Chapter Seven

Alexa ended the call just as the driver pulled into her subdivision. The ride home and the phone conversation with her mother on the way had taken longer than anticipated. They’d started out talking about the plans for NorthStar’s anniversary gala. The event would not only celebrate twenty-three years of business, but also honor her father for his leadership of the company. She and her mother had also built in a few surprises for him, including bringing in some of the retired staff members who’d started out with the company in its first year and creating a video showing the highlights of NorthStar’s growth.

That pleasant conversation, however, had quickly turned into an argument over her leaving for Seattle two days after the event, which was also when Brad and Karma would arrive. Her mom remained resistant to the move and still wouldn’t accept her decision. In the end, Alexa had cancelled the lunch date she was supposed to have with her mother later that afternoon. They’d just end up disagreeing again. Even though her mom refused to admit it, stress had made her ill more than once since the wedding. It was probably not wise to rock the boat even more. Their arguments weren’t healthy for her mom, or for her.

Frustration and compassion for her mother battled in Alexa. If only she could have ignored her mother and her meeting with Cori to stay with Rafe. He wasn’t interested in her past or her future choices. Lust. That’s all she’d sensed from him.

Memories resurfaced from last night, after they’d come across the cowboy hat on the floor outside his studio. Her returning his demanding kisses as he drew her back inside toward the bed. Their clothes piling on the floor as they’d undressed each other. The weight of his body pinning her to the mattress. How quickly she’d orgasmed after he’d thrust inside of her…

Heat flushed her face.

She swept the memories away as the driver pulled into the driveway of her two-story house.

Cori lounged on the wood bench seat on the porch, legs crossed, sipping from a tall white, disposable cup. She appeared cool and summery in a tangerine sundress and white tennis shoes—the perfect adornment for the beige-bricked, white trimmed Colonial.

Alexa thanked the driver and got out of the car. Her heels crushed a dusting of white petals from the shrubbery surrounding the manicured lawn into the stone pathway leading to the front steps. “Sorry I’m late.”

“I was early.” Cori stood.

Alexa unlocked and opened the front door. "Give me a sec. I need to change.” She ran up the beige carpeted stairs on the right.

Upstairs in the master bedroom, she kicked off her pumps and left her dress on the taupe spread covering the king-sized four-poster bed. Jeans and T-shirts. She’d left some unpacked, hadn’t she? As Alexa dug through the hodgepodge of clothes in her dresser drawers, she came across a cache of skimpy lace lingerie she’d never worn, along with a black-and-white bikini with the matching cover up. Damn. She’d envisioned wearing the gold-and-silver earrings with it at a pool party.

You could go back by his place after you finish packing. It wasn’t like she didn’t have an excuse. She had lost one of her favorite earrings, and if it led to something else… No. Sure, she had an excuse to keep in touch, but she wasn’t some clingy hookup. If she showed up uninvited, all she’d face was embarrassment for not realizing last night was a one-time deal. What happened with Rafe was over, done, part of the past. She’d just have to kiss her favorite earring goodbye. It was time to pack for her future.

Alexa pulled on a faded blue T-shirt and jeans. Strange. Usually Cori would have peppered her with more questions about what had happened after the party or been anxious to share the details of her own adventures. In her text last night, Nat had mentioned Cori was set for a ride home. Who did she leave with?

Downstairs in the kitchen, Alexa found Cori taping the bottom of a small empty packing box. She frowned, as if deep in thought about something else. She noticed Alexa in the doorway and offered a quick smile. “Hey. I thought I should start getting the boxes ready. Do you have bubble wrap or packing paper to wrap up the fragile stuff?”

“Some. I need to buy more.” Alexa grabbed her last three rolls from the living room. Dealing with her mom all week had distracted her from getting the things she needed.

She slid a red, metal step stool in front of the counter near the fridge then climbed up. Like every cabinet nestled amidst the stainless steel appliances, it was full. She and Brad had moved in without paring down kitchen items from either of their apartments. They’d planned on doing it later. Good thing they never got around to it.

Alexa stretched to the top shelf and perused the numerous logoed mugs. She selected the mug with NorthStar emblematized on it in blue letters topped by a gold star and another one proclaiming, Pour coffee. Drink. Repeat. She handed them to Cori. “Where did you run off to last night?”

“I didn’t run off.” Cori wrapped the mugs then packed them in the box on the beige marble counter. “I got into a conversation with an acquaintance.”

