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“Know him? No, I don’t know
him.”

“He just kissed you,” Julian practically hisses. Wow … he
is
jealous. Really? I’m flattered and enjoying this immensely, so I decide to continue teasin
g him.

I hold back a smile as I try to look both nonchalant and confused. “I know he did. And he has the softest lips. Mmm.
Delicioso
. I wonder if having soft lips is a requirement of all of the bartenders
here.”

Julian is looking at me like I’m totally crazy. He can’t tell if I’m serious o
r not.

“I think this bar has the best customer-service policy. A kiss with each drink. Let’s see, that’s my third drink tonight. So three kisses for me tonight … wait.” I pause, purse my lips together, and start counting on my fingers as if I’m trying to recall the missing kiss. “I’ve only been kissed two times tonight, and I know I’ve had three drinks. I’ve been ripped off. Someone needs to get f
ired!”

I say the last sentence, and I can’t help but laugh when I see the expression on Julian’s face. He’s also laughing now, and it seems I’ve successfully broken through his surliness. I turn in my stool so I’m facing him completely he
ad on.

“Of course I know him. Luke is one of my best fri
ends.”

Julian continues to smile. Wow. He is beau
tiful.

“Thank God. I’m very glad to hear it. I was beginning to think a sexual harassment lawsuit would be on my desk in the mor
ning.”

His lighthearted response makes me smile and giggle. He has a great sense of humor and seems very down to earth. He leans over and whispers sexily in my ear. I can feel his hot breath on my neck, and it sends shivers down my spine. The sweet smell of whiskey mixed with peppermint on his breath coupled with his delicious cologne launches an assault on my senses. If this were a black-and-white movie, I swear I’d be swo
oning.

“But if you really are looking for that kiss you missed out on, I would be more than happy to personally provide you with the most excellent customer service Hotel Del Marco offers. The type of stellar service only the owner can pro
vide.”

I think I gasp, and Julian snickers under his breath. He knows exactly what kind of effect he’s having on me. So much for me pulling off calm, cool, and coll
ected.

“Well, it may be nice to know your name before we get that up-close and personal,” I whisper back. I’m a pro at snarky banter, and this man brings out my sarcastic nature without even t
rying.

Of course I’m teasing, but Julian looks like he doesn’t really know if I’m serious or not. I’m not sure he even realizes he hasn’t bothered to officially introduce himself to me. My comment brings a big smile to his face, and he concedes he skipped that
step.

“My bad, Alexa. I’m Julian Bauer. It’s very nice to ‘officially’ meet you. I guess our
run-in
in the stairwell doesn’t count as
up-close and personal
then?” Julian is pretending to act all proper and polite and extends his hand as a means of introduction. I look down at his hand and reach out and put my hand in his. His large hand is soft and strong and completely envelops mine. The second we touch, a jolt of electricity shoots through me. His touch really is like an electric shock to my system. It’s the third time we have touched, and each time I’ve gotten the chills up and down my body. I look up at Julian after we touch, and it’s totally obvious he feels it too. His playful demeanor completely changes, just like it did in the stairwell. His gaze is burning. I’m practically rendered speechless, but I manage to push a few word
s out.

“Well, Julian Bauer. I’m Alexa Reed, and it is nice to ‘officially’ meet
you.”

Thank goodness Luke walks up when he does and sets my drink down in front of me. He looks at Julian, then at me, and back at Julian again. He has a smile on his face, but I know it’s the bullshit one he flashes when he’s not happy. He knows something is going down
here.

“There you go, Lex. You should stop after this one. Don’t want you to be hung over tomorrow and ruin our whole
day.”

Seriously? How embarrassing. I can’t believe he just said that, and I’m not sure what the hell he’s talking about because we don’t have plans tomorrow because I’m working. I don’t want to make a scene, so I settle for rolling my eyes at him. I’m ready for him to walk away so I can finish my conversation with Julian. But he just stands there like he has nothing else to do. I shrug my shoulders at Julian as if to say I have no idea what Luke is
up to.

