It was another Saturday night and Lacey was dressed in a skin tight skirt and a scandalous shirt. She had her hair up and curled around her round face. She was wearing light make up and she was ready. She stepped through the door of the 650 club and the music was blazing. She smiled to herself as she moved through the huge torrents of people that mobbed through the club. This was her ritual. She always came alone and always left alone.
She moved toward the dance floor and smiled. She started to rock her hips with the beat of the song as she let the rhythm take a hold of her body. She sexily swung her hips to the Reggae beat that the DJ was spinning. She lost herself in the clutter of the dance floor. She welcomed the haze of the smoke machine and the strobe lights. Her hands moved above her head as she continued to work her body to the beat.
She didn't take notice of the stares of some of the guys at the bar. All that mattered was losing herself in the rhythm and beat and throwing away all of her inhibitions. She felt a hand move up her side as someone molded their body to hers from behind. She moved with him to the noise. He kept up with her movements and she threw caution to the wind. Just a normal Saturday night routine.
Four songs later and she was still going strong. The guys behind her leaned over and asked if she would like something to drink. She shook her head and kept her body moving to the Hip Hop song that was playing. She twirled her hands above her head as her dancing partner moved his hands down her hips. She moved her hands down on top of his and lifted his hands above her head as they grinded to the song.
When the song ended she pulled her phone from the corner of her bra and saw the time. She turned around and faced her mysterious dancing partner for the first time, he was fairly attractive and he was a good five inches taller than her. He had deep blue eyes and dusty brown hair. For a white boy, he had major rhythm she thought to herself.
"I have to go, thanks for the dance." She smiled and he returned the sentiment with a dumbstruck expression. She weaved through the crowd and walked out of the club. The cold air hit her in the face and cooled her sweat coated body. She winked at the bouncers standing at the door that she saw every Saturday.
"Never stay long do you?" One of bulky man asked as he waved down a taxi from the street for her. She smiled up at him as a taxi pulled up and he opened the door for her.
"Just have to relieve the stress, John you know how it is. . ." John smiled down at her, his bald head shining in the fluorescent light above the club.
"Be careful on your way home Lacey, I'll see you next week." She smiled as she got in the car.
"I always am. Thanks don't throw your back out again and have a good night!" She smiled as she brought up a little incident a couple of weeks prior.
"You're never going to let me forget that are you?" He asked in mock sadness.
"Not when I see you hunched over in pain in my head every time I see you. It was pretty hilarious, if only I had had a digital camera." She smiled sweetly as he scowled.
"You're getting to old for this, John."
"I know, but I get to see sexy women like you on a regular basis, I can't help but be drawn to killing my back every night."
She rolled her eyes at his playful flirting. "Night, John. Night, Calvin." She said to the man still standing at the door, he waved as he was in mid-conversation with some naked toothpick; she shook her head at his taste.
He smiled at her, "Night Lace."
Lacey and waved as he closed the door of the taxi and Lacey watched him walk back over to the entrance and throw on his perfected bouncer scowl
It took Lacey forty-five minutes to get home. She was glad to be in her apartment as she peeled off the revealing clothing and tossed them into the basket stepping into her bathroom and turning on the shower. She moved towards her counter and removed the contact lenses and pulled her hair down. She stepped into the scalding water and removed the muck of sweat and make up from her body. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her thick body. Her tan complexion glimmered with water droplets as she dried herself off and slipped into some stretch pants and a baggy shirt.
She towel dried her auburn hair and tied it up with a hair band. She moved around her apartment, shutting off the lights. She climbed into bed and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She had danced away the stress of the week and now all she had left was that funny warm tingly feeling of accomplishment. She closed her eyes and drifted into a fitting slumber.
Ǻ
"Lacey McNevin, right?"
"Yes sir, it is." Lacey answered as she walked out of the elevator on the third floor of the publishing company on Monday morning. "I just got in sir; do you need me to get you anything?"
"Actually, I was told to send you to Mr. Jones' office once you arrived. I can take the things in your hands to your desk for you." Lacey looked shocked and her mouth was in a perfect "o". The secretary stood from the circular desk and grabbed the books and purse that she was carrying. He moved them onto his circular desk in front of them and walked back over to her shocked body standing in the middle of the hallway.
"B-b-b-but I'm an intern." She spit out looking up at the secretary's amused face.
