The following morning, despite my lack of a proper night of sleep, I was feeling strangely energized. Although I may have looked tired, I didn't feel any sort of fatigue. My legs were sore, though, and I was going to avoid stairs for the next 24 to 48 hours.
After a shower that had inevitably turned into more, I had passed out in Lex's bed, needing to regain some strength before I could return to my own room. I had woken up a little before six, and as tempting as some amazing morning slex sounded, I had sneaked my way out of his room. When I had finally reached my own, I had gone back to sleep after setting my alarm to the last possible moment.
It was now nine-thirty, and I was making my way into the breakfast area, looking for my people. I spotted them at the same time they did me, Mace and Oli waving from afar. After I'd waved back, I filled myself a plate as I passed the buffet, properly famished. By the time I arrived at their table, I had a tray full of food.
"Wow, someone's hungry," Oli noted.
Looking down at my breakfast, I realized I may have gone a bit overboard. There was a croissant, scrambled eggs with bacon and toast, a small loaf of bread, a banana, an apple, a bowl of cereal, a cup of tea, and a glass of orange juice.
Okay, I'd never finish all that, but almost.
Unsure how to justify my abnormal hunger, I shrugged my shoulders and sat down. I took a bite of eggs and noticed Brian and Steven were acting strangely. They were looking at the room's entrance, examining the people coming in.
"Oh, could it be her?" Brian asked while pointing at a woman who'd just entered. Steven looked at the tall brunette inquisitively, and when a man joined her, sliding his hand around her waist, Steven shook his head.
"What's going on?" I asked, more and more intrigued.
"We're looking for a good-looking woman with a limp."
"Or one in a wheelchair."
Confused, I looked at Oli. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, apparently disagreeing with them. "Is it some new fetish you two have developed overnight?" I asked with humor.
"It's a long story," Brian said, dismissing my question with a vague hand gesture. I refused to be the only one around this table excluded from the conversation, so I turned to Steven.
"Okay, so what happened was that when we came back from the ramen place yesterday, Brian broke our toilet with his fat ass."
"Hey! I keep telling you it must have been broken before I sat on it." Brian was skin and bones, so I doubted the 'fat ass' comment had been genuine, but he still took it personally.
"Anyway. It was unusable, so they relocated us to another room shortly after that," Steven continued. "It was an upgrade, so we were feeling pretty good about it. But that was until the people next to us started to have sex like wild animals."
My heart dropped and blood left my face as a dreadful feeling invaded me. I tried my best to hide it, hoping my hunch was wrong.
"It kept going for the longest time, to the point where we actually felt bad for the poor woman," Steven explained while Brian confirmed with a grave nod. "Anyhow, we wouldn't have given it another thought, but when we came out ten minutes ago to get down here, we had the most unexpected revelation. Guess who do we see, coming back from the hotel's gym, entering the very room where all the crazy sex had been going on?" he asked, waiting for me to answer.
I didn't want to answer. I refused to be right. I had the absolute worst feeling about this. Please God, let it not be him. Let it be Johnny Depp, Justin Trudeau, Gordon Ramsay, fucking Santa Claus... Anyone but Lex.
"Our fucking boss," Brian nearly shouted, stealing the big reveal from Steven, who glared at him, visibly annoyed.
I stayed absolutely quiet, the meaning of this all slowly sinking in. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
This was so fucking bad.
Mistaking my silence for astonishment instead of worry and utter shock, Steven continued. "So now, we are trying to guess which one of these ladies Lex was nailing last night. We've established she has to have some sort of limp going on after what he did to her, so it's our main clue so far. Also, she's got to be a total babe."
I was feeling both hot and cold, my hand slightly trembling while I pushed the food around my plate with my fork. Seriously, it was so unfair... What were the odds for those two to end up in the room right next to Lex's? It could always have been even worse, and it could have been Oli's group instead.
"Maybe a limp is a bit much," Oliver noted. He still didn't seem on board with this.
"Dude, you weren't there, you didn't hear it. It was kind of muffled, but I swear, the man has got to be a sex god or something. It was insane, like, bed banging on the wall and nonstop 'Aaah... Yes! Oh, Yes! Ooooh... Aaah'," Brian imitated with a high pitch. That attracted the attention of some people around us, and a few faces turned to our table, intrigued.
If all the blood hadn't drained from my face, I would probably have been poppy red right now. Sure, I was quite vocal with Lex. It was a novelty since I had never had a lover as great as he was. But was that really the way I sounded? The idea was mortifying. How wasn't Lex shoving my face into a pillow if that was really it?
