AKA Lexi Frost (Lexi Frost Series)

by Tori Brooks

  His smile flickered briefly when she called him ‘Mr. Lovett.’ Lexi noticed and it confused her. She did her research, she knew exactly who Paul Lovett was: rich, influential, and CEO at just forty-four of a company he built himself. He should be used to people’s respect.

  Lexi panicked. Maybe it was her fault. He did build a multi-billion dollar business from the ground up. He had to have a sense for reading people. While she usually used titles - except when the client was her subject - that was as Lexi Frost, her professional persona. In her real life, as Teri Giles, she was casual with everyone. Maybe Mr. Big Business could sense the difference. At some level, maybe he was onto her.

  “It’s interesting,” Lexi held her breath as Lovett spoke, “you call Kayley by her first name, but address me by title.”

  “Kayley’s my subject. We need a casual relationship to make the dynamics of the photo shoot work. Does it bother you?”

  “It intrigues me. Call me Paul.” Paul held out his hand. Lexi smiled and shook it.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Paul.”

  “Likewise, Lexi.” She knew it was coming and braced herself as Paul used her pseudonym. She couldn’t afford to give anything away now.

  Luck was on her side. Paul’s phone beeped quietly at the same time, distracting him. He released her hand and pulled the phone out of his suit pocket. Paul briefly read a message and Lexi watched as his eyebrows rose in surprise and a smile spread across his face. It was the first time Lexi saw the man inside the expensive suit. He dropped his calm façade before she realized, but always just as she expected him to. This was unexpected. It didn’t change him, but suddenly his business-like, perfectly groomed appearance gave way to the little boy inside of every man. She could picture his dark hair, currently in a neat business cut, falling into a mess of unruly waves on his head, disregarded carelessly while chasing some all-consuming pursuit. It was the same when her late husband restored the classic Mustang she still drove to work every day.

  “Good news I hope,” Lexi said as Paul slid the phone back into his pocked. His blue eyes still held a sparkle as he looked to her.

  “I’m not sure yet.” He smiled, but Lexi couldn’t read what exactly that smile said. “You seem to have some grasp of psychology, reading models and such. Reading clients as well, I suspect.”

  Lexi blushed slightly and nodded. “I try of course.”

  “I find it refreshing and intriguing when I find my objective is more complex than I expected. Perhaps not what I expected at all.”

  “I take it you’re a fan of mysteries.”

  Paul laughed. “I am, yes. Are you?”

  Lexi shook her head. “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Well, I just found a new one I need to unravel.”

  Lexi felt she was missing something, but she was already behaving too familiar with Paul. “You have fun with that,” she said.

  “I will.”

  Kayley’s return spared Lexi from having to continue the conversation. She was getting nervous about giving away her identity. There was too much at stake.

  “All done?” Paul stood to face Kayley. Her long hair was pinned up again, but she still had a shimmer to her skin. Kayley looked to Lexi to be sure. Lexi nodded, standing as well.

  “I guess so,” Kayley answered Paul then turned back to Lexi. “How soon?”

  Lexi felt better to be back on task. “It’ll take a few days to do enhancements and upload them. Think of it as Christmas: you know there’s something under the tree, you just have to wait for it.”

  “Kayley doesn’t wait. I can’t put anything under her tree early. She cheats,” Paul said.

  “It’ll be a good experience for you then,” Lexi patted Kayley on the shoulder.

  Kayley pouted, but couldn’t hold it for long under Lexi’s gaze and finally laughed. “Fine, have it your way. Besides, I owe you for heating the studio.”

  Chapter Two

  Teri slipped out of her Lexi persona and into the magazine’s offices next door to her studio as soon as Paul and Kayley left. Nicholas waited for her with smug satisfaction on his face.

  “I couldn’t hear your conversation with Paul Lovett, but his body language was good,” Nicholas said.

  “I think he’s happy, but I’m glad they’re gone. He makes me nervous.”

