The Stand Off (3 page)

Pixie, Kiki, Lolo, and Graves ran
up to stand beside Lux.

“I can’t believe it worked,” Pixie
said in amazement.

“I’m not sure that it did. We
bought ourselves a little time; hopefully enough to come up with another plan,”
Lux explained as she continued to watch Dean’s retreating form.

“Dean has lots of skeletons in
his closet,” Kiki said.

“Rumors circulate around about
him all the time,” Graves, Lux’s best friend added.

“And I will give proof to each
one of those rumors, until he gives up,” Lux said with determination.

“I don’t know; he’s never been
known to give up, Luxy,” Pixie interjected.

“Most people are too afraid to go
against him,” Lolo, Pixie’s best friend, admitted.

“Few have tried and
all
have failed,” Graves said.

“Except me. I
will
win
this, one way or another; I will get our building back,” Lux vowed.

Dean sat perfectly still in the
back of his limo. Although he was looking out the window, he saw nothing. His
mind was replaying the events that had just passed. He’d never been out smarted
by anyone, let alone a female. He was enraged and ready for Lux Hart’s ass on a
platter.

And what better ass to have
propped up before me.

He remained locked in thought
until the chauffer stopped in front of Dean’s office building.

Dean quickly got out of the car,
walked briskly into the building, got in the elevator, and headed straight up
to his office. He stormed past his secretary and barked, “Find Johann.”

“He’s already waiting for you,
sir,” his secretary answered before he stormed into his office and slammed the
door behind him.

“How did it go?” Johann asked as
he rose from the black leather sofa.

“It didn’t go.” Dean headed to
his desk.

“What do you mean?”

“The building is still standing;
Lux Hart blindsided me.”

“How the fuck did
she
blindside
you
?” Johann asked, as his amusement began to spread across
his face.

“She dug up some dirt,” he
grumbled as he sat at his desk, tempted to grin. He still couldn’t believe what
she had done. He would be impressed if he wasn’t so pissed. He could appreciate
a bold move like that, if it wasn’t used against him.

“Bad enough to make you
reconsider?” Johann found it highly unlikely.

“Temporarily. The timing is bad
with this upcoming deal.”

“Oh shit, she got pics of you
with the governor’s wife, didn’t she?” his younger brother asked.

“I should have paid a little more
attention to Miss Hart… she’s a smart one. She’s sneaky as well as mouthy.”
Dean thought back to the fierce look on Lux’s face, her determination had been
blazing as brightly as the sun. He should have suspected that she would pull a
rabbit out of a hat. She was bold, brave, and reckless. He’d never wanted to
fuck a woman so badly in his life.

What I would do to you, Miss
Hart.

“In your defense, you’ve never
been blindsided before; especially not by a woman. Even I wouldn’t have guessed
she’d be ballsy enough to fight with fire. Shit, I’m man enough to admit I was
blindsided by how pretty she is,” Johann admitted.

“Pretty is an understatement,” he
said under his breath.

“So
is
ballsy,” Johann
grinned.

“I need every one of her
skeletons; I need to find something on her. I want everything… lovers, friends,
teachers, and family. I want to know what she eats down to how she likes to
fuck, and I want all the illegal deeds in between.”

“You’re fighting fire with fire?”
Johann raised his right brow.

“No; I’m fighting fire with
gasoline.”

“I’ll get started on that
immediately. It will be good to know the background of the only female who made
Dean Blake flinch.”

“Get out,” Dean growled at his
younger brother.

Johann smiled broadly and
chuckled as he left Dean’s office.

***

The next morning Lux woke up with
a smile on her face. She stretched lazily before hopping off her bed and
heading to the shower. It was a beautiful day, and she was in great spirits.
She had won this little battle with Dean, but she was smart enough to know the
war had just begun. Still, she wouldn’t let it affect her mood; she’d won for
now.

After a long, hot shower she got
ready to start her day. She walked downstairs to the kitchen to find her family
conversing over breakfast.

“Good morning,” Lux said with a
bright smile as she headed towards the coffee pot.

“Good morning, my dear sister,
the building saver,” Pixie smiled and clapped her hands.

“Smells delicious,” Lux said as
she looked at the feast Kiki had created.

“I tried a new recipe: an
eggless, bacon, cheddar-melt sandwich,” Kiki said as she began to fix Lux a
plate.

