The Morning After: Starting from Zero Box Set

by Dallen, Maggie

  She loved him. That revelation had kept her up half the night, tossing and turning. Love. She’d always thought that when she fell in love for the first time, it would be easy. Maybe she’d watched too many romantic comedies growing up, but she’d always assumed that she’d meet some cute guy, fall in love, get married and live happily ever after.

  The fact that she might sleep with a relative stranger find out he was her client, fall head over heels and then be forced to choose between him and her career? That thought had never even crossed her mind.

  She sat up straight when Alex walked into the room looking weary and exhausted.

  Her heart ached at the sight. When she walked toward him he opened his arms, and Lacey stepped into them without thinking. His solid warmth beneath her cheek was heaven.

  He dropped his head so his face was buried in her hair. “Thank you for being here.”

  “Of course. Where else would I be?”

  She held him tight as though she could physically give him her strength. “How is he?”

  Lacey could feel him sigh. “Not good. The cancer spread and he’s worse than he’d let on.”

  “Was he awake when you went in there?”

  “Yeah.” Even his laugh sounded tired. “He was barely conscious, but all he wanted to talk about was business. He’s terrified that his collapse will weaken my bid for the presidency.”

  Lacey moved to look up at him. “Do you think that’s true?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m sure a lot of my supporters on the board have been under the assumption that my grandfather would be the puppet master pulling my strings if I took over. Knowing that he’s—” Alex cleared his throat. “Knowing that he’s—they may have a change of heart once they realize he won’t be running the show much longer.”

  Lacey looked him in the eye. When she saw the pain there, she couldn’t help but reach out a hand to stroke his cheek. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’ve worked so hard; you’ll win this on your own merit.”

  She could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “I hope you’re right. Lace, this means so much to him.”

  “What about you? Is this what you want?” It was the second time she’d posed the question, and she had a feeling she was the only one who ever bothered to ask. She studied his face as he contemplated it. For a moment, she wondered what she would do if he said he no longer wanted this.

  What would she do? Would she try to convince him that he did so that she could look good in the eyes of her company? It didn’t even warrant consideration. No, of course she wouldn’t. If Alex decided to walk away from his grandfather, his family’s company and the Wingates, she would help him pack and cheer him on as he got into the cockpit where he clearly felt at home.

  Even though it would mean she had failed—at least in the eyes of her employers at Ackland. She would rather he be happy. That was her choice. She chose him.

  The realization was like a lightbulb going off. In one split second an unbearable weight lifted from her chest and despite everything—the smell of the hospital, the weary sadness in Alex’s face, the looming board meeting—she was unbelievably and overwhelmingly happy.

  She’d made her decision. She chose this man.

  Alex’s voice brought her back to the present. “I want this,” he said. He spoke with a conviction that was undeniable and she felt a swell of pride. “I want this for me and for my father and for him.” He jerked his head toward the wing where his grandfather was sleeping.

  “Why do you want it?” she pushed.

  “Because I want to see my family’s vision become a reality. I want to see all of our employees prosper, and I want to be a part of it. I was born and raised within that company, and I know where its future lies.”

  Lacey beamed up at him. “Bravo. My pupil is now the master.”

  He laughed, but she hurried on. “I’m serious. If you talk like that at the board meeting, there’s no way you won’t win. They need to see how much you want this and how much you care.”

  He lifted a brow as he studied her. “You certainly have a lot of confidence in me. Funny, I didn’t think you cared.”

  One corner of his mouth was lifted in a smile, but it wasn’t hard to read the hurt that lie beneath his teasing words.

  “Alex, I—”

  He held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t. It’s okay; I get it.”

  “I’m sorry,” she finished. She looked up into the green eyes she knew so well and let him see what she was truly feeling. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t mean what I said.”

  He was studying her and whatever he saw must have convinced him because a grin spread across his face and he pulled her into his arms.

  She rested her cheek against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  He held her away just far enough so he could meet her gaze. “I never expected you to give up everything for me. You know that, right?”

  Lacey nodded.

  “We’ll figure out a way to be together that doesn’t put your career at risk,” he continued. “I promise we’ll find a way.”

  For a moment, Lacey believed him. If there was anyone who knew how to get his way, it was this charming Greek god standing before her. But she had to say it anyways, she had to let him know what he meant to her.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said. At his confused look, she reached a hand out to lightly stroke his cheek. “I choose you.”

  It felt so good to say the words out loud. But the intensity in his eyes was nearly her undoing. The tender, awed look of love returned.

  He shook his head, “No one is asking you to choose.”

  Lacey smiled up at him. “I know, but I thought you should know. I pick you.”

  “You’ve worked so hard; I would never—” Now it was her turn to cut him off. She stood on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips.

  His arms tightened around her, so she was firmly wedged against him. So close she could feel the evidence of his arousal.

  “Really?” she teased. “Here? Now?”

  He leaned in so their lips were tantalizingly close. “I can’t help it. You’re so hot when you’re giving motivational speeches.”

  She laughed and as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Easy tiger, now is not the time. Monday night, remember?”

