He might as well be leading her to the lion's den.
Xavier thought as he stepped to the side, making room for Annette to leave the elevator ahead of him.
He was in shock when he spotted Annette McKinney in the lobby today, she was the last person he was expecting to see.
She stepped out of the lift, giving him a small nod of the head and walked past him. Xavier took the opportunity to study her; he swept his gaze over her body while she wasn't paying attention.
And damn, she was no longer the little girl he once knew; she had grown into a beautiful woman and a hot one at that. Her once slender figure has developed into an irresistible hourglass figure, taking the look of a seductress that can bring any man to his knees.
She had her hair in a ponytail; the length of her hair reached her ass. She had on a simple dress that gave a perfect outline of her curves but not too much.
She looks like a seductress without even trying. She was absolutely gorgeous. As he studied her, a feeling swept through him—the feeling of lust. Heat flooded this body straight to his cock.
His wolf was restless, growling in lust. While she wasn't looking, he had to quickly adjust to release the tightness in his trousers. He had to stop himself from letting out a groan, praying she didn't see him checking her out. With a neutral look on his face, he followed her. But she has always been in control of him.
Curse the control she had over him, had always had over him, even when they were young. In the past, when his father was the alpha of the pack, there had been the policy of not associating with humans, but he had always done otherwise.
Now he was the alpha.
"You have a beautiful office and huge," she said, walking towards the floor to ceiling windows and taking in the view of the city below before surveying the office.
"I like my space," he said while taking a seat behind his desk.
"Have a seat," he said to her, pointing at one of the seats in front of his desk.
Getting comfortable in his chair, his eyes settled on her; he could tell that he made her uncomfortable. He could detect it; his wolf could smell anxiousness and worries; it flooded his office.
Evidently, the situation was something worse than just James getting into trouble again. Very critical if she had to come to him seeking help after all these years. Whatever the case maybe, it did not concern him.
She had been on his mind for years that he was sure of, in his thoughts, in his dream for as long as he could remember, and for that reason, he must have her before she leaves.
And now he was in control because she wanted something from him.
"So tell me, what trouble has James stirred up this time around?"
He had been keeping track of her all these years. He had a folder of all her activities in his drawer, and he had to fight the urge to take it out and flip through. He kept telling himself that the reason for the file is to know what her money-hungry aunt is up to and if she has found another way into the pack or Michaelson fortune.
But it was all lies, he simply wanted to know more about the woman standing before him.
She was not like her aunt, who decided to marry a rich husband and live off his wealth. Annette had gotten a degree in business, gotten a job in order to afford tuition free, and rented a small apartment in the calm part of the city.
When she had enough money, she started her own pastry business in the city. The information he got says that her business is visible, lucrative, and has a good reputation.
Not a lot impressed Xavier, but she manages to do so, and he doesn't intend on letting her know that.
"He has been out of control lately," she said, twiddling her thumb but stopping when she became aware of her action and folded her hands on her laps.
"He is looking at starting his own business in other to assist himself as well as support the family which we need,"
"So you stay with your cousin and aunt?" he asked, already knowing the answer from the file he had on her.
From what the file says, Josephine is a parasite who stopped working the moment Annette started making money.
"Yes, we all live together, things are a little bit tight. My aunt has not been able to get a job, so James is trying to earn some money." She said with a sigh, her gaze meeting his.
"His contribution has really helped a lot, and I was able to save some money when his earnings increased."
He nobbed his head at what she was saying because he totally understood her. Some may assume that because he was a Michaelson, he did not understand what it means to save and that he had everything early, but that is far from the truth.
During his time at the university, he had been on a budget; whatever he had, he had saved for or earned through working for his father. Since he was smart and understood the world of business at an early age, he made more money than people his age.
