found Brad staring back at her smiling and waving. Her mouth dropped as she realized that this was Ramsey’s Maserati, and for some reason he had let Brad drive it around town.
“What are you doing here?” she couldn’t help but ask as she hurried toward him with her luggage. He placed her items in the trunk before vaulting back into the driver’s seat.
Lexi looked into the car hoping to see Ramsey’s smiling face from the passenger’s side, but he wasn’t there. Her heart sank. She wanted to see him. It had been too long.
Brad raced out of the airport as soon as she had closed the door. “Sorry, Ramsey got stuck at the office.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She still didn’t know exactly what Ramsey did. The urge to find out was eating at her. She wasn’t sure why, but the topic had never come up again. “And where is that exactly?”
Brad glanced at her briefly, his eyebrows knitted together. “B.E. obviously. Where did you think?” he asked.
Lexi breathed out a sigh of relief, but also frustration. B.E. or Bridges Enterprise was the corporation Ramsey’s grandfather and father had built from ground up. They were extremely proud of their accomplishments, and not too thrilled with Ramsey’s rebellion against all their hard work. Yet, he had rebelled and Lexi had no idea exactly what he did for the company.
“Can you take me there?” Lexi asked.
Brad remained silent for a minute before shaking his head. “Nah. I told Ramsey I’d take you directly to our place. He’d kill me if he found out I drove the Maserati anyway.”
“Well then, I’ll tell him if you don’t take me there,” she told him easily manipulating the situation in her favor.
“Really, Lexi?” he grumbled.
“Don’t make me prove it, Brad,” she told him determined.
He sighed realizing he was beat and nodded. “I’ll have to drop you off though. I don’t want anyone seeing me in this thing.”
“Now, that’s not something I ever thought I’d hear you say,” she said with a sly wink in his direction. He glared at her as he pulled off the interstate and veered toward the tower in the distance.
When he finally arrived at the entrance of Bridges Enterprise, Lexi leaned across her seat and kissed Brad gently on the cheek. “Thanks so much.”
“Just remember...I was not in the Maserati.”
“What Maserati?” she asked coyly.
“Thanks. I’ll take your stuff to the apartment. See your hot ass later.”
Lexi rolled her eyes and slammed the door in his face. She watched him zoom down the street and through the winding traffic. Lexi made her way across the street and into the large glass building. She took a deep breath as she crossed the threshold, memories of the last time she had entered the premises clouding her vision.
It had been nearly five months since she had found out about Jack’s engagement to Bekah in this very building. Five months since she had discovered Bekah’s evil plot to destroy whatever she had with Jack. In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t long enough to get over everything that had happened with Jack. It wasn’t long enough to erase her aching, and it wasn’t long enough to erase her anger.
As she walked into the building that had tore out her heart, stomped on it, and then placed it back in her chest, like pieces of broken shrapnel, as if nothing had happened, she put one foot in front of the other and held her head high. She could do this. She knew it. Her life had changed and now she had Ramsey, her gorgeous boyfriend, who she was here to see. She couldn’t feel anymore or any less for him based on his connection to a building. The building wasn’t changing and it wasn’t the building that had hurt her.
Sighing despite herself, Lexi meandered through the busy foyer and walked up to the first available representative. Lexi cringed as she noticed the tiny Asian woman that was standing in front of her. She had managed to get the same woman who had been absolutely useless to her when she had been here looking for Jack.
“Hello, ma’am. How may I help you?” the woman asked politely
Deciding she might as well attempt to get some information out of the woman, even if it was going to prove to be fruitless, Lexi cleared her throat and said, “I’m here to see Mr. Bridges.”
The woman nearly dropped the pen she was holding. “Excuse me?”
“I’m here to see Mr. Bridges. Can you direct me to his office?”
The woman glanced over at the man who was working at the other computer and then back to Lexi. “Mr. Bridges does not take clients, unfortunately. What concerns are you having? Perhaps I can place you with another associate.”
Lexi tried to keep from rolling her eyes. “Ramsey’s here. I just need to see him. So if you would be so kind to tell me where he is, that would be fantastic,” she stated dryly.
“Ramsey? Oh Ramsey! Mr. Bridges,” she muttered putting the pieces together. “He does not take clients either, ma’am.”
“I’m not a client. I’m his girlfriend.”
This seemed to send her for an even bigger loop. She sputtered clicking on her screen a few times more out of habit than anything. “I…uh…I’m not authorized…”
She was cut off mid-sentence, “Perhaps I can direct you.”
Lexi swiveled around and found herself face to face with a familiar face. Though, she couldn’t exactly place where she knew him.
“Mr. Calloway…” the woman sighed breathily leaning forward against the desk.
