Hero

by Samantha Young

  He sighed. “Let’s just put this behind us and go back to being the pain-in-the-ass boss and the smart-ass PA.”

  I stared at him, bewildered by the suggestion. He really thought I could be around him after this?

  No. I was done.

  What my family did to his had damaged him. The kinship I felt between us … I didn’t know if it was real or just something I had imagined to life out of the seeds of my loneliness, but I did know that Caine was determined never to feel the connection.

  “I shouldn’t have come to you for help,” I said. “You’re right. This was all a mistake. You can consider this my two weeks’ notice. After it’s up, you’ll never have to see me again.”

  I knew Caine well enough to know that the emotion that flashed in his eyes that he tried so hard to bank was anger. I didn’t know how to interpret that reaction, though, and frankly I was raw, mortified, and completely done with the whole mess we’d made. I didn’t want to overanalyze a flash of emotion from him.

  “I’ll call a cab.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’ll have the driver drop you off at your place.”

  I did not want to spend another twenty minutes stuck in a car with him. “I said I’ll call a cab.”

  Caine was visibly pissed as he took a menacing step toward me. “For the next two weeks you’re still my employee. If I say I’ll take you home, I’m taking you the fuck home and it’s final.”

  It was the most silent and uncomfortable car ride in the history of car rides.

  After showering the smell of him off my body, I climbed into bed, hugged my pillow like a five-year-old, and then cried all over it. The sun was just starting to filter through my curtains when I eventually nodded off to sleep.

  It was with tear-crusted eyes I woke only a few hours later to the sounds of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

  I’d changed my ringtone before I’d gotten into bed.

  “M’ullo,” I said into my duvet after grabbing the phone off my bedside table.

  “Lexie?”

  At the sound of Grandpa’s voice I groaned and pushed myself up into a sitting position. “Morning.”

  “You sound like hell.”

  “No comment.”

  “Look, I’m calling to apologize for last night. I wish you’d told me you were going to be attending Dick and Cerise’s anniversary. If I’d known I would have come up with an excuse not to go so I didn’t have to put you in that position. Christ,” he said regretfully, “the look on your face, sweetheart, well, it made me … I felt like shit all night.”

  I felt a pang of remorse for my resentful thoughts when he’d ignored me. I understood the situation. I couldn’t start pretending I didn’t whenever it suited me. “It’s okay, Grandpa. I understand. I even introduced myself as Alexa Hall all night so people wouldn’t ask questions.”

  “I know.” There was a smile in his voice. “You made quite an impression. You looked beautiful. I just wish this family wasn’t full of malicious drama queens. If they were more understanding, this could all be out in the open. Anyway, I hope you didn’t disappear because of me.”

  I flushed at the real reason. “Uh, no. Caine had a work thing.”

  My grandfather was silent for a few seconds. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

  “How—” I lifted my jaw back up off my duvet. “How the heck did you know that?”

  “Because he ignored his date all night as he prowled around the room like a jungle cat hunting my granddaughter. I thought at one point he might actually kill Henry Lexington.”

  A thrill coursed through me at the thought of Caine’s jealousy. “He was watching me all night?”

  “What do you think everyone was talking about?”

  “Oh my God,” I muttered as a realization hit me. I remembered that weird little triumphant smirk on Henry’s face when Caine interrupted our dance. “Henry knew. He asked me to the party to push Caine’s buttons.”

  “That sounds like a Lexington.” Grandpa’s voice lowered. “So, was this part of the plan?”

  “I’m not sure I’m comfortable discussing this with my grandfather.”

  “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with my granddaughter dating a known womanizer.”

  The ache from last night returned. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t even qualify as a date. It was a onetime thing.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Grandpa immediately growled over the phone.

  There was every chance he might actually consider something stupid like that. I put on my sternest voice. “You’ll do no such thing. It was my mistake. I stupidly forgot who I was to him and I thought there was something there that wasn’t … I gave him my two weeks’ notice.”

