The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “Bekah. Jack’s Bekah? Hmm…well, interesting turn of events, but again we can work with it. What’s he look like? Is he sexy?”

  Lexi giggled. “Yeah, he kind of is. Tall, really tall with bright green eyes and sandy blonde hair. His body is killer too. David Beckham-esk physique we’re talking here.”

  “Damn! Sexy and wealthy.”

  “Chyna!” Lexi exclaimed scolding her.

  “What?” she asked, pretending to be confused by her friend’s outburst.

  “You know what.”

  “Don’t act like that isn’t important. You’ll be in law and he has a trust. After hanging out with me, chica, how can you live with anything else?” she asked bluntly. Chyna never refrained from discussing how important it was to find someone with similar means when you were dating. This went back to her standards of men’s clothing as well as to his taste in alcohol, cars, apartments, and down the list. She approved of very few men for anything past the first date.

  “Yes, well,” Lexi said rolling her eyes, “he is supremely wealthy. And God is he good looking, Chyna. If you had picked him out in a club, you wouldn’t have even given yourself time to get a drink from him before dragging him off to your place.”

  “Watch yourself. I might have to come visit my best friend and do just that.” Lexi knew that she was only half-joking. What Chyna wanted, she typically acquired. The only things in life she hadn’t been able to control were her parent’s separation and the fact that her gorgeous designer friend, Frederick, was one hundred percent playing for the other team. He was the only man she had ever met that was too gay to sleep with her and it bothered her every day.

  The delicious aroma emanating from the machine was mouth-watering. Lexi poured two mugs full of the hot brew. Then she leaned back against the counter to finish her conversation and wait for the coffee to cool down. “That’s kind of the reason I called you. I need you here this weekend,” she said forcing her hair behind her ear several times as she waited for Chyna to as the question she was dreading.

  “Before I get onto the subject of why you might need me in Atlanta this weekend, you didn’t answer my question. How good is he?” she asked for the third time.

  “I didn’t sleep with him,” Lexi admitted reluctantly.

  “Oh. So that’s why you need me there this weekend,” Chyna announced.

  “What? No. I don’t need you here to help me get with him. I could have if I’d wanted to, but there are a few uh…issues with that. Like a certain someone,” she said sipping on her coffee.

  “Alexa, what have you done?”

  “Oh, Chyna,” she cried exasperated with herself, “I just need you here. I went to talk to Jack to get everything clear between us, but it didn’t work out the way I had planned.”

  “Did you sleep with him?” Chyna shrieked into the phone.

  “No. No, I didn’t.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Alexa Mae.”

  “I’m not lying. I didn’t sleep with him. I promise, C. But he wanted to. And we would have, if I hadn’t stopped his advances. Now he’s saying he wants to be with me for real this time, and I just don’t know what to do, Chyna. He’s what I want. Of course, he is. I just don’t want things to backfire in my face,” she said, confessing all her fears.

  “Oh, baby, you shouldn’t be doing this to yourself,” Chyna cried maddeningly. “You know he’s just going to hurt you. That’s what he does. He hurts you. He drags you down.”

  “But he doesn’t,” Lexi eagerly protested. Though, she wasn’t quite as certain about that as she let on. “He makes everything right with me. You’ve only seen the worst of the situation. You only saw what happened in New York. If I can make it right with us, that’s what I want. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

  “Shit!” Chyna cursed.

  “What?”

  “I told you not to do that. God, he completely changes you, doesn’t he?” Chyna asked sighing heavily. Lexi could tell that she was starting to get pissed off. She heard Chyna take a few calming breaths before continuing. “You are absolutely right, chica. I need to be there. I’ll talk to Daddy about using the jet. I should arrive in Atlanta in a matter of hours. I’ll have a car pick me up at the airport, and then we can talk this all out together. Possibly a shopping spree to get our minds off of what potential disaster you are creating in your life.”

