Xavier FINAL (Men of Steel #4)

by Mj Fields

  “Yeah sure, but you didn’t. You told Daniel to hop in the shower and check out my inner thigh saying that…”

  “Hold the fuck up. Your Dr. Dickweed answered your phone and told me to check myself. Said you told him I was hitting on you? Then HE told me he was getting ready to take a shower with you and I told him, have fun. That’s how that shit…”

  “Now you hold up! I’ve known Daniel for a long time; he would never say something like that. But guys like you, well that’s another story. You’re all legends in your own minds. The fucking Alpha dogs who think…”

  “You’re wrong! By the way, where is your little fucking liar tonight? He seemed hell bent on keeping you away from me and well look at you now, stalking me…”

  “Stalking you? Pfft. In your dreams…”

  “What the fuck do you call it?”

  “Work ethic Mr. Steel. Not let’s blow off, eat dinner, chit chat, and then go get drunk and dance!”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah that’s…”

  “You’re so fucking naive. Your boyfriend shows up at a bar a day early? So why don’t you tell me about him?”

  “He was surprising me! That’s what men like Daniel do. He’s kind and gentle. He doesn’t hop in the shower when I’m trying to cleanse my body!”

  I had to laugh at that. “So then where is Mr. Fucking Perfect tonight Babe?”

  “It’s the Sabbath! He’s Jewish! Morals you know!”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Moral?” She laughed an angry laugh.

  “Nice Taelyn.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business but we’ve been apart for a while. He doesn’t want the temptation on…”

  “You really need to wake up Babe. He’s not different than the rest of us. Worse if you ask me. Us guys, guys like me, don’t make promise’s we won’t keep, and we don’t lie to get the night off.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means wake up! He’s playing you.”

  “Delusional that’s what you are. Oh and P.S. It’s a birth mark not an X!”

  Ricco sat a trey of drinks on the table and our spat stopped.

  “Tequila?”

  “No!” We both snapped.

  We sat and listened to the last set. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. Prissy ass bitch.

  The bar was starting to empty and I glanced over at Taelyn. She was looking towards the exit. The look on her face was pure heartache.

  “You okay?” I grabbed her elbow as she started to walk away.

  She pulled it away. “I’m fine.” She looked at Ricco. “Nice to see you.” And she all but ran out the door.

  Chapter 8

  Lies

  I pushed through the crowd and saw the BMW pull up to the curb. Daniel took the keys from the valet and opened the door for a blond and patted her ass when she got in. He pulled money out of his pocket, tipped the valet, winked at him and grabbed his own crotch. When he got in I saw him lean over and kiss her. My stomach turned and I felt like I was going to throw up.

  I should have ran up and beat on the window, let him know I was here. Let him know I had watched him touch her. Kiss her. But I was frozen. My body began to shake and I couldn’t move. My stomach lurched and I tried to cover my mouth but I wasn’t fast enough. I threw up in the middle of the crowd.

  “Awe dude she hurled!” I heard people laughing and some making sounds of disgust and I finally gathered enough strength to move.

  I ran towards the alley and tears began to fall like a late July rain. I felt an arm grab me around the waist and pull me against him. I didn’t even have to look back to know who it was. I could smell him. Feel his warmth consume me. I tried to pull away and he held tighter.

  My legs turned to jelly as I cried and he just stood there holding me up. I was trying to stop and I couldn’t. I was hurt, ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted, and the pain in my chest wouldn’t go away.

  I don’t know how much time had passed when he grabbed behind my legs and scooped me up like a baby, carried me to his SUV and sat me in the front seat. He got in and drove. He didn’t say a word and neither did I.

  We drove through the tunnel from the City back to Jersey and in less than an hour he pulled into Cyrus’s place. He killed the engine and got out. My door opened and he held his hand out for me. I took it and followed him in. After both of us removed our shoes I walked into the kitchen behind him. He pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit.

  “Water or booze?” He asked quietly.

  I shrugged as the tears started falling again. I covered my face not wanting him to see the ugly cry that was going to happen.

  I heard him set something in front of me and then I felt his fingers push my hair away from my face.

  “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

  He tipped my chin up and pulled my hand away from my face.

  “Tell me to go find him and kick his ass and I will.”

  I shook my head no and took the tissue he handed me.

  “I just want to go home and shower and sleep. I just want to forget what I saw. How did you know? How did you…”

  “You ran out the door. I followed you. You looked upset and I couldn’t get through the crowd without making a commotion. You looked like you didn’t want that type of attention. Then you got sick and ran.”

  “All of it? You saw all of it?”

  “I saw you. That’s what I saw. I saw you Taelyn.” He scowled and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m not good at this shit. There’s a beer and water. You’re not going home, you’ll stay here. I’m gonna run you a bath.”

  “I stink.” I closed my eyes. “You were right. I am just a stupid naïve--.”

