Mr. Big Shot Page 13

  He frowned. "Are you a wanted criminal back in Oregon?"

  "It has nothing to do with me being a criminal. Someone else, but let's not talk about it, okay?"

  Even thinking about it made my body tense and my heart rate increase.

  "Sorry," he said and held up his hand. "Say no more. I won't pry."

  We drove off.

  "I'd love to go and see my mom and dad but I can't. Maybe they'll come out East for a visit."

  "You're lucky you actually want to be around your family. Me? I can't wait to escape their company, with the exception of my sister."

  We stopped at a light and I watched him. He rubbed his chin, which was covered with just the right amount of scruff.

  "I would love to be around my mother and father, but it's not possible."

  He nodded and finally, we arrived at my building. He stopped the car and got out, quickly opening my door before I could.

  "You're pretty gallant for someone who doesn’t believe in romance," I said and stepped out, taking his hand.

  "I believe in being extremely courteous." He helped me out, then offered me his arm. "To make up for being a heartless rake." He wagged his eyebrows at me.

  I laughed at his expression. We walked up the eight steps to the front entry to the building and stopped as I got out my key.

  "Well, thanks again for rescuing me," I said and let out a sigh. "I don’t think Ichabod will be bothering me again after your stellar performance."

  "No more seeing his uvula, I hope?"

  "I hope," I said and smiled. I felt a bit awkward because usually, if I remembered dating at all and I barely did, this would be the time when he'd lean in and kiss me or I’d invite him up for coffee.

  "Well, I'd invite you up for coffee," I said, and tilted my head when I looked at him, "but I don't drink coffee after three o'clock in the afternoon and you've got work. Besides, I'm not into the whole empty meaningless but very enjoyable sex thing."

  He leaned in closer, our eyes meeting. "That's too bad," he said, his voice sounding a bit gruff. "I'd throw over my extra hour of work in a heartbeat if you were."

  We stood like that, our faces just inches away from each other and the moment seemed to stretch. Finally, I turned and slipped my key in the slot and went inside, kicking myself for not just kissing him. I should have. It’s not like he wouldn’t have kissed me back, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to let myself get too close.

  I turned when I got to the inside door and waved at him. He was still standing on the doorstep, watching me.

  "If you change your mind, you can text me. I'll be right over…" He raised his eyebrows at that. When I shook my head, he laughed. "Just kidding. I know you're not into meaningless if incredibly enjoyable sex. My loss."

  "Good night," I said and as I closed the door ad went to the stairs, almost running up them. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

  I really enjoyed being with Luke. He was very, well…likeable. Let's face it. He was very fuckable, too, except for the part about leaving in a short time to sail around the world and his plans to leave the Earth for Mars or the asteroid belt.

  I planned on staying put on Mother Earth and didn’t want my heart broken again.

  Once was more than enough.

  Chapter 12

  Luke

  * * *

  The next day, I spent the time in meetings with Andy, one of Chatter’s lawyers who was there to talk about the deal. We discussed our meeting with the investment company that wanted to buy us out. We talked strategy and tactics, and then what we'd do once the deal went through.

  John leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.

  "Me and Mr. Big Shot here are going to sail around the world."

  Randy Andy, as we called him, turned to me.

  "After you get back, you're pulling a rich boy going into space?"

  "Something like that," I replied. “Maybe John will join me on a one-way trip to Mars.”

  "Not on your life." John shook his head and held out a hand. "I'm sticking to the good old planet Earth with its oxygen and living soil and protective atmosphere and geomagnetic protection from harmful cosmic radiation. Once we’re back from the trip, I'm going to find me a rich blue blood woman and start my family dynasty. Do everything right."

  I laughed at that. "Seriously, what are your plans? You're going to have a billion dollars. What are you going to do with it?"

  "Make another billion."

  "No philanthropy? No fulfilling a life-long dream?"

  “After finding me a good woman to make me an honest man, I’m going to make another billion will be fulfilling a life-long dream so I'm good."

  I turned to Andy. ”You and Shana getting married?"

