Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1) (17 page)

“Edie
always takes good care of me,” he confirmed. “I would’ve waited for you in the
kitchen with her, but you know how jealous her husband gets.” Lexi gave him a
playful punch on the shoulder.

“You’re
incorrigible,” she chastised. “Come on into the office.”

Reggie
Mangus had been Alex Alberton’s personal assistant, kind of a protégé. He had the
brains and know-how to run Al-Tech; actually, he pretty much did when Lexi’s
father succumbed to grief over his wife’s death. That was when he and Lexi had
bonded. Their relationship resembled that of siblings; in fact, Reg had always
looked up to Alex as a father figure. Lexi was sure the feeling was mutual. Her
father left a generous inheritance for the young man, along with his wish that
Reggie would share the running of Alberton Technologies alongside Lexi.
Although honored, Reggie had no aspirations to boss people around and instead
enjoyed working as a personal assistant.

“You
know, you really need to grow up and get serious, Reg,” she told the young man
who towered over her and had the lean, lithe body of an athlete.

“I
think I’ve grown as much as I’m going to,” he replied, taking a comfortable
stance on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table. “But, as far as
taking life seriously…” he shrugged, “never gonna happen. Life’s too short.”

Lexi
knew what he meant, but her friend had so much potential. He was only a couple
of years younger than she, and he was smart and efficient. He did take his work
seriously, mostly. He just avoided heavy responsibility, and would rather hang
around with and be one of the minions. Of course he was a very good source of
gossip, so there were advantages to having him around – and she knew she
couldn’t do her job without him. Although he preferred to party, Reggie stepped
up when she needed him to.

“So,
word is you got serious with some Long Island Iced Teas, last night,” he
crooned. His eyes inspected her neck. “And, had a confrontation with Billy Chen
– busy night.”

“Is
that who he was? Well I wouldn’t know,” she replied, self-consciously rubbing
her neck “so, how do you?”

“I
have my ways,” Reggie bragged. “Anyway, I totally understand why you look like
shit warmed over, this…” he pointedly glanced at his expensive watch,
“afternoon.”

“Did
you have a reason for calling this meeting?” Lexi decided ignoring his remark
and getting down to business would be the prudent way to go. Reggie sat up and
leaned forward.

“I
think it’s time for you to come out of hiding and show the rest of the world
that Al-Tech is back in business, even if it is in a limited capacity. There’s
a black-tie dinner being held by the IMS to celebrate the retirement of Arthur
Dixon from his seat on the council. It would be the perfect opportunity.”

“I
don’t know, Reg,” Lexi hesitated to agree. “Do you really think we’re ready?”

“I
think you’re scared, but you need to show the industry that your parents’
business is not dead along with them.” Lexi cringed. “I’m sorry to be harsh, girl,
but we need to put an end to all the rumors going around.”

“What
kind of rumors?”

Reggie
ran his fingers through the dark roots of his sun-bleached hair. A gesture Lexi
recognized as a sign of anxiety.

“Let’s
just say that there’s not a whole lot of confidence in us out there –
understandably, for sure. The thing is, we’ve got our top core scientists and
engineers back and we need to build their assurance up, too. You’re the only
one that can do it, Lexi.” He leaned closer and grabbed both of her hands. “You
can
do this.”

“Will
you come with me?”

Reg
squeezed her hand. “I’ll be right next to you,” he assured. “Besides, I look
awesome in a tux, baby!” He plastered a cocky grin on his face and endured
another, harder, punch in the arm. At least he made her smile.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Dane
knew the exact moment when she entered the room. Sure, conversations paused in
unison for a split second, perhaps the occupants were surprised to see her, maybe
curious, or was it her beauty? But that wasn’t what had alerted Dane to her
presence; no, he’d felt his whole being react before he even turned to set
hungry eyes upon her. Surely it was her beauty, he concluded, for indeed the
noise in the room returned to its previous volume, but the eyes continued to
cast greedy glances her way. He reminded himself to breathe. And then, resisted
the urge to rush to her side and claim possession of her.

Taking
a casual sip of his drink, Dane watched her hesitate and take a deep breath
before stepping further into the ballroom. Her eyes took a tour through the
crowd, quickly skimming past the spot he occupied. So, she felt his presence as
well. The realization brought with it a sense of satisfaction that warmed him.
She tightened her clutch on the arm of her escort, almost as if she had read
his mind. He only wished. Who the hell is that chap, anyway? A strange feeling
of panic rose from his gut as he caught how she drew strength from the man
beside her. They seemed to be close – was he an old boyfriend? Had they
rekindled their relationship? Was he sleeping with her?

“I
have to say, it takes nerve.”

Dane
was jerked out of his reverie as the owner of the voice slid up beside him. Penelope,
of course, she’s a member of the International Merchants Society.

“Nerve?”
he repeated.

“Well
yes, surely you’re aware that Alberton Technologies owes money to pretty much
everyone in this room. She’s lucky she doesn’t get lynched by this group.”

