“Get this,” he said, his voice husky and conspiratorial as he leaned against the doorway. “Regina’s
nice man
, Ben Kaiser, called to ask you to lunch.”
“Well, how intriguing,” Alexa said on a laugh. “It’s so rare when a nice man asks me out.”
“Hey, I’m nice,” Casey said gruffly, using his cane to shove Sydney out of the doorway as he walked into Alexa’s office. He didn’t need the cane to walk much anymore, but it was handy for removing obstructions from his path.
Sydney laughed and punched Casey’s shoulder as he passed.
“Are you planning to cheat on me with Regina’s new boyfriend?” Casey asked Alexa, as he slid into one of the chairs in front of her desk.
“Thinking about it,” she purred in response. “Want to make it a threesome? You’re still my favorite guy.”
Casey rolled his eyes to the ceiling as Sydney laughed behind them. He wondered if he would ever outsmart that very smart mouth of Alexa’s.
“I’d suggest a fourth, but I already have plans,” Sydney said, sounding terribly disappointed.
“Order in something for us, okay?” Alexa asked Sydney, her eyes twinkling, her bottom lip protruding in thought. “We need some privacy for our
nooner
with Mr. Kaiser. Tell him to meet us here and send him back when he shows.”
Sydney smiled broadly as he left.
“So tell me the truth. Are you planning to play nice with the nice man?” Casey asked, wishing the
nooner
had been his idea when he saw Alexa stretch her arms overhead and strain the buttons on her shirt.
Alexa felt lust spring to life inside her at Casey’s interested look, so she got up to walk over and sit in his lap. He arranged her in a position they both enjoyed so he could hold her comfortably. She kissed his neck and moved to his mouth for a taste. It would have to hold them both for a while, she thought.
“I don’t know yet how nice I’ll be to Mr. Kaiser, but it’s interesting he would call me the day after the interview. I’d bet Regina doesn’t know about him calling me either. So like I told Sydney, I’m intrigued,” Alexa said, running her finger along the edge of Casey’s collar.
“Intrigued, huh? Well, for the record I’m definitely not into sharing my woman with another man,” Casey warned. “Maybe just this one time. Don’t get used to it.”
Then Casey gripped her hair to hold her head still while he had his way with her mouth. He pulled away just before it got bad enough to make them lock and bolt the office door.
Alexa groaned in frustration and buried her face in Casey’s neck. He stroked her back to comfort them both. Not smart, he thought, but always satisfying to stake his claim to her.
“After that kiss, I’m not in the mood for nice now,” Alexa said, mildly irritated with Casey for stirring her up.
“Don’t worry,” Casey said, confidence returning where she was concerned. “I’ll join you for lunch. I’m the model of self-control.”
They both knew better. Neither of them had much control where the other was concerned.
Alexa swore as she laughed against his lips, kissing him one last time before she bounded up to answer the intercom.
*** *** ***
Ben took a cab to Alexa’s building to avoid looking for a parking place.
The main area was in total disarray, a contradiction to its calming blue walls. Off in a distance, discarded clothing was strung over every available surface. There were pedestals and sewing machines, drawing tables and office chairs.
No one was around except a tall, handsome man dressed more sharply than he was. Ben looked at the man’s clothes and sighed. It was his worst vanity, and not always considered a masculine one, but he liked nice clothes and looking sharp. He always had.
Sydney liked Ben Kaiser immediately when he saw him checking out his clothes and sighing. He didn’t think twice, just pulled a card out of his desk drawer and handed it over.
“Mr. Kaiser? My name is Sydney Banes and I’m Alexa’s assistant. This is the card of my favorite tailor. He carries some of my clothing line and the rest are his own designs. I swear he’s worth every penny you will ever spend with him,” Sydney told him.
Ben took the card from Sydney with a stunned expression. It was the name of a men’s clothing shop. He suddenly envied Alexa’s luck at finding such an assistant, wishing Janet could learn to read people so well.
Sydney motioned for Ben to follow him down the hall.
“Alexa is waiting for you in her office. Her fiancée is there as well. Careful though of him,” Sydney warned, “he’s a former Marine. Watch out for the cane. He knows how to use it for more than just a prop.”
