Chapter 8

 

“Don’t you fucking play dumb…” Adam says, voice low and very pissed off.

 

He has just gotten back from his trip to London and wants nothing else but to confront Lexi. She hasn’t been responding to his calls and texts. When she picked him up in the airport an hour ago, she’d been colder than ice. He asked her if she was hungry and wanted to grab lunch. Her reply was to tell him his schedule for the day. When he gave her the postcard of the Buckingham Palace, all she said was a ‘thanks’. Then, she asked him if he wanted his clothes to be dry-cleaned.

 

Now they’re in his office with the doors locked and closed behind them. Now, Lexi has no escape. Adam walks closer to her until a couple inches separate them. He’s towering over her, and all he wants is to take her small frame in his. He wants to hug her flushed up against him, but he knows Lexi won’t allow that.

 

“Now, tell me the truth,” he then says, trying to meet her eyes, but Lexi’s looking at everywhere but him. “Seriously, Lex…” he says, using his special nickname for her. “I’m at my wit’s end trying to figure out what’s wrong…”

 

It’s only then Lexi looks at him. There’s an incredulous look on her face. Her eyebrows are furrowed together, but her mouth is opened in a small ‘oh’. She can’t believe what he’s saying.

 

“Are you serious?” she asks, raising her voice. “You really don’t know what’s wrong?”

 

He shakes his head, and then pleads, “Please. I can’t fix this if you won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

 

Lexi then crosses her arms over her shoulders. She looks so disappointed it pains him. She can’t stand seeing her face looking so infuriated. Worse, she’s not only angry, but she’s angry at him.

 

“My bad…” she says, heading for the double doors of his office. “There’s nothing to fix.”

 

He rushes up to her and stands in front of her. Now, he’s blocking her way, and he won’t let her out until they fix things between them. Adam has no idea, but there’s a strong pull within him to resolve the issue. If Lexi were some other woman, he would’ve let her walk out. He doesn’t know what is it about Lexi that has him wanting to fix things. Her tirade should infuriate him, but it’s doing the opposite. He’s concerned.

 

“Don’t lie to me,” he says, his tone hard yet worried at the same time. “Now, answer me...what’s wrong?”

 

“It’s nothing,” she says, when Adam makes a move to cut her, she lifts a finger up to stop him. “But I’m just so disappointed...I’m so disappointed, and I’m so mad. I know I can’t get mad, but I am. I’m mad because I expected…I expected that we had something more than sex.”

 

He stays silent and lets her continue. He’s looking at her solemnly with his arms crossed over his chest. His jaw is clenched and his jade-colored eyes never break contact with her hazel ones.

 

“What’s new?” she asks rhetorically, the tone of her voice dripping with sarcasm. “The virgin falls for the playboy...and now she’s attached. It’s just sex for you, but I can’t separate my feelings from sex. I thought we had something more. I only realized it when the interviewer asked you if you had a girlfriend, and you said ‘no’.” By this point, Lexi’s crying a river. She looks so unflattering with her swollen eyelids and moist, tear-stained cheeks. “I didn’t realize how deep my feelings for you were. That night when I watched your interview, I felt my heart break into pieces. I thought that only happened in the movies and in books.”

 

When Adam opens his mouth to speak, Lexi shakes her head. She shakes her head because she doesn’t want him to say anything. She knows she’s just going to be disappointed.

 

“Now, that you know, can I take the rest of the day off?” she asks. “You can deduct it from my pay or whatever.”

 

Lexi doesn’t wait for his answer. She turns on her heel and walks towards the door. She opens and then closes it behind her before she heads to the elevators. She keeps her head low since she’s not the only one inside and fits herself into a corner. The moment the elevator doors open, she runs as quickly as she can to the building exit. Once outside and with the cool wind calming her senses a bit, she hails a cab to take her home.

 

On the drive home, she can’t stop thinking about what happened earlier. She’s distraught at acting that way in front of Adam, but she can’t keep her emotions in check, not when she’s realized she’s fallen in love with the man. She won’t deny sex with him is great, but there’s more to Adam than his good looks, corporate achievements, and his skills in the bedroom. She’s fallen in love with his approachable personality and his drive to succeed. He knows what he wants and knows how to get it. Lexi is so unlike him. She knows what she wants – him – but she has no idea how to get the man. In this scenario, she’s on the losing end. She’s already fallen in love, and the man believes he’s still single.

 

When the cab stops right in front of her apartment building, the one Adam’s paying for. She pays her fare and rushes up to her unit. Once inside the privacy of her bedroom, Lexi plops down on her bed and snuggles up to her pillows and duvet. She just wants to sleep and forget what happened.