Chapter 12 - Victoria

Victoria

N ote to self: Attending photoshoots with Xavier Maddox can cause heart failure.

How ridiculously attractive can one person be? It’s not natural.

This campaign will be huge for him. It’s with Apex Jewelers for a fancy watch. Logic dictates that it requires him to be bare-chested in jeans sitting on a leather couch.

Sleek muscles. Tattoos. Tousled hair. Seductive smiles. Dark eyes.

Everything about him was a lethal, perfectly honed machine.

Perfect for telling time.

I bumped into the monitors. Hard. They rattled and shook so violently I feared they’d collapse.

Everyone turned to stare at the commotion.

“Sorry.”

I internally scolded myself for being such a mess. This wasn’t my first photoshoot and yet I’m acting like I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.

A tiny smirk tugged at the corners of Xavier’s mouth. “You’ll have to excuse Ms. Chase. It’s our first time working together.”

“Why don’t you stand here.” René, the photographer, pointed to an empty area behind him. “Not as many obstacles.”

If you don’t consider smoldering British soccer players to be an obstacle, then yeah .

While there wasn’t anything for me to bump into or knock down, I was now directly in Xavier’s line of sight.

I’ll give him credit. He was the consummate professional, following the photographer’s direction and shifting poses. Xavier didn’t require much coaxing or encouragement. He embodied confidence and sex appeal. Every once in a while he’d glance in my direction, weakening my knees.

When they had him sprawl out on his back and stretch his arms over his head, I felt an ovary move. I must have touched and kissed every inch of that long, lean body more times than the legal limit. My eyes roamed over the strong column of his neck, the expanse of his chest, the tempting curve of his pelvic bone.

I wanted to unzip those jeans with my teeth and suck on his… C’MON. Be professional .

Sweat misted on my forehead.

But, you know, not as many obstacles standing over here.

“Doing alright Ms. Chase?” The seductive dip in Xavier’s tone accentuated his come-hither stare.

“Perfect.” The word scratched its way out of my dry throat.

The lighting assistant stepped in front of me, continuing with the shoot.

I managed to hold my shit together for the next hour.

“This one is great, isn’t it?” The photographer scrolled through some shots and showed me the digital screen.

My heart skidded to a stop.

Stark desire etched across Xavier’s face. His stare burned through the camera lens.

This pose.

I can’t even call it a pose. I’ve seen him like this too many times. Mouth parted, thumb caressing his lower lip, the hint of a secret gleaming in his eyes.

“Really shows off the watch,” a female voice commented nearby.

Yep. The fucking watch. Totally what I’m looking at.

“It’s mesmerizing,” I managed to vocalize a response.

“I’ll show you more.” René motioned for me to go to the monitors. I swallowed, remembering I was here in an official capacity, not as a woman in heat.

I took a step and nearly tripped over a cable. Xavier’s deep chuckle carried across the studio.

I glared at him. He winked at me.

Menace .

Good thing I didn’t have to pretend to like the photos. All of them were stunning. Even the ones where it’s obvious Xavier wasn’t ready or had his eyes closed.

“Everything looking alright, René?” Xavier asked, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

The photographer glanced over at him. “Looks great. Julian and the team will be pleased. Thanks for fitting this in while on vacation.”

“My pleasure. Will you copy me on the email when you send the proofs?”

“I can.”

They kept talking around me while my attention fully focused on one photo. I don’t think it’ll make the final cut but it spoke to me.

Xavier’s attention was off-camera. A soft, adoring gaze replaced the lusty, beckoning stare from the other photos. It was subtle, but his lips curved in a gentle smile.

He appeared enamored with something.

One of the butterflies that took up residence in my stomach flailed.

He’s looking at me .

“Best burgers and milkshakes in the city, huh?” Xavier’s impish grin dragged me out of my thoughts.

Our server placed the food and drinks in front of us. We’d decided to grab lunch at a nearby diner before I had to get back to the stadium.

Needless to say, I’ve been less than attentive since leaving the photoshoot. I couldn’t get over the way he looked at me in that picture.