  “No. Don’t say shit like that. You have a good heart. I’m sure when you fall like that for someone, you expect them to be falling right alongside you. You sure as fuck don’t expect that shit.”

  “There’s valet parking there?”

  “What?” He looked confused.

  “Valet parking. He tipped the valet and got in our vehicle and kissed that girl. He kissed her hard too not like he kisses me. He tipped the valet, and kissed the girl and…”

  “No.”

  “No-- what?”

  “I didn’t pay a valet.”

  “He did. I am so stupid. I am so fucking stupid!”

  “No you’re not--.”

  “I am! You have no idea how -- God, how could I have not seen this!” I stood up and walked to the door. “I need to get out of here! I need to…”

  “To what? You aren’t going anywhere. Come on, sit down, and I don’t know -- talk?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “I’m sure you’re pissed off at me for --.”

  “I’m not pissed anymore. I’m concerned about the fact that you seem to think you’re stupid. I mean what; because he cheated you’re stupid? That’s fucked up Taelyn. You didn’t do anything --.”

  “I didn’t protect myself.”

  “What do you mean like condoms and shit?”

  I laughed again but now I was getting annoyed with him. “I’m going home. You either take me or I’ll fucking call a cab.” As soon as the words left my mouth I laughed out loud. “I gave him a check. I don’t have any money to pay for a cab because instead or enjoying the college experience I am working to pay for car insurance and part of his fuck place in --.”

  “Hold up. He takes money from you?”

  I opened the door and walked out, he was right behind me. “I want to be alone!”

  “Then be alone in the damn house Taelyn. It’s fucking cold outside.”

  He grabbed me again and I tried to pull away. He threw me over his shoulder and smacked me on the ass. Which made me cry.

  “If I get fucking frost bite and lose a toe I’m gonna kick his ass and yours
.” He grumbled as he walked into the house and kicked the door shut. “You’ll be taking a bath and getting cleaned up, because yeah you kind of smell like vomit. Then you’ll drink enough to pass out and sleep until noon. Then and only then I will take you home to deal with your shit.”

  “No!”

  “Fight me all you want but I’ll win.”

  He walked in the bathroom with his hand on my butt and started the shower.

  “I suggest you put me down damn it!! I have done a real good job keeping my temper in check. You really don’t want me to unleash…”

  “Do whatever you need to.” He laughed and then walked into the shower.

  “What the hell!”

  He dropped me on my feet and held me under the water.

  “You’ll feel better.”

  “Get out!”

  “You gonna wash up or you gonna be--.”

  “Screw you!”

  I tried to move around him and he turned me around and pulled me against his chest.

  “I’ve wrestled two hundred pound drunks in the shower. You’re not all that…”

  “I don’t think I’d be sharing that information with many people asshole.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Your story, tell it however you want.”

  “Drunk buddies who smelled far worse than you…”

  “Again you shouldn’t be--.” He turned me around and let go of me.

  “You’ll be just fine.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. He grabbed the back of my hair and pulled it back so that my head was under the water. I stood and let the water pour over me. I opened my eyes when I felt him start to massage my hair.

  “I can do that.”

  He held his finger over my lips and continued. I should have stopped him but it felt good. Like when my mom washed my hair as a child.

  He was done and I finally leaned forward and opened my eyes.

  “Do you have conditioner? If I don’t use it my hair will…”

  “Look like Shawn Whites?” He smirked

  “You’re picking on me when I’m hurting?”

  “Sorry just trying to make you smile.”

  “How would you like it if I said with initials like XS, I wonder why you would be so impressed with--.”

  “Oh, this is not the time or the place to have that discussion.” He laughed and so did I. “Wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings Taelyn.”

  “I know. I was just trying to make this situation well -- I have no clue. This is messed up.”

  He reached over and grabbed the conditioner and I held out my hand.

  “Which part is messed up?” He laughed and motioned around us.

  “All of it.”

  “Okay I will leave you to finish up.” He stepped back completely soaked and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No tell me. I could use a laugh.”

  “I’ve never been in the shower with a girl who was clothed and so was I.”

  “Kind of funny.” I rubbed the conditioner through my hair.

  He stepped out of the shower and I could see him through the curtain. He pulled his shirt off and dropped it in the sink and then he let his pants fall to the ground. I stepped back and closed my eyes.

  “I’ll leave a couple towels out here and grab you some clothes. Just drop yours in the sink with mine.”

  I heard the door shut and leaned against the wall and cried some more as I undressed.

  When the water started to get cold I turned it off and stepped out.

  ~

  I walked out into the kitchen drying my hair. He was sitting on the island.

  “Water or this?” He held up a bottle.

  “What is it?”

  “Jameson’s Irish Whiskey. You’re Irish so I thought maybe you’d like some.” He poured two shots and handed me one. I hesitated and he smiled, “You deserve this. Take it.”

  “To getting fucked over.” I held up my shot.

