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“I was serious about having unfinished business, Alexa. I’m not happy with the way we ended things last time, and I’d like to do things a little differently ton
ight.”

Okay. I’m game. Now I’m hanging on his every
word.

“I have some actual business I need to take care of, but I should be done in about an hour. I’ll come and find you. Do
not
l
eave.”

“Yes, sir.” I’m totally playing with him and say it with a smile. His look is se
rious.

“Alexa, you left me with no way of getting in touch with you last time, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since. That isn’t going to happen a
gain.”

I want to remind him he could have gotten my information from Luke. I also did tell him my full name, and I have a Facebook account. There were ways he could have gotten in touch with me, but he chose not to. I don’t point it out because it really doesn’t matter now. I have absolutely no intention of leaving here before I find out what Julian’s definition of “unfinished busines
s” is.

Julian leans into me and presses his lips against my cheek. His lips are hot on my skin, and when he pulls away, it’s all I can do to keep myself from pulling him to me for a real kiss. I’ve been dying to feel his lips and hands on my body for week
s now.

“
Hasta luego
, A
lexa.”

As Julian turns and walks away, I feel an uneasiness creep up inside my chest. I’m already missing him. This man I do not even know has already found his way into my heart. I turn to walk back to my friends and push those thoughts from my mind. Within seconds, a flood of questions and comments come barreling m
y way.

“OMG—he is unbelievably
hot!”

“What did he say to
you?”

“Are you sure you two didn’t sleep together already? That man was looking at you like he’s seen you n
aked.”

“Or like he want
s to.”

“Does he have any friends? Or a
twin?”

I assure them Julian has not seen me naked but that if he wants to I’m fine with it, on the condition I get to see him naked too. We all laugh, and I’m sure a few of them run with that idea and try to picture Julian naked. I change the subject because I really don’t want to share more of the conversation I just had with Julian. It feels too per
sonal.

We all head up to Orion to see what’s happening upstairs. It’s a beautiful April night, and it feels nice outside. The place is crowded as usual, and we have a hard time getting close to the bar. After about twenty minutes, I’m finally able to get Luke’s attention. He comes down to where we’re standing and takes the credit card I’m handing him to open a tab for us. I know he won’t charge me for all the drinks, but I’m not comfortable asking for free drinks when there are so many of us. He gives me a kiss on the
cheek.

“You look hot tonight, Hooka.” He’s in a good
mood.

“Thank you. I try.” I feel good, and the compliment just reinforces the fe
eling.

He gets right to the point. “Did you see Ju
lian?”

“Yes, I ran into him on the wa
y in.”

“I’m sure it was no accident.” Now happy Luke is gone, and annoyed Luke is front and c
enter.

“Why ask if you don’t want to hear the answer,
Luke?”

I keep my tone playful, but Luke knows me well enough to know I’m taking issue with his crappy attitude about J
ulian.

“I just don’t like the way he looks at you. Like you’re something he wants to own. When I told him you were coming tonight, he just got this creepy look on his face, and it bugge
d me.”

I almost laugh at loud. I can’t imagine Julian ever looking creepy, and what Luke saw was probably Julian’s “good, now we can pick up where we left off” face. I still haven’t told Luke what happened the last time I was here. I usually tell him everything, but because I know he doesn’t approve of anything happening between Julian and me, I just keep my mouth shut and change the su
bject.

“I guess things with Krista are going well? I haven’t seen or heard from you all
week.”

I’m not possessive with Luke at all because I know he’ll always be there for me if I need him. He has shown that many
times.

“Yeah, things are cool. She’s a good
girl.”

I can already hear the indifference in his voice. Typical. He’ll be moving on soon if he hasn’t al
ready.

“Is Lauren with you?” Well, I guess that answers that que
stion.

Although I’ve asked him nicely to stay away from her, he’s always asking abou
t her.

“Yes, Luke, but you’re not going there, reme
mber?”

“No, I don’t remember, Lexie. Remind me why I’m not allowed to show interest in one of your coworkers? You’re showing interest in my
boss.”

