Xavier embraces their cousin, something I never thought I'd see him do. I've never seen Xavier hug anyone before so he must care a lot about him. Whoever he is.
"His names Troy" Noah explains. "He's only 17."
I watch the boy whose only a year younger than I am. He has very tan skin and dark hair that's pulled back off his face. My eyes meet his brown ones as he stares at me.
Xavier follows his gaze to me and mutters something in his ear that makes him look away from me immediately. I watch as he hands him something, it's only small. Xavier tucks it away in his jacket pocket, placing his hand on Troy's shoulder and muttering something again.
He nods and follows Xavier back down the stairs towards us.
"I'm not sure if you realize" Noah says as he pulls Troy in for one of those bro man hug things that boys seem to naturally do. "But once you're dead, you don't usually go to balls."
Troy shoves Noah playfully, he's nowhere near as big or as tall as either him or Xavier.
I glance at my date whose glaring harshly at something behind me. When I turn I see a group young guys but they're all staring at the ground. What's he glaring at them for?
"I never died" Troy explains obviously. "It was just a set up so I could get the memory stick."
"And you knew about this?" Noah asks and Xavier nods. "And you didn't think to mention it to me?"
"We couldn't risk anyone else knowing, only Troy and I planned it" Xavier answers. He's holding another glass of some kind of expensive alcohol his large hand.
"But you got the memory stick?" Noah asks and they both nod, he seems relieved by this. "You're both bastards. I genuinely believed you were dead you asshole."
"How important can a memory stick be that you have to fake someone's death to get it?" Arnica asks. She's just as confused as I am about the whole situation.
"Very important" Noah answers her. "It's - complicated. You wouldn't understand."
"More like you don't want to tell me"
"More like I can't tell you" Noah nods towards Xavier. "He's the boss, not me."
Arnica seems to give up when she learns this, like she knows Xavier would never tell us what's on it. I'm not 100% sure I would actually want to know what's on it anyway.
"Ah Xavier!" Another man interrupts us. "It's good to see you again"
Xavier shakes his hand firmly. This man would be in he in his early thirties and he's moderately attractive, although I feel slightly uneasy when he extends his hand to mine "And who might this lovely girl be?"
"Grace" I try to sound braver than I feel as I shake his hand. Xavier brings me firmly into his side and I immediately feel better. The other three have disappeared completely, leaving Xavier and I alone with the unfamiliar man.
"Yasmin" He hollers. "Get over here!"
A girl only a few years older than I am appears shyly at his side, she's tiny. Basically skin and bone. He grips her roughly by the waist and even under her expensive dress I can see the bruises along her skin.
"Introduce yourself" he growls lowly. Why he treating her like that? I notice Xavier is completely tense beside me and holds me so closely that I almost can't breathe.
"H-i" she stutters, shaking my hand shyly and I smile reassuringly at her. She only nods at Xavier, barely looking at him.
"How's it going with the gang Xavier?"
I stare at the poor girl whose shaking in the mans grasp. "It's going well" His voice is completely sterile. "Now that they're gone."
"They were cunts of things weren't they?" The man shakes his head with a smile and I flinch at his foul language. The many gold rings on his fingers aren't helping either. Now that whose gone?
"If you'll excuse us" Xavier shakes his hand again and nods at the terrified girl. "I need to find my brother."
"Of course Sir" He nods and smiles at me, but my eyes stay on the timid girl he's almost crushing into his side.
Xavier pulls us away from there and I feel like I can finally breathe again. "Did you see that girl? Was she alright? She was..."
"Beaten" Xavier answers for me and I nod. "A lot of men in this industry treat women in ways that would probably make you cry. It's horrible."
"You mean.." my mouth falls open as I stare at him. "All those bruises, he did that to her?"
"Yes" Xavier answers and my blood runs cold. "Men here are only interested in women for sex, it's a sport to them, nothing else. They think they own them. It's a culture that's always been in these gangs."
"That's horrible" I swallow, unable to even think about the idea. "Why don't they leave them? That's an abusive relationship."
"Abusive relationships are harder than you think to understand. The girls are helpless."
"That's awful."
"Not to them" Xavier looks down at me. "These men are driven by money and power, women are nothing to them but pleasurable items."
I almost faint from the thought. What kind of monsters would view women like that?
"And do you agree with this?"
"Of course I don't" Xavier answers immediately. "If I could help all of those girls I would, but that's just not possible. I don't let my men treat women like that but most of the men here don't work for me. I have their respect, but I don't have power over them. They don't have to follow any of my rules."
"Why do they think so little of women?" I ask him quietly, he's silent for a moment.
"Probably because they're sick and deranged. I can't think of another reason for men to think it's okay to have any kind of power over a woman."
