Lessons for Lexi (10 page)

JT nodded. “When she’s in town. She
travels a lot for work.”

Lexi closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. “You should leave.” She looked pointedly at the door.

“Alex…, look we can work this out. We
can work something out, ok?”

“Work something out? You mean
,
I get to be the piece on the side that you slap around?”
Lexi’s cold eyes met his. She had put Alex away for the time being and started
channeling Lexi Logan. “As much fun as I had,” she winked at him, “the whole BDSM
lifestyle isn’t right for me anyway.” She walked to the door and opened it for
him. “But thanks for the ride.”

JT stood, seemingly defeated. “You
don’t mean that. Last night meant something.”

“Yeah, it meant that apparently I have
daddy issues.” She didn’t look at him as he walked to the door. “I’ll work them
out with my shrink as opposed to you. Now off you go, Faith is waiting.”

“Alex,” JT reached for her chin and
tilted her face up to his.

Her eyes were hard. “Out, or I
reconsider my decision to not compare notes with your girlfriend about the mole
on your butt.” JT dropped his hand and gave her a firm look, but left without
saying anything. Lexi managed to slam the door behind him before she ran to the
bathroom to throw up.
  

***

Lexi returned to the table 15 minutes
later, after several rounds of dry heaving in her toilet bowl. The run in with
JT had left her feeling sick and drained in a way she hadn’t felt since the
last time she was on the radio. She plopped back in her chair and started
bunching the bouquets together in her hands, not really caring about the end
result. She just wanted to finish so she could drag Raj off to go
drinking.
 

“So, Alex, is it?” Faith, the
betrayer’s bitch girlfriend was speaking. Lexi looked up in disinterest. JT had
apparently decided to bail, probably in a hurry to wash the sheets before his
girlfriend got home. “That is certainly an unusual color. Where did you get it
done?”

Lexi had the urge to tell the truth.
That her currently ridiculous hair was done by the same man who did
Angelina Jolie’s on occasion.
Of course, she couldn’t do that to Donny.
“Supercuts.”

“What?” Faith made a face, so Lexi
decided to horrify her even more.

“Yeah, but
only for the dye.
I cut my hair with one of them vacuum things.” Lexi looked
around the table. “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone else want one?”

Frizzy hair gave her a disapproving
look. “It’s only 10 am.”

Lexi winked, “Good point. I’ll put
orange juice in it.” She gave frizzy hair a too hard slap on the back and the
woman jumped in surprise. “I’m kidding. How am I supposed to get rid of my
hangover from last night with something mixed with orange juice? Gross.” She
locked eyes with Raj. “Want to raid the liquor cabinet with me?”

“While you’re there dear, get me the
sherry.” The frizzy haired woman turned to Althea in surprise. “And don’t
bother giving me one of those judgmental looks, Virginia. You know I can’t see them.” Althea
continued to work on her bouquets. “If I’m going to work on these horrible
things all day, I’m going to have fun while I do it.”

Faith tossed her hair. “Well, I never
drink. It’s terrible for your complexion.”

Lexi nodded. “It’s working. You don’t
look a day over 35.”

“I’m 29.”

“Oops, sorry,” but Lexi didn’t sound
sorry as she walked off to the liquor cabinet, her step just a bit lighter than
it had been before.”
 

***

JT sat in the kitchen of Althea’s home
and checked his watch for what felt like the tenth time. It had been a week
since Alex had confronted him and she’d managed to sidestep him ever since. It
was the first day he’d gone back to check on the property. Regardless of his
relationship with Alex, he still felt responsible for keeping an eye on the
house. As he’d suspected, the pot plants had been removed from the premises.
The house was orderly and neat. The only thing out of order was the occupants.
They were missing. It wasn’t too unusual. It was only 8 pm and it was a
Saturday. But at the same time, it was also his elderly old blind aunt and two
flaky bohemians.

As much as JT tried to avoid it, he
kept thinking about Alex. His mind kept going back to the night at his
apartment, the way she’d felt underneath him. He went over her punishment again
and again in his mind, always pausing at the same point. While he’d been
smacking her ass, she’d turned around at one point and looked at him. There had
been something in her eyes. Some kind of trust there that told him while she
didn’t like being punished, she knew she needed it. That she trusted him to do
it.

It had only lasted a moment, but he
couldn’t forget it. He didn’t believe he’d imagined it. But then again, maybe
he was. His sexual chemistry with Alex was off the charts. It was why he’d
spanked her in the first place. Why he’d been more aroused to find that she’d
broken the rules than angry. He shook his head and chalked it up to crazy
sexual chemistry along with a need for a change. He tried to tell himself he was
relieved that he hadn’t destroyed a suitable relationship for it.

Alex had kept her promise. She hadn’t
said a word to Faith, or even spoken to her since the planning party. He liked
Faith, he was comfortable with her and they had built a life together. He
wasn’t going to throw it all away for a couple of nights of sexual chemistry with
a woman who was a bit too wild for his liking.

He had learned about the wild part from
Faith when she’d returned home from the party. Apparently, not only had Alex
gotten drunk, she’d gotten everyone at the party drunk. Judging from the amount
of empties he’d seen in the garage, the party hadn’t stopped since.

“Oh, JT!”
His aunt was
stumbling into the room on Alex’s arm, wobbling heavily. Alex dropped her into
a chair. “I didn’t know you were coming by tonight!” Every sentence was
excited, like she’d been waiting months to see him. “We just had the most
delightful evening.”

He locked eyes with Alex. “Is she
drunk?”

Alex nodded somberly and burst into
drunken laughter herself. “After we got kicked out of bingo, we hit a leather
bar. It was a time.”

“Where’s Radford?”

