She closed her eyes and let the soothing sound wash over her. The way she felt when she looked at Ty triggered strong memories of Mark. They seemed like polar opposites, though. Alexis had a hard time believing that she could be attracted to two such completely different men. She relaxed into the seat, allowing the memory of Mark
to fill her.
She'd met him at work, of course, because that's where she spent the majority of her waking hours. Her desk had been in its normal state, strewn with books, files and empty coffee cups. As usual, she'd been reading through a contract and fighting off a headache. A knock at the door had interrupted her and she'd glanced up to see her boss.
"Hi, Hal. What's up?"
Hal Brookman was an older gentleman and a senior partner at her law firm. He was a familiar presence in her doorway, often stopping by to chat about world events or American pop culture. He was a huge Seinfeld fan, even though it had been off the air for years, and enjoyed quoting his favorite episodes. This particular day, Hal was accompanied by a man Alexis didn't recognize. He wore dark trousers, a cashmere sweater and black boots and, although stylish, he looked completely out of place in the firm's formal offices.
"So sorry to disturb, Alexis, but I would very much like you to meet Mark
Steamer. Mark is in-house counsel for our new client, Biomyte."
Alexis stood up to shake his hand. "Alexis MacAdams, nice to meet you."
"Alexis is a key member of our team. Her work is impeccable."
"Thank you, Hal," said Alexis.
"You have the oddest English accent I've ever heard," Mark remarked.
Alexis opened her mouth to answer, but Hal cut her off. "Alexis hails from the States. She joined us from our New York office a few years ago. She is -- oh, how would those Yanks put it -- our resident ballbuster."
"I'll keep a close watch on my balls then." Mark blushed, realizing what he'd
said.
Again, Alexis opened her mouth to speak, but Hal seemed to have a case of verbal diarrhea. "I'm afraid Britain hasn't quite won her over. She finds Wimbledon boring, won't touch Marmite and, if memory serves, she refused to listen to the Queen's speech at Christmas last year."
"Refusal to listen to the Queen's speech should be grounds for deportation, surely," Mark said.
Alexis smirked. Hal didn't realize Mark was mocking him.
"Hal's right," Alexis interjected. "Instead, I draped myself in the American flag and watched Top Gun while eating a hot dog and stroking my pistol."