“Hey, hey,” he said to me softly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, the sound muffled by his shirt.
He sat up gently, still sheathed inside me and pushed my hair out of my face. I bit my lip as he looked at me, the worry and concern so evident.
“I’m fine,” I repeated, taking a deep breath, holding it for a second, then letting it all out. I pulled myself from his arms and stood up. I turned my back, grabbing my ruined panties from the floor and tried to slip them back on even though they were only held together on one side by a thin strip of elastic lace.
“I’m sorry, Alexis,” he said as I buttoned my blouse back up and tucked it inside my skirt. He awkwardly put himself back in his pants and came to stand next to me. “We probably should have talked first, but I can barely control myself around you. Let’s have that drink now and try to make things right.”
“Don’t,” I pleaded weakly.
“Why not?” he asked quietly. “You’re crying. I want to make it better. We need to make this better.”
“There’s no point. Just let me leave, okay?” I was close to begging.
“I know I fucked up. I never should have let you walk out when my sister burst in on us, but… the truth is you leveled me that night. That one beautiful, amazing night turned my head inside out. Over dinner, I told you there was no possible way I’d ever get intimately involved with someone again, yet just a few hours later, I was buried inside you, telling you I’d never let you go. I got scared. When you left, I was all twisted up, and it took me a while to get it figured out. By that time, I felt like too much time had passed, and you’d never forgive me. I was a coward. I regret it. I regret it all, but please give me another chance. I’ll do anything.”
“I can’t,” I choked out, the tears flowing freely again. “I understand what happened, I had similar feelings myself, but I just can’t do this with you.”
“But why?” he asked.
“Because I can’t trust anyone with my heart, Kent. These last weeks, I was a pathetic, sniffling, mess, and I don’t do tears.
“I’ll always be waiting for the next time we fight, and you know us, we can’t be in the same room for an hour without fighting about something. I’ll run like I do, and maybe not the first or the second time or maybe even the twenty-third, but there will be a day when you don’t follow me again, and I wouldn’t blame you. We’re just not good for each other.”
I turned on my heel and walked to the elevator doors that were still open. Head down, I kept my back to the room as I turned and pressed the lobby floor button. I stayed that way until the doors shut, not at all surprised when Kent didn’t rush to stop me.
Sixteen
Kent
I stood there, slack-jawed, watching as the elevator doors slid shut. At first, her words sliced through my heart like the sharpest knife. I deflated, thinking I’d been right all along, I’d fucked up so badly, there was no chance she’d forgive me. Then I thought about her words. She practically challenged me to run after her. So, I would, just not the way she expected. I’d finally caught on to what made her tick emotionally. She didn’t just run because she was afraid, she ran because she was addicted to being chased, just like I was to chasing her.
I dropped down on the sofa, running a hand along my jaw. All right Alexis. I’ll chase after you, only I’m going to do it Kingsley style. I had some planning to do.
I stepped off the elevator onto my office floor, whistling a happy tune. I’d taken the two days off and plotted my strategy for winning Alexis back once and for all. I knew the best way to get her undivided attention was to corner her. That’s what I was going to do, in a way she couldn’t ignore or shy away from. I chuckled under my breath just thinking about how this would all go down.
As I passed Dustin’s office, he hurried out to catch up with me.
“So, you seem like your old self, happy even. My little maneuvering on your behalf must have been successful,” he said in greeting.
“Yes and no. I got to give a half-assed apology, but she still ran out on me. I learned some very valuable insight into her though, and I know just how to get her back for good. So, I do owe you big time for that one. If you need anything baby brother, I’m your man. Just say the word.”
“Well, for one, you can stop calling me baby brother,” Dustin said dryly. “I’ll come up with something else in the meantime.”
“Anything you say,” I replied as I walked through my office door.
Dustin took a seat in one of the guest chairs as I walked around my desk and set my briefcase to the side. I picked up the phone and called my trusty assistant, Faith.
“Ms. Peters, would you mind getting me the number for Andrea Cifelli? I need to call her first thing this morning.”
“Will do, Kent. I saw you go into the office with your brother, so I’ll message you with it as soon as I have it.”
I ended the call with my thanks, then sat down, leaning back in my chair, fingers laced behind my head and appraised Dustin.
“You know, your little stunt was very clever, you little shit. I have to give you props for it.”
“It was actually Jasper’s idea. We got tired of you stumbling around here like a sad sack. You were bringing down the atmosphere. It was purely a business necessity,” he joked.
“Whatever the case, I’m back in the game, and I’m going to stay in it until I have her back, plain and simple. Stick around for the fireworks because there’s going to be a weekly show.”
“Say what, now?” Jasper asked as he strolled into the room, hands in his pockets. “We’re having a fireworks show, now? Shouldn’t I have been consulted about this for crowd control?”
“He’s going to get Alexis back,” Dustin replied. “It seems our plan only partially worked.”
“Jesus,” Jasper said, taking the other seat. “How’d you fuck up this time?”
“I didn’t. She wouldn’t let me off the hook. She forgave me, I think, but she walked out on me again.”
