6. Saoirse

6

SAOIRSE

I don't miss the surprise on Xavier's face when he sees my red Corvette . It's the flashiest and most extravagant thing I own, but I love it.

I unlock the vehicle and head to the driver's side. " Get in. Or would you like me to open the door for you, too?"

" This is…nice," he remarks as he takes in the interior.

" Yeah . I like it."

" Are you a car girl?"

" Not at all." I have zero interest in the subject. Gage , on the other hand, is obsessed.

" Huh ." Xavier murmurs to himself. I watch him with humor. Small lines crease around his eyes, but somehow they only make him look more handsome. His scent fills my car; it's warm and sexy, reminding me of bourbon and spice.

I had spent the entirety of dinner with a steady pulse building between my legs. Every time I watched his lips move, I was reminded of just how good it had felt having them pressed against me. The expert way his tongue had made me unravel.

" What ?" he asks when he notices me staring at him.

" Are you going to give me your address?"

" Oh . Yes , of course."

" Don't tell me I've got you all flustered." I chuckle and playfully hit his thigh.

He shakes his head, watching where my hand rests on his leg before he rattles off the address.

The first few minutes of the drive are quiet. Unnervingly so. I wonder what he's thinking. It had taken me by surprise when he mentioned having a son. Gage had never mentioned him having children. Neither did my online search. Then again, if it had been a decade since they last spoke, I suppose there wouldn't be much out there about it.

" Can I ask you a question?" Xavier's voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

" I thought you had gone mute for a second."

" I'll take that as a yes. The club… how long have you been working there?"

" Eight years. I've been dancing for five. I started as a waitress."

" And you like it?"

It's not unusual for men to question me about my job. This conversation comes up with nearly every mark we've had over the years. But never once has anyone asked if I genuinely enjoyed the work I did. They all assumed that I must be doing it out of sheer desperation and I let them. Yet , for some reason I can't quite understand, I feel compelled to be honest with Xavier .

" I do. I find it freeing. Whether or not I like it, men look at me. And I'm not trying to sound full of myself, but it is what it is." I shrug. " Even when I was young, the men my mother would bring home—total sleaze bags—would stare at me like I was nothing more than prey, and I was just a kid. I remember hearing one of them tell my mom that when I turned eighteen, he might have to ‘trade up for the newer model.'"

" That's disgusting." I glance over at Xavier and find his jaw clenched, eyes on the road.

" Yeah , well, it was my reality. And if men were going to look at me like that, I might as well get paid for it, right?" He nods, but remains quiet. " Does that give you second thoughts about me?"

" No . Given how I met you, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to say I don't approve of what you do."

I snort. " Do you do that often? Go to strip clubs. It's the first time I've seen you at XXXstasy ."

" Sometimes . Not often. I was looking for Harrison that night."

" Harrison ?"

" My son."

Oh . " He lives in Ravenscroft ?"

" I think so."

I rack my brain, trying to think if I know anyone by that name, but no one comes to mind. Still , this could be an issue. If Xavier is searching the town for his son the likelihood that he'll stumble across the truth of who I really am increases.

" I don't know anyone with that name." I look over at him and see something akin to disappointment in his eyes. " But I hope you find him."

" This is me," he says, pointing toward the underground lot of a condo building.

" Where should I pull in?"

" Wherever you want." He shrugs. " The elevator is over there."

" I can't just park wherever I want." I say with confusion. Even men living in penthouses have their designated areas.

" Considering I'm the only person who lives here, it's a pretty safe bet you won't be pissing anyone off."

I look around at all the cars parked in the garage. After years of this shit, I pride myself on not being impressed by anything men have, but if these are all his…this is another level.

" You're the only one in this whole building?"

" I value privacy."

" You're fucking kidding me," I murmur as I pull into a free spot near the elevator entrance.

This earns me a chuckle. " Come on, hurricane."

" What do you want to drink?" Xavier asks me as I stand in the middle of his living room.

The space can only be described as luxurious. Tall vaulted ceilings cover the main area that houses a beautifully decorated family room with a gas fireplace and modern kitchen. There are two spiral staircases, one leading to the upstairs and the other to a lower level, and I'm itching to look around. Instead , I stand in place, acting as if this isn't one of the most impressive homes I've seen in ages.

Barry would have been tripping over himself with jealousy.

" What do you have?"

He looks at me pointedly, and I answer my own question. " Right , everything. Cab Sauv ?"

" Coming right up."

He leaves, disappearing into another room which I assume must be housing a bar, and when he reappears, he's holding a glass of wine in one hand and scotch in the other.

I take a sip. " It's my turn to ask you a question."

" Shoot ," he replies, sitting down on the couch. He removes his suit jacket and rolls up the arm of his shirt revealing a sleeve of tattoos on his right forearm that continues up under the white material. He looks too damn good.

" Why do you keep calling me hurricane?"

Xavier scans me from head to toe, and a shiver runs through my body under his perusal. " I may not know you well, yet, but it seems fitting. My first impression of you was that you were both strong and powerful. Someone that most don't want to get too close to for fear of what may occur. And just like the storm, you leave chaos and disaster in your wake." He smirks, still holding my gaze.

Heat floods my veins as I absorb his words. Don't let him rattle you. You're in control.

I inhale deeply, taking another sip of my drink. " Shouldn't I scare you, then? Most people don't run headlong into a hurricane."

" I've been through worse."

I don't know what he means, but I vow to do a better search into who exactly Xavier Atwood is. Given the look on his face, there's more to him than just being a billionaire tycoon.

" You couldn't just call me beautiful or something, huh?"

I join him on the sofa. " There's always a certain beauty in chaos. But for the record… You are beautiful, Nyx . I've thought so from the very first moment I laid eyes on you."

" Thank you," I reply, hating the way my heart rate speeds up at the compliment.

For the first time in years, I wish that the man I was targeting knew my actual name. None of this is real. Except that's the problem. Normally , I'm faking a persona, but that hasn't been the case with Xavier . From the second I made contact with him, I haven't had to change my personality. He takes whatever I give him and hardly bats an eyelash.

That doesn't matter. I chastise myself internally, as I look around his home once more. This could never be my reality. My mind drifts back to Ravenscroft and Gage . Whether or not I like it, that is where my loyalty lies.

My only goal is to take as much as I can from Xavier before he realizes Nyx doesn't exist.

But that doesn't mean I can't have fun doing it.