Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Ray bounced his knee up and down in pent-up frustration. His flight was delayed for two hours. That was two more hours he should have been with Alexis. Two more hours he should have spent kissing her but he was stuck in an airport lounge. There was a lady working there who'd made passes at him several times and he'd had it. One more pass was all it would take to make him do something he'd never done before. Tell her to go screw herself.
He was anxious to get back but what worried him was how Alexis would react. He'd picked up his phone a million times to call her but stopped himself last minute. He thought giving her time to miss him was the right thing to do. He was wrong. Henry had called him and according to Marjorie, her friend had been sad but after a few days, she'd started being mad at him. He had been instructed to go back home bearing gifts, expensive ones at that if he wanted her to forgive him. For a second he'd thought Marjorie had been exaggerating like she always does but then he'd called Copeland who had rubbed it in his face about how his screw up was benefiting him. He should have known his partner would take that chance to move in on Alexis. Dammit, why hadn't he taken her with him?
Because she would have been a distraction. His client Alberto was a famous Spanish designer who had needed his undivided attention. After being accused of rape, his company had been on the verge of going bankrupt because investors were pulling out. He could have deserted the man like everyone else, except Ray knew in his heart that Alberto wouldn't do something like that. So it had been his job to restore his public image. That kind of work needed his full attention but with Alexis there, he wouldn't have been able to concentrate. Even though she was miles away, he'd still thought about her but he'd been able to push her to the back of his mind. Now he realized his mistake.
By not keeping in touch with her, he'd given his partner a chance to take his girl. Their relationship wasn't strong enough yet. It was still on the early stages and he needed more time to show her how good they could be together. And maybe deep down he'd hoped she would chase him too. True he hadn't called her but she could have called him too. A relationship is a two-way street. If she really wanted to talk to him, all she had to do was call him. So technically she had no right to be mad at him. Except, he was willing to take all the blame as long as he had her. He'd apologize countless times if it meant she'd smile at him, kiss him, be in his arms.
Finally, when it was time to board the plane, he sighed in relief. He'd booked a one-stop flight from Madrid to New York and he had ten more hours before he'd be able to see his princess. Hopefully, the surprise he had for her would earn him a few points. Settling in his seat, he closed his eyes thinking that if Copeland thought he could push him out of Alexis' life then he had another thing coming. He'd waited for years to be with her. Nothing was going to stop him now. With that thought, he fell asleep. He was going to need his energy.
He arrived at around noon on Saturday. The place was really nice but he couldn't bring himself to notice anything or anyone that wasn't Alexis. So at reception, he slipped the receptionist a few bills and asked her to tell him where Alexis' room was. She seemed hesitant, making him lie that he was her fiancé and how he was there to surprise her. The nice lady told him that she'd chosen one of the cottages while the rest of the people she arrived with settled at the hotel. After thanking her profusely, he went in search of her cottage. It wasn't hard to find but the occupant was nowhere to be seen. He wondered where she could be. Since it was lunchtime, he checked the dining room. There were a few of his employees eating lunch and he even spotted her friends Anna and Donnie but he didn't see Alexis. He hadn't failed to notice how Copeland wasn't in the dining room with everyone else either.
Ray didn't want to jump to conclusions. His relationship with Alexis might not be that solid, but he trusted her. He hoped that she wouldn't jump into another man's hands so soon. That didn't mean he hadn't pictured them together. His mind was really creative when it wanted to be. Images of her tangled in bed with Copeland assaulted him as he kept searching for her. It didn't help that he couldn't find her anywhere. Granted the place was huge and he hadn't looked everywhere but still. Please don't be with him. Please, please, please. He chanted in his head. After two hours of coming up empty, he went back to her cottage. He would wait for her there. Eventually, she was bound to show up. Right?
Only she didn't. He waited and waited and waited. Even fell asleep on the couch for a few hours but she never came back. He wondered if the receptionist had given him the wrong cottage. So he ventured to the bedroom. Her luggage was there alright. He remembered that tote bag since he was the one who'd helped her carry it when she had moved. Where are you, Princess? He asked himself flopping on the bed. It smelled like her. The pillows, sheets, even the room smelled like her. The thought of her with Copeland was what bothered him most. She couldn't have forgotten him already. Christ, he was gone for two weeks.
It was his mistake for not keeping in touch with her. And it seemed hypocritical to call her at that second and ask where she was. That was if she actually answered his calls. Growling, he got up. He was going to comb this place from top to bottom until he found her. This time he commissioned the help of two staff members. A little tip and a description of Alexis and they were on their way to help him search for her. Ray took a few corners without looking where he was going and ended up at the pool area. He felt bitter towards the couples sitting there enjoying their afternoon while he couldn't find his girl anywhere. Why should they be happy? In fact, why should everyone else be happy when he was so miserable? It wasn't fair, especially since he'd worked so hard to get Alexis.
