The woman staring back at me is definitely not me this time. Long black hair, lust-filled eyes, flushed cheeks, swollen lips. She’s sexy and wild. Lexi Pendergraft is none of those things. Is it the wig? Can a wig really have that much of an effect?
Rob comes up behind me and dips his mouth into my neck as I slip my arms into the sleeves of my dress.
I study him in the reflection. “Tonight’s the last night we’ll see each other, isn’t it?”
His face raises and he stares back at me in the mirror. He hesitates, as though he’s worried I’ll become a stereotypical clingy, post-coital girl. “Probably.”
The woman in the mirror smiles, looking sexy and provocative. “Perfect.”
Chapter Seven
Lexi
I fold my hands together on the conference room table. It’s Friday afternoon and everyone wants to get out of here. “These course ideas are great. Now we need to recruit instructors and, as always, we need to raise money. I’m open to ideas.” Raising money is a never-ending chore. I’m used to the task, but the amount we need is daunting.
The original student committee that Dr. Tyree helped me put together to coordinate the summer program now looks at me with blank expressions. Not that I blame them. Four days ago their job was ten times easier. Now that my changes to the program have been greenlit, we have a long road ahead of us.
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “How about we take the weekend to think about it. When we meet next week, everyone should have three to five ideas, no matter how ridiculous they seem.”
They murmur their agreement and as they silently stream out of the room, I can’t help but wonder if they’re sorry they agreed to volunteer, not that I blame them.
“Give ’em time, Lexi,” Sylvia says, watching as the last guy leaves the room. “You pretty much dumped a monster project in their laps and told them they had to have it done yesterday.”
I sink back into my chair with a scowl. She’s right, of course.
“Cheer up,” she grabs my arm and pulls me out of the chair. “They’ll come around. Between your vivaciousness and can-do attitude, they’ll be waving their pom-poms with you in no time.”
“Is that what I do? Coerce people into doing things they don’t want to with my team spirit?” I grab my bag off the floor and pick up the folder I left on the table.
Sylvia grabs my arm and turns me to face her. “Hey, what’s going on?”
I shake my head, refusing to look at her. “Maybe everyone is right. Maybe this is too much, too soon.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “Oh, hell no. I can’t believe you just said that.”
I look up, my jaw set. “Maybe it’s time for me to be realistic.”
“Stop it. I prefer my friend the dreamer, who doesn’t believe in the word impossible.”
My shoulders tense. “I’m not sure she exists anymore.”
“What’s this really all about?”
“Nothing.”
“Does this have anything to with Rob? I warned you that he wasn’t boyfriend material.”
A throbbing pain stabs my temple as I follow her out of the room and give her an ornery grin. “Actually…he wanted to keep seeing me and I was the one who told him no.” He’d called me a few days later, suggesting we go out again, but regardless of my momentary impulsiveness with him, I’m not capable of a relationship based on casual sex.
Her eyes bug out and her mouth drops open. “What? Why?”
I shrug. “You were right. Rob isn’t made for a long-term relationship, or even a short one for that matter. But it was the perfect fling.”
All it took was a wig.
I’m not happy about that part. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. At first I just thought the wig helped me feel free enough to let my guard down. It made me feel like I was someone else. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that Rob gave me control. Our encounter had been all under my direction. I’d been the aggressor. I’d been on top. The rest of my life is all about control. It only makes sense that I would want control in the one area of my life in which I’d been completely helpless and violated. But what if it was the wig? The worry wouldn’t stop eating my insides.
“You really gave up on Rob because he’s not boyfriend material? You couldn’t just keep him around for the hot sex?”
My cheeks flush. “Who said it was hot?”
Her face scrunches in disgust. “Uh…it’s written all over your face.”
“I figured it was better to end it on a happy note, you know? No regrets, only good memories.” That and how would I explain needing the wig the next time?
Her eyebrows lift in disbelief. It’s obvious she thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Well, since you’re back to having a social life, come out with me and a couple of girls from my dorm.”
I stop in my tracks for a second, then keep walking. “I don’t know…”
“Why not? You went out last weekend. Two nights in a row.”
I shake my head. “That was different.”
“How?”
The wig gave me confidence, but there was no way I could explain wearing it tonight. “It was a celebration. We went with a group.”
“And you hooked up with Rob. We’ll call tonight a celebration too. It can be in honor of your successful committee meeting, although I suspect you could run a successful committee meeting in your sleep.”