His teasing grin was too cute not to laugh. “Very funny.”
He sighed in mock sadness. “Fine. I’ll take the couch.”
Lacey perched on the end of the bed and looked around her. What were they supposed to do now? It was still early to go to sleep. What did two strangers do when they were stuck alone in a hotel room together? Watch TV?
“Want a drink?”
Alex walked over to the mini-bar and held up two tiny bottles of vodka.
Lacey’s nod was so emphatic she nearly slid off the bed. Yes.
The first drink went down quickly and went straight to Lacey’s head. “I think I’m going to head to the restaurant and grab some food. Do you want to come?”
The restaurant was packed. A harried hostess informed them that it would be a twenty-minute wait. “We’ll just wait at the bar,” Alex said.
And that was the end, as far as Lacey was concerned. An hour and two cocktails later, they were still waiting to be seated and she was far more than two sheets to the wind. But she was having fun. Oh, was she having fun.
“So, let me get this straight,” Alex said. “Up until six months ago you were working as a waitress at a bar in San Francisco?”
Lacey slurped up the last sip of her drink and nodded. “That is correct.”
“And now you’re a life coach,” he finished.
Lacey giggled. “I’m not a life coach, just a public speaking coach.” She rolled her eyes. “God, no one in their right mind would want me as their life coach. I can’t even get my own act together, let alone someone else’s.”
Alex seemed to be studying her. “You seem to be doing all right for yourself.”
Lacey leaned in so she could whisper in his ear. “It’s all a ruse.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “What part?”
Lacey opened her arms to signify everything. “All of it. Me. My job. I’m a total fraud.”
“Can I let you in on a secret?” He leaned in and she moved to meet him. He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. “Everybody feels that way.”
Lacey laughed. “I don’t believe it.”
He just shrugged as though it was a given.
“Even you? Do you feel like a fraud?”
He rolled his eyes. “All the time. It’s all about faking it ‘til you make it.”
She narrowed her eyes and studied his face. He couldn’t be much older than her. Maybe mid-twenties. But he talked like he was much older. Like he had life experience.
He popped a peanut into his mouth. “So why did you become a public speaking coach if you don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it. I really do like it, oddly enough. I like helping people. It’s just... I fell into it, you know? I graduated from college and had no idea what I wanted to do. I mean, I was a Theater major with a minor in Art History. There isn’t a wealth of opportunities out there for someone with that background.”
Alex nodded and signaled to the bartender for another drink. “So you started waitressing.”
“Yeah. Mainly because that’s all I knew how to do. I waitressed all throughout high school and college and after four years getting a degree, that was my only marketable skill.”
“But you didn’t like it.”
Lacey scrunched up her face as she pondered that question. “No. It’s not that I didn’t like it. I was good at it. And I worked with friends.” She shrugged. “It was fun.”
Even she could hear how nostalgic she sounded. She didn’t normally get teary eyed over her old job but today that job sounded heavenly. She was so tired of feeling out of her league. Tired of feeling like she was acting all the time. Tired of feigning confidence she didn’t feel. She was tired of feeling like a fraud. At that moment, she would have been relieved to have the comfort of her old bar.
Her phone rang, startling her out of her moping. She fumbled for her phone, which hadn’t left her sight since this morning’s epic disaster. It was her mom. She let it go to voicemail. She’d call her in the morning.
“Who are you avoiding?”
Alex was watching her. Those beautiful green eyes seemed to take everything in. “Come on, Lacey. It’s obvious you’re waiting for someone to call. Is it him?”
He gestured toward her hand and for a moment she looked at it in confusion. The ring. Her grandmother’s antique diamond ring. It was still on her left ring finger. It was a trick one of her bartender friends had taught her when she’d been hit on one too many times to count. It was an easy way to say no without hurting anyone’s feelings.
Lacey was terrible at saying no. And then when she’d joined the consulting firm it had been even more useful. Not only did it keep colleagues and clients from hitting on her; it also gave her some credibility. She was young and she looked it. But being engaged seemed to give her an air of maturity. The lie had spread quickly in the company.
“Oh. Um…” she was about to tell him the truth, that she was single and the ring was just another prop for the charade that was her life. But then her phone rang again. She jumped in her seat and grabbed it. It was just an alert that her mom had left a message.
“Oh come on, it’s killing me not knowing. Who are you hiding out from?”
So she told him. Whether it was the cocktails or just the fact that she needed a friend to confide in, she told him the whole ridiculous story of her butt-dialing disaster. When she started he almost interrupted her with an odd smile on his face. But by the time she was done, he was doubled over with laughter.
“It’s not funny,” she wailed, but she was laughing too. His laugh was contagious. “Seriously, what am I supposed to do?”
He sat up and tried to stop laughing. “Okay, okay. What should you do? Why don’t you just change your message so that it just says what number the caller has reached. Take off the personal setting.”
Lacey stared at him for a moment. “I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
“Hey, I’m the master of avoiding calls.”