"And it seems like you stand out enough for Mr. Jones to ask to speak with you." He paused. "You may want to breathe if you plan on walking into his office." Lacey blinked and took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You okay?" She weakly nodded. "Okay, just breathe and everything will be alright, it would suck to have to call an ambulance if you cracked you head open on the tile." She laughed meekly.
She took another deep breath trying to quell the knots springing up in her stomach. She plastered on a nervous smile. "I guess I should go see what he wants, right?"
"Yeah, you should, and don't call me sir." He smiled at her as she nodded and headed towards the elevator. She couldn't help but wonder what the hell the CEO of Jackson & Jones Publishing wanted with her. She stepped in and pressed the button for the 20th floor. She'd never even been up that far before. Normally she'd be freaking out about how far up she was going in the elevator, but all she could think about was the meeting getting ready to take place.
She patted down invisible wrinkles in her shirt as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. She walked out and looked around at the modern set up of the floor. The walls were painted a deep red and were black couches set in the lounge area to Lacey's left. To her right was a huge window showing the magnificent view of Downtown Los Angeles. She smiled while looking out the window. She loved the view but hated the fact that you had to use the elevator to get up this high. She hated elevators.
She was so caught up that she forgot what she was on that floor for. A man in his early thirties walked up to her. He was easily a head taller than her and his suit was impeccable. He held his hands behind his back and smiled at how caught up she was with the view. His shoulder length hair was an inch away from his shoulders. He stepped a little closer to her and looked over her shoulder.
"This view is spectacular, don't you agree Ms. McNevin?"
Lacey jumped. She held her hand to head and looked at the man behind her as the light cascaded over his slightly browned skin. She took a deep breath feeling completely embarrassed as his face bore a knowing smirk. "Mr. Jones, you scared the crap out of me." 'Nice way to talk to the CEO, smartass!' she thought scolding herself mentally for the way she responded to his presence.
"I do apologize, I did know you would react that way, I have a twisted sense of humor, or so I've been told." Lacey cocked her head a little to the side before she let out a whimsical laugh. "Please come with me, Ms. McNevin, I am pretty sure you want to know why I've called you up here." She nodded as he began to walk and she followed. He walked past an empty desk and into the first room on the left in the huge hallway and she followed him in.
His office was spacious and had the same color schemes as the hallway except instead of tile he had a dark green carpet. He had a huge wooden desk that was surprisingly neat and there were two chairs in the front of his deck. They looked they were carved from blood red oak and they matched the desk. There was a black couch against the wall and a huge window behind his desk.
"You office is incredible, sir." He smiled at her motioning for her to sit and she sat on the left as he took a seat behind the desk.
"Thank you, I spend so much time in here, I needed to make sure that I was comfortable." He paused. "Onto business. Did you know that most interns that work here don't submit writing samples with their applications? Let alone do they submit 7 completely different pieces, all completely independent of each other and in a different style of writing, Ms. McNevin."
Lacey looked down and blushed. She had thought it was good to show she had range, but now it seemed a little overzealous.
"When I saw your application a couple of months ago, I decided you were very talented. I've been keeping tabs on you and now an opportunity has arisen." Lacey's head shot up, half out of shock and half out of excitement. She straightened her glasses and smiled.
"You go through the applications, sir? I thought you had a hiring manager."
"No," he waved his hand and scooted forward towards his desk, "It's too impersonal. I know everyone's name that is employed in this company, although I hardly get the time to talk considering how busy I usually am. My girlfriend hates me for it by the way. And I of course have the habit of rambling, which I'm doing now. Sorry"
Lacey chuckled, "It's okay; I do the same thing. So what's this new project that you wanted to talk about?" She asked gently steering him in the direction of her visit.
"Rhys Wickliffe needs a co-writer for his next novel. I forwarded yours and several of your colleagues' pieces to him and he has asked for you specifically to be his co-writer."
Shock rippled across Lacey's face and her jaw slackened and fell open leaving her to gawk at her boss. 'Nofuckingway Nofuckingway Nofuckingway. . .' Lacey's mind just repeated the phrase over and over as her boss watched the apparent shock of her features. He looked like he was holding back his laughter. Lacey blinked once, then blinked again, trying to wrap her head around this concept. "W-what, I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say Rhys Wickliffe?"
Mr. Jones smiled and set his clasped hands on the desk, leaning closer. "Yes, I did. You know his writing, do you not, Ms. McNevin?"
