Pinstripe Shirt 12.2

"Where were you? I had to order from someone else!" Anthony pouted exaggeratedly at Lexie, brows coming together in the middle, looking like a child that had his toy taken away.

"I was on my break. And you do know that we don't keep scores here, right? It's okay to order from the other waitress, there are three of us here." Lexie answered, laughing.

"Well I like ordering from you." Anthony put on his most charming smile. A little frustrated when Lexie didn't react the way he wanted to, he wasn't used to this. It was something new to him, he had always liked being in control, even with women, he liked it when they reacted the way he intended them to, when they moved the way he wanted them to move.

"Another drink? Lexie asked already ready to leave, there is something off-putting about that smile, she just couldn't put a finger on it. Of course she didn't want to judge him so quick, it could just be the alcohol after all. Anthony just nodded in response, deep in his thoughts.

==

For the next three nights Anthony had been coming back, each time looking like he doesn't belong with his fancy clothes and combed back hair. He always sat at the booth at the corner, always had his back to the crowd. And always ordering only from Lexie. He decided to pull back, to play it slow with Lexie. He shouldn't rush her, shouldn't come on to strong. He should be patient with her, she wasn't like the other girls he was so used to dealing with, those that practically pounced on him the moment he smiles in their direction. Lexie didn't react to him the way he expected her too, and that made his interest in her grow even more. By his third night, Lexie had started to soften up a little bit. She was joking around with him, she listened to his stories but still barely shared anything about her. She somehow avoided any personal topics and Anthony noticed.

"... So that's how I ended up being in charge of our branch." Anthony was telling Lexie a funny anecdote on how he ended up in this town. Lexie listened intently, laughing at all the right parts. This made Anthony happy, he wanted her attention and he was finally getting it, slowly. It was a strange feeling, having to exert effort for a girl, it challenged him.

"That's crazy. You're boss must be scary." She was still laughing slightly from his story.

Anthony thought about it for a minute then smiled up at her. "Oh he definitely is."

Again, they both laugh until Lexie heard a woman from a different table calling her attention. She excused herself and went on with her work.

Anthony watched Lexie walk away. She had such grace with her, the way she walks, how she bent to talk to the customer, how she smiles politely. She had definitely been thought how to properly conduct herself. Anthony could see that she didn't belong here, she had an aura that commanded attention, praise, admiration. He wondered if anyone else noticed how out of place she was, it was impossible to miss.

That night as Anthony stood in his hotel room, looking out the glass walls he thought about Lexie and he couldn't help but smile. At least now he was getting somewhere. His thoughts was interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Annoyed, he looked at the screen and his expression changed to surprised.

"Father." He answered.

"I heard you still haven't come home. What are you still doing there? Are we still having problems with the acquisitions?" The voice in the other line was strong, commanding.

"No, father. The acquisition is done, I've already e-mailed you a copy of the reports. I just have a little more business to take care of here." He was smiling as he thought of the business he was talking about.

"Al right then."

The call ended and Anthony threw the phone on his bed, flopping on to his mattress, as he made his way to the bathroom to shower. After getting out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, he went to check his phone, no messages. He dialed a number.

"Sir." The voice on the other line answered.

"Anything?" Anthony was once again looking out his window.

"None sir, they did a good job with their privacy. All we have are the same information but there was no visual trace anywhere." Anthony nodded, he expected this much.

"Al right. Let me know when you find something." He ended the call without waiting for an answer.

He was enjoying himself, he loved challenges, and he just found an exciting one. He looked out at the city lights, he focused on the area of where the bar would be, it was merely a speck of light now. He tug on the towel and threw it on the floor, then flopped onto the bed not bothering to wear anything. He chuckled to himself as he once again thought of Lexie, he had watched her for a few nights now, he had memorized her face, her laugh, her actions, her voice. He shook his head, amused at himself, with Lexie distracting him he had almost forgotten why he even went here in the first place.

It was okay, he thought, that could wait. For now, he wanted to focus on Lexie.