“So many dower faces, I thought this was supposed to be a party!” The male’s tone was jovial, but suspicion sparked in his eyes as he looked pointedly at Xavier. “Dylan,” Xavier façade was firmly back in place as he slid the newcomer a cool smile. “*Sweets* here owes an unpaid debt to the Red Moon Pack. Luckily for her, I’m offering her an opportunity to make amends.”“Oh,” Dylan’s blonde eyebrows rose in surprise, “Please, go on.”“I’m offering her an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. A lifetime in exile, gone in exchange for a kiss.”Dylan threw back his head and barked a bewildered laugh, “With *Lance*? Were you not her type, old friend? It’s a shame you’ve lost your touch so young, Xavi. They probably have a pill for that, you know.”Lance glowered at the continued slights against his sparkling character, but Xavier took the ribbing in stride. “Perhaps, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m offering the chance of a lifetime to get back into my good graces and, unfortunatel
The hallway was dead silent as Ava followed Xavier’s imposing frame as he strode onward, navigating the VIP floor with ease. Ava wondered if there were just so few high-baller guests checked in tonight or if Xavier and his hedonistic friends had simply booked out the entire floor. Ava teetered toward the latter when Xavier stopped at another door, seemingly at random, and walked right in.Inside was another suite, nearly twice the size as the last one. They’d walked into a lounge room that, alone, was big enough to host the gathering they’d just left. A supple leather sofa sat in front of an ornate electric fireplace on one wall, while the opposite one held a private elevator finished in dark chrome. Double doors on the far wall led to the bedroom where a massive four-poster bed took up a good portion of the room. Through an open door off the bedroom, Ava caught a glimpse of an enormous claw-foot tub. She scoffed inwardly, thinking about the virtual hole-in-the-wall that doubled as he
When the elevator’s doors slid open punctuated by a cheery *ding!*, Ava found herself inexplicably torn. There, right *there* was the open world, ready to receive her with no strings attached for the first time in what felt like an entire lifetime.Right now, the dimly lit garage before her was practically nirvana, yet here she was rooted to where she stood, actually contemplating whether it would be better to press the button that would send her right back upstairs. But then what would she do if she did? Go sit right back down where Xavier left her, hoping that he’d see her compliance as an act of good will? Screw that, if he didn’t believe she was innocent by now, he was never going to, and Ava had to come to terms with that sooner rather than later. But what laid out there, on the other side of the parking garage? Ava was a fugitive among her people, so taking refuge with a neighboring Pack was out of the question. As soon as someone figured out who she was they would send for
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