I really am not in the mood to get into this conversation with Luke. He’s trying to pick a fight with me, and it’s so unlike him. I give him a big fake smile, take my drink, and turn to leave. Marissa, Shannon, Jenna, and Lauren are ordering drinks, and I motion to them where I’m headed. As I walk off, I hear Luke start to flirt with Lauren. I know he’s doing it loudly and on purpose to piss me off. Whatever. Let them work it out. I walk over to the back of the bar where Pete Vaughn is playing. I’ve seen him play a few times around South Florida, and he’s always so good. I was excited to hear he’d be playing tonight. He writes his own music and plays a lot of acoustic stuff. I’d be happy to sit and listen to him all night, but my friends would probably rather go to Stellar and dance. I glance around and notice most of the people up here tonight are couples. I wonder where Julian is and wish he were sitting here by me, next to the fire, listening to music. My daydream is interrupted when my friends sit down next to me. They tell me Lauren is still at the bar flirting with Luke and the others have gone back to Stellar. Jenna asks me how I feel about Luke and L
auren.

“I’ve tried to keep them away from each other, but they won’t listen. Luke will end up loving and leaving her, and she’s going to be all mad and hurt. It’s what always happens. But this time I’ll be in the middle, and there will be all kinds of drama. But whatever. They’re grow
nups.”

“Yeah, he’s never going to find a girl who compares to you,
Lex.”

Marissa is looking straight ahead when she says
this.

“Seriously, Mari? You guys keep going on and on about how he wants me. I’ve been right here for almost seven years now. I think he would have said something by
now.”

“Whatever. You just don’t see what the rest of us do. It’s weird. He looks at you like he’s in love with you. I’m just sa
ying.”

I’m not having this conversation with them. It’s wearing me out lately. We’re just friends. I change the subject by talking about Marissa’s finance, Kevin, and Jenna’s new guy, Bryan, and pretty soon Luke isn’t a topic of conversation anymore. We sit and listen to a whole set. I’m totally enjoying the music, but I’m distracted and hoping Julian will come find me soon. To be honest, it’s really why I’ve wanted to stay in one place. I want to be easy to find. It’s been an hour and a half since I saw him, and with each passing minute, I’m less convinced we will be hooking up again tonight. The girls are ready to go back to Stellar, so we start to head downstairs. I notice Lauren still sitting at the bar and walk over to tell her where we’re going. I tell the others I’ll meet them in a m
inute.

“Are you going to be pissed if I stay
here?”

I look over and see Luke looking at me with a challenge in his eyes. He was annoyed before, but now he looks mad. What the hell is wrong with him? I look back at L
auren.

“No, Lauren. I’m not pissed. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Luke is one of my best friends, but he’s a total player, and if you’re okay with that, then go for it. But if not, it’s not a good
plan.”

I’ve already told her a version of this same thing several times, and I can see in her eyes she doesn’t really care what I think about it. She thinks it will be different for her. I look up at Luke, and he’s still staring at me with a totally shitty look on his face. I walk over to where he’s standing behind the bar and ask the two guys sitting there if I can squeeze in for a minute. They look at me, smile, and make room for me. I motion for Luke to come over. He walks up to the bar with his fake, “I think you suck” smile on his face. I never get that smile, and I’m kind of taken
aback.

“What’s up, Alexa? Come to give me a lecture on who I can and can’t flirt with?” His voice is low and comes out like a
hiss.

“Can you come and talk to me for a mi
nute?”

I ask in a way that lets him know I need to talk to him. I was just going to say something about Lauren, but now I’m wondering what’s really going on with him. He’s mad at me, and I honestly don’t know why. He tells Jordan, the other bartender, he’ll be right back and walks toward the end of the bar. We walk a few feet to a little corner that’s semipr
ivate.

“Why are you pissed at me? Don’t say you aren’t because it’s very obvious, and you’re acting like a total asshole. What happened in the last hour, because you were fine when I got
here?”

“I’m not mad, Alexa, I’m just disappoi
nted.”

