Chapter 18: Chapter 18

LEXI

That night, business at Maker’s Café was slow. Carlos asked only two workers to come in for a few hours, then lock up early.

Hellfire was in town, and it seemed like everyone in Miami was excited to see the Canadian band live.

Even Lexi had listened to their album a few weeks ago and become an instant fan. Her favorite tracks were “Lost Me,” “Over It,” and “On It.”

“So, have you decided about the concert tonight?” Lexi’s coworker Fiona asked excitedly.

Fiona was a dancer at Maker’s who usually got up on stage every night in a tiny carnival costume to entertain the guests. But because only three customers came in tonight, she wore regular clothes to assist at the bar.

Normally Fiona would only say “hi” and walk away, but today she kept talking to Lexi. Asking questions and sticking close by. Now she was offering tickets to Hellfire’s tour.

“Come on, please, pretty please with strawberries on top? I have three tickets; my new boo is taking us.”

Lexi couldn’t help but smile at the extra sparkle in the young woman’s eyes. “Don’t you think your date will mind if I tag along?” she asked, trying to get out of it even though she would love to see the band. “That’s kind of weird.”

Fiona shook her head, but Lexi was not prepared for what she said next.

“Actually, he asked me to invite you.”

Lexi frowned. “He asked you to invite me?”

“Yes, he did. I told him about you on one of our dates. I told him there’s this quiet bartender who’s stuck in a shell like a hermit crab, and I needed an excuse to get her out of it. He said you sound nice, so he gave me three tickets—well, technically two. He has his own.”

Fiona almost shouted in her ear, “We have VIP seats, and there are backstage passes too. We’ll get to meet Hellfire, for crying out loud! Why are you even considering not going?”

“Okay, I guess.” ~It’s Hellfire, and I have nothing better to do.~

Fiona suddenly threw her arms around Lexi and hugged her tightly. “Oh my god, this is going to be so much fun!”

But when she clocked out at work, Lexi sulked. Reece had texted saying that she was sailing to Key West with some rich guy she met and that she planned to be there all week.

The thought of doing her own makeup for the first time was giving her the kind of anxiety that required recurring medication.

Lexi thought of texting Reece about the concert but decided against it. Her best friend loved Landon, Hellfire’s lead singer, and getting his autograph would be the ultimate “thank you” for all Reece had done for her.

***

On the bus ride home, Lexi searched YouTube for tips on how to apply makeup. She watched attentively, building her confidence.

~How hard could it be?~ she wondered as she studied the women and their techniques.

After an hour of applying makeup and removing it with Neutrogena wipes, Lexi finally succeeded. Satisfied, she decided to try on the outfit she received this morning, but it didn’t seem right for a concert. Not one of this magnitude, anyway.

Deciding against surprising Reece, she called her best friend and told her everything. Reece screamed loudly at the mention of Landon’s name.

“Bitch, I’m so excited! Take my best thong with you in your purse so he can sign it.”

Lexi giggled. She was about to make a comment when the call was switched from voice to video chat.

“You can’t wear that. That’s for your first real date with a nice guy, not a damn concert. Go into my closet, and I’ll show you what to put on.”

Lexi did as she was told.

“The red dress…right there!” Reece yelled, pointing through the screen.

Lexi pulled the red dress off the rack. It was a close-fitting, short, sleeveless dress with skin cutouts at the back and under the breasts.

“Uh, Reece. I’m not sure I can pull this off.”

Lexi had never worn anything like this before. She wondered what her nipples would look like in an AC-filled room if she wore this skimpy dress.

“That’s what you said about the dress you wore to the fundraiser, and you pulled that off beautifully.”

“That was different; that dress was like a ball gown. This one looks like a stripper outfit.”

Lexi dropped it on the ottoman and stepped back, horrified.

“It’s Hellfire’s concert—you can’t wear a ball gown. It’s booty shorts or club dresses or, if you have the ass for it, jeans. But not a ball gown. No way. I will strangle you when I get back if you wear anything stupid,” Reece threatened.

Lexi felt like a feeble woman who just wanted to crawl back into her shell, but after a minute, she agreed. “Fine.”

“Good, now point the camera toward the shoe section, and I’ll tell you which heels will go great with that dress.”

It felt as if her best friend was in the apartment with her, and Lexi was comforted.