I guess Julian decides he’s had enough of this little pissing match. As he turns to walk away, he looks me dead in the eyes. That smoldering look is still
there.

“Just let me know … A-lex-a.” He’s talking about the
kiss.

Fuck. This guy is trouble with a capi
tal T.

I swing my head around to look at Luke, and he’s standing there with that same fake smile plastered on his
face.

“Don’t go there, Lex. Nothing good will come o
f it.”

I know he’s just looking out for me, so I lean in and give him a hug. “I’m good, Luke. Really. Just having some
fun.”

“Julian Bauer is not someone to play games with, Lexie. Please try to remember
that.”

“Go to work, Luke. There are girls dying of thirst over there who need you.” I nod toward the other end of the bar where a few college girls are trying to get his attention. Luke finally walks away, and I turn to leave to go find my friends. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Julian standing off in the shadows, and although it is dark, I swear he’s staring right
at me.

I go back downstairs to the club and find my friends dancing. I pull them off the dance floor to tell them what just happened upstairs. I’m feeling all giddy like a teenage girl with a crush on the captain of the football team. It’s sort of ridiculous. I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who has been flirted with before. Maybe not like that though. I tell them verbatim what Julian said and explain how Luke got all possessive. They’re excited for me and don’t seem at all concerned that Julian is the big, bad wolf Luke is making him out to be. They encourage me to flirt with as many guys as I want to—especially ridiculously hot ones like Julian Bauer. Shannon starts to give me an earful on how I need to explain to Luke that he’s not my boyfriend or my dad. My girlfriends are good friends with Luke too but have, on more than one occasion, questioned me about what his feelings toward me really are. I remind them, for the millionth time, Luke and I are
just
friends. Maybe I do need to remind Luke of tha
t too.

I don’t talk to Julian for the rest of the night, but I see him several more times. I’m sort of avoiding him because every time I do get a glimpse of him, he’s surrounded by beautiful women. I’ve convinced myself he was just messing with me earlier. I came out to have a good time with my friends, and hooking up with anyone, let alone someone like Julian Bauer, was not on my agenda. I do find it a little suspicious though that despite the fact the hotel has several different venues, he never seems to be too far away from where
I am.

Time flies by as we all drink and dance and enjoy a beautiful night. I hate to admit it, but it really does feel good to be out again. Dancing makes me feel alive, and it’s something I miss doing. I run into a few old friends I haven’t seen in forever. They ask me how I’m doing, and it feels really good to be able to honestly answer that I’m doing well. None of these people know about Brady, so they really have no idea how bad things were for me for a while. That life is finally starting to feel like it’s in the past, and I grab another cocktail and toast with my friends to new begin
nings.

So now I’m officially really buzzed. Okay. I’m drunk. I haven’t been out drinking in a while, and I’m basically a lightweight anyway. I look at my watch and realize it’s almost one o’clock in the morning. It’s time to call it a
night.

Everyone agrees to leave, and I tell them to hang on a second while I go say goodnight to Luke. I know if I don’t he’ll start blowing up my phone the second he gets off work. Right now all I want to do is go home and go to sleep. I unsteadily walk up the stairs and head over to Luke’s bar. I wait there for a few minutes before I get his attention. He eventually spots me standing there and raises his finger, giving me the wait-a-minute sign. I turn and lean shakily against the bar as I wait for him. I need the support both because my feet are killing me and because I really am pretty dizzy. I think about Julian and our earlier conversation and wonder where he is. I’m drunkenly lost in my thoughts when I sense someone behind me. I can’t see Julian, but I swear I can feel his presence. I can also smell him. He smells so yummy. He slowly runs his thumb across the length of my shoulder in a way that is possessive, sweet, and sexual all at the same time. I’m not sure if he’s extending an invitation or just trying to get my attention. Who cares, right? Once again, I feel a jolt of electricity shoot through my body. I take a deep breath and slowly turn around. I’m met with Julian’s seductive smile. I try my best to hide the fact I’m
drunk.

