The dom vs the virgin, p.120
The Dom vs. The Virgin,
p.120
“It’s all right. It’s funny, actually. You have a lot of information up. For instance, I also know that you work at a bar called Joe’s Tavern and that you have a penchant for cat memes.”
“Great,” I answered, my cheeks burning like fire. I decided that the minute I arrived home, I was getting on all my social media accounts and deleting anything and everything that could be even remotely embarrassing.
“Don’t worry, I mean that in an endearing way. Is this the place?”
We’d arrived at the coffee shop without my noticing. There was no line, and we went right up and ordered plain coffees. Xavier pulled out his wallet before I could protest.
“Let’s call this the start of an official date,” he suggested.
My heart thumped loudly. An official date? Could it be that Ann-Marie and I had it wrong about him? Or was that just wishful thinking? One date didn’t make a committed man. Players took girls out on dates all the time.
And then they screw them and never call them back.
We took our coffees and settled into two armchairs in the corner of the place. We’d hit the shop at a good time. Usually, the place was so busy there was a slim to none chance of nabbing a seat.
“It’s nice here,” Xavier said.
I sipped my coffee and winced when it burned my tongue. “Yeah,” I agreed, taking off the paper cup’s top to blow on the drink. “I come here a lot in between shifts.”
“You work doubles at the bakery?”
“Not usually. But I go right from the bakery to my second job quite often.” I wrapped my fingers tighter around my coffee and took a more careful sip. The liquid was still dangerously hot, but at least drinking it gave me something to do. It made me feel a little less awkward about this whole situation.
“And where is Joe’s Tavern?”
“Williamsburg. It’s a lot closer to my apartment than the bakery, which is nice.” I looked away. Just the mention of my apartment, in which waited my bed, made me self-conscious. It was like I couldn’t say one single thing around Xavier without becoming flustered.
“You’re a busy woman.”
I shrugged. “I guess. Look, about last night...”
“I apologize.”
I peered at him. “You don’t know what I was about to say.”
Xavier extended his palm. “Sorry. I stole the floor. I assumed you were going to tell me that I was out of line for kissing you.”
“No. Not at all.” I paused. Knowing his mind went directly to him being in the wrong made me warm up to him somewhat. “I was going to say I’m sorry for leaving all of a sudden. I just… it’s hard to explain, but you took me by surprise. And it’s not that I didn’t like it… I just...” I shook my head, giving up.
“My kiss came out of nowhere. I understand. Again, I’m sorry if I was too forward.”
It was just what I needed to hear. With my next exhale, half of the tension in my body dissipated. “Thank you.”
Xavier set his coffee down on the table between us. He leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees. His eyes locked onto mine and held my gaze. “That being said, I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night. When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to find you.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Luckily, you’re pretty easy to track down.”
I snorted and broke our eye contact. This man was doing something to me. It felt good, but I knew it was probably bad. If I gave in, who knew how things would end. I’d dated a couple guys who played the game I was fairly certain Xavier was a pro at. So had Ann-Marie. Between the two of us, we weren’t easily fooled anymore.
“Go out with me,” Xavier whispered. “Tomorrow night.”
Every emotion possible rose in me. Do it, a little voice in my head whispered. Just do it.
And I could. One date wouldn’t hurt. The real danger was in sleeping with him. A lot of women would go for it, simply for the sake of breaking a dry spell. But it wasn’t that cut-and-dried for me. If I slept with a man, I ran the risk of getting attached and not being able to move on when he tired of me. If I did go out with Xavier, I’d have to make sure to not let things get physical.
Fat chance. I’d been celibate for what felt like forever, and the hottest man I’d ever spoken to was asking me out on a date. There was no way I’d be able to control myself around him.
“You’re worried,” Xavier said.
I looked at him but didn’t answer. I wanted to speak, but my throat felt swollen shut. I’d never been good at being an open book. I felt safer when people didn’t know what was going on in my head and heart.