"Everyone is worthy of respect Grace" he continues, his jaw tightens slightly. "That's why I'm so protective over you, because I know what men are capable of and how vile and disgusting they are. The thought of you even being near a man who - " He swallows, like he's trying to calm himself down and shakes his head. He looks down at me and lowers his lips to my ear. "I can't even tell you what I'd do to a man that tried to hurt you like that."
I smile slightly at his words but then frown again. "I wish we could help that girl. Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"
Xavier leans his forehead gently against mine for a moment, he smells like a mixture of expensive cologne and rich alcohol. It's a mixture I would normally never like, yet seems to work perfectly for Xavier. Making him even sexier if possible.
"If I could I would" He whispers. "I'm trying to have more of an impact on the culture of men here. It's just a hard thing to get them to agree with." He pauses. "Do you know how beautiful you look tonight?"
I blush deeply as his fingers lightly caress my cheek. "I thought you needed to talk to business partners?"
"All I want to do right now is take you home." His fingers trail a hot line down the center of my spine and I shiver, staring up at his heated gaze. "I don't give a fuck about business partners tonight, I only care about you."
"But" I stutter slightly as he lowers his mouth to my neck, nipping playfully without any warning, even though we're in a public place. "Xavier we're - we're in public."
"Let me take you home then" his warm breath gently fans over my burning skin. "To our bed."
"The ball hasn't even started, you can't just lea-ve" I stutter again as his hand moves slowly down my back, caressing gently with his rough hands.
"I'm the boss, I can do whatever I want to" he whispers, his voice much huskier than before. "Whatever you want me to do."
I shift slightly, looking up at Xavier's dark gaze that's the most seductive and sexy I've ever seen.
"Okay" I'm very aware of the flushed redness to my cheeks. Xavier's smirk clarifies that he is very aware of it as well. "What about Noah and Arnica?"
"They'll be fine" Xavier pulls me closer towards him with one hand. The other lifts his drink to his lips as he swallows the rest of it in one go. He places the glass on the counter without looking away from me. "I promise, they can look after themselves."
He tangles his fingers with mine, pulling me through the crowds of people who all move out of his way without question. Some stare at him for a long time like he's some kind celebrity, and others seem petrified to be anywhere near him.
The air is cold outside, it wraps around my skin and makes me shiver. Xavier glances down at me and in a second he's pulling his jacket off and placing it over my shoulders. Leaving him in a white crisp suit shirt that glues to his prominent muscles underneath.
"Won't you be cold?"
He pulls me to his side as we walk past the many people who all stop to stare at us. "I'm fine Love, don't worry about me."
One of the drivers step out of the car as soon as he sees us. "Leaving so early Sir?"
"Something came up" He answers, I smile at the driver as he opens the door for me to slide into.
"Nothing serious I hope?" He questions and try to maintain the blush from darkening on my already rosy cheeks as Xavier smiles at me.
"No, nothing serious. Just urgent."
Xavier slides in beside me, sitting directly next to me as the car rolls forward.
The tension between us is almost electrifying. The car seems much smaller than before and I curse my inexperienced awkwardness for making me so unnatural and shy around him.
"Relax" he whispers softly, placing his much larger hand on top of my nervous one. "There's nothing to be worried about, it's just me."
Just you? Do you not realize how perfect you are and how imperfect I am?
His hand doesn't move from mine. His thumb rubs small, soothing circles on my knuckles throughout the entire drive until we arrive at the palace he calls his home.
"Thank you" I wave at the driver who smiles warmly at us as we climb out of the car.
My fingers grip Xavier's expensive jacket that's still draped over my shoulders. He rests his hand on my lower back and guides me towards the large front door, neither of us mutter a word as he leads me up the stairs.
"Xavier" I whisper when he kicks the bedroom door shut with his boot. "I don't know if I'm ready - I just-" I stumble over my words as I fail to tell him what I'm trying to say.
"I know" he runs a hand gently through my hair as his lips touch my forehead. "I know, we won't do anything. Don't worry."
I breathe a sigh of relief, but lower my head to hide the blush that's returned to my cheeks. I try to ignore the butterflies swarming in the pit of my stomach.
His fingers tilt my chin up gently to meet his gaze. "You really do look beautiful tonight."
"Thank you" I answer as he discards his jacket from around me. He throws the expensive piece of clothing to the floor without a second glance.
I look up at him through my lashes, dark eyes and perfectly kissable pink lips look back down at me as he brings me even closer against him.
His hands run firmly yet softly down the back of my dress and I part my lips slightly as I press mine against his.
He pulls away from me quickly though, smiling at my frustrated face. "If I start anything with you now, I don't think I'll be able to stop."
"I really do want to" I promise him. Because I do. I really do. "I'm just not ready quite yet."
"I know. I'm not in a rush baby" he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear as he says this. "Just know that you're driving me crazy."
I smile at him. He's driving me crazy too.