Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding 1)

"Brandon," she repeated placing the card delicately into her purse.

"I hope everything works out for you. If Jack doesn't help, just let me know. I'm in office 2404. Stop in anytime," he told her invitingly.

"Well, uh, thanks," she said stepping through the door.

"No problem. What's your name?" he asked smoothly as she passed through the sliding doors.

"Lexi. Lexi Walsh," she said as she disappeared down the hallway. When she glanced over her shoulder, he was still standing there staring after her. Something had changed in his look and his mouth was hanging slightly open. She wasn't sure what that was about, but she couldn't concentrate on that now. He had played his part and now she needed to bridge the distance between her own troubles.

She followed Brandon's directions and found a blonde, no surprise there, sitting at a desk in front of a large corner office. "May I help you?" the woman asked looking up from her computer screen. She had a British accent, impeccably white teeth, and perfectly fake br**sts revealed in her low cut blouse.

"Is Jack in?" Lexi asked smirking at the predictability of the woman's appearance.

"Indeed. However, Mr. Howard is not taking appointments today." She looked down at her screen, scrolled through a program, then glanced back up. "I believe I can squeeze you in Thursday afternoon if that works for you darling."

Lexi scoffed. "Um, no I leave this afternoon and I need to see him now."

"I'm sorry that would simply be impossible. Perhaps when you are next in town then," she stated simply. Lexi rolled her eyes and walked around the desk completely ignoring the girl. "Ma'am you cannot go in there."

"Sorry. I need to see him," she said rushing to the door. "Jack can I come in?" Lexi asked knocking swiftly on the large wooden door. "You're…uh…secretary said you were in," she took another glance at the leggy blonde behind her who was just now getting out of her seat to stop her.

"Ma'am he is unavailable," Gwen said standing with her hands on her hips in frustration. "You can't just barge in there."

"Oh is it not locked?" Lexi asked smiling devilishly as she turned the handle and the door popped open.

"Stop, you're going to get me in trouble," Gwen cried rushing after her.

"Jack," Lexi murmured seeing him sitting behind his desk.

"Gwen I thought I told you no visitors this afternoon," Jack muttered not even glancing up from his desk.

Lexi's determination wavered at the sight of him. He was wearing a tailored navy blue suit over a crisp white button up. The top button was undone and his navy and silver neck tie was pulled loose. His dark hair fell over his eyes as he scanned through a report bound in a plastic cover with the Bridges Enterprise emblem displayed upon the front. She couldn't even look past him to check out his amazing office she was so utterly bound by his appearance and commanding presence.

"Sir, I certainly did not let her in. This young lady just barged in demanding that she see you." Gwen gave Lexi a death glare.

"Well see her out," Jack said still not looking up. Gwen moved forward and latched onto Lexi's arm. She attempted to veer her out of the room, but Lexi wouldn't budge. When she started yanking on her arm, her long fingernails digging into her skin, Lexi couldn't take it any longer. Jack still hadn't looked up at her.

"Jack honestly," Lexi cried standing her ground.

"Lex?" he asked apparently extremely surprised to see her standing in his office.

"You know this woman, sir?" Gwen asked dropping her hands and placing them behind her back promptly. She looked between them with poisonous daggers shooting sparks at Lexi's back. She was not too pleased that he knew Lexi. Somehow this didn't surprise Lexi. She wondered if Jack had been sleeping with this woman. The anger at the possibility of him diddling his secretary reminded Lexi why she was there in the first place. She and Jack had a score to settle, and it had to happen today, right now.

"Yes Gwen. It's fine. You can go," he said dismissing her without breaking his gaze which was still set on Lexi.

"Yes sir," Gwen said bitterly, turning on her designer heels and stalking out the door.

"The door," Jack called out to Gwen.

She stepped back into the room and yanked the handle slamming the door shut. "Well she's…something, isn't she?" Lexi asked smirking.

Jack rolled his eyes and set his papers down on his desk. Lexi took that opportunity to really take in her surroundings. Just like the outside, the entire perimeter of the office was cased in glass overlooking the city. The view was spectacular and at night time, Lexi could only assume, it would be even better. A large bookshelf was covered with material pertinent to his work as well as the only picture frames Lexi had seen in Jack's presence since her arrival. One picture in a metal frame of him and Bekah vacationing somewhere on the coast stood out to Lexi. Another picture of Jack with the guys in Las Vegas was framed. His diploma was mounted onto the wall in a stunning frame with a red, black, and white tassel displayed alongside it.

Lexi's eyes moved to the other side of the room which opened up to a bathroom. But what caught her eyes wasn't the fact that he, in fact, had his own bathroom in his office. Rather was the picture frame that took up the majority of the opposite wall. Her heart clenched as she stared at the picture she had described to Jack less than a week earlier. A picture he had claimed to have gotten rid of because he couldn't look at it any longer. The frame was different than the original and as she approached wide-eyed she noticed that indeed there were a few minor tears in the print, but nothing that took away from the beauty of the shot. The black and white photograph highlighted the beauty of a small creek with an old wooden bridge across the natural barrier. Hundreds of pine trees as tall as the eye could see surrounded the scene just as the sun was rising across the horizon.

Just as she remembered it. This was her favorite picture. Jack's favorite picture. He hadn't been able to get rid of it despite everything.

"It's still here," she whispered glancing back at Jack. He was shuffling some papers around on his large mahogany desk, but glanced up at the sound of her voice.

"I had it reframed and brought up here from Savannah earlier this week," he told her attempting to keep the emotion out of his voice.