A Twist of Fate (24 page)

“Alex, this is
exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Can we talk?” I decided I
would be the one who made the first move. His clenched jaw loosened
a little as he sighed.

“What’s there
to talk about Lexi? You made yourself pretty clear the last time we
spoke.” I saw darkness return to his eyes as he continued to stare
at the road. His body language translated exactly what he was
thinking; I’d rejected him the last time and he wasn’t about to
give me the chance to do it again.

“Can’t we be
friends?” I protested as I searched his amazing ice blue eyes for a
hint of endorsement “We have to work together.”

He gripped the
steering wheel tighter before turning to me with irritation.

“You aren’t
seriously giving me the “let’s be friends” speech are you Lexi? I
didn’t peg you as a cliché.” His words were clenched as tightly as
his jaw.

“Alex, I don’t
want it to be this way.” I snarled, my anger growing exponentially
as I watched his eyes narrow. He slammed on the breaks, forcing the
car to the curb and into a submissive stop. The inertia sent me
careening into the harness which bit into my chest. Car zoomed
passed us as we sat on the side of the road, I watched as Alex
struggled to bring to heel his rapid breathing, his eyes flaring
wildly.

“It’s not
always about what YOU want Lexi. You GOT what you wanted when you
told me to walk away. That’s the limit of your choice. YOU do not
get to decide my reaction. YOU want to be friends? Is that how it
works with the rest of your life-size sex toys? Should I be
grateful?” He paused, pain in his eyes. “We have to work together
so I will be cordial but I think you have severely unrealistic
expectations if you are expecting more than that.”

“I told you
what it was from the beginning,” I argued, my anger mixing with
hurt. “I told you I didn’t want a relationship. You agreed to it.
Don’t make it sound like you weren’t a willing participant and I
was some evil seductress who prayed on your poor vulnerability. YOU
were the one who changed the rules, I never mislead you!” My tone
was equally as hostile as his had been as I stared at him, my face
inches away from his. He whipped his head around to face the road
as cars sped past us. He brought the Maserati to life and roared
back onto the road, rejoining the flow of traffic. Alex ducked and
weaved through lanes, driving excessively fast before finally
arriving at my apartment building and slamming the car into a
parking spot in the undercover garage. The smell of the burnt
rubber permeated the cabin of the car.

“You’re an
asshole!” I shouted over the throaty rumble of the engine.

“And you’re
acting like a self-absorbed bitch” he shouted back.

I raised my
hand to slap him and he caught it, gripping my wrist tightly. His
eyes narrowed as he looked at my hand. He was right, I was a
self-absorbed bitch. It’s what I had become; it cemented my rise to
the top and ensured that my heart would remain intact. At this
point of my life, it was about what I wanted, what I needed. I
hated that he had seen through my charade and I hated even more
that he was calling me on it.

I struggled to
wriggle my hand loose as he unbuckled his harness with his free
hand, twisting his body toward mine to push me back further into my
seat. His other hand grabbed mine as I tried to wrench myself free.
“Is this what YOU want?” I sneered “To hate me? For me to hate
you?” His hands relaxed and he released mine, the tension in his
face easing slightly.

“I don’t hate
you Lexi,” he whispered.

“Then what?
What do you want?” I stormed as I fumbled with my own harness,
wanting desperately to get out of the car.

“You,” he
stated, his hypnotic gaze fixing on mine.

I shook my head
in disbelief, was he insane? After everything I’d said? I felt my
heart tighten as I stared back into his eyes. “Then you want what
you can’t have,” I whispered.

He didn’t try
to stop me as I opened the door and walked away. My phone buzzed
from my pocket. I stopped in my tracks and I looked over at the
car, headlights and ignition running yet still parked. I couldn’t
make anything else out from the darkness of the windows. I pulled
out the phone to examine the message.

- OK. I’ll Try.
Friends? Alex xx

I considered
going back to the car, to try and work this out but I figured our
emotions were too raw and maybe this was a better way.

- I don’t want to hurt
you anymore. I’m sorry. I’ll try too. Friends. Lexi xx

The Maserati
roared as he pulled away from the garage, its tail lights
disappearing into the darkness till they finally faded. My phone
buzzed again.

