Chapter 8 - Victoria

Victoria

I don’t want to be at this party anymore.

I want to be at home with Xavier so I can drag out whatever he’s not saying.

He isn’t one to be this hot and cold. I mean, my God, I almost orgasmed from all the things he was telling me before Noah interrupted us.

Now he’s stopped talking completely. True, the soft way he’s touching me is quite lovely but…

Mine to play with and use as I please .

I held his hand and led him through the solarium to a long hallway. I’ve been to the Caldwell estate more than a few times over the years. I knew my way around.

After passing by a few doors, I went into one of the rooms I always loved to spend time in. Hannah called it the Empress Room. It lived up to the name with marble floors, plush couches, floor to ceiling windows, and my favorite part, the grand piano. It sat in the middle of the room, basking in the moonlight.

“What are we doing in here?” he asked.

I sat on the piano bench and crossed my legs. Xavier stared at me but didn’t move. His guard was up.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”

A small smile. “Nothing. Remember? I’m a prepackaged snack with empty calories.”

I appreciated his attempt at humor but couldn’t hold back my eye roll if I tried.

“Maddox.”

“Chase.”

His smile grew wider. My patience thinned.

“Your apology tour hasn’t ended yet, no matter how well it might be going.” I crossed my arms. “I’m still in the dark about a lot of stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“Really?” I cocked an eyebrow. “What did Bennet tell you earlier?”

Xavier tensed, anger rolling off him in waves. “Nothing.”

“That’s two nothings . I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster. Talk to me. Please.”

Silence.

And to make it even more annoying, Xavier wouldn’t look at me. Frustrated, I scanned the room, sneaking glances at him. Aside from the tortured expression, he really looked handsome tonight. Dark gray dress pants, white button down with the sleeves rolled up, all those tattoos, no tie, dark hair tousled to a fault.

One of the butterflies nudged my heart.

Stop it .

“Okay.”

I was so surprised to hear his voice, I jumped. “Okay, what?”

An eyebrow arched as he walked closer. “I had no idea you were this forgetful.” Oh good. The aristocratic tone has returned.

Xavier straddled the bench and faced me. “You wanted to talk. What’s on your mind?”

“Can I tell you something?”

He dipped his head. “You can tell me anything, love.”

“I wish you trusted me more.”

He went still. So still, I thought maybe he didn’t hear me. But then his eyes locked onto mine. They were filled with such aching and sadness it stole my breath.

“I do trust you,” he said in an uncharacteristically timid voice. “I trust you with everything I am.” He paused and looked down before continuing with, “It’s me I don’t trust.”

Vulnerability wasn’t a normal default for Xavier. He’d shown glimpses of it but this is the first time I’ve seen him deliberately strip off some of his armor.

“What don’t you trust about yourself?”

A sullen expression washed over his face.

I brushed my finger over his scar. He flinched a little but didn’t stop me. I held his face in my hands, leaned closer and kissed along the entire jagged length.

I’d done this more than a few times and I know it makes him uncomfortable, but I also know it’s his way of letting me in, letting me see beyond the cracks and imperfections he guards with such fervor.

There was a long silence before he answered. “I hurt someone.”

“When you were a teenager and got into fights?” I can’t imagine he would have hurt someone to the point of hospitalization or serious injury. Maybe a black eye? Knocked out a few teeth?

The muscle in his jaw pulsed. “No.”

I rested my hand on his thigh. My God, he was so tense. “You don’t have to tell—”

“I want to,” he cut in. “Pretending it never happened won’t do me any good.” He reached for my hand and held it to his chest. His heart raced beneath my touch. “I was reckless. Impulsive. I let my selfish needs dictate—”

The door swung open and slammed into the wall. A couple stumbled into the room, laughing and talking at the top of their lungs.

“Hey, it’s Victory Victoria.”

You have got to be fucking kidding me .

Jaxon Oliver, one of the tight ends, stood in the doorway with a girl draped on his left arm. “We’re not interrupting are we? I was looking for a place to, uh…wow, this mansion is insane.”

Any traces of Xavier’s vulnerability or timid demeanor melted away. If looks could kill, his searing glance at Jax would have sent him plummeting through the floor.

“Yeah, it’s a big house for sure.” I placed my hand back on his thigh. “But I don’t think Mr. Caldwell wants everyone roaming through it.”

He did the finger point thing at me with both hands. “Special treatment for the media queen. I won’t tell him I saw you in here with, uh, well, whoever that is.”

The muscles in Xavier’s thigh turned to stone.

Oh shit .

I squeezed it, gave him a look, and turned to Jax. “This is Xavier Maddox. His soccer team is hosting us in London this fall. Royal City Athletic. You were at their game in April against the Knights.”

