SEVEN
Saraya
I'm fuming. It seems no matter what I say or how hard I try, Phoenyx is not going to forgive my betrayal. Maybe I should just ask him to transfer money from my trust, and then I can leave the country. I'll get out of his hair, and he will never have to see my face again.
I hate that our parents thought it best to leave my inheritance in the hands of my stepbrother, like I wasn't responsible enough at the age of twenty-eight.
It was only a year ago, for Christ's sake.
They trusted Ken enough to hand me over but not my trust, I don't get it.
Then again, Layton Beckam had always loved money and power, so I shouldn't be too surprised.
My mother was never the same after she married into the Beckam Dynasty.
She told me that she was doing it for us, that we needed Layton Beckam, but I needed a mother who cared for me.
I was already missing one parent, I couldn't afford to lose another, but that's precisely what happened as soon as my mother became Jessica Beckam.
I was the outcast in the family, the only one with a different last name.
Sure, Layton was friendly enough for the most part—in the beginning—but he wasn't my father.
I don't know who my father was; I don't even have his last name.
My mother gave me her maiden name and told me it was a one-night stand gone wrong.
Luckily, my new stepbrother had taken a liking to me, and we became fast friends.
He didn't have many friends, just the other Heirs and Amara, so we spent a lot of time together.
Then, as we started getting older and moved to high school, feelings began to change, and things got complicated.
We knew better than to get involved with each other, but for over a year, we were able to keep our relationship under wraps until that day when we threw caution to the wind and became careless.
That day changed everything. Not only did I lose the only boy I ever loved, but I lost my best friend, too.
Instead of the fun-loving young man who promised me the stars, I now have a beast who would rather throw me to the stars than give them to me.
It's always so uncomfortable around him.
What makes it worse is that I'm still attracted to the asshole, more so now than I was over ten years ago.
The silence in the car on the way to Club Unholy is deafening, so I can't help but get excited when the club comes into view.
I can't remove myself from the car fast enough once Phoenyx parks, and I'm relieved I didn't wear very high heels.
I'd like to think I'm pretty graceful, but my stepbrother unnerves me to no end, and I'd probably end up falling on my ass.
"Saraya!" Nyx calls out to me, stopping me in my tracks instantly.
I turn around slowly and notice him sweeping the parking garage with his eyes before they land on me. As soon as he catches up to me, he doesn't stop but brushes right past.
"Don't ever take off like that without looking at your surroundings again." His gruff voice reverberates through the private garage as he heads for the elevator.
"Why would I have to look at my surroundings when I'm in a private garage? Do you not trust your security?" I rebuff.
Nyx swipes his key card in the slot that gains us access to the private elevator.
Once the doors open, he holds his arm out, so the door doesn't close as he waits for me to enter first. I don't miss the second sweep he does, this time of my body as I walk past him.
I hide my smirk as I turn and fix my gaze on the doors closing.
"Never trust anyone. You can never be too careful. Just because it hasn't reached my ears yet doesn't mean there aren't people out looking for you. I'm sure your pathetic husband has been reported as missing, and since you're nowhere around, you're a person of interest."
What Nyx says makes sense, but why does he have me out in public and working at the club if this is the case? I turn my head slightly and study him as he scrolls through his phone. He smells so fucking good that it makes my thighs squeeze together .
Wanting nothing more than to get under his skin, I retort, "It doesn't make a lot of sense—making me work in your club and having me come out in public if I'm a wanted criminal."
He scoffs, "You have to pay your debt somehow."
"I can pay you back by leaving the country. Just release my trust to me, and I'll be out of your hair. You'll never have to see me again,"I tell him as I go back to staring at the doors.
It doesn't feel like the elevator has moved yet, and it's taking an awfully long time to get to the first floor. I glance at the buttons on the panel and see that none of them are lit up as of yet. I roll my eyes and step forward, ready to press the button, but Nyx stops me with one word.
"Don't."
"Are we just going to stand here all night? I thought you were in such a hurry to get to your meeting?"I cross my arms and lean against the wall.
