by Mia Carson
Tuesday and Wednesday passed easily, for the most part, as far as Lexi was concerned, but I had been called by my PR Rep, Shawna Young, who wanted to meet with me and some of our department heads. She gave me no details about the meeting, but simply said we’d talk more the next Monday at two. Shawna was always on my case about trying to get a better media image, less of a playboy one, so she probably just wanted to get on my case again.
On Thursday evening, I was tired from my attempts to keep my feelings for Lexi pushed down the whole week. With most of my employees gone for the day, including Lexi, I stopped by Scott’s office since I knew he’d still be working on computer graphics. He loved anything computer-related and was an overachiever.
“Hey, Scott,” I said as I knocked and opened his office door. “You wanna grab some food and drinks at the bar?”
He swiveled around, away from his computer, to face me and answered, “Sure, I’ve been at this since seven this morning. I could use a break.” He slipped on his usual Angels baseball hat and grabbed his wallet.
Moments later, we found two open stools at the bar in The Stars’ Bar, which was only four blocks from the office. “A Guinness and the burger with sweet potato fries, please,” Scott told the cute, red-headed bartender.
“Whiskey, straight up, and a bacon burger with regular fries,” I told her with a wan smile.
Scott turned on his stool with both dark eyebrows arched. “Whoa. What’s going on with you? Whiskey with dinner? Something must be bothering you.”
He knew me too well, so I told him about Lexi—everything about Rio, including that Saturday night. Though Scott, of course, knew about my Lexi-plan and how much I truly liked her, I hadn’t yet told him about our one hot, passionate but heartfelt night in Brazil. It almost felt too private to tell, and not even my sister knew.
Scott took several swigs of his beer and turned to me with his mouth open. “Holy shit, Braden,” he said, “What happened to taking it slow and waiting for her to be ready for more?” He adjusted his glasses and smirked at me.
I took two long swigs of my whiskey before I leaned on the bar and tilted my head to look at him. “Well, I guess Rio happened,” I half-joked. “But seriously, I think I’m really falling for her—like in love, you know?” I sighed and stared into my drink.
The cute young bartender with an ample amount of cleavage showing brought our burgers and fries and paused by me with a flirty smile. “Let me know if you need anything else… Anything at all,” she said in a low, sultry voice, a cat-like look on her face before she turned to get another customer’s order.
I all but rolled my eyes, and Scott let out a disbelieving breath. “You really have it bad for Lexi if you’re scoffing at gorgeous, busty bartenders who throw themselves at you.” He shook his head, and I let out a bitter laugh. Scott swallowed a bite of his burger and mumbled, “Wish girls would fall over me like that.”
I eyed him with a playful grin. “Don’t worry, Scott, one day you’ll have someone.” We ate in silence for five minutes or so, and Scott absorbed himself in the Angels baseball game on the TV screen above the bar. I interrupted his concentration. “I know I need to lay low. No flirting, and definitely no more nights like Rio, but it’s getting harder and harder to hide my feelings.”
Scott popped in a sweet potato fry and shrugged. “Just take it one day at a time and try not to be alone with her,” he suggested. “If you have to discuss something for more than a minute, try to do it in an open area or out back when there’s people around. In the meantime, I suggest you focus on work, cooking, and hanging out with your best buddy.”
He grinned at me and returned his eyes to the TV again as he ate. A few other patrons let out a cheer. The Angels had scored two runs. So that was the extent of my advice from Scott, and it made sense. The less alone time with Lexi, the less tempted I’d be to ravish her again.
Lexi
“Well, here’s to you, Clara, and your new gig.” I smiled across an outdoor patio table at a café down the street from Huntington Productions and clinked mugs with my best friend.
Her brown eyes beamed as she sipped her mocha and declared, “Thanks, Lexi. And you can now proudly claim to be friends with the new Berry Bunches cereal girl.”
I laughed. “See, persistence does pay off. First its low-budget commercials, like this one, and the next thing you know, you’re a soap opera extra, and then a big movie star. Oh, and by the way, I finally slipped your portfolio to the casting director at Huntington.”