“Dude, maybe you should accept you need to let her go,” Jasper replied, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Maybe you don’t belong together.”
“You’re wrong. She’s the perfect woman for me, and I realized it, even more, the other day. I went about it all wrong. I know what I need to do, but I might need both your help.”
“If you’re that sure she’s the one, we’re in,” Dustin said supportively. He was a good kid.
“I am. Now here’s what we’re going to do…”
An hour later, my brothers were up to speed and all on board. They were even looking forward to my plan. Faith had sent me Andrea’s contact information as promised, so I picked up the phone and punched in the digits for her number. She promptly answered after the first ring.
“Andrea Cifelli,” she said briskly.
“Hello, Ms. Cifelli. This is Kent Kingsley. I hope your day is off to a good start because I’m afraid we’re not happy with the recent events between your company and my hotel.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Kingsley, but I don’t understand. Alexis called me right after you met and said the transaction had gone smoothly, and we’re back on track.”
“Technically speaking, yes, we are, but I’m concerned about the future of this project. Ms. Lane was integral to saving this deal,” I lied, the old Kent surfacing and doing whatever it took to achieve his ends. “Therefore, I and my staff insist she be our primary contact. In fact, we want to deal with her and only her.”
“But Mr. Kingsley, Alexis is a very popular author. Writing takes up the majority of her time. She’s only a sponsor for this event but has been kind enough to handle some minor details to protect her investment in the show.”
“Be that as it may, if you want to keep this relationship on course, you’ll meet my demands.”
“But, but… we have a binding contract!”
“Which your company already jeopardized with your late payment. I need reassurance it won
’t happen again. Making Alexis the primary contact is the only way we’ll move forward.”
“I’ll have to talk to her. I can’t speak on her behalf, she’s not one of my employees.”
“I’ll expect good news from you by the end of the day, Ms. Cifelli,” I said, ending the call before she could speak another word.
I grinned as I felt myself get a semi. Hang in there, Kent, Jr. She won’t be able to resist the fight.
Seventeen
Alexis
“That motherfucker said what?” I shouted into the phone at Andrea. “I can’t believe this shit!”
“If you don’t like the man, it would have been obvious to him. I know how you are. Every emotion you feel is always written all over your lovely face. Why would he ask you to be the primary contact?”
“Because he has a death wish, that’s why,” I muttered under my breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, I was just trying to figure it out myself. I don’t want to do it, I don’t have the time, being behind on my next book already, but I’ll be damned if I let this signing go down in flames because he… I mean they are being difficult. Make sure they have my email address and phone number, and I’ll handle everything. I’ll just have to push the release date back on the next Alexis Lane novel. I have a Reina Dare one already finished I was going to put off for a few months, but I’ll just release it next month, then figure something out after that.”
“Alexis is there something going on you’re not telling me?” Andrea said, trying to fit the odd puzzle pieces together.
“Uh, nope! Everything is fine. They’re just obviously hard to deal with. Don’t worry, I’ll be my best, professional self, and it will all go smoothly. Just make sure Mr. Kingsley knows the best way to get hold of me is via email or text message. I don’t want my phone ringing off the hook if they decide something isn’t right. In the meantime, stay on top of Kimmie, so we don’t find ourselves late on payments again.”
“I’ve already arranged for the installments to be deposited in a separate account with automatic payments. It’s the first line item on our budget now. If anything gets screwed up after this, it’s going to be payroll, so Kimmie now has a personal interest in not fucking up.”
I laughed, realizing just how shrewd Andrea could be.
“All right, then we should be good. I can’t imagine anything else that would be a make or break situation for us. This won’t be as bad as I first thought,” I said, sounding a lot more nonchalant than I felt. What in the hell is Kent trying to pull? Whatever it was, he’d obviously forgotten who he was dealing with.
We ended the call after some idle chatter. Still recovering from the flu, I was tired and weak. The trip had set me back not only emotionally, but physically as well. I put on my favorite comfy pajamas, a pair of ratty old yoga pants, and a threadbare t-shirt with Hello Kitty on it and settled on the sofa to watch the Hallmark Channel. I’d tried to resist it since I told myself I was a badass bitch, but in my more emotional moments, it had grown on me. Now, I was addicted to the sweet family stories. If I wasn’t careful, Reina Dare would die a slow, cruel death. I wasn’t quite up to watching porn though.
It wasn’t half a day before my phone rang. I picked it up without looking, and my heart bled a little when I heard the smooth, baritone voice hum across the line.
“Ms. Dare,” Kent said formally. “We have a situation we need you to handle.”
“Jesus,” I mumbled, then quickly recovered. “Yes, Mr. Kingsley. How can I help you?”
“With the new figures Ms. Cifelli sent over this morning, it seems there’s been a rash of new attendance inquiries. We’re going to need more space.”
“Well, that’s good news for both you and me, isn’t it? More readers equal more money, Mr. Kingsley.”
“Indeed, it does. But it also means we need more space. We still have a few rooms available, but the… uh… Orange Growers contingency is looking to have their annual convention here as well.”
