Chapter 12
No one seemed to have seen Lexie leave, but half an hour after she went to the ladies’ room, it was apparent she was no longer at the party.
My first instinct was to be angry. Why would she leave without saying goodbye? Was my mother right about her? Had I done something wrong? It wouldn”t be the first time, but I would have hoped she”d come to me and tell me. Maybe she got overwhelmed by the party. I knew that feeling all too well. All of these people, so many fake, were not my idea of fun. I should have taken her somewhere quiet, or not returned to the party after I got her off in that office. I should have been more attentive to her and less concerned about pissing off my mother.
I couldn”t dismiss the idea my mother somehow got to her and made her leave. That was exactly the kind of thing my mother would do.
I forced aside my irritation at my mother, and my frustration at Lexie slipping out, and thought rationally for a few moments.
I was certain Lexie wouldn”t have left without good reason. What the fuck the reason was, I could only guess, but I wasn”t letting her go without finding out what was going on.
I called the limousine driver to find out he”d just dropped her off at her place. Without saying my own goodbyes, I hurried out to the street to wait for him to return and pick me up.
I could have ordered a rideshare or a taxi, but I opted to lean against the outside of the building and compose my thoughts. If I went roaring off to her place, I could ruin everything completely. If I ever needed to be cool, calm, rational Gabriel Ellison, it was right now. I couldn”t let the things my mother said get to me. I’d deal with one thing at a time and the most important right now was Lexie.
The rain was heavy by the time the limousine pulled up in front of the record label building. I all but threw myself inside to keep from getting saturated.
”Problem between you and the boss?” the driver asked. ”She seemed kinda upset. I didn”t want to leave her at her place alone, but I know how stubborn she gets. She would have told me to get lost.”
I smiled faintly. ”That sounds like her. I think something happened, but I”m not sure what. Whatever it is, I”m going to find out and make it better.”
”I hope so, because I”d hate to get fired for taking you there,” he said.
”Lexie is not the kind of person who”d fire you for that,” I said. Unlike my mother.
I pushed the thoughts of her aside and leaned back against the seat. I tapped my hand against my thigh impatiently as we wound through the quiet city streets to Lexie”s building.
The driver pulled up at the curb and twisted around to look at me. ”I”ve known Lexie for a few years now. She”s a good person. If you mess her around, you”ll have a few of us to answer to.”
I smiled my appreciation at his declaration of loyalty. It didn”t surprise me people felt that way about her.
”She”s a very good person, and I”m going to make sure she knows it,” I said. ”If I do anything to hurt her, I”ll stand still and take whatever you dish out.”
He nodded, satisfied. ”I”ll remember you said that. Good night, sir.”
I nodded and got out of the vehicle. I closed the door behind me, running across the footpath and into the building. Not fast enough to avoid the downpour, but I didn”t give a shit. Lexie was worth getting drenched for.
I took the elevator up to her floor and tapped on the door. After a minute or two, it was opened by a woman who wasn”t Lexie.
”Hello there.” She looked me up and down. ”You must be Gabe. I don”t think Lexie wants to see you right now.”
”I need to see her.” I”d let my mother walk over me for long enough, I wasn”t going to let Lexie”s housemate do the same. ”I suggest you step aside.”
She gave a half shrug and did as I asked. ”Okay, but if she kicks you in the nuts, don”t blame me. Her room is through there.” She gestured.
I nodded and hurried over to tap on the door. I heard the sound of the shower going inside, so I pushed it open and stepped inside.
”Lexie?”
I heard her squeak and call out, ”Gabe? What the hell are you doing here?”
I stepped over to the bathroom door and, trying to be a gentleman, put my hand over my eyes.
”You left the party without saying goodbye.”
Lexie sighed heavily. ”I”m sorry. I should have said something before I left. It was a spur of the moment thing. I had to get out of there.”
”Why?” I asked softly. ”If it was something I said?—”
”It wasn”t,” she said quickly. ”It wasn”t anything you said or did. You were wonderful. I can”t remember the last time I had so much fun rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.” There was a laugh in her voice.
”Clearly something happened for you to decide you needed to leave,” I said.
Just being here in the same room with her, I felt complete. I needed her and I needed to understand what upset her. Whatever it was, I”d make sure it didn”t happen again. I wasn”t giving up on us without a fight.
”I…” She paused heavily. ”I heard your mother tell you she was going to stop you from being CEO because you were there with me,” she said. ”I didn”t want to cause any more trouble. I didn’t want you to have to choose between me and that. I mean, we hardly know each other.”
She gave a small laugh. ”It seemed easier to get out of the way than create any drama. That would be the kind of thing the tabloids eat up, wouldn”t it?”
I opened my fingers slightly and saw her standing in the shower. Wet and naked and gorgeous. Water trickled down her body, making her look like a goddess. My heart pounded in my chest. My cock was immediately hard, pointing right toward her.