"Call me Lacey, please." She mumbled trying to get her head around the fact the she was just asked to co-write a book with one of the top authors in the company. She took a deep breath. And then it hit her, this was her chance to become famous. She would finally start her dream. She smiled looking up at Mr. Jones. "Yes, I do, sir, I would be more than thrilled to help him."
"Good. He should be here in a matter of minutes. I'll send him to your office when he arrives." Her grin broadened as nodded and stood. She turned for the door. "And Lacey." She turned, "Congratulations." Her grin was huge.
"Thank you sir, thank you for all of this."
"It was purely my pleasure." With his last words she turned and headed towards the elevator. She waited for the elevator strumming her hands on the console. The doors opened and she stepped inside pressing three.
When the doors closed she looked around and screamed, "Oh my God!" She started to do a victory dance around the elevator until it dinged. She immediately straightened herself before the doors opened. When they opened she stepped out and looked at the secretary in front of her. He gave her a smile and a wink. He had to have known.
She walked passed him to go to her cubicle when he stepped out and grabbed her arm. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Her smile still huge across her face.
"You do know you're going the wrong way, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Your office is around the other corner. I'll show you, come on." He pulled her before she could respond. He opened a door and Lacey was floored. All of her possessions from that morning sat on the desk, one very similar to her bosses and she had a bookcase full of books. There was a black loveseat along the wall and a huge window behind her desk. The seats cushions were black and matched the loveseat but the wood matched her desk. Her eyes were wide as she eyed the bookcase and noticed they were full of Rhys Wickliffe's books along with some of her other favorite authors.
She turned to look at the secretary. "It was all Mr. Jones' idea. I just did the moving."
"Thank you John!" She rushed to hug him. He gave her a squeeze.
"No problem, there's a note on your desk also, boss." He turned and left before she could say anything else. She moved to the desk and spotted said note. She opened it and read.
'Ms. McNevin, I took the liberty of moving you from a cubicle to an office. I hope you realized that your offer came with a promotion. The bookcase is full of reference material for you to look over so you know Mr. Wickliffe's writing style ahead of time, but from what I read on your application, he's one of your favorite authors, so it's just a precaution. John is your personal secretary now and he did most of the leg work for your office. And before you call me to say thank you, you're sincerely welcome. Good luck on your project with Mr. Wickliffe, I'm positive that you two together will create an incredible novel.
Enjoy your new office,
Tobias Jones'
Lacey sat back in her chair with her hand over her eyes. She spun and looked out at her view. "Utterly incredible." She said to herself looking down at the city and the cars congesting the street.
"This city is pretty beautiful." A man said in a British accent walking in. Lacey turned her chair and was surprised at how gorgeous the man in front of her was. He had to have been over 6'5 and he had blond hair and piercing green eyes. He was well built and his gray t-shirt and slacks complimented him in every way. He had an angular jaw and Lacey had the fleeting urge to run her lips across his white skin. Her eyes snapped to his and she saw a gorgeous smile light up his eyes. "I'm Rhys Wickliffe." He offered a hand across the desk. Lacey took it and smiled as well.
'He looks completely different than the back of his books.' Lacy thought shaking his hand, 'He has a good grip and he is gorgeous.' "I'm Lacey McNevin. Thank you for this opportunity, sir." She waved her hand to the seat in front of her and stood to close the door and give them some privacy. She sat in the office chair and looked over at him.
"Two things, Ms. McNevin, one: you earned this opportunity on your own merit there is no need to feel in my debt and two, please call me Rhys, sir makes me feel old."
"As long as you call me Lacey." She smiled at him.
"It's a deal. Now, straight to business. I'm really excited about this new novel. I'm going with my usual supernatural type of novel but it's going to involve romance. I read your story "Caught in the Crossfire" and even though it was incomplete I liked the sparks between the characters and how even though the main character was strong she was also weak in many ways."
Lacey nodded as her brain whirled in thought. "So you want a vampire story where the main character is a vampire and the love interest is a human?"
Rhys nodded. "That is exactly right. I also wanted to keep with my theme of vampires and the way that they have evolved, but I wanted a type of monarchy versus random covens all over the world."
Lacey nodded. She went into her desk and pulled out a pad of paper and started jotting down his ideas. She looked up from her pad when she was hit with a thought. "Romantic struggles or a devious enemy?"
Rhys looked at her in thought. "Why not both? Or would that be too dramatic."
