Bound By Deception Freed By Love

Just then, Phyna's desk phone started ringing. She rushed over to answer it while making a big show of her speed, as she remarked, “I bet that’s him again. It's a good thing you can speak to him yourself this time. Maybe he'll stop calling once he hears that you aren't interested in a conversation with him.”

“No!” Bieber exclaimed, her voice sounding too loud and panicked even to her own ears.

The thought of Xander being on the other end made her knees weak, her heart raced, and she felt dizzy.

This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. “Tell him I’m in a meeting or busy. Just say anything to make sure he doesn’t get through!" She hurriedly instructed. "But please, don’t put him through!”

As she hurried back to her office, she heard Phyna say, “Ms. Weavely’s in conference. May I take a message?”

Bieber hesitated for a moment. Maybe it wasn't Xander after all.

“I can hardly hear you,” Phyna complained in her usual formal tone. “Could you speak up? What was your name again? Can you spell that for me?”

Bieber shot a quick glance at her. She thought Phyna was being unnecessarily overbearing. What happened to simply telling him that her boss wasn't around to take the call?

Phyna continued with a sing-song tone, “X-a-n-d-e-r. Got it.”

Bieber dashed into her office and slammed the door shut, pressing herself against it.

She realized she was acting completely irrationally, but she didn't care. She was determined to do whatever it took to stay away from Xander.

************************************************

Why hadn't she called him back yet? She was his final hope. He relied on her. He needed her. It wasn't like his good old friend, Bie, to leave him in the lurch like this.

This was so uncharacteristic of her.

Wasn’t she the queen of responsibility? She took on her tasks, met her deadlines, and always returned every call.

Why was it different today?

Meanwhile, his ever resourceful secretary, Denise, who was definitely getting a big raise as soon as he could afford it, managed to persuade the police and Ferdinand Levee to leave, taking several of the women with them.

Then she told the remaining ones that Xander had slipped out the back door. Even though there wasn’t a back exit, they all rushed out to look for him while Denise promptly locked the door behind them.

Finally, peace and quiet returned to Vault Point.

But Bieber still hadn’t called him back. “If I didn’t know better,” he thought inwardly, “I’d say she’s trying to avoid me.”

Just then, Denise yelled, “All clear!”

“Are you sure they’re not lying-in-wait outside the door?”

“I’m sure. I saw the last one drive off in her Porsche. But listen up, Xander: if any of them come back here tomorrow, I’m done dealing with them. I’m outta here.”

“Take tomorrow off just in case,” Xander replied from his office. “But right about now, I’m outta here.”

He really shouldn’t be celebrating since he had lost both a potential client and what he hoped would be a huge sale amidst all this chaos. But he still felt victorious just to be free of all those wild women.

Without wasting any time, he rushed to his car, eager to speed home where he could relax in peace.

However, as soon as he left the parking lot, he heard an odd noise coming from the back seat.

Not wanting to take his eyes off the road for even a moment amidst the usual heavy traffic and reckless drivers, he quickly glanced back.

"Oops," said a sultry young woman in a low voice. "I guess you caught me." She tossed aside a blanket, sat up straight, and moved right behind him.

The twenty-something brunette, who wore enough make-up for a TV soap opera, leaned over the seat and started playing with his hair.

"Do I know you?" Xander asked while swatting her hands away. It felt like déjà vu. Hadn’t he spent most of the day asking unfamiliar women who they were?

"Oh, you naughty boy! I know you remember me. From the club. You were playing tennis," she said smoothly while moving closer and whispering in his ear, "And I was admiring your little white shorts."

He groaned as the memories flooded back. What was her name? It was something that started with N. Nora or Nana or maybe Nelly.

She had kept making terrible jokes about the love match they could have and how much she admired his ‘strokes.’

At that moment, he thought she was just really young and bored, so he didn’t take her silly comments seriously.

However, it became a bigger issue when he was speeding down a main highway at fifty miles an hour, trying to drive while getting her tongue out of his ear at the same time.

"Knock it off!" he shouted. But she ignored him.

As she decided to get even closer, climbing into the front seat, a fast minivan zoomed by, honking loudly.

To avoid crashing, he swerved sharply to the right, sending Nelly and her tiny jeans crashing into the steering wheel and nearly launching them over the curb and through the window of a Kensington Red Hots restaurant.

"Find a seat and sit the hell there!" he growled, giving her his meanest look. He had been taught that a McQueen should always be polite and charming, no matter the circumstance but today, his manners were definitely wearing thin.

"Oh, come on—" she began as she started to scoot closer to him.

"Just sit still and be quiet." Xander pushed her away with one hand while steering with the other.

He took the first exit into a parking lot of a small strip mall filled with outlet stores that you could find along every highway in suburbia.

He brought the car to a halt. "Look, I don't know what you thought you were doing sneaking into my car..."

She began to respond, but he raised his hand to stop her. "But I can guess pretty well. Did you happen to speak with my mom yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. She mentioned how you always talk about me—"

"Talk about you? I don't even know your name!"

"Oh, come on," she said with a laugh. "There's no reason to hide it anymore, hon. Your mom already told me."

Pouting her lips like she was going to kiss him, she leaned over and pinched his cheek. "Once I found out about you, I had to do something! You're so adorable, and I'm such a romantic. So here I am, Tripp. Take me—I’m yours!"

“What?” Xander asked with deeply furrowed brows.

“I'm all yours, hon!”