“So we meet again,
corazón
. This seems to be our spot. Maybe I should’ve hung out here more tonight so we could’ve talked. It would have been more fun than just watching you from across the club all night. You were never a
lone.”

Um okay. Is this guy for
real?

“Neither were you,” I say seriously, the alcohol making me
brave.

Julian chuckles. “I would’ve been happy to make myself available to you tonight, Alexa. I told you to let me
know.”

“Hmm. My bad. Does your offer have an expiration date, Ju
lian?”

Seriously
, I think to myself.
Because if it does, I’m totally calling in that kiss right now!
I stare at his lips and imagine them all over my body. If he can almost electrocute me with his fingers, I can only imagine what his lips and tongue will do
to me.

Before Julian can answer, Luke walks over.
Oh
go away,
I think to myself before I remember that the reason I came up here was to say good-bye to him. Luke stands in front of me and looks back and forth between Julian and me. This is the second time he’s caught us whispering in the corner, and he doesn’t look happy with me. I flash him the smile I know he loves and reach over the bar to give him a hug. I go on the offensive to deter him from saying something that will either embarrass me or piss Julia
n off.

“We’re heading out. Just wanted to say goodnight and tell you we’re lea
ving.”

He hugs me back as best as he can over the bar and whispers in my ear, “Go home
now.”

I shake my head and laugh at him. He’s acting more protective than I’ve seen him since the one night during my junior year in college when one of his drunk-ass frat brothers wouldn’t keep his hands off of me during a party. Luke was this close to getting in a fight that night, and looking back, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. If I didn’t understand why he was acting this way, I would be so annoyed. But Luke knows better than anyone what I’ve been through the last year, and I can’t help but be understanding about why he’s acting a little crazy. He obviously really thinks I need to stay away from Julian. The problem is I’m not sure I want to stay away from Julian, or that I’ll be ab
le to.

I look over at Julian, who’s still standing there watching us. He doesn’t look like he has any intention of being the first one to walk away this time. Julian is Luke’s boss, and I’m sure Luke can sense Julian and I both want him to walk away. So he does. But not before giving me that “be careful”
look.

“Happy birthday, Luke,” I call playfully as he walks away. He doesn’t turn around but does put up his hand to acknowledge he heard me. Yep, he’s not happy with me, and I know I can expect a lecture
later.

As I turn back around to face Julian, I see Marissa heading toward me, motioning to me it’s time to go. I know they’ve been downstairs waiting for me, but right now the last thing I want to do is leave. But, I also know with everything inside me, I need to. I put my hand up to Marissa, telling her to stop, and mouth the words, “I’m coming.” At least I mean to mouth the
words.

I turn to look at Julian, and he’s laughing. Shit. I just basically screamed, “I’m coming,” right in front o
f him.

“Sounds promising, Alexa.” Oh My God, I could die right here on the
spot.

“But maybe we should get to know each other a little bit better before we get all up-close and personal.” He’s totally making fun of my earlier comment. Again, I’m speec
hless.

He leans in so close to me that his face is right next to mine and says seductively, “In answer to your earlier question, yes, there is an expiration date on my offer. The sooner you take advantage of it, the better.” His words and closeness make me even dizzier than I already am. Before I have a chance to come up with a witty response, Julian gently kisses me on the cheek. His lips feel so warm and soft. Yes, I feel this kiss too, all over my body and especially between my
legs.

“Goodnight, Alexa. I hope to see you again really soon.” Julian winks at me and walks away down th
e bar.

Chapter Four

I don’t talk much on the ride home. I’m concentrating hard on not getting sick. Damn. Why did I have that last drink? Now every time I close my eyes I get the spins. I also don’t feel like talking about my night in front of Cory. I tell the girls we can talk about it in the mo
rning.

