Chapter LEXI
LEXI
How was it possible someone hacked her security system? The company was sending someone out, but the email she was replying to had basically said that they were hacked, plain and simple. If Mama Troisi hadn’t been up and called the cops, her entire place might’ve been destroyed.
“Something new?” Marsh asked.
The cop in him must have sensed something from her demeanor. She met his eyes briefly and nodded once before going back to her email.
“Miss Alessandra, may I have a word with you?” Grayson asked from next to her.
Shit, she blinked and he was right there. Oh, he smelled delicious. Even better than the bomboloni she was sure was in that bakery box. Lexi shook her head.
“Not right now. I- wait. What are you doing here?”
The intensity of those green eyes was ramping up high, and before she got sucked in again she broke her gaze to take in more caffeine. Her head felt like it was wrapped in layers of cotton.
“-and I have them in my car. I haven’t heard from you, so I came by.”
Shit, she’d missed something.
“You have what in your car?”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed at her.
“The contract.”
Lexi nodded. Right. Employment at the club, the fight ring, acting like his sub - she could do that. She just had to keep going.
“Do you want to grab it, bring it around so I can sign?”
Eyeing the bakery box, she stepped up and opened the lid. Fresh dough, lemon, and sugar wafted up to smile at her, and she smiled back. Someone was saying something again, but she didn’t listen.
The first bite was absolute heaven. Lexi sighed in bliss. Crispy fried on the outside, full of smooth, lemony cream, bomboloni was her weakness, and Mama Troisi knew it.
Chasing each bite with a small sip of vanilla latte, with what she thought was at least three shots of espresso in it, her shoulders dropped as she relaxed a little for the first time in days. It was all going to be okay. She was fixing it.
They knew what was wrong, so the security guys could fix their end, and she was handling everything on hers. Eddie could keep up with the classes for the next day or two, and then she’d be back to normal.
The inside of the bomboloni chose that moment to erupt in a small surge of cream, which she happily lapped at as it ran over her thumb.
Three more bites and several licks later, she finished off the Italian pastry with another sip of caffeine.
And noticed the silence. She turned to find Marshall staring at her mouth, and Grayson glaring at Marshall.
With a mental shrug towards them, not her problem right now, she grabbed another pastry.
Bomboloni in hand, she blinked and she was halfway across the lot towards the gym. She was still losing time; nothing heavy, just bits and pieces. She would blink and be working on a different part of the building. Blink again, and talking to Eddie. She just had to keep going.
A hand on her shoulder spun her around by the time she made it as far as the back door of the gym.
“-is wrong with you?” Grayson was shouting.
Lexi pulled back from him. How many times had she been asked that in her life? She hated it.
“There’s nothing wrong with me, Grayson. I’m going the fuck inside. So you can go grab the damn contract or not, but take your hands off me.”
He immediately let go, and she saw Marshall just behind him, mouth set into a stern line. His cop face was on, and she didn’t see this situation getting any better.
“Marsh?” she said, and his gaze jumped from Grayson to her. “I’ll hit you up later, okay?”
He nodded and said, “Sure thing babe. I’ll just help myself to one of those donuts if that’s okay?”
She nodded and he hesitated, his gaze darting between her to Grayson.
“You sure you’re good?”
“She’s fine,” Grayson snapped.
Marshall raised his eyebrows, asking if she wanted him to stick around.
“I’m fine.”
She looked between the two men.
“I wish somebody would fucking believe me when I say that.”
Whether it was true or not, she turned and walked into the gym.