“Whoa, what’s in there?” Lexi set the BlackBerry down.
“This,” Leigh tapped the object, “is your laptop. The flash drives are in the pocket. The rule of thumb around here is to back up everything in triplicate. Leave one copy in the office, one copy at home, and have one on you at all times. Trust me on this.”
“I feel like a kid at Christmas.” Lexi laughed as she stared openly at the growing pile of goodies on her desk. “Not to appear ungrateful, but what’s wrong with the computer on my desk?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it, but you need something to work on when you’re on the go. That’s where this will come in handy.” She pushed the laptop toward Lexi and sat back down in the chair across the desk. Leigh held in a laugh as she watched Lexi gingerly slide the laptop case to the side of her desk and start playing with her BlackBerry again.
“I almost forgot—you’ll get your corporate credit card in a few days.” Leigh laughed when Lexi’s mouth dropped open. “Don’t worry, it has a fairly low limit, and the statements are gone over with a fine tooth comb, so just make sure you save the receipts for anything you’re asked to purchase and submit them every month. And this,” she slid a slip of paper to Lexi across the desk, “is your new salary.”
With a shaking hand, Lexi took the small folded paper and cautiously opened it. Her head was still reeling from the cash and prizes that were currently sitting on her desk, and she wasn’t sure she could handle any more surprises.
“Holy cow! Are you sure this is correct?” Lexi pointed at the number, her eyes wide in shock.
Leigh humored her and leaned forward, checked it, then nodded her head. “It’s correct. Do you have any questions?”
A loud laugh escaped Lexi’s lips. “Only about a million.”
“Well, let’s hear some. I have a few minutes.”
Lexi folded the piece of paper and tucked it in her pocket. Then she laid the BlackBerry down and turned her attention to Leigh. “I’ll start simple.
What’s Mr. Hunter’s first name? I should probably have a clue when he calls.”
“Drake.”
“Drake Hunter,” Lexi murmured to herself as she scooped up the phone and programmed the information into her contact list.
Leigh’s laughter danced through the air. “No, Drake is his last name. Vincent is his first name. Vincent Drake, that’s your boss.”
Lexi’s BlackBerry tumbled from her hand and landed with a loud crack on her desk. “Say that again?” Lexi couldn’t catch her breath.
No, no, no. Impossible, no way, nope, never.
Images of a smiling teenager filled her memory. His dark brown hair falling over his eye, the wicked smirk he would give girls, buckling their knees instantly, and the deep tenor of his laughter. All the memories of high school that Lexi had fought so desperately to bury deep in her subconscious suddenly sprang forward at just the mention of his name, and she was seventeen again. Her pulse raced with both panic and excitement at the possibility. But there was no way it could be him; it had to be a different Vincent Drake.
The man Leigh had described—the angry, furious individual—was not the Vincent Drake Lexi remembered. Back then, he was all smiles and charm, and he used it to get whatever he wanted from teachers, parents, coaches, and girls. She couldn’t imagine him ranting and raving at someone he worked with. There was no way it was him.
Lexi could feel Leigh watching her closely, probably trying to figure out what exactly was going on in her head as she fumbled nervously with her phone. “His name is Vincent Drake. Lexi, what’s wrong?”
Lexi began chewing on her fingernail again. “How old is he? Sixtyish?” What was his father’s name? Maybe it’s his dad, Vincent Drake Sr. It has to be.
“I’m not sure, but he’s probably close to your age. What are you, like twenty-eight?”
Lexi’s stomach flipped as she tried to imagine a more mature Vincent Drake. The words “sexy” and “charming” immediately popped into her head as her body temperature rose a few degrees. Act normal, Lexi. She thinks you’re insane. Pull it together. There’s no way it’s the same Vincent Drake. No way. And this isn’t high school, anyway. “Oh, I … I just assumed he would be older. No big deal. I was just surprised.” Nice cover, Lex.
The rest of the afternoon progressed with Leigh flooding Lexi with so much information that she didn’t have time to freak out over Vincent Drake.
She showed Lexi the computer system, giving her a quick rundown of Vincent’s typical day when he was in the office. Then she printed out his upcoming schedule so Lexi would know it backward and forward before he even walked through the door. Leigh kindly advised her about his pet peeves: tardiness, lack of productivity, and the word “no” were all unacceptable to Vincent Drake. According to Leigh, if she remembered those things, she would fare much better than her last four counterparts.
Leigh came by Lexi’s desk at quarter to five and opened the door to Vincent’s office. “I need to grab the Keller file off his desk. Do you want to come in and have a look around? You probably should know where everything is in here before he gets back.” She paused at the door. “I warn you, the place is a bit of a disaster. Mr. Drake isn’t known for his organizational skills.”
Lexi’s stomach flipped and her pulse quickened. I’m going inside Vincent Drake’s office! She kept up the calm façade, hiding her inner schoolgirl who threatened to escape, then mentally gave herself a hard slap. Knock it off Lexi, you aren’t seventeen anymore. Grow up. She shook her head, then stepped through the doorway and took in her new surroundings.
Vincent’s ornate desk sat in the middle of the room, buried somewhere underneath a massive pile of papers that covered every inch of the flat surface, piles leaning upon other piles. Pens and pencils were strewn everywhere. How Leigh was supposed to find anything in the chaos was beyond Lexi.
As Leigh searched for the needle in the haystack, Lexi became distracted by a picture that hung on the wall. It was a framed article from San Francisco Magazine featuring Vincent Drake, an up and coming star in the advertising world. Lexi’s heart leaped as she gazed at the photograph, because she would have recognized that incredibly handsome face anywhere.
Completely enthralled, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the image of Vincent. He had the same dark wavy hair, intentionally messy, and the years had changed his features from boyish good looks into mature sex appeal. He exuded confidence and a masculine swagger even in the photograph. He wore a black suit with an emerald tie that made his green eyes stand out. Lexi caught herself staring at the curve of his full lips when Leigh came and stood beside her.