The Desire Variable | Rewrite

⸻ TWENTY-EIGHT ⸻

I'm so not ready for this. Public speaking isn't my thing and adding to that, I slept poorly. Also, I'm horny.

As we're all having breakfast together, two and a half hours from the conference, what's about to happen really dawns on me. The guys are peachy, aside from Mace who looks a little off, and I sit there, alone in anguish. My breathing grows short, the lump in my throat so intense it's painful to swallow. My vision's blurry, and I understand my eyes are watering. I'm having the worst case of stage fright, even though I'm far from being near the stage.

Oliver's the first one to notice. "Andy, are you okay?"

I look up from my bacon and eggs, only to see everyone's attention is on me. Pride wants me to say yes, but playing it off doesn't feel right, so I shake my head. We need to find another solution. I can't do this.

"Anything we can do to help?" Brian asks. As suspected, his eye is still swollen and even darker than yesterday. It serves as a harsh reminder that there is no other solution.

I look at the guys, wishing they could help, but there's only one person who might be able to help right now. My gaze stops on Lex, and whatever silent plea I give him, he gets it.

"Shit," Lex mutters, getting up from his chair. "I'll take care of this. You can head to the convention center and start the day normally. We'll meet you backstage half an hour before the presentation." Ignoring the guys around us, he wraps his hand around my arm. "Come with me." I obey, a surge of anguish overtaking me. He lets go once I'm up to press his hand on my upper back instead.

"Do you want me to come?" Oliver offers.

Lex doesn't answer for a moment, and it takes me a few more seconds to get that Oli isn't asking him. He is asking me. I shake my head and smile reassuringly, not trusting my voice.

The professional and detached facade stays on all the way to the elevator. However, as soon as the doors close behind us, he pulls me close and wraps his arms around me comfortingly. In his strong embrace, I rapidly relax, his warm and solid form reassuringly familiar.

"Andrea, I don't want to force you to do this if you feel like it's too much," he says, his chin resting on top of my head. "I thought you had it in you, or I would have never insisted."

"I—I'm sorry. I can do it." I pause, wrapping my arms around him. "I'm just so scared I'll mess something up and bring shame to the company, myself, or you."

"You can do no wrong," he promises, moving away to meet my eyes. "I've heard your pitch twice already, and it's brilliant. You'll nail this, Andrea." I nod, already feeling a little better about all this. "What can I do to help?" he asks.

I can't believe what I'm about to say, but here I go. "There's one way you can help me unwind."

There must be something in the look I give him that's very eloquent because he instantly gets what I have in mind. The elevator doors open to the seventh floor, but we stay in it as Lex presses the fifth button.