  He groaned in mock misery. “Fine. A few more long lonely nights. I suppose I can wait.”

  “How noble of you,” she teased as she disentangled herself from his embrace. “I better get going and you should too. You need a nap and a shower if you’re going to be presentable at the party tonight.”

  He dropped his head with a moan. “I almost forgot. I’ve got to make nice tonight, don’t I?”

  “Just be your wonderful, loveable self and you’ll do fine.”

  “You’ll be there tonight, right? I need you by my side.”

  Lacey smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  She turned to leave, but he caught her hand and pulled her back. His expression was unusually serious. “Lacey, I—”

  “What is it?”

  “Thank you for being here. Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Her heart was lodged in her throat. “Alex,” she sighed. Before she could say more, he leaned in and slowly, tenderly captured her lips with his for a heartbreakingly sweet kiss.

  Hours later, Lacey was putting the final touches on her makeup when there was a knock on her hotel room door. She hurried to open it and when she did, she nearly melted into a puddle on the hotel room floor.

  Alex leaned against the doorframe, tall and lanky in a perfectly fitted suit. His hair was unusually tame and for the first time since she met him, he was completely clean shaven and looked as though he’d stepped directly off the cover of a magazine ad for an obscenely expensive cologne.

  The lopsided grin was the icing on the cake. Lacey lifted a hand to the corner of her mouth to make sure she wasn�
�t drooling. She wasn’t, thank God.

  He was staring at her with unabashed admiration and Lacey could feel the jolt of desire right down to her toes.

  Or was that the narrowed toes of her stiletto heels making her scream in pain? Nope, definitely desire.

  “You look gorgeous,” he said.

  She resisted the urge to fall into his arms. Three more days. She could wait two more days. “What are you doing here?” She glanced down the hallway as though spies were hiding behind the potted plants before pulling him into her room.

  He reached out for her, but she slapped his hand away.

  “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” she repeated as though speaking to a child.

  He gave her a weary look. “Escorting you to the party?”

  She narrowed her eyes at his charmingly boyish look. It was his company they were trying to save here. His career. One would think he could manage to think with his brain for a little while longer.

  “No,” she drawled. “You are most definitely not escorting me anywhere.”

  She pointed toward the door. “We’re trying not to rock the boat, remember? We’re trying to keep everyone happy until the election is over. Or have you forgotten?”

  He rolled his eyes, but his sheepish grin gave him away. “Fine, I’m not here to escort you, I’m here to give you a lift.”

  She raised one brow in response.

  “We’re carpooling?”

  She scowled.

  “Oh, come on. We’re saving money. It’s the frugal thing to do.”

  She gave an unladylike snort.

  “We’re saving the environment?”

  Lacey shook her head in disbelief. She grabbed his arm and started leading him toward the door.

  “Oh, come on. This is ridiculous. We’re coworkers and friends. I think we can manage to split a cab without offending anybody.”

  Lacey caved—partly because he’d made a semi-decent point but mostly because, despite her urgent shoving, she hadn’t managed to move him an inch toward the door.

  “Fine. Wait here.”

  When she walked into the bathroom to put away her makeup bag, her hands were shaking with nervous energy. You’d think this was her first date.

  This was not a date. She widened her eyes and made a face in the mirror. For the love of God, somebody had to remember that tonight. It had damn well better be her.

  The taxi rolled to a stop in front of a luxury apartment building on the Upper East Side. “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” he said.

  Lacey checked her lipstick in the cab’s rearview mirror. “You’re the one who insisted on splitting a cab.”

  He rolled his eyes. “So now I’m stuck sitting in a cab by myself all night?”

  The cab driver cast them a look over his shoulder. “No offense, man,” Alex added. The driver gave a curt nod.

  “Not all night, just for fifteen minutes. That will give me plenty of time to say hello to everyone before you arrive. No one will ever know.”

  “That we split a cab,” Alex finished. He threw his hands up in mock horror. “Scandalous.”

  “We can’t take any chances. Not tonight. Not until—”

  “Monday. Yeah, I remember.”

  She leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek before sliding out into the cold, misty night. The doorman let her in, and she found herself in a cavernous, marble-lined foyer that smelled like old money. “This way, ma’am.”

  If the foyer was impressive, the Wingates’ penthouse suite was mind-blowing. Lacey had met her fair share of rich people, but she’d never seen wealth like this. The collection of art on the wall was better than any gallery she’d ever seen and every piece of furniture looked as though it belonged in a museum.

  “There you are,” Jess greeted her with a magnanimous smile before air kissing her cheeks. “We were all beginning to wonder where you were.”

  She made a point of looking behind Lacey as though expecting to see someone else walk through the door. “Where’s Alex?”

  Lacey shrugged and said a silent prayer that she’d insisted on making him wait in the cab. Jess was all smiles as she led her further into the apartment where crowds of Newsom Industries employees and board members were already gathered. But Lacey saw through Jess all too well by this point. She was no more fooled by her smiles than Jess was fooled by the fake pearls around Lacey’s neck.