Xavier went on. “I understand. You don’t know me. You probably have assumptions about me.” He watched my face, trying to gauge how correct he was.
I summoned my courage and cleared my throat. “You own a club.”
“Yes. I also work in real estate.”
“What else should I know about you?”
A dimple appeared on his right cheek. “Go out with me, and I’ll give you any and all the information you’re looking for.”
“I want some now,” I volleyed back.
Xavier’s eyes danced, and I smiled. Talking to him was quickly becoming easier than I thought it would be.
“Like what?” he asked. “You want to know what I do with my free time?” He leaned back into his chair and took a deep breath. His dress shirt stretched tight across his chest, creating a distraction. “I work, and I go to Enigma. Sometimes I go to the gym, but it’s in my office building, so that’s not really leaving work, now is it? Those three activities basically sum it up. I have a multibillion-dollar corporation. I’m not gloating, I’m just sharing the fact to give you an idea of what my life is like. I work all the time. The club is an escape for me.”
I let his words sink in. He gave me the facts, but I still felt like I didn’t know anything about Xavier, the man. I wanted to know his likes and dislikes, his passions. I wanted to know who he was closest to and what made him the angriest. And I wanted to show him more of myself and see what he thought about it.
“Tomorrow night?” I asked.
He gave a single nod. “I wish it could be tonight, but I have a meeting to be at in thirty minutes. It will most likely eat up the whole evening.”
“I can do tomorrow,” I found myself saying.
Not a muscle moved on Xavier’s face, but his eyes seemed to light up. “Wonderful.” He reached into his breast pocket and took out a card and pen. “What’s your number and address?”
I gave them to him and watched as he wrote them down. His handwriting was beautiful, his fingers moving with such surety and control. Did he perform every task that way?
“Seven o’clock?” he asked.
I nodded, excitement rushing through me. I was doing this. For real. I could still turn back, but I no longer wanted to. I wanted to take a chance, to live life. I wanted to prove myself wrong about Xavier Fields.
Xavier checked his wristwatch. “Perfect timing. I need to be going. Can I get you a cab?”
“No, thanks. I think I’ll hang out for a while.”
Xavier stood, and I followed suit. He lifted my hand and gave it a kiss. If any other guy had done the same thing, it would have seemed cheesy, but Xavier was a natural. He had an old-time gentleman quality about him, and it didn’t feel forced at all.
“See you tomorrow, Riley,” he softly said.
“Bye,” I rasped.
I watched him turn and leave the coffee shop. My legs were jelly as I sat back down. A long exhale left my chest, and I sat in silence, contemplating all that just happened. I could be making a big mistake. I was trying to protect myself by keeping my distance from Xavier, but it looked like my attempts were all in vain.
The man wanted me, and he came for me. He didn’t know where to find me, but he’d figured it out.
And that was enough to make the idea of saying no to him ever again feel absolutely impossible.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alice Ward is the bestselling author of dozens of hot and steamy contemporary romances. She’s an amazingly prolific writer, releasing a new book almost every single month. Her books are widely read, especially by women and any other lovers of the romance genre. My Stepbrother, My Lover, was her first smash hit.
Alice has been in love with love since she was a little girl. She had quite the collection of Barbie dolls growing up and spent much of her playtime crafting the perfect Barbie wedding day (and when she wasn’t doing that, she was working on attempting the perfect cartwheel).
When Alice outgrew Barbie dolls, she began to write her thoughts down in her diary. This was how she discovered that she had a knack for telling romantic stories. Her first fans were her close girlfriends, and her stories were a hit among them. They, along with her family, enthusiastically encouraged her love for writing.
Alice now lives in Miami with her wonderful, hunky husband. The beach is her all-time favorite place to relax with her laptop and write. When she needs a break from writing (and when no one’s looking) she loves thumbing through celebrity gossip magazines. It’s her guilty pleasure.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alice Ward
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Alice Ward, The Dom vs. The Virgin
