The Chase II (8 page)

“Oh my God.”

He pushed in and out until he was balls deep and stretching me out. His cock felt so good, I was losing my mind as I put my hands flat on the wall in front of me. Xavier tilted my ass higher and he moved in more fluidly.

“Goddamn, baby.” He held my hips in place.

“Xavier,” I purred as I felt my walls clench.

He slapped my ass upwards and I pushed back for more. “Yes, yes.”

My ass stung again, as his hand connected in the same spot. Hit other hand was squeezing my right hip as he drove faster into me.

“Fuck.” He roared and pulled out. “On your knees.”

“Yes,” I almost fell off that stool, trying to get to my knees. Crawling to him, I grabbed his cock over his hand and put it in my mouth. He let go and gripped my hair as I started to bob my head and hand in rhythm of his impending release. I wanted him in my mouth. I was so wet as he held my head and started to fuck my mouth.

“So goddamn beautiful.” He groaned, “All I ever wanted.”

Then he came hard in my mouth. I pushed my head forward to catch all of it, because I knew he liked that. I loved doing this for him. Xavier always made sure I came, it was the least I could do.

“Damn,” he said as he fell back on the bed.

I climbed over him to move the vibrator, but he grabbed my thighs and placed my center right over his mouth.

“Take it, baby.” He said, right before he pulled me down on him and he started to suck on my clit.

He felt so damn good, I leaned down and started to ride his face until I felt it coming. As my release trickled down my spine, he put his index finger near my tighter hole and rimmed it. I rode faster, as the tingling feeling begin to come.

“I’m coming,” I breathed.

He inserted the top of his finger inside of me and I erupted all over his face with frantic movements that I could not control. Intense was the only word I could come up with for the evening. Everything was on another level and neither was the level we both wanted. It wasn’t clear what Xavier was talking about, but it was clear for me.

This was our last time.

She said she was leaving me and I was in the kitchen cooking us breakfast. My mind was not fully able to deal with everything she was saying last night. She knew I wasn’t being completely truthful, Matthew covered for me and she was leaving. Something was up and I knew it was outside of what she, her and Matt was concerned. I wondered if there was something with the school or her practice. She seemed awfully certain that I was not telling the truth, like she already had the proof.

The folder.

I put the bacon in the over, waffles in the toaster and beat the eggs as I went to her purse. She had all manner of shit in there, but the folder was right on top. Setting the eggs down, I opened it to see the same pictures I have of her that was sent by Gavin. Some pictures of me in different situations. Then I read an email addressed to her with the same pictures, the fucking article about Kevin and a FBI report with businesses under investigations including some of mine.

What the fuck?

I grabbed my phone and dialed Lee. He answered on the third ring, “Get up here.”

Hanging up, I took the eggs to the stove and started scrambling them.

“Boss?”

“In the kitchen, keep it down. Xena’s sleep.”

He came in and I pointed to the counter. The husky man picked it up and said, “You have more.”

“No, they were sent to Xena.”

“Fuck,” he exhaled.

“Fuck, is right.” I continued to turn the eggs. “I have no idea how he’s contacted her or even if she knows who this is.”

“She gave this to you?”

“No, it was in her purse.” I thought about her ultimatum and shook my head. “She was testing me the entire time.”

“Huh?” Lee asked.

“Nothing,” I kept turning the eggs.

Fuck.

“I’ll get Dunn on it and I’ve recruited a couple of legit PI’s to find Gavin as well.”

“Anyone, I know.”

“You might. He’s from the south, everyone calls him Tee.”

“No.” I filed through my memory bank. “It’s not ringing a bell.”

“He’s really good. Just busted a case wide open in Freeport a few weeks ago.”

“Fine, just get it done. I need to nip this, before it gets out of hand. He doesn’t get near her, you hear me. Tell Jackson that is nonnegotiable.”

“Done.”

He left, as I took the scrambled eggs off the stove and put them on a plate. I removed the waffles from the toaster, took the bacon out of the oven and shut everything off. Once I prepared her plate and put it on a tray with condiments and iced coffee, I brought it to the room, where she was bending over, fully dressed and putting some of her stuff in her suitcase she bought over a few weeks ago.

She was leaving.

Placing the tray down on the table, her neck twisted towards me, then she said, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”

“I see.” I murmured.

