Xander King BoxSet

by Bradley Wright

  “To one hell of a day and one hell of a horse!” Gary toasted. Xander had just completed his last round of media before meeting up with the group. The first two questions were always the same to the owner of the Kentucky Derby winner.

  How does it feel to win the Kentucky Derby? and, Do you think he can win the Triple Crown?

  The first answer, more rhetorical than anything, Xander breezed through as he gave the standard “it feels fantastic” answer followed by all the “thank-yous” and “this wouldn’t be possible withouts” that he could think of on the spot. The second question, the question of the Triple Crown, normally got artfully sidestepped by owners. The Triple Crown consisted of three of the biggest events in horse racing: the Kentucky Derby, followed by the Preakness, and culminating in the finale at the Belmont Stakes. In more than one hundred years of keeping records, only twelve horses had ever won all three races. Even more daunting was the fact that before last year, it hadn’t been done since Affirmed did it in 1978. This being the case, most owners gave the standard answer that they believed their horse had as good a chance as any, and all they cared about was whether or not their horse stayed healthy. Whatever happens happens, they would say. So you can imagine the media’s surprise when Xander boldly announced in front of the twenty some-odd reporters in the room and to the millions watching around the world that King’s Ransom would indeed follow American Pharoah’s lead and be only the second horse in over thirty-five years to take all three races to win the Triple Crown.

  Xander walked into the stables and over to his favorite people in the world, who had all gathered around Ransom’s stall.

  “You didn’t get much sleep last night. How you holding up?” Xander asked Natalie.

  “I’m good. What about you? I can’t even imagine how the excitement of today must have worn you out.”

  If she only knew. Xander almost felt dirty having such a terrible secret between them. If she knew, she would never look at him the same. She didn’t deserve to be dragged into this. Xander just couldn’t bring himself to bring it up.

  “I actually feel pretty damn good myself,” he said as he put his arm around her and gave her a playful squeeze. “King’s Ransom says you’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Oh, have I not said thank you for all of this? Oh God, Xander, you must think I’m a spoiled brat.”

  “No, no, you have thanked me plenty for bringing you here. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the fact that he won you fifty thousand dollars today, right?”

  “What? What do you mean fifty thousand dollars?” She looked at him, confused.

  “Well, you put ten grand on Ransom, right?”

  “Right. And?”

  “And ten thousand dollars at five to one, which ended up being the final odds, is fifty thousand dollars!” He smiled.

  “Oh my God! In all the excitement I had for you winning, I totally forgot about that!”

  “I knew you had. That says something about you, you know? It takes a special person, I don’t care how wealthy you are, to forget about fifty grand just because someone you just met was happy they had accomplished something. You’re really something special, you know that?”

  “Aw, you are just too nice.” She playfully pinched his cheek. “I just don’t understand how you haven’t already been snatched up. But I guess to have all these expensive habits you must have a few more business ventures that keep you away from a full-time gal, huh?”

  “You could say that.”

  “That’s just too bad, Alexander King. A girl could get used to someone so sweet.” Natalie leaned in and gave him a long, soft kiss on the lips. “Unfortunately, a working girl like myself understands all too well just how hard that is.”

  “Xander, I hate to interrupt, but the helicopter is ready,” Melanie announced. “I’m assuming Natalie and Annie need to get back to California at some point this evening?”

  “That’s right, I am so sorry. We never even talked about when you needed to get back,” Xander said.

  “I guess we didn’t, did we? Must have been a good couple of days.” Natalie winked. Then her face turned to a frown. “We should probably be getting back, though. I’ll have my assistant put us on the last flight out, here in Louisville.”

  “No way, we’ll chopper back to Lexington right now, and I’ll have Bob and Charlie fly you both home tonight as soon as we get back,” Xander insisted.

  “Oh no, that’s too much, really.”

  “Not another word, m’lady.” He smiled. “Let me just say good-bye to everyone.”

