“Brava, Lexi!” Mrs. Dee clapped happily. “Mary Warner is one tough nut to crack, and you just impressed her.”
“Oh, thank God. This is so nerve-racking trying to keep everyone straight. She was either training for a marathon or had recently taken up painting, but I couldn’t see her wearing a stained art smock, so I went with my gut. I don’t know how Vincent does this.” Lexi glanced around and saw Anna and Erik slowly inching their way across the room.
Mrs. Dee smiled and watched the crowd move around them. Lexi saw her nod her head and make eye contact with certain guests, giving them that extra welcome to make them feel more comfortable. Her floor length dress sparkled as the light from the candles on the table flickered, casting rainbows on the curtains behind her. Lexi’s eye was drawn to a spectacular piece of jewelry around her neck.
“I love that necklace.”
The gorgeous emerald solitaire was framed by diamonds on either side. The way it caught the low light in the room and sparkled was magnificent.
The matching pair of emerald earrings brought out the deep color in her eyes.
She touched her neck gently. “It was a gift from my son.” The pride in her voice told Lexi the piece of jewelry was very special to her.
“Well, he has great taste.”
Mrs. Dee was clearly distracted by something and said, “In some things, yes. But not everything.”
Lexi turned and followed her gaze up toward the entrance, and that’s when she saw them. Vincent and Jade were perched at the top of the staircase, looking like a perfect wedding cake topper, except for the fact that the bride was dressed more like a streetwalker than a virgin. Jade, of course, was striking a pose and waiting until everyone in the room whispered and pointed at them. Her dress was a reflective silver rather than white, the hemline barely hitting mid-thigh. She stood on her tiptoes and gave Vincent a peck on the cheek, revealing the deep V in the back of her dress that went lower than good taste should allow. Lexi was certain most of the attention Jade was garnering wasn’t positive, but Jade didn’t seem to mind in the least as she continued preening for all to see. As Vincent offered his elbow to her, she snaked her arm around it, and the pair began their descent.
They were such opposites. Lexi couldn’t understand what Vincent saw in her. Other than the fact that she was beautiful, she was nothing like him.
He was focused and determined. She was flighty and all over the place. Vincent worked his tail off day in and day out, but Jade’s biggest concern seemed to be choosing the correct nail polish, yelling at her agent, and deciding where to make Vincent take her to dinner. They continued their approach, Jade basking in the attention, while Vincent was all business, completely focused on work and scanning the room for the people he needed to make contact with.
While Sean looked debonair in a just-one-of-the-guys way, Vincent looked sophisticated, aristocratic even. He walked into the room, and people whispered and pointed at him, intimidated, but captivated. Women blushed when he smiled in their direction, and men nodded their heads respectfully. His crisp, black tuxedo was a perfect contrast to the casual disarray of his hair, which Lexi could tell he tried very hard to tame. But in the end, it had a mind of its own, and once he ran his hand through it nervously, as he so often did, the sexy, untamed waves returned.
Lexi had no idea how long she had stood there, heart fluttering wildly in her chest, but she was vaguely aware that she had begun mumbling.
“Heavens. It should be illegal to look so good. I mean just look at him.”
Mrs. Dee overheard her quiet ramblings and smiled. “He is a handsome young man. However, his choice of dates makes my skin crawl.”
Lexi stifled a laugh.
“Oh, my goodness, did I say that out loud? How embarrassing.”
“You think that’s embarrassing?” Lexi chuckled, sipping the wine in her glass. “What if I told you I had a crush on him in high school and never had the guts to say a single word to him? I was so shy that he didn’t even remember me when I started working for Hunter. Now that’s embarrassing. Oh, and I’ve been giving Jade regular sugar and whole milk in her coffee instead of Splenda and non-fat milk for the past two weeks because I hate the way she barks ‘Lexi, coffee’ every time she steps foot in the office.”
As soon as the words had left her mouth, Lexi wanted to suck them back in, but something about Mrs. Dee’s kind disposition put Lexi at ease and made her say things she wouldn’t normally share with anyone but Hope.
Mrs. Dee arched an eyebrow at Lexi’s confession. “Really?”
“Unfortunately, yes, to all of it. I was hoping the extra calories would put Jade in a better mood, but sadly, my plan failed. And the thing with Vincent … never mind. ” Lexi sighed and wistfully stared at Vincent leading Jade in their direction. She watched the seductive way his shoulders rolled with each graceful step and the tempting way the corners of his mouth twitched as he smiled at the guests around him. As he scanned the room, he finally caught Lexi’s eye, and her stomach flipped when his eyes locked on her. Rather than look away, his intense gaze raked over her body, as if taking in every detail from her hair to her shoes, making her cheeks warm with blush.
“Well, he was an unobservant boob in high school,” Mrs. Dee whispered in her ear as Vincent and Jade came to stand beside them, Vincent’s eyes still fixed on Lexi. “However, that may be changing.”
Jade appeared to be utterly bored until she saw Lexi. Then she cast a murderous glare, looking her up and down, appraising her gown and trying her best to make Lexi feel inferior. “Well, isn’t this cozy?” Jade sneered.
Vincent shot Jade a reproachful look, and then turned his attention back to the women. “Ladies, you both look beautiful this evening.” He briefly met Lexi’s eye again and smiled, then he kissed Mrs. Dee on the cheek. “Mother, they’re almost ready for you to give your speech.”
∙ 10 ∙
l exi froze, looking repeatedly from Vincent to Mrs. Dee as her face turned a bright shade of red. “D for Drake … Mrs. Drake?” Lexi squeaked out, stumbling slightly from the shock of it all.
“Please, call me Elizabeth.”
Everything began moving in slow motion for Lexi as she watched Vincent and Jade exchange a confused look while Elizabeth simply grinned.
The conversation she had been having with Mrs. Drake moments ago came roaring through her head, and her embarrassment grew exponentially with each passing second.