My tongue froze against the roof of my mouth. “I’m pretty busy tomorrow night.”
It was partially true. I wasn’t working at the bar, but I did need to get back on the job hunting train. I’d taken a week off and ended up getting lazy.
“Hm.” Seth’s eyes narrowed the slightest bit. “Some other time this week then.”
“Yeah.” Maybe I should have just told him that I didn’t want to see him again. We were in a semi-safe place. He wasn’t going to freak out and attack me… at least I didn’t think so. The guy seemed like a potential egomaniac, but I didn’t think he was violent.
A car pulled up behind Seth. He glanced at it and held his finger up to signal the driver to wait. His hands dipped down into his pockets as he turned back to face me. “This isn’t about him, is it?”
“Him?” I only repeated the word because I couldn’t bear to say the name.
“Yeah, because if it is, you don’t have to worry.” Seth took a step toward me. “He won’t be jealous. We’re friends, and friends share things.”
Share?
A shiver went down my spine. Texting Ann-Marie was the right idea. “It’s not about that. I don’t even talk to him anymore. I just told you, my roommate’s grandma died…”
Seth pursed his lips. “I saw you text someone before. Was it your roommate?”
I held my ground. “No. I was responding to an email. Look, I really need to go.”
“What does he have that I don’t?” Seth took another step closer to me. We were only a couple feet apart now. I could see the flecks of gold and green in his eyes.
“Why are you asking me this?” I demanded. The constant pestering was getting to me. My nerves were gone. Now I was just angry at the guy standing in front of me. If I wanted to leave the date, I should get to leave. It shouldn’t feel like I was trying to break out of prison.
“You didn’t answer my question. What does Xavier have that I don’t?”
“Nothing,” I hissed. “Absolutely nothing.”
I had to clench my teeth together while I spoke. If I didn’t, I’d start screaming. Xavier had a hundred things Seth didn’t. He was attentive and passionate. Those were the things that almost made me stay. Almost. But when it came down to it, the reasons to leave overwhelmed the reasons to stay. Not that any of it was Seth’s business.
“You still seeing him?”
I glanced over his shoulder. “The driver is waiting for you.”
Seth shrugged. “He gets paid to wait. He can sit around for a few more minutes. You didn’t answer my question. Are you still seeing Xavier?”
“No,” I nearly snapped, crossing my arms. “And it’s not really your business. That’s part of my private life.”
“Just wondering,” he said, his tone scathing. “I didn’t think so, but you never know. Xavier usually gets tired of girls after a week, but something could have changed.”
His words burned me, half feeling like the falling out with Xavier all over again. “Well, I guess you know him better than I do.” Clenching my fingers around my purse strap, I stepped past Seth.
“Still, it was nice of him to pass you on to me.”
His words made me stop midstride. “That’s a disgusting way to look at it.”
“No, I think it’s just the obvious way. You’re on the list, after all.”
With legs that felt like concrete was flowing through them, I slowly turned to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
Seth’s face was flat. “You don’t know about the list? We’ve been keeping it for years. It’s a file with the names of all the women we’ve slept with.” He grinned, and I shivered from the wicked glint living in his expression. “Xavier has added the most names to it, for sure.”
Seth’s words echoed in my head. I thought I got what he was saying, but maybe I didn’t… It didn’t make sense, after all. A list of women they’d fucked?
“You’re making this up.”
He winked. “Nope. I’m not.”
In an instant, somehow, I knew the truth… he wasn’t lying.
I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the feel of cotton there. “You’re telling me… that you two have a… a list… of names of girls?”
“Us and a couple other guys, yeah. I guess it’s not surprising that Xavier didn’t tell you about it. He’s not really one to share information about himself.”
“Why is there a list? What do you do with it?” Even as I asked the questions, I could take a stab at what the answers would be.
His eyes flicked down my body. “We share girls. Not at the same time.” He smiled like he’d made a joke. “It’s just for when we get tired of them. You know, if Xavier wants to hook up with a blonde who likes bondage, he can go to the list and find a blonde who has bondage as a keyword, and ta-da. Makes it pretty easy.”
I couldn’t answer. My ears were burning, and my heart was in so much pain I thought I was about to collapse. Xavier kept a list of the women he’d fucked. This wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t a dream. When I kicked Xavier out of my apartment, it had been because of the way he treated me. Little did I know how deep the issue really went.
“But he did at least tell you about his little fight club hobby, didn’t he?” Seth asked.
I ground my teeth together. I didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to beg to hear more. I should have turned and run away, but I couldn’t. I was glued to the sidewalk, some dark, sad part of me wanting and needing to hear every sordid detail Seth was willing to give.
Seth didn’t need my encouragement to go on. “He picks guys out of Enigma’s crowd and fights them. Takes them into the alley and starts throwing punches.”
The last part was too much. My knees shook, actually threatening to buckle. I needed to get out of here. Now. My eyes burned, but I blinked away the tears. This man was not going to see me break down.
“Thank you for the info,” I said, my voice dripping ice. “But I didn’t ask for it, and I need to get going.”
I turned back around and rushed down the sidewalk.
“Call me when you want to come over,” Seth called after me, his tone such a cocktail of humor and earnestness that I couldn’t tell whether he was joking or being serious. “I like water sex too.”
The words made me flinch but I kept going, each step I took quicker and harder than the last. Xavier told him about the lake. My stomach churned, each rotation bringing bile closer and closer to my throat. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rounded a corner and collapsed against a wall. Covering my face with my hands, I focused on my breathing.
Xavier forces people to fight him for fun… Xavier keeps a list of women he’s had sex with... He shares it with other men.
My hands dropped as my head snapped back up. And I was on that list.
My phone started ringing. With shaking hands, I reached into my purse and pulled it out.
“Hello?”
“Riley!” Ann-Marie nearly shouted. “What happened? Where are you? Are you okay?”
“No. No, I’m definitely not okay.”
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Xavier