The Stand Off

by Z. Stefani

  Besides the building’s endearments, there was also the issue with her mother. Her mother had an acute case of agoraphobia and had not left that building since Lux’s father had died. Her mother had originally vowed to go down with the house, and Lux feared that she would make good on that threat.

  She had no choice; her back was against the wall. A lot of people depended on her, she had no other option; she had to fight.

  “Not anymore,” he said with the hint of a smirk on his lips.

  “You’re such an asshole.” She shook her head, his side smirk was infuriating.

  “I’m offering you a lot more than what that property is worth. How is that being an asshole?”

  “That building is worth more than you could ever offer me. Believe it or not, Mr. Spoiled, rich-prick, some things are priceless.”

  “Nothing is priceless.”

  “It’s too bad that you feel that way,” she said with a slight frown.

  “It’s foolish that you don’t,” he shot back.

  “Then I guess we’re still at that standoff.”

  She turned to leave, but he grabbed her from behind, wrapping his thick muscular arms around her to hold her still.

  “You think that you can come into my office, insult me, threaten to take my property, and then just leave unscathed?” he whispered in her ear as he unconsciously pushed his erection against her lush ass.

  Lux found it difficult to breath. She knew she should be fighting to get away from him, but the cage that his arms formed around her was mind boggling. Her skin felt like it had ignited as her body melted into the sensual feeling of being trapped in his strong arms.

  “You think that you can just tape up my building without repercussion?” she whispered breathlessly as she attempted to compose herself and pull away from him.

  “Yes,” he answered as he prevented her from breaking his hold.

  “Then so can I.”

  “If you come back to my office, unannounced, I will take that as an invitation.” He kissed the side of her neck before letting her go.

  She spun around to face him, “Invitation for what?”

  “Come back here uninvited, and you will find out.”

  “Call your men off, and I won’t have to come back here.” She frowned and walked backwards to the door, keeping her eye on Dean.

  “It’s too late for that, I’m sure the building is already blocked off with signs.” His smug smirk turned into a full smile when she glared at him.

  “I’ll remove every last one of them,” she sneered.

  “And my men will put them right back up.”

  “You won’t win,” she vowed.

  “Do you want to bet on that? I always win.”

  She called him a vile name under her breath before storming out of his office and slamming the door as hard as she could.

  Dean leaned back against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest as he processed her words. No one had ever spoken to him like that. He’d never felt such an urgent need to discipline anyone in his life. Nor had he ever wanted to spend a little more time with anyone. For some reason, he would have liked her to stay a while longer; he’d enjoyed their little argument. He was caught between anger, lust, and curiosity. He wanted to know a little more about Lux Hart.

  ***

  Lux pulled in front of her house, got out of her car, and stood before the building; her eyes immediately going to the door on the far left.

  “Asshole just doesn’t cover it,” Lux whispered with a grimace on her face.

  Just as Dean had promised, the lounge entrance was covered with signs; they had also doubled the amount of red tape. She could feel her blood begin to re-boil. She had taken the long way home to try to calm down after that horrific meeting. Now she was back at square one… and now she was out for his blood.

  She stormed over to the entrance and began to pull the signs down. She heard the loud familiar squeak from the middle door, the Music hall entrance, and looked to her right to see her sister coming towards her.

  “They said that if we took it down that they will just have to put it all back up in the morning,” Pixie said.

  “Let them, I‘ll just take it back down. I will do this every day for the next fucking month!” Lux vowed as she grabbed another long piece of red tape.

  “I’ll help,’ Pixie smiled as she began to help Lux take down the signs. They heard the middle door open again and saw Graves, Kiki, and Lolo run over.

  “We’ll help, too,’ Graves said.

  “I take it your little impromptu meeting didn’t help?” Kiki asked.

  “No, it made things worse,” Lux admitted.

  “We’ll fix it; everything will be okay,” Pixie hugged her.

  Lux wanted to believe her, but she knew that she would have to go to extreme measures to make everything okay again.

  It didn’t take long with the five of them working together to clear away the signs and tape.

  “Much better,” Pixie grinned as she looked at the building.

  “It’s a temporary fix,” Lux reminded her.

  “We’re going to need a lot of garbage bags,” Lolo said.

  “I have a much better idea,” Pixie smiled widely.

  ***

  Dean was trapped in the thought of Lux and had become fixated with fucking her. He could not stop thinking about their meeting and how close he had come to losing control. He was still lost in thought as he locked his office and left for the evening. The curious smile on his face disappeared when the elevator doors opened to reveal Sandy Lens. She was a high level pest who could not comprehend rejection. She was a statuesque, part-time model who moonlighted as a receptionist in the main lobby. She was as beautiful as she was dull and as persistent as she was irritating.