Suddenly, he's in front of me, bracing himself with his hands on each side of my head as he glares down at me. My heart is going a mile a minute, wondering what the fuck is going through his head. All he does is stare coldly at me with those hard gray eyes.
"Nyx—"
"You will learn very quickly that when I do something, it's for a specific reason. Do not question me— ever. "He growls as his eyes dart to my parted lips.
"Please move,"I say through gritted teeth, but it only brings a smirk to his lips.
"What's wrong, Lil' Sis ? Am I making you uncomfortable?"
I try shoving him away, but he only captures my hands and slams them above my head.
My chest heaves as my breathing quickens, and my stepbrother's gaze goes straight to my cleavage.
The dress he purchased for me is beautiful.
It's a deep burgundy, and it hugs all my curves, but at least my ass cheeks aren't hanging out. No, but your tits are.
Clearing my throat, I return his smirk as I say, "Not at all. I just didn't want you catching my cooties and holding it against me, as you do everything else."
"Make no mistake, Raya, your cooties would be the last thing I worry about.
"Nyx's eyes dip to my lips, then back to meet my eyes.
I feel his hand slide over my leg before he lifts it up beside his hip.
"Unlessyou'resaying that you do have something , then maybe I shouldn't do this in case I catch it. "
His hardness rubs against my core, and I try to keep a straight face. I hold my breath and wait when his head dips, but his lips never touch me. Instead, he breathes me in deeply. I need to do something before I break. I can't let Nyx see just how weak I am regarding him.
"You're going to be late for your meeting, Mr. Beckam ."The use of his surname causes Nyx to stiffen.
My stepbrother drops my leg and steps away without another glance at me.
He presses the button on the panel and the car begins to move as he shoves his hands into his pockets.
I feel the loss of his closeness, but this is how it has to be.
Phoenyx will never forgive me, so I need to move on and try to start my life over all on my own.
"Monica, this is Saraya Abbott. I want her trained in the hostess position tonight,"Nyx states as we stop in front of a gorgeous blonde standing at the hostess station.
The beautiful woman, who smiled brightly as soon as we walked up, now looks at me, and her smile falters before looking back at Nyx. I know this will cause a problem, so I quickly try to ease any concerns.
"I'm only here to help you, Monica. I'm not taking your job—"
"Yes, you are, Miss Abbott,"Nyx corrects me quickly."Since you can't waitress, I have to switch you out and put you elsewhere. This is the only other available position."
"Am I being fired, Mr. Beckam?"Monica is on the verge of tears.
My stepbrother places his hand on her shoulder and changes his tone from hard to understanding as he replies, "Of course not, Monica. This is only temporary. We will find you another position and keep you at hostess pay. In the meantime, I may need you to fill in as a house sub."
"Okay,"the blonde seems to be appeased. "Will you be needing any services, Sir?"
I watch the grin grow on Nyx's face as he peruses Monica's body. "I may. I'll let you know."He winks at her, then turns to me and sternly says, "Listen to Monica's instruction; she's a great hostess."
He then turns and walks away, leaving me alone with this woman who obviously has a crush on her boss. The way he did me dirty just now will not be forgotten. He will hear my wrath privately, but for now, I will play the dutiful employee and do what I'm here to do .
"So, where did he find you?"The sneer from Monica is unexpected, especially if I may have just gotten her a ticket to ride Phoenyx Beckam.
I cross my arms and match the snooty tone she's giving me. " He found me at Nyte's Hall, where I live —with him ," I say for added effect.
"You live with Nyx?" the blonde asks, unconvinced.
I straighten my back and respond, "Yeah, I do, and it's Mr. Beckam to you."
Monica snickers. "Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't come in here and just start bossing me around."
"I'm pretty sure your boss just told you who I was. He told you my name is Saraya Abbott, as in his sister, Saraya Abbott."
If I could capture the horrified look on Monica's face when she realizes my true identity, I'd display it for all to see; it's fucking priceless.
She doesn't know that Nyx couldn't care less about me and that he would most likely get a kick out of seeing her treating me the way she was.
