The Sweet Life Page 5

  “Levi, you’re not short, you’re fun sized,” she’d told me in fifth grade when my classmates began going through their growth spurts and I was still the smallest kid in class.

  “Levi, if your head is big it’s because it’s packed full of knowledge,” she’d said when I’d been called egg head after making A honor roll for the millionth time.

  “Levi… honey… Eli! I don’t know how to have the penis talk!” That one was the funniest of all. Seventh grade locker rooms were not the way to discover your dick wasn’t as big as the other boys’. Of course that changed when I got older, but God bless my mom for trying to make it better.

  But she couldn’t make everything better because my feelings still got hurt. I’d still felt like an outsider, like I didn’t fit in and that could suck for a kid.

  After the whole fat shaming thing, I became a completely different person. I changed my wardrobe, my hair, the way I talked, everything. There wasn’t a hint of the old Levi left when I’d come back to school that following year. I held my head higher and acted as if I was the best fucking thing on the planet. I was a goddamned unicorn and I wanted them to revel in the sight of me.

  That was my persona. Confident, give no fucks, Levi. It had worked for me too. People stopped treating me like shit on their shoe and started wanting to hang out with me. I was the cool kid. At least on the outside. Inside, I hated everyone. I knew they weren’t my friends because they liked me. They were my friends because they got clout just from hanging around with me. It made them popular by association. They didn’t really know me, nor did they care to get to know me.

  Over the past week, I was more myself at the bakery than I’d ever been. I’d gotten a decent hold of my nonfilter over the years but around Jaxon, it just didn’t exist. He didn’t make me feel like a weirdo for it, even if it did sometimes make him uncomfortable. The staff at the shop called it endearing. They didn’t make me feel different and so I hadn’t felt the need to wear my persona for them. I didn’t completely turn it off, but they got more of me than most people ever did. I respected them; therefore, I respected their opinions of me which was why Jaxon’s had hurt. It hurt me more than I expected.

  Crying… it wasn’t my thing. Having the father that I had, the guy’s guy, he didn’t handle tears well. Even when I was a kid, he’d tell me to toughen up. He told me I’d get shit because of my size and that I had to be stronger than even the biggest guy. That I had to be more confident than the most popular guy in the room. He was tough on me, but I got why he did it. He knew people were mean and he knew they’d target me. He hadn’t been wrong.

  The lights around the venue dimmed and I sighed in relief. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could leave. I checked the itinerary and groaned. The item Dad wanted was one of the last on the list. I never took him as the accessory wearing type. He’d worn the same watch for as long as I could remember so I was shocked that he actually wanted me to bid on a watch.

  Everyone clapped and cheered as Levi’s mom took the stage. She looked stunning in her navy-blue gown and wore the title of “Hostess with the Mostest,” very well.

  “Good evening everyone and thank you all so much for coming,” she said with an almost regal smile. She was a gorgeous woman and didn’t look a minute over fifty. I didn’t know if it were Botox or genetics, whatever the case she was a beautiful woman and like myself, Jaxon looked just like her.

  “You all are in for some wonderful items tonight. I’ve personally hand-picked through all of them and I have to tell you, I’ll be bidding on a few myself. I’m sure my son is out there in the audience groaning,” she said and sure enough Jaxon was shaking his head.

  He then leaned toward me and whispered, “You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her, but she’s a hoarder. There is literally an attic full of things that she doesn’t need. I get she buys them in the name of charity, but it drives my dad nuts.”

  He leaned away and I grinned as Melissa continued her speech.

  “I started this charity because I know what it’s like to be homeless,” she began, and I sucked in a breath. “I came from the literal streets of The Bronx, New York. I’d been kicked out of my home because I refused to live with the abuse of my father. I struggled every day to survive but I knew there was a bigger plan for me. There was a shelter that took me in. They got me clothes and food. They provided me with bus fare to get to and from school. When I graduated at the top of my class, they were there to cheer me on. Those same people attended my college graduation. Unfortunately the shelter that had helped me through the toughest times of my life , lost their funding and had to be closed down. That meant there were little girls out there, just like me who wouldn’t have anyone to turn too in their time of need and that just didn’t sit right with me.

