Page 9 of Alluring

"Where was Becky? She was supposed to keep you there, tell you I was at a meeting and would be coming back, and feed you breakfast while you waited."

Alexis shook her head. "I didn't see anyone." No way in hell was she going to tell him about the female voice she heard in the other room as she snuck out. And yes, she can admit to herself that she did sneak out, trying to avoid the confrontation she was having right now. She hoped she didn't get that poor, Becky person, in trouble.

He took the step that separated them and brought his hands up to cradle her face. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks as she watched the anger vanish from his eyes. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

She felt silly, standing there with her arms crossed aggressively over her chest. She brought her hands up and placed them on his upper arms. "I'm fine," she whispered, responding to his mood. She felt his biceps flex.

She tried to take a step back, but he held her tight. "Why do I always feel as if you're trying to run from me?"

Alexis needed some space. Being this close to Jack made strange feelings flutter in her stomach and made her breathing erratic. When she tried to take a step back again, he held on tighter. She felt his fingers dig into the back of her neck, not to the point of pain, but almost. "Please let me go."

He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead to hers before releasing her. She stepped back, recrossing her arms, and turned her back to him. "Now that you know I'm all right, you can go."

"Let me take you to dinner."

She gave him a perplexed look over her shoulder. "I thought you didn't do that?"

He let out another sigh and ran his hand through his hair, creating that disheveled look she loved so much. "I don't."

"Then why?"

He looked deeply into her eyes, searching for something before he responded, "I don't know."

She turned her head back around so she was no longer facing him. "This is a bad idea. You don't date. I don't date. Let's just leave it like that."

"Why don't you date?"

She turned her whole body, facing him once again, and lifted her brows. "Do you want me to ask you the same question?"

His arms were crossed in front of his chest as well. He lifted a shoulder. "We both know why I don't date. Somehow, I don't think your reason is the same as mine."

She lifted a shoulder in an act of nonchalance. "I work a lot of hours. I don't have time to date."

His brow furrowed. "We only allow forty hours a week at Allure. How are you working too many hours?"

Alexis's spine straightened and her brows shot up. "We? You work there?"

Jack's body grew taut then stilled. He gave her an assessing look (that she did not understand) before his whole body relaxed, and a large grin spread across his face. "You can say that."

Alexis took in his suit, remembered his meeting this morning (on a Sunday even!), and thought about his penthouse. She figured he must be in upper management. "You must be in management, so that makes you my boss. So this," she waved her hand back and forth between them, "whateverthisis, definitely won't work."

"You never answered my question."

Alexis let out a huff. "You never give up, do you?"

Jack chuckled. "Not if I can help it. Now tell me how you're working so many hours."

God, he was maddening. But, she figured the sooner she answered his questions, the sooner he would leave, and she could get back to her normal life. "I have two jobs."

He uncrossed his arms and brought his hands to his hips. He looked pissed again. "Both forty hours?"

She shook her head. "No, I only work thirty hours as a cocktail waitress. I work full time as a receptionist at the Mercedes dealership on the strip next to the Hilton."

His head tilted. He looked deep in thought, as if calculating in his head. "You were working last Saturday but had last night off. Do you usually work Saturdays?"

"Yes, I switched a shift with someone because my friend wanted me to go to the party with her last night. I have Sundays and Monday nights off." She threw her arms up. "None of this even matters," she said, in exasperation. "Not how many hours I work. Not my days off. Because in all likelihood, we'll never see each other again." She walk to the front door and opened it.

Then in a serious tone she said, "I do want to thank you for last night. If it weren't for you, that could have ...." She swallowed past the lump that formed at the thought of what could have happened to her. She didn't want to think about the consequences of what would have happened, if not for Jack. The images were too horrifying. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Let's just say, what could have happened would be something I would have had a hard time living with. Thank you for stopping it."

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