Trust in Advertising (10 page)

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. But maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.” Lexi raised her head slightly and rolled her eyes. “Okay fine, your world is about to explode—so, you wanna get drunk?” Hope’s big blue eyes twinkled as she waited for an answer.

Lexi sighed loudly against the table top. “I thought you’d never ask.”

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∙ 6 ∙

The next day, Lexi’s BlackBerry remained eerily silent the entire morning, al owing the paranoia plenty of time to settle in. She was so fearful the phone was malfunctioning that she had Leigh call her three different times from her desk just to make sure it still worked and she hadn’t accidentally set it to silent.

As Lexi sat at her desk, she wondered if Sean had called Vincent and told him what she’d done to his office. Had she already been fired, but no one had told her yet? As the day passed with no communication, Lexi thought she was going to explode from the crushing silence. She stared at her phone and waited and waited.

After pushing her lunch around on her plate for an hour, she returned to her desk and found new files stacked in a pile. The first one was for Maximillian’s, the most well-known car dealership in the entire bay area. They sold only the finest European imports. If it was outrageously expensive and fast, Maximillian’s was the place to find it. Apparently, Hunter was handling their new ad campaign after a vicious battle with Reid Inc. for the account. The first photo shoot was scheduled for early next week.

Lexi was completely engrossed in the brochure that she had found in the file.

She flipped through the pages, admiring the sleek, colorful vehicles. Her father had instilled in her a love for fast cars and a deep appreciation for horsepower and all things muscle when it came to automobiles. She let out a wistful sigh over one of the new Ferraris, and then suddenly the hairs on her arm stood on Victoria Michaels

end. Her head shot up when she realized someone was silently standing on the other side of her desk, looming over her.

“Can I help yo—” Lexi started, but all the air rushed out for her lungs mid-sentence. Her mouth went dry and fell open in absolute shock. Standing in front of her was the picture of perfection, Vincent Drake, in the very masculine flesh.

It may have been ten long years since she had last laid eyes on him, but she would have known him anywhere. And her foggy memory simply hadn’t done him justice. His face was even more handsome than she remembered. Time had not only made him look more mature and distinguished, but if possible, even more attractive. His olive skin was still flawless. The strong line of his jaw, the light stubble on his face, and his spectacular green eyes sent her heart sputtering into overdrive. His hair was more tamed than it had been back then, but it still made Lexi want to run her hands through it to feel the delicate strands tangle between her fingers.

With her mouth still gaping open, Vincent silently stood before her, his arms folded across his broad chest. His pristine Hugo Boss charcoal black suit hung off his defined shoulders. The crisp, dark gray shirt he wore underneath was accented by a solid, ebony tie. He looked like he just stepped off the runway in Milan with that model-look about him, complete with an expression of arrogant annoyance frozen on his face.

Lexi sucked in air slowly and began stammering. “Wh-what are y-you doing here?”

“This is the door to my office. I’m Vincent Drake. You must be Alexandra.”

He stiffly extended his hand and frowned when he noticed the Maximillian file wide open, the papers spread out everywhere.

“I know it’s your office, Vincent. Sorry, I—I wasn’t expecting you until Monday.” Lexi stood up and began nervously scooping the things off her desk, gathering them neatly back into a pile, unable to look him in the eye.

“I wasn’t aware I needed to clear my travel plans with you.” Vincent brusquely reached down and grabbed his messages off the desk. “Is there a particular reason you were thumbing through the Max file?”

“I—I just wanted to be prepared.”

“Well, that really isn’t your concern, Ms. White. I need a cup of coffee, black,” he snapped, flipping through his messages.

The quick dismissal and “Ms. White” confirmed that even after seeing her in person, he had no recollection of her from high school. To him, she was 56

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just another unqualified person taking up space behind that desk, somehow destined to screw up his day just like all those who had come before her had done. The callous way he spoke to her proved that he expected her to fail, and to fail miserably.