“Was it one of your angel investors?”

In Cori’s position as a liaison between budding businesses and potential investors, she was constantly networking.

“Nope. No one special.” Cori’s smile fell short of genuine as she wrapped and packed dishes as Alexa continued to hand them to her. “Hey, have you spoken to Nat? Something was going on with her last night.”

Concern for Nat usurped Alexa’s curiosity about Cori’s mystery acquaintance. “I called, but she answered with a text saying she couldn’t pick up.”

Cori frowned. “She didn’t say it last night, but I think her ex-husband was raking up trouble again.”

“I got that feeling, too.” Alexa started pulling out wineglasses and handing them to her. “I wanted to leave with her, but she told me to stay put.”

Cori paused in wrapping a glass. “Nat left you behind? I assumed when I—ugh, doesn’t matter what I thought. We suck. You should be mad at us for ditching you.”

“It turned out okay.” Truthfully, her night with Rafe would keep her well stocked with vibrator sex fantasies for months.

Cori laughed. “From the look on your face, I don’t feel so bad about leaving you behind. Spill. What happened? Did you meet someone?”

“Kind of. Do you remember that Hot Body Hunk who danced for me at my bachelorette party?”

“Ha! How could I forget? You kept pushing everyone out of the way to jump on his lap during the Musical Hunks game.”

“I did not.” Well, okay, maybe she had been a tad aggressive. “Anyway, I saw him again.” Alexa couldn’t stop a grin.

Cori’s mouth hung open as she connected the dots. “You hooked up with him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I didn’t leave his place until this morning.”

“Guess I owe Nat lunch. She was right about you.”

Alexa crawled down. “I can’t believe you guys had a secret bet going on me.”

“A small one.” Cori taped the box shut. “I thought you’d join in the fun of watching the Hunks but go home alone. She predicted you’d live up to the Bash motto and get your freak on.”

“No wonder Nat kept throwing condoms at me. Too bad you guys didn’t get a chance to put them to good use, too.”

“Yeah.” As Cori added more strips of tape to the box, she released a hollow laugh. “Too bad nothing exciting happened. At least not for me. Nope. Nothing to report.”

Before Cori completely covered the box with tape, Alexa slipped the roll from her hands. “I think it’s sealed. What’s wrong? And don’t say nothing. I know you. What is it?”

Cori opened her mouth to speak then shook her head. She smoothed her hand over the top of the box. “I can’t say. I need to sort it out in my mind first.”

Alexa put the tape on the counter. Here she was going on about her night of fun. She hadn’t thought about how Nat’s or Cori’s night had turned out. Cori and her boyfriend had always seemed destined to be together forever. The breakup had blindsided everyone, especially Cori.

She nudged Cori. “You know I’m here for you, right?”

“Stop worrying. I’m fine. Now enough about my boring life. Tell me more about your sexy stripper.” Cori’s face animated with a mischievous smile. “How was it living out your fantasies with him last night?”

“It was…” Sinful. Exciting.

“So great, you can’t even describe it. That says it all.”

Happiness raised goose bumps on Alexa’s arms. “I honestly don’t know what to say. I couldn’t keep my hands off Rafe. I just wanted to have sex with him over and over again.”

“Ooh. He even has a sexy name. It must have been hard walking away from him this morning.”

“It was. I’m still tempted to go back to his place for a quickie.” She hadn’t meant to confess that. Damn. Alexa braced for a recitation from the gospel of Cori that would squash that desire as a completely bad idea.

“Why don’t you?”

“Excuse me. What happened to never retrace your steps back to a one-night stand?”

Cori pushed the packed box farther down the counter. “If being with him was that enjoyable, I can’t blame you for wanting seconds. After all you went through with Brad, you deserve thirds and fourths.” Her gaze drifted downward as if she was talking more to herself. “It’s not like you’re going to take him seriously. Right?”

Alexa unfolded a flattened packing box and taped it open. “Theoretically… But what if the experience is like eating a piece of dark chocolate? I mean the really good kind.”

“Well…” Cori’s shrugged. “Then you have to apply the moderation principle. If you get just enough, you’re satisfied. But eat too much and you end up feeling worse than when you started.”

“True.” Alexa took a plate from the lower shelf and wrapped it. But it was difficult to imagine having just enough sex with Rafe.