I can already see that he will make it hard for me to make friends here. Challenge accepted.
Just before the club opens, I make my way to Nyx's office.
A high-priority client has a message for him, and since Monica didn't want to leave me by myself so soon, she's sending me to take it to him.
I've never been upstairs yet, so I make sure to take in everything as I reach the top of the steps and turn left, just as Monica instructed.
As I near the door she described, I hear raised voices and pause momentarily. I don't want to intrude or disrupt an important meeting, so I stand just outside the door, contemplating what to do. I look at the envelope in my hand and read its name— Mr. Tate.
I remember Monica listing this man as one of the important clientele, but is he important enough to disrupt a meeting? Making the decision, I knock on the closed door. All the voices stop, and I hear Nyx call out angrily.
"What is it?"
Swallowing hard and straightening my back, I open the door and walk in.
I don't say anything as I walk across the office; all eyes are on me.
I notice the Heirs representing all four families of Nyte's Hall are here.
Beckam, Sinclair, Carlson, and Donovan—the Gods of Nyte—are seated all around.
They look menacing when gathered together like this.
There are two other men in the room with the Heirs; identical twins with a much lighter disposition are sitting in front of Nyx's desk.
"I'm busy right now."My stepbrother scowls at me.
"I apologize, but you have a message from one of your important clients."Once I get to his side of the desk, I hand him the envelope.
"Thanks. You may go now,"Nyx states with annoyance.
"Yes, Mr. Beckam."
As I walk past the twins, the nearest one reaches out and pulls me onto his lap. I try to catch myself, but my low heels slip on the floor, and I tumble into his lap. His arms go around me immediately, and he smiles.
"Well, what do we have here? Have you hired someone new and not told us, or are you hiding her for yourself?"
"Let. Her. Go."
The venomous sound coming from Nyx's mouth has me cowering, and he isn't even talking to me. However, the man who is still holding me only chuckles. He moves me so I'm situated between him and his twin.
They remind me of Roman guards with their strong jawlines, high, chiseled cheekbones, and straight Romanesque noses.
These twins must turn a lot of heads. I prefer tall, dark, and broody myself.
The twins don’t quite do it for me; they're not my type.
I steal a peek at my stepbrother for comparison.
I guess I also prefer men that are tatted up and rock a hard body because Nyx Beckam definitely has the attributes that get my juices flowing, whether I want them to or not.
"Oh, come on, Nyx. You always share your toys with us,"the one who captured me says to my stepbrother.
I don't dare look at Nyx, so I look at the others, and they're all wearing identical smirks. I try to break free of the twins' grip, but they only tighten it. I jerk when the quiet twin moves my hair from my face.
"You look really familiar. What's your name, beautiful?"quiet twin asks.
"None of your fucking business, Jax."Nyx glares at the guy before adding,"Now, if this meeting is over, I've got work to do."He looks at me and orders, "Get back to work."
Like it's my fault I'm even in this position to begin with.
The twin who pulled me down gives me a sympathetic look and helps me to my feet.
He never takes his eyes off me, and when I glance at the other brother, he's staring, too, only it's a different kind of look—like he's trying to make heads or tails of something.
I quickly take my leave as soon as I'm free of the guy's hands.
I shut the door quietly, then lean against the wall, trying to steady my racing heart.
I can hear Nyx's angry voice, but I pay no mind as to what he's saying because I'm still wrapping my head around what the fuck just happened in there.
However, a loud bang draws my attention and I realize that Nyx must have slammed his fist down because his voice is even angrier.
"I think I've made myself clear, Jarod. I don't want to sound like a dick, but I want the drugs out of our town, so figure it out. Oh, and while you're at it, stay the fuck away from that employee of mine."
The scraping of chairs against the floor has me moving away from the door and down the hallway.
The last thing I need is Nyx thinking I was eavesdropping.
I can handle many things, but I'm finding that his accusations hurt me more than they should, and being called his employee hurts just as much.
Why do I care? Because you still love the asshole, that's why.