“I can take it from here, Tiff, thanks,” he said charmingly adding a wink in her direction. Lexi could tell that the woman was melting behind her. And with good reason. The man before her was handsome with classic, boy-next-door, good looks. He was nearly six feet tall with short brown hair stylishly spiked in the front and chocolate brown eyes. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, and the smile he sent her way was nothing less than friendly. He had a square jaw line with light stubble across it. He wore a crisp navy suit with charcoal pinstripes over a light grey button-up and red tie. He still managed to look devious despite his self-assured appearance. “Lexi, right?”
“Right…you said Calloway?” Lexi asked following him to the elevators surprised that he knew her name.
“You don’t remember me?” he asked hurt coming into his eyes.
“Should I?”
“Brandon Calloway. We met in the elevator. I gave you my business card,” he said trying to bring back the memories.
Lexi gasped and reached into her purse pulling out a wallet filled with various cards. She rifled through them until she came across what she was searching for. “Brandon Calloway,” she murmured softly. “You were so helpful. Thank y
ou. Sorry I didn’t remember you.”
“No problem. I mean we only met once for all of five seconds,” he said smiling at her charmingly again.
“Well, I appreciate you taking me to see Ramsey,” she told him stepping into the elevator.
“Why do I always seem to be taking you to see other men?” he questioned her as he leaned against the metal railing in the elevator.
Lexi blushed pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She hated that someone else had knowledge of the last time that she was in the building, but she couldn’t take it back. Holding her head high, just like she promised herself she would, she smiled back into his endearing face. “I’m a popular woman,” she teased.
“As you should be,” he agreed his eyes flashing from her face, to her bust, to her hips, and back. The elevator abruptly stopped and several people entered. As the doors were about to close, someone shot their hand out and stopped it.
“Calloway, you have those reports ready?” a man in his late forties asked.
“Uh yeah, they’re on my desk,” Brandon answered.
“Well, go get them and take them to Mr. Bridges. He needs them today—now,” he added hastily.
“Fuck,” he muttered angrily under his breath.
“Now, Calloway!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said reaching forward and pressing the number 24 on the elevator. “Pit stop?”
Lexi followed Brandon off of the elevator and down the hallway. She had no other tour guide, so the only thing she could do was to follow him to his office. She entered the office and couldn’t help but to compare it to the only other office she had ever seen in the building. It was much smaller, but still had a series of glass panes behind the desk overlooking the city. The view wasn’t quite as spectacular and the room was sparsely decorated, but Lexi kind of liked it. A medium-sized desk sat in the center of the room in front of two cushioned chairs. Lexi moved forward cautiously and took a seat as she waited for Brandon to finish what he had to get.
“So, what do you do here?” she asked surveying the artwork on the walls.
“I’m an accountant. It’s all a little technical. I’ll save you from the boredom, but I crunch numbers for the big guy,” he muttered rummaging through a stack of papers.
“Oh, nice.”
“Don’t kid yourself. It’s a job,” he said stuffing the papers into a clear binder and clipping everything together. Lexi didn’t really know what to say, so she remained silent as Brandon finished up with his paperwork. “Sorry,” he finally muttered standing up straight and stuffing the binder under his arm. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said hopping up and smiling brightly.
“So…Ramsey Bridges?” Brandon asked knowingly.
“Uh, yeah,” she murmured brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
“How do you know all of these high ranking people within B.E.? Jack Howard. Ramsey Bridges.”
“Oh well, Ramsey and I are dating,” she told him as they took the elevator to the top floor.
“Why does that not surprise me?” he said with a hint of sarcasm. “How long has this been going on, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Uh…I guess officially since Thanksgiving, but we’ve been seeing each other since August I suppose.”
“August,” he gasped, surprise written all over his face. He quickly hid the look, but she had seen it and heard the disbelief in his voice.
“Uh, yeah.”
“August,” he said more calmly. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”
“What?” Lexi asked scrunching her eyebrows together at his statement.
“Nothing, sorry. I’ve known Ramsey for a long time, and no offense, but it just doesn’t sound like him.”
“What doesn’t sound like him?” Lexi asked confused.
“Nothing. Forget I mentioned it.”
“No really,” she pestered.
“It’s nothing. He doesn’t date people for very long is all,” Brandon said with a shrug.
“Oh,” Lexi said taking in what he was saying. This guy was surprised by her existence as his girlfriend. She bit her lip deciphering the statements. Ramsey had flat out told her that he hadn’t had a girlfriend, but the concept was so foreign to her. She wasn’t entirely sure how to process it even now.
Yet this guy knew a side of Ramsey that she didn’t, and she would be stupid not to use the assets in front of her. She didn’t want to, but her curiosity got the best of her. “How long have you known Ramsey?”
“Uh…we grew up together,” he told her more tentative now that he knew that she was dating someone else.