  “How so?” Nicholas led Teri back to his little corner of the room. The magazine’s half of the floor was completely open; the staff shared space and didn’t have the luxury of individual offices.

  After Teri’s husband, Allen, died, his editor tried it on his own for three months before leaving to take a better offer. Nicholas was newest to the magazine but had more management experience than the other staff, so Teri promoted him to the job. Nicholas protested initially, finally taking the job because Teri was in a bind and he owed Allen.

  Nicholas and Allen were college roommates and got along well until Nicholas discovered gambling. Allen ran into Nicholas again over a decade later, picked his old friend up, and helped him turn his life around. Nicholas’s debt had successfully put an end to his gambling. He had no credit with the bookies and was scrambling to keep from being made an example of. Allen gave him a job and let him sleep in his office, now part of the Lexi Frost studio, until he got his debts paid.

  Teri didn’t know it, but the Mustang didn’t really cost as much to restore as she thought. Allen skimmed money off his project fund to help repay Nicholas’s debts in addition to throwing a lot of off-the-books jobs his way. Five years later, when Allen died, Nicholas swore to repay him by looking after the family he left behind.

  Today, Nicholas watched as his best friend’s widow met a man who walked into her studio cool and professional, but a couple hours later talked to her like they were alone in a bar. Nicholas noticed the way Lovett watched the session, the change from boredom to studying the process. He couldn’t see what Teri was doing; the camera angle was designed to watch the observers, not the set. He knew her routine in general, and the reactions most of her clients had. Something besides the photo shoot got Lovett’s attention.

  “For a minute there I was sure he’d caught me. I thought he saw right through my Lexi Frost disguise. He didn’t, although there’s still something. I don’t know what exactly. He’s hiding something maybe,” Teri answered, interrupting Nicholas’s reflections.

  Hiding the desire to trade his girlfriend for a mother of two, Nicholas thought. Of course Lovett didn’t know the details.

  “It looked like you had a good chat with him while waiting for Kayley to get dressed,” Nicholas said.

  “He asked me to call him Paul,” Teri frowned.

  Nicholas wasn’t surprised. He was confident Teri attracted Paul Lovett’s attention. Well, Lexi did. Teri was like a sister to him after all these years and he was pretty sure she wouldn’t be interested. She showed no inclination toward dating again and changed the subject whenever he suggested a social life for her might be nice.

  Personally, he hoped Lovett was interested. Teri needed to get out. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt her finances to marry a multi-millionaire. Not that he would admit that to her. After a moment’s thought, Nicholas opted to come clean with Teri. She needed to know and get the panicking out of the way.

  “Are you meeting them again?” Nicholas asked. She didn’t usually meet her clients more than once, but maybe Lovett already made his move.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Teri shrugged. “If they want something different from the suggested enhancements they can email me.”

  “All right then, the reason I ask is I got the impression Paul Lovett’s interested.”

  Teri gave him a wary look. He wanted to bang his head against a wall at how utterly clueless she was.

  “I couldn’t hear your conversation, but he smiled winningly and his body language was very open. Prior to that, his boredom took an unexpected turn toward interest and curiosity and I can’t see that being for the process or his girlfriend.”

  “Why not?�
� Teri argued. “Kayley’s a model. And she’s more than a girlfriend, she’s a mistress. I didn’t even know people did that anymore. She has her own apartment, allowance, and everything. An actual kept woman. He lives alone.”

  “Living arrangements aside, Teri, Lovett wasn’t interested in the beginning, even when you did something to make him – ah, perk up.”

  “I was rubbing shimmer gel on Kayley. That usually gets a reaction, nothing new there.”

  “No, but his reaction turned to intellectual. That is new. Honey, he was watching you intently.”

  “Or Kayley.”

  “I’ll grant the possibility. Just be aware.”

  “He has a model for a mistress, Nicholas. I’m not a model and I’m not a mistress.” Teri’s face fell. “And I’m not Lexi Frost. Shit.”