  “Chyna, you can’t come down here thinking…” Lexi stopped mid-sentence and set her coffee mug down on the counter silently. She thought that she had heard something at the door. She had been pretty sure she had heard something, but she had been so heated in her conversation she had almost missed it. She strained her ears to listen for another potential noise.

  “Thinking what?” Chyna asked snippily.

  “Hold on one second,” Lexi said listening more closely this time. Someone was knocking on the door. She jogged down the hallway and pressed her eye to the peephole. Ramsey’s face appeared distorted and warped by the curved glass, but it was definitely him. “Shit!”

  “What?” Chyna cried surprised by Lexi’s outburst. “What’s going on?”

  Lexi rushed back down the hall her heart leaping to her throat as she panicked. “Ramsey is here.”

  “Here where?” Chyna questioned her.

  “Oh shit, shit, shit,” Lexi mumbled under her breath pushing her free hand through her messy bed-ridden hair.

  “Alexa, calm down. Where are you? I thought you were at your parents,” she asked trying to get a grasp on the situation.

  “No, I’m not. I really have to go,” Lexi told her thinking about what she would have to do next.

  “Where are you?”

  Lexi hated that she had to admit this to Chyna. “I’m at Jack’s place. I’ll see you in a few hours, chica.”

  “Don’t hang up…”

  Lexi clicked off the line before Chyna could even finish her statement. She paced in a circle, feeling more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. The knock on the door forced her to spring to action, and she rushed down the hallway to Jack’s bedroom. She burst through the door in a panic. Jack’s head was buried under a mound of pillows when she walked in.

  “You were gone too long. Come lay down,” Jack said patting the bed beside him.

  “Ramsey is here!” she cried hopping onto the bed beside him and yanking a pillow off of his head.

  “What?” he asked jumping up like he had been jolted with electricity.

  “Ramsey is at the front door,” she repeated. “He’s banging on the front door like a freaking maniac. Did you know he was coming over?” she asked frantically brushing her hair away from her face as she looked into his now frightened blue eyes.

  “No, I didn’t know. What is he doing here?” he asked brushing his hand through his own hair and cursing under his breath.

  “How the hell should I know? He’s at your front door. You have to go get rid of him. He can’t see us together. Shit would hit the fucking fan.”

  “I know. I know. I’ll see what I can do. Shit!” he said hopping off the bed and throwing a t-shirt over his head. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  “I don’t know, just get rid of him,” she said shoving him toward the door.

  “I’m going. Just stay in the guest bedroom or the bathroom until he leaves. I’ll go find out what he’s doing here,” he said as he jogged down the hallway. “Don’t make a peep,” he warned.

  Lexi rolled her eyes. As if she was stupid enough to do that. She walked into the guest bedroom leaving the door ajar. She wanted to be able to hear what they were talking about while still remaining hidden. She leaned her head back against the wall and strained to hear what was going on at the front door.

  “I’m coming,” Jack yelled racing down the hallway and unbolting the door. “Ramsey, hey man, what’s up?” he asked casually leaning against the doorframe to block his view of the inside.

  “Hey, sorry to barge in on you like this,” Ramsey said eyeing him reproachfully as he looked a
t his ragged appearance, and then glanced at his watch revealing the time to be nearly noon. “Bekah told me that you weren’t going into work today, and that you should be home. I just wanted to see if I could talk to you for a bit.”

  “You know, right now really isn’t the best time,” he said scratching the back of his head and yawning wide. “I was up all night punching numbers. I’m pretty beat, and since I’ll be out all weekend, I really need to get in as much work as I can.”

  “Oh, it’ll only be for a few minutes,” he said towering over Jack. “I have a few questions to pass by you.”

  Ramsey brushed past Jack before he received an answer. “Sure, come right in,” he remarked sarcastically shutting the door as Ramsey entered the living room.

  “So...” Jack said following him into the room. “Coffee?”

  “No, thanks. I just had a few questions,” he said leaning back against the sofa and crossing his arms, “about Lexi.”

