Free Vain - Part Two (The Vain Series Book 2) by Deborah Bladon Page B

to see if he could meet with the buyer and he mentioned you."
    Holy shit. Goddamn my life to hell.
    "We met briefly in Paris." It's not a complete lie. We had only met briefly the first day we met in the park. The next day we were in bed in my flat.
    "He'll be here tomorrow night for the reception for the donors." She turns to leave the staff room. "He asked specifically for you to be here. It starts at seven."
     
    ***
     
    "No. I don't see why you need to mention it, Lex." Kayla shakes her head from side-to-side as she lies on my bed.
    "No?" I sigh deeply. "You don't think it's a lie of omission?"
    "Tell me everything you know about Noah Foster. Go."
    "What?" I move quickly and the sudden shift in weight causes her to roll to the side.
    "Go," she repeats as she sits up straight.
    "He's twenty-nine, hot, a photographer, his father's name is Ron, he lives downtown and he was stabbed." I stop short, not wanting to share Noah's confession about the night he was injured.
    "That's it?"
    "I guess." I search my mind for any other telling details. I'm not sure she needs to know that he's fucked hookers, has a friend named Arianna and knows some chick named Camilla who needs his help.
    "He knows way more about you," she points out. "He even knows about your last lover."
    "That's true." She's right. He does know much more about my life than I know about his. I wish he would share more but I know that the skeletons in his closet haunt him in a much deeper and profound way.
    "What are you two anyway?"
    "As in?" I lead her into a more detailed response.
    "As in do you just fuck or is there something more?"
    "There's something more." I relax my back. "We’re getting closer. There's a lot I don’t understand though."
    "Don't tell him about Beck." She shifts her body so she's facing me directly. "I'll go with you tomorrow. I'll keep Beck occupied and we'll be out of there before eight."
    She makes it sound so easy. In the back of my mind, I know there's no way in hell I'll be escaping an evening with Brighton Beck unscathed.
     
    ***
     
    "What are your plans after graduation, Alexa?" Brighton stands next to me. I'd dodged him to this point while he was preoccupied with the couple who purchased his painting from the auction. It was five minutes to eight and Kayla's prediction had just fallen to the wayside.
    I throw Kayla a hurried glance across the room but her feet don't move from where she's standing. She's been pulled into a discussion with one of the donors about a potential job after she graduates with her business degree. I now wish I would have continued standing next to her, listening to them banter about projections and forecasts. "To teach." The words slide across my lips as much to appease Brighton as to stop the gossipmongers that seemed to live in the hallways of the school. I can't let my co-workers see me break apart at the seams because I'm standing less than a foot away from the man who betrayed me.
    "Here?" It's a follow up response that I should have anticipated. Part of me hoped that I'd find some opening in the circle of teachers and I'd be able to duck into the background and slither out to Kayla's car without another word. Brighton's not about to let that happen.
    "As much as I love everyone here…"I manage a smile over my clenched teeth." I love it here but there won't be any open positions in the fall. I'll just apply to be a substitute."
    "I heard that there's a waiting list for that," Natalie interjects. "You may need to move to another state to find something."
    "Great." I sigh deeply. Now everyone in the vicinity knows that I've wasted the past four years of my life on a career that has absolutely no good prospects.
    "I'm on the board of a grade school in Paris." Brighton's hand jumps to my forearm. "It's a bilingual school, Alexa. I can guarantee you a job there."
    "Oh wow." The thrill in Natalie's voice is evident. "What I wouldn’t give to get a job in Paris. Alexa, you're going, right?"
    I slowly pull my