“I did. We both know that was the only way it would work. Clean break. I just didn’t realize how much I needed you until you were gone.” He shakes his head slowly.
“You need me?” She almost can’t believe her ears.
“Isn’t that obvious? I’m here in London, baby girl, to get you back.”
“You said you had work here.”
He looks at her hard as if she suddenly doesn’t make sense to him. “Come on, Lexi. How would I have work here? I came for you.”
She smiles, a genuine smile, her heart feeling like it might burst. “For me?”
“Yes. I just need one thing from you,” he says.
“What?”
“No more Brett.”
“Okay.”
“Promise.”
“Yes.”
He exhales and his shoulders relax. “Thank you.”
“Are you sure about this, Scotty? You’re sure you want to get back into this with me?”
“Lexi,” he squeezes her hand, “I’ve always been in it with you. I have the fucking tattoo on my chest to prove it.”
She’s not convinced. “You’re sure you can just let go of that dom desire?”
“I will try, for you.”
“I guess that’s all I can hope for,” she says.
“Let’s go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
He kisses her mouth once, then twice. She falls asleep wrapped in his arms, the only place she’s ever wanted to be.
“You won’t like how I play this game you’re starting with me.
You’ve been warned.”
~ Alexa
Alexa rolls over in her bed, feeling the spot next to her for Scott. He wasn’t there. She blinks open her eyes and stares at the clock. Damn, nearly ten in the morning. Pulling herself up, she shuffles into the kitchen for some coffee.
The apartment is empty, no sign of Scott anywhere. Right away, she notices the glasses from the night before have been washed and left to dry. Odd. Then she sees the note hanging on her coffee maker.
‘You’re beautiful when you sleep. See you soon. Scotty.’
That’s it? A fucking note? Why did he leave?
She rips it from the machine and tears it into several pieces, tossing the remnants carelessly to the floor. In his own way, Scott still got her to submit. The strain of Scotty being back in her life was starting to get to her but she knows one thing that will calm her nerves. Opening the kitchen drawer, she pulls out the hidden pack of cigarettes she keeps for just such occasions. She tries not to smoke but when the stress hits her like this it’s the first place she runs. Leave it to Scott Patrick to get her to start lighting up again. It took her six months to stop, and five minutes to start again.
Pulling one out of the pack, she stares at it for a minute before sliding it between her lips. She flicks her lighter and takes a long drag, filling her lungs with the hot, spicy smoke.
She leans against the kitchen counter, slowly sucking in the fumes of her favorite vice. Well, her second favorite–Scotty was definitely the first.
The sound of a key twisting in her front door startles her and she looks up, slightly panicked. Scott opens the door and stops in his tracks, carrying a bag and a tray of coffee.
“You’re smoking again?” he asks.
Crap. “Just started.”
He sighs and gives her a disapproving look. “When?”
“Five minutes ago.”
Scott walks into the kitchen and sets down his purchases. Taking the cigarette from her hand, he tosses it into the sink. “You just stopped again.”
She smiles, knowing how much he hates it when she smokes.
“I brought breakfast and coffee.” He takes the breakfast sandwiches out of the bag. “Smoked sausage and egg for you. If you still like it.”
“I do.”
He bends down to throw the bag away and sees the note on the floor. He picks up a few pieces. “What is this about?”
She shrugs. “I was mad.”
“About what?”
“That you weren’t here. I thought—”
“You thought what? That I just got what I wanted and left?”
She nods. “Honestly, yes.”
He pulls her into his arms. “It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve treated you like shit for so long, you don’t know what to expect.”
She shrugs again.
“I want to kiss you, but you smell like an ashtray.”
Alexa laughs. “Fair enough. I’ll brush.” She goes to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She was sure he left but he got breakfast. He never gets breakfast.
“Your phone rang. It was Brett,” Scott announces when she returns, handing her the phone.
“You looked?”
“Old habits, baby girl.”
“I’ll call later.”
“Call now.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You can tell him that I’m here and that you don’t want to see him again.”
“Scott, he’s my boss. I should tread lightly.”
“I’m your boss too.”
“That’s not the same.”
“Then I’ll tell him.”
“You will not.”
“You want to keep your options open. That’s it, isn’t it, Alexa.”
“Don’t start, Scott. I can handle my own life. I don’t need you making things worse.”
“You started this.”
“How did I start it? Because I agreed to go to dinner with my boss?”
“You kissed him.”
“We’re back on this again.” She takes a gulp of her coffee and notices that it’s perfectly sweetened.
“We’ll stay on this until you tell him you’re done and he’s back in Spain.”
“Or you’re back in New York.”
“You want me to leave?”
“When you act like this, yes, I do.”
“I could arrange that, baby girl. Watch what you say.”
“Stop threatening me. I won’t always act the way you want me to and you’re going to have to deal with me if you really want to be a part of my life.”