“The Orange Growers?” I asked incredulously. “There can’t possibly be that many of them. Give them your smallest room, and we’ll take whatever you think works best for the occasion.”
“You’d be surprised at the size of their convention. It’s not just the growers themselves, but all the people who buy oranges. Not to mention the people who eat them.”
He had to be fucking kidding.
“Kent,” I began.
“I think it’s best if we keep this professional, Ms. Dare. I’m going to have our event staff reach out to you to arrange a time for you to come back here and select the rooms you want. I do hope it’s soon. You know this event is my personal pet project.”
I drummed my fingers on the arm of my sofa, gritting my teeth, trying not to misstep. Andrea is counting on you, Alexis, not to mention you’re personally almost twenty-five thousand in the hole on this show.
“I’ve been under the weather for the last week, Mr. Kingsley, so I’m afraid a trip there would take more time and energy than I have since you’ve implied how urgent this is. Have your manager email me schematics, and I’ll make a decision from those.”
“No, that won’t do. I’ll put off the orange farmers as long as I can, but I need your commitment you’ll come next week. You should be better by then, correct? It’s not a serious affliction, I hope.”
He was being such a prick with his formal tone. I never thought he’d be so cold, but if that’s how he wanted to play it, fine. I’d see it and raise the stakes a little higher. He’d see how frosty I could be.
“No, it’s just a lingering flu bug. I just need a few days to weather it out. I’ll call next week to make arrangements.” There, I could be cagey, yet remain professional.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Dare, but I need your commitment for a date. As you know, I’m a busy man, running this entire hotel.”
“Don’t give me that sh—” I launched in, nearly forgetting myself. “I mean, surely you have some underling you can delegate this minor detail to. It’s not as if you have to do it yourself.”
“I told you, this is my pet project. I’ll be overseeing the entire event from this point on. I can’t take the risk your organization might default again. How is next Thursday for your schedule? I’ll even comp you a room to accommodate you.”
“Thursday is fine,” I said, my jaw shut so tightly, my teeth were probably going to fuse together. “I won’t need a room though. I’ll stay with my friends.”
“Very well. Have a good day, Reina,” he said before hanging up on me.
I needed to practice some heavy meditation, otherwise, I’d murder the asshole before the year was over.
A week later, I was at Stacy’s door with just an overnight bag in hand. I’d taken an Uber from the airport and was a bit dizzy after the wild ride the driver had taken me on. I was eager to see her though since she said on the phone they had important news to share with me.
Gage met me at the door with a warm hug, taking my bag from me and ushering me enthusiastically into the house. I’d been there a million times, I didn’t understand why he was so happy to see me.
Stacy came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She was certainly getting into the domestic routine. I wondered how Gage felt about that. He didn’t seem like the type who wanted ‘the little woman’ routine. Then again, he did fall for sweet Stacy.
“Hey, girl! I’m trying to make lasagna. I hope you like Italian! You do, don’t you?”
Imagining all that tangy tomato sauce and gooey cheese would normally make my mouth water, especially if a huge slice of garlic bread—heavy on the garlic—went with it. However, just her talking about it made my stomach lurch.
“I’m sure it will be wonderful,” I said, trying to swallow the urge to gag. “I’ve had the flu lately though, so maybe I should go a little light. If you don’t mind, I’d be better off with a small sandwich or maybe even a light soup if you have it.”
“Oh, you should have told
me! I’d have even come down to visit and help out.”
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” I said, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ve gotten some good rest over the last week. I guess I just need to take it easy on my tummy for a while longer.”
“Go take a load off in the living room,” Gage directed me. “I’ll drop your bag in the guest room. Stacy do we still have some of that Sprite left from the other night when Kent and his friend came over?”
Just the sound of his name twisted my heart. Friend? Which friend? It better have been a male friend.
“I think so. Though that Missy may have polished it off, the way she drank like a fish,” Stacy replied. Missy? That skank from the bar? “Let me go check, Alexis. It’ll help settle your stomach. Even if we don’t have the Sprite, I’m sure we have some seltzer in the wet bar. You go sit, and I’ll be right out.”
That dirty, devious bastard was already moving on. I sniffed. That’s just fine with us, Alexis. We can move on, too. In fact, we can fight fire with fire.
While I perched on the sofa waiting for Stacy, I sent a text message to my friend, Enzo. He was a cover model I met him the previous year at a signing, and he was fabulous. He was gay with a wicked sense of humor. He’d help me out. Best of all, he lived right here in Nevada, maybe an hour away from Las Vegas.
I tucked my phone in my pocket just as Stacy returned with a frosty glass filled with Sprite.
“Here, sip it slowly,” she said, sounding just like a mother hen.
“Thanks. So, how have you guys been doing?” I asked as Gage re-entered the room. They both took a seat on the lounger next to the sofa, tangling up with each other. It was sickening the way the two were so happy together. I was happy for them, but right now, the last thing I needed to see was a couple so in love.
Quick Dirty Luck: A Love Between the Pages Novel Page 11