“This is ridiculous.”
“I’m pulling up a photo.”
“You have photos of my clothes? And people call me creepy.” I leaned my elbow on the bar top to look at her.
“No one calls you creepy,” Lexi countered as she scrolled through her phone. “People call you hot and unapproachable. Ah-hah!” She shoved her phone in my face. “Hamsters.”
I took her phone and peered at the zoomed-in image.
“I don’t see it at all.”
“Turn it this way. See, here’s his little hamster nose.”
“What’s in that blue drink?” I asked, taking it from her and sipping it. I gagged. “It tastes like rancid cotton candy.”
“And pixie dust and dreams.”
The server came out with a tray of small plates. Lexi immediately grabbed a forkful of the calamari and popped it in her mouth.
“So freaking good. Best thing I’ve eaten all day. Well, second best.” She winked at me when she said that. “Love being rewarded for hard work.” She slowly drew her tongue along the tines of her fork.
“So all this—the notes, the photos, the undressing in my penthouse and the,” I lowered my voice to whisper in her ear, “the self-pleasuring session on my bed was all a premeditative plan to win me over so I would take you to this restaurant?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, poking me in the stomach. “I’m doing my job. I have a catalog of everything you own. That was so there’s a record if the dry cleaners or repair shop damages anything.”
“Huh,” I said sitting back. “That’s actually pretty smart.”
“And the billionaire Manhattan male suddenly realizes that his suitcases don’t magically unpack and pack themselves. How, you may wonder, does this species of male ever find a mate? Why, he relies exclusively on his good looks, of course.”
“I’m not that out of touch,” I said, taking a bite of the ceviche.
She giggled.
By the time Lexi was ordering dessert, I realized that I had barely watched my mother at all. I felt guilty, like I was forgetting her.
“I want the cherry pie,” Lexi said.
“Coming right up.”
“It’s a special occasion,” she whispered to me and slid her hand up my thigh.
“Matt, can you send a selection of desserts over to that lovely table over there? I think we were a little obnoxious,” she asked the bartender. “I don’t usually day drink.”
“That true?” Matt grinned at me as he cut a slice of pie for Lexi.
“No comment.”
43
LEXI
As soon as we were back in the penthouse, Grayson’s hands were on me.
“Looks like I convinced you not to go into the office,” I murmured as he dropped the bag of food on the floor. “Wait. My leftovers.”
“I’ll bring them to you in bed,” he promised as he picked me up and carried me upstairs, kissing me hungrily. Then he laid me down on his large bed.
I couldn’t get enough of him. He was better than any fairy-tale hero because I was pretty sure Prince Charming didn’t know how to dothatwith his hands. I suddenly wanted all of him completely.