“You sure are in a good mood this
morning,” Graves said, her eyebrows raised below her short, platinum blonde
bangs. She was sitting in the chair with her back perfectly straight as she
read the morning newspaper. Her long, board-straight, pale-blonde hair hung
over the back of the chair. She was dressed in all black, as usual, maintaining
her gloomy, porcelain doll look.

“Of course she is; she annihilated
the infamous Dean Blake’s ass yesterday,” Kiki said with a smile. She was
tickled with delight.

“It was only a temporary fix… a
bandage; he won’t stay down for long,” Lux said reasonably as she sat down at
the table with her coffee.

“But you’ll be there to knock him
back down when he tries,” Graves reminded her.

“Yes I will,” Lux agreed with a
smile. She had just grabbed her plate from Kiki when she received an email
alert on her cell phone. Her happiness faltered when she realized it was from
Dean Blake.

To: Lux Hart

From: Dean Blake

Subject: Reschedule

____________________

It’s been rescheduled. You have
three weeks at which time I will demolish my part of the building. There will
be no exceptions this time.

-Dean

To: Wrecking Ball Man

From: Lux Hart

Subject: Good Luck

____________________

Before or after you’re running
from the governor?

-Lux

She wished she could send him a
picture of her middle finger instead of her tart reply.

To: Lux Hart

From: Your Landlord

Subject: Reschedule

____________________

I don’t run from anyone. And stop
gloating; your 15 minutes of victory is almost up. I should start charging you
rent.

-Dean

To: Slumlord

From: Lux Hart

Subject: You wish

____________________

Gloating ;)

-Lux

Lux slammed down her phone and
growled; her smile was completely inverted.

“What’s wrong?” Pixie asked.

“Call the private detective and
schedule another appointment,” Lux barked louder than she meant.

“Okay,” Pixie nodded and grabbed
her cellphone.

***

Dean looked at his laptop screen
to see Lux’s last message.

He wasn’t sure what pissed him
off more… the word “gloating” or the damn winking, smiley face after. He
imagined Lux’s sexy lips turned up into a smug smile, and he felt his cock
begin to pulse. He knew what to do with smug smiles; he had a better job for
those lips.

“What I would do to you if I
could get my hands on you right now,” he murmured as visions of making Lux
submit flashed through his head.

He sat back in his chair and
stared at the computer screen for a moment. This wasn’t over; he’d make her pay
for all the trouble she’d caused him, and he’d make her pay for that fucking
smiley face, too.

Lux and Pixie went downtown to
visit Private detective Clifton Branch. He had a small office between the
bowling ring and a pizzeria. He was a smart man who seemed to know a lot about
everyone. When Lux first met him, she was worried because he appeared too young
to be a good detective. However, all of her doubts were laid to rest once
Clifton quickly produced pictures of Dean and the governor’s wife.

They walked into his office to
find him smiling widely behind his old wooden desk.

“Well hello ladies; to what do I
owe this pleasure?” he asked, looking directly at Lux.

“I still can’t believe you’re
this close, and we’ve never run into you before,” Lux said as she walked over
to sit in the chair before his desk.

“Well it’s a good thing we
finally did.” Pixie smiled as she sat in the other chair next to her sister.

“I guess the block is bigger than
we thought.” He smiled back.

“I need more evidence,” Lux cut
to the chase.

“Straight to the point… I like
that,” he said with a pleasant smile directed at Lux.

“I need something better than
before,” Lux told him.

“Better than the governor’s
wife?” Clifton asked; his eyes wide with shock.

“Yes, and I need it as of
yesterday,” Lux declared.

“Wow, you’re just as demanding as
your sister,” Clifton smiled.

“She’s
way
more demanding
than me,” Pixie shook her head as she twisted her lollipop in her mouth.

“Let me guess: Dean didn’t bat an
eye when you showed him the pictures?” Clifton asked Lux.

“You expected that reaction?”

“He’s a tough one; he doesn’t
take well to threats. So it didn’t work at all?”

“It was enough to get the
demolition postponed.” Lux sat stiffly in the chair.

“Well that’s a start. He’s never
postponed anything to my knowledge. The problem is he’s legendary for being a
womanizer. His behavior is so shocking, we’d have to expose something real big
to out shock the shock he’s already caused,” Clifton explained.

“Or we just need to find
something that he wouldn’t want exposed,” Lux suggested.

