Page 56 of Alluring

"Explain."

"Well,beforeyou, she would give them the one dance they were asking for then send them on their way. They would give her their phone number.Tryto get hers. She, of course, never called them. End of story."

Alexis spoke up. "What the hell are you guys going on about?

Steph rolled her head to Alexis. "You, getting hit-on."

Alexis looked outraged. "They were just dances,Stephanie. I was never hit-on."

"They all asked for your number."

Alexis shrugged. "So."

"What about that Texan?" Steph asked.

Alexis sighed. "One time, then."

Steph continued. "What about that Italian guy?"

Jack held up his hand. "STOP," he barked. "I don't want to hear any more of this conversation."

Steph giggled. Alexis gave her an evil eye.

Alexis turned her glare from Steph to Jack. "What's the point of this whole conversation anyway?"

"The point is," Jack returned Alexis's glare, "that I'll be tagging along on future girls' nights."

For some strange reason, that comment made Steph laugh harder.

Alexis paced the length of Jack's office, fuming. She had just gotten off work. Jack was somewhere in the hotel, and Becky said she would find him. After the craziness of Friday night, they'd had a nice, relaxing weekend, but the contentment was now over. She was pissed.

He stepped through the door five minutes later. "What's wrong?"

Alexis turned, hands on hips, eyes blazing. "I was worried when I didn't get a bill from the hospital," Alexis started, anger lacing her words, "so I called them. They said they didn't send an invoice because the account was paid in full. Do you have any knowledge of this?"

She saw his body relax and a grin lit his face. That grin pissed her off more. "You had me worried. I thought something bad had happened."

"Something bad did happen. You paid off my medical bills."

"First of all, they're not your medical bills, they were your mother's. It shouldn't be your responsibility to pay them off. It should have been your father's."

"You shouldn't have gone behind my back to do it."

"Do you honestly think if I had asked you beforehand, you would have let me do it?" He didn't give her time to answer. "No, you wouldn't have. And I would have done it anyway. And you still would have been mad. Any way I looked at it, you would have been mad."

"I wouldn't have been mad if you'd left it alone and didn't pay for it."

"Not happening, sweetheart. And while we're on the subject, and seeing as you're already angry, I'll tell you now. I paid your sister's tuition for next year."

"You what!" Alexis shrieked. "I cannotbelieve you." She started pacing angrily again. "This is ridiculous."

"No, what's ridiculous, is me having the money to pay for these things while you don't, and you getting mad at me for doing it."

"I'm not a freeloader, Jack."

"I never said you were. Did you ask me for these things? No, I just did it. I'm the man in this relationship and it's my job to make your life easier and to take care of you."

"Then what's my job? Because as far as I can see, I don't contribute anything."

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