  “Don’t worry about it. As I said, it’s business. If he looks deep enough he’ll see through your cover. He’ll also see you have two kids and it’s understandable you want to protect them. He’ll understand and he’ll keep your secret.”

  Teri bordered on tears. Nicholas reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out two small glasses, a bottle of scotch, and a bottle of butterscotch schnapps. He poured a scotch for himself, schnapps for Teri, and passed her a glass.

  “To life’s little dramas that keep things interesting,” he toasted.

  “Damn your bright outlook,” Teri responded, but she smiled and raised her glass to meet his. They sat in silence for a moment while they sipped their drinks. Finally Teri put hers down. “I need to go look at those shots.”

  “Here or at home?”

  “At home where I won’t be disturbed. Are you coming for dinner?”

  “I’ll pick up something on the way, you focus on those pictures,” Nicholas waved Teri out the door.

  An email from Paul was waiting when Teri turned on her computer at home. At Kayley’s insistence, Paul agreed to stay in Seattle for a few days. The email was to advise her of Kayley’s unrelenting excitement and anxiety. Teri promised to put a rush on the project, as long as they promised not to tell anyone, since Kayley was such a good model to work with. She figured little favors couldn’t hurt to encourage his goodwill.

  Nicholas brought dinner over after work. He stayed to police the kids and make sure the house was more or less quiet while Teri worked. Nicholas would have kicked them out and made them camp in the backyard, except the spring weather was too cold and wet. Instead, he sent Cassie to spend the night with her best friend, Tiffany, and Devin to stay with Bryan, the drummer in the band Dev belonged to.

  The boys long ago took over Teri’s basement and practiced nearly every night, so they whined about Nicholas putting a stop to their nightly session. That ended when Nicholas pulled the circuit breaker on the basement and they lost power to their electric guitars. He promised to restore power after Teri finished, provided they left immediately. All four boys were out the door within fifteen minutes.

  Teri wasn’t used to silence in the house. It unnerved her until Nicholas started cleaning the kitchen and she settled back into her routine. Without the usual distractions, she made good time enhancing the photos. So good that she photo-shopped one extra, adding a Christmas tree in the background and made Kayley appear as a child sneaking down to peek at the tree, complete with footy pajamas that had their back flap hanging open.

  “I’m pretty sure that outfit isn’t in your props room.”

  Teri jumped as Nicholas’s voice startled her from the doorway. She looked around and grinned.

  “It’s not. I’m done with the others and thought I’d give them a laugh. Kayley was pretty anxious at the studio, and I told her to think of waiting like waiting for Christmas. Paul told me that Kayley peeks. Given that . . .”

  “You thought you’d do an extra as an inside joke,” Nicholas nodded. “Suck-up.”

  “I’m not! I just thought it’d be fun.”

  “I’m sure they’ll love it. Well, I’m going to crash in the extra room and I suggest you get some sleep as well. It’s almost three.”

  “I’ll just send off an email to Paul,” Teri started to bring up her email.

  “No, don’t. Don’t let them know you were able to get it done in one day. Wait until you’ve had a bit of sleep and breakfast, then we’ll see.”

  “And waiting is better than showing them I stayed up all night?”

  “Early morning implies you’ve been up all night anyway. Plus you’ll be reasonably refreshed and not all cranky if you meet with them. I assume that’s why they stayed in Seattle, and why he made a point of telling you he stayed. Actually, maybe being cranky would discourage Paul.” Nicholas pretended to consider the option.

  Teri hit him playfully on the arm.

  “You don’t want to discourage Paul?”

  “I can’t see anything there. He might fancy Lexi, but we both know I’m not really Lexi.”

  “True. On the other hand, if I can get you married off to a multi-millionaire, the magazine’s money problems would be solved.”

  Teri hit him again.

  “Fine, I’m off to bed then.” The computer beeped as the last picture finished uploading and Teri turned off the monitor. Nicholas preceded her out the door and went to check all the doors again as Teri got ready for bed.

  “Have you considered going blond?” Nicholas called to Teri as he passed her bedroom door.

  “What?”

