The Seduction of Alex Parker(5)
He cocked his head and smiled. “I think I’ll call you ‘heartbreaker.’”
“Ugh.” I put my head down on the counter and I heard him chuckle as he walked out.
****
Alex
I guess I didn’t need to make any rules since Emerson was a grown adult. A beautiful, grown adult, which ultimately could lead to trouble for me if I wasn’t careful. Damn Adam for not telling me how hot she was. Hot or not, she was my friend’s sister and I couldn’t cross that line. Plus, she wasn’t my type. She wasn’t... how could I put this nicely? She wasn’t upscale enough. The women I dated and f*cked were of high society. They were classy, something Emerson seemed to lack. I had standards and, unfortunately, she didn’t meet them. Which was a good thing. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, why she left Texas the way she did. Listening to her conversation with Billy was quite entertaining and the way she just blew him off was ballsy. The women I’d known weren’t like that. They were the Billys of the relationship. Begging and pleading me to stay and always trying to change themselves for me. There was a story behind Emerson James and I couldn’t help but wonder just what her story was. Was I going to find out? No. It was none of my business. She was here for three months and three months only. As long as she stayed out of my way and life, I would stay out of hers.
Chapter 4
Emerson
Jenna walked into the kitchen as I was cleaning up.
“Good morning, Emerson. How was your first night here?”
“Good morning. It was great. I slept like a baby in that bed.”
She laughed. “Good. Any problems with Mr. Parker?”
I twisted my face at her. “No. Why?”
“Just wondering. He can sometimes be a little, how do I say this, rude and insensitive.”
“Oh. So far, he seems okay.”
“Good. Have a nice day, Emerson.” She smiled as she left the kitchen.
Now that I was back in California, it was time to reconnect with some old friends. Friends I hadn’t seen in over eight years, but I kept in contact with here and there over Facebook. Best friends I deserted when I left and never looked back. I went to my room and opened up my laptop, pulling up the page of Christine Howl, my best friend back in high school. She was married now with a kid and living her life as a stay-at-home mom.
“Hi, Christine. I’m back in California for a while and I was hoping we could meet for lunch and catch up.”
It was a matter of minutes before she replied back.
“OH MY GOD! I can’t believe you’re back. Yes! Can you meet for lunch today? I’ll call Bayli and see if she’s available. I know she’d love to see you.”
“Today will be great. How about we meet at one o’clock at the Polo Lounge? We used to love that place.”
“Sounds great. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you too.”
Now I was going to have to call a cab. Walking into the kitchen, I saw a man talking to Jenna.
“Emerson, this is Phillip, Mr. Parker’s personal driver.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson. I actually came here to introduce myself to you. Mr. Parker told me that I’m to drive you wherever you may need to go.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Just as long as he doesn’t need me.”
“You have perfect timing, Phillip, because I need to be at the Polo Lounge at one o’clock to meet a friend for lunch.”
“All right, the Polo Lounge it is.” He smiled. “We should leave around noon, so I’ll be back to pick you up.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He gave a nod and left. He was a handsome-looking gentleman with his dark brown hair, green eyes, and a light beard. I pegged him to be in his late forties, maybe at the most, fifty. I couldn’t believe that Alex had asked him to drive me around. Maybe Alex Parker wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
I hopped in the shower, got dressed, and waited for Phillip to pick me up. When he arrived, he opened the door to the Bentley and I slid inside.
“So how long have you been driving for Alex?” I asked.
“About three years.” He smiled. “What brings you to California?”
“My brother, Adam. I really didn’t have a choice but to come back for a while.”
“Come back? Have you lived here previously?”
“Yeah. I grew up in LA.”
“Why did you leave?” he asked as he looked at me through his rearview mirror.
“It’s a long and boring story.”
We finally made it to the Polo Lounge and, as I climbed out of the car, Phillip handed me his phone number.
“Put my number in your phone and either call me or text me when you need to go somewhere. The latest I can pick you up is four o’clock.”
“That’s fine. If I’m going to be later, I’ll just catch a cab back.”
“Have a nice lunch with your friends, Emerson.”
“Thanks, Phillip.”
Before I reached the doors to the restaurant, I heard my name being called from the patio area. When I looked over, I saw Christine and Bayli waving me over to their table.
“Look at you,” Christine said as she hugged me. “You look amazing.”