“I bet.” She changed the settings and ignored him when he asked what she meant by that. What she meant, of course, was that he was clearly a player. He must be swatting women away constantly.
When she finished with the phone and was finally able to shove it out of sight, she turned to him with a grin. “You saved my life. Or my job, at least.”
He gave a little bow. “My pleasure.”
“Okay, now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“What’s your story? How did you become a pilot?”
“I joined the US Air Force straight out of high school.” He shrugged. “I’ve always been into planes and flying, I’ve never wanted to do anything else. When I got out of the military, I was offered a job with Newsom, and I took it … for better or worse.” He’d muttered the last part while tossing back half a glass of whiskey.
“Don’t you like your job?” she asked.
He seemed to think that over for a minute as he finished off the glass. “I love the flying; it’s not that. It’s just…there are some other parts of the job that I can’t stand.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Administrative stuff, I guess. There’s a lot of red tape and a corporate side to it that I never signed up for.”
Lacey nodded. “I think you’re lucky.”
He raised his eyebrows at her.
“I do, I think you’re lucky. You’ve always known what you wanted to do, and now you’re doing it. That’s awesome.”
He rewarded her with one of those killer dimples. “Yeah, I guess.”
They were leaning in toward one another in the loud, crowded room, their elbows brushing on the bar and faces mere inches apart. Time seemed to stop, and Lacey completely forgot there were other people around.
“You’re gorgeous, do you know that?”
Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head, which made him smile. The air around her seemed to thicken,
and she couldn’t quite catch her breath. She couldn’t look away from those eyes, which were at the moment studying her lips. She licked them self-consciously and saw his eyes darken with desire.
She should stop this. She should pull away.
He closed the distance between them and kissed her. Softly, gently. His lips were firm and warm and so tender it brought tears to her eyes. No one had ever kissed her like that. Like she was precious. Breakable. Like she was the only woman in the world.
When he pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. The bartender set down two more drinks, and they both sought refuge in the sharp sting of the alcohol.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Because they worked for the same company? Or because he wasn’t that into her? Maybe he had a girlfriend somewhere.
He gestured toward her left hand with a self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t typically hit on women who are taken.”
Dammit. She toyed with the stupid, fake ring and tried to figure out how much she should tell him. “This, uh…” she gestured toward her ring. “It’s not real. I mean….” Her brain was so fuzzy from the drinks she didn’t know how to explain. She sighed and finished, “It’s complicated.”
He nodded and reached over to trace a finger over her hand, sending shivers up her spine. She wanted this more than she could ever remember wanting anything.
“Maybe we could just forget about who we are and where we work. Just for tonight.” She couldn’t believe those words came out of her mouth but the moment they did, she knew it was the right decision.
His gaze focused on her with an intensity that would have been frightening if it wasn’t so hot. He wanted this just as much as she did.
He signaled for the check without breaking eye contact with her. “Do you still want to wait for dinner?”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
The elevator ride up to their floor filled with heightened anticipation. Her stomach clenched in nervous excitement as the floors passed by. He reached out and clasped her hand in his. She felt a surge of pure electricity at the innocent gesture. She had never been so aware of another person’s presence. She could feel the heat from his body and smell his masculine scent, a heady mix of soap and shaving cream.
They were quiet as they walked to the suite and she waited for him to key in. She would have done it herself but knew that her hands would shake too badly.
The door hadn’t closed behind them before they were in each other’s arms.
“Oh God, I’ve wanted to do this from the moment you walked into the hangar,” he groaned. His lips moved urgently over hers, and when she parted her lips, his tongue darted inside. Lacey moaned as she clung to his shoulders and arms, desperate to touch him.
He pulled her against him so her breasts were crushed against his hard chest and she moaned again. Her limited experiences with sex were tepid, awkward affairs. Nothing at all like this furious desire that made her lose all mental faculties as her body took on a mind of its own. She wriggled against him, aching for more.
They half stumbled, half fell into the bed. Alex leaned over her, his dark face cast in shadows as he searched her gaze. “Are you sure you want this? It’s going to complicate things tomorrow.”
She nodded. “I want this.” The words came out in a hoarse voice she barely recognized. That was all he needed. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck and she arched against him as his hands moved over her breasts and stomach. She was busy trying to rip off his shirt so she could feel his bare chest. He stilled above her for a moment when she finally made contact with his skin. She looked up to see what had made him pause and realized he was struggling to maintain control.
That knowledge unleashed a part of Lacey she hadn’t even known existed. The girl next door was replaced by a wanton vixen. He wanted her. Bad. She moved her hands over his chest and trailed kisses over his neck and shoulder, reveling in his groans of pleasure.
She let out a squeak of surprise when he captured her hands and flipped her so he could return the sweet torture. Slowly, with infinite care, he unbuttoned her blouse. By the time he was done she was practically panting with impatience. She thought she might scream if he didn’t touch her.