"Then things did not go as planned?" He was already predicting what happened next. She nodded in affirmation, her face turning white. He had to fight the urge to walk towards her and comfort her. He walked to the bar on the left side of his office to fix himself a drink. He turned to her when he heard her voice."Yes, that is what happened per say," she said, running her left hand over her neck. The movement is so innocent yet sensual."What did James do?" he asked, moving to the front of the desk and leaning against it while taking a sip from his glass.Her lips quiver as if she were in pain. "James was not doing the business he had said he was. He took money from some of his friends and gambled it in hopes of earning more, but he lost all the money. Now his so-called friends want their money back as well as the people he lost to if not-""Friends? Does he know this his so called friends personal? Where did he meet them?" Sometimes the people you view as friends do not see you the
Baffled. To say Annette was shocked would be an understatement.This was far from what she had anticipated or even dreamed of. She had thought possibly that he would give her some money and they would work out a payment strategy over a stipulated period of time, and she would have to get different jobs and work for hours in order to meet up with the payment.Hell, he would have proposed that she work for him and keep doing so until her debt has been paid, and it would have been worth it for her brother, for James. But not this, not what he was proposing. Annette had never imagined in a million years that Xavier Michaelson would demand that of her. Demand for her body. Demand to have sex with her as a means to pay her debt.But the question was, will she be able to do it? Have sex with a man to save her brother.But Xavier was not just any man. They go way back, to when they were younger, teenagers, and they had been friends. She thought of the possibility of Xavier having feelings
But she could not let that happen; let James die when she can do something to prevent that from happening. And she would have to sleep with Xavier to achieve it. The notion of sex with Xavier- the thought alone made her heart race. He was an attractive man; sex with him would not be so bad. Moreover, men of his status get tired of women quickly. Surely he will get tired of her soon; this was not going to last for long."I accept." Her voice was low, barely a whisper, but she knew he had heard her; he was a werewolf after all.She could see that arrogant smirk on his face, as if he already knew that she was going to say yes. Fuck. How was she going to do it? How was she going to meet up with his expectations? Satisfy him. She had never been with a werewolf before and had no idea what he liked.She decided to come clean because she did not want him to think that she played him."Xavier, I just want to put it out there by saying that I am n-not," her voice cracked before she could comp
They left the office and walked towards the elevator and boarded it. Annette assumed he was taking her back to the lobby, but imagine her surprise when Xavier presses 'P' instead of 'L' of the lift buttons after the door of the elevator closes.She shot him a confused look but kept her month shut. She did not want to annoy him, before he changed his mind and decided not to help James anymore. It took them to the top floor of the building, and the lift door slid open.He stepped out of the elevator ahead of Annette and waited for her to join him. She steps into what appears to be a receiving room.Her eyes widened as she took in the lavish decor of the room."This is my penthouse," Xavier informed her, while stepping forward into the room.This pales in comparison to what she saw in the lobby downstairs. From the luxurious fluffy carpets covering the floor to the gray and white decorations that match the dark wood furniture."Do you live here?" She asked him, moving further into the
The hell. Who does this bitch think she is? Annette was in shock; she loves her curve very much, and she was not ashamed of how she looks.Xavier gave Sofia a dead stare; his face was expressionless. Blank. But Annette could visibly see the muscles in his jaw tightening."Down this corridor, four doors by your right; make yourself comfortable, " he said, turning to Annette. "I would like to have a word with you, Sofia." He said walking past Annette with Sofia not too far behind.Annette stood in the sitting room for a moment trying to process what just happened. She knew that she should mind her business and not get herself involved in whatever is going on and follow Xavier's instructions, but curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself silently trailing behind them. Could Xavier be fucking his receptionist? Gods, if that is the case, she would have to get her eyes watched. The thought alone made her feel nauseous. She knew that some bosses mess around with their recept
Annette walked back to the setting room, heading to the receiving room. The door to the lift was closed, and the light above showed it was moving downward. She could not find any keypad on the elevator; there was no fingerprint scanner. That means the elevator can only be accessed by card. There was no way out of this apartment. Shit.She ran her fingers down her face in frustration. Damn. She decided to explore the apartment since Xavier had not said anything was off limits, so she did not see anything wrong with snooping around a little. She returned to the living room: instead of taking the door leading to the hall, she took another door and walked into what appeared to be a large and luxurious kitchen.It was equipped with white cupboards and granite countertops. Luxurious appliances and stainless steel pots and pans were hung up on the wall. The island in the middle of the room was stunning; bar tools lined each side. Stepping out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. The
Annette jerked awake. Something had woken her up; it was the sound of breaking glass and growling. The sound was loud and intense. She sat upright on the bed, pushing her hair away from her face. The room was bathed in darkness; the moonlight shimmering in through the window was the only source of light in the room. The sun had long set. She had only wanted to take a nap after the messed up day she had.She must have fallen asleep. How long has she been asleep for?"Motherfuckers."She heard someone cursing. It seems to have come from one of the rooms down the hall. Who was it? Was it Xavier? Was he back? He sounded furious and annoyed with something. Annette thought was racing as she slipped from the bed and pushed to her feet. Leaving the room, she walked down the hall; her bare feet made no sound as they came into contact with the thick plush carpeted floor as she went in search for the origin of the sound.As she walked down the hall, she realized that the noise was coming from
Fuck. He was so muscular and ripped. He towered over her; her head barely reached his shoulder. His body was tensed, and both of his hands braised on the kitchen sink. His head was bent, his silk hair cascaded over his forehead. Annette reached out to pick one of the cotton balls from the kitchen sink; she was determined to help him. His wounds were dripping blood; it was a gruesome sight.But before her fingers could come in contact with the cotton balls, Xavier's hands shut out like a cobra, grabbing her hands, and stopping her. His sudden movement made her lose her balance. She was stunned by it.She placed her hands on the countertop by the sink to steady herself."I thought I asked you to leave, Annette?" "Please, Xavier, let me help. I want to help you patch up your wounds, please." she said, literally begging him with her eyes., trying to convince him. Xavier gave her a hard stare, studying her face. Perhaps it was to check if she was sincere or something, but she didn't car