Ben blew out a breath and hoped like hell he could handle this.
Alexa stared at the very attractive man Sydney deposited in her doorway with something close to glee. She was thrilled beyond words Regina had drawn this handsome man to her.
He was definitely an alpha male, very good looking, and had eyes as deep as the sea. Alexa could completely believe this man had walked across the room to Regina and had his tongue in her mouth before she even knew his name.
No wonder Lauren had given him Regina’s seminar schedule. She’d have done it too.
Casey pinched her leg under the small conference table Sydney had commandeered for their lunch. The pinch brought Alexa’s attention to Casey’s frown that said she was paying too much attention to Ben Kaiser.
Reaching over, Alexa squeezed Casey’s thigh in response, refusing to return his look because she didn’t trust herself not to laugh. Instead, she rose from the table gracefully and walked across to the man in the doorway.
Alexa was so completely happy for Regina all she could do was smile like a silly girl.
“Alexa Ranger,” she said, holding out a hand to him.
“Ben Kaiser. Nice to meet you. Thanks for seeing me.”
Ben took her hand in his, working hard to hold her gaze as he shook it. It wasn’t hard because Alexa was incredibly beautiful, which she certainly was. It was hard because Ben remembered this was the woman Regina loved enough to defend.
And it was hard because this was a woman almost as notorious as Regina.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” Ben said sincerely. Releasing her hand, he turned away from Alexa’s interested gaze.
“I appreciate the tip about the tailor, Sydney. Thanks,” Ben said, waving the business card in answer to Sydney’s parting wave.
Alexa bit her lower lip until she knew Sydney was completely out of earshot. Then she closed the door behind Ben and motioned him over to the table.
Ben complied without a single shred of resistance. Alexa Ranger exuded something that made you want to do anything she asked.
“Sydney gave you the card for his shop? Oh my god, Ben. What did you do to impress him?” Alexa teased. “Sydney never gives his card out until he has a person investigated. I keep telling him he can’t hand pick all his clients.”
“Sydney has his own shop
and
works for you?” Ben asked, surprised.
Alexa smiled. “Sydney is a wonder, more family than employee. He needs to move on, but I haven’t been able to kick him out of the nest yet. My life will be very different without him.”
Ben looked at the man across the conference table. He reached out a hand, noticing the man didn’t stand.
“Ben Kaiser,” he said, feeling a return grip surprisingly strong for a seated man.
“Casey Carter. I’m Alexa’s fiancée. Good to meet you,” Casey returned.
Regina hadn’t said Alexa was engaged, but then he hadn’t really shown an interest in the details of her friend’s life.
He was going to have to work on handling Regina’s revelations better.
Casey liked Ben Kaiser’s handshake. It was strong and unapologetic. He also picked up that the man was nervous, but yet had still come to seek Alexa’s approval—or whatever. The guy must have it bad for Regina. He wasn’t even ogling Alexa, not that Casey would have let him do it for long, but ogling was just what happened to all men until their eyes and brains adjusted.
“I guess you’re both wondering why I’m here,” Ben said as he sat, not sure how to begin the conversation.
“Not really,” Casey denied easily with a grin, watching to see how Ben would react, pleased when he laughed.
“Casey’s lying. Of course we want to know, but first let’s eat. I’m afraid if I don’t eat first, I’ll never get a bite down,” Alexa said. “This is my favorite deli. Tell us about your work while we eat.”
So Ben told them about his business and how much family was involved. Casey asked him several questions with Alexa chiming in now and again.
Then Ben asked what Casey did for a living.
Casey sighed long. “I supposed I’m retired, but it’s boring as hell. I end up coming to see Alexa during the day to have something to do. I’ve thought about starting my own business but haven’t come across anything I’m willing to commit all my time to doing.”
“I’ll tell you a business this town needs,” Ben said conversationally without much thought. “We need a security company. When the economy shifted, we started getting a lot of thefts at our warehouse. We bought into a very expensive program with a company out of DC. You’d think that would be top notch. We have had several break-ins and can barely get anyone on the phone to even discuss it. We’d go local in a minute if there was anything available in Falls Church.”