Even with his boorish treatment, Lexi still thought he was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on, much to her dismay. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the thundering of her heart or the blush that flooded her cheeks in his presence. Shyly, she glanced up and watched him read the messages.

Everything about him was attractive—from the way his lush red lips moved ever so slightly as he followed the words across the paper to the exotic, spicy scent of his cologne. He had the dark and brooding thing down to an art form.

Years ago, when she was a swooning teen, Lexi had innocently wished Vincent would ask her to go with him to the local pizza joint after a football game. But now, as an adult with very real womanly desires, she watched him stand before her, exuding confidence and power, and Lexi wished he’d ask her for something very different than pizza. And she knew she’d enjoy every minute of it. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the naughty thoughts flashed through her mind, but she was pulled from her daydream when she heard the deep rumbling of his voice.

Vincent scanned his messages, and then began barking orders without even bothering to make eye contact with her. “I also need you to go down to the production office and tell that asshole Tony I want the mockups for the Maximillian photo shoot—now. If they aren’t ready the moment you ask for them, you can also inform him that he’s fired. Hold my calls for the next hour. I need to get settled and look a few things over.” He turned on his heel and walked toward his office door. That was when everything began happening in slow motion.

Vincent was about to walk into his office.

Lexi had been so overwhelmed with seeing him again that she forgot about his possible reaction to his newly cleaned office. Each step he took brought him closer to the big reveal, and that knowledge made Lexi’s head spin. She once again leapt to her feet, her mind now in overdrive trying to figure out exactly what to say to prepare him for what was waiting on the other side of the door.

Out of nowhere, Sean came screaming down the hallway. His booming voice thundered. “Wait!”

Vincent froze mid-step and turned back to his friend, annoyed and confused.

Sean jogged toward him, and then collapsed into the nearest chair.

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Victoria Michaels

“Damn, that’s a long run.” Sean’s chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath. He glanced over at Lexi and winked. With a grin, he held his fingers up to his ear like he was talking on a telephone. “Leigh.”

Oh, sure, she calls him about Vincent’s arrival, but not me? Great.
Lexi rolled her eyes at Sean, then looked straight at the floor, nervously wringing her hands together.

“Sean. To what do I owe this warm welcome?” Vincent seemed unamused by the lively entrance.

“Can’t I just come welcome my dear friend and business associate back from his vacation without raising suspicion?” Sean put on his most innocent face while Lexi silently peeked up from under her eyelashes and watched Vincent’s glare become even more critical, his crappy mood definitely still on the downslide.

“Lexi, tell Vincent here that I come in peace.”

Caught completely off guard, Lexi’s mouth stopped functioning, and she began sputtering, “I—I—I d-don’t …”

“Sean, do you
need
something?” Vincent’s patience was obviously evaporating quickly. A pissed off Vincent was not who she wanted walking through that office door.

Sean picked up on Lexi’s tension and ended his cryptic jokes. “Nope, just saying hello. Glad you’re back, Vince. Looks like you got a little sun while you were gone.”

“Yes, there was sun. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have paperwork to get to. Alexandra, I’m still waiting on that coffee and the mockups.” His hands grasped the doorknob and gave it a turn as a panicked Lexi remained frozen in place. “Can you handle those two simple tasks?” Without waiting for her answer, he turned to his friend. “Sean, I’ll talk to you later.”

Lexi covered her face when the door swung open. Sean, however, sat back in his chair with a grin and waited patiently for the fireworks.

“What the hell happened to my office?” Vincent’s furious voice roared.

Without a word, Lexi’s head fell, and she went to her desk and began packing up her things. She cringed as she heard drawers opening and slamming shut and Vincent’s furious cursing. The leather desk chair rolled across his office and crashed into the bookcase as he continued his rampage. Lexi laid her BlackBerry on top of her desk next to her computer. As she started getting her purse out, Sean put his hand on her arm.

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“What are you doing?” he managed to get out between his chuckles. Every time Vincent slammed a drawer and yelled “Goddamn it!” he started laughing again.

“Please just let me get out of here.”

