Page 6 of One Little Mistake
“I need to know what happened to Lexi,” I bark with no preamble.
Ashton’s loud sigh has my stomach turning in uncomfortable ways. The sudden silence on the other end of the phone makes the breath I was holding catch in my lungs.
“I can’t do that, East.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Loki asked me not to. Just because I can get information doesn’t mean I always should. Her story is hers to tell. Miles took more from her than any of us will ever be able to understand. Why are you interested in Lexi?”
Throwing my pen across the desk, I spit, “She’s working for me now.”
“She’s the complete opposite of Lanie,” he says cryptically.
“What does that mean?”
“Neither of them have had easy lives, but where Lanie tries to keep the peace, Lexi sets the fires. I think she’ll be a good addition for your grumpy ass.” His laugh forces a smile to my face.
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see. “So what the hell am I supposed to do with her?”
“I don’t know her well, but I can tell you, if you treat her any differently than you do your other employees, she’ll hand you your balls for breakfast.”
For some reason, that makes me chuckle.
“But, East? She’s been through a lot.”
“So treat her like everyone else, or like she’ll break? Which is it, Ash?”
An audible intake of air has me glancing up.
“If you’re talking about me, I can tell you straight up that no one will ever break me again.” The frigid tone lacing Lexi’s words has me hanging up on Ash without a second thought. “Listen to me very closely, Mr. Westbrook. I’m digging myself out of hell right now, there’s no way around that, but my work ethic has never been up for question. All you need to concern yourself with is if I can handle your workload, not if I’m going to break. That’s no one’s business but mine. And, in case you’re wondering, I can fucking handle anything you want to throw at me. So the next time you want to question if I’m capable of something, fucking ask me. Not Ash, not Lanie, me. I will not allow anyone to speak on my behalf ever again. Is that understood?” Flames could shoot from her ears at any moment and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Lexi Heart is pissed off, and her ire is directed at me.
Leaning back in my chair, I don’t know if I should be impressed or angry. My lack of response seems to infuriate her more, and even though it shouldn’t, her anger turns me on. Quickly grabbing a folder and setting it in my lap, I glance back at her frowning face. “Is the paperwork with HR complete?”
Instead of answering, she tosses the folders she’s carrying onto my desk. At this moment, I know everything between us from now on will be fire and ice. It’s a battle I’m far too excited about.
Slamming my hand on the folder before it lands on the floor, I lift an eyebrow at her. Lexi stands there with her arms crossed, a defiant expression plastered on her face.
“I’ll take this as a yes. Pull up a chair. For now, we’ll be sharing my desk. The first thing you need to understand is I’m your boss. Family or not, I’m your superior.” I try to ignore the sour taste the word family causes in my gut.
“That’s not a problem, trust me.” Lexi of earlier is gone. The woman standing before me is all business.
“The second thing is I don’t have enough hours in the day to get all the shit I need to do done. So when my brothers call to go to lunch, I’m busy. When they pop in to waste my time, you usher them along. The only one allowed to interrupt my day is my mother. Otherwise, keep the gate closed.”
She studies me for a moment but pulls up a chair just the same. Before she can sit, I stand and cross the room to where I have files and folders stacked four feet high and grab about thirty of them. As I turn, I bump into Lexi, who apparently followed me.
“What’s all this?”
Handing her the stack in my hands, I say, “Torture. These are the misplaced, mislabeled, disorganized mess we need to sort through if I have any chance of securing the south block in uptown.”
She glances down at the files, then to the floor. “Explain to me what you’re doing and how you need the files, and I’ll take care of it.”
For the next twenty minutes, I explain how we’re trying to acquire South Block C to revitalize the area. I show her the projects where Macombs is attempting to undercut my bid, but I don’t reveal the long history between Dillon and myself.
“So, basically, there’s thirty years’ worth of information that you need to be organized in a timeline so you can put together a proposal that will win over the city board and the owner?”
This woman flusters me, and I can’t even hide it. I expected to waste at least three days catching her up to speed, yet she’s four steps ahead of me. Realizing I’m staring like a lovesick puppy, I finally reply, “And I have until Friday at noon to hand over my proposal.”
“Working with the Macombs is out of the question?” Lexi asks innocently, but I recoil as if she set me on fire.
