Ruined Promises Page 2

  His eyes connect with mine, and I see the apology in them. “When I started Maritime Media, twenty-two years ago, I started it in my basement. My wife thought I was crazy, and maybe I was, but then one publication turned into two and eventually three and would expand to the business we are today. I couldn’t have done that without each one of you, so please give yourself a round of applause.”

  Everyone slowly claps when he begins to clap first. I look over at Lacey, and she shrugs when I mouth, “Is this for real?”

  “Monday morning, your new owner, Mr. Harrington, will be here for the morning staff meeting, and I hope that you all give him the same respect you’ve shown me over the years. I spoke to him not long ago, and he is very excited about this opportunity. So, here is what I want each of you to do: pack your things up, and enjoy your Friday evening. I know that many of you usually work late.” His eyes meet mine again, and I avert my gaze. “But not tonight. I want everyone to go home and enjoy themselves. Now go on, everyone.”

  He dismisses the meeting, and everyone slowly walks up to him to hug him and say goodbye. I stay back so that I’m the last to do so. I try to gather my thoughts, the closer I get to him.

  “You knew that when you came into my office earlier.”

  He nods. “It’s been in the works for a few months, but I didn’t want anyone to worry and treat me or their jobs differently.” He pulls me into his arms. “I meant every word I said in your office earlier.” He pulls back. “I mean it, Lexi. You are a fantastic leader and organized. I know, without a doubt, the world is not ready for the amazing potential that comes out of Lexi Baker.” I wrap my lips around my teeth to fight back the emotion, but a few tears slip out. “Now go on. Enjoy your evening. Do whatever it is you youngins do these days.” I laugh. Mr. Jennings isn’t that old.

  “Yes, sir.” I give him one last hug before grabbing my notepad. I turn from the doorway, “Thank you for everything, Mr. Je…” He tilts his head, knowing I’m about to call him Mr. Jennings. “Paul.”

  “Have a good night, Miss Baker.”

  With that, I head back to my office. I tidy up my desk and for once am leaving the office in record time. I sit back in my chair, processing this afternoon. Mr. Jennings sold the company, which means no more Mr. Jennings, which means no more having to see Dominic when he claims that he is here to see his father. After I first caught him cheating and things ended between us, he kept stopping by the office, trying to talk to me. No matter how many times I told him to leave me alone and there was nothing he could do to salvage our sorry excuse for a relationship, he didn’t get the hint. Once his father even had security escort him out of the building because he would not leave me alone. It was then I made the declaration that I would never get involved with anyone not only in the office, but also associated with the office. Dominic may not have worked for Maritime Media, but being the owner’s son, he could pop by at any time or any event and have a legit reason for being there.

  Now, this is definitely worth celebrating. I pull out my phone and open my best friends’ group chat.

  Me: Get ready bitches! We are going out tonight.

  Me: Now, before you start your bitching we have some celebrating to do.

  Hadley: OMG! Is Lexi Baker admitting that she is leaving the office at a decent hour on a Friday?

  Me: Yes, that is precisely what I’m saying. In fact, I am walking out of the office RIGHT NOW!

  Hadley: *gif of Chris Pratt shocked

  Hadley: *gif of Will Smith fainting

  Brynn: What are we celebrating?

  Me: Well, Mr. Jennings just announced that he sold the company.

  Hadley: And that’s cause to celebrate why??? OMG! Do you still have a job?

  Me: Yes, I still have a job, and we are celebrating because that means I am officially through with Dominic “Can’t keep it in his pants” Jennings. No daddy here means no random drop bys and using him as an excuse.

  Hadley: *gif of little girl excited dance

  Brynn: Hmm, and I thought his middle name was Paul LMFAO

  Brynn: So what do you want to do? Cal and I were going to have a movie night. You guys can join us.

  Me: As much as I love torturing your roomie with our chic flicks, I want us to go out. Cal can come with us, but I want to go dancing.

  Me: *gif of Snoop Dog dancing.