At eight forty-five p.m., Lexi was dressed and once again did not recognize herself. The dress accentuated curves she never knew she had, and her small feet looked perfect in the black, strappy Christian Louboutin heels Reece insisted she wear with it. Her best friend had also told her to wear one of her black leather jackets.

Lexi pulled her hair up in a neat bun since it was the only hairstyle she knew how to do well. Some auburn baby hairs hung out at the sides, making her look sexy and youthful.

Just then, there was a girlish knock on the apartment door. Lexi hurried over, trying not to trip and break her neck in the high-heeled shoes.

“Hey!” Fiona screamed in her face. She must have taken five shots before leaving her house.

“Hi.” Lexi tried to match her enthusiasm, but it seemed forced, so she offered a smile instead.

Fiona took a moment to appreciate Lexi’s outfit. “Oh shit, you look so hot, girl. Why don’t you show off your body like this at work?”

“Thanks, you look nice too.” Lexi complimented honestly.

It was true. Fiona had a perfectly proportioned body. She could wear a plastic garbage bag, and men would still go crazy.

Tonight, she was wearing short shorts, black suede Chanel boots, and a tiny little silk crop top. Her hair was done in silky wand curls, and her makeup was flawless.

“Are you ready?” Fiona asked, almost jumping up and down.

For some reason, Lexi felt like she wasn’t. She had borrowed a purse, dropped one of Reece’s thongs in it for the autograph, took some emergency cab fare, along with her cell phone, but she still felt a tightness in her chest. The way she only felt when Mr. Gray Billionaire was around.

~That’s weird.~

Lexi hadn’t seen him since she told him off at the club four days ago, but the memory of how he tasted was still fresh. Liquor and sin, she remembered. A lethal combination that stirred up wants and needs she had no idea she could crave as a woman. It had taken every ounce of strength she had not to fall victim to his deadly charms right then and there.

But what good was thinking about Daniel going to do? It would only push her mood ten steps back, would only make her doubt herself after she spent hours building up her confidence.

In a low voice, she whispered words of wisdom to inspire her courage. “~Forget about him.”~

Oblivious, Fiona led Lexi out of the apartment and down to the sidewalk, where a sleek black Bentley SUV was waiting on the curb. Fiona slid in gracefully, and Lexi tried to mimic her without exposing the mesh underwear she was wearing or her barely covered breasts.

The door automatically closed, and a cold chill slapped her in the face. She knew immediately it wasn’t from the AC; it was the chill of untamed anger and mortification.

Fiona clung to the man who sat next to her, throwing her smooth, long legs over his manly thigh. “Lexi,” she said, “let me introduce you to my date, Daniel. Daniel, this is my coworker Lexi.”

Lexi thought of leaving right then. ~Thought.~ But her limbs were frozen to the leather seat, and the driver was already pulling away from the curb.

Lexi searched for words, but none came. Only her thoughts seemed to have a voice at that moment.

~So, you’ve moved on?~ ~You’re back to your old self?~ ~You’ve learned absolutely nothing!~ ~How could you kiss me four days ago and sit before me now with someone else?~

~Maybe the kiss really meant nothing.~

His words returned to her: ~“I want to fuck you so hard that I’ll be numb when I’m through.”~

“Nice to meet you,” Daniel said, smirking. “I’ve heard so much about you.” He was laying out a challenge so obvious, she would need a low IQ not to catch on.

Lexi couldn’t get her thoughts to quiet down.

~What kind of game is he playing? He knew she invited me? Did he ask her to invite me? Why the hell would he do that? If I knew he was her date, I would have never agreed to tag along. I feel so stupid…again!~

~How many times can he make me feel stupid in one week?~ ~Has he always been dating Fiona?~

Lexi tried and failed to figure out the man in front of her, but luckily, by some act of God, she hadn’t lost control of her poker face. She hadn’t given away the fact that she was affected. By some miracle, her stare remained blank.

Then she heard herself say something shocking. “Unfortunately, I’ve heard nothing of you. But thanks for the invite and the ticket. I love Hellfire. Landon’s my ideal type.”

Lexi witnessed a shift in Daniel’s intimidating eyes. He glared at her as if he wanted to leap over and pin her to the seat by her throat.

As she watched him ball his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white, her confidence returned tenfold. A smile appeared on her face, and it carried a clear message.

~You want to mess with me, Daniel? Okay, game on!~