The Way Things Were

3

It had been two weeks since he had first met Lex, and Vox was still trying desperately to avoid her. It had been easy until now. Frankie had requested Valentino and his presence at a party he was throwing. He took a deep breath as he walked into the party, trying to calm his nerves. The last thing he wanted was to run into Lex, but he knew it was inevitable. As if on cue, he spotted her across the room, looking stunning in a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly.Despite the blaring music and the sound of laughter, he felt as though he could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest.

Valentino walked up behind him, “Instead of eye fucking her from across the room why don’t you go talk to her...”

He glared at Valentino, trying to deflect the teasing remark. “Shut up, I’m just...checking her out, yeah? Making sure she’s not getting into trouble.”

“You’re full of shit and you know it?” He took a sip from his drink before continuing, “It’s written all over your face. You can’t resist her, and you know it. So stop avoiding her and go say hi.”

Vox scoffed, trying to hide his flustered state. “Fine, I’m going. But only because I don’t want to deal with your nagging for the rest of the night.” He made his way towards Lex, trying to appear nonchalant despite the butterflies in his stomach. As he approached, he couldn’t help but admire the way the red dress clung to her curves, making his mouth go dry. He cleared his throat before speaking up. “Hey Lex, you look stunning,” he said with a charming smile, trying to play it cool. He extended his hand for a friendly handshake, but his eyes drifted lower, taking in the way the dress highlighted her toned legs.

“Two weeks.....” Lex looked at her glass, “You have avoided me for two fucking weeks!”

He looked at her sheepishly, knowing full well that he had been avoiding her. But seeing the fire in her eyes, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. He let out a nervous laugh before trying to explain himself. He held his hands up in a defensive gesture, trying to placate her. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to avoid you for that long. I’ve just been so swamped with work and other shit,”

“Bullshit!” She sighed, “I have seen you here at least 7 times in those two weeks, and every time you would dodge me.........” She nervously bit her lip, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no,” he said quickly, reassuring her. He took a step closer to her, closing the gap between them. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all on me.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I guess I was just nervous about what happened between us last time. I didn’t want to fuck things up, you know?” He looked at her with a serious expression. “I wanted to talk to you but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself around you.” He reached out and gently cupped Lex’s face, his thumb brushing against her soft cheek. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Lex. You’re all I can think about. The way you look, the way you smell, the way you make me feel... It’s driving me crazy.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken desire. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her ear as he whispered, “I want you so badly it hurts. Every night I dream about having you underneath me, your body trembling as I make you come apart.....but we can’t ...... If Frankie found out he would kill me.”

Lex bit her lower lip and looked up at him, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks. “Frankie doesn’t have to know.....” She said quietly, stepping closer to him.

“Lex, you don’t know what you’re asking for.” His voice was low and intense. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “I don’t want to hurt you or put you in danger. Being with me comes with a lot of risks.”