She danced her way through the crowd and slipped into the employees-only area to retrieve the huge box of Mardi Gras eye masks. She planned on wearing one when she announced they’d be starting speed-dating rounds for anyone interested. There were prizes too. Of course, everyone got beads, but she also had gift cards to The Burrow and some cute teddy bears wearing The Burrow T-shirts. Her goal was to bring people back to help Marcus build his business. She’d give out prizes for the cutest couple, most interesting speed-dating answer, and funniest. They’d have to voluntarily nominate funny and interesting answers at the end to win because there was no way for her to track all the answers.
She stepped into the large storage closet, pulled the chain to turn on the overhead lightbulb, and opened the large cardboard box, looking for the mask she wanted to wear. There was a really cute one that looked like cat’s eyes. Bam! She startled as the door slammed shut behind her. Her heart raced. She whirled, fists up, ready to defend herself.
Marcus stood there, grinning. “You should see the look on your face—fierce and terrified all at the same time like you were gonna fight off an intruder. It’s just a storage closet. Nothing of value to steal.”
She dropped her fists. “You scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to see you for a minute. Climb up here and kiss me.” He gestured for her to climb his body. He was a foot taller and loved to lift her up for a kiss.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously! You scared years off my life.”
He closed the distance between them, his arms wrapping around her waist. “How’s it going out there?”
“Great. I’m getting ready for the speed-dating masquerade next.”
“Give me a mask too.”
She bent to retrieve the masks, and Marcus came up behind her, his hand sliding down her ass and between her legs. “Seriously, stop,” she protested. “We’re going to end up doing it in the closet, and I’ve got to get back out there. My boss is all over me to make this a success.” She heard him—her boss—chuckling behind her and smiled as she retrieved two masks.
She put one on him with a gold and purple diamond-shape pattern and a gold fleur-de-lis right above his nose. Then she put her mask on, red sequins with black and green feathers around it. “What do you think? Would you recognize me in a crowd?”
“Might have to go by feel.” He slid his hands up under her shirt, cupping her breasts. “Mmm…feels like sexy woman.”
She shoved his hands away, her nipples beaded tight. “Look what you did.”
“I feel terrible.” He pulled her shirt up and licked his lips. “Let me fix it.”
She grabbed for the button on his jeans, and he grinned. “I’ll do it,” she warned.
“Not gonna stop you. Have at it.”
She shook her head and went up on tiptoe for a kiss. He gave her a long one that left her wobbly. Then he opened the door and gave her a little shove, following behind with the box of masks.
By the time the speed-dating round started, Lexi was flying high. She was in love, the event was going awesome, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“Move to the next guy, ladies!” she hollered, resetting the timer on her phone. The couples were arranged around her: twenty-four single people had volunteered after much egging on from their friends and her tantalizing offer of prizes. She told the men to stay put and the women to move in an orderly clockwise rotation. The questions were a hit, inspiring some very creative answers and lots of laughter. She might even have sparked some real connections. She could understand why Hailey got off on this matchmaking stuff. It was fun to think you might’ve started a love connection. At least it was now that she had one, and also because it was voluntary. Hailey had stepped one too many times into aggressive territory.
She stifled a laugh as she heard a guy say he wanted the superpower to freeze time so he could have longer with his date. So cheesy! The woman groaned, and the guy quickly changed it to flying.
They went through the rounds, and she collected the cards to discreetly make the matches for further conversation. Next she presented the prizes, first to cutest couple, which was two people who couldn’t stop laughing during their speed date, and then she asked everyone to report on what they thought were the most interesting and funny answers. After the votes were tallied and all the prizes given out, she gave everyone beads just for participating.
“You can keep the masks,” she told them. A lot of them thanked her on their way back to their friends. A few of the new couples went straight to the bar for a drink and more conversation.
One of the guys from the speed-dating event pulled her aside, thanking her for a great night. He was in his thirties, his brown hair neatly parted to the side, his eyes a stormy blue.
“I’m Nate Kennedy, by the way,” he said, offering his hand. The name sounded vaguely familiar.
She shook it. “Lexi Judson.”
“Nice to meet you, Lexi.” He squeezed her hand and released it. “Listen, my company is having a team-building event on Friday. You think you could plan a party for us after? Food’s already taken care of, but I thought you might add something fun to celebrate our first year in business. Small office, thirty-person team.”
“I’d love to. Absolutely.” Only three days to plan, but whatever. A job was a job and she’d make it work.
“Awesome.” He pulled a business card from his wallet. “Red Arrow Marketing.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll come up with some ideas and get in touch tomorrow.”
He leaned close, lowering his voice. “I saw you earlier with Marcus. Don’t be fooled by his charm. He’s not who you think he is.”
A chill ran through her. “What do you mean?”
“I just know what he’s done to other women.” He turned and disappeared into the crowd.
She took her mask off, going up on tiptoe to see where Nate went. He walked right out the front door. Strange. First he offered her a job; then he warned her off Marcus. She crossed her arms, hugging herself, a little creeped out. Why did his name sound familiar?