Clara took a bite of her BLT and squeezed my hand with her free one. “You’re the best, Lexi. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the leading lady across from Keith McCullough in the next big production. I can’t believe you met him. He’s nothing short of scrumptious.” Clara sighed and ran a hand through her pixie-cut blond hair.
I rolled my eyes and swallowed a bite of my chicken salad melt before I responded. “He may be good-looking, but he’s seriously an ass. I just heard he’s acting out down in Rio. Braden got a report this morning that he trashed his hotel room after having a huge, raucous party. Braden’s been on the phone with the press and with Keith to get it under control.” I recalled how pissed off and exhausted Braden had seemed when I’d left for my late lunch with Clara.
It was Friday, and Braden and I had stuck to our agreement to keep our relationship work-only, not even having friendly work-related lunches alone. I still felt a twinge of guilt at having snuck off from his hotel suite Sunday morning in Rio, but Braden seemed to understand and agree after our talk at the beachfront café.
The Monday after we’d flown back to L.A., I’d told Clara about losing my virginity in a night of passion with Braden, and she’d been subsequently thrilled but disappointed that I wasn’t going further with the relationship. I’d told Beth as well, who thought my caution was a wise decision, but Clara thought I should give Braden the benefit of the doubt and believe I was the source of his changed behavior.
“Holy shit,” Clara responded. “Keith sounds like a hot mess—the whole situation does, as a matter of fact. That sucks for Braden. Maybe he needs a little extra comfort from you, Lexi.” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully at me, and I shook my head with a smile.
“Ah, no, definitely no comfort from me. Though I’ll help him on the business end, of course.”
Clara gave me a mischievous look. We worked on our sandwiches and finished our coffee. She needed to get to the small studio that had hired her for the cereal commercial for some run-throughs, and I needed to get back to give Braden my professional support with the Keith situation and the PR-rep meeting on Monday.
As we waited for the bill, Clara asked, “So, how about your scripts and getting those to Braden or that other screenwriter you met? Maybe once you get in somewhere as a screenwriter and aren’t working directly under Braden, you guys can try dating.” She grinned at me and pulled out her card to give to the waiter as he brought the check. I waved her card away and put my card with the bill instead.
“I make way more than you now, so I got this one,” I explained. “And I’ll just ignore the dating Braden comment and say yes, I’ve worked a little on my new screenplay this week, though I haven’t had much time. Braden does have my finished scripts, and you make a good point. I should call and meet with Rob Greenberg to go over my writing.”
“Perfect,” Clara said as I signed the receipt brought by the waiter and put my card away. “Then you can write the next big movie, and I’ll be the leading lady. But first, off to my Berry Bunches commercial.” We got up and walked out to the sidewalk. “How’s your dad, by the way?” Clara asked as we hugged goodbye.
I sighed. “He’s feeling weak and has low energy lately. I’ve been going around in the evenings and helping clean and make dinner so Sean doesn’t have to do everything.” She gave me a sympathetic look, but I forced brightness into my expression and added, “but we have an appointment next week with the top MS doctor in the city, so I’m hopeful.”
***
&
nbsp; After I got back to the office just after three, I went to Braden’s office to ask if he needed any more help in dealing with the press about Keith’s bad behavior or in preparation for Monday’s meeting with the PR Rep, Shawna.
“Come in,” Braden called through his office door after I knocked.
I opened the door and froze as soon as I saw a drop-dead gorgeous young woman with long, silver-blonde hair and a dazzling smile, not to mention a killer, slender but curvy body. She sat very close to Braden on the long couch to the right, and all I could do was stand there and gawk at the beautiful girl and Braden, cemented to the spot just inside his door.
“Oh, hey, you must be Lexi,” the girl chirped as she bounced up on her long tanned legs and walked over to me with her hand held out. She flashed me a genuine smile, her blue eyes giving me a brief once-over.
My eyebrows shot up, and I plastered a smile on my face as I shook her hand and looked from the girl over to Braden, who had risen and walked over to us. An amused grin flashed across his face. “Lexi, this is my younger sister, Adrianna.”