"Not too dramatic, just enough so that the reader gets tossed and turned through the novel." Lacey said, picking up her pad and glancing over it. "The inevitable question has to be asked, do you want to turn the main character?"
"Maybe, we'll just have to see where the story leads us." He gave her a smile. "Okay, where do you think it should take place?" Lacey smiled at him as he spoke.
"Why not Europe, I mean we could use L.A. but that'd be predictable. How about a small town in the UK, or we can make one up." Rhys looked at her and then his eyes brightened.
"We don't need to fabricate. I know the perfect place. I was born near it and I used to visit to relax and it has a pretty small population of 7,000."
"Where?"
"Brecon, Wales."
"That sounds good and it is pretty small, I have to look up pictures to see what it looks like, but I'm pretty sure if you think it'll work, it will." Lacey wrote on the pad as she spoke.
"Great. Well now that I know that you will be working with me, I think that I should go let my literary agent know. How about we meet up for dinner and discuss this some more. Now that we know the area, we can get started on the character dynamics."
"That would be perfect. Where did you want to head out to?"
"I actually made us reservations at a little Thai restaurant I usually go to when I'm out and about in L.A."
"I love Thai, that'll be perfect."
"Great, I'll pick you up at your place at around six, then?"
"Sounds like a plan, I can't wait to get started."
Rhys stood and nodded, "Me either. I'll see you later, then."
She nodded. "Yes, you will." Rhys smiled as he walked out of the office and closed the door.
She smiled at the door and removed her glasses, 'God damn, he was sexy. Oh my God his accent! Boy, it's going to be hard to stay on task and keep it professional around him.' She thought slumping back into the chair. She mentally slapped herself. 'This is the chance for my big break. I can't get involved with him, even if his voice is like velvet to my ears. Shit, snap out of it Lacey, you need to be professional!' Lacey leaned forward and looked over the pad that she had just written everything down on. 'Time to get cracking.' She said to herself as she closed her eyes to imagine new ideas to bring up at dinner.
Ǻ
As soon as Rhys got Lacey's number and address from her secretary, he was out the door. He walked toward the crowded street and chose a number on his phone. He moved across the parking lot until he came up to the Mercedes. He threw himself in while the phone continued to ring.
"Yeah?"
"Jesus, some kind of mate you are you don't pick up the bloody phone when I call."
"I was sleeping, like most of the continent is you bloody sod."
"What a load of shit, it's only 8pm there."
"Yeah, I admit I was lying, would you like to know that I was just shagging some bird and you woke me from my post coital bliss. I do have a few hours until I have to go to work anyway."
"I'm sorry Owen, but I need some advice." He paused. "She's gorgeous. Utterly beautiful. How the bloody hell am I supposed to be around her for six months while we write this novel if I want to shag her bloody brains out?"
"Well, mate, if you like her go for it, screw professionalism."
"You're supposed to be telling me wok comes first, and lust comes later."
"Sorry to disappoint Rhys, but that's my opinion. You know I'm the totally wrong person to pose this to, I mean, I'm Owen."
"Yeah, well, fuck, I don't know. I'll call you later so you can get on with your conquest."
"Alright, bye Rhys."
"Bye."
Rhys closed the flap of his phone and tossed it into the seat next to him. He put the keys into the ignition and starting the car. He couldn't get the picture of her out of his head. Her red hair down and around her shoulders. He shook his head. I can't like her. We have to work together and that's that. Business. Nothing more.
"This is going to be interesting. . ." He said aloud pulling out of the parking lot.
Ǻ
Lacey had gotten home at six and she rushed to get a shower. She blow dried her hair while simultaneously sorting through her clothes for something to wear. She picked out a white v neck shirt that wasn't cut too low and a pair of black slacks that hugged her hips. She slid on her undergarments and her pants. She grabbed a brush and swept her hair into a messy but smooth half ponytail and pulled on her shirt. She had just slid into some flats when the apartment intercom buzzed. She ran over to it and pressed intercom.
"Hello?"
"It's Rhys."
"Come on up." She pressed the button next to it and held it for a couple of seconds before splashing on some perfume. She looked over her reflection in the mirror. Stupendous. She smiled and slathered on some clear lip gloss as she heard Rhys knock on the door.
"Come on in its open!" She yelled from the bathroom. She heard the door open and close and she looked over her appearance once more before she walked out. Rhys was standing in her living room wearing charcoal gray Dickie pants and a blue top that made his gorgeous eyes pop.