She went in search of Marcus, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Maybe he’d stepped out for some fresh air. It was hot and crowded in here. She headed back to the kitchen to tell them to bring out the king’s cakes for dessert. She had hundreds of them, way too many to carry by herself.
After she made her request in the kitchen, she took a box of the cakes out, figuring she’d stack them on the long table while she explained the game with the hidden cherry inside. She’d just stepped back into the busy bar when she heard Caleb holler, “The winners of the king and queen contest are Marcus and Ellie!”
She startled. She didn’t even know they’d entered. She looked around for them, her stomach dropping like a stone. Marcus and Ellie were kissing.
Not a peck either, full-on lip-lock.
Chapter Thirteen
The box of cakes fell from her limp hands, her vision blurring through a haze of tears. She whirled, about to bolt, and then thought better of it. No, she’d done nothing wrong. She wanted him to know that she knew. She’d strangle him with her bare hands and then she’d go for Ellie. But first Marcus. He’d led her on with all his sweet lies! He knew how deeply she’d been hurt by cheating.
She saw red and darted forward, tripping over the cake box. She threw her hands out to break her fall, still managing to hit the floor partially on her face. Ouch, ouch, ouch. She rolled to her side, checking her mouth. Seemed to have her teeth. A coppery taste meant blood. She gingerly felt around her mouth. Great. Her bottom lip was bleeding.
“Are you okay?” a guy asked.
She got up, gathering her dignity around her. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Marcus caught her eye. “Lexi.”
She whirled and hurried to the ladies’ room. She grabbed a paper towel with shaky hands, wetting it to apply to her lip. Her teeth had probably cut into her lip when she fell. After a few moments, the adrenaline drained from
her, leaving her fatigued. She stayed in there as long as she could, pulling herself together by sheer will.
She would finish this event, head held high. This was an opportunity that could be big for her future business. She had a job with Nate, and maybe she’d get more offers at the end of the night. Otherwise, it was back to her parents’ house or crashing on one of her coupled friends’ sofas like a third wheel. Maybe she’d move in with Hailey and they’d grow old together, taking care of their fur babies. Fucking A! She should’ve known Marcus hadn’t changed. All of her friends had warned her against him, but did she listen?
She glared at herself in the mirror. When would she learn? She’d taken a chance on him, opening her tender heart, and it bit her in the ass. She looked to the ceiling, blinking back tears. Then she just stood there, waiting for the bleeding to stop, furious with herself for letting Marcus get close. Finally, she tossed the towel in the trash, washed and dried her hands, and left.
Marcus and Ellie were waiting in the hallway. Fantastic. Just who she wanted to see.
“What happened to your lip?” Marcus asked. “You need ice.” It was probably starting to swell.
“Excuse me,” she said, the height of professionalism. “I need to go check on the cake situation.”
“Lexi, wait,” Marcus said. “Tell her, Ellie.”
Lexi kept moving, not wanting to hear a word.
“Lexi!” Marcus hollered.
She made a beeline to the safety of the crowded kitchen. She could not have a big blowout breakup fight with him and keep this event going. That was for after the event.
She’d just stepped through the employees-only door when Marcus grabbed her from behind, dragging her back to him, his arms pinning hers to her sides.
“Let go!” she hollered, struggling like mad and getting nowhere. He was much too strong.
He spoke near her ear. “Listen. It’s not how it looked.”
“I am not talking about this right now! I’m finishing this event because I’m a professional. If you want to talk to me after, fine, but I have nothing to say to you.”
He kept his voice low. “She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back.”
She swallowed hard, wanting to believe but way too upset for a rational conversation. “I swear if you don’t let me go right now, I will never forgive you.”
He released her.
She went back to the kitchen, got some ice for her lip, and went back to work, pushing all the pain and anger down.
She finished the evening by handing out beads and her business card to everyone for any future parties or events they might have. No further job offers happened, but at least she had Nate. Maybe he had some kind of beef with Marcus, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t work with him.
She turned to find Marcus approaching, his jaw set, pure determination. Suddenly she was feeling so much more than irate jealousy. All of her previous doubts came flooding back. How well did she really know Marcus after three weeks of dating? Nate had warned her off: I just know what he’s done to other women. Her friends had warned her off too. She’d ignored them all because Marcus had been so gentle with her, taking great care to make her feel comfortable. And they’d shared things, really talked. Was it all just a ploy to draw her in, make her vulnerable, and then crush her? Maybe every woman was revenge for what his ex-wife had put him through.
Her mind was muddled, her nerves shot, all of her hurting. She couldn’t hold onto her righteous anger when she hurt this much. Everything in her screamed to put some distance between her and Marcus, but something held her there, some small part of her stupid heart that wanted to keep their connection.
Marcus grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.
Her heart raced, suddenly wary. “Where are we going?”
“To my office.” They passed Ellie on the way. “Office,” he barked at Ellie.
Marcus pulled Lexi into his office. “Have a seat.”
She ignored the order, staying by the door in case she needed a quick escape. The office wasn’t big, just enough space for a black metal desk, two folding chairs, and a file cabinet.
Marcus took a seat behind the desk, and Ellie took a seat in a folding chair in front of the desk.
Marcus looked to Ellie. “Tell her.”
