As soon as Zeke came strolling through the door, his eyes immediately zoomed in on Alexandra Crane. Ever since he had met her a few months ago, she had been nothing but a pain in the ass; a beautiful and hypnotizing pain, but a frustrating pain in the ass, nonetheless. He couldn't think straight when he was near her and couldn't get her off his brain when they were apart. Zeke didn't consider himself a cocky or arrogant person, but he'd always been confident in his abilities when it came to both his professional and personal life. Alexandra Crane had him shaky on both fronts now and he didn't know what the hell to do about it.
"I'm glad you could make it" Carlotta said.
Hoping that his staring at Alex hadn't been to obvious, Zeke tried to clear his head and smiled at Carlotta. He'd stopped just behind the chairs where Alex and Simone sat; but when Carlotta stood, he took a few steps forward between the chairs and shook her hand over the desk. "Thanks for having me".
"Thanks for coming" Carlotta responded. "Everyone, this is…."
"Zeke, what are you doing here" Alex asked, cutting Carlotta off. The one assurance she'd thought she had by leaving New York on such short notice was that she wouldn't have to deal with Zeke. Why the hell was he in Atlanta? Alex tried not to fidget but he was too close for comfort and her heart rate and body temperature was rising by the second. It had been fleeting, but she'd caught the intense stare Zeke had given her. Those golden-brown, almost cat like eyes had landed on her and she'd immediately felt trapped. Why did he have to be so damn attractive? Zeke was easily 6'3, with the muscular physique of a Greek God and the most charming smile. His flawless skin was the shade of coffee with just the right amount of cream in it and his jet-black hair was always tapered into the perfect fade. But what really got to Alex was how damn good he smelled; every time she saw Zeke, he never failed to smell amazing. Even now, his scent was invading her nostrils and driving her crazy. She was thankful when he finally took a step back.
"I'm here to help you produce the bonus tracks for the Take 3 album".
That announcement jolted Alex out of her foggy haze. She stood up. "What"?!
"I'm here…"
"I heard you the first time" Alex interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me"?
"The label asked me to keep it quiet. Carlotta wanted to surprise you with the good news first about the tour".
"When has that ever stopped you before? You still could have told me or given me a hint".
Yep, she was a real pain in the ass Zeke thought as he stared down into Alex's alluring face. So why did he want to kiss her so badly? Clearing his throat, he refocused and answered. "I tried to".
"What do you mean, you tried? Next time don't try, just do" Alex snapped.
"Then next time I call you, pick up the damn phone" Zeke snapped back before he could stop himself.
Alex's mouth gaped open. Seeing him had made her forget she'd been ignoring his phone calls since the last time she'd seen him. He'd been blowing her up and she'd hit ignore on every single call. Crossing her arms across her chest, she took a defensive stance. "You could have texted me".
Zeke looked Alex slowly up and down before he answered. He took a step closer to her. "I didn't think it was a conversation that should have been held over written messages. Something might have gotten lost in translation" he said carefully.
Alex knew he was talking about more than him being a co-producer on the bonus tracks. But she didn't want to have that conversation. It was why she had felt so relieved at being asked to come to Atlanta; to avoid having that conversation with him. She shifted uncomfortably. "I think I would have caught your meaning" she said with a bravado she didn't feel.
"You think so"? Zeke put his hands in his pockets to keep him from doing something impulsive; like grabbing her.
His closeness was affecting her. But Alex managed to push out a shaky breath and reply "Yes".
Zeke took another step. "I'm not so sure. There was too much to say".
Alex wanted to respond but she was too captivated by Zeke's mouth. His full lips were beckoning to her, promising to do things that would have her floating for days; and she knew they could deliver.
After a moment of awkward silence, Carlotta finally interjected. "Okay, now that we've established that you two know each other, why don't I introduce you to the rest of the room".
Alex felt like she had been physically shocked. As soon as Zeke had entered the room, she'd forgotten about everyone else in the office. While Carlotta made introductions, she sat back down in the chair and tried not to feel embarrassed.