In my life, I'd known my fair share of embarrassing moments, but this one took the lead by a lot. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to just poof, vanish into nothingness. It was incredibly humiliating, but leaving the table abruptly and showing I was upset was not an option.
"Well, I'll drink to Lex being a sex god, and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm jealous of that lucky hoe," Mason said, taking a sip of his tea.
Forever the gentleman, Oliver unknowingly came to my rescue. "Okay, how about we change the subject? I mean, Lex got laid, good for him. Let's not shame a woman because of it," he intervened. I could have kissed him. Oli always did the right thing. Joseph nodded, while Brian pouted in disagreement.
Clearly, the guys weren't ready to change the conversation.
"It's weird," Joseph signed. "That's like realizing your teacher has a life outside of school. It makes sense that he has sex, but facing it is... odd."
"Yeah, you're right," Steven agreed. "I mean, we shouldn't be surprised. Looking like he does, it has to be easy to find a willing stranger to have sex with. Even at a professional convention."
Mace nodded, and I kept my head low. Well, he wasn't entirely right, because Lex hadn't been with a stranger, but I had to agree with the general idea.
The subject was eventually dropped, and the guys talked about today's program. The hotel being so close to the convention center, over half of its guests were here for Hello World. With so many nerds gathered under the same roof, the inevitable had happened, and there was a trivia night scheduled tonight at the hotel's bar. From what the guys knew, it would have various geeky themes from science fiction classics to superheroes, with coding technicalities, the history of the internet and computers...
They organized it every year, and it had become a big event over time. The two lucky guys who used to come each year would take part in it, joining a mixed team. This year, however, all of us were here. So for the first time, there would be a Kelex team.
With the new topic, I slowly felt better and dismissed my earlier embarrassment. I had to force myself to eat, though, as my appetite was completely gone.
"Here he comes!" Brian excitedly said, interrupting the discussion about today's conferences.
We turned in the direction he was looking at, and I spotted Lex, wearing a charcoal two-piece suit, with a black shirt underneath, the first two buttons undone. As always, he was fucking stunning.
While he was filling up his plate, the mystery of his eventful night became the table's preoccupation again, so I stayed silent and stared at my plate. Oliver managed to make everyone shut up right before our boss joined us.
Strategically, I avoided looking at him as he sat down, even when I felt his eyes on me.
"Good morning, everyone," he said in a way that sounded suspiciously joyful, given his usually stern attitude.
The guys greeted him back, and there was a moment of silence while Lex dug into his breakfast. They were all burning to ask him about his night, and I didn't even have to wonder which one would break first.
"So, how was your night?" Brian asked. Almost immediately after, Mace kicked him under the table.
Oblivious to the awkward ambiance, Lex drank a sip of coffee to help swallow his mouthful of buttered bread. "I slept nicely. Thank you for asking," he answered, putting down his cup. He was obviously in a great mood. Apparently, an evening of sex made him delightful to be around.
"But you didn't sleep much, though," Brian insisted, ignoring Mason, who kicked him again.
Lex was only now understanding something was off. He looked at each of us, and this time, I met his eyes when he reached me. I couldn't give even the slightest clue to the guys, but I tried to pass on all I could in our silent exchange. It was a desperate attempt at avoiding the potential drama incoming.
"What do you mean?" he eventually asked Brian, deciding it was the safest thing to do.
"Well, Steven and I were moved to room 733, and we may have heard you had some feminine company with you," Brian explained almost proudly. Mason facepalmed, Oli closed his eyes with a sigh, and Steven shook his head. Joseph wasn't missing any of this, reading lips and enjoying the free entertainment.
I was thankful for Lex being so smart and quick-witted because, after a short instant of shock, he didn't turn to look at me. Thank God for that, because it would have been a dead giveaway.
"Why were you moved from your room?" he eventually asked, cleverly changing the subject. His light mood was understandably gone. He now seemed cold and annoyed. Brian and Steven explained their toilet misadventure to Lex, who wasn't amused nor compassionate about their misfortune. Brian concluded his story, saying this was how they knew he'd had a "very enthusiastic missy" in his room.
Lex stayed silent for a moment, seemingly unaffected, his stern face impossible to decipher. I was starting to know him pretty well by now, though, and I could sense he was pissed. Oh boy, this isn't good.
My suspicions were confirmed when he finally spoke, giving Brian a dangerous glare. "Was there a fucking question?"