It’s late, I’m drunk and tired, and I need to go to bed. I slip into a tank top and pair of boxers, wash my face, and crawl under the covers. I’m ready to be alone with my thoughts, my thoughts of Julian. I fall asleep picturing his lips on
mine.

Damn! I forget to turn my phone off and I’m woken up when my phone buzzes repeatedly indicating I have a new text. I know it’s from Luke even before I look at it. Nobody else I know would be texting me at three in the morning. I knew he would want to talk about what happened at St
ellar.

Luke:
You up
Hooka?

Alexa:
Um. Am
now
.

Luke:
He wanted to know if you were
single

Al
exa:
?

Luke:
Julian…you know…The guy who wants in your p
anties

Alexa
:
And?

Luke:
Said yes…single…but that you’re a l
esbian

Alexa:
haha. Seri
ously?

Luke:
You’re seriously a le
sbian?

Alexa:
Haha. Stop. You said
that?

Luke:
No sweets. Said single. Should’ve lied. STAY AWAY. Bad f
or you

Alexa:
No worries. Not his
type.

Luke:
You are every man’s type A. ttyl. Drea
m big.

Alexa:
You too
. xoxo

I turn the phone off and put it back onto my nightstand. I can’t help but smile. I smile because Luke always makes me feel good about myself. I also smile because Julian was thinking abo
ut me.

My blaring alarm doesn’t help the pounding in my head. I am officially really hung over, and it sucks because I have to work today. I haven’t had that much to drink in forever, and I’m feeling it today. I roll over and look at the clock and realize the five hours of sleep I got last night are going to make for a rough day today. I usually have no problem working on the weekends because I haven’t been going out at night. Today, I mind. Unfortunately, there’s nobody to cover me, so I roll out of bed and head to the s
hower.

As the warm water cascades over my tired body, I think about my night. Hangover aside, it couldn’t have gone better. I had an awesome time with my friends, and meeting Julian Bauer was certainly an unexpected bonus. Holy hell, he is hot. Our flirting was hot too, and I wish it hadn’t ended so soon. I could’ve stayed there bantering with him all night. I’m sure it was a one-time thing, but it did show me the old Alexa still exists in me. The whole night gave me hope that maybe I am ready to get back out there and start living a little again. I hardly thought about Brady a
t all.

I haven’t left myself much time to get ready and get to work today. We don’t open until ten, but it’s already nine. I don’t have time to blow out my hair, so I leave it curly and quickly apply my makeup. I slip into a black-and-white tie-waist dress, BCBG black wedges, and head into the kitchen. Nobody is up yet, and I assume my roommates will be spending the day in bed too. We all had a few too many cocktails last night. My stomach is resisting the idea of food, so I grab a banana and throw it in my purse. I take two Advil and wash them down with a whole bottle of water. Ugh. I need to bring in the big guns, so I plan to stop at Starbucks for a very big, very strong cup of coffee. Crap. This is going to be a lon
g day.

Work turns out to be okay. There is a steady flow of traffic, so the day passes quickly. Before I know it, it’s five o’clock. I check my phone before I leave. There’s a text from
Luke.

Luke:
You feeling ok today? Hung
-over?

Alexa:
Better now. Rough mo
rning.

Luke:
Are we on to
night?

Alexa:
Of course. Hope I can st
ay up.

Luke:
I’ll bring Chinese. See you
at 8.

Alexa:
K. Lo Me
in plz

L
uke:
K

Luke and I have a standing Sunday date. We started watching
True Blood
together when it came out a few years ago, and we haven’t missed an episode. This is where he got the nickname Hooka for me. We alternate bringing food or ordering in. I usually look forward to it all week long, but I could have skipped it tonight. I’m exha
usted.