  Jack’s head snapped to the side at the last statement. “Excuse me?”

  Ramsey’s eyebrows lifted at Jack’s reaction, but he otherwise gave no sign that he had noticed his sharp intake of breath at the mention of Lexi’s name.

  “I wanted to find out a little more about her. What she’s like, where she’s from, how y’all know each other, what she’s doing here…that sort of thing,” he said easing Jack into the situation.

  “Uh…well, why don’t you ask her?” he said regretting that statement as soon as he said it. That wouldn’t exactly be the best thing for him to do. He could imagine Lexi’s phone going off in his room while Ramsey dialed it from the living room. That thought made him cringe. No, that certainly wouldn’t go over well.

  “I’m just curious about her. I don’t want to come on too strong. I’ve only known her for a couple days. Don’t you think it would be strange for me to be asking her all these questions? I know you. You’re practically my brother,” Ramsey said clapping Jack on the back. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t share some valuable information with your brother.”

  “Yeah, man, I would, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing her personal information without talking to her first.” Jack didn’t know what Ramsey’s interest in Lexi was, but he didn’t like it. He knew he was acting defensive about the situation.

  “Come on, Jack. I’m not digging around for personal information or anything,” Ramsey said, “I’m talking to you about her. Obviously y’all were together a long time ago.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Have you seen the girl? She’s hot. I wouldn’t have blamed you for getting with her before you met Bekah. She’s a polar opposite from my sister though,” Ramsey said falling easily into the playboy persona he exuded around the majority of the people he knew.

  “Yeah, that’s for sure,” Jack agreed. “And, yeah, I mean, we were together back in college, but that was a long time ago.”

  “And I’m sure she’s changed a lot since then, but fill me in,” Ramsey pleaded seeing Jack begin to cave under his requests.

  “Well, all right,” Jack agreed looking across the room at the cracked bedroom door. He remained composed despite the nagging feeling creeping throughout his body. “What did you want to know?”

  “So y’all met in college and dated while you were there, why is she still in your life?” he asked bluntly. He figured it was best to dive in so he wouldn’t give Jack time to sugar coat his answer.

  Jack’s face flushed at the accusations behind his words. “What do you mean why is she in my life? She’s a good friend of mine.”

  “Really?” Ramsey asked nodding his head at the obvious lie.

  “Yeah…really,” Jack said more vehemently this time. He couldn’t help glancing down the hallway again wondering if Lexi was listening to every word they were saying.

  “How come I’ve never met her before? Never even heard you talk about her before?” he probed.

  “She lives in New York,” Jack said stating the obvious.

  “Yeah, but we go to New York on a pretty regular basis. Y’all never met up while we were out or anything. Bekah or I were with you at all times, and from what I’ve gathered from Bekah, she had never met her either.”

  “We’ve been out of touch up until recently,” he admitted hating how much information Ramsey was capable of weaseling out of him. “You don’t mind if I get some coffee?” he asked hoping to put some distance between them.

  “Not at all,” Ramsey said watching him enter the kitchen and reach for an already full mug of coffee. “Why are there two mugs?” he asked curiously, immediately glancing around the apartment as if a stranger were about to jump out at him.

  Jack smiled as he brought this coffee back into the living room. “That was from last night,” he improvised quickly.

  “All right,” Ramsey said not convinced with pretty much anything Jack was telling him, “So, y’all just recently got back in touch. I’m surprised Bekah’s all right with this.”

  “I’m not sure why you’re giving me the third degree. I love your sister. Lexi is just an old friend. That’s all,” Jack announced to Ramsey.

  “Well, that’s good to hear especially since we went out the other night,” Ramsey added nonchalantly. All the while, he kept his eyes locked onto Jack. The reaction elicited was almost uncanny. Utter shock seemed to sweep his body, starting at this clenched fists and racing up his arms into his tensed shoulders. Jack’s jaw tightened with the growing anger that sent through him. His blue eyes were darkening by the second.

