Lessons for Lexi by Charlene McSuede Page B

don’t
bother giving me one of those judgmental looks, Virginia. You know I can’t see them.” Althea
continued to work on her bouquets. “If I’m going to work on these horrible
things all day, I’m going to have fun while I do it.”
    Faith tossed her hair. “Well, I never
drink. It’s terrible for your complexion.”
    Lexi nodded. “It’s working. You don’t
look a day over 35.”
    “I’m 29.”
    “Oops, sorry,” but Lexi didn’t sound
sorry as she walked off to the liquor cabinet, her step just a bit lighter than
it had been before.”  

 
    ***

 
    JT sat in the kitchen of Althea’s home
and checked his watch for what felt like the tenth time. It had been a week
since Alex had confronted him and she’d managed to sidestep him ever since. It
was the first day he’d gone back to check on the property. Regardless of his
relationship with Alex, he still felt responsible for keeping an eye on the
house. As he’d suspected, the pot plants had been removed from the premises.
The house was orderly and neat. The only thing out of order was the occupants.
They were missing. It wasn’t too unusual. It was only 8 pm and it was a
Saturday. But at the same time, it was also his elderly old blind aunt and two
flaky bohemians.
    As much as JT tried to avoid it, he
kept thinking about Alex. His mind kept going back to the night at his
apartment, the way she’d felt underneath him. He went over her punishment again
and again in his mind, always pausing at the same point. While he’d been
smacking her ass, she’d turned around at one point and looked at him. There had
been something in her eyes. Some kind of trust there that told him while she
didn’t like being punished, she knew she needed it. That she trusted him to do
it.
    It had only lasted a moment, but he
couldn’t forget it. He didn’t believe he’d imagined it. But then again, maybe
he was. His sexual chemistry with Alex was off the charts. It was why he’d
spanked her in the first place. Why he’d been more aroused to find that she’d
broken the rules than angry. He shook his head and chalked it up to crazy
sexual chemistry along with a need for a change. He tried to tell himself he was
relieved that he hadn’t destroyed a suitable relationship for it.
    Alex had kept her promise. She hadn’t
said a word to Faith, or even spoken to her since the planning party. He liked
Faith, he was comfortable with her and they had built a life together. He
wasn’t going to throw it all away for a couple of nights of sexual chemistry with
a woman who was a bit too wild for his liking.
    He had learned about the wild part from
Faith when she’d returned home from the party. Apparently, not only had Alex
gotten drunk, she’d gotten everyone at the party drunk. Judging from the amount
of empties he’d seen in the garage, the party hadn’t stopped since.
    “Oh, JT!” His aunt was
stumbling into the room on Alex’s arm, wobbling heavily. Alex dropped her into
a chair. “I didn’t know you were coming by tonight!” Every sentence was
excited, like she’d been waiting months to see him. “We just had the most
delightful evening.”
    He locked eyes with Alex. “Is she
drunk?”
    Alex nodded somberly and burst into
drunken laughter herself. “After we got kicked out of bingo, we hit a leather
bar. It was a time.”
    “Where’s Radford?”
    “Oh, yeah
‘Radford’.” Alex made quote marks in the air and then stumbled into a
chair herself. “He picked up a dude. They went back to his place so ‘Radford’
can paint him in the nude.”
    “Radford can paint?”
    “Not even remotely.” Alex tilted her
head. “What are you doing here?”
    “Just came to check on you.”
    “Well, we’re fine and I moved the
plants, so I guess you can go.”
    JT’s hand was itched to redden her
backside. In fact, if it wasn’t for her threat to tell Faith they’d slept
together, he’d be testing one of the wooden spoons in the pantry on her bottom
instead of