Page 62 of Alluring

Jack: went down to do some work call when you wake up

Alexis texted back.

Alexis: will hang here awhile then come down to you

It wasn't long before she got a text back.

Jack: okay sweetheart

She pulled up Steph's text.

Steph: call me

Alexis dialed Steph. It rang four times before she answered. "Hey. Sorry, I had to find a place to hide, so I could answer my phone."

"Are you working right now?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, but I'm about to go on break. Can you come meet me? I have shit to tell you."

"Okay. I'll be down in about ten minutes. I'll meet you in the lounge."

"Perfect. See you then."

Alexis went to the closet, grabbed a sweatshirt and slipped on a pair of flip-flops. She went to the bathroom, fixed her hair and splashed cold water on her face. The adhesive bandages on her palms fell off, so she threw them away. She didn't replace them, figuring the air would help them heal faster. She grabbed her phone and made her way down to meet Steph.

She walked into the lounge and saw Steph over by her locker. "Hey, what's up?" Alexis asked, giving her a hip bump.

Steph turned and grabbed her up in a hug. "Oh my God, are you okay? That PI guy called, gave me the third degree, then told me what happened."

"Stan called you. Why?"

"Guess I was on his suspect list and he was keeping tabs on me. I don't know. Ask him."

"I will. What the hell! You're my best friend."

"Don't worry. Guess I'm finally in the clear, seeing as I had witnesses to state I was at work when all that shit went down this morning. You have to tell me what happened. That PI didn't say much. Just that someone tried to run you over with a car."

"That's basically it. That and the fact that my car was vandalized. Windows smashed. Tires slit. It was a mess." Alexis shook her head just remembering.

"Oh honey," Steph said, giving her another hug. "I'm starved. Let's go eat."

Alexis laughed. Her friend could flip her moods so easily.

Erica walked in before they had a chance to leave. "Well, look who's here. Did you lose your boyfriend and come looking for your job back? Cause, let me tell you, I got your spot when you left and I'm not giving it back without a fight."

Alexis felt Steph stiffen next to her. She grabbed her hand a gave it a squeeze, letting her know all was well. "Just here to take Steph to lunch. Don't worry, your job is safe."

"Speaking of job." Steph narrowed her eyes at Erica. "What are you doing here? Your shift doesn't start until eight."

Alexis was taken aback for a moment. That was true. If Erica had taken over her position, she worked from eight at night til two in the morning. What was she doing here now? Alexis looked her over from head to toe, trying discern any similarities between Erica and the woman in the photos Stan had shown her. It was hard to believe that Erica would go through so much trouble to hurt her because of a little jealousy. Especially now that she had Alexis's coveted position. Really, that had been all she wanted. But, now that the idea had taken root, she couldn't get it out of her head. She'd have to tell Stan to look into her.

"I left something in my locker last night," Erica answered their question (vaguely). "I'm just stopping by to get it."

Erica sauntered to her locker. Alexis and Steph were not hiding the fact that they watched her. She undid the lock, reached inside and withdrew a stack of papers from the shelf.

She waved them around. "Not that it's any of your business, but I got myself a sugar daddy, too. This here is a prenuptial agreement. And you know what that means ladies, he's loaded. Asked me to marry him last night on my dinner break."

"How romantic," Steph said, rolling her eyes. "Did he give you the papers before or after he gave you a ring?"

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