Casey nodded. Interesting coincidence, he had been thinking about doing some sort of security work. “I might give you a call sometime to talk about it some more.”
“Come by the warehouse and I’ll show you our setup,” Ben volunteered. “Maybe you can help pinpoint what’s wrong with what we have.”
Alexa leaned back and looked at Ben. She only liked him better for the gleam he had put in Casey’s eyes.
“Okay, I’m ready to talk about Regina now,” Alexa told him, wiping her hands with her napkin.
Ben studied the table for a few moments before answering. “I actually came to ask about you,” he said finally.
“
Me?
Okay. I’m intrigued,” Alexa replied, and it was truth.
“I saw Regina defend you during her TV interview,” Ben said simply. “She defended me too. I’m not used to other people protecting me.”
Alexa crossed her arms as she listened. Knowing he’d made her friend cry, it was hard to give Ben the benefit of the doubt, even though she wanted to badly. If he turned out to be a wimp, it was going to be terribly disappointing.
“Does it hurt your masculine pride to have Regina throw her notorious reputation under the media bus so it won’t run over your nice one?” Alexa asked, noticing the deepening green in Ben’s eyes when he talked about Regina.
Ben smiled, turning his full wattage beam on Alexa, who blinked at the male power it held.
“No, pride isn’t the problem. Regina and I have already determined that her balls are bigger than mine,” he admitted. “She proved it conclusively during the interview.”
Casey spit his drink on the table as he laughed. Ben looked at him, grinning as he spoke.
“I’m here because I’m trying to grow a bigger pair,” he told them sincerely, which had Alexa laughing at well. “I want you tell me how to deal with the bad publicity without going nuts.”
Sighing in relief, Alexa decided Ben Kaiser was as good as he looked. He was super attractive, but not stuffy at all, despite the perfect clothes and manicured appearance. Regina was going to have a great time loosening him up, she thought.
“I guess from a media point of view, I’m probably as notorious as Regina,” Alexa said, tossing her hair back as she lifted a bottle of water from the table and took a long drink.
“If a man dates a lot of different women, he’s a stud. If a woman dates a lot of different men, she’s a slut. It may be different in other places, but that’s how it still is in this conservative town. No one would believe I had some damn good reasons for moving from man to man. I was raising a daughter and building a business. I knew I was doing the right thing by being picky,” Alexa explained.
“Doesn’t sound like notorious behavior to me,” Ben said. “It sounds damn reasonable.”
“Try doing it over the course of several decades and in front of a town full of judgmental people. The press loved making me seem like a terrible woman. I’m sure it sold a lot of papers,” Alexa said.
Ben nodded, his gaze not missing the pain passing through Alexa’s as she talked about her experiences with the press. He wondered how often Regina was hurt by what was said about her.
“Oh, I eventually learned not to care so much. Having had her fair share of negative public opinion almost from the moment she started her career, Regina helped me come to terms with my own public life. In the process, I learned to care more about what I thought than about what other people thought,” Alexa told him. “Regina is very good at helping people.”
Ben smiled and nodded. “I’m starting to see just how good she is at many things.”
He frowned remembering his own initial judgments about Regina—and about Alexa, based on seeing her with different eyes. He wasn’t much better than the people who read the crap published about Regina and Alexa.
“I admit I’ve kept how well I know Regina from everyone, except Lauren—well, and now you two. The company I head is all family, a family I’ve been a part of for most of my adult life. I don’t know if I could see my family hurt because of my dating choices,” Ben said honestly.
“Life is messy, Ben, and public life is messier. My daughter Jenna was often hurt by the public criticism of my life. She’s in her late twenties now. When she was younger, she used to ask me why I couldn’t be more normal,” Alexa confided. “The comment stung even when I understood what she meant.”
Ben’s comment to Regina about being normal came back to haunt him. Now he knew for sure he’d deserved the retaliation she’d dished out.
“How did you choose being true to yourself over trying to be what your daughter wanted?” Ben asked. He could tell by looking at Alexa that was exactly what she had done.
“I don’t blame you for worrying, Ben. But doesn’t everyone have at least one person in their life that doesn’t approve of them? Whether it is one person or the public at large, it can hurt a lot to be criticized all the time,” she told him.