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Hunter
There is something very wrong with Lexi that she disguises well. Ryder’s conversation comes back to me and I curse not taking the time to unravel her secrets. This is so public, we can’t possibly address the problem and I want to leave so badly it’s almost tempting to ignore duty for once.
Instead, I just hold her tight and wait for the feeling to pass. She looks so lost; I recognize that look because I wear the t-shirt most of the time. She has demons clawing at her soul and I need to be the one to help her fight them. But not now, not here, so with a reluctant sigh, I pull back and smile gently. “Come, lets at least eat something and then we can leave. We’ve shown our faces and I’ve heard the food here is second to none.”
“Ok.” She smiles through her tears and I bend down and kiss her softly on those plump lips before guiding her gently into the ballroom where the tables have been set up around a stage.
We are seated on a table near to it and I’m pleased to see the people either side of us are ones I would have chosen. Malory Dickinson and her husband Edward, are two of my board members. They married immediately after they met, which is a good thing because they mainly live at the office.
On the other side of me is Jennifer Lomas and her date of the evening, whose name I am excused from knowing because she probably hired him for the evening. Jennifer has never married and just works and fucks escorts as a way to pass an evening without any drama and need for letting anyone into her life. I respect Jennifer a lot because she is very much like me. Come to think of it, most of my board members are, it’s why we succeed because business is our top priority and I always thought it would be no different—until Lexi.
She looks so small, vulnerable, and yet like a warrior beside me. As the evening progresses, she chats to our fellow guests and launches a charm offensive that has them all eating out of her hand in seconds. They don’t realize it, but she’s grilling them for information, reminding me that she’s got a job to do and that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Not because of why, but because that is the main reason she is here at all and when this, whatever it is, is over, she will pack up and leave and move onto the next project. The food turns to dust in my mouth as I contemplate the day this all ends and that surprises me, because I am happier on my own. But not now. Now I have met her and it’s up to me to change her mind and make her stay—with me.
The auction gets underway as soon as the last mouthful is eaten, and I look with my usual boredom at the reason why we are here at all. There are three charities that stand to benefit from tonight’s pissing contest as everyone here tries to prove they have more money than the person next to them and by default becomes the most generous. Most are here just to dodge the tax they would otherwise have to pay and get to enjoy the rewards of luxury foreign holidays and jewelry as a result of it.
Sighing, I lace my fingers with Lexi’s and bring them absentmindedly to my lips and am surprised when Jennifer leans in and whispers, “She’s good for you, Hunter.”
“I know.”
Jennifer laughs softly. “I never thought I’d see the day when Hunter Blake met his match. There is a God.”
“What about you, Jennifer, are you still working your way alphabetically through discreet dates every night?”
She laughs. “You know me so well. It suits me, I pay them well and I get an evening of pure enjoyment with none of the headaches the next day.”
I drag a cursory glance over her latest purchase and hate the way he is openly staring at Lexi, who looks so gorgeous in her silk gown that shows off her natural beauty. I feel a stirring of jealously that anyone should even look at her and desire what’s mine and inadvertently I grasp her hand a little tighter and growl, “Tell him to stop staring at my date; it’s most infuriating.”
Jennifer merely shrugs, “You can’t stop people looking at a work of art, Hunter, you just have to make sure you cherish it and look after it to keep its beauty alive.”
“That’s true, but sometimes there are thieves around who covet that said art, and you need to put the processes in place to protect it from them. Keep it safe and for your eyes only and I prefer to lock my treasures away for that reason.”
“Then you risk them dulling and their beauty diminishing. However, if you treat them well, they won’t ever look past your shoulder. Trust me, you have to set them free in order to keep them.”
“What are you, an expert on this, as far as I know you prefer to show them the door?”
“Maybe I’ve never met anyone I want to keep around. I thought you would understand that more than most. We have always been the same—until now. Word of advice, try harder, Hunter otherwise you may lose the most valuable asset of your life and some things just can’t be negotiated or bought.”
She smiles at me with a look loaded with sadness and I wonder about Jennifer. Did she have her heart broken along the way? Possibly, actually, probably because I know how relentless you have to be to climb to the top. Many bodies lie wasted behind you and I’m guessing there’s a few broken hearts behind Jennifer and I wonder if she carries her own with her.
She turns and whispers something to her companion and he looks at me with a sudden look of fear and I feel a sense of satisfaction at that. Jennifer has my back and warned him off, and it feels good to know I have her watching out for me. Could Jennifer be the one who is weaving lies through my organization for the benefit of someone else? I doubt it but I’m not stupid enough to trust her 100% and just want to close my eyes to that possibility. Then again, it could be the couple chatting with Lexi who have laughed several times tonight in her company which also surprises me. They don’t laugh—ever, which reminds me how special this woman is who sits by my side. A lethal combination of brains, looks and personality, who can size a person up in one conversation and extract information they never realize was on her agenda. Watching her operate makes me wonder about her beginning in life and how she stepped from the trailer park into a career that I still can’t wrap my head around.
By the end of the auction, I have bid on and won a holiday on a private Island, a Tiffany bracelet, a top chef for the night and a box at the Superbowl. Usually, I offer them as prizes to my employees. A golden carrot to make them run faster and work harder for the opportunity to experience something unique. Tonight, I’m tempted to claim the holiday just for us because the thought of being on a private island with her is the thing I want the most right now.
She leans across and whispers, “You must be pleased with your evening’s work. How much did you spend?”
“Too much, but it goes to worthy causes, so how can I not be happy about that?”
“You could just donate the money, anyway.”
“True, but in winning these items I have something to incentivize my staff. They get to win one of them in return for earning our investors even more money and the sense of competition is good for business. Everyone wins.”
“Except you perhaps.”
She looks a little confused, and I shrug. “If business is good, I win. If my employees lose their way, it reflects badly on me and so I do what I must to keep the machine working smoothly.”
“Then this situation must be eating you up alive knowing there’s a part of it that’s failing.”
“Possibly, but it’s only a matter of time before we find the culprit and remove him, or her from the game.”
“Is that all this is to you—a game?”
She looks a little sad about that and yet before I can reply she stands and says softly, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the rest room.”
I almost insist I accompany her but she leans down and whispers, “Don’t move, you’re safer here than walking the hallway, I won’t be long.”
As she turns and walks away, I feel a sense of panic that surprises me—a lot. It reminds me she has that ability and all the money in the world wouldn’t change her mind if she decides that’s what she wants.
