L exi

W orking these early Monday mornings at the coffee shop was kicking my butt. Sure, I’d had early classes back in college, but there all I had to do was sit and listen. This was a whole new ball game. I was carrying buckets of ice, stocking drinks, and getting ready for the morning rush. At least I didn’t have to do it alone. I was working with Mandy this morning .

Mandy had been my best friend for years even though we were pretty much complete opposites. Mandy was shy, conservative, and barely ever did anything that would raise an eyebrow. She was constantly listening to my stories and shaking her head, not understanding why I did things the way I did. Still, she was amazing at giving good, no-bullshit advice and trying desperately to keep me in line. She had decided to go to graduate school, so my dad had helped get her a job at the café to pay her tuition .

Of course, when my dad had heard she was going to grad school, that had opened a whole new can of worms, and I’d had to endure almost two months of his guilt-tripping before he finally gave up and focused on something else. In the meantime, I’d come to work with Mandy, and I was glad to have a friend here with me. I walked around the corner and set the tray of muffins on the counter, opened the display case, and set them in one at a time. The complex had strict rules about their pastries. Everything had to be perfectly placed, no crumbs, with the stripes of the muffin wrappers matching up. It was tedious, but I didn’t mind it so much. It gave me something to do .

“I still don’t get why you work here,” Mandy said as she brewed a pot of coffee. “You could buy, like, fifty of these cafés, but instead you make pennies to sort muffins .”

“I like it,” I said cheerfully. “Makes me feel like an actual person instead of the little rich girl living off daddy. Plus, it keeps him off my ass when I go to an actual job every day. I swear, he treats me like I’m fifteen years old sometimes .”

She laughed. “Lexi, not to be the bearer of bad news, but you are twenty-one years old and this is your first job .”

“So?” I replied indignantly. “That’s why I went to college, to get skills and to find a job, although I never thought it would be at a coffee shop .”

“Well, if you could make up your mind about what you want to do, you could get out of this place,” she said, poking me in the side. “You have an Ivy League education; you can use it anywhere. Just decide what pumps you up, what makes you want to go out and get a job—and I don’t mean for more shopping money .”

“I will,” I said, smiling. “Right now I just like being part of society .”

As I put the last of the muffins on the rack, my mind switching back to Hunter. I wanted to tell Mandy about what had happened, but I also knew she was going to lecture me for making such a reckless decision. Still, she was my best friend, and I needed to tell someone. I felt like I was going to explode. There was so much going on in my mind: my future, my father, and now Hunter. That had been the best sex I’d ever had with anyone, and I really didn’t want to keep it to myself. In reality, what I needed was advice, someone to tell it to me straight from the outside. I knew Mandy was that person. She had never sugarcoated anything for me the entire time we’d known each other .

I wavered back and forth on whether to bring it up. I tried to keep myself busy, preparing for the opening of the café, but it was nearly impossible. All I could think about was Saturday night, having the craziest, most satisfying sex I’d ever had. Just thinking about it got me all hot and bothered. Then, on Sunday, when I had looked across the room and locked eyes with Hunter, I’d felt electricity crackle through my chest. I had pushed it down, knowing I needed to focus on work, but it had been difficult. He had been so sexy walking across the lobby, his hair perfect, his smile charming, and his eyes glued to mine as I poured a customer coffee. The only thing that had pushed the thoughts from my mind had been seeing him leave with my father, reminding me of how careful I had to be. My father could never find out, no matter what .

I stacked the dishes by the sink in the back and contemplated my next move. I couldn’t hold this in any longer. It was going to drive me crazy. I needed to tell Mandy even if she looked down on me for it. I walked back out to the front and stood next to her .

“I have to tell you something,” I said, putting down the tray and turning to face her .

“What?” She looked curious .

“Something happened last night at the pool,” I whispered, looking around. “I went there to swim, and Hunter was there. We talked, flirted, and then, before I even realized what was happening, we were all over each other. It wasn’t planned. It just kind of unfolded organically .”

Mandy stared at me, the information I’d just given her flying through her mind. I could see her going through the emotions one by one. There was a hint of excitement, a flash of worry, and then the emotion I was waiting for: disappointment. She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the back, looking around to make sure no one was listening .

“You can never tell anyone else that,” she said. “Do you understand ?”

“I know,” I said, sighing. “I just needed to tell you, to get it off my chest. Mandy, it was seriously the best sex I’ve ever had .”

“Who cares about sex?” she asked, clearly frustrated. “This is your relationship with your father and his reputation we’re talking about here .”

“I know,” I said, looking down. “It’s more than that, though. Hunter is charming, handsome, and so freaking funny. When he looks at me, I feel like the only girl in the room. I always have. He has a serious side when it comes to business, but he also has this charm to him that is absolutely insane. I smile every time we are close to each other .”

“I don’t know, Lexi,” Mandy said with disapproval .

“I’ve had a thing for Hunter ever since I was a teenager,” I said. “I just want to see where things go. If it’s just sex, then I’ll take advantage of it for a while and then cut it off. But who knows? Maybe it could be something more .”

“He could be your freaking soul mate and your dad would still murder both of you,” she said, shaking her head .

“That old man can sit on it,” I said in irritation. “It’s my life, not his to control .”

“Well, he controls the bank account, so he kind of has an edge,” she pointed out .

“I’m not going to let my father rule me forever with money,” I said, shaking my head. “One day I will be self-sufficient .”

“And I applaud you for your goals, but sleeping with your father’s best friend is not really the way to start out,” she said, looking over at the elevator as people began to come down. “We’ll talk about this later. Can you get one more bucket of ice ?”

“Sure,” I said, smiling .

I walked to the back with the bucket, but Hunter was the only thing on my mind. It was hard to concentrate on anything else. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out, smiling down as Hunter’s name flashed across the screen. I poked my head around the corner to make sure Mandy wasn’t coming and then answered .

“Hello?”

“Hey there, beautiful,” he said, filling my chest with butterflies. “You busy ?”

“I’m at work, but I have a second,” I said, not wanting to sound too desperate to talk to him .

“Good. I’ll cut to the chase then,” he replied. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night. I made reservations at the Lovehouse at eight. You can meet me there so no one sees us leaving together .”

“Sure,” I said happily. “That sounds awesome .”

“Great,” he said. “I’ll let you go. Have a good day at work .”

I hung up the phone and held it to my chest, excitement flowing through me. I wanted to run and tell Mandy, but I knew she would disapprove. I took several deep breaths and finished filling the ice bucket before returning to the front. Dinner with Hunter at the Lovehouse. It was going to be amazing .