  Xander walked away, leaving Natalie and Melanie together. After the coast was clear, Melanie broke the silence. “Wow, you are good!”

  “You think he has a clue?”

  “Nope, not at all, he’s going to be so surprised to see everyone at the house. I’ll make sure Charlie files the flight plan for the morning and not tonight. Xander will be so happy you two are staying!”

  “That won’t be necessary, my assistant already booked a flight for us in the morning from the Lexington airport. I won’t have Xander paying all that money to fly us home.”

  “But Xander will—”

  “Thank you so much, Melanie, but I insist. I feel like a mooch as it is.”

  “Oh all right, but he’s not gonna be happy about this. You ready to get out of here?”

  “Let’s do it. Party number two!” Natalie smiled and followed Melanie out to the helicopter.

  The rest of the crew followed, and after Xander said good-bye to Jose and Gary, he gave Ransom a big hug and kiss on the nose. The pride swelled inside of him as he walked out of the stables and toward the helicopter. The rotor began to spin and as Xander grabbed hold of the inside of the helicopter with his right hand, he paused for a moment to take a look back at Churchill Downs. Its famous twin spires were now shadows in the orange evening sky. The day had been all he had hoped for and so much more. No longer would the children of Shelby High School be tormented unknowingly by their monster of a teacher. No longer would young girls be trading sexual favors for a drug that was slowly killing them anyway. He took a long, deep breath as he closed his eyes and cleared his mind. After a moment he felt a hand upon his. He looked and found Natalie smiling at him from the helicopter’s cabin. It wasn’t a “let’s get out of here” smile either; instead, she gave him a look letting him know he could take all the time he needed and that she was happy for him. He squeezed her hand and pulled himself inside the chopper.

  The flight home simmered in a silent hum, partly because no one had gotten a lot of sleep the night before and also because it was just such a beautiful ride. The sun held on just long enough to dimly light the entire journey. Natalie held on to Xander’s hand as she gazed out into the fiery sky. Xander continued to reflect on what an amazing day it had been. He had fulfilled his lifelong dream when he got to lay that blanket of roses across Ransom’s back. What a moment. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if his mom and dad could have been there to live it with him. He pulled out his phone to check the time, and when he did he noticed dozens of notifications. He figured it was his loved ones all wishing him a heartfelt congratulations. One number, however, stuck out to him like a sore thumb.

  Sean Thompson.

  At first he figured his old SEAL buddy just wanted to congratulate him like the others, but directly after that thought, his stomach turned.

  What if?

  He immediately unlocked his phone and went to his voice mail. His heart rate quickened. He pulled one side of his comm system headphones off and pressed the phone against his ear.

  Hey, X-man, oh, shit! I just realized it’s Saturday and your happy ass is at the Derby! My tired overworked ass is still at the office. I’m turning the tube on now, brother! Good luck. Just give me a shout when you’re done celebratin’ the big win! Go, Ransom!

  Xander let the air go from his lungs in a long and steady exhale as the tension fell from his shoulders. Natalie squeezed his h
and, and he looked over at her. She mouthed the words “Is everything okay?” He smiled and nodded as he squeezed her hand in return. The helicopter hovered over the open spot in the circular driveway of Xander’s home, and once again the pilot got the Xander stamp of approval for a soft landing. Some habits die hard.

  The helicopter’s rotors swung more and more slowly as everyone piled out of the cabin.

  “I left my bag inside earlier. Do you mind if I run in and grab it?” Melanie asked.

  “Of course not. Hang around for a bit if you want,” Xander replied.

  Melanie winked at Natalie and ran ahead to make sure everyone was ready, not that the noise of the helicopter landing wasn’t alert enough for them. She had been working on pulling this small gathering together for weeks now, and she wanted it to be the perfect end to a perfect day for Xander. So far, all looked great. There wasn’t a car in sight, and she skipped her way to the front door.