  “It took me three years to create and perfect MLove cosmetics. And another year before I truly saw profit from it. When I hit my first million dollars, I didn’t spend it on a new car or a house. I took that money and invested it into the people who had changed my life. After my career took me to places, I couldn’t have ever imagined, I began the Melissa Love Foundation and we have housed over five thousand people in the state of New York and we’re continuing to grow.”

  Cheers erupted around the room, me included. Looking at Melissa Archibald, you’d never think she’d come from poverty. She was the definition of regality and elegance. It only showed you couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

  When the cheers died down Melissa smiled at everyone and thanked them all again for coming. She introduced the first item and the bidding began. As the bidding took place, I found myself bidding on things I didn’t want or need just to make the prices go up. One thing I’d learned in this lifestyle is that the rich and famous didn’t like to be one upped. At one-point Levi caught on to my game and joined in on the fun. By the time we made it to my dad’s watch, the auction was already sitting at well over a half million dollars. I also knew that the dinner plates served went toward the charity and they were charging two hundred and fifty dollars a plate and there were well over two hundred people in attendance. I found myself getting excited about the amount of money that was being raised.

  I won Dad’s bid on the watch and then a few more items were auctioned off before the auction was over. Melissa then came on stage and directed everyone to the area where they could make their payments.

  My mom appeared out of nowhere making me squeak in surprise. Jaxon chuckled that deep and sexy laugh that made my toes curl and I glared at him before returning my attention to my mom.

  “Do you have Daddy’s check?” she asked, and I nodded before pulling the check from my wallet. I wrote in the amount for the bid I placed, and Mom coughed as I wrote the first comma. I started to write again, and she once again coughed.

  “Do you need some water?” I asked and she rolled her eyes.

  “Add another zero,” she hissed, and my eyes widened.

  “It was only ten thousand dollar,” I said and Mom shot Jaxon an exasperated look.

  “It’s for charity, he won’t mind.”

  I gaped at her and she huffed out a breath before she took the pen from my hands. “We do this every year. We pick the item that’s the least likely to be bid on and add an extra zero.”

  “Wow, okay,” I said in surprise even though I didn’t know why I was surprised. My mother was one of the most well-known philanthropists in the world. It shouldn’t have surprised me that she’d be the type to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity.

  She snatched the check from the table and grinned as she walked away. Jaxon chuckled from beside me and I turned to glance at him. I’d avoided looking at him for most of the evening. I knew he wanted to apologize for what he’d said earlier but I didn’t want an apology. Not really. I wanted him to see that I was more than he thought of me and it bothered me that I wanted him to see me as more.

  “Our moms are a lot alike,” he said as he nodded toward the table where our mothers had
their heads pressed together, giggling like schoolgirls. I smiled fondly at her before I checked the time on my watch. The auction was over, and I really had no other reason to stick around.

  “I’m gonna head out,” I said as I rose from my seat. “You enjoy the rest of the night.”

  “Wait, you’re leaving?” Jaxon said as he too stood.

  “Yeah, I came to save face for my dad not being present. I mean, I’m glad I came because your mom’s speech… it was sort of amazing. But I hate these sort of things. I feel…” I wanted to say out of place but that wasn’t it. If we went by societies standards, I was fitting in perfectly. The truth was I hated having so many eyes on me. It felt like they were all judging me, and it made me feel itchy beneath my skin.