Understanding washed through me, and I quickly tried to hide my relief as I said, “Your sister, right. Nice to meet you, Adrianna.”
I gave her a sincere smile, and the three of us stood near the door in awkward silence for a moment. I hoped neither of them had noticed the sparks of jealousy that had erupted when I’d first seen Adrianna. I’d hid my feelings for Braden all week, but the thought of him with another woman triggered uncontrollable envy in me.
Braden broke the silence as he held out a folder to me and said, “Lexi, I need to make a few more calls about the Keith situation. Could you run these down to Margaret in the accounting department? Addy, you wanna stay with me or go with Lexi?”
I smiled at his nickname for her, took the folder, and noticed a quick, meaningful exchange of looks between Braden and his sister.
“I’ll go with Lexi and leave you to those calls. If you don’t mind me tagging along.” Adrianna turned to me expectantly.
I could definitely see the family resemblance with her piercing ice-blue eyes and the high cheekbones, just like her brother’s. “No, I don’t mind at all. Good luck with those calls, Braden. Just let me know what else you need when I get back.”
He nodded and smiled at us as we left his office and walked towards the elevator. As we waited for the doors to open, Adrianna turned to me. “Braden tells me you want to be a screenwriter and that you went to Berkeley for creative writing?” Before I could answer, she blushed through her tanned cheeks and added, “Oh, not that he talks about you a lot or anything.”
I hid a smile as the elevator doors chimed open and we stepped in. I hit the button for the first floor where accounting was and replied, “Yeah, Berkeley has great writing instructors, and I’m actually working on a new screenplay now, kind of a drama-mystery.”
Adrianna’s eyes lit up. “That’s so cool. I wish I could write a screenplay. My major was modern dance—completely impractical. Hey, maybe you could give me some tips on screenwriting. I’ve been trying to get my brother to do this fashionista handbag documentary idea of mine, but I guess it’s not really what Huntington does.”
She looked mildly disappointed, so I gave her an encouraging smile. “You could try a smaller production company that does do documentaries, and I’m sure Braden has connections. I could help you with a script for it, if you really want,” I offered. The doors opened on the first floor where we got out and I led the way to the left to accounting.
“That would be awesome; thanks, Lexi,” she beamed at me. “I’m not exactly sure what I want to do in life yet, not like you.”
I felt a swell of pride. “It doesn’t hurt to try stuff—like scripting a documentary—then.”
Adrianna nodded in agreement, and we filed into the accounting department after passing two guys carrying a huge painted backdrop set piece made to look like a scene with trees and a stone wall.
Once I’d dropped off the folder, Adrianna paused just before the elevator. “I’m actually going to head out now. I’m meeting some friends for early drinks.” She gestured to the front doors, then tilted her head as if she’d just had an idea. “Hey, you want to come jogging with Braden and me Sunday morning? We usually go on the beach, but we’re going to do this ocean-view trail along the Santa Monica Mountains instead. And then you could come to dinner at our mom’s in Pasadena. She’d love to meet you. And we could talk about the documentary script?”
Adrianna hardly took a breath as she spoke, and I had to take a moment to register everything she said. As she saw me pause to think about it, Adrianna clasped her hands together and said, “Please. It would be so fun to have you come hang out.”
She seemed so sincere that I ended up nodding and answering, “Well, okay, if Braden doesn’t mind. Thanks.”
We exchanged phone numbers quickly and I went back up to my office as my head swirled. I’d been horribly jealous, then relieved, met Braden’s sister, whom I liked, and was now going to run with her and Braden Sunday and go to their family dinner. What had I just agreed to?
***
At ten minutes until nine on Sunday morning, I stretched out my quads at the trailhead of the Santa Monica Mountains, not far from where I often surfed. I was supposed to meet Braden and Adrianna at nine for our run. I’d gotten a text from each of them Saturday to confirm, and Braden had added that he’d been surprised Friday night when he’d found out about his sister’s invitation.
