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Chapter Thirteen
Lexi
Iwas kind of floating on air as I got ready for work, but my feet touched the ground rather quickly when my cellphone rang twenty minutes before I was supposed to leave for work, and it was Ralph.
“Good morning, Ralph. Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem, and good morning to you. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Not at all. I was just getting ready to eat breakfast so I can head into the office.”
“Ah, then this is good timing. I’d like you to join in on the training today.”
My brows jumped. “The training?”
“Yes, I thought that you and I should go so we can see what our money is going toward.”
I laughed a little uneasily. “Um, you’re not planning on sending me overseas, are you?”
He chuckled, the sound husky over the phone, and yet it did nothing for me. Now, if Alex had laughed like that, I might have found myself down on my knees. “No, I’m not sending you overseas. I wanted to see what they were going to teach, and I figured since you’re a woman, knowing a little bit of self-defense might be handy for you.”
“Well, that’s kind of you, but I already know some self-defense tactics.” I didn’t bother to tell him that I was a second-degree black belt.
“Well, I’m sure you can use a refresher. Besides, I’d like to have you around. I missed you this weekend. It will be nice to hang out with you outside the office a little bit.”
Oh boy. I was going to have to figure out how to let him down quickly. “Um, okay. Then what should I be wearing? I assume my skirt and heels might be out of the question.”
“Just throw on some exercise clothes. You know those tight things you ladies wear.”
I chuckled. “Okay, I can do that. Should I come to the office or meet you someplace else.”
“I’ll swing by and pick you up in about thirty minutes. How is that?”
“You sure? I’d be happy to drive myself in case you get caught up in something else.”
“No, I’d like to pick you up.”
I winced. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you in a little while.”
After I hung up, I set my bagel down and went to change. Maybe after the training, when Ralph was bringing me home, I could talk to him about how this wasn’t going to work between us. I hoped that he wasn’t too upset about it, but I had to be honest for both of us.
Once I’d changed, I sat down to eat and grinned. I was going to see Alex sooner than either of us had anticipated. Did he know I was going to be there? Maybe this would be a pleasant surprise for him.
Ralph texted me when he arrived, and I hurried down to this car. For a moment after I climbed in, I thought he might try to lean over the console and kiss me, but luckily, he didn’t. I didn’t want to have this conversation with him now, not before we had to spend the day sitting in a classroom and working out.
My stomach quivered slightly as we made small talk, and I wasn’t sure if that was because I needed to tell him about Alex, or because I was about to see Alex again. Either way, I wished that my gut would settle down a bit.
At the training facility, there were other people heading into the building. Most of them were men, and I wondered what they would think about a woman being here with them. As it turns out, when we got inside, there were two other women already there, and I was glad I wasn’t the only one.
Alex was standing at the back of the room talking with a couple men, and the moment our eyes met, he gave me the touch of a smile before his gaze cut to Ralph. Then the smile was gone, and he returned his attention to the men in front of him.
Well, I’d expected something more than that, but I’d let it slide for now. Ralph introduced me to a few people that I didn’t know, and we found seats in the second row. He excused himself to go speak with some of the people, and I sat down, chewing my bottom lip as I wondered why he could possibly want me here. I had a ton of work to do back at the office.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned quickly, hoping that Alex had come to say hello, but found it was Ralph holding a cup of coffee for me. “Here, you like cream, right?”
Not really. I was a sugar kind of girl, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “That’s fine, thank you.” I glanced past him as he scooted around me to take his seat, and my gaze landed on Alex. He was frowning at Ralph, but then his eyes slipped to me. I held my breath, dying to see the smile that he usually cast my way, but his boss stepped in front of him and cut off our connection.
I wasn’t sure I liked that he hadn’t smiled at me or come to say hello. Was he being careful because of my boss? Or was he already regretting our night together? I turned back around and sipped at the strong, hot coffee. At least the cream had cooled it down enough to drink.