  “Can I at least walk you out?” Jaxon asked and I studied his face for a moment. He seemed desperate for me to say yes and I didn’t understand why. He surely couldn’t be feeling that guilty simply from stating how he felt, as judgmental as it was. He looked as if he’d die if I told him no. His wide hazel eyes were just too damn hard to say no too.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, and his shoulders sagged in relief. “Let me go tell my mom I’m headed out.” He nodded enthusiastically and it reminded me of a puppy. An adorable little puppy just seeking approval. I understood the fuck out of that.

  I walked over to my Mom and said my greetings to Melissa. She’d hugged me and thanked me for coming. She glanced over my shoulder and smirked before she glanced at my mom who too held a smirk of her own. I ignored whatever the hell they were scheming up and told Mom I was leaving. Her mischievous smirk left almost immediately, and her eyes turned understanding. She knew I hated these things, so she didn’t even have to question why I was leaving.

  “Is Jaxon leaving as well,” his mother asked, and I shook my head.

  “He’s just walking me out.” Both women shared a glance that I chose to ignore. “All righty then, you ladies have a good night,” I said before I turned and walked away. But I didn’t miss their shared giggles as I did so.

  “Let’s go,” I grumbled to Jaxon as I walked past him. He followed close by and when we got toward the snack table where Colton was cleaning up, I grabbed Jaxon’s hand just as Colton glanced our way. Jaxon didn’t miss a beat, he squeezed my hand and pressed me closer to his side. I hated to admit how nice it felt to be there.

  There’d been a moment at the bakery that I thought maybe he felt the same sexual tension that I did but then his words from that morning sank in and I realized he’d never want me that way. It sucked but that was life.

  We stepped out into the night air and I took in a deep cleansing breath. I was going to spend my next day off meditating. I needed to re-center my energy after the emotional day I’d had. I handed the valet my ticket and he spoke into a walkie talkie giving the guy on the other end my ticket number.

  As we waited for my car to be pulled around, I turned to face Jaxon who was fidgeting from one foot to the other. I started to say goodnight when he spoke first.

  “Are you busy tomorrow?” he blurted out and I jolted at how loud he’d said it. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” I waved him off even though my heart was racing.

  “It’s fine. And no, I don’t have plans,” I said, even though I’d literally just been thinking about meditating.

  “Could we maybe, meet for lunch?” he asked, his wide eyes pleading for me to say yes. I looked away because there was just no way, I could look at him and say no.

  “Look, Jaxon,” I began but Jaxon stopped my words when his hand cupped my face. I stared up at him with wide eyes of my own as our gazes clashed. My heart was beating so damn hard I thought it was going come out of my chest.

  Jaxon’s breathing was heavy as his thumb brushed against my cheek. He finally took a deep breath and said, “I was cruel to you this morning and you weren’t deserving of that. I get touchy about my family name but that gave me no right to take that out on you. I think you’re doing a phenomenal job at the bakery. You’re hard working and you make the staff happy. You’re an asset to our team. I don’t care why it came to be that you needed this job but I’m glad you’re there. We appreciate all of the hard work you’ve been putting in. I’m sorry if I made you seem as if you were less than valued because it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  When he finished speaking, I was once again fighting back tears. Never in my life had I had someone other than my mother speak to me that way. It was overwhelming and I took in a stuttering breath to fight off the tears. It took me a few swallows before I could find the words.

  “T-thank you,” I managed to whisper, and Jaxon nodded. I expected him to release my cheek, but he didn’t. In fact he seemed to press harder and warmth radiated throughout my body. He stared into my eyes and I could have sworn there were sparks building between us. I found myself going up on the tips of my toes as Jaxon leaned down and then…

  “Car’s here,” the valet said snapping us both from our moment. We both took a step back as the driver, climbed out of the car. I rushed to the driver’s side, my heart racing.

  “What in the hell was that?” I mumbled to myself. I jumped in the driver’s seat and slammed the door closed. My hands were shaking as I placed them on the steering wheel, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. The tap on my window had be jumping and my heart raced even more as Jaxon’s face came into view. I tried to calm my erratic breathing as I let the window down.

