Reckless (Renegades 1)

A woman who didn’t want to talk about herself? Now that was definitely different for Jax. And a welcome change.

JAX: I was working the escort angle. But I’d like to know a little more about you before I say yes.

UNKNOWN: You must be a salesman.

JAX: Another good guess. I have been known to sell an Otter Pop or ten to Eskimos. But back to us, my problem is that I could be chatting up an eighty-year-old transvestite. We should probably get a few things straight if we’re going to continue this flirtation.

UNKNOWN: There is no us…yet. And we’re just chatting.

The “yet” gave Jax a little zing in his gut. Yet while part of him found this exciting, another part found it incredibly…pathetic…somehow.

JAX: Discussion of toys in one’s pockets, drooling over one’s hot…er…jacket, insinuating the pleasure of tasting one’s personal places…that would have to fall into the flirting category.

UNKNOWN: Oh my. I did do all that, didn’t I? I’ve passed more comfort zones than I’d realized. I suppose I have to admit to flirting.

JAX: Great, now that we’ve got that straight…you are female, correct?

UNKNOWN: Correct. You are straight, correct?

That made Jax laugh out loud. From his peripheral vision, he noticed a few people look over at him. But, again, in the next moment, he puzzled, wondering if the woman truly didn’t recognize him or if she was pretending not to recognize him. He’d had women play the strangest games and do the strangest things over the years, all because in their own twisted minds, they thought it would make them more attractive to him.

But Jax was a firm believer that he couldn’t win if he wasn’t in the game. He was also fully prepared to strike out, and he had a bevy of let-down lines cued in the event that this went wrong.

JAX: Correct. You are not involved with a significant other, correct?

UNKNOWN: Nice question, and correct. You’re scoring quite a few points, Biker Boy. And you?

Jax quirked a grin.

JAX: Biker Boy?

UNKNOWN: Sorry, a nickname, since I don’t know your name.

JAX: Uninvolved. What’s your name? Do you live here?

UNKNOWN: Lexi. I do. How about you?

JAX: You hacked me…why don’t you already know that information?

UNKNOWN: I told you I didn’t hack you. Okay, not really. I’m testing an app for my friend who’s a programming wizard. She put in privacy guards, so I can’t see any of your personal information.

This was wild. Just a peek at what Jax already knew went on every day in the cyber world. If he thought about how many different ways his privacy was breached by legal and illegal entities, he’d be a paranoid lunatic. And he had enough problems.

UNKNOWN: You don’t have to tell me your name. I’ll still talk to you as Biker Boy.

Jax laughed and took a second to reassign her ID with her name. This was a good time to give her his and see how she reacted.

JAX: Lexi’s nice. Sexy and smooth. Beautiful and playful. Maybe even a little naughty. I’m Jax.

He watched his phone in anticipation. This would be the test. If she’d been lying about knowing who he was, feigning ignorance, she’d be disappointed by his name. Jax was his middle name. During his acting years, he’d gone by Bentley, his given name. When he’d left acting to start Renegades, he’d gone back to Jax, the name he’d used growing up.

LEXI: You’ve got to be kidding me.

Damn. His stomach tensed with disappointment. She’d had such promise. Well, this wasn’t the first time he’d been wrong. Especially about a woman.

JAX: Nope. Jaxon. People call me Jax. Why?

He braced for anger at the discovery that she’d wasted her time flirting with someone who wasn’t who she’d thought.