“A part of your life? I want to be your life.”
“That’s not healthy.”
“I’m not interested in healthy. I just want you, all of you.”
“You have me.”
“Do I?”
She sighs and takes another gulp of her coffee. “I have work to do today. You should go. I’ll call you later.”
“That’s right, Alexa, back away. That’s how you like to handle things.”
“You backed away first.”
“We discussed this.”
“We’ve discussed all of this.”
He stands and throws his sandwich away. “I’m not hungry anymore. I am going to leave. Maybe you should spend some time thinking about what you really want.”
“Maybe I will.”
“Don’t smoke.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Scott glares at her as he gets back into his coat. He walks close to her, grabbing her arm before she can back away again. He grips her chin. “You should know something. I came all the way to London to get you back. I’m not going to give up that easy.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“It wasn’t a warning. It was a promise. See ya, baby girl.” He kisses her forehead and leaves.
Alexa looks around her empty apartment, wishing she could call him back. Staring at the gray sky, she notices just how dreary her apartment is too. In fact, it seems to match her mood. Scott’s behavior is confusing her. Is it possible he actually has feelings for her? Does she have feelings for him? She rubs her forehead and recalls the day her world was turned upside down.
“It’s over, baby girl. It was great while it lasted,” Scotty says to me as he stands over the bed, dressing his body in a finely tailored suit.
“What do you mean, it’s over?” I feel my eyes immediately tearing up.
He’s breaking up with me? This can’t be happening.
“Listen, we’ve had a good run, you were fun. But I need some variety in my life. You know I’m not a one woman kind of guy. You’re lucky I stayed with you as long as I did.”
“Lucky?”
“Yeah, lucky.” He glares at me, his eyes so cold I actually pull the sheet up to cover myself.
“Scotty, what did I do wrong? I thought we had something…”
“I’m done, Lexi. Accept it.”
“Wait,” I say, the tears already streaming down my cheeks. “Can’t we talk about this?”
“There is nothing to talk about.”
I jump out of his bed and rush over to him, my nakedness on full display. How is this happening right now? Everything was so good, so perfect.
“Scotty, please.” I beg, falling to my knees in front of him. He laughs and walks away, leaving me sitting on the floor.
“Alexa, get up and summon what pride you have left. I don’t have time for this.”
“Did you meet someone else, Scotty? Is that it?”
I watch him finish putting on his tie, his face an emotionless mask. I feel my heart breaking with each moment that passes.
“Get the fuck up off the floor, Alexa. Pull yourself together. Is this how I taught you to behave?”
I shake my head and somehow find the strength to pull myself from the floor. “I just don’t understand.”
“Then let me make myself clear,” he says, grabbing my chin in his strong hands. “I’m done. We’re done. There is nothing to understand. We had a temporary arrangement and it’s over now. You’ll go to work today and sit in your desk and do the fucking job that I taught you to do.”
“But I need you, Scotty.” My tears flow freely now and I don’t try to stop them. I can’t.
“That’s a shame, baby girl. I don’t need you.”
I watch him put on his suit jacket, grinning at me with the most evil expression I’d ever seen. Just like that, he pushed me aside. We were done.
Three hours later, I got the call from Human Resources that I’d been suggested to manage the London office. It took me all of five minutes to accept. The farther I could get away from Scott Fucking Patrick, the better.
Alexa is startled back into the present by the beeping from her phone. Picking it up, she listens to the message Brett left.
“Hello, I’d like to see you again. Please call.”
She rolls her eyes to the sky. All of a sudden she had more men then she knew how to handle. It couldn’t be just Scott or just Brett. No, it had to be both of them at the same time.
She dials his number. “Hello, Brett. It’s Alexa.”
“I know. Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you. You?”
“Not really. I had trouble sleeping until I, uh, took care of business.”
She laughs. “Hope that worked out well for you.”
“It’s your fault. I would have preferred a partner.”
She draws in her breath. What the hell is she going to do now?
“Alexa, may I see you again?”
“I’m not sure, Brett. My life…it’s just really complicated right now.”
“It’s Scott, isn’t it?”
“Yes, actually it is. We have a history.”
“We could have a future, if you’d give me a shot.”
“I don’t know. I just need some time to figure things out.”
“Okay. Just know that I’m very interested in you. I could give you everything you want. And… I can be what you need me to be.”
“I know, Brett. It’s very tempting. Really.”
“Just think about it. We could have something.”
“Okay.”
“Call me?”
“I will. Thanks for understanding.”
“What choice do I have…mistress?”
Her body tingled when she heard the word and the way his tone changed when he said it. The thrill of dominating a man is something she would never get from Scott.
“Goodbye, Brett.” She hangs up her phone and brushes her hair from her forehead.