“Do
they
look to you like they want to lynch her?” Dane asked, gesturing to
the throng of men pressing in to get close to Lexi.

“So,
they’re curious, and she’s attractive,” Penelope huffed. “They’ll soon move on,
the room is full of beautiful women.” Dane leaned in close to make certain she
heard his quiet response.

“Yes,
but she’s the only one here who doesn’t use it as bait,” he said. He started to
walk away, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

“So,
what happened to your
engagement
?” she asked, a bit snidely.

“Still
on,” he answered confidently. “We just have obligations which are taking us in
separate directions, right now. Excuse me; I must have a word with Randal. It’s
been a pleasure, as always, Penny.” Dane allowed his tone to convey otherwise.

As
he walked away he pondered the possibility that he had ever been attracted to
her and, for that matter, other women of similar kind. What could he have been
thinking – or had he been listening to an organ other than his brain? Even so,
neither organ stirred up much of anything for her now – except perhaps disgust.
How had he not noticed her vain superiority before? By the time he reached
Randal the man was deep in conversation with another gentleman.

“I
don’t care how
persuasive
she can be,” the other man was saying, “the
pretty little thing has no business trying to run a big corporation like Al-Tech,
just because her parents left it to her.”

The
speaker had obviously downed a few drinks already, by the way he was slurring
his words. It was no wonder they were standing adjacent to the open bar; it was
probably the first place the guy headed the moment he’d stepped through the
door, and he likely hadn’t left the spot since. Still, it sent Dane’s hackles
up the way his tone had insinuated something dirty with the word persuasive.
His fist clenched, readying to punch some sense into the ignorant son of a
bitch.

“There
you are, English.” A familiar voice and a friendly clap on the shoulder turned
Dane’s attention to the figure behind him.

“Well,
Droid
,” Dane returned the shoulder slap to his friend, “hell of a place
to finally catch up to each other. To be honest, I would have thought you’d
leave these kinds of functions for Gretchen to attend.”

“Oh,
she’s here, too,” Greig said. “Droid, huh?” He shuffled sideways, giving Dane
the hint that he wanted to speak somewhere more private.

“Mostly
metal,” he explained, taking his friend’s suggestion by moving to an open space
near the wall.

Greig
chuckled. “I like it,” the sci-fi buff admitted. “Actually, I came to keep you
out of trouble, and it appears I showed up just in time.”

“Just
what made you think I’d get into trouble at a boring IMS dinner?”

“Guess
it was instinct, but when I found out that Pip would be here… something told me
you’d show up. Admit it, English; you never come to these lame gatherings,
either.”

“I’m
not sure I understand what you’re insinuating, Droid. I came here to spread the
word about moving my home office to the states. It seemed like the perfect
opportunity and that is all.” Dane straightened his shoulders and lifted his
chin. “I believe your instincts need checking.”

“Ri…ight;
look, don’t go all crusty Britt on me. I know…” the rest of his sentence
trailed off as the discussion nearby drew his attention.

“Alberton
Technologies is nothing without Alex and Alicia. Look what happened when
Richard took over. I’m still taking a beating from the inferior quality on the
last orders I received from them! No, she should cut her losses and find some
guy to play house with. Alberton Technologies is defunct and it’s time she
accepted that.”

“Lexi
was as much a part of the business as her parents were,” an angry Greig cut in.
“Alex and Alicia lived and breathed it, and when she was born they took her to
work with them every day! She can run that place in her sleep.”

“How
about she just pays up what the company owes us in lost revenue – can she do
that in her sleep?”

Although
Greig had kept his voice low, a small crowd gathered to join the conversation.
Gretchen appeared by her brother’s side.

“My
brother is correct,” she said. “Be assured that Lexi Alberton has things under
control. She will make things right with all of you. You just need to be
patient and allow her to do as her parents taught her.” She turned to Greig and
lowered her voice. “I need you to meet someone; we’ll only be a moment.”

Greig
glanced at Dane to see if he’d heard. Dane grinned –
who’s keeping whom out
of trouble?
His friend nodded sheepishly and followed his sister. Left
alone with the gentlemen, Dane pulled a stack of business cards out of his inside
jacket pocket.

“Gentlemen,
please consider what the Carstens have said to you; they are in business to
know what they’re talking about. Given a short amount of time, Al-Tech will be
running at full force and with the quality everyone has come to expect. I came
here to announce the fact that I’ve moved Brighten Industries’ headquarters to
the states. You can get in touch with me through my office in New York. If your
companies cannot survive the time it will take for Al-Tech to climb back on its
feet, I will personally cover the debt.”

The
men dispersed as he handed out his cards, and Dane looked up to see a stricken
Lexi watching from a distance.
Shit!
Catching her eye, he beseeched her
understanding. She turned and disappeared into the crowd.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Lexi
was in shock. She’d overheard Dane offering to pay off Al-Tech’s debts and
hadn’t felt so void of emotion since…
Alveus
.