"Hey." He said watching her as she moved towards him.
"Hey. I just have to grab my glasses and my suitcase and we can go." Rhys nodded. Lacey smiled and moved through her room grabbing her suitcase and her glasses. She came out and saw Rhys standing in her white living room looking over one of her sister's paintings hanging on the wall.
"It's my sister's work. She gave it to me a couple of years ago. Do you like it?"
"Your sister is incredibly talented. I love it."
Rhys turned at her and gave her a smile. "I love it too." Her sapphire eyes looked into his emerald green eyes. They drew her in. She blinked and with a lot of mental scolding drew her face away from his. She cleared her throat and couldn't help the smile that broadened across her face.
"Ready?" Rhys asked seemingly oblivious to the moment that they had. Lacey nodded and headed towards the apartment door. She clicked the lights and held the door open for Rhys. After he exited she locked it and began to follow him out of the apartment complex. He moved towards his car and motioned for her to get in. She nodded and opened the door.
'Typical guy to be oblivious to the sparks that flew between us when we made eye contact,' she thought to herself grumpily as he pulled out of the parking space. She looked over at him.
"How hard is it to drive on the other side of the road?" She asked to break the silence.
"It's pretty confusing, but I've gotten used to it as many times as I've come out here." He responded taking minimal glances in her direction as he continued to steer the car. "You live so far from your job."
"Yeah, I live in Woodland Hills because L.A. really isn't an ideal living place for me. I don't really mind the commute."
"You grew up out here?"
She chuckled. "No, I grew up in Long Beach. My parents still live out there. I just chose to get away from the craziness. It's not horrible don't get me wrong but I just like it out here a little better. Where did you grow up?"
"Merthyr Tydfil, it is a little bit north of Cardiff in the southern UK. It was smile compared to here, but anything is small compared to most of the cities in Southern California. It's pretty much the opposite of L.A. Most of the UK despises it, but I love it. I still have my childhood home out there, but I spend most of my time in London because I'm always doing projects and signings out there." He paused. "I know this is a random question, but what race are you?"
Lacey laughed, "Don't worry I get it all of the time. I'm Irish and Black. I'm some freak of nature I know with the red hair and green eyes, and being black but I guess it works out."
"You're not a freak, the genes just garnered to your favor." Rhys flashed a devastating smile and she smiled right back. They sat in companionable silence as they drove the last five minutes to the restaurant.
Rhys pulled the car to a stop on an uncrowded side street. He smiled at her. "We're here."
Lacey smiled back and grabbed her suitcase and opened the door. They walked side by side towards this really tiny place that resembled a tiny shop from Chinatown. It had Thai letters across the top. Rhys opened the door and motioned for her to move forward. Rhys followed her into the dimly lit restaurant.
Lacey was shocked at how comfy and homey it felt. There was light jazz playing and there were twenty booths lining the walls. They all had a candle in the middle on top of a pristine white tablecloth. They walls were scarlet and there were several patrons in the restaurant already silently eating and chatting with each other.
Ǻ
While Lacey was so busy being amazed by the restaurant Rhys watched her face as it lit up as she took in his favorite L.A. restaurant. Rhys loved her smile and he had never noticed her sapphire eyes before. When they made eye contact it took all of his power to not ravage her mouth.
Rhys looked over and saw the hostess and he tapped Lacey's shoulder. She didn't drop her smile as he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the direction the hostess walked. He looked down and realized what he was doing and immediately removed his hand. Business.
They sat on opposite sides of the booth and the hostess took their drink orders and left them to decide on what they wanted to eat. Rhys decided on Pad Thai and he closed his menu and looked over at Lacey.
"What are you looking at?"
"Khao Phad."
"Ah, a classic. Did you want some soup? They make some great Wonton Noodle Soup."
"Yeah, that will be perfect."
She smiled again. God I love her smile. Shit. Business, Rhys! Rhys smiled back.
The waitress came with their drinks and they ordered. Lacey dug in her suitcase for the notepad. Rhys let out a breath happy that he could focus on work now.
"Did you check up on Brecon?"
"Yeah, I saw a couple of pictures. I think it will be perfect. You'll have to do most of the describing though, considering that you've been there and I haven't."
"About that, I usually stay in the town that I'm writing about, just to give more validity and substance to my settings and vibe of the place."