“Oh, yeah
‘Radford’.”
Alex made quote marks in the air and then stumbled into a
chair herself. “He picked up a dude. They went back to his place so ‘Radford’
can paint him in the nude.”

“Radford can paint?”

“Not even remotely.” Alex tilted her
head. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to check on you.”

“Well, we’re fine and I moved the
plants, so I guess you can go.”

JT’s hand was itched to redden her
backside. In fact, if it wasn’t for her threat to tell Faith they’d slept
together, he’d be testing one of the wooden spoons in the pantry on her bottom
instead of just thinking about it. “I’ll leave when I’m ready. How much have
you all been drinking? The recycling bins look like they belong to a frat
house.”

“That’s probably because we let that
frat house have a party here last night.” Alex rolled her eyes and stood from
the table. “I’m going to put Althea to bed.”

His aunt was already starting to snore
a little in her seat as Alex shook her and helped her to a stand. “Come back
downstairs and see me after you’re done.”

“Why?”

“It’s about my aunt.” Alex sighed but
nodded as she took Althea upstairs to bed. She returned a few minutes later and
took the same seat across the table from him.

“If you’re doing this to get back at
me, it needs to stop.”

“Doing what?”

“Turning my
aunt into an alcoholic.
This is the second time she’s been drunk in a week.”

“Wow, if that qualifies as an
alcoholic, I’m a super alcoholic.” She rolled her eyes. “Listen, Althea didn’t
get drunk at the party. She had like half a sherry. As for tonight, I’d say one
time in 10 years is reasonable.”

“What’s with all the bottles outside then?”

“If they’re beer, they’re mine or
Pinchpenny’s.”

“Alex,” JT’s voice was stern, “that’s
way too much for two people to drink.”

“Whatever,
Saint JT.
Are we done?”

JT clenched his teeth and again had to
resist the urge to yank her out of the chair and tan her hide. His voice got
low. “I will advise you to stop trying to provoke me. You can only push me so
far.”

“Right back at
you.
I have Faith on speed dial.”

JT sighed, urge to paddle her still
there, but he hadn’t come to threaten her. “I want us to try to be friends.”

Alex snorted. “Why that sounds super,
JT!” Her voice was falsely bright. “Maybe you can even invite me to your
wedding.” She shot out of her chair. “I’m going to bed.”

“Wait,” JT stood with her and caught
her wrist. Between her slightly buzzed state and his touch, she stumbled into
his arms. He looked down at her, the soft lips that had begged him to never
stop on that fantastic night a week ago, inches from his own. He felt the surge
of chemistry, as strong as it had been before and before he could stop, he was bending
to kiss her.
 

On the first touch of his lips, she
gasped in surprise and he’d taken advantage, to touch the tip of his tongue to
hers. She responded, clinging to him, returning his kiss with near desperation.
He slanted his mouth over
hers,
reaching down to cup
the bottom that he’d just considered taking a wooden spoon to.

She infuriated him and intrigued him at
the same time. It was an intoxicating combination and it only took one kiss for
him to realize that he couldn’t live without it. He’d never had that kind of
chemistry with anyone before. He’d never been able to truly be himself.

Faith was convenient, she was
presentable but she wasn’t Alex. He’d made a mistake choosing her. Faith had
been the easy choice. Alex was stubborn and it would be hard to get her to
accept him back, but he was going to try. He’d even give her a free pass for
all her unacceptable behavior for the past week, though she wouldn’t find him
nearly as forgiving in the future. She was wild and unpredictable, and he was
just the person to tame her.

He pulled back to break the kiss,
looking into her dazed eyes. “We need to talk.” He kept his voice low and
gentle.
 
“Let’s go up to your room.”

Alex froze. “No.”
 
Her eyes narrowed. “God, I am so fucking
stupid.” She shook her head. “What’s the problem? Faith won’t let you beat her
ass and you need to find a piece on the side?”

“Alex, it’s not like that.” He reached
for her as she tried to pull away from him. “Listen, I…”

She pushed him off, refusing to listen.
“Just leave me alone JT. You need to talk about how the house is handled, talk
to Althea. Just leave me the hell out of it.” With that, she stormed out to the
kitchen.

JT had to resist the urge to chase her
down and force her to listen to him. He realized that he needed to take care of
things with Faith first, so he would be free and clear to pursue Alex.

Alex was about to learn that JT Hussner
could be incredibly hard to shake when he wanted something.
 

Chapter 9

The next few days were nearly
impossible for JT. He’d returned home to his apartment to break up with Faith,
hoping for an easy amicable split.

Instead, she’d been a complete shrew,
calling him every name in the book, accusing him of everything from being a
workaholic, to a closeted homosexual with a small penis. He’d taken the verbal
abuse without complaint and learned more and more about Faith, the more she
screamed. When she started complaining about all the time she’d ‘put in’ and
how she’d earned her place by his side, he realized that Faith had been less in
love with him and more in love with the status he gave her.

It solidified his decision to end the
relationship, even though Faith had booted him out of the apartment they
shared. He didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, she’d earned it.

He’d also been barred from the family
home. He’d considered a hotel at first, but was hoping to get closer to Alex.
Living under the same roof as her would give him ample time to prove he was
perfect for her.

As well as calm
her
the
hell down, because while he was having one of the worst weeks of his
life, she was having a nonstop party. That he’d learned from the rumors of wild
party nights and drunken benders he’d heard about from his aunt’s friends and
neighbors.

He’d called to talk to his aunt about
staying there for a while, thinking she’d jump at the idea. Instead, she said
that she didn’t think it was a great idea, and that the house was so crowded
with just Alex and Radford. He’d nearly laughed out loud at the idea of a 10
bedroom house being too crowded with four people in it, but read between the
lines.