"Give me like 15 minutes to pick out something to wear, k?" Xanda asked. "Alex, you look great! You don't need to change." AJ stated.  "I wish you wouldn't call me Alex. That's just another nickname to get used to." Xanda stated as she walkled over to the downstairs bathroom. "Okay. Then what do you want me to call you?" He asked as he followed her. Xanda pulled out a brush and started to fix her hair. "Let's see...my mother calls me Xandi, though I could care less what she calls me; the ex-love-of-my-life-but-forgot-to-mention-that-he-was-married-expecting-a-child-but-gave-me-my-career-including-this-move-to-Florida called me Xand; and my best friend in New York calls me Xanda. Sometimes people call me Ally, Alex, Alexa, Xandra, and Xan but that's just too many names to remember." Xanda stated as she put on some lipstick. "Sounds like you've got some stories." AJ mumbled. Xanda looked at his reflection in the mirror and gave him a sad smile. "Something like that." She replied. AJ looked her outfit over one more time and couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to see it on the floor near his bed. AJ shook his head and glanced down at his watch. "We're late. C'mon, Xanda." Alexandra smiled as she turned to face AJ and saw the lust in his eyes. She blushed as she looked down at her outfit. "Do I look okay?" She asked hestitantly. "I better keep my mouth shut. God only gave man enough blood to use one head at a time and the one that usually does my intelligent thinking is not working at the moment." Xanda giggled as they walked towards the frontdoor. She grabbed her cellphone and locked the door behind her back.

****

"Just a warning, AJ. Brian and I REALLY don't get along at ALL. You'll understand if I get up and leave the room if he's around, right?" She questioned as they walked up to his front door. "Not really. I don't know the story behind this not getting along. What happened?" AJ asked as soon as they reached the door. "You said you wanted to see a friend who has been out of town for a while then we'll go chill by the pool, right?" She asked AJ as he nodded his head. "Well, I'll tell you then." She replied. AJ smirked as he opened the door. "300 people and only 20 I like! Do the math." He shouted over the music to Xanda as she stood very closely behind him. He could tell that she was uncomfortable and grabbed her hand to give it a comforting squeeze.

"Yo D!" AJ shouted to a good looking man who appeared to be Latino. He smiled widely and zig zagged his way through the crowd towards AJ. The men gave each other a quick embrace. "I see you've been busy." He replied as he winked at Xanda. Xanda smiled and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Alexandra Soldatova." She replied. "Howard Dorough. But everyone calls me Howie." He said as he shook her hand. The three quickly started a conversation until a familiar face laughing hysterically a few yards away caught Xanda's attention. She quietly sighed and looked at AJ. "You know Brian?" Howie asked when he looked back to see who she saw. "Not really." She replied. "They don't get along." AJ informed. "Oh shit, you're the new neighbor!" Howie laughed. For a second, he looked like a little boy as he laughed. His oversized pants on his thin body made him appear smaller than he was and his white T-shirt reminded Xanda of the boys in junior high who swam in their clothing while trying to make themselves look older then they were. "So what horror stories have you heard? That I'm a mega bitch?" Xanda asked. Howie shook his head as he stared at the ground before looking back up. "Something like that." He replied. Xanda laughed as AJ grabbed her hand.

"We'll see you around. I want to see who else is here." He explained as they walked in the opposite direction of Brian. They were walking through the house saying quick 'hellos' to people here and there when they finally made it to the kitchen where there wasn't anyone else around. Xanda sat in one of the chairs while AJ rumaged through the refridgerator. He finally found two Pepsi's and handed one to Xanda. "Wouldn't you rather be in the other room partying with your friends?" She asked as she opened her can. AJ shook his head as he took a seat across from her. "Most of those people are business associates and the others wish they were." He explained. "Been there, done that." She said with a smirk. "Really. You said you were relocated. By who and what do you do?" Xanda put down her drink and stared at AJ for a moment. He seemed comfortable under her penetrating gaze. "I'm the head of the Smith & Barney brokrage firm." She replied as she reached over to grab her can. It gave her something to fiddle with while she nervously waited for his reaction."The head? As in Miss Boss?" He teased. "I guess. At least that's what John said." Again, AJ could sense bitterness in her voice. "He was the love of your life." AJ replied bluntly. "'Was' being the operative word." She stated. "Ahhhh...you mixed business with pleasure." AJ joked. "Yeah." She almost whispered. "Mind if I ask what happened?" "No I don't mind. It's kind of a long story." She said as she fingered the outer rim of the can. "I've got all night." AJ stated. Xanda looked up at AJ and grinned sheepishly.