She heads straight back to the kitchen and lights up another cigarette. Staring out into the cold London morning, she realizes with sadness that the only thing that warms her cold soul walked out the door fifteen minutes ago.
Scott Patrick stares at his reflection in the mirror of his hotel room bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face, he tries to make sense of his feelings and reactions to Alexa. He walked out of her place earlier that morning to avoid another scene. The range of emotion he feels for her is driving him crazy, and her sudden defiance towards him is alluring but also very frustrating.
Scott knows his old bag of tricks isn’t going to work on her anymore, and frankly, he came to London because he wants to try to have a normal relationship with Alexa–whatever normal means. This Brett issue was almost more than he could stand though. Scott just had to figure out how to get her attention back to him, and only him. As difficult as it would be, Scott decides that the best thing to do is to give Alexa the space she needs. One thing about Alexa, once she had time to think, she always made the right decision. He prayed this time, she would choose him.
Alexa looks outside her window for Oswald. Where the fuck is he? He’s never late. She pulls her phone out and dials his number.
“Hello?” he answers.
“Where are you?” she snaps.
“You gave me the time off, remember?”
Oh, shit. “No, obviously I did not remember. Where is my other driver?”
“I don’t know. I told him what time to be there. I can call the agency and—”
“Never mind.” She hangs up.
She paces her living room for several minutes, inhaling the cigarette hanging from her painted red lips. Moments later, her door buzzes.
“What?”
“Miss Drake? My name is Simon. I’m here to pick you up.”
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be right there.”
She grabs her coat and handbag and walks to the elevators, completely pissed off. It’s bad enough she spent the rest of the weekend miserable, with no peep from Scott. Now her Monday morning is getting off to a bad start.
“I don’t like being late,” she scolds Simon as she enters the lobby. “Do you have my coffee?”
The stunned look on his face reveals the answer to that. “Shit. I can stop and get you some.”
“No. Just take me to the office.” She pulls out her phone, hoping for a message or text or anything from Scotty since the last five minutes when she checked. Nothing. She debates whether she should text him, but what would she say?
They pull up in front of the office. “Be here at 5:30 sharp, understand?” Alexa says.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Alexa gets out and stomps inside. She hates dealing with incompetence. As she steps off the elevator, she notices everyone looking at her. What the hell is going on?
Martina smiles big, blocking Alexa’s access to her office. “Morning, boss.”
“What’s going on? Everyone is acting strange.”
“Um…you have a delivery.”
“What is it?”
“You should just see it.” She steps out of the doorway to let Alexa pass.
When Alexa steps inside her office, she stops suddenly and stands with her mouth open. There are so many roses in there; she’s not sure where her desk is. She turns to Martina.
“Who did this?”
“Brett.”
Alexa lifts her finger to her mouth and chews a fingernail. She’d give anything to light a cig right now.
“Oh, and this. It’s from Scott.”
Alexa turns around and Martina hands her a package. She opens it to a postcard of a beautiful English castle and reads the note. ‘Come away with me. I need a chance. Just a chance, baby girl.’
“What is it?” Martina asks.
“Scott want
s me to spend a weekend with him at this castle.” She shows her the card.
“Wow, two men vying for your attention. What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea, Martina.”
“I wish I could take one of them off your hands, whichever one you don’t want. But I think they’re both quite smitten with you. Must have been some weekend.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
She looks around the room, staring at the massive amount of multicolored roses covering her office. She picks up a card and reads it. ‘Just one chance, it’s all I ask.’ It’s a nice gesture but there’s only one problem, she’s allergic to roses. Her nose starts to twitch, a sign of the impending sneeze.
“Martina, I need you to get these out of here. I’m allergic to them. Give them to everyone in the office. I’ll be back in a few minutes after the room has cleared out.”
“Allergic? I guess he didn’t know.”
Alexa’s mouth presses into a hard line. “He doesn’t know anything about me.”
At least outside she could have another smoke. She heads back to the elevators and waits impatiently. Once outside, she immediately lights up.
“That’s a nasty habit, baby girl.”
She swings around and is standing face to face with Scott.
“You’re so much prettier without that hanging from your lips. Maybe you need something in its place.” He grins.
“You’re stalking me.”
“I waited for you to call me all weekend. Were you with him?”
“No. I was alone.” Like I always am.
“You didn’t have to be, you know. Did you get my card?”
“Yes.”
“Will you go away with me? We need time to talk, away from real life. It’s this beautiful castle I found in the English countryside.”
“Scotty—”
“Or did Mr. Collins win you over with his over-the-top rose delivery?”
“How did you know about that?”
“He told me.”
“You didn’t tell him I was allergic to them? That’s mean.”
“No, that’s how it goes. All’s fair, baby girl.”
“Mean.”
“Are you going to come with me?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll do it your way, I swear.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Not sure about what? It’s me, Alexa. Your Scotty. In the flesh. Why are you resisting me so much?”
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