“Yep. Says so on the menu.”

“People toss around the word best to describe everything.”

I gave him a look. “What? Like you’re the best goalkeeper in the world?”

He reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “I am.”

“The ego.”

His pleasant laugh sent a shiver through me.

An array of condiments sat on the table. Xavier scrutinized them before choosing ketchup.

“I don’t have to put ranch dressing on anything, do I?”

“No, Your Highness.” I cut my burger in half.

“You sound like Cade.” He grinned, tapping my foot under the table. “I bumped into Noah and Tre early this morning at the training facility.”

I almost choked on the bite I’d just taken. Noah and Tre? Oh God.

“Don’t look so panicked. We talked a bit. Good lads. Anyway, Noah really wants us to go to his cookout. I know it’s your birthday, so I wanted to see if there was anything else you’d rather do before I text him.”

Good lads? TEXT HIM?

I swallowed the mostly chewed piece of burger. I can see him maybe getting over the whole jealousy thing with Noah since he was never a threat. But Tre?

I can’t imagine he would be totally fine socializing with a guy I had sex with months before we met. Granted, it was only a one night stand, but still.

Possessive Xavier was not something to be messed with. Neither was Jealous Xavier.

I washed down my food with the milkshake. My phone vibrated.

Unknown: Did you like the surprise?

I glanced at the number. Who’s texting me from a Chicago area code?

“Work stuff?” Xavier asked before biting into his burger.

“Wrong number.” I deleted the text. “Do you want to spend the Fourth of July with Noah and the guys?” I popped a french fry in my mouth.

“I want to be wherever you are. Besides, Bennet and Cade will be in town as well. Might as well make it an event.”

“What’s Cade been up to this summer? I miss his goofy personality.”

“Fucking his way through Dubai, Spain, and Greece from what he’s told me.”

“There won’t be an army of little Cades popping up in nine months, will there?” I joked, taking another bite of my burger.

“Hasn’t happened yet,” he answered, his tone dry. “He’s in Vegas now. He should arrive in New York in a couple days.”

I leaned back against the booth, considering my options. Well, there weren’t too many options. My birthdays were either spent with Killian and Max on the beach watching fireworks, or with Killian and Max at a restaurant.

I’d never actually taken up Noah and Tracey on their invitations. Spending some time up at Lake George could be fun.

Text him?!?!

“You and Noah exchanged numbers?” I couldn’t stop my disbelief from coloring the question.

“Yes.”

“Noah. The guy you spanked me over for sitting in his lap.”

His expression darkened. “Yes, and I’ll do it again if I ever see you in his, or anyone else’s lap.” He leaned forward. “Besides, from what I remember, you liked it so much I ended up finger fucking you against the kitchen counter.”

My body betrayed me like the weakling she is, and simmered with desire.

“Do you know what Bennet did the night of the ring ceremony?” What am I saying ? I’d been wanting to bring this up, but now? Over burgers in a diner?

“Fuck,” I mumbled.

Xavier studied me for a beat before responding. “I do know. I also know you put him in his place again, which I enjoy very much.” A salacious grin curved his mouth. “I like how you handle him.”

“He was so puffed up when he lectured me on limits. It annoyed me that he just went and did his own thing without asking if I was okay with it. Or you.”

An uncomfortable thought filled my mind. Xavier’s already admitted that he wasn’t always alone at Bennet’s parties. I wondered if this was something he’s used to. And gets off on .

Both of us spoke at once.

“Do you like—”

“We should have this—”

Too many questions lingered on my tongue.

“How about we focus on one thing at a time,” Xavier suggested. “Your birthday. What would you like to do?”

This birthday is going to be a little tougher than the others. I’m turning thirty-six, which means it’s been twenty years since Charlotte was alive to celebrate a birthday with me. It also means the twentieth anniversary of her death will be here before I know it.

One thing at a time .

“Let’s go to Lake George,” I decided. “Besides, I’m still waiting on our weekend getaway. Your apology tour is seriously lacking.”