  “To showers in clothes.” He tapped my shot. “That was very sweet by the way, thank you.”

  “I’m not sweet. But we are on the same team. Someone fucks with my buddy, they fuck with me.” He poured two more shots. “To buddies.”

  “To buddies.”

  I drank it down again.

  “You hungry?”

  “Not at all. This is good though.” I reached over and poured another shot for each of us.

  “You trying to get me drunk?”

  “No, I’m trying to take my buddy’s advice. Get drunk, sleep till noon, and then deal with my shit.”

  He walked over and turned on the sound system and then came back and leaned over the island and poured two more shots.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “So many things.”

  “You think your brothers are gonna--.”

  “Oh God. They’ll go crazy. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

  “Let ‘em.”

  “Xavier, they don’t need to know. God! How fucked up is this? It can’t even be just my hurt. It’s everyone’s.”

  “Say’s the girl who told me to accept family help.”

  “It’s different.”

  “I know. Just trying to change the subject. Didn’t mean to pile more on you.”

  “No, I wanna talk about it. I wanna talk it out of my system so that tomorrow I can tell him to go straight to hell.” I grabbed the bottle and took a swig and handed it to him.

  “Do you think you’ll see him? I mean it is still the Sabbath.” He bit his lip.

  “See how stupid I was? We didn’t have sex on the weekends because of his religious beliefs. We lived together and he was gone every weekend because I was too much of a temptation? What the hell was I blinded by?”

  “Good sex?”

  “No, I don’t know? Not much to compare it to except, well I can get myself off.”

  “Did he ever watch you?”

  “No,” I laughed and took another drink. “Are you kidding, he’d have flipped his switch.”

  “He’s an idiot. There’s nothing hotter than watching a girl get herself off.”

  “You had girlfriends do that?” My voice squeaked and I took another drink.

  “No girlfriends.”

  “Oh that’s right. So how the hell are you gonna help me?” I laughed.

  “Well, I can tell you for damn sure if you were my girlfriend I would fuck you all night Friday and Saturday.”

  “If you were my boyfriend, I’d make you.”

  “Oh yeah?” He smiled.

  “Hell yes, your one of those guys. I wouldn’t trust you when you weren’t in my bed.”

  He frowned, “Not just because I look like this?”

  I laughed and took another drink and handed him the bottle, he took a drink.

  “If you were mine, I’d watch you get yourself off.”

  “How kind of you.” I rolled my eyes.

  “I’d give you a hand or a tongue if you needed my help. See, I would be a nice boyfriend.”

  “If you were into that I’m sure you’d try.” I took another drink and laughed. “If you were my boyfriend I would tattoo my name on your forehead.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “So whenever you were on top of someone else they’d see my name.”

  “Well if you were mine, I would make sure you truly understood what the benefits of having a guy like me were.”

  “Oh please humor me. What would they be?”

  “If you were mine, I would kiss you until you thought your lips were on fire.”

  I laughed. “That’s it?”

  “I’d be in the shower with you when I stayed over, not answering a god damn phone call. I would wake you up every weekend with deep long licks between your thighs. If you
were mine, you wouldn’t be going out on a Friday night alone because I would be with you. If you were mine, we wouldn’t be out all that much because I would be thinking about licking your pussy all the damn time. If you were mine, no one would hurt you and live to see the next day. If you were mine, Taelyn Patrick, I would cut my balls off and sell them before I asked you to pay for my fucking place or car insurance or money to tip a fucking valet. If you were mine, the only crying you’d be doing would be my name in bed or wherever it was that my cock was between your legs. If you were mine, you’d be happy and free. If you were mine, I’d be damn sure I would ruin you for anyone else who was waiting in the wings for me to fuck up. And if you were mine, they’d have to wait for a long fucking time for that to happen.”

  I swallowed hard. “But you’re not that kind of guy.”

  “Apparently not.” He took a drink and handed it to me. “But what I am is your buddy and if there is anything you need, I will do my best to give it to you.”

  I looked around the room that now seemed to be alive and moving a bit.

  “I blame my brothers.”

  “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

  “I never dated. Anyone I was remotely interested in got beat up.” He laughed. “I never even dressed like a girl, did my hair, or makeup. Shit you saw the pictures. I may as well have been a boy. But when I went away, it all changed. So I blame them for all this. I should’ve lived like they did. Like you do.”

  “I would be one hell of a wing man.”

  “Oh yeah?” I went to grab the bottle, he took it, and handed me a water. “Yeah, you’d be a hoot.”

  “You need to be at least half alive tomorrow girl.”

  “Buzz kill.”

  “I will take that as a challenge. Monday me and you are gonna live it up. I’m gonna show you one hell of a time.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes I do. I will be the best wing man you’ve ever seen.”

  Chapter 9

  Wings -X

  She started to sway on her stool and I went and helped her stand up. “Let’s tuck you in.”

  “Xavier?” She slurred.

  “Taelyn?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”