rebellion ; charlie puth

eight ; lexi

I had almost got away with it. Almost.

The meeting was over by the time we left. Surprisingly, nobody batted an eyelash in my direction. I had quickly gone to my office to retrieve a pair of flats, because without them, I wouldn't be able to walk. My skills with heels would only carry me so far before I fell on my ass, and I wanted to keep what I had just done a secret from my father.

"Where have you been, Alexandria?" His deep voice boomed through the empty hallway.

So much for a secret.

Swallowing thickly, I shuffled on my feet, my palms sweating a bit as footsteps drilled anxiety into me. Only one thing could make this worse—

"Mr. Angelo Kage, it is so nice to finally meet you." I could nearly hear his smirk as he spoke. Charlie walked like he had done nothing wrong at all, wearing a proud smile. Hazel eyes sparkling, he stepped next to me, turning in my direction. "Oh Lexi, pleasure to see you again."

Standing between them was like having the trigger to start a cold war. A shiver went down my spine as I realized I should say something. Before I could, Charlie looked at me, his eyes widening just a bit. His hand touched his neck and I instantly understood. The marks he left on me were showing.

I moved to cover them, but it was much too late.

My father didn't say a single word for a second, fury in his eyes as he turned to Charlie.

"You fucking—" He started forward towards him, his big strides closing the area between us rapidly. Panic arose in my chest, my impulses speaking for myself. My heels fell from my hands as I stepped between the two of them like I could stop my father from exploding. "And you." He turned towards me, wrath in his eyes. It felt as if a missile had been redirected in my direction with his dark eyes looking at me. He didn't stop walking towards me, his fists balled, but I stood my ground.

"You're walking up on her like you're going to put your hands on her." Charlie said, raising an eyebrow. I shot him a look; he was pushing it at this point. "Because, Mr. Kage, this isn't the best place to discuss these... matters." A few business partners of the company walked past us with my father's assistant and gave us a friendly look, but I could tell that they were inquisitive.

The assistant told the partners not to wait up before quietly telling Angelo something that seemed to catch his attention.

"We are not through with this, Alexandria." He fumed, but his eyes were glued to Charlie's. I could tell that Charlie's cool and cocky expression challenged my father, but he couldn't focus on it right now. He turned and walked away.

I stood there in horror for a few seconds, the unease still lingering in the air.

"That went well." Charlie said, looking legitimately proud of himself.

Furiously, I shook my head at him. "Unbelievable." I muttered under my breath, leaving to pick up my keys from the valet booth. I made my way towards the nearest exit, determined to get as far away from this kid as I could. I heard him calling after me, but I ignored him my entire way out.

At this point, people were full on staring at me, but my vision tunneled. The remark he gave my father stayed glued on my mind, pestering my thinking.

You're walking up on her like you're going to put your hands on her.

Who the hell was he to try and defend me? Holding my own was my job; I've been doing it for years now. That kid is losing his damn mind if he thinks he can do that. Every time I replayed the thoughts in my mind, my blood boiled more. Wanting the sex was one thing, but wanting me was something totally different and it was something I faithfully didn't want.

But at this point, I didn't know what I wanted.

As I got outside, my hands were shaking. I got to my car and fumbled with my keys, the wind blinding me. The air felt humid and electrifying, like an impending storm was rolling in. I paid it very little attention as I fought to find my key to get away from here as quick as I could.

"Lexi." Charlie said, finally catching up to me. Startled, I dropped my keys on the ground, watching them roll into the gutter.

"Shit." I hissed, hitting the hood of my car. I turned around to face him, anger bubbling in my chest. "What do you want?" I demanded, my words clipped. His hazel eyes studied me, his emotions unreadable being clouded by my own. As if nobody else was around, he reached forward and kissed my lips, his hand using the side of my neck to pull me closer to him.

I didn't want to admit it, but it felt amazing. I didn't want to stop. My tongue met his, tasting the remnants of what we did earlier. My hands ran up his chest, wanting his firm body to touch me more.

A crackle of booming thunder grounded me. I pushed him away, making him stumble from being caught off guard.

"Outside? What's wrong with you?" I shouted at him, my eyes wide with disbelief of what I just did. He moistened his lips and took a step back. "Do you want people to see this?"

He didn't answer me. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Who the hell are you calling?" I demanded.

He turned around and simply said, "A cab."

I sat there dumbfounded for a second, echoing his words. "A cab?" I said in disbelief, but he didn't answer me. Angrily, I snatched his phone and hung it up.

"Too spoiled to take a cab Sunshine?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and looking me directly in the eye.

Is he serious?

"I'm not spoiled." I snapped, stomping my foot on the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking victorious, like I had just proved his point. "You made me drop my keys into the gutter!"

"I'd quiet down Sunshine, people are watching." He said, looking behind me. I turned around, and just like that, there were people giving us looks from across the road. I exhaled, trying to keep my cool when it felt like there was lightning running through my veins. I turned back to him, meeting his eyes, silently waiting for a solution.

"I'll get your keys back. Until then, go inside, it's about to rain." His response was calm and almost promising, but the commanding tone he took with me set me off.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" I shot at him, my hands balling into fists to stop them from shaking.

A crackle of lightning was followed by a sudden shower, drenching the two of us.

Such perfect timing.

Charlie looked up at the sky, his hair damp and flattening with rain water. His smirk seemed to say, 'I told you so'. He looked back at me, realizing that I, too, was becoming soaked in the rain. In the misty light, I saw his eyes dilate as he traced me, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down. If there was any way my dress could get any tighter, it did. My hair clung closely to my neck and shoulder, and water dripped from down my face. His eyes fell to my breasts, and I knew in the cold, my nipples had hardened. With him looking at me the way he was, it was hard to keep my distance from him. My lips were hot from his touch and I wanted it back.

That was my biggest problem.

Finally, his hazel eyes broke contact with me, getting a hold on his surroundings. Even with chilly and wet wind blowing through his hair, he took off his suit jacket and handed it to me. Even though I didn't want to put it on, I wrapped it around me as soon as the rainy breeze hit my bare skin, the freezing water stinging my arms.

Without saying another word, I went around him and walked back inside my workplace.