  "Probably," Andy said, his hands folded. "She's getting antsy about getting pregnant before she's too old."

  I nodded, but felt strange. "I guess I'm the odd man out," I said. "Not getting married or starting a dynasty. I want to create a legacy that will outlive me. Space. That's my life-long dream."

  "You would have been singing a different tune if this happened a year ago," Andy said, his eyebrows raised suggestively. Of course, I knew what he meant. Before I found out Jenna had been cheating on me.

  "You're right, of course," I said. "I would have been planning the biggest wedding of the year. But that was then. This is now."

  "You're the last man in your family. If you don't procreate, there will be no one to keep the family name going."

  "I'll donate my sperm. Someone will carry on the genes, if not the name."

  "A name is everything, man," Andy said. "You'll get over Jenna. You'll find someone else. I bet in a year, you'll be talking about buying real estate somewhere with some pretty young woman you fell for while you were in some port."

  I laughed. "Not likely, but whatever."

  "He likes this woman he met last week," John said, a sly grin on his face.

  "Oh?" Andy said and leaned forward. "Do tell."

  I shook my head. "She's a great woman, but I'm a confirmed bachelor."

  "He's falling already and doesn’t know it," John insisted. "He's trying to deny it, but I know the truth."

  Now Andy was all smiles. "Seriously? Who's the lucky woman?"

  Then John relayed the story of how Alexa and I met.

  "She actually pretended to be a call girl?"

  When I nodded, he laughed.

  "Oh, that is such a great story. You two can tell that one the rest of your life on the anniversary of your first date."

  "You're full of it," I said, unable to stop smiling. "We're just a couple out of convenience. I'm faking it for her benefit, to keep the skinny Teaching Assistant out of her hair, and she's faking it for me so I can let my adoptive mother's best friend down easy that I'm not marrying her daughter."

  "Faking it?" Andy said, a grin cracking his face. "Is he faking it? That's a real smile on his face."

  John shook his head. "He really likes her."

  "Keep deluding yourself," I replied and stood up, gathering up my files. "Well, enough girl talk. I have work to do finishing off the presentation. We can go over it next week before the meeting. I'll send it to you when I'm done."

  We left the conference room and went our separate ways.

  I was somewhat amused by Andy's and John's attempts to paint me as infatuated with Alexa. Sure, I'd love to fuck her brains out, but that was it.

  They both had to get a life. I had plans for the next fifty years and they didn’t involve becoming a lapdog to some woman just so I could get my rocks off.

  I'd learned that lesson with Jenna and wouldn't make that mistake again.

  * * *

  The following Friday, I sat at my desk gazing out at the Manhattan skyline. I checked my cell to see if Alexa had pulled out at the last minute, like I suspected she might, but so far there was no text from her.

  LUKE: Hey, how are you today? Slay any international relations dragons? I hope you're still planning to come to We
sthampton with me tonight. I need a sidekick to keep the wolves at bay…

  I sent the text and then waited, wondering what she'd say in reply.

  When she didn’t reply right away, I opened a file on my desk and tried to occupy myself. Finally, I heard a ding and checked my cell.

  ALEXA: I'm through with dragons for at least two weeks, I'm happy to say. If you seriously need me to come to Westhampton, I'm willing but I want a promise from you again that you're not going to try any funny stuff.

  LUKE: I am a man of my word. I promise to only fake trying funny stuff. I will pretend to be so turned on by your mere presence that I can't wait to get you alone in my bed so I can ravish you the way you deserve. It will all be a total act, rest assured. ;)

  ALEXA: Good because I don't do meaningless sex, no matter how wonderfully pleasurable it might be.

  LUKE: *sigh* Classic boy-girl divide. He wants meaningless sex, and she wants meaningful sex. Can I ask you something? Why can't plain old good sex be enough? Don't you like good sex? Maybe you haven't had enough of it to know what you're missing. I assure you, I would make it worth your while. It's been over a year after all…

  She didn’t respond right away, and I felt that maybe I'd pushed a bit too hard.