And then he touched her and she gasped with pleasure. He cupped her breasts through her lacy bra. When he covered her nipples with his lips, her hips bucked and she was panting with ecstasy.
“Please, don’t stop,” she pleaded.
Alex moved lower, trailing kisses over her stomach and thighs. When neither of them could stand the teasing any longer, he helped her shed what was left of her clothes and positioned himself over her.
“Are you sure?”
Lacey was surprised and touched that even now, when they were both drunk on desire, he still gave her an out.
“I’m positive.”
When he thrust inside her, she lost all form of conscious thought. Her head dropped and she met him thrust for thrust until she came apart with an earthshaking climax.
Chapter Two
LACEY WOKE FIRST and tiptoed over to her purse to check her work emails. There was one from her boss that made her stomach sink in horror. He’d given Lawrence Newsom her cell number this morning so he could reach out to her to reschedule their meeting.
What were the odds that he wouldn’t recognize the number? Slim to none. She curled up on a lounge chair in the corner and watched Alex sleep as she weighed her options. She had to come clean; there was no other way around it. She just hoped he found it as amusing as Alex did.
She took a deep breath and started to dial. Time to bite the bullet.
As the phone in her hand rang, Alex’s phone vibrated on the nightstand. Half awake, he muttered something before turning over to reach for it. Lacey looked back and forth between her phone and his in confusion. No. No, it couldn’t be.
But then he answered the phone and muttered a hello that echoed in her ear through the speaker on her phone. Embarrassment and horror warred with anger as the pieces clicked into place.
If she hadn’t been so hurt and humiliated she might have laughed at the look on Alex’s face as his sleep-addled brain made the same connection seconds later.
“Wait. Lacey, I can explain.”
She was halfway to the door, and she whirled around so quickly she nearly fell over.
“You can explain? Are you or are you not Lawrence Newsom?”
“Lawrence Alexander Newsom the third, actually.”
“You’re unbelievable.” She wished her voice wasn’t shaking, and her eyes weren’t tearing up as she said it.
“Lacey.” That was it. He said her name. She heard it just before she walked out and slammed the door behind her.
A few minutes later she found herself standing in the lobby in a ratty T-shirt, pajama pants and a serious case of bedhead. She was also missing her luggage.
Well, crap. Now what was she supposed to do?
She ignored the curious stares as she plopped onto a chair in the corner of the lobby. Her brain refused to work. Rage and adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her hands tremble and her stomach churn. She was dangerously close to sobbing. She’d always had a tendency to cry when she was pissed, which only ever added to her frustration during arguments.
It’s hard to sound tough and be taken seriously when you’re crying like a baby.
At some point she was going to have to go to the room to get her belongings. But there was no way in hell she was going through with this job.
Her blood boiled at the thought. How could he have kept a straight face as she’d poured out her insecurities about her new position? She slapped a hand over her mouth and groaned as she remembered the way he’d guffawed when she’d told him about the butt-dialing incident. The man was inhuman. He must have been laughing at her.
Until he’d slept with her. He’d stopped laughing just long enough to use her.
Trembling fingers punched the numbers fo
r her manager’s office. First order of business was to cancel the Newsom gig. Then she’d go upstairs, get her belongings and give Lawrence—or Alex—a piece of her mind.
And maybe she’d punch him in the throat while she was at it. It was a possibility.
“Lacey, bad luck getting stuck in the storm like that.” Her boss, Rick, didn’t believe in greetings.
“Yeah, it wasn’t ideal. Listen, Rick, I’ve got some bad news. I’m going to have to cancel on the Newsom job.”
A deafening silence followed that announcement and Lacey dropped her head in her hands, cringing as she imagined the look on her boss’s face. Theirs was not an office where you said no to a job. Not if you wanted a job to return to.
“Oh? And why’s that?”
She cleared her throat. Why hadn’t she rehearsed a lie? She scrambled for something good.
“Death in the family.”
Another silence. Lacey bit her lip to keep the verbal diarrhea at bay. She hated silence, particularly on the phone.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Lace. Was it someone in your immediate family?”
“No.” Lacey couldn’t bring herself to lie about something like that. Not only did it seem evil, but there was no way she could keep up a lie like that. A fake fiancé was one thing, but a dead mom?
Rick heaved a sigh. “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the company policy is you only get time off if it’s immediate family.”
Her boss missed her look of disgust.
“Besides, the big boss himself requested that you be his consultant,” Rick added as some sort of consolation. Lacey had a mental flash of their head boss at the main office. She hadn’t thought he even knew who she was. Maybe she was making a name for herself at the company after all. “Mr. Crowley specifically requested me for this one?”
Rick’s derisive snort was her answer. “Lawrence Newsom, Jr. asked for you.”
Lacey’s blood ran hot then cold. “He did?”
“Yeah, just this morning. He called a couple of minutes ago and said you two had met and hit it off. He doesn’t want anyone else.”
The Morning After: Starting from Zero Box Set Page 32