  Jess was out for blood.

  Lacey knew the exact moment that Alex walked through the door. The entire atmosphere in the penthouse shifted as he made his way through the crowd. He made everyone happier, lighter, more confident and relaxed. He was just so naturally charismatic. Lacey smiled as she sipped her drink and listened to Heather and Raj debate the merits of living in a penthouse versus owning a mansion in the suburbs.

  He was a born leader. And he was hers.

  For the next hour, she and Alex circled one another in the room as they made the rounds. They studiously avoided speaking to one another, but every time their eyes met, they spoke volumes.

  They were so close. Once he won the election—and there was no doubt in Lacey’s mind that he would—they would be free to be together. They would be free to explore their feelings and to make a real go of it. Lacey shivered at the thought. She’d never felt this way before—not even about her ex-boyfriend.

  That had been kids’ stuff. That had been an infatuation, a hint of what was to come. She cast a quick glance across the room and watched Alex listening intently to a woman from accounting who was talking his ear off.

  Her heart did a flip flop at the sight of his kindness. This was so much more than an infatuation. This was the real deal.

  Lacey started at the sound of Jess’s voice behind her. “May I have a word?”

  When Lacey turned around, Jess was still all smiles—for the sake of the people around them, no doubt—but her tone was crisp and businesslike.

  This could not be good.

  “Of course,” Lacey said, and she followed the other woman through the crowd and into a darkened hallway where the party ended and the private residence began. They walked past several closed doors before Jess ushered her into a dimly lit office with dark wood furniture and the stuffy feel of an Ivy League library.

  Jess gestured for Lacey to take a seat but she remained where she was, close to the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. She was in no mood to play along with Jess’s charade.

  “What is it, Jess?”

  The other woman dropped the smiling hostess routine and turned to face her with a cold, hard glare. “I was so sorry to hear about Alex’s grandfather this morning.”

  Lacey blinked in surprise. She hadn’t realized the other woman knew about Mr. Newsom’s trip to the hospital. Alex had done everything in his power to keep it under wraps.

  She waited warily for the other woman to make her point.

  “I felt so sorry for Alex. I mean, it can’t be easy for him to see his grandfather like that, especially after everything he’s been through this year with his father’s death.”

  Jess toyed with a paperweight on the desk, and Lacey had the sinking feeling that she was being toyed with as well. Get to the point already, she wanted to shout. But she remained quiet.

  “I wanted to be there for him,” she continued. “After all, Alex is one of my oldest friends and I’d like to think we’re well on our way to recapturing the relationship we once had.”

  Lacey’s eyes narrowed. Talk about melodramatic. Jess was performing a one-woman play for an audience of one. She was losing patience fast. “So?”

  Jess’s head snapped up, and she shot her a look of annoyance at the interruption. “So,” she drawled. “Imagine my surprise when I showed up at the hospital to comfort the man I love and there you were … in his arms.”

  Lacey’s stomach sank. “Jess—”

  “Don’t.” Jess had been leaning against the desk, but now she stood straight, hurt and anger evident in her gorgeous features. “I don’t wa
nt to hear it.”

  She moved to stand in front of the desk, directly opposite Lacey. For a brief moment, Lacey felt a flicker of guilt. Jess was clearly angry but more than that, she was hurt. She was disappointed. She was in love with Alex and he didn’t love her back. Lacey hated to even imagine how that would feel.

  “He didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said. Her voice was soft and for a moment, she thought she saw Jess’s anger fade. “We didn’t mean to hurt you,” she added.

  At that, any sign of softness flew out the window, and Jess’s expression hardened. “Of course you didn’t mean to,” she snapped. “Because I made it very clear what would happen if you interfered.”

  Lacey sucked in a deep breath. She was sick and tired of Jess’s threats. She was officially over it. “I don’t care.”

  Jess’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “I don’t,” Lacey continued. “It’s sad and pathetic that the only way you think you can get Alex to love you is to threaten my career.”

  She saw Jess’s eyes narrow dangerously, but she didn’t care. Anger had replaced any feelings of sympathy she might have had.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as selfish as you,” she said. “You say you care about Alex? Well then do what’s best for him. Wish him well. Support him and his choices. That’s what love is. What you feel? That’s not love, it’s not even friendship. You just want to control him and have everything you want just the way you want it.”

  Jess raised one brow. “Are you finished?”

  “No. You are a spoiled brat, and you don’t deserve Alex.” There was a pregnant pause as the two women faced off. Lacey let out a huff of air. “Okay, now I’m finished.”

  Jess stood there considering her, a pitying look on her face. “It’s hard to believe you can’t see what a hypocrite you are.”

  Lacey’s head snapped back as though she’d been slapped.

  “You say I’m selfish, but I’m not the one standing between Alex and his dreams for the future. I’m not the one messing with his family legacy.”

  “Neither am I,” Lacey bit out between gritted teeth. “I’m helping him get everything he wants and deserves. I’m helping him get it all on his own merit. He’ll get it all his way and on his terms. Not yours or your father’s. Not even his grandfather’s.”