He turned around to leave but a familiar laugh stopped him in his tracks. Spinning around, he ran his gaze over every person until it landed on her. There she was, at the pool laughing her heart out. Ray stood still, watching her, soaking her in. Her smile alone had the power to erase all the doubts circling in his mind. He took a moment to study her. Her hair was slicked back from being in the water, her skin gleamed under the sunlight making her look ethereal and her smile could give the sun shining down on them a run for its money. She was stunning and she was........ With Copeland. She was with that bastard, even after Ray warned him to stay away. His partner swam over to where Alexis was, stopping in front of her and blocking his view. Anger rooted him in place as he watched that man raise his hands, push them through Alexis' hair and bend down to kiss her. Ray curled his hands into fists in an attempt to control his anger. The nerve of that imbecile. Quickly, he turned around and left before his anger drove him to do something dumb. Like jumping in the pool and drowning that man.
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Alexis caught a glimpse of someone stomping off angrily and pushed Copeland away before their lips touched. Was that Ray she saw? Impossible. He hadn't called her to say he was coming and even if it was a surprise he would have made an appearance. She'd spent last night tossing and turning, wondering why he hadn't contacted her. She imagined how different this weekend would have been had he been there with there. She had planned to spend the whole day in bed shutting out the rest of the world but Copeland had shown up and convinced her to spend the day with him.
They were friends. In the last two weeks, they'd spent a lot of time together since the other employees were wary of her. And while he was fun to be around, she really missed Ray. Copeland could make her laugh all he wanted but Ray made her happy. She hadn't realized until then how different those two things were. Whenever she was with Ray, everything else ceased to exist leaving just the two of them. Even Connor hadn't made her feel that way. "Are you giving up already?" Copeland asked swimming to stand in front of her. They'd been pulling each other underwater and so far he had been winning because he was stronger than her. He'd also claimed she weighed nothing so that made it easier for him to beat her.
"No, I'm not. I was.... " she stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. His gaze slid down to her breasts and even though she was wearing a one-piece bikini, she felt naked. Before she knew it, he was cupping her face and bending down to kiss her. Thanks to that figure that looked like Ray, she snapped out of it and pushed him away. "I'm sorry. I can't" she told him getting out of the pool. Grabbing her towel, she wrapped it around herself, took her stuff and left. She'd had enough fun to last her the whole weekend.
She also felt horrible for entertaining Copeland. He thought it was okay to kiss her because she must have given him signs. Not consciously but whatever she did had encouraged him. And even though they weren't really dating, it felt like cheating on Ray. Just because she was mad at him for not getting in touch with her didn't mean she should run to another man. He'd said he loved her. Although she had doubted that he was telling the truth, there had to be some truth to that statement. Maybe he didn't really love her, but he had feelings for her. Just like she was starting to develop some for him. They were the kind of feelings she wanted to explore. Find out what they could turn into. Besides Copeland did nothing to her. He didn't make her stomach turn to liquid when he smiled. Or give her goosebumps from his touch. And most importantly he didn't make her happy. Only Ray did those to her.
Sighing, she entered her cottage and froze. Ray was pacing back and forth like a madman his face taut with anger. He honestly looked like he was trying to talk himself out of doing something stupid. She quickly evaluated the situation. He might have arrived there to surprise her and when he didn't find her he went to look for her. But then he'd seen her with Copeland which was why he was so mad. Even though he had no reason to be. The idiot. "Ray" she whispered, stopping him. He looked up, saw her and Alexis watched his eyes take on another shade. One darker with anger. She took a step towards him but he turned around, went to her bedroom and locked himself in. She knew a little about his anger because she'd heard Vince complaining saying that he didn't know how to control it. So she dropped down on the sofa and waited for him to calm down.
Two hours later, he finally emerged. Still angry but the murderous look in his eyes wasn't there. "Are you calm now? Or do I need to call your father and have him lock you up?"
He narrowed his eyes at her and retorted "I'm fine Alexis."
"Good. Now care to tell me what got your panties in a twist after ignoring me for two weeks?"
"Did you kiss him? Let him touch you?"
"Are you kidding me right now?" she snarled lowly advancing on him. "You leave for two weeks, don't bother to call or send me a text message then come back and the first thing you ask is if I kissed him?" she pushed at his chest too angry to realize he wasn't moving. "Who exactly are you asking about? The billionaire I met by the pool who was twice my age and offered to buy me an island if I agreed to be his girlfriend. Is that who you think I kissed?" push "Or the bartender who hit on me all night, promising to show me pleasure I've never experienced." push "Or maybe it's that hot chick I met this morning who told me that men were jerks and that we ladies should stick together. Do you want to know if I kissed her?" she went to push him again but he grabbed her wrists.
"No. I'm asking about Copeland. But I'd like to know if you kissed that girl too"
"Yes. And not just her, I kissed everyone in this resort. What are you going to do about it? Will you spank me for being a bad girl?" she didn't mean to say that last part and she would have slapped her hands over her mouth if he wasn't still holding them. She tugged on her wrists but he didn't let her go. She wanted to be angry with him. Alexis was itching for a fight and she wanted Ray to go back to being angry so they could yell it out. The look he was giving her had nothing to do with anger. It was full of heat and raw hunger. When his eyes slid down her body, she followed his gaze, realizing her towel had fallen off. She looked back up in time to see his nostrils flare and pupils dilate with lust.
He let go of her wrists only to wind his hands in her hair and smash their lips together.
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I like your assumptions about Copeland but I have plans for him.
Now shall we take this relationship to the next level?