Page 6 of Wildest Desire

“Are we still going out tonight?” Alex looks over at us all.

“It’s Friday night, and for the first time in ages, we are all free. So, we’re going out.” Helen points to each one of us. For the first time in a long time, we all have a Friday night where we can hang out together.

Abandoning my phone, I get interested in the planning. “I’m in. When, where, and what time are we meeting?” I ask.

“Seven, at my place for pre-drinks,” Alex says. We are all laughing when Ms. Jackie walks into the office, but stop talking to give her our full attention.

I take my planner out to write what dates my clients have booked me for. We typically know our schedules about two weeks in advance to give us time to prepare for whatever it is we are attending. I’m booked up through next week. I have a club opening event in LA, and I’ll be there for the weekend.

She goes through everyone’s plans for the following weeks. Alex has a new client added to her—some sports guy.

As soon as Ms. Jackie finishes talking, I look up at her. I’m still waiting for my assignments as I’m the only one that has nothing scheduled. I’m worried that Ethan has given me a bad report and that’s given Ms. Jackie reason to doubt me.

“Lexi, let’s go grab some lunch and talk a minute,” she says, grabbing her bag. I look back at all the girls. Am I worried? God, yes. What did Ethan say to her?

I mouth, ‘see you later,’ to the girls, and follow Ms. Jackie to the Italian restaurant across the road. She doesn’t say a word, and that only makes me even more anxious. The waiter seats us at our usual table, and I watch her take out her planner. She looks at me, so I take mine out too.

“You have a new client, and I know you're going to ask a thousand questions—”

“No.” I already know where she's going with this. “Not Ethan Knight,” I beg her. If I thought it would work, I would drop to my knees and give her the puppy dog eyes.

She looks at me. “Ethan Knight is your new client. Do you know anything else about him?”

“Only what you have told me. The no Google search rule, remember?” What the hell is going on here? She’s not telling me everything because she normally would never agree to this.

“Do you trust me?”

“Ms. Jackie, you know I trust you. I would feel better if I didn’t think you were keeping something important from me.” My mouth suddenly goes dry, so I take a sip of water. “Why do I get the impression you’re not going to tell me anything?” Folding my arms over my chest, I lean back in the chair and wait for her to dispute my claim.

“As with any client, if I think things are getting out of control or if you feel unsafe, I'll drop him without a second thought.” I start tapping my fingers on the table. She takes hold of my hand. “Lexi, I can’t tell you everything yet, but when the time is right, I'll answer all of your questions.”

“You do realize you're encroaching on my dating rights with this, don’t you?” I start laughing because it’s not like I have a boyfriend or anything, but the tension is thick, and I need to lighten the mood. I’m getting a little annoyed with this whole situation. Why is she breaking her number one rule?

“If you find a boyfriend, then we'll go from there.” She smiles at me and then looks up to someone behind me. “Thank you for joining us, Ethan.”

The chair next to me moves. I straighten myself up, plaster on my professional face, and smile. Ethan doesn’t even acknowledge me. God, I want to hit him.

“Thank you for inviting me.” His voice is so sexy. No, stop thinking about his voice. Remember that you hate him, I remind myself.

“I always attend the first meeting, then after that, it’s between the two of you. Lexi, you need to keep me in the loop if you make plans in case they conflict with scheduling your other clients.” Jackie opens her planner and looks through her dates.

“I would like her to be with me this Saturday,” Ethan tells her as he looks through his phone.

“I can’t. I’m in Vegas and don’t get back until Sunday afternoon,” I say, looking through my planner. A noise comes from his mouth letting me know he’s not happy, but I don’t care.

“Then how about Sunday when she gets back? I have a meeting scheduled for Sunday, but I can move it to Monday if I need to. I can even send my driver to pick her up at the airport.” We both look at Ms. Jackie.

I shake my head, but Ms. Jackie ignores me. What the fuck? Am I invisible? “I have my car, thank you,” I bite back. He’s just being an ass now.

“All my girls have their car if they have to drive anywhere,” Ms. Jackie tells him.

He shifts in his chair, clearly not liking that he’s not getting his way. “You’re letting her fly to another city with someone, but I can’t pick her up from the airport?” He looks at Ms. Jackie. Anyone can see he's getting pissed.

“She has worked with this client for a long time and is comfortable with him. When she feels the same with you, then she will be more than happy for your car to pick her up and drop her off. Am I right, Lexi?” Ms. Jackie looks at Ethan then back to me. I look at them both. Why do I get the feeling they know each other?

“Yes,” I answer in one simple word.

“Jackie, you know I won’t hurt her.” He moves closer to the table, and I watch them both.

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