“Really?” she asked surprised that she hadn’t met him yet. She had hung out with his high school friends several times since the night of the bonfire, and she had never heard a Brandon Calloway mentioned.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve just never heard him mention you is all.”
“I could say the same thing about you, honey.”
Lexi cringed but pushed forward with the conversation. “Well, I’m going to be in Atlanta for the next week maybe we could all get together. I’m sure Ramsey would like that.”
Brandon chuckled to himself. “Yes, I’m sure he’d just love that,” he said sardonically. “You bring it up to him and see what he says about that.”
“What? You don’t think he’ll want to?” she asked carefully.
“Not particularly.”
“Oh,” Lexi said confused.
“I’d stick to his bidding, if I were you,” Brandon told her standing up straight as the elevator dinged to the top floor. “It’s easier that way.”
Before Lexi could say anything further, the elevator doors popped open and she found herself standing in an enormous foyer connecting several massive offices. Unlike the other floors, it appeared that the entire top floor was devoted solely to the highest management of Bridges Enterprise. There were very few offices, but each of them was ten times the size of every other office in the building.
“May I assist you?” a beautiful brunette asked walking forward on her kitten heels to greet Lexi.
“Kace,” Brandon purred, falling back into his cool demeanor instantly.
“Mr. Calloway,” she stated, her eyes narrowing, “what brings you to the big leagues?”
Lexi choked out a cough. “I’m here to see you, darlin’, of course,” he suavely stated, ignoring her jab and moving toward her.
“Then you can turn yourself right around and get back on that elevator,” she told him twirling her fingers at him.
“Also, I have this,” he muttered revealing the binder he had been carrying. “Which Mr. Bridges needed on his desk oh…yesterday.”
“You’re insufferable,” Kace murmured, reaching out to snatch the papers out of his hand. He grabbed her wrist instead yanking her forward to only an inch from his face. She gasped as he tilted her off balance bringing her dangerously close to his lips. When she regained her composure, she pushed him forcefully in the chest and straightened out her pencil skirt.
“Oh, and Miss Lexi is here to see Ramsey Bridges,” he muttered pointing his thumb at Lexi.
“Ramsey isn’t seeing anyone today…or ever,” she mumbled under her breath.
“I’m not a client,” she told the woman brushing a lock behind her ear.
“That’s his girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” she asked incredulously.
Brandon let loose a loud laugh at her expression. “Exactly what I said.”
Lexi couldn’t figure out why everyone found it so unbelievable that she was his girlfriend. She knew they hadn’t officially announced it to the universe, but geez this was completely different. “Yes, I’m his girlfriend. Can you please show me where he is?”
“Sure thing. Brandon Calloway, take those papers to him right now,” she told him pointing her finger directly into his chest.
“Yes, ma’am. I like a forceful woman,” he said smacking her on the ass with his binder as he passed
.
“I’m going to file a sexual harassment suit against you, Brandon Calloway,” Kace threatened.
“Then I’ll have to file one against you with what you did to me in that janitor’s closet the other day,” he muttered.
“Brandon!” she gasped shaking her head as he darted around the corner disappearing before she could thoroughly reprimand him. “My apologies.” Lexi laughed at them as she followed her to Ramsey’s office. It was the very last one on the right and the only one absent a secretary. “He’s not here all that often,” she volunteered as to why the place looked deserted. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Lexi told Kace, not certain why she would need luck as she knocked on the door. She jiggled the knob, but it remained locked so she just waited…and waited. When no one answered, she knocked again more forcefully.
“What do you want? Christ, I’m in the office for one day and you have to bother me?” Ramsey called from inside his office. He yanked the door open and stared straight ahead in surprise. His jaw went slack and he immediately looked apologetic about his attitude. “Lexi.”
“Surprise,” she managed smiling brightly into his gorgeous face.
“What are you doing here?” he asked pulling the door further closed.
“I came to see my boyfriend.”
“Brad dropped you off here?”
“How else would I get here?”
“Right I dunno. Can you just, uh…give me a minute?” he asked nervously scratching the back of his head.
Lexi narrowed her eyes at him. “Why? What are you doing in there? Is someone in there with you?” She took a hard look at his clothing, but didn’t really see anything out of place. He was wearing charcoal dress slacks with a navy blue button-up tucked into the expensive material. The top button was undone and he was without a tie, but that was hardly surprising.
“What? No, well yes, but…”
Lexi pushed the door hard letting it swing open and peered around Ramsey’s large form. There, sitting in one of the plush leather chairs, was a tall blonde leaning languidly over a large computer monitor. Despite her casual posture, her clothes were professional in black pants, a crisp white blouse, and black dress heels. Her eyes were intense and focused, and she didn’t even look up as the door swung open.