I chuckle; smiling so big my face nearly hurts.
That’s true. I have a strange name. My father is the one who named me Lex. Most people think its short for Lexi, Alexis, Alexa, or Alexandrea. It’s not. It’s just Lex, named after Alexander Luther aka Lex Luther from Superman. My dad was a fan of super villains, no shocker there. So, my mother conceded and let him name me Lex. According to her, she wanted to name me Douglas, which is ten times worse. That would have been extra hard to pass as a female name. At least Lex is unisex. Guess I lucked out on that one.
Me: Give her my love, and I send a big juicy kiss to you. I’ve got to get back to work and I’m sure you do too. See you this weekend. Text you tonight while I’m in bed, naked, thinking of you. Have a great day honey.
Him: Yes, work is busy as always, although I am kind of digging this working from home thing. You should try it. It’s pretty great. You better text me tonight and I’ll be picturing my hot woman in bed, naked and thinking of me. I’m hard already thinking about it. See what you do to me? I don’t think I’ll be able to get any work done. Love you, TTYL.
Dropping my phone back into my top drawer in my desk with a grin and a warm heart, I turn my focus back to the next six hours of work I have ahead of me. As I allow pictures of Gage to dance in my head.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Friday
Lex
“Are you about ready to go?” Roni yells up the stairs.
“Yes, five minutes and I’ll be down.” I yell back, loud enough so she can hear me over Patsy, who’s serenading me while I put the finishing touches on my make-up.
I’m standing in my bathroom, hovering over my sink, my right leg bent resting on the top. I lean forward to apply the last bit of my eyeliner and mascara perfectly. Tonight Roni and I are having an impromptu quasi girl’s night out. Typically, I know days ahead of time. Tonight is different. Roni dropped by my office today around two and asked me to have drinks with her so we could catch up. I’ve barely spent more than an hour with her this week combined. Too much of her time has been caught up in Bob and I’ve been working late. No time to run into one another.
Popping my freshly lacquered red lips in the mirror, I rub my fingers under my eyes to catch any stray eye shadow that might have fallen. Perfect, now I’m finished. Tonight I am going va-va-va-voom sexy in my black, designer strapless cocktail dress that clings to my body like a glove. I don’t wear it often because it’s a little on the expensive side. Tonight though, I don’t care. I’ve spent all week away from my… well I guess I should call him what he is, my boyfriend. And I miss Roni. It’s time to relax; I think I’ve earned it.
Twirling in the mirror, I stop, run my fingers through my slightly curled hair and voila, I’m finished. Grabbing my purse from my bed and slipping my black glossy heels on. I ‘click’ my way out of my bedroom door and down the stairs. Some women need to be careful when they walk in heels. I need to be careful when I don’t. I feel weird without them on. Even the flip-flops I wear in the summer are leather with heels on them. I have a serious addiction. As I’m sure you’ve realized.
“Woo wee, look at you hottie-patatie.” Sassy Britches kids, fanning herself with gusto.
I laugh, shaking my head at her silliness. “Whatever. Look who’s talking, Miss I’m-wearing-makeup-and-a-tight-shirt.” I joke back, flashing her an over the top grin.
Ignoring my compliment, we follow each other out back. I lock up the house and we take her truck to the Devil’s Den, the only suitable joint in town other than restaurants who serve alcohol. It’s past dinner time, and we already ate delivery pizza at home for supper, my half with mushrooms and banana peppers, her half meat lovers. So, drinks at the Devil’s Den, it is.
Walking into the Devil’s Den an older gentleman graciously opens the door for us, and we go inside. The place never changes. Still the plain watering hole it’s always been. Tonight a DJ is running the show and there’s a rap song on singing ‘slide to the left, slide to the right’. It appears to be a line dance because the dance floor is heavily saturated in bar goers.
We take up two stools at the bar and I drop my purse on the top and pull out my phone. I told Gage I was going out tonight. He said ‘have fun,’ but I have a feeling it wasn’t very sincere.
“What can I get cha?” The silver fox bartender asks, flashing us a genuine smile. He’s pretty yummy for an older gentleman. I think he’s the owner because I swear I’ve seen him behind the bar each time I’ve been in here. He’s hard not to notice with his soulful blue gray eyes, and an amazing heart stopping smile. It’s sexy on him. I bet he’s in his early fifties and in better shape than most men I know. For whatever reason, he always seems to wear a gray t-shirt that clings to his well-built physique.