"I'm sure you do." I smirked, enjoying the attention he was giving me. He could easily have a dozen other girls in this club, so I didn't know why he was wasting time talking to me.
"Actually … " He inched his head down lower, almost whispering. "I don't really go out much. I just flew back to New York. I was actually supposed to meet a friend and apparently, they blew me off."
That surprised me. He looked like a guy who went out every weekend, at least.
"Is that what you tell all the girls?" I mocked.
He laughed, lightly brushing his hand through his hair. He grabbed the drinks from the bartender and threw a twenty on the bar. "No, it's the truth." He smiled. "I saw you earlier standing at the table with your friends. You were laughing and smiling … you looked so carefree and full of life. I find that to be a very attractive quality in a woman."
"All right." I lingered, circling my straw in my glass as his words circled around in my mind. "Well, I haven't been out in months. It's my friend's bachelorette party, actually."
"Really?" His eyes roamed over my body, admiring the way my dress squeezed my curves. "You seem like a girl who likes to have fun … often."
"Well, you know what they say about allegations … " I grinned, gripping the straw between my lips. I leaned in, whispering inches away from his mouth. "Unfortunate disappointments."
"I'd be willing to bet my right testicle that you would be anything but a disappointment, sweetheart." His voice stayed deep, firm. His eyes embedded into mine, letting me know exactly what he was after.
"Well, get ready to lose that bet." I smiled confidently. "I need to get back to my friend before she thinks I ditched her."
"Ahh … the nice blow off … " His eyes held mine, daring me to leave.
"I'm not blowing you off," I insisted. "It's just … it's a girl's night," I explained.
"Oh, girl's night … " He let the words out easily in understanding. "Well, if you get lonely and decide to make it a fun evening, you'll know where to find me." He winked, gripping my elbow in his palm. He pulled me forward and pressed his lips to my cheek. "Enjoy your evening, Mac." Tingles riveted throughout my entire body-a sensation I hadn't felt in months. It was uncanny for someone I had just met.
"Thanks … you, too," I finally managed to say. I spotted Staci finally and took off with my Vodka Cranberry in my hand.
Alexander Lancaster.
The son of multi-millionaire, William Lancaster. Manhattan's most influential businessman and voted to win the Tenley Leadership Award ten years in a row. He didn't use his power for bad, over-the-top things; rather William was different. He was good. He wanted to be a role model and continue teaching his employees under him. It's one of the things I loved most about him. He's entirely selfless.
I finished rubbing the moisturizer all over my body, wondering where that flashback had come from. I blew him off … so how in the world did I wake up in his bed the next morning?
I guess the only way to know was to ask Alex.
But would he even tell me the truth? Did I want to know the truth?
I washed my hands off and grabbed my phone to call Staci.
"What's up, girlfriend?" she answered cheerfully, but I knew she'd be freaking out in about two seconds.
"I hate my life," I said flatly. "I'm being punished. Or something. Karma, perhaps."
"Mac … slow down. What's going on?"
"Alex!" I scream-whispered. "Alex-fucking-Lancaster!"
"Wait, who's Alex Lancaster?"
I breathed out, needing to slow my mind down so I could make some sense. "William's son … who just so happens to be … "
"Oh my god!" she screamed as it finally clicked in her head. "One-night stand Alex is Alexander Lancaster?"
I sighed. "Yes … one in the same. And I had to come face-to-face with him tonight at dinner."
"Holy shit," she breathed out. "What did you do?"
"What could I do? I mentally freaked out! I pretended I didn't know him and sat across from him. To make matters worse, he totally knew he was making me uncomfortable. I left for the bathroom and he followed me!"
"Jesus … "
"Stace, what am I going to do? He's moving in! Apparently, William wants him to move back in until he finds a job and is more stable. Do you know how awkward this is going to be?"
"He has to have his own money to move into his own apartment, right?" she asked the same question I'd been thinking the entire ride home.
"Well, you'd think, but I also believe it's William's way of re-connecting with him or whatever. I don't know. William is barely home enough for us to spend time together, so I'm really not sure what he's thinking."
"Well, that could be it," she agreed. "I mean, you've been with him for almost two years, and you're just now meeting his son? I guess they had some kind of rough patch or something. Before he left for school, he was always in the papers for getting into trouble. I bet you William sent him overseas on purpose. And now he's trying to see if he can trust him."
"Damn, I hadn't thought of that. William rarely talks about it. Anytime I bring it up, he manages to brush it off or be completely vague."
"Well, now would be a great time to ask!"
"I know, I know!" I started pacing the bathroom, thinking over everything she'd just said. It made a lot of sense now that we were talking it out. "That isn't the only problem," I added.
"Okay, what?"
"I keep having these flashbacks and short glimpses of him … of us … it's … " I paused, trying to collect my thoughts.
"Confusing?" she filled it for me.
I sighed, exhaling deeply before answering, "Yes. Very. I feel these things inside and I just don't understand how, or why, and what I'm supposed to do with them. I never intended for anything like that to happen, yet when I get these flashbacks, it's like I didn't feel guilty at all. Like … it was right."
"Mac, listen to me. I've known you a while now, okay? I know you like everything in its perfect little place and your schedule all nicely written out. I even know you organize your underwear drawer by color," she said with a laugh. "I also know your lack of experience with men. So now, you just have to decide … what are you going to do about it? You can tell William and see if he gives you a second chance, or you can pretend it didn't happen and ignore everything you feel about that night."
"But how can it be that simple? I don't think Alex is going to make it that simple. You should've seen the way he looked at me all night."
"I bet it was hot." She laughed lightly and I scowled. "But in all seriousness, and even though this will sound cliché, do what you feel is right in your heart. If William is your future, then focus on that."
"That's kind of hard to do when your one-night stand comes to live with you, Stace!" I whispered sternly. "I'm just going to have to avoid him as much as I can … it's the only way. Maybe I'll join a book club or do yoga on the weekends."
"You don't know how to do yoga," she said flatly.
"Well, I'll learn," I spat back. "Or just stay at work really, really late."
"Well, good luck with that," she cracked with amusement in her tone. "Call me tomorrow," she said just before we said our goodbyes and hung up.
Staci was my best friend, but we had entirely different lifestyles. We met when Laura hired her for a temporary design job at the magazine, and we ended up having lunch together almost every day. Once she was done, we continued hanging outside of work and she became my first real friend in years. After awhile, I began to trust and confided in my past. She'd been the only person who knew before I met William-who still only knew some parts.
New York was a fresh start for me, but I quickly learned about cliques and what popularity can do to you. She wasn't from an upper class upbringing, which was the thing I loved most about her. Most of the women I met through William were polished, snooty-bitches, and they were as fake as their nose jobs. Being friends with Staci allowed me to be me, not the woman engaged to business-extraordinaire, William Lancaster. I didn't have to plaster on fake smiles during a girl's charity luncheon or pretend to care about their stupid ‘problems' that were barely problems at all. I was thankful she was a constant in my life-something I never had before.
But this … this was something I was going to have to figure out on my own somehow. I was going to have to do everything in my power to avoid Alex. I couldn't let him get me alone …