”Yes it is,” I admitted. ”But I don”t care about the tabloids. I don”t care about what my mother says.”
”She seemed determined to take all of that away from you,” Lexie said.
”She can try,” I said. ”But I”ve just realised something.” I lowered my hand down to my side. ”I don”t care. If I can”t take over Ellison Enterprises, I”ll start my own environmental protection operation. I have enough money and I know a lot of people. I’d walk away from everything my parents built if it means being with you. You”re more important than anything I have in my life. If my mother doesn”t like that, that”s her problem. I want to be with you.” I hesitated for a moment before I added, ”I love you. I”ve been in love with you for a very long time. You mean more to me than anything else. Everything else.”
Fully dressed, I stepped into the shower with her, not caring that my clothes were thoroughly saturated in a matter of moments. I cupped her cheeks and pressed my mouth to hers.
”I don”t want to come between you and your family.” she said between kisses
”You”re not,” I said. ”My mother will come around, and if she doesn”t, that”s on her. My brother loves you and my father will too. I”m not prepared to continue living my life by my mother”s rules. It”s past time I did what made me happy.” I slid my hands down her side and cupped her ass.
”Let me show you.”
She gave me a long look, her eyes searching my face. For once in my life, I lowered all of my walls, wanting to show everything. I needed her to know I meant every word I said, straight from my heart. That she was my past, present and my future. I”d never give her a reason to doubt me. From now on, I”d put her first before anyone and anything. I wanted to give her the moon, the stars and all the orgasms. Especially the orgasms.
”You make me happy,” she said softly. She gripped the front of my tuxedo jacket and slipped it down my arms. The rest of my clothes followed, ending up in a heap in the corner of the shower. “I love you too.”
I didn”t even care my expensive Italian loafers were officially trashed. Lexie was worth more than all the loafers.
”Batman socks,” she teased.
I glanced down. ”Us grumpy billionaires have to stick together.” I pressed a hand against the side of the shower and raised my feet to tug my socks off.
She laughed softly and let me scoop her up and wrap her legs around my waist.
The rest of the world disappeared when I slid inside her. Nothing was left but us and our bodies, giving and receiving pleasure while the hot water rained down on us, washing away the last of both our doubts.
From this day on, it would be her and I against the rest of the world.
I held her carefully while she screamed my name, her muscles clenching around my cock. I thrust into her a couple more times before I let go completely. Bliss claimed me like never before, long and hard until I slumped forward, puffing lightly.
”You”re like no one I ever met before,” I whispered in her ear. ”You”re everything. Everything and more.”
”Funny, I was going to say the same about you,” she said. ”I think we need to add this to the list.”
I leaned back to look at her questioningly.
She grinned. ”Work/stick figure/shower sex balance.”
I laughed. ”That”s going to be my exact goal from now on. That and making you deliriously happy every day for the rest of my life.”
”Only if we”re both happy,” she said firmly. ”I don”t want you making any compromises for me.”
”I won”t need to,” I said. ”As long as I”m with you, everything else comes second. Or maybe a distant third.” I lowered her down and turned off the water.
”No more working while on vacation?” she asked.
”What”s work?” I grabbed a towel and started to dry her slowly and carefully.
”Something you”ll remember in the morning,” she said. ”Something you”ll probably run out the door at 6 AM to go to.”
”No, I won”t.” I took extra care in drying her ass.
”How can you be so sure?” she asked.
”On the way here, I sent my father a message, telling him I”m taking a few weeks off,” I said. ”Right before I turned off my phone. All the time I have for the next while is for you.”
”You were very sure I”d let you in the door,” she said, an eyebrow raised.
”Your roommate let me in,” I pointed out. ”She didn”t put up much of a fight on your behalf.” I crouched down to dry Lexie”s legs.
She glanced down at me. ”Ha ha. You know what I mean. I might have told you to get lost. Then what would you have done with those few weeks?”
”That”s easy.” I stood and started to dry myself. ”I would have sat outside your building and waited until you heard what I had to say.”
”And if I didn”t like it?” She arched an eyebrow at me.
”Then I would have kept trying until you did.” I wrapped the towel around my waist and shrugged. ”Lucky for both of us you decided I was worth a second shot. The paparazzi would have had a field day with me camped out there.”
She pressed the palms of her hands to my chest and kissed me. ”I”m starting to think I should have held out a bit longer.”
I chuckled. ”On behalf of myself and your neighbours, I”m glad you didn”t. I wouldn”t have wanted to wait any longer to start forever.”
”Neither would I,” she agreed. ”For my neighbours” sake.”
”Only for them?” I teased.
”Maybe for myself too. I wouldn”t want to waste any more time.”
The only answer I could give her was to kiss her. That was something I could do forever.
The end.