  “Hi Dean,” she purred with a sensual smile.

  He stepped into the elevator, intent on ignoring her, but that never stopped her from trying.

  “I was wondering if you were free this evening?” she asked.

  “No,” he answered curtly.

  “I have two tickets to the opera; I thought you’d be interested. What about tomorrow night?”

  “I’m busy,” he answered, while staring straight ahead.

  “Well what about next weekend? I could refund the tickets and rebuy them for next weekend.”

  “I’m busy.”

  “Next weekend, too? I thought you would enjoy the opera and maybe even spending a little time with me? I know we got off on the wrong foot; I’d just like the chance to change your mind.”

  Now he did look at her. He wasn’t trying to be mean or insensitive, but she was starting to get on his nerves.

  “I’ve told you more than once that I’m not interested,” he said more firmly, thankful that the elevator had stopped.

  “But,” she began, but he hurried out of the elevator. He headed straight to the parking lot, once again thanking himself for not having sex with Sandy. Dean headed towards his car and stopped dead in his tracks.

  His car was covered in red tape and Do Not Enter signs. His anger washed through him as he began to remove the tape. He was pissed; Lux had gone too far this time. Not only had she barged into his office, insulted him, and ruined his paperwork with the tape; now she’d trashed his car.

  He would not stand for this; he needed to teach her a little lesson.

  He jumped in his car and raced over to The Music Hall.

  ***

  Back at Lux’s house, everyone who had participated in trashing Dean’s car was now reclining in the living room. They had just opened their second bottle of wine and were feasting on chocolate chip cookies.

  “That was probably the most immature form of revenge I’ve ever taken,” Lux said as she shook her head, still surprised that she’d resorted to such childish tactics.

  “But you have to admit, immature or not, it felt good,” Pixie smiled.

  “It really did,” Lux grinned.

  “Oh shit,” Kiki said as she looked out
the window.

  “What?” Pixie asked as she followed close behind Kiki.

  “It’s Dean Blake!”

  “You’re not serious,” Lux said as she jumped up from the sofa.

  “Dead serious… and it looks like he’s returning all that red tape,” Kiki added.

  “Oh shit,” Graves exclaimed as she looked out the window.

  “Really?” Lux glanced out of the window to see Dean before she headed for the front door.

  “Luxy baby, please, think clearly.” Pixie pleaded.

  “Wait in here. I’ll be right back.” Lux stepped outside and slammed the door behind her.

  “Hello Lux,” Dean said as he walked closer.

  “What are you doing here?” Lux countered as she took a step towards him and then stopped.

  “I’m returning this.” He dropped a large ball of red tape with a few attached signs by her feet.

  “I don’t want it,” she picked up the ball and shoved it at his chest. When she let go of the tape, it stuck to his shirt, and she could not prevent the smile from spreading across her face. Dean frowned as he pulled it off and stuck it to the front of the building

  “You don’t want to go to war with me, Luxy baby,” he warned her; using the same nickname he’d heard her friend call her.

  “It’s too late for that, Wrecker.”

  She yanked the tape off the wall and pushed it back against his chest. He jerked it off his shirt and stuck it back on the building. When she grabbed it again, he seized her arm before she could retaliate.

  He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “If you put that back on my shirt, I am going to stick that ball some place you’re not going to like. Be careful, you’re wearing a skirt.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!” she gasped as she felt the faint pulsation begin in her vagina.

  “Would you like to bet on that? I should beat your ass after that little stunt you pulled with my car,” he said in a lusty tone.

  “Beat my ass?”

  “Spank you. I suggest you put the tape down.”

  The thought of him spanking her brought both fear and excitement with just enough curiosity to make her uncomfortable.

  “Fine!” She side stepped and threw the ball towards his car.

  “Be thankful you missed or I would have been within my legal rights to discipline you.” Pulling her closer, he kissed the side of her cheek. “And I would love to discipline you Lux; your ass was made for it.”

  She felt her brain begin to spin rapidly when his large hand clutched her butt. The heat from his lips spread out like warm honey down the side of her body. She wanted to open her shirt and bend her head to the side to allow him better access.

  “Snap out of it hussy, or your enemy will think that you’re besotted with him!” She mentally chided herself. Refusing to let him see her body’s true reaction, she shoved him back and slapped his face.

  “Get off me!” she hissed.