“I’ve got your back,” he whispered just as the heavy door swung open to reveal an irate Vincent.

“Who did
that
to my office?” Immediately his eyes fixed on Sean, who threw up his hands defensively.

“Not me, man. I’m innocent.”

Vincent’s stunned gaze fel on Lexi. The hostility rol ed off him in waves, and she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye. “Ms. White?”

“I’m sorry, Vincent. I was just packing my things. I’l be gone in five minutes.”

“Vince, wait. The girl was just trying to help.” Sean stepped in front of Lexi.

“They’ve been telling you for months to clean up that shit hole. Lexi here just saved you the trouble. You should be thanking her.”

“Thanking her? Are you insane? I have no idea where anything is. Her incompetence will cost us not only clients but time as well. Do you have any idea how long it will take me to find anything now?”

“It’s fine. I’ll go,” Lexi barely whispered. Mortified beyond words, with her eyes still fixed on the floor, she made her way out from behind her desk and took her coat off the elegant rack in the corner. “Sorry about the office, Vincent.

Sean, thanks for all your help this week. It was great meeting you.” She raised her chin slightly, tucked her jacket over her arm and started to walk down the hall.

Lexi tipped her head back, desperately trying to keep the tears that had welled up in her eyes from falling until after she was safely hidden inside the elevator. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. With each step down the hall, the sounds of Sean’s and Vincent’s arguing voices became softer. Guilt riddled her body as she made her hasty retreat, and the elevator doors gleamed like a beacon a few feet ahead of her. Once behind those thick, steel panels, she would be free to release the sobs that threatened to spill from her mouth. Just a few more steps and a push of a button and it would all be over.

“Cutting out early?” Leigh smiled warmly as Lexi repeatedly pressed the small button, silently willing the elevator to move faster.

“Something like that,” Lexi offered with a sad smile. Luckily for her, Leigh was distracted by the ringing phone and looked away. Lexi immediately turned her attention back to the elevator doors, begging them to open so she could dive inside. As the elevator chimed, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

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“Lexi, wait.”

“Leigh, I just need to get out of here. Let me leave with a little dignity, please? I made a mess of everything.”

“That was Mr. Drake on the phone. He told me to stop you.” Her apologetic smile made Lexi’s blood run cold. “He wants to see you in his office.”

Her plan for a quick escape clearly thwarted, Lexi took a deep, cleansing breath, gathered the remnants of her dignity and started the long walk back to her desk. On the way, she assured herself everything would be all right; the worst he could do was yell for a while, and then it would be over, no big whoop. She already knew she was fired, so if he got out of line, she wouldn’t have to hold her tongue and could tell him what a horse’s ass he was. She was unsure if she would ever have the nerve to do that, but telling herself these little lies gave her more confidence. She approached Vincent’s office just in time to hear Sean spit out a few closing words.

“Try not to be a total ass,” Sean snarled before looking up and meeting Lexi’s gaze.

“Alexandra, in my office.” Vincent leaned against the edge of her desk as she walked past, his eyebrows pulled tightly together.

“Fine.” She stepped into the disheveled room and gently rolled the large leather chair back to its place behind the massive desk; then she righted the toppled armchairs at the foot of the desk and sat down, fidgeting with the strap of her purse the entire time she waited.

Vincent strode through the door, shutting it tightly behind him. He stopped short when he saw his chair back behind the desk. He quickly recovered, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and sat down, straightening the small, pink message squares he had thrown down onto his desk in his haste earlier.

Lexi watched him meticulously stack the pieces of paper into a pile, each corner perfectly lined up until the last square was placed on top. He slid the neat little pile toward his computer monitor, and then folded his hands on the desk.

Only then did he look up at Lexi, his darkened eyes not nearly as harsh as they had been a few moments earlier, but still nowhere near pleased.

“Alexandra—”

Lexi cringed at his sharp tone as he said her name. Certain he was about to launch into a lengthy verbal reprimand, she was suddenly overcome with a horrible case of diarrhea of the mouth and began rambling.

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