She stood and fully turned, “We discussed this. You said one more night. That happened and now it’s time for me to go.”

Now was not the time to lose my shit. I had to remain calm with her especially. She was like a rabbit and if I even acted like I was going off the deep end that would seal my coffin. I had a good min to take her and move out of the country to make sure she was safe. We could travel the world and she’d bear my children and carry my name. If it came to that, that’s what I was willing to do.

“Can we just eat breakfast?” I motioned. “It’s your favorite.”

“I have to go.” She zipped her bag and pulled it off the bed.

As she walked towards me, she looked at the tray, then said, “You went in my bag?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“This is the same guy who was stalking you. He’s the same guy that is loose right now and the same guy I’m hunting.”

She smirked, then said, “So you say.”

“No, this is the truth Xena.”

“Xavier, this is what I’m talking about. I don’t believe half the shit you say out of your mouth. There are pictures of you with Tay Connors. What the fuck are you doing with him? He’s a known criminal and underground gambling extraordinaire.”

“I’m well aware of who Tay Connors is, but this wasn’t a social call. I was warning him off for a friend. He had a young business owner, near LIU, dad for some money and kept hassling him to play. He got in too deep and Tay was trying to use muscle to get him to sit for him. The friend is doing big things and didn’t need that shit, so I had a conversation. This is deceiving. He’s trying to turn you against me. Don’t you see that?”

“Is that not you with a bat, vandalizing somebody’s apartment up?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Vandalizing his Gavin’s apartment up. When he comes back to straighten it up, I’ll do that shit again.”

“Xavier,” I breathed.

“No, Xavier. You need to get this shit. I will not let anyone, Xena and I mean any fucking body mess with what we have. He’s inadvertently threatened you, contacting you, fucking stalking you, trying to turn you against me and then sends you these emails, threatening me and telling you lies about me and twisting the truth. He knows. You’re my weakness, my kryptonite. You hold the goddamn power. He fucks with you, he’s damn sure fucking with me. He knows that shit. I’m not sure why, but I do plan to find out. It’s a game, baby and I don’t play when it comes to you. The fucked up part is that you believe him.”

She shook her head, then whispered, “I have no choice. You sat and said nothing. I asked. I’ve given you ample opportunity, yet you’ve said nothing. Now you want to share based off information that was given to me.”

She started walking towards the door, grabbed the envelope off the tray and continued, “I can’t do it. Now you are either going to let me go peacefully.” She stood in front of me with resolute eyes. “Or I’ll go kicking and screaming bloody murder.”

“Can you just trust me, Xena? Trust that I’ve got your back. That I’ll take care of you no matter what. That I love you? Can you trust that?”

“I can’t risk my future based of half-truths.” She shook her head.

“Well, I got some work to do so that you do.” I said more to myself than to her.

We squared off for a minute, then I moved out of the way. This was not one of those moments I could kiss her and it would go away. She would really slap me and pull whatever was in her arsenal and that wasn’t us. We could be rough, but it was all consensual. I loved her, plain and simple. I wanted to make her happy and I had not been doing that lately.

Knowing I had not been the most upfront with her about various things was one thing, but what Matthew said about my methods were starting to make sense. My own woman didn't trust me? Didn't trust me to take care of her or didn't trust me to tell the truth? I wondered if she suspected I was cheating on her.

She didn't believe half the shit I said out of my mouth?

The door slammed.

Before I could process my next move, I picked up the vase of flowers and threw it against the wall across the room. It shattered to unrecognizable pieces just like my heart.

******

The rest of the day went by like a blur. I sat at my desk, looking at the cold breakfast reeling over her words as they kept running through my mind. Thinking about rehab, thinking about my father, what Matt said, what my mom said and Xena.

Sunday was more of the same, but after no food and the demons of my past keeping me from sleep I found myself standing outside of the liquor store. Even Lee asked if I really wanted to stop here.

“Pull the fuck over,” I barked at him.

Stumbling out of the car, not because of being intoxicated, but dehydration, I leaned on my town car. Staring at the bright, liquor store building. Knowing that over twenty-four year ago, that was my go to when things were tough. When I was helpless and wanted to escape. There was no drunk father that beat my ass instead of my brothers or mothers. It was just a man who was the catalyst to the ending of my life. What was left of my family, my lady, and my career?