"I was one of the brokers at the LA firm and had to constantly call him for approval over this or that because he was the head of the New York firm. Pretty soon, our phone calls were no longer just for business. He would fly me out on the weekends to New York to spend some time together and after six months I was deeply in love. He was every thing I had ever wanted in a man. Sweet, caring, funny, he knew how to party, and he was successful in his own right. Finally the company relocated me. He wasn't happy with the move because he didn't want to 'mix business with pleasure' as you put it. That wasn't the truth. He was hiding something but I couldn't figure it out until after I had been there for two weeks. My new friend Keely, who worked in the firm, figured out that there was something between John and myself. I told her the whole story from beginning and by the time I got to the present she was in tears. She saw how in love I was but she knew that she was going to be the one who was going to bring my world to a crashing hault."

Xanda stopped speaking as she stared at her soda can. AJ waited patiently as she refocused her thoughts. "Sorry." She smiled when she looked up. "It's all right." He replied cautiously before flashing her a warm smile. "Anyway, Keely told me that John was married and his wife was expecting a baby soon. I was so upset and hurt that I found his real home phone number instead of the cell phone number he had given me and I called it to tell him off. Well, his wife answered at the same time that he did. I didn't know that and either did he. I went off on him and basically told him it was over while she listened to our entire conversation on the other phone. For their baby's sake she forgave him and didn't leave him. I guess I don't blame her and I have nothing against her. I mean, how could I? She was innocent. John was the guilty one. Anyway, I digress. I do that a lot." Xanda said as she smiled seductively at AJ without meaning to.

"I was so upset a year ago that I threw myself into my work. I hardly had time to leave the office to go home and sleep. Needless to say that I moved up quickly to the position right under John." Xanda stopped to laugh, "I had been in that position many times but this time it was different." AJ laughed at her joke and noticed that she was watching him with a sly smile. 'I'd definitely love to be under her.' He thought. "Anyway, I moved up in the firm. Keely noticed how much I was working and it worried her so a few months ago she started dragging me out on the weekends. We were known as the 'party sisters' in many of the local clubs and it was a lot of fun! It helped keep my mind off of John. To make this long story short, a few days ago John came into my office and told me that they need someone desperately at this firm and said I was the most qualified so I took the job and here I am. Living in hell with a two million dollar pay check and a free house." Xanda exhaled. AJ patted her knee and grinned. "Oh,it's not that bad here. I've lived her my entire life and I love it. There's a good party scene and the people aren't rude. Not like New York, anyway. I'm there a lot and I still can't believe how rude people can be." Xanda laughed as AJ rattled off a few tales about the people he had had run-ins with in New York City. "Sorry, I was always in the office so I never noticed." She joked.

"Hey AJ." Xanda heard a deep, smooth voice with a ting of a southern accent. "Hey Kev." AJ replied. She heard the refridgerator open and turned around in her chair to see who it was. Once the man found what he was looking for and closed the fridge, he turned around and stopped when he saw Xanda. "Oh hey!" He greeted with a smile. "Hi." She said back. "You're that woman from earlier..." He said as she nodded her head with a smile. "So, you're the new neighbor." He mussed as he stood there with a beer in his hand. "See how popular I am?" She joked with AJ. "So I've noticed." He said. "Kevin, this is Alexandra. Xanda, this is my brother Kevin." They shook hands as AJ watched Xanda closely. He couldn't shake the feeling of tossing her on top of the kitchen table and having his way with her. He hadn't felt that physically or emotionally attracted to a woman in a long time. "Your brother? You two don't look anything a like. Come to think of it, you two don't sound a like, either. You're more southern..." Xanda joked while Kevin laughed. "Okay, you got me. He's not my real brother but he's like one." AJ explained. "We work together." Kevin stated. "Ah, okay." She said with a small smile. "I hate to interrupt but you haven't seen Nick have you?" "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him at all.  Last night didn't count because he was being a prick.  You know him when he gets tired." AJ told Kevin while Xanda sat lost in her thoughts. "I think he ran to the store to pick up some more booze for those alcoholics in there.  He should be back by now" Kevin said when he heard the other room screaming and shouting while they had fun. "I wanna go see him..." AJ said as he stood up. "Coming?" He asked Xanda. "No, I think I'm gonna go in the backyard by the pool." She said as she stood up. "Okay. I'll be out in a little bit. Don't fall in." AJ joked as he followed Kevin into the living room.