  “Well, X, let’s have a drink or two. I’m not ready to be done celebrating yet,” Kyle said, patting Xander on the back.

  “No doubt. We can after we run the girls to the airport.”

  “Well, maybe we can have just one more drink. I think the day merits that.” Natalie smiled.

  They all played along as they walked up to the front entry. Melanie had left the door open, and as Xander walked in, he entered the house to a thunderous “Surprise!” He was taken aback by the shouting, and Kyle had to hold him up from falling back out the doorway.

  “Surprise, Xander!” Melanie walked over to him. “Congratulations. I know how much Ransom winning means to you, and this is how much you mean to us. I hope it isn’t too much?”

  Xander looked around the room, his pulse still trying to slow as he put his hand to his heart and gave a big smile.

  “You kidding me? This is great. Thank you, Melanie.”

  “Thank you, Xander. For everything you do for all of us. We love you.” Melanie hugged him again. Natalie could feel her heart being tugged as she saw how much he meant to them. It made him all the more attractive, if that were possible at this point.

  Xander’s aunts and uncles were there, along with several friends he and Kyle had both grown up with. There was a congratulatory cake all decked out in candles on the kitchen island. A messy but cute icing drawing of King’s Ransom puffed out from the center of the white cake. Balloons were tied to chairs, and Melanie had blown up the first photo Xander ever took with Ransom when he bought him at the Keeneland auction two years ago. She had it displayed on the table in a beautiful decorative black wood frame.

  Most importantly, however, he eyed boxes of pizza stacked up beside the cake.

  Sam walked up and gave him a hug. “Good on you, Xander. You’re never too old for a pizza party.”

  Xander returned the hug.

  “Truer words were never spoken. Let’s eat!”

  16

  Make Love, Not War

  “Thanks again, Melanie.” Xander hugged Melanie and closed the front door behind her.

  He walked back to the kitchen where Kyle, Annie, and Natalie were winding down at the kitchenette table over one final cocktail. It was getting late, but Natalie hadn’t shown any signs of needing or wanting to leave. Before he interrupted them, he poured a glass of his bourbon, neat, into his favorite whiskey tumbler. When Xander was trying to wind down, he liked his bourbon undiluted No ice, no mixers. As he poured that beautiful caramel-colored liquor into his glass, he took notice of the way Natalie smiled and laughed at whatever bullshit story Kyle was telling her. It had been an incredibly long two days, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. He wasn’t sure whether it was the bourbon or the testosterone inside him, but he really wanted her to stay. And he really wanted to see, and feel, what was under that lavender dress.

  “Get your fine ass over here, Derby champion,” Natalie demanded from across the room.

  If she’d had a dozen drinks today, she barely seemed like she’d had two. Natalie was sexy regardless, but there is just something about a woman holding a glass of whiskey. Probably how some women feel about a man with money. It’s just sexy.

  “On my way, gorgeous,” Xander replied.

  He took a seat beside Natalie. She held a glass of whiskey in one hand and spun a red rose in the other. She stared at the rose and spoke to the table.

  “My dad used to drink whiskey. I’ll never forget one time my mom had cut some fresh roses from the garden, and when she walked into the kitchen where Dad was pouring a drink, he stopped her and wrapped his arm around her. He said, ‘Natalie, honey, roses are for remembering, and the whiskey’s to numb the pain.’ I never forgot those words. Not because it even made any sense—I don’t even know why he said it—but it always stayed with me. My dad wasn’t what you would call a romantic, so those words really stood out to me among all the other hard ones.”

  Xander bent over behind Natalie, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her on the cheek. “Roses for remembering, and whiskey to numb the pain . . . I love it. It’s sad, but beautiful.”

  She turned to him. “I always thought the exact same thing. Sad, but beautiful.” She looked into his eyes for a moment, then dropped them to his lips. Then, with a deep, trance-breaking breath she turned and looked at Kyle.

  “Where do you live from here, Kyle?”