"….and lastly, this is Simone" Carlotta finished.
"We've met a couple of times when I visited Alex in New York. He's helping her on her solo project as well" Simone smiled slyly. "It's good to see you again, Zeke".
"You too, Simone. Nice to see a familiar face". He turned to Carlotta; he needed to get out of there ASAP before he really lost his cool. "I don't want to be impolite, but I was about to head into the studio when you called me to come up here. Do you mind? Or am I needed for the rest of the meeting"?
"No, I understand. Go". Carlotta took a brief glance at Alex before she continued. "We'll just set up a session for you and Alex later this week to get started on the tracks. Since you already have a working relationship, I'm sure the two of you can iron out all the details on your own time".
"Great, thank you. It was great to meet all of you. I look forward to working with everyone in the coming weeks". Zeke glanced down at Alexandra to try to get a feel for what she was thinking, but she wouldn't look up at him. He sighed before putting a smile back on his face and waving as he exited the office to a chorus of goodbyes from the rest of the crowd.
Alex wanted to get one more glance at Zeke as he left but she didn't trust herself. Their heated discussion in front of everyone proved she had no impulse control around him. She needed to focus on business. "So, what is our schedule going to look like for the coming weeks" Alex asked, trying to ease back into her professional mode.
No one answered.
"Is anyone going to answer me" Alex asked, shifting uncomfortably when she looked around the room and discovered all eyes were on her.
Star, being the uncouth and blunt person she was, wasted no time and went for the jugular. "You fucked him, didn't you"?
Annoyance outweighing embarrassment, Alex said "Star, shut up".
"That would be a yes" Miss Bruce laughed.
"Bruce" Alex exclaimed. "Are you seriously entertaining her right now? This is a business meeting. Shouldn't we be discussing business"?
"Says the woman who just got into an argument with one of our producers" Simone smirked.
The betrayal. Alex was going to kill her when they talked in private later. "Simone, that was not an argument. It was a…. misunderstanding" she hedged.
"Oh, I didn't know misunderstandings were filled with so much sexual tension" Simone teased. "And don't even bother pretending to be mad at me. We'll discuss it later".
Alex blew out a frustrated breath and slumped back in the chair. As usual, Simone was right. She wasn't really upset with her. She was mad at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her; especially in front of her family.
"Was the sex really that good"? Carlotta rarely commented or shared her opinions about the girls' personal lives. Even during the Alex/Noah/Star fiasco, she'd kept her mouth shut unless it affected business. But in this case, she couldn't help but be amused. Zeke had turned Alex into a nervous wreck.
Looking up in shock, Alex gasped. "What"?!
"Girl you are frazzled, and you haven't stopped bouncing your right leg up and down ever since he left the room. Whatever he put on you was powerful".
"The last time I checked, we were here to discuss business. So, you guys just let me know when you're ready to get back to that. I'll wait. "Alex said, avoiding the question.
Everyone in the room looked at Alex expectantly, making it clear that they weren't going to change the subject until she answered Carlotta's question. Alex sighed and finally gave in. "Five, okay? Five".
"What is that supposed to mean" Carlotta asked, looking confused.
"He gave me five orgasms. Does that answer your question"?
"In one night"?!
"Yes".
"Damn" Star nodded, approving. "I'd be a little frazzled after that too", she said as she bounced little Jordan up and down on one of her knees.
"Girl, you better hold onto him" Miss Bruce laughed.
Simone looked bewildered. "I didn't even know that was possible".
Alex rubbed the back of her neck and tried to relax her shoulders. "Okay, guys. I answered the question. For the love of God, can we please get back to business".
"Okay, we'll get back to business" Carlotta agreed. "But first, I need to know if you're going to be able to work with him, Alex. Whatever is going on between the two of you is clearly unresolved. Is that going to affect your production and your ability to work with him".
"No".
"Are you sure" Carlotta asked skeptically.
"Yes, I'm sure" Alex lied. She actually had no idea what was going to happen, but she'd come too far to let one man throw her off course. She'd find a way to make it work.