Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding 2)

"Yeah Lex," Seth began. Lexi cringed at the pet name. She still couldn't hear it from anyone without feeling slightly sick. "Can you believe we did all this for him, and he didn't even come out with us?" Seth asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, actually I can," she murmured just loud enough to be heard over the music playing through the hidden speakers. She certainly believed that Ramsey would reroute their rendezvous to come to New York City. She highly doubted he had even given two thoughts to the shift since money wasn't an issue. He just did exactly what he wanted, and apparently, this time around, it had been to come see her.

"So we just wanted to get you out here," Seth told him gesturing around to the naked women and hundreds of bottles of alcohol that lined the bar. His meaning was clear – why wouldn't you want to be here?

"I feel as if I've been to one of these before. It's not the highlight of my evening." Seth's eyes widened in response. "I had better things to do until you called and told me that things had gone south. So, please, don't tell me that you interrupted my evening for absolutely no reason."

"I mean we had a reason," Seth said stretching the truth only slightly. "We wanted you out with us. You're a fun guy," he told Ramsey clapping him on the back. Lexi was surprised Seth could be that affectionate or even that forgiving after Ramsey had hoisted him up off of his feet by the collar of his shirt. She was pretty sure if it had been anyone else, a fight would have broke out. Now he was acting as if they were old friends. He was trying to play it off as if he had done Ramsey a favor by lying to him rather than completely ruining his night.

"And everything is alright with Jack? Someone didn't steal all of your money?" Ramsey asked fire in his voice.

Seth smiled impishly. "Nah, Jack is perfectly content, if you know what I mean," Seth said with a wink for emphasis.

Lexi's stomach rolled at the comment. Of course Jack would be in a back room with a stripped for his bachelor party. It only made sense that that would happen. And really she didn't care that it was happening. It was more the fact that this right of passage really solidified in her mind that he was really going to go through with this. He was really going to marry Bekah. A woman so detestable, she would do literally anything to stay on top.

"Yes, I know," Ramsey said seeing Lexi's skin pale at the comment.

Lexi's skin suddenly pricked up and all the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew someone was watching her. She could feel the eyes from across the room. As her gaze found who was blatantly staring at her, her heart melted. "Jack," she murmured barely audible to the outside world.

Even from across the room, she knew that he wanted her. It was such an intense emotion, one that she was very accustomed to, that she could tell instantly where his mind was. She didn't think it helped that he was both drunk and likely incredibly horny from the strippers antics.

The rest of the group caught on as Jack made his way across the room. "Hey man how was it?" Luke asked as Jack passed him.

"Do you need more cash?" Hunter questioned him digging around in his pockets for some to give him if necessary.

Jack stopped in front of Lexi without acknowledging the rest of the group. Lexi could feel Ramsey tensing next to her, but she couldn't look away. It was like they were on the beach again when she had expected to see him. He was a vision that day drenched in sunlight and full of energy. He was looking at her the same way as if she weren't real, as if he had conjured her up out of thin air.

"Lex," he huskily muttered.

"Jack," she acknowledged not tearing her eyes from his crystal clear blue gaze filled with desire. She wanted to hold onto the disdain she felt for him that afternoon when she found out he was engaged. She wanted to feel the chains being broken and her release from his enslavement. She tried to hold onto that, but his eyes were just calling out to her.

She took a deep breath and moved to take a step backwards, a step out of his reach. Just as she moved, he stepped right into her personal zone and circled his arm around her. She gasped at the sudden movement and the feel of his arms around her.

Jack picked Lexi up off her feet as he straightened. Grappling for support, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. As this happened, her head dropped down to the crook between his shoulder and his neck and she breathed in sharply. His familiar scent filled her nostrils and she reflexively sighed out pleasurably. He smelled exactly the same. It was the exact scent of sex. She hadn't realized but when she thought about sex this was the smell that came to mind.

For just a brief moment, that scent carried her back in time. She was where she was supposed to be. Jack was pressed against her, his lips pressed to her neck as he nuzzled close to her. His fingers grasped her thin waist digging into the silky red material. She could close her eyes and remember a simpler time when this had been her world, her source of happiness.

Even though it had been a year, she couldn't keep her instincts in check not with his body pressed so tightly against her. Her body knew what Jack was capable of doing to her and just out of basic desire, it wanted that. With him so close to her, she couldn't imagine another time before this moment. Her world was right side up again and all the difficulties she had struggled with for a year were stripped away.

Her heart was racing, and if she pulled away just fractionally, she knew his lips would be on hers. The alcohol coming out of his pores was too strong and his inhibitions were mostly thrown out the window around her. She knew that she hadn't been capable of resisting him before. Her brain thick with the memories of past desires didn't want to think of a reason to pull away.

Then, suddenly, all the sights and sounds of where she was and what she was doing came crashing down on her. The music seemed too loud and her ears popped as they adjusted to her brain waking up from its daze. The beer and whiskey clearly potent mingled in with the stale smell of the strip club. She gasped into his shoulder as the smell of sex, which had been so enticing just a moment ago, completely overwhelmed her. Her body reacted instantly to his touch, and she knew that she needed to get away from him. Her mind had finally caught up with what she was allowing to happen, and she forcefully shoved him away from her.

Her breathing was coming out in rapid spurts, and she thought she might hyperventilate if she didn't calm down. She glanced at Ramsey and tried not to over-analyze the disappointed look on his face. She just needed to calm herself down enough to be able to give a proper response to Jack's appearance.