Every emotion possible rose in me. Do it, a little voice in my head whispered. Just do it.
And I could. One date wouldn’t hurt. The real danger was in sleeping with him. A lot of women would go for it, simply for the sake of breaking a dry spell. But it wasn’t that cut-and-dried for me. If I slept with a man, I ran the risk of getting attached and not being able to move on when he tired of me. If I did go out with Xavier, I’d have to make sure to not let things get physical.
Fat chance. I’d been celibate for what felt like forever, and the hottest man I’d ever spoken to was asking me out on a date. There was no way I’d be able to control myself around him.
“You’re worried,” Xavier said.
I looked at him but didn’t answer. I wanted to speak, but my throat felt swollen shut. I’d never been good at being an open book. I felt safer when people didn’t know what was going on in my head and heart.
Xavier went on. “I understand. You don’t know me. You probably have assumptions about me.” He watched my face, trying to gauge how correct he was.
I summoned my courage and cleared my throat. “You own a club.”
“Yes. I also work in real estate.”
“What else should I know about you?”
A dimple appeared on his right cheek. “Go out with me, and I’ll give you any and all the information you’re looking for.”
“I want some now,” I volleyed back.
Xavier’s eyes danced, and I smiled. Talking to him was quickly becoming easier than I thought it would be.
“Like what?” he asked. “You want to know what I do with my free time?” He leaned back into his chair and took a deep breath. His dress shirt stretched tight across his chest, creating a distraction. “I work, and I go to Enigma. Sometimes I go to the gym, but it’s in my office building, so that’s not really leaving work, now is it? Those three activities basically sum it up. I have a multibillion-dollar corporation. I’m not gloating, I’m just sharing the fact to give you an idea of what my life is like. I work all the time. The club is an escape for me.”
I let his words sink in. He gave me the facts, but I still felt like I didn’t know anything about Xavier, the man. I wanted to know his likes and dislikes, his passions. I wanted to know who he was closest to and what made him the angriest. And I wanted to show him more of myself and see what he thought about it.
“Tomorrow night?” I asked.
He gave a single nod. “I wish it could be tonight, but I have a meeting to be at in thirty minutes. It will most likely eat up the whole evening.”
“I can do tomorrow,” I found myself saying.
Not a muscle moved on Xavier’s face, but his eyes seemed to light up. “Wonderful.” He reached into his breast pocket and took out a card and pen. “What’s your number and address?”
I gave them to him and watched as he wrote them down. His handwriting was beautiful, his fingers moving with such surety and control. Did he perform every task that way?
“Seven o’clock?” he asked.
I nodded, excitement rushing through me. I was doing this. For real. I could still turn back, but I no longer wanted to. I wanted to take a chance, to live life. I wanted to prove myself wrong about Xavier Fields.
Xavier checked his wristwatch. “Perfect timing. I need to be going. Can I get you a cab?”
“No, thanks. I think I’ll hang out for a while.”
Xavier stood, and I followed suit. He lifted my hand and gave it a kiss. If any other guy had done the same thing, it would have seemed cheesy, but Xavier was a natural. He had an old-time gentleman quality about him, and it didn’t feel forced at all.
“See you tomorrow, Riley,” he softly said.
“Bye,” I rasped.
I watched him turn and leave the coffee shop. My legs were jelly as I sat back down. A long exhale left my chest, and I sat in silence, contemplating all that just happened. I could be making a big mistake. I was trying to protect myself by keeping my distance from Xavier, but it looked like my attempts were all in vain.
The man wanted me, and he came for me. He didn’t know where to find me, but he’d figured it out.
And that was enough to make the idea of saying no to him ever again feel absolutely impossible.
CHAPTER SIX
Xavier
The silence in my walk-in closet was tomb-like. If the main part of my loft was a quiet retreat, the area housing my suits, shoes, and everything in between was fit for a monk. I finished securing my sky blue tie, smoothed my hands across my charcoal gray jacket, and left the closet. My driver waited downstairs, the engine idling at the curb.
A short distance away, Riley waited. I knew tracking her down would be the easy part. Actually reeling her in and getting her to spend time with me more difficult. But it turned out I wasn’t amplifying our mutual attraction. While talking in that coffee shop, I could see in her eyes that she was as drawn to me as I was to her.
Riley wanted me just as much as I wanted her. And soon, she would be completely mine. At least for a while, anyway. But a short period spent with her was all I needed. Even the most interesting women didn’t hold my taste for more than a couple weeks.
On my way to the foyer, I passed my bedroom. A box peeking out from under the bed caught my eye, making me pause. Just seeing the bamboo container made my pulse pick up. Inside of that one box were some of my most treasured possessions. I didn’t break them out on a regular basis, but when I did, it was a special occasion.
Perhaps Riley…
I took in a breath and shook the thought from my head. There was no use getting ahead of myself. I still needed to feel Riley out, but I did have a suspicion that she was a girl who wouldn’t be completely appalled at the thought of being dominated. Her personality might contain a strong shy streak, but that was sometimes an indication of a darker desire. The desire to relinquish control. To be consumed and overpowered by someone else. Many women didn’t even know they had that desire in them until they’d gotten their first taste of the wild side.
I grabbed my wallet, phone, and keys, then left for what was sure to be an exciting night. My hand twinged as I pulled the front door shut. The slight pain was a reminder of the justice I enacted Friday night. I hadn’t spent any time wondering about the man-thug I’d beaten up. I’d been too busy with work and planning my evening with Riley, but I already knew that guy wouldn’t show his face at Enigma ever again. Not unless he had a death wish.
The drive to Riley’s Bed-Stuy apartment was long, but I passed the time fantasizing about Riley’s skin. At seven o’clock on the dot, the limo pulled up to her brownstone. I hopped from the car, rang her apartment number, and waited to be buzzed in. A minute passed. I was about to buzz again when the front door opened, and a breathless Riley exited the building.