Lacey who was sipping her Thai iced tea nearly choked. "You mean you want us to go to the U.K. to write our novel?"
"If it's okay with you, that's what I usually do. I mean if you don't want to I understand."
"No, I just didn't expect that. I guess we could, I've just never been out of the country let alone on a plane. I have enough problems on elevators." Her eyes widened. "I can't believe I just told you that I'm agoraphobic." She slapped her hand against her forehead and closed her eyes.
"Don't worry about it, really." He paused and waited for her to open her eyes. "Want to know a secret? I have Coulrophobia, a fear of clowns."
Lacey's head shot up and she had a tiny smile, "Really, clowns?"
"Yeah I saw that Stephen King movie when I was younger and it really messed me up. I have a handle on it now though." Lacey looked at him and he could see her smile getting broader and the laughter dancing in her eyes. He smiled as she snorted and fell back in a fit of laughter. He started to laugh as well. Her laughter was contagious and it was like music to his ears. He threw his head back in laughter.
When they both got out all of their laughter the waitress came with their soup and they began to eat and get down to serious business.
"The main character will be a vampire, so I was thinking he could be British and his description would be: 6'5, Green eyes, a little muscular, sleek black hair, and he could be around 600 years old, is that okay?" Rhys smiled at her after shoveling a wonton into his mouth. He noticed that the character resembled him a little, but said nothing. He nodded.
"And then," she continued, "I was thinking that the girl could be either on vacation or studying abroad in Brecon. As far as the bad guy, he was the dude that turned our good guy against his will, and maybe he slaughtered his whole family beforehand and left him to suffer through grief for the rest of eternity."
"That's really great. I like it all. Did you want me to think of our heroin's description?" Lacey nodded. "Okay, maybe 5'5, deep blue eyes, A curvy body, she could be American and race she could be mulatto." Lacey took a bite of soup and started to scribble on her pad.
"Oh, a plot point?"
"Shoot." Lacey stated still writing.
"Heroin is staying at an inn with her best friend and the bad guy attacks and kills everyone. He takes a liking to her and saves her for last. He begins torturing her when good guy swoops in and saves her. Oh a potential angst point she doesn't know he is a vampire because she passes out from fright."
"Okay, I know the guy saves girl part is inevitable, but passing out from fear? Really now. Why doesn't she pass out from blood loss? She doesn't have to be so weak, Rhys. Other than that I like it." She looked up at Rhys and he nodded.
It was a really good idea to get her advice; this novel needed a female touch. The waitress came with the food and set the rice in front of Lacey and the shrimp and noodles in front of Rhys. He smiled and thanked her as she refilled his Orange Bang.
"Okay eat now, work later." Rhys stated putting his hand on top of Lacey's to stop her from writing on the pad. She looked up at him and exhaled in defeat and replaced her pen with a fork. They ate a little before either said anything.
"What about turning her right when he finds her because he has no choice? Turn or die."
Rhys raised an eyebrow. "Can you relax and eat for twenty minutes?"
Lacey exhaled and shoved some rice forcefully into her mouth. Rhys laughed and shoveled up some more noodles. "How many siblings do you have?" Rhys asked, sick of the silence. He always despised unnecessary silence.
"Oh there Victoria, the painter, and Jack, the lawyer. Do you have any siblings?"
"Nope, I was an only child. It was just my mom and me against the world, but I had a lot of friends when I was growing up and we're still pretty close today, we think of each other as brothers and not just mates. My best friend whom I've known since I was five is a bouncer at the hottest pub in London and he uses his position to shag everything that moves. It's pathetic really."
Lacey laughed into her rice and Rhys chuckled with her. "How old are you?"
"I'm 21; I've got about a month until I hit 22. You?"
"25."
"Okay, your book jackets are as cryptic as Homeland security, why is that?"
"I value my privacy, I use my real name but I try to stay really private. That's why I used an altered picture on the jacket."
"HA! I knew it!" Lacey exclaimed, and then covered her mouth as a set of giggles slid out. "I knew you didn't look like that picture. I mean you're my favorite author and I was shocked to not recognize you when you came into my office this morning."
Rhys raised an eyebrow. "I'm your favorite author?"
"Well yeah. I mean I love your novels. I'm glad you're branching out with your style though, it would really widen your vast fan base."
"Thanks." Rhys said pushing his plate next to the empty soup bowl and the leftovers.
"I'm done as well, so back to the question: Change or die?"