All I got in response was a smile. Another message lit up my phone.

Unknown: you must not have seen it yet

A couple hours later, I heard the distinct click-click-click of football cleats on concrete approaching behind me.

“Hey, Victoria. Hold up a minute.”

Dante Milano’s voice echoed in the tunnel. I turned to see him and Jax jogging over.

“Good practice?” I asked.

“Practice is always good when we don’t have to wear pads,” Jax replied. “Gotta hit the showers. It’s date night.”

He patted Dante on the back and jogged to the locker room.

“What’s up?”

“Uh, random question. And if it’s not something you can do, don’t worry about it.”

“Ask away.”

Dante scratched his head. “My sister’s been working abroad. Spent the last, I don’t know, four years in England doing sales or sponsorships or something with a soccer team.” He grinned. “Not your boyfriend’s. Don’t worry. I already grilled her on all the info. They’re not even in the same, what did she call it, tier for the league. Level two, she said. That’s it. If they stay in the top spot this season they’ll get promoted. She explained it all to me but I half listened after a while.”

I folded my arms, widening my eyes. Land the plane, Milano .

“Anyway,” he continued, “she’s thinking about moving back to New York and she’s interested in marketing or digital media or maybe what you do.”

“Which is it?” I suppressed a laugh. “Marketing, digital media, or what I do?”

A heavy sigh wracked his massive body. The tight end listed at six-two on all his stat sheets but I’ll bet my condo he’s six-six.

“I don’t know. Can she come in and talk to you? Maybe you could help point her in the right direction. Give her some contacts?”

“Yeah, sure. Have her send me an email. What’s her name?”

“Chelsea. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. She’s been having a rough time lately and…well, thanks.” He started jogging toward the locker room. I noticed a piece of paper stuck to his shirt.

“Dante.”

He stopped and turned.

“There’s something on your back.”

Confused, he reached around until he felt the paper. “Fuckin’ Jax. He’s been pranking us all afternoon. Taping shit to the ball. Tying water bottles together. Ass hat.” He tossed the paper into a trash bin. “Thanks, Victoria. I’ll tell my sister to email you tonight.”

Dante’s request aside, the rest of my day passed by without much variation from any other day. Although, I did notice the two large men stationed outside Hannah’s office. I’ve seen her bodyguards before but never really thought anything of it. Her family has their own private security team. They mostly stay out of sight though, which makes this a little odd.

I’m assuming Hannah’s in her office since these two guys are doing their best statue impersonations. Might as well go chat about the training camp schedule before I wrap up my day.

“Gentlemen,” I greeted them as I walked to her door.

“Sorry ma’am. You can’t go in there right now.” The bigger guy on the right blocked the door with his arm.

“Oh.” This is weird. “Is she okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Neither one gave any inkling as to what was going on. Maybe something happened to her grandfather? A player was accused of harassment? That would be a nightmare.

Wild scenarios ran through my mind but none of them were serious enough to warrant two hulking bodyguards. Then again, the super rich do things different, I suppose.

“Okay, well, will you let her know I stopped by when she’s finished? I’m Victoria. I’m right across the hall.”

“I know, ma’am. We’ll tell her.”

Definitely weird.

I returned to my office and finished up the rest of my to-do list. Hannah never did come out. Even stranger than that? Nobody went in. I pulled out my phone as I walked to the parking lot and texted her.

Me: Hey. Stopped by to chat but your muscle men wouldn’t let me in. Everything ok?

Me: Also, we’re doing my bday at Lake George if you don’t already have plans for the 4 th . Talk later.

I slid the phone into my purse as I approached my car.

That’s odd.

I stopped short.

A blue ribbon hung from the drivers’ side door handle. It was tied in a neat bow. A tiny chill washed over me.

Before walking any closer, I checked out my surroundings. This lot wasn’t open to the public. It was gated and loaded with security cameras. Only executives, coaches, and players had access. Nobody else was allowed.

I peeked through the windows. Everything was still locked. Nothing was missing or disturbed.

“Jax,” I muttered, untying the ribbon.