When I pull into the driveway, I notice Marissa is the only one here. I’m sure Shannon is at Cory’s. She really doesn’t spend much time here anymore. Cory has his own place, and I see them moving in together before long. Kevin, Marissa’s fiancé
,
will still be gone for another eight months, so I’m not too concerned about my living situation at the moment, but I see it changing in the not so distant future as they both move on with their lives. I bet they’re both married within the next two years. The thought makes me sad because I can’t even see marriage in my future an
ymore.

When I met Brady two years ago, I was twenty-four and ready to find the guy I was going to marry. For the first few months of our relationship, I even thought Brady might be that guy. One of the reasons I fell for Brady was because he was so free spirited, and I liked that he brought out a more playful side in me. I grew up in a house where I was expected to be perfect, and as a result I’ve always been the responsible one among my group of friends. In college, I made sure the bills got paid, that nobody drove drunk or went home with ugly guys from bars or parties, and that everyone got to class on time. I partied and had a good time, but I never really lost control, and I always knew when to stop. I was like the mom, and I know my friends loved and appreciated me for it. I took care of them then, and I think that’s why they try to take care of me now. Brady made me feel like the twenty-four-year-old I was. He had a friendly and engaging personality that drew people to him. He was always on the move, laughing and making
plans.

Brady was also very good looking, smart, funny, and totally into me. He was also totally into partying. At first it was fun, but after about six months, I knew in my heart I wasn’t going to have a future with him unless he stopped partying so hard. Drugs and alcohol became part of our everyday life, and I became increasingly uncomfortable with the way we were living. Unfortunately, Brady did not agree with me he partied too much, and neither did most of his fr
iends.

Luke was the exception. Luke and Brady Richards had known each other their whole lives and had grown up together in West Palm Beach. Brady had gone away to college at Georgetown, and Luke had stayed local at FSU, but they kept in touch. I met him out once before in a club when we were all home on winter break. I had a boyfriend at the time, and he was with a girl. I remember thinking he was hot, but to be honest, he didn’t really make that big of an impression on me because I was all into the guy I was d
ating.

I didn’t see Brady again until after we graduated. I was out with Luke and a bunch of other friends at a club in Ft. Lauderdale when we ran into Brady. He definitely made an impression on me this time. I was immediately attracted to him. He had dark brown hair and hazel eyes that were friendly and warm. He was always smiling, which showed off his dimples. He shared that smile with everyone and was totally the life of the party. He was the kind of guy people wanted to be around because he made you feel like you were his best friend. He bought round after round of drinks, leading me to believe he had money. I knew Luke’s family was well off, so I asked what Brady did for a living. Luke told me Brady had just taken the bar exam and was working part-time at his dad’s firm until he got the results. But yes, his family was loaded, and Brady was an only child who got everything he ever wanted. Normally that would be a turn-off for me, but Brady didn’t act like a spoiled ric
h kid.

We all hung out, danced, and drank, and although Brady talked and flirted with me, he didn’t give me any real signs he was interested until the end of the night. As we were getting ready to leave, the song “Call Me Maybe”
by Carly Rae Jepsen came on. We were saying our good-byes, and Brady leaned in to give me a hug and sung the words into m
y ear:

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me, m
aybe?”

I totally thought he was just messing with me and being cheesy, and I laughed when I pulled away. When I looked at him, he was smiling and told me he was serious and that he wanted to take me out. I asked him for his phone, programmed my number into it, and told him to call me maybe. And he did. Luke encouraged the relationship. He thought his childhood friend and I made a good couple, and at first we did. Things were great in the beginning. Brady was an attentive boyfriend, a good lover, and got along with everyone. We started spending all of our free time together. I fell hard and fast. What Luke failed to realize was Brady wasn’t the same person he grew up with. Yes, they had partied together in high school and when they saw each other at home over school breaks during college. But because they didn’t see each other often, Luke had no idea Brady was into a lot more than pot and beer. By the time either Luke or I noticed Brady had a serious cocaine problem, it was too late for me to get out easily. Everything in my soul told me to run. But I stayed. I thought I was in love, and I thought I could save him. I’ve never been so wrong in all my
life.