  Grandpa heaved a sigh. “Lexie, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I did this to myself.”

  “Well, you make sure he gives you a good recommendation.”

  I smiled sadly. “I will.” I glanced at the clock. It was early yet, which meant many hours to kill. “For now I’m going to buy myself something to make me feel better before I start job-hunting.”

  “Okay. You call me if you need me, sweetheart.”

  For some reason that made me tear up.

  I thought of how stupid I’d felt after putting myself out there to Caine and being rejected. But I also felt kind of free. For the last few weeks I’d had our attraction hanging over me and subconsciously I knew I’d been building it up in my head into something more than it was. Now, though, I had my answers and I could move on.

  Being honest had been scary and it hurt, but at least I wasn’t a coward.

  It was time to keep living life that way. I sucked in my breath, exhaled, and then said something I’d never said to a man since I was fourteen years old and I finally realized the truth about my dad. “I love you, Grandpa.”

  Shocked silence echoed down the line.

  And then came his warm, hoarse reply, “I love you too, Lexie.”

  CHAPTER 11

  I knew things were not going to return to a state of normality for the next two weeks when I was late into the office on Monday. A flustered mess, I’d hurried into work after sleeping past my alarm and came up short at the sight of Caine sitting behind his desk.

  The desk we’d had sex on.

  I flushed, remembering every second in vivid detail.

  I could tell Caine knew exactly what I was thinking and he shifted uncomfortably as I handed him his latte.

  The fact that he didn’t call me out on being late said it all.

  I couldn’t get out of his office fast enough, and we spent the next few hours avoiding contact with each other. I knew we weren’t going to get away with that for the entire two weeks, but I could tell we were both going to try our darnedest.

  “You look pensive.”

  My head jerked up from the e-mail I was reading and I stared into Henry’s handsome face in surprise. “Henry? What are you doing here?”

  He smiled. “It’s Monday. Lunchtime. The usual.”

  “It’s that time already?”

  “You really were lost in concentration, huh?”

  I smiled weakly. “Doing my best.”

  Henry perched on the edge of my desk. “I also wanted to check in on you after Caine hauled you away from the party on Saturday night.”

  “I’m fine.”

  He frowned. “That was the least-fine-sounding ‘fine’ I’ve ever heard.”

  Instead of answering I called through to Caine.

  “Yes?” Even this was asked quietly, cautiously.

  I glowered at the phone. I never thought I’d see the day when I wished for Caine’s impatient grumpiness. “Mr. Lexington is here to see you.”

  “Send him in.”

  Thankfully Henry seemed more amused than upset by my obvious brush-off. He threw me a look and wandered into Caine’s office. From that moment on I couldn’t think about work. I couldn’t think about anything but what they were talking about. Would Caine tell
Henry that I had sex with him? And how would Henry react? After deducing that Henry was either playing matchmaker or just messing with his friend by asking me out in the first place, I didn’t think Henry would be too affected by the news of my sexual escapade with his friend.

  Either Caine didn’t say anything, or Henry wasn’t upset, because when he stepped out of the office with my boss he was laughing about something. My gaze moved to Caine, who stopped at the sight of me and scowled. “I’ll be out for lunch. If there’s anything urgent have it forwarded to my cell.”

  Why was he telling me something I already knew?

  “I know how to do my job, sir,” I said, smiling through clenched teeth.

  “Did I say you didn’t?”

  I saw Henry’s eyebrows draw together as he watched our interaction.

  “Well, when you instruct me to do something I already know to do, you’re implying I don’t know my job.” I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Are you going to be this sensitive for the next two weeks? Because I’d like to prepare myself.”

  “Oh, why don’t you—”

  “Children, children.” Henry stepped in between us. “What is going on here? I thought after Saturday—”

  “You thought what?” Caine and I snapped in unison, and then glowered at each other.

