“I don’t have time to argue about it, Ian. I’ll text you when I get there since it will be the middle of the night in Portland.”
“Fine.” He disconnects, not even saying goodbye. Right now, it’s the smart thing to do. Glancing at his watch, he sees it’s too late to go to the office so he decides to head straight home to get some paperwork done there. His housekeeper should have been in this morning, cleaning, organizing, and stocking the refrigerator so he didn’t need to go out again. He leans back into the seat to try to center himself, wishing like hell that Ella was with him now. What would it take to get her to open her eyes about men? She was so naive it bordered on gross stupidity, for God’s sake. She’s a beautiful young woman—she’s going to be prey for every piece of shit lowlife horny bastard out there. She has to accept reality.
Twenty minutes later, the cab pulls in front of his houseboat. He unclips a fifty-dollar bill and hands it to the driver. “Keep the change. Thanks.” The driver hops out of the car to carry his bag to the front of the entrance. Ian nods his thanks.
As soon as he opens the door, he sees her. Can this day get any fucking worse? How the hell did she get into his house? The first thought that crosses his mind is to wonder if the woman is dangerously unstable. If so, he must proceed carefully.
“Hello, Ian. Long time no see.”
Treating her like a wild animal, unpredictable in her behavior—in her case, crazy rather than feral—he slowly puts down his bag, careful not to make any sudden moves lest he provoke an attack. He nods to acknowledge her without saying a word.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
He stands in the hall, still about twenty feet from where she’s sitting. “Alexis, what are you doing in my house?”
“I came to see you, of course. You’ve been avoiding me, Ian, and that’s just not nice.”
“I’m not avoiding you, Alexis. It’s just that you and I have no relationship. You’ve been calling me and I’m not returning the calls because we have nothing to talk about. Do you understand?”
She stands up to move closer to him. “Now, that’s just not fair. We’re friends, aren’t we? I like you, Ian.”
“And you show it by breaking into my house? You do realize that in addition to being insane, it’s also against the law. Correct?”
She takes a moment to admire her lacquered fingernails. “Oh, pish posh, mere technicalities. What’re a few laws between friends? I tried calling you… numerous times, but you never called me back. What else could I do?” She pouts exaggeratedly, her full lips coated in scarlet lipstick.
“How did you get in?”
Shrugging her reply, she flips her long dark hair back behind her shoulders. “I just told the housekeeper I was your sister. She’s new, isn’t she?”
“What do you want, Alexis?”
She glides over to him: she’s wearing a very short black dress with white polka dots and very high black heels… and not much else. He could see her breasts about to spill out of the low-cut décolleté, “I want you of course. What do you think?”
“Alexis, first of all, I’m not interested in you in that way. Second, I happen to be involved with someone right now. And third, I make it a habit never to date women who break into my home.”
She’s now inches away from him. “I think you are interested in me, Ian, but for some reason you’re resisting.
“Okay, look: I’m tired, hungry, in need of a shower, and have an almost insurmountable pile of work to do. Please leave now or I’ll be forced to call the police.”
“Where’s all your usual security, Ian?”
“Right now, they’re on their way,” he bluffs. “They’re coming from my office building where I was supposed to go. Instead I came directly home from the airport. Please leave before they get here and are forced to physically remove you from the premises.”
Putting her arms on his, she leans into him, pressing her body against him. “Okay, I’m going… for now… but only because I have an engagement. I don’t expect to be ignored.” She leans in to kiss him but he rears his head back and away. She smiles and then releases him.
Without another word, she walks over to grab her purse off the sofa and, slightly unsteady on her heels, walks toward the door, “And by the way, Ian, I really don’t care if you’re involved with anyone or not. I’ve decided that you and I belong together. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“No, Alexis, you will not. Please don’t force me to take legal action against you. Go away and stay away.”