  “You did what?” Jack asked hoping to keep his voice level, but knowing he was failing.

  “Yeah, I took her out for a picnic.”

  Jack clenched and unclenched his fists a couple times. All he felt like doing in that moment was throwing his fist directly into Ramsey’s smug face. He needed to get out of the situation before he did something he would regret. “Well…that’s great,” he finally said lamely, breathing out as slow as he could.

  “Yeah, so anything else I need to know?” Ramsey asked giving him a smug grin.

  Jack shook his head. “She’s leaving soon. I wouldn’t press your luck. I’ve known her a long time, and she doesn’t really go for, well…guys like you. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Ramsey said amused at Jack’s reaction.

  “I mean with your job and the people you associate with, not to mention that you live in Atlanta, it wouldn’t be best for her.”

  “Of course not,” Ramsey said agreeing with him for the hell of it.

  “She’s different than your other girls.”

  “How so?”

  “Lexi’s special in her own way. She’s smart…more like brilliant, and motivated. She’s going to make something of herself. She’ll know if you’re playing her like you normally do,” Jack told him, his gaze focusing on the hallway where he knew she was listening in.

  “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the talk,” Ramsey said extending his hand out to Jack.

  “Anytime. I’ll see you around,” he said thankful that he was leaving.

  Ramsey took Jack’s hand in his own and gave his hand a rather firm shake. “I’m not going to play her. She does seem rather special.”

  “She is.”

  Suddenly, Ramsey yanked Jack forward so only inches separated them. He set his gaze directly on Jack and growled lowly, “I hear the way you talk about her, and I can see how you feel about her. Don’t even try to pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Now, if you ever hurt her or my sister, I’ll find you.” Jack gulped and attempted to avert his gaze. “Did you hear me?” Ramsey asked menacingly still holding his hand in a vice grip.

  “Yeah, man, I heard you,” Jack snarled back at him.

  Ramsey released him shoving him back a little harder than he had anticipated. “Well then, have a nice day, and I’ll see you on Friday night.”

  Jack watched him exit his apartment in a raging fury. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so infuriate
d with anyone in his life. First, the son of a bitch had come into his house and interrogated him on his relationship with Lexi. Then, he had decided to share the information that he had a date with Lexi. After all that, he still had the audacity to threaten him.

  “Lexi?” he called down the hallway.

  Lexi scurried out of the guest bedroom where she had been hiding. Her heart was racing with what had just happened. She couldn’t believe all the things she had heard through the door. She completely understood Jack defending their friendship to Ramsey, because the worst thing to happen right now would be for them to get caught all over again. She couldn’t fathom why Ramsey would tell Jack that they had gone on a date. She had planned on telling him, but things had been going so well that she hadn’t found the right time. Not to mention she had assumed Jack would be angry, and from what she could tell Jack was furious.

  “You went on a date with Ramsey?” he bellowed as soon as she was in front of him.

  “Well, yeah,” she stated meekly.

  “Why would you do that?” he asked attempting to control his anger at what had just occurred.

  “What did you expect me to do when you ditched me?” she asked him turning the tables on him. “You went off with Bekah and left me all alone while Ramsey was the only person there to take care of me.”

  “God, I don’t know, Lex. Go see your parents or something. I didn’t expect you to go out with my girlfriend’s brother. This is so fucked up.”

  “Stop right there,” she cried pointing her finger into his chest. “Think about what you said. You have a girlfriend. I would hope you wouldn’t forget that while you get yourself all worked up over nothing.”

  “Did you sleep with him?” he asked ignoring her last comment.

  “Excuse me?” she shrieked in disbelief.

  “You heard me. I just…I just need to know.”

  “What kind of tramp do you think I am? Is this what you think of me? Do you think I jump into the bed of every available man on the market? How long have you known me, Jack?” she nearly screamed at him.

  “Well, you didn’t tell me. We stayed up all night talking last night, and you didn’t tell me you went on a date with him,” he pointed out.