Lexi’s breath whooshed out with a huge sigh of relief.<br/><br/>“Neo. I don’t know whether to hit you or kiss you, but I am so glad that you were just fuckin around.”<br/><br/>She braced her palms on her knees and put her head down, afraid she was going to faint. A homeless guy walked by and swatted her on the ass. She snapped up straight,<br/><br/>“Hey!” she shouted after him. But he just flashed her a peace sign. She just laughed and shook her head.<br/><br/>Neo was nonchalantly smoking yet another cigarette,<br/><br/>“I suppose Yukima has warned you that smoking those will kill you.” Lexi said conversationally, knowing that to Neo it probably didn’t make much difference.<br/><br/>He ignored her and exhaled more smoke. "'Bout the hair dyes, though. I have somethin' mo' effective than any piece-a-shit product you can see on them supermarket shelves and shoppin' TV. I have them in our hotel room. Wanna see them?"<br/><br/>“Sure,” Lexi answered brightly. “I have been really curious about where you guys were staying anyway.”<br/><br/>She fell into step with Neo as he led her off toward  the taxi stand. They caught a cab easily and soon were speeding off toward a different area of town. She lived and worked right by the harbor but the driver was soon driving over the long bridge of the bay toward a more suburban and upscale part of Seattle.Soon they arrived at the  Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. Lexi was awestruck by the grandeur and the luxury of the high rise. Whatever Mr. von Engels did for a living, it paid really well.<br/><br/>Feeling really out of place, Lexi followed Neo to the elevator and watched the floor numbers fly by. The lights on the elevator floor indicators lit up, PENTHOUSE and then the mirrored doors slid open.