Reggie
caught up to her in the empty foyer. Turning to face Lexi, he grabbed both arms
to steady her.

“Are
you alright?” he asked, sincerely concerned. She nodded her head… and then
shook it.

“I
don’t know. I should be angry. I thought these people were friends of my
parents; I thought… I don’t know.” He pulled her into a hug.

“We
knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said. “But, I think you’ve done a good job of
convincing most of these entrepreneurs of your abilities to bring Alberton
Technologies back to its former glory. I’m so proud of you – you evoked
confidence and intelligence. Give them time to absorb the fact that you
are
your parents’ offspring.”

“That’s
just it,” Lexi bemoaned. “Can’t you see that it’s the opposite? If Dane Wellesley
doesn’t even have confidence in my abilities, why should any of the others?”

“That’s
not true,” Dane said, coming up behind her. “May I have a moment?” He looked
pointedly at Reggie.

“Five
minutes,” he told him, “and I’ll be right around the corner.” The warning glare
he planted on Dane warmed Lexi’s heart, giving her courage.

“It
wasn’t the way you think, Pips.”

“Don’t
call me that!”

“Look,
I was only attempting to help. I have no doubt that you can get Al-Tech back up
and running. I’m just trying to make it happen faster by cleaning up some of
the mess your uncle left you with.”

“Did
you for one moment stop to consider how it made me look?” Lexi asked, delayed
anger finally surfacing. “I’m trying to gain the industries’ confidence; I’m
trying to pull the name of Alberton back out of the muck my slime-ball uncle
threw it in! You just singlehandedly confirmed everyone’s suspicions that I am
weak and incapable of stepping into my parents’ shoes!”

“I
believed that I was helping,” was his determined reply.

Lexi
trembled with fury. Stepping closer, she poked her finger in his chest. “Look,
I survived without your help for the last seventeen years; I think I can manage
without it now!”

Dane’s
eyes glinted with suppressed amusement. “…And those seventeen years, they were
good to you?”

“Perfect!”
she lied. “They were, after all, without –
you
– in them!”

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

She
was so fiery! Dane knew she was trying to push him away, still he never walked
away from a direct challenge – and God help him, there was no way he could
resist pulling her into a passionate kiss. Sparks ignited as two combustible
emotions combined to set off a passion that exploded.

When
he finally released her, they stood staring into each other’s eyes – both
reflecting back shock. She pushed away from him and turned her head, intending
to put some distance between them. Without conscious thought, his hand moved to
gently grasp her chin and turn it back toward his face. Leaning in, his lips
once again connected with hers, this time softly caressing. Like a starving man
who had forgotten what hunger felt like, he drank of her – needy, yet slowly,
as if tasting a delicacy for the first time and wanting to savor it. She
smelled of floral vanilla spice; her lips tasted like strawberry champagne. Timidly,
she parted her lips to respond. He pulled her in tighter. His heart raced. His
hunger increased.

 “
Ah-hem
.”
A subtle throat clearing brought Dane back to the reality of his surroundings.
He felt Lexi jerk away from him as if burned. What kind of an imbecile would
interrupt what was quite obviously a private moment? He turned around with a
frown of irritation to find Lexi’s escort searching her face with concern. Greig
Carsten stood beside him with one eyebrow cocked. Not in the mood for an
interrogation, Dane started for the door leading outside.

“Of
course,” he heard Lexi say softly as he passed. “Disappear into the night as
you always do.”

He
froze in his tracks. It was as if she had reached in and squeezed his heart. Is
that what she really thought of him? A coward? He searched his memories, trying
to see himself through her eyes. Sure he had left to go to college without giving
her a thought, but they were young – she was just a kid. They had their whole
lives in front of them. He had
not
been running away. The twist in his
gut told him that wasn’t it. He was avoiding what he knew to be the real truth
– intimacy. She was right. He spun on his heels.

“We
need to talk,” he told her retreating figure. “And we will – in private.” Her
step hesitated and she turned an ear toward his words, but other than that, she
gave no response.

Dane
exited the building and headed straight to the valet.

“Just
give me my keys,” he commanded, handing the young man his ticket, along with a
generous tip. “I’ll find the car myself.” He needed to keep moving and the walk
would do him good. He clicked the fob, heard the answering signal from his car,
and strode briskly in the direction of the sound.

“English,
wait up!”

Shit!
Dane wasn’t in the mood for company, but the sound of clinking metal brought
him to a halt. Greig swung up beside him.

“What
say we go for a drink?” he suggested. “I know a quiet place nearby, where they
pour a generous bourbon. We don’t have to talk.”

With
a slight nod, Dane continued the distance to the Mercedes-Benz he’d had
imported from his garage in Frankfurt. Sliding behind the wheel, he wished he
was back in Germany where he could take the ramp onto the autobahn and just
keep driving until his thoughts settled. Greig situated himself beside Dane and
gave him directions before pulling out his phone to text Gretchen.