Lex (Unconventional Hearts) (5 page)

My mom, Faith, is the warmest, kindest woman.
She’s five foot six, tiny framed in all ways and has the longest
most luxurious black hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever beheld. At
fifty-one, she looks thirty-eight and all the men in town lust
after her, but she refuses to date. Must be another trait I have
picked up, alongside my looks and other things. However, on the
rare occasion she seeks a companion, Herald, the handsome UPS
driver, takes her out, among other more adult things, I assume.

“You be careful with men you barely know.” My
mom forwardly expressed today.

“I will it’s not a date, date, we’re just
friends.” I lied, sort of. I know because of my past and the demons
that lurk in my closet, she worries constantly about me. So part of
the reason I’ve put off dating is for her benefit as much as it is
mine. After she finished expressing twenty more reasons I have to
be careful, I left and now, here I am.

Under shy lashes, I sidle up next to Corey,
trying not to look at him too much. He’s already doing funny things
to my stomach.

“You look stunning, Lex.” He gushes, offering
his arm, which I accept by tucking my hand through it. His sexy,
warm body presses against the outside of my arm and feels so nice
touching me. Inhaling his delicious cologne, standing so close to
him, I get drunk on his scent.
Man
, he’s all man, big beefy
and probably big dicked.

Ooooppps, this is not a good reaction. Damn
me and my hormones!

Guiding me through the front doors, we seat
ourselves in the far side of the tavern in a four-person booth with
red cushioned bench seats. Buckeye’s Tavern isn’t much different
from any other small town bar. It offers food, a jukebox, alcohol,
and basic seating. In the back, there’s a pool table and dartboard.
Since its lunch hour on the weekend, it’s fairly empty, besides a
few who I assume are regulars, sitting at the bar sipping beer and
watching some form of sports on the TV plastered on the wall.

“What can I get cha?” Mary the well-worn
heavyset waitress with too much blue eye shadow asks, dropping two
plastic menus on our table.

“I’d like an iced tea, no lemon. Thank you.”
I order and Corey winks at me as he orders the same.

Yes, this might not have been a good idea. I
think I might have a wet spot already on my tight jade green slouch
dress.

Sitting in awkward silence after the waitress
disappears, I nervously stare down at my menu, running my fingers
up and down the sides of the cheap plastic.

What do I want? What do I order? A burger is
what I would probably order, but I’m a lady and this is sort of a
first date.

Coming to take our orders, I go the safe
route and pick a chicken Caesar salad and onion rings, Corey opts
for a bacon cheeseburger and waffle fries. Hungry fella, I’m sure
his bulging muscles need something to burn off. I bet he spends
hours in the gym. Good God I can’t stop staring.

“Don’t stop looking at me, Lex.” Cupping my
chin with his beefy fingers, he tilts my face so I am forced to
meet his gaze. There goes my heart again. Oh, wow! I’m not used to
this.

“I might not know what to say because,
well…I’m a bit out of practice with the whole dating thing. But, I
love to look at you. You’re even more beautiful since I last saw
you. I think it was in Walmart about four years ago. I was back
visiting my parents with Maryanne and our daughters.” Brushing my
hair out my face, he tucks the strand behind my ear.

“Very beautiful.” He compliments and I feel
my face flush.

“So you have two daughters?” I have to regain
my composure somewhere. He is way too enchanting. I’ve known this I
just never realized he was this much of a heartthrob.

“Yes, my daughter Megan, we had when I was
eighteen right out of high school. You might remember that. She’s
ten this year, and my daughter Bree is five, just started
Kindergarten. This is their mother’s weekend, that’s why I
suggested we go out for lunch. Do you have any children?”

Two daughters and asking me if I have kids,
he is a rather interesting and well-rounded man. Or so it seems.
Truth be told, I can’t birth children. It’s a matter of God never
gave me the ability to carry them with my dysfunctional sex
organ.

“No, sorry, I can’t have children.” I
honestly admit. This isn’t the most painful part of my past so it’s
fairly easy to express openly. It’s the other parts that I can’t
handle revealing. Not without being committed to someone, with a
bottle of Patrón and a pound of chocolate to help me get through
it. Calling it sick or twisted is putting it lightly.

Corey keeps up the casual conversation; it’s
easy and flows without much of a break. We’ve gotten past the
awkwardness and I’ve learned quite a bit. He’s been separated from
his wife for almost a year. They parted ways because she’s a
workaholic and was sleeping with her secretary. Sounds a bit like
me. Except I don’t actually sleep with Daniel, he merely makes me
come
; there is zero penetration.

Just as I feed my last bite of onion ring
into my mouth, a man recognizes Corey coming in the front door of
the bar. I’m not sure how long we’ve been here but it’s been at
least a few hours.

“Corey!” The… Holy…mother…of
everything…dazzling and fabulous in this world. Wow. I think Corey
is hot, but this man puts, every man in every
GQ
or
Playgirl
magazine to shame.

Turning around Corey, raises his hand in
greeting and waves the hottest man on the face of the planet over.
Smiling, he strides toward us wearing a crisp white dress shirt
rolled up his heavily tattooed forearms, black suit pants, a smart
black belt, and probably the nicest most fashionable men’s dress
shoes I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I’m a fashion conscious woman, and
I own mostly designers and this man could be my new best friend in
that department. I have no doubt his shoes cost him a couple grand.
I’m in girl heaven here. Sadly, men who dress like this are either
gay or douchebags.

Stopping at the end of our table the handsome
man looks between Corey and I, and back again.

With a raised brow, he asks. “I’m not
interrupting anything am I? Sorry, I saw your pickup outside before
I came in. Thought I’d see how it’s goin’.”