“Aw, dude, right. Sorry. Totally recognize you. The guys and I were just doing a shitload of shots and—” his date elbowed him in the side “—ow. Soccer. Good sport. Lots of kicking. You should come be the punter for us.”

“That’s enough, Jaxon,” the young woman exclaimed, appearing mortified. She mouthed an apology, led him out, and closed the door.

Stunned silence spread around us for a minute. And then we spoke at once.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Who the fuck was that.”

Caught between wanting to laugh and hoping the floor would swallow me whole, I rested my head on Xavier’s chest.

“That was Jax. He’s—”

“An absolute git.” His tone dripped with indignation.

I looked up at him. “In his defense, he’s taken quite a few hits to the head.”

No reaction.

Cool.

My half-hearted attempt at lifting the mood fell flat.

“Is anyone else from your team going to interrupt us tonight?”

“Hopefully not.”

“ Victory Victoria ? How many brain cells did he sacrifice for that gem?”

“Feel better now?” I laughed in spite of his dour expression. “Or is there—”

“Be the punter ?” He sounded offended. “I’ll have him know I could kick that egg shaped ball farther than—”

“You know what?” I clamped my hand over his mouth. “As fun as it would be to listen to sixteen-year-old Xavier whine about an encounter with a drunk football player, I’d like thirty-six-year-old Xavier to come back.”

His sapphire eyes narrowed as he gazed at me. I held his stare, and kept my hand firmly planted over his mouth.

Just when I thought we’d sit like this for the rest of the night, he grabbed my waist, lifted me up, and put me on top of the piano. Much to my surprise, he hopped up next to me. We sat quietly, legs swinging, for several long minutes.

I stole a few quick glances at him. His whole demeanor was guarded. Not in a standoffish way. He just seemed…pensive? Maybe that was it.

I had a feeling we’d have to pick up our conversation another time.

Disappointing, since he really seemed to be opening up to me about something significant from his past. So many questions were poised and ready at the tip of my tongue.

But again, I had to find the balance.

“Where would you like to go?” he asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

He laced his fingers with mine. “On our getaway. Do you have a specific place in mind?”

My default response was always not really when Killian and I would plan our little friend-cations. We’d usually end up somewhere on Nantucket at a cute hotel with great food and beautiful views.

But this wasn’t a friend-cation with Killian. This was a weekend alone with Xavier. No interruptions. No distractions. No drunk tight ends barging in on delicate conversations.

“Honestly, just somewhere secluded and quiet and cozy and—” I paused. “What’s that look for?”

One shoulder lifted in an elegant shrug. “You continue to surprise me, city princess. I’ll handle all the plans. Just be ready to go when I give the word.”

“Glad to see your little bossy side hasn’t left the party.”

He leaned in, hovering his mouth over mine. “You know you like it.” His kiss was so soft and sweet it made my pulse race and heart jump. “We can finish our talk then, okay?” He brushed his lips on mine. “And bolt the door shut.”

“Pretty good suggestion for a prepackaged snack with empty calories.”

This time when he kissed me it was harder, more demanding. I tugged on his hair, my tongue tangling with his. Slowly, he started to relax in my arms. The tension in his muscles loosened with every firm, possessive movement of his mouth.

I breathed him in, cupping my hand behind his neck. A low moan vibrated through him when he broke our kiss. He stared at me, his eyes caressing every inch of me, memorizing every detail.

“I want to tell you everything,” he whispered before fusing our mouths together again.

This kiss felt different. More desperate than possessive. Almost as though he needed to devour every last bit of me to survive.

When he pulled away, he asked “Would you like to get back to your celebration?” while brushing his fingers along my jaw.

“I’d rather hang out in here with you a little longer.”

A wide smile pulled at his lips, softening his face. “Wow. Me? I’ve been a bit scattered tonight. Thought you might want an excuse to mingle with a better product.”

The room echoed with my laughter.

“Impossible.” I kissed the soft spot beneath his ear. His body shuddered. “I’m perfectly content sitting on this rock hard piano with you.”

“It is a bit rough on the ass, isn’t it?”

Granted, I’ve only known this man for a few months but I could sniff out a baited phrase like no other.

“Nice try.”

“What?” He feigned innocence.

I leaned close, kissing beneath his ear again, gently biting and flicking my tongue on his skin.

“Is this helping you relax?”

“Yes.” A hint of flirtatious arrogance crept back into his tone. “You can’t resist me, can you. I don’t think you’d stop if I told you to.”

“You underestimate me.” I scooted to the edge of the piano and got down. Without looking back at him, I walked toward the opposite end of the room.