  Hadley: How about Eiffel Park? I know the bouncer there.

  Brynn: AKA, she slept with the bouncer and just wants to make it known that she slept with the bouncer.

  Hadley: Whatever, at least I get laid. *mic drop*

  Me: Alright, you two, Eiffel Park is perfect.

  Brynn: Cal and I will meet you guys at your place around 7.

  Me: We can have a celebratory drink and then take an Uber to the club.

  Hadley: Always a planner. *eye roll*

  Me: Whatever. You love me. *Kisses* See you soon.

  I arrive home and find Hadley already in the living room. After I had found Dominic and his secretary together, I’d gone to Hadley’s. She opened the door to me being a complete mess, eye makeup running down my face, and sans shoes. Hadley let me sleep in her guest room for a few nights, and when I argued with her that she needed her space and I would find a place of my own, she smacked me on the side of my head and insisted I stay. She told me that she had the extra room, and it would be just like old times living together.

  The next day, with the help of our other friends, we moved my stuff out of Dominic’s and my apartment and into Hadley’s. The apartment building is closer to Maritime and just a block over from where our other best friend, Brynn, lives with her childhood best friend, Callum. He prefers to go by Cal; the only person who gets to call him Callum without getting an earful is Brynn. They have a strange relationship. They swear they are strictly platonic and have never messed around, but they have some of the hottest chemistry I’ve ever seen. We are just waiting for it to implode one day.

  I met Hadley and Brynn at the start of our freshman year at WCU. We all shared a dorm suite. Brynn and Cal have been best friends since birth, so wherever she goes, so does he. He became an honorary tribe member of our group.

  It was as if Brynn, Hadley, and I had known each other for years. People had a hard time believing that we had just met. During our sophomore year, Hadley and I had both begun seeing this guy. With it being new, neither of us gave away too many details, not wanting to jinx anything. That is until he showed up at our door, and we both realized we were dating the same guy. We gladly kicked him out when he tried to explain and spent the night laughing at how we didn’t figure it out sooner over a bottle of tequila.

  “Celebrating already?” I laugh at Hadley, lounging back on the couch, sipping on a glass of champagne.

  “Yeah, well, this is a huge deal,” she squeals as she stands and brings me over a large glass of my own. “We are officially rid of Dominic ‘I can’t keep it in my pants’ Jennings.”

  “It’s not like he died. I still could see him on the street.” I set my bag down and remove my heels before accepting the glass from her.

  “This is true, although we could pull some strings and have him offed. I’m sure we could Craigslist a hitman or something.” She nonchalantly shrugs as if searching Craigslist for a hitman is an everyday occurrence in our lives. “Never mind on that.” She holds up her glass, and I follow. “But you were right, and this means he no longer has a reason to stop by your office. So, I say cheers to being rid of him finally.”

  “I will cheers to that.” Our glasses clink, and then we link our arms as if we were married and take a sip. Some things never change.

  She takes my hand and leads me toward my bedroom. “Now, let’s make sure you look extra hot tonight. We are also celebrating that you are not working late. This is huge. Maybe even more important than being rid of douche face.”

  I know I work late often, but this is, I guess, a pretty big deal. I let my best friend go with it. I sit on the bed, sipping on my champagne, as Hadley t
ears through my closet, looking for the perfect outfit.

  Sitting in a booth in the VIP section of Eiffel Park, I couldn’t be happier to be surrounded by my best friends. Hadley wasn’t kidding when she said that she knew one of the bouncers. When she texted Josh while we got ready, he not only put our names on the door but even managed to reserve a VIP table for us. My best friend needs to find a way to repay him for this. He went above and beyond.

  Tonight isn’t my first time at this club, but it’s the first time in the VIP section. I am trying to take the full mental note to not think of anything work related, even if it would make for a great party venue.

  I look around the room at the smiling and laughing faces. When my attention comes back to our booth, I find Hadley currently on her phone, hopefully making plans with Josh later for hooking us up while Cal whispers something into Brynn’s ear, playful smiles on both of their faces.