He’d wanted to make sure I was okay with the plan to jog and go to the family dinner with their mom, since it extended our relationship beyond work. I’d texted back that it was fine because I liked Adrianna as a potential friend, so it was different. At least that’s what I told myself.
I was dressed in my brand new running outfit, which consisted of gray and blue athletic shoes, tight-fitting gray jogging capris, and a sleeveless, lightweight white exercise shirt with a stylish hood. My hair was up in a high ponytail that swished back and forth as I twisted my torso and arms left and right to warm up.
It was a nice morning, warm but dry, with the invigorating salty ocean breeze and the gentle crash of waves below. I’d walked this trail a few times before. It started up high along the relatively level top of the cliff-like mountains that ran next to the Pacific coastline. The view of the water glimmering in the sunlight from up here was stunning.
“Morning, Lexi.” Braden’s voice brought my gaze from the view to where he walked up the steep path from the parking lot to the trail. He looked disturbingly good, dressed in to-the-knee black exercise shorts and a fitted, light blue t-shirt that emphasized the blue of his eyes.
“Morning, Braden. It’s gorgeous weather for a run,” I commented, which I felt was a nice, safe subject.
He looked out over the landscape of sand, ocean, and expansive blue sky dotted with wispy white clouds and nodded in agreement. He turned back to me and asked, “Adrianna’s not here yet?”
I shook my head. “No, but we still have five minutes ’til nine.” I shrugged, though I felt a little uneasy. Besides a few other joggers and one group of hikers that had passed, we were up there alone. For several moments, we stretched in silence and I tried to ignore how his tanned biceps looked holding up his rock-solid calf to stretch his equally well-muscled quad.
But it was useless. My eyes stole glances at his body and his gorgeously fresh-shaved face and ruffled hair that was extra cute in the morning light. His mere presence caused my pulse to heighten. I saw him sneak looks at me as well, and my stomach became a bundle of nerves.
The sound of his phone buzzing made me jump, and I watched as he took it out of his shorts pocket, looked down, and frowned. “Uh, Adrianna says she’s so sorry but she has to help her friend with something that came up suddenly, but she’ll see us tonight at my mom’s for dinner.”
Braden looked up from his phone and met my eyes. His flashed with a mix of realization and nervousness. My throat felt dry as I realized it really
would be only the two of us. I cocked my head at him and wondered if this had been planned by Adrianna, or if they were in cahoots. I’d have to keep my guard up and my feelings for Braden down this morning.
Braden
I swallowed hard as I took in Lexi’s suspicious scrutiny of me after I’d told her my sister bailed on this morning’s jog. Great, now she suspected I might have orchestrated the situation and had Addy invite her under my instruction then back out last minute so I could get Lexi alone. She couldn’t really think I’d go that far or be that devious, could she?
I’d been pissed at Adrianna when she texted me Friday night about inviting Lexi. I’d told her she’d pushed too hard and her efforts would be too obvious and possibly scare Lexi off. Then, I’d gotten excited about the two of them getting along, maybe even being friends, and all of us hanging out for the jog and meeting my mom at the family dinner. It was a very personal step to have her meet my mom—one I was ready for, but Lexi perhaps wasn’t.
I looked at her and added, “I had nothing to do with her canceling, I swear. I think she’s trying to set us up. Sorry.” I scratched the back of my head and gave her my cutest, most apologetic grin.
She let out a breath and said, “Okay, don’t worry. Guess we might as well jog since we’re here.” Lexi shrugged and stretched one of her arms across her chest as she looked ahead at the trail.
My eyes traveled briefly from her beautiful, makeup-free face to her girly ponytail and down her fitted white top and very snug running pants, unable to stop myself from appreciating her curvy figure. I forced my gaze back to the trail and said, “Okay, you ready?”
Lexi nodded, and we were off. I had to slow my usual pace to jog next to her as we ran along in silence, nothing but the sound of the waves below, a few seagull cries, and the crunch of our feet on the terrain. We ran for a few miles, dipping gently down in places and up in others, but mostly level.