"I don't think the hero would want to put someone in same predicament as he was in, so I say no."
Lacey nodded, "Makes sense. And we need names too. You get the guy and I'll get the girl and we'll compromise with the bad guy, deal?" Rhys nodded.
"Okay how about Angelica, Ang for short?"
"That works, Andreis for our hero?"
"Oh, what does that mean?"
Rhys broke into a smile, "Rising of the sun."
Lacey shook her head and start chuckling. "I love it!"
"Evil guy could be Ianto?"
"I was thinking something else, how about Abhimakar? It's Hindu for a war starter."
"That's bloody perfect! Where did you learn that from?"
Lacey smiled, "I love history so I took a lot of classes when I was in school."
Rhys smiled, "Angelica, Andreis, and Abhimakar. Oh shite, they're all 'A' names."
"I think they fit perfectly."
"Me too. Let's keep them." He paused. "Are we going to still go to Brecon?"
"Yeah. We can talk to my boss about it tomorrow morning. He'll probably get us some cash so we can stay over there without going completely broke."
"I have a summer house where we can stay. I haven't been there in years, though."
"You know you're just full of surprises." Rhys smiled at her and grabbed the check before she could.
She opened her mouth and he cut off her protest, "I'll pay the check, and don't even think of trying to pay me back. I refuse to let you." Lacey furrowed her brow and frowned as he handed the waitress his card. She came back and he typed his pin into the machine. Five minutes they were in the car heading back to her apartment.
"That restaurant was amazing; I can't believe that no one knows about it. It's like a well kept secret."
Rhys laughed, "I love that about it, it's the perfect atmosphere to relax in."
Lacey nodded and laid her head on the window of the door. Rhys looked over and noted her relaxed posture and her steady breathing and smiled, she was asleep. She was beautiful and intelligent. She had no problem speaking her mind either when she stopped him from making Angelica weak in the novel. She just had this aura around her that made her irresistible.
Rhys turned onto the freeway and he couldn't help but look over at her again. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He smiled again and turned his attention back to the road. Ten minutes later they had pulled up to her apartment. Lacey was still asleep and Rhys hated waking her up, but he had to. He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Lacey we've arrived at your apartment." He couldn't help but admire her scent. It was fruity with a hint of roses.
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Lacey stirred and opened her eyes groggily. She looked out of the car and realized that they were sitting outside of her apartment building and that she had fallen asleep on the way back. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at Rhys who was leaning a little over the gear shift and Lacey felt like a complete idiot.
"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep. I didn't even realize I was tired."
"It's no problem, Lacey." Rhys clicked his seatbelt and hers. "I'll walk you in." Lacey opened her mouth to protest and was cut off again by Rhys, "I insist." Lacey nodded and grabbed her suitcase and stepped out of the car stretching. She walked forward and Rhys was by her side. She walked up the front door and unlocked it. She headed in and went right in the direction of her apartment. She got to her door and opened it.
"Did you want some coffee or anything?" She asked after yawning.
"I would rather you go to sleep before you fall down in the doorway." She chuckled and Rhys smiled. His smile was so handsome, He was so gorgeous. That's a face she would like to wake up to. She shook the thoughts from her head mentally, business.
"Thank you for the food. I really appreciate you paying for it. I had a really great time and I think this novel is turning out to be incredible." Lacey looked up at him, she should have worn heals, the lucky bastard was more than a head taller than her.
"I had a really great time too, and I think that it was a brilliant idea to enlist your help." Lacey smiled at his comment.
"I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow then, what time were you going to stop by?"
"About noon, I wanted to call some old friends and make sure everything is ready in Brecon for us when we get there."
"Great, I'll see you then, good night and thanks again."
Rhys nodded. "Sweet dreams, Lacey."
Lacey closed the door and out the locks in place. She smiled to the empty room. He is fucking hot; I can't believe he's that gorgeous. She practically skipped into her room throwing down her suitcase and glasses and stripping to get into the shower. Ten minutes later she was clad in her pajamas and her towel was wrapped around her hair. She had all of novel notes out on the bed and she was going over them.
This novel was going to great. It would be fun to write and it would also be interesting writing the romance scenes with Mr. Sexiness next to her, but it had to be done. She pulled the papers together and put the on her black nightstand. She squeezed her hair in the towel and took the towel off. She threw it in the general direction of her light switch and hit it. She mentally did a dance and she flopped under her covers for some much needed rest.