I blink, centering my mind. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just remembering stuff.”
“Bad stuff.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t. You don’t need to do that anymore.”
“No, I don’t.” I give her a small smile. “And I guess I really did seize the moment last night.” I let out a nervous laugh.
“You certainly did.”
I touch my cheeks and shake my head. “I can’t believe I had a one-night stand, though.Me.”
Mischief returns to her face. “I can believe it. You were like a trapped bird desperate to break free. Besides, Levi Vale is hot. You would be crazy if you’d turned him down.”
Maybe. But that didn’t make me dislike the situation any less.
Alexis sits forward and narrows her eyes. “I just realized you haven’t told me what he said.”
There is a reason for that.
I don’t know what to make of his reaction.
“He was surprised.”
“But what did he say?”
“Basically… that he’d be seeing more of me. And welcome to Vale Global.”
Her mouth drops again, and she snaps her neck so hard it’s a miracle she doesn’t break it. “What? Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“It’s not important.”
“Piper, I can’t believe you right now. Clearly, the guy wants to see you again.”
That’s exactly what I thought, but I shot down the idea. “I don’t want to read too much into it.”
“There’s nothing to read into. It’s clear as day.” She giggles. “He’s giving me Sebastian Drake vibes.”
I roll my eyes at her, though I shouldn’t be surprised she’d say something like that. When we were younger, she was infatuated with Sebastian Drake, a mafia boss from a series we used to watch. He was obsessed with a woman who saved his father’s life. He ended up claiming her and making all her dreams come true because he wanted her for himself. She fell for him, alright, even with his dark, dangerous lifestyle.
“Alexis, there’s no Sebastian Drake here. Levi is just… different.” I’ve never met anyone like him. Usually, cockiness is a big turn-off for me, but Levi Vale makes cocky look as good as a sin worth committing.
“And what does different mean for you?” Alexis keeps her eyes trained on me. “Different can be a good thing, as you know.”
“Different can also be too much for me.”
The sad thing is, as exciting as last night was, itwastoo much for me.
“But you like him. I can see that you do. Or you wouldn’t look so nervous.”
There wasn’t much not to like about Levi Vale. It was all about timing. “I think I need to focus on getting back on my feet. Just for now. Moving to New York was a big deal for me.”
I had to rebuild after Reece, practically start from scratch with no money and a big employment gap on my résumé. After we broke up, the one thing I was sure of was that I couldn’t stay in San Francisco anymore. So, I left, leaving all my friends and family behind.
New York was the first place that came to mind because of Alexis. I also figured it could be a good place to get my career off the ground.
Alexis’ expression softens with understanding and her shoulders relax. “I understand.” She nods. “Just don’t take too long and let the hot guys slip through your fingers. There may not be anyone left. I certainly wouldn’t turn down a guy like Levi Vale.”