“If only we could find out how
his mother really died,” Clifton said in a soft voice.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of the
murder conspiracy theorists?” Pixie asked.

“If we could find some evidence
against his father, I can guarantee that you’d get your building back.”

“No absolutely not. I don’t want
to dredge that up,” Lux told him. She was determined to do whatever was
necessary to keep her building, but she would not do that.

“That story is brought up
annually,” he said.

“I don’t care, it won’t be
brought up by me,” Lux informed him as she raised her chin stubbornly.

“There has to be something,”
Pixie interjected.

“There was a rumor that he had an
affair with his brother’s ex-fiancée,” Clifton informed them.

“As in his rock star brother
Vaughn?” Pixie suddenly smiled like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“Yes, Vaughn.”

“I love that man; his music
touches my soul.” Pixie purred.

“Good, get the proof.” Lux told
Clifton.

“Well it’s just word of mouth,”
Clifton reminded her.

“Tell me it’s not from some
scorned girlfriend or some super-stalker groupie,” Pixie scoffed.

“It is,” Clifton admitted with a
look of distaste.

“Then it’s probably not even
true; it’s a waste of time,” Pixie said.

“Nothing is a waste of time, I am
desperate. I will double your money if you can find proof, but it has to be
legitimate,” Lux spat.

“If I could find proof I would be
rich; that’s something he would never want to get out. He is very close to his
brothers.”

“If it’s true, then he can’t be
too
close to them.” Pixie shook her head.

“That man is neither close nor
loyal to anyone… I’m sure of it. From all the wretched tales I’ve heard,
nothing would surprise me. He probably did cheat with his brother’s fiancée. In
fact, he probably slept with all of his brother’s fiancées, girlfriends, and
wives,” Lux sneered.

“I agree; from what I’ve gathered, he’s a bad man. You’re very astute Miss Hart.
I like that,” Clifton said with a smile.

Lux stared at him blankly for a
moment and Pixie almost chuckled, knowing her sister would never recognize the
flirty nature of his words.

“If you’re not doing anything for
dinner tonight, maybe I could tell you a few tales about Dean that would
surprise you.”

“I’ve heard enough. All I want is
hard evidence,” Lux replied.

“Then how about dinner so we can
discuss the whole case further?”

“Why waste time with dinner when
you can send me an email. You have evidence to find,” Lux said as she rose from
her seat. “We have to go. Contact me the moment you get something.”

“Absolutely boss,” he smiled and
saluted her.

Lux nodded civilly and headed to
the door before she turned back to her sister. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll be there in a minute; I
just need to ask him something,” Pixie said with a false smile.

“I’ll be in the car;
hurry
,”
she said and rolled her eyes as she left.

When Lux was gone, Clifton began
to speak, “She doesn’t like me at all does she?”

“She’s too worked up and stressed
out about this building. Just give her a little time. Remember the faster you
get that dirt on Dean Blake, the sooner she’ll start relaxing a bit,” Pixie
convinced him although it was a blatant lie. Lux wasn’t the least bit
interested in him. Lux was never interested in anyone so if she suddenly
developed an interest, Pixie would have picked up on it.

“I’ll get on it; I’ll get
everything I can find.”

“That’s what we like to hear.”
Pixie smiled before she left.

Once Pixie was back in the car,
Lux turned to her and asked, “What was that about?”

“Oh nothing… just a crush.” Pixie
chuckled.

“Another one of your stalkers? No
wonder why he’s so eager to help.”

“No, he’s not stalking me.”

“Please don’t tell me that
you’re
the stalker. You’re not the one with the crush are you?” she frowned as if she
smelled something bad.

“Hell no! For your information my
irresistible sister, Clifton has a crush on
you
,” Pixie accented her
last word with a nod.

“Tell me you didn’t encourage
this crush just to get the job done.”

“Why ever would you think such a
thing, dear sister?” Pixie feigned innocence.

“Because I know you like a book,
sister dear.” Lux pursed her lips, waiting for a response.

“You’re right of course; I did.
But you have to admit that he’s cute.” She smiled.

“No he’s not.” Lux frowned as she
drove off.

“Not even a tiny bit?”

“No; there’s something off about
him,” Lux said flatly.

“He’s got that boyishly sexy,
detective look.”

“So then
you
should be the
one who likes him, leave me out of it.” Lux shook her head.

“It doesn’t work like that.
Besides, you know that I don’t like men who chase my friends; especially not my
sister.”