  LUKE: Of course, if you prefer to just fake it, I understand. Well, I don’t understand, but I can accept it.

  Another silence passed and I hoped I hadn’t been really wrong to text what I had. I read over my text and tried to see what I might have written that would be taken in the wrong way.

  LUKE: ??

  Finally, after about ten minutes, she replied, and I felt a huge sense of relief that she wasn't going to tell me to fuck off and deal with my family and the Blakes on my own.

  ALEXA: I have my reasons as I'm sure you have yours.

  LUKE: Of course you do. Look, you can't blame a guy for trying. You're beautiful and sexy as hell. I can't not want to fuck you silly. You have to understand that. Right?

  ALEXA: This is the source of all problems in the world between men and women. Men can't seem to see us without their dicks getting in the way. I'm more than just tits and ass…

  Whoa. I really put my foot in it that time.

  LUKE: Of course you are. You're much more and all of it is very attractive. I'm sorry if my bluntness insults you, but I'm only being truthful. I promise that I won't be too obnoxious when we're at the beach house for the weekend. Only as obnoxious as I have to convince everyone that we really are fucking our brains out, okay? Deal?

  I waited for her response. From my way of thinking, I was complimenting her, noting how beautiful she was and how sexy. How pretty much every man I knew would feel the same way about her.

  ALEXA: As long as you keep your end of the bargain, I'll keep mine.

  LUKE: Deal. I'll pick you up at seven. By the time we arrive, there'll be a barbecue, bonfire and we can sit around, have a few drinks and enjoy the night. You deserve to relax and enjoy yourself and celebrate your successful exam. You can hold my hand a bit, we can gaze in a loving but entirely fake way into each other's eyes in front of the Blakes, put on a good show for my adoptive mother and then hit the sack. I promise to be a total gentleman when we're alone.

  ALEXA: I'm holding you to it.

  LUKE: Okay. See you in a while.

  Damn, woman…

  I thought she'd be flattered that I found her so attractive and desirable. I'd think she would like it, but apparently, it was a sore spot for her.

  I'd be the perfect gentleman with her when we were alone, even though it would be hell to have her in my bedroom and not be able to actually use it the way I wanted.

  With her on the bed, on the floor in front of the fireplace, on the sofa in front of the window, and in the bathtub. Wherever I could take her.

  That was the normal red-blooded hetero male in me.

  The other part of me, the part with a functioning pre-frontal cortex, knew I had to show her that I appreciated her as a person as well as a woman.

  I'd make sure I asked her all about her thesis and what she was planning to do with her PhD when she finished it. I wasn't a total ignoramus when it came to women.

  I'd been engaged to and ready to marry one.

  Scratch that – I was a total ignoramus when it came to women, at least when it came to judging whether they were faithful. I thought Jenna was faithful, but I was wrong.

  I wouldn't make that mistake again.

  * * *

  I went home and took a shower then packed my bag, throwing in a few pairs of swimming trunks and some clean boxer briefs, my golf hat, a Hawaiian shirt and some Bermuda shorts. I packed my shaving kit, and then added in a few condoms – on the off chance that Alexa changed her mind. I wanted to be prepared for all eventualities.

  After I dressed in some jeans and a clean button down white shirt, I went to pick her up.

  On the drive there, I was hopeful that we'd have a fun weekend, despite putting on a show. We enjoyed each other's company – I was sure of that much. I think if I could close my eyes and just listen to her talk, or if we kept it to texts, we could be great friends. I enjoyed her playful banter and of course, she was smart. Smarter than most guys I knew.

  It was just that she was so damn sexy…

  Buck up, soldier.

  I'd have to be a perfect gentleman with her this weekend. No pushing myself on her. Let her come to me if she decided she wanted some…

  * * *

  I arrived at her apartment block and waited on the street, double parking while I texted her that I was outside. The sun was still high in the sky despite the hour, and the air was warm for September.

  LUKE: Your knight in shining black armor awaits, m'lady.

  ALEXA: Be right there.