- I’m sorry too. Alex
xx

I gave a long
sigh as I re-read it over and over again. I missed him so much; I
really hoped we could salvage something. I closed my eyes as I
walked into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor. Sleep
would not come soon enough for me tonight.

I spent the
next few days settling into my new life. I’d finally unpacked my
bags so my apartment felt more “homely” without boxes and
suitcases. I’d gotten to know Taylah and Dave a little better. When
I invited them over for dinner, Dave laughed hysterically when I
confessed my first impression of them was that they were swingers.
He assured me that while they were quirky, they didn’t “swing” that
way. The band was busily writing new material for a new album so my
job was fairly easy. Keeping their private lives out of the press
was mainly the top priority, while still maintaining public
interest in the upcoming album. It was a difficult dance, knowing
how much to disclose and when to pull back, but I relished the
challenge.

It was my first
day in my new office; I had woken early and gone for a jog around
Central Park, the cold air stung my lungs as I struggled to suck in
breath. Ughhhhh, I was going to need to find a gym until spring at
the very least. The old PR Company was doing a handover so I was
working closely with one of their representatives until I was
brought up to speed.

Handling a band
for a finite period like a tour was a lot different to taking the
reins completely and working with them on a day to day basis. I
dressed in my SABA long sleeved woolen dress; its delicate fabric
keeping me warm yet it was so soft that didn’t scratch my skin. I
pulled on some opaque tights and some knee-high leather boots.
After applying makeup and taming my hair into a French braid, I
grabbed my bag and phone and commenced the short walk to work.

I had been
given an office in Chris’ building, which seemed logical as we
would need to have frequent meetings and be working closely
together. I was also glad, given I didn’t know many people in town,
that I was able to say Hi to some familiar faces each morning.
While I was happy to work alone, I still craved contact with
people. I entered the dark grey building and pressed the button for
the 25th floor. Various people shifted into the elevator, juggling
their large takeaway Starbuck’s cups, briefcases and mobile phones,
while seemingly ignoring their fellow combatants in the concrete
jungle.

I smirked as I
stepped out on my floor. I was greeted by its immaculately clean
and modern design. Its simple lines accentuated Chris’ business
philosophy - there was no place for clutter or bullshit, both
physically and metaphorically. I glowed as I ambled down the halls;
the airy crispness energizing me. People looked up and nodded hello
when they noticed me. I got a few “welcomes” and a few “how you
going’s?” but mostly everyone kept to themselves as I walked to the
last office on the left, the one which had been designated as
mine.

I was surprised
my office was currently occupied by a cute, slender blonde who was
busy chatting on the phone. Her gentle English accent sounded
overly polite and sophisticated. She turned as she heard me enter
and held up a finger gesturing for me to “hold on a minute” while
she finished her conversation. I placed my coat and bag on the
provided rack as I waited patiently for Mystery Brit to explain who
she was and what she was doing. She finished her call and stood up;
I noticed we were approximately the same height, though she must
have been a couple of years younger than me. Her face was smooth
and round, her dark rimmed angular glasses framed her sparkling
blue eyes. She was youthful and fashionable, her clothes on the
cutting edge of European design, her blonde hair cut into a sharp
graduated bob. She was adorable, probably not the adjective the
girl wanted to hear, but nonetheless what I saw in front of me!

“I’m Sydney.
You must be Lexi! Pleased to meet you.” She strode to the doorway
where I stood. “Good to hear someone with a pair of bollocks is
taking over. I’m your intermediary, helping the transition and all.
Chris has told me a lot about you. I’ve been looking forward to
your arrival. Girl Power!” Her accent pierced the room and made me
grin.

“Yes, I’m Lexi.
Nice to meet you Sydney. So you worked for the old PR firm?” I
inquired as I sat down in my newly vacated chair.

“Yeah I worked
for them, if you can call it work. A bunch of misogynistic wankers.
I was relegated to coffee run more times than not.” She rolled her
eyes as I smiled back, entertained by her description of her former
employers.