He can see how it’s going, alright. He can
see anything he wants. Holy crap on a cracker, what has gotten into
me? Maybe this not getting laid for so many years I can’t even
count has probably left me slightly sex deprived. I just don’t
understand how I’m affected this badly all of a sudden.
Strange…very…strange.

“No, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Gage, this
is my good friend, Lex Keagan. Lex, this is my friend, Gage
Masterson, he’s a lawyer in Heartfair. Gage’s law firm is tending
to my divorce case, and his daughter Emma happens to be friends
with my Bree. They’re in kindergarten together.”

Corey is talking and looking at me as he
scoots to the side to offer Gage a spot at the table, but instead
he sits down beside me. Now I’m very certain I’m creating a big wet
spot somewhere on my dress. My panties are soaked by now and…

I get a giant whiff of Gage.

Oh my God, he smells even better than Corey
does, and if he has a daughter that means he’s straight. Straight,
lawyer, impeccable dresser, and smells divine. The perfect man!

Resting his right arm on the table, he
reaches over it with his left, offering me his hand. Accepting its
warmth into mine, I have to briefly close my eyes and take a deep
breath to suppress the moan that, for whatever reason, wants to
impart my lips.

This is not good.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lex.”

Swallowing hard, I hoarsely respond. “Hello,
nice to meet you too.” And drop his hand. Tucking both of mine in
my lap and rubbing the wanton sweat from them, onto my dress.

“Are you the owner of Keagan Cosmetics?”

I thought he was here to chat with Corey, not
me.

“Yes.” I shyly nod, nibbling my bottom
lip.

“Now, I see why Donald signed those documents
and has now filed a lawsuit stating it was under duress.”

Whoa! What?

“What?” My face contorts, with blatant
misunderstanding and I tuck my long hair over my right shoulder,
turning my body completely to face him. This is news to me.

“Donald, the man who works for Saks that
signed a contract last Monday in your offices, and you flirted with
him to get the contact signed. The contract that your company typed
up and he didn’t even have a chance to check the documents with his
lawyers first. He’s in a heap of trouble because of this mishap.
Therefore, he and the other two men in attendance at the
negotiation are filing a lawsuit against you and your company. I
wasn’t going to take the case directly. I was planning to give it
over to one of my colleagues. However, now that I see you, I’m
pretty sure they have a case. With all that…” He gestures his hand
up and down my body.

“I’d say he was probably under some spell you
corporate hotties like to play to get older men to agree to your
every wish.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Masterson, I’m not sure what
impression you’re under, but they wanted to buy part of my company.
A company I spent years building… On. My. Own. I had a standard
contract drawn up for them ahead of time, as I do with all of my
clients. If Donald was so concerned about what he was signing, he
doesn’t show it, because I’ve personally received numerous letters
and flowers from him this week. Obviously, he doesn’t care one iota
what he signed with my company and wants to go on a date with me,
which by the way, I have not agreed to. Furthermore, I did not
force him into anything. Flirting is part of the job, Mr.
Masterson, a man looking such as yourself should greatly understand
what I am trying to express.” I snap at him, my eyes nearly bugging
out of my head in anger.

How dare he talk to me that way! Fine,
support those pompous asses. I didn’t force them into anything.
Yes,
I flirted, and
yes
, I provided them with a
standard contract after they tried to buy half of my company. It’s
not my fault their head honchos are peeved they didn’t deliver what
they wanted. They can sue me all they want. They will never own a
single percentage of Keagan Cosmetics.

With a bored tone Gage simply replies, “Yes,
such hard work, when I’m sure mommy and daddy paid your way.”

Hurtful tears suddenly sting my eyes. Could
he be any more wrong? I’m sorry, but I made my own way in life. I
never received handouts and I wouldn’t have accepted them even if
they had been offered.

Biting my lip and sucking in my weak
whimpering emotions. I grab my purse from the floor under the
table. I can’t sit here any longer. I have to leave.

“Please move.” I whisper, angling myself so
when he does release me from the confines of this booth, I can
shoot out and get to the Jag quickly. I can’t take another second
of this rudeness. Trying not to forget my manners, I apologize to
Corey for our ruined date and his smile from earlier has been
replaced with a pitiful frown, that consumes his entire face.

Such a shame.

“What did I say, Lex, that isn’t true?” His
incredulous tone washes disdain over me.

“Just move, Gage.” I’ve had more than enough.
If I don’t leave now I’m going to bawl.

“I’m serious Lex; you’re a pretty gal
carrying a Gucci purse. It has spoiled written all over it.”

Wow, stereotype much?

“You know, Gage, I wish my father would have
gotten that memo when I was a child. I’ve always wished I had been
spoiled, unless being beaten unconscious and burned repeatedly with
cigarettes is considered spoiled. I don’t think he quite understood
the meaning behind the word. Maybe you’d like to see all the scars
and you can decide for yourself?”

As the last word drawls from between my
trembling lips, a tear pours down my cheek and he removes himself
from the booth. Not wasting another second, I shoot out behind
him.

“I’m…”

I cut him off, “Save it, I don’t want anyone
feeling sorry for me. Just think about the next time you decide to
stereotype a person. You should know their history beforehand. I
could have sworn they taught you that in law school. Apparently,
I’m mistaken.” No response is uttered from Gage and I turn to
Corey, reaching out I slide my palm across his stricken face and
apologize again for ditching him. I really feel awful but I can’t
see how this is a salvageable date.

Turning to leave I throw a twenty on the bar
and out the front metal door I go. I hastily walk tall to my Jag
even though I know as soon as I get inside, I am going to lose my
marbles and ugly cry all the way home.

“What in the hell are you doing in here?”
Roni inquires, stepping into my living room, still in her pj’s from
this morning. I told you she was a slob. You should see her
apartment. Yuck!