  As he stood back, his grey eyes bore into hers, and she shifted at the intensity she felt.

  “If you get to slap me, it’s only fair that I get to slap you in return. You have a beautiful ass and I could spend an entire night smacking it, so I’d be careful if I were you.” He grabbed her chin.

  “It will never happen.” She grabbed his wrist, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “We’ll see,” he ran his thumb across her pouty bottom lip. He slid the tip in and grinned when she bit it. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear, “That means that I get to bite you, too.”

  Before she could object, he’d bitten the skin below her ear.

  He didn’t clamp down hard, but the spark of what that bite did to her, surprised her. Her body instantly reacted; her nipples sprung out, and she felt palpitations in the center of her clit.

  “Next time I’m biting you here,” he slid his finger down her lower belly and across her sex.

  “No,” she hissed as she shoved him back. “That’s enough.”

  Although she had shoved him with all of her mite, he had not budged. He stepped back after and only because he’d decided to.

  “Is it?”

  “Yes,” she stepped further away from him.

  “You know if I wanted you, you couldn’t run fast enough.” He stayed perfectly still.

  “I’m not running from you.” She raised her chin and faced him.

  “Then what do you call it?”

  “I call it ending a dead conversation with a sketchy womanizer who is dead set on wrecking my building,” she snapped and headed back towards her front door.

  “This isn’t over Lux; the wrecking crew will be back soon.”

  “I’ll be waiting, Wrecker,” she yelled back at him.

  He watched her retreat before he went to his car and left.

  Lux walked back in the house to see everyone staring at her with wide eyes.

  “What?” she snapped, her patience obviously spent.

  “What? What do you mean what?” Pixie’s eyes were wide.

  “Oh you know what,” Kiki said to Lux while tapping her foot.

  “You kissed him,” Pixie said still shocked.

  “I did not!” Lux denied.

  “That was a make out session,” Pixie accused.

  “It was not,” Lux denied defensively.

  “You let him kiss on the side of your neck!” Pixie exclaimed in a high tone.

  “That wasn’t a kiss, that was a bite,” Lux snapped and pulled back her dark, wavy hair to show the faint mark.

  “Damn he’s kinky,” Pixie purred.

  “I love aggressive men,” Kiki fanned herself with her air fan.

  “Hussies,” Lux shook her head.

  “He’s sexy Lux; if I were you, I would have jumped his bones then and there. I don’t know how you could resist him,” Pixie said.

  “Thankfully, you’re not me.” Lux looked at Pixie.

  “Thankfully! I would hate to be re-virginized. Not to mention the fact that I feel sorry for your repressed vagina, my dearest sister. How can you not want sex? It’s like amazingness on top of amazingness,” Pixie explained.

  “You really don’t know what you’re missing,” Kiki added.

  “When do I have the time for sex? I haven’t even had enough time to find a man that I like, let alone let him shove his anatomy into mine,” Lux tried to make them understand.

  “Did you just really say anatomy?” Pixie asked with a hint of a smirk on her face.

  “The point is, I’m busy with The Music Hall, teaching, building maintenance, The Lounge, and let’s not forget about Mom. So unless you’re willing to send a search party to hunt down the elusive prince charming and make him follow me around like a puppy dog while I work, just so I can get to know him… I don’t see the point of this conversation.” Lux professed in a vexed tone.

  “Wow… now I’m totally convinced you will be the only 70 year old virgin on the planet,” Pixie said as she shook her head.

  “Cue the queen of pop,” Kiki smiled as she jumped up and hummed the beat.

  “Lux is a virgin, hey… neck-bit for the very first time,” Pixie began to sing her version of the song and the other girls joined in.

  “All of you are over-sexed, off-key, lunatics,” Lux said before she left them to their singing and dancing. She rushed upstairs to her room, slammed the door behind her, and dropped down on her bed.

  She lay awake for hours, listening to her sisters and friends sing every song from that album. She laid there wide eyed as she replayed the situation with Dean over and over in her mind. Dean Blake was proving to be a difficult opponent, and she feared the worst was yet to come. She needed to work harder on exposing his secrets; she needed to dig a little deeper. She needed to hurry up and find something horrific on him before The Music Hall was demolished.

  Roadblocks

  After the previous day’s series of shitty events, Lux spent the night tossing and turning as she tried to clear her mind. She woke the next morning to the sound of her alarm
blaring. She knew before she looked at the time that she was late. Despite her exhaustion, she got up and got ready for her day while mentally debating ways to sink Dean Blake. When she was finished, she rushed downstairs to see Pixie, who was looking at her peculiarly.