The phone continued to dance across his desk until he finally pressed ‘ignore,’ knowing that Jade would leave a lengthy and profanity-laden voicemail. “Go shopping, Jade.” Vincent muttered at his phone as he slid it into the drawer for safekeeping. He glanced at his watch and realized it was already lunchtime. He had been in the office for hours and spent a majority of that time daydreaming of Lexi. When his stomach growled, Vincent gave in and headed over to Lexi’s desk and began rummaging through the drawers for the carryout menu from Archie’s.
“What did she do, take it home with her?” he mumbled as he wiggled on the locked center drawer of Lexi’s desk, having turned up nothing in the other three. “Why the hell is this locked?”
“To keep my boss out. He’s a real nosey guy, and for some reason he can’t keep his hands off my drawers.” Lexi grinned as she sat down on the edge of her desk, her eyes twinkling with amusement at Vincent’s frustration. She tossed a bag of food at him, and the familiar blue lettering on the plain white sack made his mouth water.
“I swear to God, I don’t know how you do it.” He sat down in her chair and ripped the bag open, pulling the sandwich from the bag and taking a huge bite without hesitation. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. You got lucky. On the way over I had a hunch you’d be here today. Remember, Elizabeth edited my job duties and getting your sorry butt lunch is off my daily ‘to do’ list.”
Vincent grinned as he washed down the burger with a big swig of milkshake. He licked a bit of the chocolate drink from the corner of his mouth, his tongue fascinating Lexi. “Don’t you worry about me. I’m a resourceful guy.”
“Who have you suckered into being your new greasy beef supplier?” Lexi’s hand went to her hip instinctively as she waited for his answer.
“Leigh will get me whatever I want, but she makes me buy her lunch too.”
“Damn, I wish I had thought of that.” Lexi shook her head from side to side. “Hey, you’re getting mustard on my keyboard! Go mess up your own desk.”
He rolled his eyes and wrapped the paper around his burger before he tossed it back into the bag. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to see you, but why are you here on a Saturday?”
She didn’t answer, but raised an eyebrow in challenge and turned it back on him. “And why are you here?”
“The Marradesi thing. And you?”
“Research,” Lexi said nonchalantly as she pushed him out of her chair and sat down.
“What are you researching?” he asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Lexi said as she slipped a file to the bottom of a larger pile, hiding it.
Curious, Vincent grabbed the entire pile before she could stop him. When he opened the folder, he paused, his brows furrowed together in confusion. “Me? You’re researching me?”
“Give me that.” She was on her feet and snatched the papers from his hand, putting them behind her back. “I was just looking at old campaigns that you’ve done. Just to get an idea what kind of things you like in a design.” “And the magazine article from when I was voted bachelor of the year?”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “It’s a cute picture of you. I thought I’d hang it on my wall next to my 1995 Tiger Beat cover of Leonardo DiCaprio.”
“I’m way hotter than him,” Vincent deadpanned.
“Um, hello? He’s saving the environment, going green. What are you doing, Mr. Cheeseburger with Extra Bacon?”
“I have far better abs than him.” He began to playfully creep the hem of his T-shirt up over the waistband of his jeans.
He watched Lexi’s eyes grow wide, but they never left his body. Knowing she would watch whatever show he was willing to give made his blood run like molten fire through his veins. What he wouldn’t give to feel her hands on his body. When Lexi nibbled on her bottom lip, Vincent had to stifle a groan. The woman had no idea the effect she was having on him as she sat there, innocently watching and enticing him. Wanting to see how far she’d let his teasing go, he slipped his thumb onto the waistband of his jeans and tugged them down an inch, revealing a sliver more skin. When her eyes bugged out of her head, he chuckled to himself, knowing she had reached her limit.
With a squeak, Lexi grabbed his wrist and held his hand in place, acting as if she was revolted by the display. “Spare me the peep show.”
The wicked smile on his face made Lexi tremble. “Your loss.” He gave her hand a squeeze and pointed back at the file. “Seriously, what are you looking for in there?”
“Everyone has something that’s theirs in whatever they design. Elizabeth is the details, the meshing together of the tiniest parts. Fabrics and background props are as important as the message. In yours, you’re all about the idea and selling the overall concept as clearly and succinctly as possible. I guess part of me is wondering what my ‘thing’ will be if I ever get to design a campaign on my own.”
Without thinking, Vincent blurted out, “Passion.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, it’s just that from working with you and seeing the ads you did for Hope, if I had to label what piece of yourself you put in the things you create, it’s passion. In your ads, people can feel the excitement, they can feel this air of wanting, and it’s the passion you create which draws them to whatever you’re selling. It’s incredibly attractive.” He ran his hand through his hair nervously as he wondered if he’d said too much. He tried to keep his comments solely about her work, but then she batted her sultry eyes at him and he was lost. “Your work, I mean.”
A snarky grin appeared on her face. “Of course, the work.”
The coy curl of her lips had him captivated. He knew how soft her lips were, and he knew that he was right. Lexi was full of fire and passion. He had felt it when they kissed, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even now, in the middle of the office during a casual conversation, he could feel it building between them. The desire, the need to touch her was getting to be unbearable. One hand balled into a tight fist, and he jammed it into the pocket of his jeans, but the other took on a life of its own and reached out for what it wanted. He played with a lock of her long brown hair before brushing it back over her shoulder. A smile escaped his lips when he saw Lexi shiver at his touch.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re both here!” Elizabeth came rushing around the corner, breaking the trance, and bringing them back to reality. “Wait, Lexi, what are you doing here on Saturday? Vincent has no life, I expect it of him, but you must have something better to do.” Her eyes danced between the pair, picking up on the chemistry flowing between them.