I loved how it was decorated in here. The furnishings were ornate, opulent, and sensuous. But the attention to detail is what intrigued me. Subtle hints of gothic inspiration mixed with the overall renaissance vibe.

“How often do you come here?” Xavier’s smooth voice broke the silence.

“It depends.” I drank in every inch of him as he walked toward me. Something about the way he moved with sleek fluidity always sent a shiver skipping up and down my spine. “Hannah and I came here for meetings a few times. It’s not like I hang out on the weekends or anything.”

“Meetings? In this room?”

“No. Ethan’s office. Hannah and I come in here to decompress. That’s why I knew about it. Otherwise, you and I would have wandered through the house for hours and gotten lost.”

“That sounds familiar. Took me a bit to get used to Bennet’s place. Cade actually got lost in there a few times. He was rather vexed about us not coming to look for him.”

“Vexed?”

“Angry.”

“Be nice to Cade,” I mock-scolded. “He’s a sensitive soul.”

Xavier’s jaw dropped. He laughed so loud everyone could probably hear him in the solarium.

“How the fuck did you say that with a straight face?” His wide, genuine smile lit up the room.

I shrugged, staring up at him through my lashes. “Years of media training.”

“You are something else.” He wrapped me in a tight embrace, still laughing.

The longer I stayed secured in his arms, the more I felt the tension continue to melt from his body. Tonight hasn’t really gone like I thought it would. It started off pretty on brand for us with the flirting and the dirty talk and Xavier’s simmering jealousy.

It all seemed to change when Bennet pulled him away for that mysterious conversation.

As if reading my thoughts, he held me tighter. “Think anyone will care if we stay in here the rest of the night?”

“Well, I might care.” I squeezed him. “I would like to celebrate with my coworkers and friends at some point.”

His embrace loosened. “Pity.”

I leaned my head back and caught his eye. His gaze was teasing and relaxed. That’s a relief .

“I’ll make a deal with you. Let’s go back out to the party for a little while. Have a few drinks. Something to eat. Maybe do a little dancing and socializing.”

“And where does the deal part come into play?”

“I’ll let you hang out with me.” I planted a lush kiss on his lips, grabbed his hand, and led him back to the solarium.

Bennet sat by himself at a table staring at his phone. I scanned the room and found Hannah. She was doing shots with Noah, Jax, and several other players.

From the looks of it, we’d arrived at the anything goes portion of the evening. And knowing these guys, the after-party would be even more insane.

Hannah waved me over. I waved back, tugging on Xavier’s hand.

“C’mon,” I coaxed. “Dance with me. Or do you want to be boring and lame like Bennet?”

He pulled me close, tipping my chin up. “I want to watch you dance. If I like what I see, I’ll join you.”

Tempting.

My intentions weren’t quite the same. I wanted to ply him with alcohol and grind against him to every song the DJ played.

Between the things he’d said to me outside and the way he kissed me on the piano, my body needed release one way or another. For some reason, he didn’t seem to be interested in playing in public. Maybe I was too convincing with my be a good boy routine.

“I know this look. Am I not supposed to behave anymore?” He glanced at the dance floor. “Hannah is waiting. You should really go to her.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Watch you.” He dipped his head, as though he meant to kiss me. A level of desire swept through me so fierce and overwhelming, it nearly left me breathless. My eyes hooded at the slow, calculated slide of his hands over my hips.

“What will you think about while you watch me?” The catch in my voice sounded painfully obvious even with all the noise.

His mouth hovered at my ear. “The more appropriate question is, what will you be thinking about?”

A soft moan rose in my throat and burst into the thick, languid air enveloping us.

“Dance for me, love.” Each word caressed my skin in sultry, warm strokes. The pulses of desire intensified. I was seconds away from unraveling.

Being with him at a sizable event surrounded by my coworkers and the media tested me on a level I didn’t know existed. Sure, I’ve gone off with athletes or whomever at events similar to this in the past.

But those were meaningless (dare I say it) flings.

This was not a fling. This was real and raw and consuming and…

He slid his hand between my thighs. I parted my lips in an effort to breathe. I knew he could feel how turned on I was.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, teasing me with his fingers. The whisper-light strokes edged me closer to release.

“Yes.”

The teasing stopped. I swallowed, looking into his eyes. A small tilt of his head reminded me of how I’m supposed to respond. One of these days we’ll be able to bypass this part, right?

“Green.”

A rough stroke across my clit nearly made me see stars.

“Dance for me, dirty princess. Don’t make me say it again.”

All I wanted to do was push him to the floor and, to put it bluntly, fuck his brains out. I could barely walk, let alone dance. But I peeled myself away from his body and went to Hannah.

“Is there a reason you’re here with me instead of taking advantage of that delicious man?” she laughed, holding out a shot glass. “You should see your face. Drink this.”