It was the first time I heard Lex swear, aside from his tendency to dirty talk, and seeing how the guys reacted, it was clearly a rare thing. They all looked at each other, taken aback.
Brian became pale, and his face turned into a mix of confusion and embarrassment. "I, umm... we... No, not really. It was more of a... an observation," he stuttered. Lex didn't answer anything to that, but he gave him a look that made abundantly clear what he thought of his "observation".
Lex was a very private person, living in a fort of an apartment, having designed his very own AI to make sure no one could know what happened inside. I could easily imagine how having his intimacy laid out for all to see – or rather, to hear – didn't sit well with him.
The rest of the breakfast unfolded in absolute silence, and I knew all of us wondered how things could have turned south so fast. The guys left one by one, going to their rooms to get their things and brush their teeth. I ended up alone with Lex. He was still visibly pissed, and I wasn't sure how to make things better.
Focused solely on the meal before him, he emptied his plate with harsh gestures. His bad mood was making his appetite apparently even greater. When he ate the last piece of bacon and put his fork and knife down, I reached forward and covered his hands with both of mine.
He finally looked up at me, and I gave him an understanding smile, even though I wasn't sure I could ever truly understand the man.
"It's all right," I told him with a calm voice. "They didn't mean to be offensive or mocking. They are just in a cheerful mood because of the convention."
"It's not all right," he countered, not any calmer.
I held back a sigh, lost over what to say. "They all know you get some action. It isn't like a big reveal or an uncovered secret."
"I don't give a shit if they know when and where I fuck someone."
Offended by his crudeness, I pulled away from him, removing my hands from his. "Then what's the big deal? You were very harsh to Brian, and while he wasn't tactful, your reaction was a bit much," I argued, growing annoyed by his attitude.
"What's the big deal? The big deal is it was you. They heard you. They know what you sound like when you come. They heard your cries and moans," he explained, his eyes dark with irritation. His words made me blush crimson, and I looked around to make sure no one was hearing us. Yes, I knew all that, and it probably mortified me more than it angered him. "I had no clue this hotel had walls so fucking thin or I would have fucking gagged you," he bitterly added.
The thought of him doing this to me made all sorts of shivers run through my body. I clenched my legs, pressing my knees together in an attempt to muffle the sensations awakening in my core. Shit, we'll have to try it at some point.
I cursed my gutter-minded brain, remembering there was a delicate situation that demanded my full attention.
"Let it go, Lex. They have no idea it's me," I reassured him. "This morning, they were looking around for beautiful women worthy or sharing your bed. I can assure you I'm miles and miles away from their suspicions."
"It's still you, whether they know it or not," he insisted. Although there was still some annoyance in his tone, he seemed a little more relaxed. Good, my words were getting to him.
"From what I understood, it was so muffled they could barely hear anything," I pretended. The guys wouldn't speak about the matter again, and if some tiny lie could help save the day, I was willing to do it. He clenched his jaw disapprovingly but didn't answer. "Seriously, you're the only one who knows the sounds I make when I come," I insisted with a flirty whisper.
It got his attention, and the last remaining traces of anger disappeared from his handsome face. "What about your exes?"
"Now you're just fishing for compliments, and I won't feed that colossal ego of yours," I responded, getting up. I needed to go get a few things in my room before we left the hotel.
He smiled with pride, which I wouldn't have thought possible moments ago, and grabbed my arm when I passed by him. "Do you really think I was too harsh with Brian?" he worried, his thumb mindlessly grazing the skin of my wrist.
"Well, I'd be surprised if he even looks at you in the eye today. It was just some friendly teasing, and you went straight for his jugular."
Lex stayed silent for a moment, his brain processing my words. "Should I apologize to him?"
Well, if there was something the man did less than snapping at people, it was apologizing. It would surely throw Brian off a little, but it seemed like the best alternative. "Maybe you should, yes. Just tell him you woke up cranky, and it should do it."
He considered my suggestion, his brows frowned as he thought about it intently. I couldn't help but smile, feeling a wave of tenderness toward him. After slipping my wrist out of his distracted hold, I encouragingly squeezed his shoulder and went for the exit, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
The Lex I knew didn't bother preserving people's feelings. Not that he was an asshole, per se – even though it had been my impression at the very beginning – but he was usually blunt and unapologetic. Maybe he was changing, or maybe my perception of him was, but seeing him like this made me swoon internally.
Maybe he could be saved after all. Who knew? With time, his heart might even grow three sizes.