“Stop saying that; he’s not
chasing me. I think you have your signals crossed or something. It’s probably
some reverse pickup approach. I would bet tons of cash that you’re the one he’s
really interested in,” Lux snapped, clearly irritated.

“Then you would lose,” Pixie said
flatly.

“Well let’s just pretend… and
let’s not mention it again,” she demanded with a frown and Pixie grinned.

“It wouldn’t kill you to go out
on a date you know.”

“I’m not going on a date with the
private detective. Drop it,” Lux insisted.

“Not him necessarily… with
anyone. You need to date.”

“I’ve been on a date.”

“Yeah, for fucking prom,” Pixie mocked.

“I’ve been busy since prom! Did
you forget about The Music Hall? When have I had a day to rest let alone go on
a date? What do you want? You want me to grab some random guy off the street
and take him to dinner or a movie?”

“Why do that when you got Clifton
right there,” she joked, but Lux didn’t find it amusing.

***

It had been a long, trying day
for Dean. He was short tempered, irritated, and barking orders at everyone
around him. Despite his unwillingness, he had found himself dwelling on Lux
Hart for the better part of the day. He couldn’t rid himself of the thought of
her; he was even having trouble staying focused. He’d never been so distracted
before, especially when it came to work. He’d never put any thought, any person,
or any one thing before his job. Then again, no one had ever been able to grab
his attention like Lux did. Not only had she grabbed his attention, it seemed
that she was keeping his brain hostage as well.

“You’ve spent more time dwelling
on this particular female than you spent planning for your upcoming business
meeting,”
he reminded himself and felt his anger spike at the thought.

He never dwelled; he simply got
even. So why was he so fixated on Lux? He should be focused on besting her, but
he wasn’t; even his visions of revenge were not his typical methods. He didn’t
just want to punish her and end it there. He had too many different scenarios
racing through his head to narrow it down to one.

Dean’s thoughts were broken by
the sound of the turning door handle. He watched as his office door opened and
his brother Johann waltzed into the room. Johann strolled across the room and
laid an empty folder on his brother’s desk. He then sat down in the chair
across from Dean with a smirk on his face.

“What is this?” Dean asked as he
opened the folder.

“What I found on Lux Hart.”

“It’s an empty folder.”

“It signifies what I found.” He
grinned as he shook his head.

“You found nothing?” Dean asked.

“Absolutely nothing.” He shrugged
his shoulders and put his hands up.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. The building was
purchased by her mother using her father’s life insurance money. Her father had
been renting it before that. They’ve never committed fraud, no crime; they’re
even paid up on their taxes. She was a straight A student who never cheated on a
test. This chick is like the underground superstar of her neighborhood.”

“What about personal slander?
Have you talked to her old boyfriends or ex-friends? Maybe someone with a
grudge that might want to get even with her?”

“I can’t find any enemies… except
for you of course. She has a close group of friends, and they’ve been friends
as well as band mates for a long time.”

“Band mates?”

“They have a band or did have a
band, I’m not positive. I guess Miss Hart is a pianist. From what I’ve learned,
she’s pretty good.”

“Who gives a fuck?” Dean barked
although he was slightly impressed. “What about ex-boyfriends or maybe a
current one?”

“No boyfriends, no ex-boyfriends,
no girlfriends…nothing.”

“There has to be a guy somewhere;
she’s too pretty.”

“I thought the same thing and if
there is, I can’t find him.”

“She’s 24; there’s a guy
somewhere.”

“I’ll look again, but that’s all
that I could find. Like I said, nothing bad; they’re doing everything by the
books.”

“There has to be something.”

“I don’t think there is. Maybe we
should just look for another area.”

Dean turned to glare at his
younger brother. “Did I just hear you correctly, little brother? Did you just
admit to defeat? Did you just suggest that I give up?”

“No. But there’s a lot of
property for sale in this city. Why waste time on this particular one? Besides,
I didn’t think you’d want your affair with the governor’s wife to go public
before this deal is done. That is, unless you think that she’s bluffing.”

He shook his head. “No, she’s not
bluffing.” Dean could see it in her eyes… she was ready to go to war.

“Then I guess we keep searching
for some dirt. In the meantime, we’ll hurry up and close this deal with the
governor.” Johann shrugged.

“That’s the smartest thing I’ve
heard you say since this conversation started.”