  It seemed we both suspected Henry of messing with us.

  Henry at least had the good grace to appear sheepish. “Nothing,” he lied with a shrug. “I’m just wondering why there’s all the extra antagonism between you.”

  Caine shot me a warning look, and I knew instantly Caine hadn’t said a word to Henry about what had happened between us and he didn’t want me to mention it either. He addressed Henry. “Alexa quit this morning. She handed in her two-week notice.”

  “Why?” Henry looked genuinely put out by the news.

  Oh, great. So I was the bad guy. I harrumphed. “Call it an ‘unacceptable working environment.’ ”

  “What? No.” He gave me a charming smile as though it would change my mind. “There’s got to be something we can work out.”

  “Nope.” I stood up and grabbed my purse. “Don’t have time. I’m going out for lunch.”

  “Not while I’m out for lunch,” Caine reminded me. “You can have your lunch at your desk. Like always.”

  “I feel like eating now. Outside.”

  “You’ll eat at your desk when it’s your lunch break.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I just decided this is my lunch break and I’m taking it outside.”

  He took a step toward me, eyes flinty with warning. “You start acting like a child and I will make the next two weeks an absolute misery for you.”

  I sighed and said, infusing boredom into my voice, “Is that before or after you huff and puff and blow my house down?” And while he stared at me speechless I strode past him and a chuckling Henry. I strolled right on out of there with a triumphant swing in my hips.

  Round one to me.

  Upon reflection while I sat in a café by myself and nibbled on a sandwich I didn’t really want to eat because I felt sick, I decided I was acting like a child. Okay, so Caine had hurt me and he continued to hurt me by acting like nothing happened between us, but I was a grown woman and I knew what I was getting into when I allowed Caine Carraway to have his wicked way with me.

  We were both at fault for that, and the next two weeks would go a whole lot faster if I pretended to be polite.

  So that was my intention.

  Honestly.

  Yet when Caine returned from lunch he was in a foul mood. I was going to promise him that I’d be civil to him from now on, but he didn’t even give me a chance to speak before he slammed inside his office.

  My mood plummeted with his about half an hour later when the phone rang.

  “Carraway Financial Holdings, Mr. Carraway’s office.”

  “This is Marina Lansbury for Caine.” Her husky, impatient voice made me stiffen. “Put me through.”

  The burn of jealousy radiated out of my chest, and my cheeks flushed. “Just one second,” I managed. I put her on hold and called through to Caine with no little amount of trepidation.

  “What?” he snapped.

  Okay, so maybe I didn’t miss his impatient grumpiness after all.

  “I have Marina Lansbury on the line for you.”

  “Put her through.”

  My pulse started racing.

  Put her through?

  Why?

  Why would he speak to her during working hours?

  “Alexa?”

  “Just one second,” I choked out, and then I patched her through to him.

  For the next few minutes I glared at the telephone. Was he seriously going to date that sneering she-wolf?

  I shook my head in exasperation. “It’s not your business,” I whispered heatedly to myself.

  “Alexa,” Caine’s voice crackled on the speakerphone. “Come into my office, please.”

  Bracing myself, I got up and walked sedately inside. He was sitting behind his desk, reading something on his computer. At my appearance he merely afforded me a quick glance before turning back to the screen. “You rang?”

  “I need you to book a table at Menton for two at eight tomorrow evening. I heard through the grapevine they might be fully booked, so if you can’t get Menton, here’s a list of acceptable alternatives.” He pushed a notepad toward me.

  That burn returned with a vengeance and I stared at him incredulously. He wanted me to make a date for him? Was he shitting me?

  “Alexa?” Caine finally looked at me, his eyebrow quirked in question.

  I gave him a slow saccharine smile as I put my palms to his desk and leaned over so our faces were only inches apart. His eyes narrowed at my nearness, but he held still. “You know what, Mr. Carraway?” I said with faux sweetness. “You can book your own table.”