  I felt a little better when I took in his freaked-out expression. He studied my face and his throat bobbed as he seemed to try and find his words. I just knew he was about to tell me to forget what just happened and I braced for it, what I didn’t expect was for him to say, “Do you like seafood?”

  I blinked a few times and shook my head before the fog began to clear. “Come again?” I said.

  “Not yet, kind of need it to happen once.” Jaxon said and I gaped at him.

  “You just made a sex joke,” I said, and he chuckled with a shrug.

  “Seemed fitting,” he said, and I laughed, feeling the tension around us ease.

  “Yes, Jaxon, I enjoy seafood.”

  “Good,” he said with a smile and a nod. “Want to meet me for lunch tomorrow? I know of a great seafood place.”

  My instincts were yelling at me to say No, to keep my distance. Don’t get too close. But I shoved them aside.

  “Yeah, lunch sounds great.”

  “Great, I’ll text you the address.” He smiled and slapped the hood of my car. “Enjoy the rest of your night Levi,” he said as he walked away.

  I sighed as shock filled my system but then I remembered something. I stuck my head out of the window and shouted, “You don’t have my number.”

  “Got it off of your job application,” he shouted back. “Goodnight Levi.”

  I’m not ashamed to admit, I watched his ass as he walked back up the steps and toward the building. When he disappeared inside, I finally drove away. It hit me then, I may have just made a date with my boss.

  Chapter Eight

  Jaxon

  For the millionth time that morning, I questioned my sanity. I knew this idea of mine was reckless. I was playing with fire and was bound to get burned. Last night had been intense. So intense that I’d almost kissed Levi. If it hadn’t been for the Valet, I would have done it. His lips just looked ready to be taken and I was more than ready to make it happen.

  When I got home, I’d jumped in the shower and jerked off to thoughts of Levi. It was almost impossible not to think of him while I did it. He turned my crank more than anyone in my life ever had. He was snarky, funny, and still a bit shy. He was gorgeous and sexy as fuck. I wanted him in the worst way.

  Being his boss was still a problem for me. I avoided getting involved with my employees because I didn’t want to take the chance of things not working out and things becoming awkward at work. And I couldn’t fire them at the risk of being sued.

  I groaned as I sat in my car outside the restaurant. This
could end so badly for me, but I was sick and tired of fighting my attraction to Levi. I figured if we went out on a date, I could get to know him better and maybe I’d find I didn’t like him on a personal level and the attraction would go away. But I knew I was fooling myself. I watched and interacted with him at work and so far, I liked what I’d seen.

  I finally convinced myself to get out of the car and walked inside. Levi had texted me that he was on his way and I’d sat in my car trying to compose myself.

  The restaurant wasn’t anything fancy. Just a little haunt that I’d found one day. It was a decent size and could fit about seventy-five people inside. The décor was nautical themed which seemed a bit cliché’ then again, I owned a bakery named “Sweet Things” it didn’t get more cliché than that.

  I chose a booth near the back and chose the one facing the door so I could see Levi when he walked in. I was nervous and I didn’t understand why. This could go one of two ways. We’d get along outside of work really well and continue to see each other or we wouldn’t, and we’d go back to being professional. Simple. Well it should be that simple, but I didn’t think it would be.

  He walked in and my breath left my body. His usually styled hair was left un-styled, the natural wave of his hair making him look even younger. He wore a button up sky blue polo shirt that looked great against his tanned skin and he paired it white chino shorts. He’d dressed up for this and I was glad I wasn’t alone in seeing this as a date.

  I stood as he scanned the room and then his eyes fell on me. Even from where I was standing, I could see his breath hitch as he took me in. My outfit was a bit similar to his, but my shorts were red and green, plaid printed and I wore a plain red polo shirt. I’d brushed my hair away from my face when I’d usually leave it wild and free. Levi seemed to appreciate the effort because I didn’t miss the heat in his eyes as he approached me.