A Time for Hope (Lexi, #3)(6)
“There’s something else and I need your help.” I cautioned as Taylah stared idly at Matt’s naked chest.
“Sure Lex, you know I’d do anything for you. Are you reinstating your no pants clause?” Matt’s mouth twitched as he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it over his head, hiding his chest’s muscular expanse.
“I never revoked those clauses. I’m astounded you would risk such a breech.” I bit my lip playfully before my toned turned more serious. “There is something I need to know… When Alex and I were in Australia…” It had weighed on my mind for some time but there had been more important issues to address i.e. getting my shit together. “Marcy knew we were there. I need to know how.”
“Lexi, are you sure you want to go down that road?” Matt leaned up against the sofa, his mood no longer playful.
“I need to do this. Just dig around, see what you find out. I’m not asking you to do anything illegal.”
“Sure, I’ll see what I can find out,” he conceded, “but you need to leave it to me. I don’t want Anna involved, or you for that matter.”
“I’m relinquishing control.” I backed away with my palms out. I had no intention of interfering, not until I had the information I wanted.
“I would like to believe that, but I’m smart enough to know better.” Matt shook softly with a gentle laugh, “I’ve missed you Lex. Welcome back.”
“Nice to be back. I’m going to head to the office but I am going to go check something else out first.” My arms wrapped around Matt’s broad neck as I hugged him goodbye.
“No problem, I’ll see you there. See ya Taylah.” Matt waved as I pulled Taylah from the apartment.
“What do you mean you are going to work? This wasn’t the deal! What happened to spending obscene amounts of money? I’m very disappointed in you Lex,” Taylah huffed as we filed back into the hall.
“Oh we are spending money my friend, in fact I’m planning on shelling out SHITLOADS of money today.” DarNell stared at us as we made our way back to the elevator.
“Shitloads isn’t a unit of measure sweet cheeks! And assuming it was, how do you propose to do that? I don’t see a Mall in the hallway.” Taylah pouted, her hands tightly on her hips.
We shuffled into the elevator as the metal doors closed in front of us. DarNell instinctively reached to the bank of buttons ready to select the ground floor but I stopped him and pressed P. “I’m buying the Penthouse.”
~~~~
My phone burst into life as Alex’s name lit up my screen. I was anything but surprised as I swiped my finger across my iPhone. “Hey baby.”
“Did you just try and buy an apartment with your Amex?” Alex half laughed.
“I didn’t think it had a limit, you did say this thing didn’t have a limit.” I looked over the property contract in front of me. Moving house just felt right, we were going somewhere where neither of us had history. It could only make this easier.
“Yeah, well the bank called. I thought you were buying shoes?” he sounded amused which was good.
“I figured I’d buy somewhere to put them instead.” The shoe storage capacity in this new place was amazing.
“Your closet not big enough?” God he sounded good. It was like we were having a normal conversation. It had been way too long.
“It will be after we sign for this bad boy. You will be pleased with my negotiating skills, though I’m going to need your autograph to sure up the deal. Banks are pedantic like that.”
“Ummm babe, we should really let Sol look over the contract. You can’t just go buy a penthouse. When you girls said you were going to spend obscene amounts of money, I wasn’t expecting it to involve property. Don’t you think it’s a little extreme?” I heard his tone shift slightly.
“Sol can kiss my ass.” Power Station’s lawyer and I had a long and unglorified history. “Think of this as an early birthday present for him. I’m sure he’ll invent nice new words to describe me.” I had already decided what I wanted to do and no one was going to talk me out of it.
“No one touches your ass but me.” A low growl ripped through the phone, “If this is what you want, you’ve got it.”
And just like that we were changing address. At least we would once the property settled and Taylah and I had implemented some much needed changes.
Taylah had been leaving not so subtle hints about the Penthouse for weeks. With Matt and Anna already shacked up in my old place and a rock star husband in tow, my previous digs had no longer seemed appropriate. So after our quickie wedding, we had moved into Alex’s apartment, which of course was the logical choice, being that he actually owned his piece of real estate. Taylah had been undeterred by this tiny factoid as she continued her quest to get me back into the building. In truth, I had never envisioned living at Alex’s long term. Knowing it had been where “other” women had shared his bed just didn’t sit right with me. I know it was stupid to be jealous of his past (Lord knows I’d rivaled him with my own) but ultimately we needed something that was ours. I’m almost positive he would not be ok with sharing a room with the ghosts of my previous bed partners.
Enter Taylah Nixon, with the relator on speed dial. She already had the phone plastered to her ear as soon as the words had flown out of my mouth. We hadn’t even made it to the Penthouse level and she was demanding he meet us there so we could inspect the place. Taylah wanted us to move in and I was very easily convinced. It just felt right.