Ava instinctively reared back from the window. “Shit! *Please* drive,” she yelled at the cab driver.The driver looked frantically around at the shadowy figures that surrounded his car, “Do you see this?! Who are you people?”Ava took out her wadded-up cache of paper bills and tossed it on the empty front passenger seat. Hopefully, he wouldn’t count it until much, much later. “Here, that’s all the money I have. Just drive, it’s fine, they’ll move.”“Are you out of your mind?!” He spat.“I told you not to roll the window down,” Ava spat back before surging forward to wrench back the button to bring the window up. The glass pane managed to rise a few inches before Xavier clamped and hand down on it and pushed. Gears from within the door began to whir in protest as Xavier brute forced the window back down in its chassis. With a low growl, the window’s regulator snapped, and the pane slammed all the way down.Ava and the cabby both jumped in surprise. Cursing, the driver laid on the horn,
Ava didn’t bother tensing up when she felt Xavier’s arm drop around her shoulders and didn’t pull away when he pulled her into his chest. After the night she’d had, the cautious comfort felt…nice, even if it were offered by the very source of her anguish. And, if that weren’t the most fucked up thought she’d ever had, she didn’t know what was. Despite everything he’d done to her and the hoops he was currently making her jump through seemingly just for his cruel amusement, Ava’s body still yearned to be close to his. The cloying scent of their mating bond threatened to suffocate her, it was so strong. Ava shrugged out of his hold and sniffed back her remaining tears. Wiping her face dry, she walked off a couple of feet to give herself some much-needed space. When she finally turned to face Xavier, she was surprised by the surprise she found etched on his face. The Alpha looked utterly perplexed and mildly disturbed, frowning at her with something that looked infuri
Madame Bella paused as she stepped through the door, clearly not anticipating finding one of the club’s luminaries alone with one of the maids. The statuesque female only let the surprise show on her face for a split second before a silky smile slid over her features. “Mr. Michaels, a pleasure to say the least,” her generous hips swayed as she sauntered over and extended a fiercely manicured hand out for Xavier to shake. Never once did the woman spare a second to acknowledge Ava’s presence. “Please, allow me to assist you in any way I can.” Xavier had to be a very special guest here indeed if Madame Bella deigned to descend from her leather-clad tower to not only answer his summons, but personally offer him her services. Of course, Ava didn’t have much of a frame of reference where it came to Madame Bella. She’d barely seen the woman in the three months since she’d been…recruited to work at the Green Light Club. To be fair, this was by design, since it was a well-know
It was clear from Xavier’s standoffish posturing that he didn’t consider it necessary for Ava to be a part of this conversation. Still, Bella’s eyes flicked nervously toward Ava and back as she forced a breathy chuckle. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t think you understand what you’re asking.” “I understand that I’m not asking at all. I gave you an order, Ms. Sutton.” Bella ducked her head in a nod, “Of course, sir. If you’ll allow me a moment to prepare, I’d be happy to prepare a demonstration for you.” She hesitated for just a moment before continuing, “It would give you the opportunity to see how we train our staff.” This time, the smile Xavier offered was nearly genuine, “That would be perfect, Bella. Thank you.” With another nod, Bella strode out of the conference room, notably lacking much of the grace she had strode in with.When the door shut behind her, Xavier walked over to a fully stocked bar hutch and grabbed a laser-cut crystal glass. Ava stood in disbeli
Two weeks after Ava had struck her bargain with Xavier, she sat at her shiny new vanity, nestled in the corner of her own private en suite bathroom. She was still getting used to having…*things*, belongings that were completely her own.She had barely begun to scratch the surface of her debt to Xavier and the Red Moon Pack, but the few thousand dollars she had made, she’d made honestly, and that made her feel good. Accomplished.Ava was relieved to find that the court member’s escort training was thorough, but flexible. She was taught everything from how to make intriguing conversation and massage therapy, to pain play and the traditional art of Kinbaku bondage.Thankfully, Bella seemed to be particularly conscious of Ava’s handicap, and made sure to assign her to clients who sought out companionship rather than sexual gratification. So far, Ava had bantered and flattered her way into what money she’d managed to accumulate, so far, without offering anything more intimate than a should
Xavier stared down at her with a stony expression, but Ava could read his silent agitation. He reached down, grabbed her by the upper arm, and pulled her to her feet. “Oy, Xav, we need to work on your taste in women, mate.” Someone scoffed, but Xavier ignored them. When Ava stood, she became unbalanced on her sky-high heels and stumbled. Her arm shot out and caught onto Xavier’s sleeve to keep from tumbling back down to the floor. Some of the others saw her clinging to Xavier’s arm and started ribbing him at Ava’s expense. “The clown doll’s caught herself an Alpha!” “You sure she’s woman enough for you, Xav? We know you like it rough!” “Nah, breaking them in is half the fun!” The males continued to laugh and crack jokes, most of which featured Ava as the punchline. She stared down at her cleavage, rather than look Xavier in the face. He gave her arm a shake, prompting her to meet his gaze, but she resisted. “Is this fun for you, having people mock and d
Xavier’s mad dash to the hospital was a blur of phone calls and righteous fury. He cursed Bella for not taking better of the girl, despite her direct orders to keep an eye out for Ava. He queued up his contact list via the large Bluetooth enabled screen in his car. He nearly hit the button to call Lance, but quickly dismissed that option. After his showing last month, it was best if the brutish male stayed as far away from Ava as possible. Not to mention how handsy he’d gotten with the human waitress, who barely looked old enough to be legally serving alcohol. Xavier knew things went down in his club between consenting adults, and sometimes those things were better enjoyed when it looked as if one or more of the involved adults were less than willing. He drew a line at blatant assault, however. Even if Xavier felt the situation hadn’t escalated to a point that called for a public reprimand, it still needed to be addressed. Besides, the idiot was showing up with co
Xavier stood glowering at his friend, not quite able to wrap his mind around the other male’s bold accusation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He snatched his arm from out of Jack’s grasp. “Really?” Jack’s eyebrow twitched upward as he gestured to Ava’s hospital room, “Since when is it protocol to bring in the cavalry to cure colds?” “Is that what ails her? Even though you barely looked at her?” Xavier’s voice was heavily laden with sarcasm, even as he attempted to deflect his friend’s line of questioning, “I knew you were good at what you do, Jack, but damn – you might need a raise.” Jack pursed his lips slightly and slowly shook his head back and forth, completely unfazed by Xavier’s foul nature. But, of course, that was one of the reasons Xavier had bonded with the Gamma in the first place and continued to keep him around – the male was too intelligent to scare easily. “We both know that what’s really keeping her in that hospital bed is something