  “Girl, you look hot tonight,” Brynn shouts across the table. I do look hot, don’t I? I decided on a black skinny-strap backless dress and strappy black heels. And when I say I decided, I guess I should say that Hadley threatened my womanhood if I didn’t wear it.

  Two VIP waitresses approach the table: one carries a tray with two bottles of Dom Perignon, the other holding a tray of shots. “This is courtesy of Josh, at the front door.”

  “Girl, you better thank him…” Brynn giggles as the waitress passes out shots between the four of us. “…with your vagina. Hell, if you don’t, I gladly will. This is amazing.”

  I don’t miss the growl that emits from Cal, who is sitting next to her, as he pours the glasses of champagne. Hmm, interesting. I know that he’s overly protective of her, but that seemed more than that. Maybe the implosion between the two of them will be happening sooner than we think.

  “Cheers to Lexi! To new beginnings.”

  Everyone holds up their glass, and we throw back the shots.

  “Woo!” Brynn shouts after slamming the glass down on the table. Well, it looks like Cal should have fun holding her hair back later.

  The vodka and the champagne are the perfect mixture for nursing a hangover tomorrow in bed with reruns of One Tree Hill on Hulu. I bring the glass of champagne to my lips, and my nose twitches as the fizzy bubbles tickle my nose.

  Hadley sets her glass down on the table and pulls me into an enthusiastic hug. “I am so incredibly proud of you. You are amazing.” Her words slur a little; clearly, she is already feeling the effects of the champagne we consumed earlier before everyone got to our apartment.

  I gently rest my head against hers. “Thanks. You know I couldn’t do this without you.”

  She straightens up, and I spin to face her. “No, it was all you.”

  A familiar tune interrupts our conversations and blasts through the speakers. I shriek, causing Hadley to jump back and cringe at my high volume. She dramatically rubs her ears as if I just made her deaf. I have been known to dance in my underwear and sing into a wooden spoon to this song.

  I down the rest of my champagne and jump to my feet, placing the glass back on the table. Yep, this is definitely going to leave a mark tomorrow.

  “Come on; this is my jam! Let’s go dance.” I pout, giving an overdramatic sad face. The amount of champagne flooding my veins makes me not above throwing a temper tantrum in public.

  “I haven’t had enough to drink for that,” Cal moans from his seat.

  “Do we have to?” Brynn whines, avoiding my eye contact, and snuggles into Cal’s chest as if that will keep her from getting up. He hugs her tightly. They seriously would make an adorable couple and such attractive babies. I think the booze is going to my head, too.

  Oh, hell no. I straighten my back, pushing my chest out. “Tonight is my night, and what I say goes, so chug your champagne or order another shot, but damnit, get off your lazy asses and come dance with me!”

  I place my hands on my hips and raise my eyebrow, giving them my best mom impression, showing them that I mean business. A few more drinks are slung back, and the crowd escapes the booth.

  I hear a few mumbled curses behind me shared between Brynn and Cal. “I heard that,” I joke over my shoulder.

  “Meant you to,” Cal singsongs as he slides out of the booth after Brynn.

  I throw my hands up in victory as I take Hadley’s hand in mine. The VIP section is full tonight, so we have to squeeze past the crowd to make our way to the stairs that leads us to the dance floor.

  We somehow find space on the dance floor. I close my eyes and allow the music to take over my body, swaying side to side as it changes from “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston to “Titanium” by David Guetta and Sia. I push the thoughts of adulting, jobs, and new bosses—something that I can face tomorrow while milking a terrible hangover—but for now, I let the music carry me away.

  Long legs.

  Round ass.

  Perky breasts.

  And when she turned around, I caught a glimpse of her gorgeous smile.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes off her since I watched her group arrive and take over the booth two down from ours. This is my first official week in Willow Creek, New York, and I think I might just like it here.