  “Just thinking Paul might prefer it.” He smiled as she stamped a foot in irritation.

  “Good night, Nicholas!”

  “Good night, Teri.”

  Paul and Kayley were wandering through the maze of small shops down by the piers when Lexi’s email came. Kayley heard the low beep, dropped the oriental scarf she was considering, and hovered near Paul as he read the email.

  “Is she done?” Kayley asked breathlessly when Paul put the phone back in his pocket. He nodded briefly and smiled as she glowed with excitement.

  Paul enjoyed Kayley’s sudden burst of energy as he took her hand and they walked back to where the car and driver waited. He wasn’t opposed to taxis, but preferred a private car and driver. To begin with, it meant he didn’t have to wait or fiddle with payment every time he got out of the car. In this case it also meant he didn’t have to worry about Kayley’s impromptu displays of affection. Chauffeurs seemed to have an innate ability to know when to take the scenic route to their destination.

  Arrival at the hotel downtown shifted Kayley’s affection back to child-like excitement. Even Paul’s outright laughter at her impatience didn’t dampen her enthusiasm. Paul hoped that actually seeing the pictures wouldn’t be anticlimactic for her. He had enough entertainment already to make the experience worth the rather hefty price, so he didn’t worry about his own expectations.

  As Paul logged in to Lexi Frost’s secure site to view the proofs and artistic renditions, he realized he did care. Not because of Kayley, but because he hoped Lexi continued to be as interesting as he was beginning to find her.

  Or whoever she was. He was sitting with her in the studio when he received Tim’s email saying Lexi Frost didn’t exist. That wasn’t her real name, and Tim was looking into her true identity. But slowly and carefully as to not alarm Paul’s quarry.

  Paul smiled as Lexi’s introduction page came up. He scanned it briefly, aware of Kayley’s growing impatience. In essence, the modifications were suggestions and negotiable. There was an indicator that a personal note was added. Paul clicked on the note instead of going to the pictures, earning a glancing blow to the shoulder from Kayley. He laughed and read the note:

  There is one additional heavily modified picture. I just couldn’t help it. You’ll know which one I’m referring to, and please take it in the light manner in which it was intended. Lexi.

  Kayley stopped fidgeting for a moment as she read this over Paul’s shoulder. “An extra one? What does she mean heavily modified?”

  “We’ll have to see. Would you like to look now or ord
er lunch first?” He asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

  Kayley responded with another light hit to the back of his head. Then she smoothed his hair back in place.

  “I’ll take that to mean you’d like to look at them now.”

  Paul navigated to the appropriate page and chose the final versions instead of the originals. A slideshow began and Kayley sat on Paul’s lap, eyes on the screen. Paul slid a hand around her hip as they watched in amazement. Each picture stayed on the screen momentarily before continuing. There was enough time to appreciate the artistic quality, but not so long as to make it necessary to prompt the site to move on.

  Kayley squealed as she recognized the pictures with the shimmering gel on her skin. Like many of the others, it was reduced to simple black and white, and the shimmer on her skin seemed to radiate even more than Paul remembered. The same picture was later retouched in blues, purples and greens, and nearly transparent wings appeared on Kayley’s bare back. Her long blond hair had pale blue highlights that matched her eyes. The shimmering glow of her skin showed just a hint of purple to it, warmer than the blue would have been. It was Kayley, obviously, but an ethereal version - fragile and timeless.

  “I want to hang that in the living room,” Kayley said.

  “It won’t match,” Paul pointed out.

  “I’ll redecorate,” Kayley responded without looking from the screen.

  “Whatever you want.”

  The next picture appeared: Kayley on the throne, laughing at something out of the frame. They both recognized the incident that provoked the laughter. Paul had an idea of the look Lexi was going for but was unprepared for the result. Kayley sat straight and tall, her ankles gracefully crossed to the side. On the throne she was a queen, a woman no one would cross or question; she emanated power. And yet, for a brief moment, something amused her and cracked the cold, hard exterior the setting implied.