The last thing I needed was to lose my will to the uncontrollable force of a foreign substance. I swore I’d never be a slave to alcohol again. I swore I’d never be a slave to anything again, but Matt was right. She was my drug of choice. My body craved her, but I didn’t know how to get her back without putting her at risk.

Getting into the car, I nodded, “drive.”

******

The next day Matt walked into my office. His eye was slightly puffy and his body language did not appear open for an apology.

“Matt.”

No response.

He sat right across from my desk and said, “Susan is out for the day, so we have a temp at the front desk. Not sure who you have to manage your mail, but just in case you receive any more pictures, you may want to closely monitor that. The technicians are working overtime to make sure we have no vulnerabilities on all sides, so we should be good on that end. Is there anything I should be focused on right now in regards to XAND?”

He stared at me with a blank look. He wasn't going to make this easy for me and I didn't blame him. However, yet again he was there for me as he'd always been. Even at 17, when I almost died of alcohol poisoning. He was the one that made our mother get me some help.

We never talk about that day, but he knew I had a problem, because he found my bottles of liquor. What started out as an expedition to see why my father drank so much, turned into an addiction I didn't understand at such a young age. Matt did and he made not only informed my mom, but made sure I was at each meeting.

At 18, I went away to college and he would call me to make sure I was on the straight and narrow. By the time I graduated, between counseling and my need to not ever be controlled again, I learned to create, shift and cope with my reality. I was an alcoholic and the one thing I could control was myself and ensure that my atmosphere was the way I said it would be.

Little did I know, Matt was doing the same thing for different reasons. XAND started as a thought between two brothers, but ended as a plan of two partners. We pitched and we won. From there, we invested wisely. Matt did real estate to help subsidize our income because he had the gift of gab and I was more reserved and brooding. His words. I like to deal with logistics and figures, not necessarily having to sell people on things that was matt’s domain and that was why we worked. Brothers, friends and partners.

“You're right.” I said. “I fucked up and I should have told her.” Matt looked away. “You're always right. I know you look out for her like a sister. I just get so fucking anxious when I can't control the things around her and real shit, Matt. I'm fucking scared. Xena wants a certain type of man. A provider, a leader and on some level a man that will always have her back. So in my fucked up way I thought that is what I was doing and honestly I don't know how to be any other way. I won't go back to 17, Matt.”

He turned to look at me, “nobody is asking for that.”

“That's what it feels like.” I stated, “like going back to be helpless.”

“Well, you're a man in love. You are as helpless as fish out of water.”

“What,” I half laughed.

A buzz ran throughout the office.

“Yes,” I pressed the button.

“Sir, you have a package.”

“Bring it in.”

An older woman with salt and pepper hair comes into the room with a plain white envelope. Matt holds out his hand to receive it. He hands it to me and she leaves.

“Well,” Matt said.

I opened it up, displaying a picture of Xena with a man’s arms around her shoulders walking her into an apartment building. I turned it over and it read,
you fuck with mine, I fuck with yours
.

The picture dropped from my hands as a cold sweat broke in my body. Matt jumped to his feet and picked up the letter, while I reached for my phone.

“J-jackson.” I asked. “Where is Xena?”

“At work, sir.”

“Go and verify that shit, NOW!” I yelled.

There was some shuffling on the phone, then I heard a car door slam.

“Oh shit,” Matt shook his head. “What did you do, man?”

I looked at Matt, not wanting to disappoint him, but fuck all of this shit. “I paid a visit to his sister’s house.”

“Fuck,” Matt exhaled. “Xavier, what did you do?”

There was some shuffling, then heavy breathing, “Yeah, she’s there. In the yard with students.”

I exhaled and said, “Okay.”

My world was collapsing around me and I had no fucking control.

“FUUUCCCKKK!” I roared and in one swift swing, I wiped everything off my desk, including the computer.

“Fuck, man.” Matt muttered.

I just started smashing shit. Breaking it. Anything in site. I needed to hit something, to feel pain. Somebody opened the door and Matt yelled for them to get out. He knew me. Knew me well enough to know when I was here, I’d tire myself out. He stood near the door as I tore my office up. Holes, broken glass, splinters of wood were everywhere as I let everything in me out. The anger, the frustration, the guilt and pain.