  While I should be focusing on the job at hand, I somehow let my younger brother, Asher, convince me that I could take a night off and let loose. Although, as I look over at him, I find two barely dressed, blonde women hanging all over him in our VIP booth, and I think we have two different definitions of letting loose. He told me I needed to unwind.

  But now that I’m here, I don’t mind the loud music and the crowds as much since I laid eyes on her.

  I don’t stop staring at her as I watch her walk down the stairs, headed to the dance floor. Her long dark brown hair is flowing down her back in loose curls, and I want to know what it feels like to run my fingers through it to tangle my fingers through it as I taste those plump pink lips.

  With my glass of Macallan 12 single malt scotch in hand, I get up from the table and walk over to the balcony’s edge, resting my arms on the railing. I take a sip from the glass and search the crowd for her.

  Bingo. It’s like my eyes are drawn right to her.

  I spot her in the center of the dance floor. This woman has captivated me, and I can’t take my eyes off her—the way her hips sway side to side, the way her smile lights up her face, and the way her eyes close as if she is getting lost in the music. I want to get lost in her.

  I take another sip of my drink, finishing off the tumbler. I walk back to the table and place my glass down rather sternly, causing my brother to look away from one of the blondes, who are now basically in his lap, and directly at me. Keeping it real classy, Asher.

  “I’m going downstairs for another drink.”

  “What? Why? We have anything and everything we could ever want up here.” I give one last glance over my shoulder at our table to find one blonde grinding in my brother’s lap while the other blonde is kissing along his neck. Yeah, I definitely don’t want to be around to witness that. Plus, everything I want is down there in a little black dress.

  I make my way down the stairs and through the crowd while continuing to watch her. Because of my height, I tower over most women on the dance floor and some men. I have the perfect view of her. As I approach, I follow the droplets of sweat that drip down from her forehead to her neck to between her breasts. I have to mentally tell my cock to stay down because all I want to do is trail that same path with my tongue.

  I’m starting to sound more like my brother than myself, which scares me. But I already want to know everything there is to know about this woman before I even have her name. There is something about this girl that is pulling me to her like a magnet. I choose to forgo the bar because I am getting drunk on just her; she is intoxicating.

  I close the distance between us. I step up behind her as she sways side to side, completely lost. I place my hands on her waist and pull her closer to me, her back now firmly against my front. She freezes a mom
ent, her body tense as if she’s deciding whether she should tell me to get lost or not, but as quickly as it happened, she begins to relax into my touch. This beautiful vixen goes back to moving her hips side to side in a figure-eight motion, and I’m not sure how much longer my cock will obey and not let her know how interested he really is.

  My hand moves from her side to her stomach, holding her protectively against me. The dance floor is crowded, and I want to keep her close. She continues to relax into me as we dance. I am anything but a good dancer—I’m not even sure I have rhythm—but with this goddess guiding me, I feel like I’m ready to take on Dancing with the Stars, or possibly Dirty Dancing. Her ass keeps grinding against my cock, and the thought of burying it deep inside her makes me harder with each motion. I’m sure she can feel what she is doing to me, but she hasn’t stepped away. In fact, with the change of song, she changes her position with her head fully resting against my chest and her arm wrapped up behind my neck. This gives me the perfect view of gorgeous tits, front and center.

  I’m not sure how long we dance when I notice her friends have begun trailing off back to the VIP section. One friend in particular, a blonde, leans over and whispers something. My temptress nods, and her friend makes her way back through the crowd. I don’t mind being alone with her, not that being on the crowded dance floor of a club is really being alone.

  I lean down, running my nose up and down her pulse point, inhaling her sweet scent. I can feel her swallow thickly, the tension building between us. I think it’s time, though, that I put a name to this beautiful face. I spin her in my arms, and she slowly drags her gaze up my body and the breath leaves my body. If I thought she was gorgeous from far away, I’m not even sure I can handle her this close. She is an angel sent from heaven, and I’m the devil ready to corrupt her.