Page 20 of One Little Mistake
I go to turn my phone off just as a new message from Mason pops up.
Mason: Don’t drool.
What the hell is this idiot talking about now?
Before I can reply, Lexi comes out of the guest room dressed in a pale blue sheath dress that matches her eyes. It hits a few inches above her knee, and although it’s perfectly professional, it’s sexy as hell.
“Ready?” She hardly spares a glance in my direction as she loads up some files into the bag she has tossed over her shoulder.
“Ah, yeah. Yeah, I’m … Were you able to get everything done with Mason?” Attempting not to check her out, I can’t help but wonder how long it took her to get ready. She’s looks fucking fantastic, so now I’m a little worried Mason didn’t update her.
Sensing my unasked question, she straightens her spine before answering. “Yes,master. Mason and I went over all the essential details while I was getting dressed.”
“I thought he was going to video conference you to show you the latest slides?”
“He did, Easton. In case you’ve missed this in your twenty-plus years of friendship with him, Mason is gay. He couldn’t give two shits if I were running around half-naked.”
“You were naked on a work call with Mason?” I yell.
“Like the day I was born.” She grins, and I realize I have no idea how to tell if she’s fucking with me or not. “Oh, for crying out loud, East. I’m not an idiot teenager. Of course I wasn’t naked on a company call that is likely recorded.”
She’s right. We do monitor everything through a program our friend, Trevor, designed. I start to breathe easier, knowing Mason didn’t see her rack before I did.
Wait.BeforeI see her tits? What the actual fuck is wrong with me? She’s an employee. She’s family. I cannot see her goddamn tits. Her next words bring my thoughts to a screeching halt.
“We FaceTimed so I could get ready while he explained the changes. You can thank him for this dress. I wanted to go with a black one, but Mason said this one looked better.”
I’m going to kill him. Don’t drool—that asshole.
“Great. Glad to know we put his insanely high hourly rate to good use. Are you able to walk in those shoes, or do I need to call the car service to drive us two blocks?” I have to drag my gaze away from her shoes, or I’m going to end up doing something I’ll really regret. Like fucking her up against the window for all of Manhattan to see.
The mere fact that those ideas are running through my head before this meeting tells me all I need to know about tonight. I’m fucked.
“Yes, Beast. I can walk. I may appear broken to you, but something you should know about me? I’m a fighter. If my feet were bleeding from blisters and it was the difference between getting you this deal or taking off my shoes, I would get you the goddamn deal.”
Somewhere in my gut, I know her words to be true.
“Never put anyone else’s needs above your own comfort or safety, Lex.” My voice is quiet but firm. Knowing how stubborn she is, the idea of putting herself last tears at my chest because I get the feeling that is how she’s lived her life. It’s probably why she found herself in such a fucked up situation to begin with, and it makes me murderous.
Standing at the door, I wait for her to exit. When she finally comes toe to toe with me, a vulnerability she fights so hard to hide breaks free.
“Is … is the dress not okay, Easton? I can change. It won’t take long. I just wasn’t sure what to wear, and Lanie wasn’t answering her phone. Mason offered to help because I was probably freaking him out a little.”
What was it she called me? The Westbrook Beast? Somehow, that seems too nice for me. So, swallowing my feelings and my gut instincts, I say what I should have said in the first place.
“Lexi, you look stunning. I was … I don’t know what I was,” I say, running a hand through my hair roughly.
Following her into the hallway, I make sure our door locks behind us.
“Mason knows you pretty well.” Something in her tone sets off warning bells.
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”
“He said you’d lose your shit when you saw me in this dress. And then he said you’d apologize for being a lunatic and tell me how nice I look.”
Sexy fucking Lexi sashays down the hall toward the elevator, and I follow like a trained monkey.
Opening my mouth to speak, I’m interrupted by the strangest sound. Cackling is the best way to describe it, but it takes me a second to realize it’s coming from Lexi’s handbag.