I didn’t bother asking what it was. We clinked glasses and knocked them back.

Oh good.

Tequila.

This should get interesting fast.

More shots sat on a nearby table. Noah caught my eye and smiled. Normally, I’d go hug him or make some kind of friendly gesture but I could one hundred percent feel Xavier’s stare burning through the back of my head.

I wanted him untamed, not annoyed.

We knocked back another shot. And another.

Hannah draped her arm over my shoulders. “I guess we’re supposed to dance now.” Her words slurred a little.

This was a rare treat. I haven’t seen Drunk Hannah since the night we won the championship.

“What makes you say that?”

“No reason.” She turned me to face where Bennet was sitting. He wasn’t on his phone anymore. Instead, he ran a hand through his dirty blond hair and observed us with rapt interest.

Xavier stood off to the side, stroking his lip with his thumb. I fucking love when he does that. The corner of his mouth ticked up in a devilish grin when our eyes locked. And there goes my throbbing clit again.

“I can’t speak for your guy but Bennet gave me very detailed instructions.”

Her brown eyes sparkled through the blurry haze of alcohol.

“What kind of instructions?”

Normally I wouldn’t ask my boss such personal questions about her love life but recent history has altered our friendship.

She twirled a strand of golden hair. “Do you really wanna know?”

YES . “Only if you feel comfortable telling me.”

“Pfft. You’re a terrible liar. You totally want to know.” She pointed to the rows of shot glasses. “One more of these first.”

Doing this many shots in rapid succession will most likely get her and I in trouble.

My body tingled.

Not a bad outcome, in all honesty.

We each grabbed two shots, clinked glasses, and downed the tequila.

Hannah appeared unsure about something when she banded her arms around my waist.

“I want to tell you,” she murmured, wobbling a bit in her heels. “I feel like…I think you’d be the only one to understand.”

Maybe the alcohol was affecting me quicker than normal. She didn’t sound like herself. In all the years we’ve worked together and known one another, Hannah always portrayed herself as level-headed, composed, and regal.

Her usual poise seemed fractured.

I guess being an heiress wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded.

“Understand what?”

The uncertainty evaporated when her forehead dropped to mine.

“Bennet likes to play this game where he picks someone out of a crowd for me to seduce.”

I felt one of her hands slide to my lower back.

Uh oh .

I am the furthest thing from a prude. However, getting this cozy with not just my boss, but the director of the entire communications department, seemed like a bad idea.

I’m probably misreading this.

We weren’t doing anything inappropriate. We were literally just standing here. Anyone would think I’m propping up an inebriated friend. I’ve probably stood this way with Killian hundreds of times and didn’t even bat an eye.

“Who does he want you to seduce here?” I was genuinely curious.

“Dante’s girlfriend.” Her arm slid all the way around my waist, turning me so we both faced Dante Milano, another one of our tight ends. His girlfriend, Meghan, was talking to Tracey.

“Any particular reason?”

Hannah looked at me and grinned. “Do you want the real answer or the one he told me to tell you?”

My jaw dropped on an incredulous laugh. “The real fucking answer, please and thank you.”

Uncertainty and regret washed across her features. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I’m sorry. It’s unprofessional and—”

“Hey. You know you can tell me anything if you want to. I’m like a vault. Besides, I asked you to smuggle my underwear out of my desk drawer without anyone at work knowing.”

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. And then she threw her head back in laughter. “Oh my God, you’re right.” Our little scene caught the attention of a few players briefly. “That was a…that day was weird.”

Weird is one way to describe it.

“Okay.” She swayed a bit. I held her tighter. “I can trust you. Just don’t tell Xavier. He’ll get mad.” Her words came out in a rush. “Unless Bennet tells him, which he probably will, then it won’t really matter. Xavier can be mad at him .”

Listening to her ramble in a stream of consciousness floored me. This is new even for Drunk Hannah. The absolute fascination I have with this whole situation is off the charts.

“Sure. My lips are sealed.”

“The real answer.” Hannah pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Bennet thinks it would be hot if you and I hooked up. I do, too…”

I nearly lost my footing. Guess I wasn’t misreading it.

“Not full on sex. A heavy make out session.” Her voice had a rasp to it I’ve never heard before. I don’t know what my face looked like but it made her giggle. “He’d want us to do that until he tells us to stop.”

What world am I living in right now? Hannah Pruitt, the posh, savvy, heiress to the Caldwell family business and fortune has a dirty side that rivals my own. And here I thought the most surprising thing I’ve learned about her recently was that she’s a submissive.

Might as well go for the main prize. “What was the answer he told you to tell me?”

She rested her head on my shoulder. “That I had to seduce Xavier.”