  Anger sparked in his eyes as I stepped back and spun around on my heel. Whatever he might think, as much as I’d put up with his crap as a diligent employee, I was not a woman he could walk all over.

  “The table is for me and Jack Pendergast. You know, the president of Atwater Venture Capital.”

  Oh.

  I halted.

  Oh, balls.

  I sheepishly looked over my shoulder. “Oops?”

  To my surprise Caine smirked. “Even I’m not that big enough a bastard to ask you to arrange a date for me two days after we …” His eyes flicked to the top of his desk.

  “Had sex on that desk?” I finished helpfully.

  The muscle in Caine’s jaw flexed as he nodded.

  I sighed, feeling silly for overreacting. Still … anyone could have made the same mistake. It wasn’t like Caine was known for being Mr. Sensitive around me. “Well, I suppose it’s good to know I didn’t fuck a complete asshole.” And on that note I walked out of his office.

  Okay. Maybe I wasn’t done being mad at him.

  My speakerphone crackled. “Alexa.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What?”

  “Why don’t you run out and pick me up a latte? Don’t come back until you’ve cooled off.”

  I clenched my teeth and started to count to ten.

  “Alexa?”

  “You are extremely condescending.”

  “And you are extremely annoying. Now get gone.”

  I sighed, feeling like my skin was too tight, like my emotions were being smooshed and suffocated and thus in their desperation to breathe and be heard they were making me act like a crazy person. For some reason I found myself admitting, “I’m not usually like this.”

  “I know,” he said. “Let’s just try to get through the next two weeks. All right?”

  And that was when I realized why I was acting like a woman scorned. It wasn’t just because we had sex and he was acting like it meant nothing. It was because he seemed completely okay with the fact that in two weeks’ time we’d never see each other again.

  “Yeah,” I said, try
ing to mute the sadness in my words. “I can do that.”

  It occurred to me that evening as I changed my ringtone to Ray Charles’s “Hit the Road Jack,” that leaving Caine meant leaving Effie. And just when I’d found her.

  This only fueled my heightened emotions, and despite my best efforts I barely caught a wink of sleep that night. As I lay in bed in the wee hours of the morning, I refused to be this sad, nonsleeping little person because of a man. If I couldn’t sleep, then I was hauling my ass out of bed. After hitting the shower, I perused my wardrobe for the outfit that screamed I am woman, hear me roar.

  I decided on my most figure-hugging black pencil skirt, my four-inch Prada black platform pumps, and a tight blush-colored silk blouse with little cap sleeves. I left a few buttons undone, hinting at my cleavage. I topped it off by wearing my hair slicked back in a high-fashion ponytail that made my eyes look feline and exotic.

  I even wore a touch of makeup.

  I nodded at my reflection. Sometimes uptight clothes could be smoking hot. I wanted Caine Carraway to be as off balance as I was. He’d admitted he’d fantasized about screwing me in his office, and yes, we’d played that little fantasy out already, but there was no harm in trying to push his buttons. Just in case.

  By the time I made it into the office, I was more than half an hour earlier than I usually was. To my surprise, Caine’s office door was unlocked. I was just musing over that and what could have made Caine so absentminded as to leave his office open when I wandered inside and abruptly drew to a halt.

  The lights were on and there were clothes scattered on his sofa.

  What was that noise?

  I glanced over at the bathroom door and my eyes widened as it opened. Steam poured out as Caine appeared.

  Wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

  Holy crap.

  Caine froze at the sight of me. Our eyes locked.

  I knew if I dropped my gaze I’d see little water droplets coursing down his rock-hard abs.

  Why did he have to be so beautiful?

  “You’re early,” he complained.

  He shifted uncomfortably and a wave of satisfaction rolled over me. So he wasn’t completely unaffected at the thought of being practically naked in a room alone with me. I decided to fan the flames. Very deliberately I let my eyes roam over him.