  About three minutes later, she appeared outside the door to her building, looking like a movie star in her white sundress with brightly colored flowers, a pair of sandals and a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. I hopped out of the car and helped her with her bag. She got in the passenger side when I opened the door and I threw her bag in the back beside mine.

  I got back in the car and turned to look at her.

  She was perfect. Everything – her hair, her dress, her sandals… she was the perfect date for a weekend at my family beach house.

  "You look fantastic," I said and smiled.

  "Thank you." She looked at me over her sunglasses, a grin on her lips. "You're not so bad yourself."

  "We aim to please."

  I drove off once she had her seatbelt fastened, surprised at how much I was looking forward to this weekend. Usually, I'd only tolerate things at my family's beach house, trying to wear headphones to keep from talking to people, even though they'd inevitably interrupt and try to make conversation. Sometimes, I'd bring work and sit at the table on the patio and hold my cell to my ear, shrugging to make it look like I was busy conducting business so I could dodge any conversations with people I would rather avoid.

  This weekend, I was honestly looking forward to walking around the grounds with Alexa at my side, using her as a shield from having to do much socializing. I'd ensure that we pretended to be deeply involved in each other, and hope that if we kept to ourselves, they'd leave us alone. Surely, Mrs. Blake would finally get the idea finally that I was not interested in her daughter. With John there, I could relax and hope that she was pleased with the chance of matching her daughter up with him instead.

  "What am I in for this weekend?" Alexa glanced at me as we took the freeway on the way to Westhampton.

  "Fun, sun and lots of prying questions from my family. The usual."

  "How much do I tell them about us?"

  "Wing it," I said. "If they ask about Jenna, just say that I don't talk much about her, and that you feel it's better that way."

  "Are you going to tell me about Jenna?"

  I shook my head. "I don’t talk much about her. It's better that way. Suffice to say she betrayed me. That's really all you need to know."

  Sh
e watched me for a few moments. I felt her eyes on my face and tried not to say anything more. I didn’t want to get into the whole business of my cheating fiancée, because it was a real downer and I wanted to put it all as far behind me as I could.

  "Unlucky in love," she said and watched the passing scenery. "Join the group."

  "You too?"

  "I don’t talk too much about it. I think it's better that way." Then, she glanced back at me, smiling softly. "The two of us are like the walking wounded."

  "Not me," I said and took in a deep breath. "I'm completely over it. Never think of it unless someone brings it up. When they do, I try to put it out of my mind as soon as I can."

  "That bad?"

  "Worse."

  We drove in silence for a moment, and I knew she was curious and fighting her desire to ask me more. Hell, I was curious about her sad story, too, and would have really liked her to tell me more.

  Instead, I asked her about her family, and she told me more about them and her life traveling around the country with each posting her father got.

  "It sounds like a great life," I said, thinking about how much I missed my own real parents, and how Dana and I used to imagine what it would have been like to have both of them still alive instead of two adoptive parents.

  "It was a great life. I saw a lot of the country, met people from all over the world. My father taught me about responsibility and duty, and how important a strong family can be. He was a very lucky man to have been able to fly jet planes all his life. He stuck in the military rather than get out and go commercial like a lot of his fellow pilots did. He became a career military officer. He loved the life."

  "I'd like to meet him. I bet he has some good stories to tell."

  "Oh, yeah," she said and smiled. "Lots of them."

  "Tell me one," I asked, wanting to pry more info out of her. "Tell me your favorite story of his."

  She smiled and twirled a strand of hair, thoughtfully. "He and a couple of other pilots were on a cross country trip to Nashville, returning a visiting pilot to his home base. They went out that night and visited Hank Williams Jr.'s grave. It was past midnight and they were technically trespassing and very drunk, but they wanted to visit it while they were there. The police found them and were going to arrest them for trespassing and drunk and disorderly conduct. They asked for my father's ID and he saved the day. He was an honorable Colonel in the Confederate Army and had this joke ID card they gave out to people. The cop saw it and shrugged, followed them back to the hotel instead of arresting them."