“Well I can
assure you, you won’t be getting my coffee, I rarely drink the
stuff,” I laughed as Sydney settled into the chair opposite me.

“Not a coffee
drinker? What the hell’s wrong with you? If I could, I’d hook up an
intravenous line. I don’t mind a tea every once and awhile but I’d
die without my morning latte.” Her lips parted as a wide smile
spread across her face.

The day went at
lightning speed. Sydney was hilarious; her wicked sense of humour
was peppered with British slang. She had nick names for everything
and everyone. Her diligent work ethic was almost as good as mine,
and to say she was thorough was an understatement. I commented more
than once that she’d missed her calling as an attorney.

We ate lunch
together at my desk, ordering in from a local Chinese delivery
restaurant, devouring our delicious noodles directly from the
box.

“So the Viking
has a new girl he’s seeing. Just to let you know she’s in some
trashy day time drama so there will probably be photos,” she
mentioned while cracking open a Fortune Cookie.

“The Viking?” I
asked, my brows scrunched together in confusion as she handed me a
cookie to open.

“Alex, the
tall, Nordic looking one. I have to say I’d be happy to roll over
and find him in my bed.” She smiled as she gave me a wink. So his
new mystery woman was an actress, how appropriate.

“Marcy?” I
inquired as I crumbled my fortune cookie in my hand. I looked down
at the disintegrated crumbs and fished out the tiny white
message.

“Yeah Marcy
Bryant... her agent has been calling for weeks to try and get a
“meeting” with Alex. Earlier this week he finally agreed. I think
she is more interested in him being arm candy than anything else
but hey, whatever floats your boat.” Sydney rolled her eyes.

“I’ll look into
it.” I smiled as I packed up our empty containers and cleaned up my
desk.

“What’s yours
say?” Sydney asked pointing to the crumbled fortune in my hand.

“Oh, they are
such bullshit.” I took a breath as I read it aloud. “Never regret
anything that makes you smile.” I scrunched it again before tossing
it away with the rest of our trash.

“Huh, that’s a
good one, I got this lame one,” she paused before reading “You will
be hungry soon - order more take away.” We both exploded with
laughter.

“It does not
say that!?!” I squeaked in between hysterics.

“Look at it, it
does. I got short changed on the fortune! Bloody brilliant
marketing though!” she laughed as she held out her tiny white paper
for me to read. I shook my head with disbelief as I read it for
myself, it was marketing genius!

I spent the
rest of the afternoon googling Marcy Bryant. As predicted she was
blonde and looked like the stereotypical soapie starlet - fake
boobs, fake tan, fake nails and lots of collagen. If her lips got
any bigger she’d be able to kiss her own ass. Perhaps this was her
plan? Ugggghhh, whatever! If that’s what Alex was attracted to then
he could HAVE her and her big ass lips! I giggled at the thought.
My phone buzzed silently on my desk interrupting my cyber
stalking.

- So friend, got any
dinner plans? Alex xx

I rolled my
eyes. It was almost as if he had some kind of sixth sense and knew
when I was thinking of him. I actually didn’t have any concrete
plans, though heading out to dinner with Alex was not a good idea.
Dave and Taylah had mentioned heading out to a club and checking
out a band tonight but I had been pretty non-committal. Still it
was better than hanging out in my apartment by myself. Guess that
made up my mind for me.

- Well friend, I’m
checking out some band in town with some other friends. Sorry,
maybe some other time. Lexi xx

- Well maybe seeing as
we are “friends” I could join you and your other friends? What’s
the band? I like to check out the competition :-P

I smiled; I had
really missed his messages and his sense of humour. Maybe we could
be friends? After all I was friends with Matt and that had worked
out well. Of course we had never slept together, so there wasn’t
that complication, but still surely it counted for something.

I craved Alex’s
presence in my life again. I knew we couldn’t have the
uncomplicated relationship I’d hope for (my feelings made it
complicated) but I wanted to be close to him. I also had to keep in
mind he was “seeing” other people, so sex wasn’t an option either.
I sighed, my mind was so conflicted.