His tone could not be more condescending, and I know he’s mad because he rarely calls me Alexa. It’s usually Lex, Lexie, or
Hooka.

“Disappointed? What did I do to disappoint you, Luke? Flirt with Ju
lian?”

“Flirt? Ha! Is that what they’re calling it these days? And don’t even say it’s not true, Alexa, because I can read you like a
book.”

“I can’t deny anything, Luke, because I have no clue what the hell you’re talking about.” I’m trying to stay calm, but he’s starting to raise his voice, and I’m getting madder as the words com
e out.

“I’m referring to your little public bump and grind session, Alexa. And to answer your question, I’m disappointed because one, you did it, two, you didn’t tell me yourself, and three, I just had the pleasure of hearing the gossip from a coworker. Supposedly I’m your best friend, and I looked totally stupid for being the only one who didn’t know you and Julian hooked up
two
weeks ago. But, oh snap, guess what. I’m not the only one who looks stupid. Right after I heard the story, I had the pleasure of watching Julian walk right by here with a gorgeous woman all up on him. I’m assuming it was his next conquest and they were on their way down the
hall.”

He just keeps going, and I can’t respond. I’m not even sure how to respond. I can’t believe Julian told anyone what happened between us. But then again, I don’t even really know him, so anything is possible, and I’m not sure how I can defend him right now. Maybe someone else did see us in the hallway. I was so into Julian I wouldn’t have noticed if a marching band came down the hall. Maybe whoever told Luke this saw us on the dance floor where we were bumping and grinding and just assumed something more happened. No, that can’t be it. Luke said something about the hallway, so either Julian said something or someone saw us. Whatever. Something did happen, and I don’t need to feel bad about it. The shit about the other girl is just a low blow, and if Luke was trying to make me feel insecure, he succeeded. Luke has never intentionally tried to hurt my feelings in all the time I’ve known him, and I’m so shocked by his attitude I really don’t know what to say t
o him.

“You have no idea what happened, Luke, and I didn’t tell you anything because you act crazy when it comes to Julian, and I have no idea why. What did he ever do to you? And why did you send me that text about him wanting to know if I was coming if you have such an issue with him and me seeing each o
ther?”

“Because he’s asked me about you several times, and I kept blowing him off. I like my job and thought it would be a bad idea to let my boss know I think he’s a
dick.”

“A dick? Really, Luke? Why, because he dates a lot of w
omen?”

“Dates? Ha. How about fucks a lot of w
omen.”

“Well if that makes him a dick, Luke, then you must be the president of Dickv
ille.”

I’m so mad I can’t even speak anymore. I just turn and walk away, and Luke doesn’t try to stop me. I brush away the tears that threaten to spill out of my eyes and walk downstairs. I try to process what just happened, and I can’t. Luke has never treated me like this. Never. I try to push all of the bad shit out of my mind and focus on the one good part where Luke said Julian had been asking about me. He had been thinking about me. My mood brightens a l
ittle.

It doesn’t last
long.

As soon as I walk into the club, I see Julian. What shitty timing. He’s standing in a corner not far from where I am, having what looks to be a serious conversation with a very tall, very gorgeous woman. I’m sure it’s the one Luke just told me about. They’re standing extremely close, and she has her hand on his chest, and his hand is on hers. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but she looks upset, and he looks agitated. I try to move past them before he sees me, but he turns his head at the exact time I’m walking by. He doesn’t say anything to me, but the look in his eyes says enough. He looks guilty, and I know I’ve caught him in the middle of an intimate conversation with either a current or ex-lover. I’m hoping it’s the latter. I keep walking as fast as I can and try to disappear into the crowd. All the confidence I felt earlier this evening is long gone. That woman has to be a model and is exactly the type of girl I’d picture Julian with. Hell, they even looked perfect together. She’s tall with mile-long legs, a perfect body, and beautiful long, straight, blonde hair. I feel my eyes sting with tears again, and I start to beat myself up for even thinking anything was going to happen between us. As soon as I get across the club, I duck into the bathroom and text Shannon and Marissa to come meet me there. They find me pacing back and
forth.