"Beautiful one, sharer of my longing, who but you will ever hold my heart?"
- Lu Yun
. . .
Olivia Woods
Even though I could have stayed in the dorm with my new roommate who I had seen for one second before she rushed out of the dorm with a camera, I decided to spend the night with Xerxes in a suspiciously close apartment.
Xerxes' fingers danced on the back of my back as I lay above him, mentally exhausted.
"What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know." I dug my face into his neck.
"How about," he said. "I go get some food and you talk to Ashton and Zavier?"
"I talked to Ashton. He's fighting someone."
"I know," he said. "Are you upset?"
I rolled off him, cuddling to his side, and he pulled me closer. "I understand the stuff you do for a reason," I said. "Not fully, but I sort of understand it. But stuff like this? Which serves no purpose? I don't get it."
He hummed. "It's a show of power," he said. "People need to be reminded that those who command them deserve it. No one wants a weak leader."
I frowned. "You three are the strongest men I know."
I looked up at him. He smiled. "And you are the strongest woman I know."
"That's bull."
He frowned. "Bull?"
I smiled. "Bullshit, old man."
His eyes narrowed. "So much filth coming out of that little mouth." He kissed me. "You are the strongest woman I know, Olivia. You've been through so much." His hands brushed on my ribs, right where the ugly 'I' was. "This would have broken anyone," he said.
I gulped. "Maybe it did."
"It didn't." He cupped my face. "Nothing which you don't allow to break you can break you, Olivia. I know it doesn't seem like a conscious decision, but it is. You didn't allow this to break you, to weaken you."
I smiled. "If the mafia stuff doesn't work out," I said. "You can become a motivational speaker."
"I'd be a good one."
"Totally," I said.
He smiled, tracing my lips. "That smile kills me."
"And yours heals me."
. . .
"Did you win?" I asked as I shuffled around the salad. I was in the giant dark kitchen of the apartment. Zavier would love it.
"Yes," Zavier said through the phone. Xerxes was taking a shower after insisting that I eat. I had made him get me a salad, something he had frowned at. "It was pretty boring. Ashton got the interesting one."
"How was it interesting?"
"It was to the death," Zavier said and I froze. "But Ashton didn't kill him. He hired him."
"What?"
"That was my reaction, kitten. Giovanni looked bummed. Apparently, the man was 'too skilled' to kill."
Skilled with what?
"Well," I said. "That's a good thing..." I had asked them to only tell me the truth. Now that they did, it was uncomfortable. "How are you? Are you hurt?"
"Not really. He didn't get to touch me." I heard him sit down. "The mansion feels empty without you."
"I'll be back soon."
"Even soon is too far without you, kitten."
"Have you been reading romance, Zavier?"
"I can't be romantic without having read your cheesy books?"
I smiled. "It feels weird without you, too. The whole city feels weird. Xerxes is here, that's keeping me grounded, but... it's a little overwhelming."
"You're new to it," he said. "You will get used to it soon and I am always here. I'll be there whenever you want."
"What if I want it too frequently?"
"You say it like it's a bad thing." He chuckled. "I want you frequently too. I don't see why I shouldn't."
"I don't want to...you know, occupy too much of your time. You have an empire to run."
He was quiet for a while. "Is Xerxes around, kitten?"
"He...He's in the shower."
"Okay. I want you to lie down for a bit. Can my kitten do that for me?"
"Yes, daddy."
"Good girl."
I stood and walked to the room across the dimly lit living room. I could hear the shower as I lay under the covers, pressing the phone to my ear. "I'm in bed."
"That's a good girl." His deep voice was soothing, calming me down. I was getting too dependent on him - on them. I could not bring myself to stop. "For you, Olivia, I'd burn the empire down if it keeps me away from you. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I whispered. "... I'll be okay. I just feel weird."
"Xerxes will be out soon. Talk to me till then, okay? Did you buy things to decorate your dorm?"
"Tomorrow I will. It's tiny so can't buy much stuff."
"I bet you will make it pretty like you, won't you?"
"I will." I smiled. "I'll use colours so that your eyes burn when you look at it."
He chuckled. "My evil little kitten. Face time me."
"Oh- okay." I had not expected the sudden demand. I did as I was told and his beautiful face came into view. Gosh, their beauty always knocked the air out of me. His tatted chest was bare. He had sat his phone against something in the kitchen and was currently stirring something in a mug.
"What's the time there?" He asked.
"Two in the night." I had accidentally fallen asleep so the dinner was delayed. Too delayed. "What's the time there?"
"Eight something."
"What are you making?"
"Coffee." He took a sip and sat on a stool "How do you feel?"
"Better, I think."
His eyes flickered over the screen. "My phone does not do you justice." He took a sip of his coffee again. "I-"
I heard a door slam. "I've got one Blood motherfucker."
Giovanni came into view, his hand grabbing the collar of a bloddied man. He smiled. "Hello, Livy."
"I'll talk to you later, Kitten," Zavier said through gritted teeth and ended the call before I could get a word out.
The bathroom door opened and Xerxes stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist as he rubbed another towel on his hair. He frowned at me. "What's wrong?"
. . .
I should be sleeping
I added a book with my covers, it's called 'Covers' °-°
Face reveal ^