My phone began ringing just as I busted out a fresh box of cereal. Since it was the middle of the day, Ann-Marie was at work, leaving me home all alone. That meant the plan was Netflix and napping on the couch until my shift at the bar started. Oh, and trying not to think about Xavier.
I left the cereal box on the counter and went into my room to check the phone. My heart did a flip and flew all the way into my throat. It was him. Calling me the same day I’d left his penthouse.
Did I do something wrong? Did I not lock the door on my way out? Did he come home and see I’d looked in the box under his bed?
It was the middle of the day and Xavier was probably extremely busy. He couldn’t be checking in just to see how I was doing.
With my heart pounding away, I pressed the answer button. “Hello?”
“Can you meet me at the club?” His voice sounded tight and anxious. The pounding in my chest transformed into an even more extreme form of worry. Something was definitely not right.
“When? Tonight?”
“No, right now.”
I paused, but really, I already knew what I would say. After the night before, there was no hope of me ever being able to say no to Xavier Fields again. “Sure. I’ll leave in a few. Is everything all right?”
“Yes… yes, everything is fine. Did you have a good time last night?”
His question drizzled my body in warmth. “Yeah, I had a great time.”
“So did I. Should I send a car to pick you up?”
“No, thanks. I’ll just leave now and take the train.”
By the time I arrived at Enigma, I was even more confused than I’d been when Xavier called me. In one second, I went from thinking I might never hear from the man again to having him call me up and ask to see me the afternoon after our first date.
I tried the club’s front door, just on the off chance that it was unlocked, and found it giving under my touch. I tentatively made my way down the short hall, my footsteps obnoxiously echoing the whole way.
The second door opened before I had a chance to touch it. Xavier stood there in front of me, dressed in a suit and looking even better than I remembered him. His deep purple tie was loosened, and his hair pushed up in the middle, like he’d been running his hands through it. The sight of him looking professional yet undone ignited a fire between my legs.
“Hi,” he said.
I had to take a fresh breath before responding. Xavier looking so good had my body forgetting how to breathe on its own. “Hey.”
He stepped out of the way and allowed me to enter. Enigma seemed like a different place with no one else around. The stage and couches sat lonely, waiting for people to come and fill them up.
“Have a seat,” Xavier offered, gesturing to the bar.
I settled into a spot on the end. It felt almost like dèjá vu, sitting in the same space as when I’d first seen Xavier. That was only a few nights before, but it already seemed like it happened in another lifetime. He was a stranger then, and now he was… well, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t completely know him yet, but I did feel tied to him in a strange, and probably dangerous, way.
The danger part both scared and thrilled me. My time with Xavier had been amazing, but I also felt afraid because I didn’t know what was coming next. That fear kept me on my toes. It kept me wanting more.
“You often come here this early?” I asked, setting my backpack on the floor. I’d brought my work clothes with me in case I didn’t have time to run home before my shift started. It looked like I wouldn’t be getting that nap in, but I was okay with that. A little bit of time spent with Xavier was absolutely worth it.
Xavier opened his mouth, then hesitated. “No,” he tartly replied. “Not usually. I had some business to tend to here. I didn’t have to rush back to the office, and I thought… about you.” His eyes settled on mine, sending electricity shooting across my skin.
I spoke without thinking. “I was thinking about you too.”
My own declaration sounded so emotional compared to his. I bit down on my tongue to prevent myself from saying anything else too revealing. But Xavier didn’t seem to mind. His lips pursed like he was trying not to smile.
“That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
I cocked my head and studied him — really studied him for the first time since getting to Enigma. I couldn’t properly explain it, but there was a story in his eyes. He was pained or upset about something. Had he been like this the night before? Had I just not noticed?
“Is everything all right?”
He blinked so hard it was almost a flinch. “What do you mean?”
“I… just wondering. It kind of seems like something might have happened.”
“No,” he said, his voice projecting confidence again. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to see you. Is there something wrong with that?”
He stepped closer and pressed his broad hand against the small of my back. Heat exploded in my core, and all thoughts and musings left me. My brain became a melted mess. All I knew and understood was Xavier’s touch.
My eyes drifted closed as he dropped his face to my neck. “Have you been thinking about my hands on you?” he whispered in my ear.
“Yes,” I nearly moaned. My knees started to shake. I’d lost all control of my body. It was a good thing I was already sitting down because I doubted I could handle standing in that moment. Xavier’s free hand dropped to my stool. There was a sharp scraping noise as he pulled it toward him. His legs brushed against the outside of mine, locking me in. Teeth gently pressed into the skin of my neck. Releasing myself to what was happening, I closed my eyes the rest of the way as pleasure flooded my body.
Xavier’s fingers pushed under my t-shirt and worked their way up my back, carving a delicious path. I tilted my chin upwards and met his lips. His kiss came on strong and hot, almost like an attack. It was exactly what I wanted. I was pounding with desire, so close to feverish that sitting there in my clothes was becoming painful.
As we kissed, I dug my fingers into Xavier’s shirt and pulled at his tie. He grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. A moan slithered out of me, a noise unlike any I’d ever made. Every time Xavier touched me, my whole body responded. It wasn’t just the place where we made skin on skin contact that I felt pleasure. It was a whole body sensation. When just one of his fingers grazed my skin, each one of my nerves screamed with joy. It was no wonder he’d been on my mind nonstop all morning. There was no one like Xavier Fields. And there never would be.