  “Not too far.” He smiled when he realized why she had asked. “Is that a hint?”

  “Maybe,” Natalie replied as she gave Xander a new kind of look. This look was impossible to confuse.

  “All right! I’m picking up what you’re laying down.” Kyle laughed encouragingly. “I’m ready to get this little present home and unwrap it myself.” He pulled Annie onto his lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “So does this mean you are staying?” Xander asked Natalie.

  “That was always the plan. We don’t leave till nine tomorrow morning.”

  Xander couldn’t help but smile. “Well, damnit, Kyle, I love you, but get your ass out of here.”

  Kyle jumped up and gave Xander and Natalie a hug. Annie did the same. Xander walked him out and shut the door behind them. As soon as he latched the lock, his skin began to tingle as if there were an electric current coursing through the room. The light was off in the foyer. When he turned around, the light pouring through the doorway from the kitchen left a shadow that hugged the curves of Natalie’s silhouette. She stood waiting, leaning her elbow against the doorway as she twirled her hair in her fingers. He went to her, scooped her in his arms and carried her upstairs to his bedroom.

  Xander and Natalie had lost track of time as they became lost in each other. After a long and passionate back and forth, finally they were spent. She moved on top of him, and Xander knew at that very moment, everything had changed. As sweet and genuine as Natalie had been over the course of the last two crazy days, she was equally sexy, if not more so. He had met—hell, he had slept with—many sexy women in his life. He had been with sweet girls too. Natalie was like some sort of alpha woman, and as she straddled him, chest heaving, skin flushed with pleasure, he had no idea how he was going to tell her who he really was.

  17

  Space Invaders

  Xander’s iPhone chimed, waking him from a deep sleep. Natalie lay peacefully beside him. He smiled at the sight of her there in the glow of the moon and rolled over to his nightstand to keep the phone from chiming again. It lay next to the dwindled but still burning candle, and he picked it up to silence it. The clock on the backlit screen read 5:00 a.m. The notification below it read that he had a text message from an unknown number. He entered the passcode and went to the text.

  Someone is in your house.

  The floor next to the bed creaked as if someone had stepped into the room. Xander’s reflexes were so fast that even before his eyes could fully adjust from the brightness of the phone’s screen, he swiped his arm hard to the left, sending the pistol in the masked man’s hand flying against the bedroom wall. The gun had gone off just as he had
made contact with the intruder’s arm. A loud clanging boom filled the room, and Natalie awoke in a panic to the sight of a man in a ski mask standing over them in the fading candlelight in which they had made love just hours ago. Before she could let out her first terrified scream, Xander, wearing only his boxer briefs, planted both hands flat on the mattress back behind his head. He then brought his knees to his chest, and in a flash he catapulted himself to his feet on the bed. Seamlessly he let his momentum carry his right leg in a sweeping motion, and with a twist of his hips Xander fired a Thai kick at the intruder. His leg whipped around his body, and the sound of his foot meeting the side of the masked man’s head made a distinct popping sound, the man’s body instantly going limp as he collapsed to the floor. Finally, the scream came. Natalie’s fear-ridden and paralyzing shriek filled the room with a volume that rivaled the blast of the gunshot.

  Xander turned to her, eerily calm, and took her shoulders in his hands.

  “Listen to me, Natalie,” he said in a smooth and even tone. She screamed again. “I need you to take a deep breath and listen to me now.” He calmed her with his soothing demeanor.

  She took a long deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth, which quivered as fearful tears swelled inside her eyes. Although nothing about Xander’s calmness about what just happened made sense, she took another deep breath and nodded her head.

  “I need you to stay calm now. We only have a second. I need you to get up right now, go to the bathroom, and lock the door. Do not, for any reason, any reason, no matter what you hear, open that door. Do you understand?”

  Natalie’s face scrunched in fear as she tried to process why they were still in danger.

  “Natalie, look at me, sweetheart. We don’t have time. I need you to do—”