Ellie turned to Lexi and spoke in a monotone. “I kissed him. It wasn’t mutual. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“You can go now,” Marcus told Ellie. “Shut the door behind you.”
Ellie hustled out of the office, the door quietly clicking shut.
“Did you fire her?” Lexi asked. Her lip throbbed painfully when she spoke.
“No.” He paused. “I know what it looked like, but nothing’s going on. She misinterpreted our relationship, and I set her straight.”
She stared at him, the pain rising in her chest like a vise around her lungs. Her protective instincts kicked in, the need to distance herself so strong electric waves of energy coursed through her legs, ready to run.
Marcus spoke into the tense silence. “I didn’t even know she’d entered us in the contest. She shouldn’t have done that. It was supposed to be for the customers. I had them draw another couple instead.”
“She warned me away from you the first time we met. Obviously she wanted you for herself.”
“That doesn’t matter. Lex, you’re bleeding. Let me—”
“I’m fine.” She dug a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her lip.
“I’m sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you.”
She swallowed hard, wanting to forgive and forget, but now everything was colored with the warning from Nate, alarm bells going off in her head. “I spoke to Nate Kennedy about a job.”
“You got a job already? That’s great.”
“He warned me away from you too. You have quite the reputation.”
His brows drew together. “I don’t know why he’d do that. He’s a regular, but I don’t think I’ve ever said more than goodnight to him.”
Suddenly she knew why Nate’s name sounded familiar. Ellie had told her before that Marcus dated Nate’s sister and that Nate warned everyone away because his sister had tried to kill herself after Marcus dumped her.
“You dated his sister,” she croaked.
“Who? I don’t remember someone with the last name Kennedy.”
“I don’t know her name.”
He shrugged. “You know I dated women before I met you. That has nothing to do with us right now. We’re exclusive, remember?” His lips curved in a small smile. “You adore me.”
Throat tight, her emotions tangled, she couldn’t bring herself to speak of the ugly rumor. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe Nate had an ulterior motive. Ellie sure had.
“Lexi, talk to me.”
She just couldn’t open up right now, the shock and pain of everything that had happened too fresh in her mind. “Bye,” she mumbled and turned to the door.
“Hold up. I’ll walk you to your car.”
She glanced over her shoulder. Marcus was standing, his brows drawn together over worried eyes. She wanted to forgive him, wanted to believe he was a good guy, but she just couldn’t. Not today. “I’m fine on my own.” He’d told her earlier where he’d parked her car, and now she was glad he had.
She rushed out, a little afraid he would stop her. He was definitely strong enough to prevent her escape, but he didn’t.
One foot after another, lip throbbing, gut rolling, she made it outside, took a deep breath of bracingly cold night air, and went to her car.
~ ~ ~
Marcus drove to Clover Park the next day to talk to Lexi face-to-face. He needed to make sure they were good now.
When he got to Lexi’s apartment, she wasn’t home. He pulled out his phone and texted her. Turned out she was on her way back to the city to meet with Nate. He tried to remember if he had a history with the guy, but couldn’t place him. Maybe Nate was from his early Wall Street days? He didn’t have any enemies that he knew of and couldn’t imagin
e why Nate had warned Lexi away from him. The only thing that made sense was if the guy wanted Lexi for himself. A definite possibility. Last night she’d been the bright and bubbly life of the party, making it fun for everyone. He was already thinking about hiring her for more events.
He called her as he walked back to his car. “Bad timing. I just drove to your place, and now you’re headed to the city.”
“I’m on the train, so I might lose reception.”
“I’ll head back to the city right after I check in on my mom. We can meet at The Burrow when you’re done with your meeting.”
“I got a lot on my plate. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He stopped short. “Are you mad at me?”
“For what?”
“You know what. The Ellie thing.”
“I’m sure you can’t help it if women throw themselves at you.”
He exhaled sharply. “I told you she surprised me. I would never cheat on you.”
“Good to know.” Her tone was dismissive like she didn’t believe him.
“We should talk in person.”
“I’ll let you know when I get some time. Bye.”
He stared at his phone. Shit. This was not good. She was blowing him off, he was sure of it. It wasn’t just that she had a job to do.
Well, he’d step up and help her with her business. She had a solid business plan, and now she had some start-up money from his event. He’d help her come up with a cool website and put her in touch with his web designer. That would show Lexi how much he cared. It was the only thing he could think of to do.
He got into his car and texted her, offering his help. She replied: I got this. Thanks anyway.
Fuck. If she didn’t need him for anything, how was he supposed to show he was worthy?
Maybe he should just lay it on the line. Lexi, I love you. He broke out in a sweat. What if she didn’t say it back? What if she couldn’t look past the kiss to the man innocently caught up in it?
He sat in the driver’s seat, too lost in thought to drive anywhere. He mentally reviewed all of the facts. Ellie had said he was the king in her eyes, and he’d felt warmly toward his favorite employee. Smiling, he’d given her a warm, “Thanks, sweetheart.” He always called women darling or sweetheart. Maybe he’d been too warm. Obviously she’d taken it the wrong way. He’d been so surprised he hadn’t pushed her away immediately.
Wicked Flirt Page 13
