SIXTEEN
Saraya
“Thanks, Raya, it’s been fun…”
Nyx's words have been running repeatedly in my head all weekend. That egotistical son of a bitch had the nerve to say that to me! How did I ever love him? I don't care what happened in the past; how he acts towards me now is uncalled for.
Then why can I not seem to stay away from him, and why do his actions turn me on so much?
I've been hiding in my room all weekend because I know he's watching my every move.
If I'm going to leave, it's got to be once we're at the club.
I'm hostess tonight, and I will be on my own.
I'll use my break to slip away, and it'll be too late by the time they realize I'm gone; that's my plan anyway.
I thought about finding my own way to the club tonight, but I don't want to get on his bad side just before I leave.
I can't let anything get in the way of me leaving.
I know that if I stay, I will become trapped, with no say in how I live my life.
Nyx has given me a week to decide whether to marry him, but I know he's only pretending to give me a choice.
In the end, my stepbrother will get his way.
If it was Phoenyx, I'd marry him in a heartbeat.
I still love that guy, but Nyx is my monster.
The one your parents warn you about, and maybe that's why my lady bits fire up whenever he's around.
Something about the way bad boys turn up the heat in every way, even when they don't realize they're doing it, gets me fired up and my lady juices flowing.
However, in my stepbrother's case, he does know, and he uses it against me .
A knock sounds on my door, and I roll my eyes, thinking it's Nyx. To my surprise, Adrik stands on the other side when I open the door, prepared to tell Nyx to leave me alone. In his hand, Adrik holds out a clothing bag on a hanger with a boutique bag in his other hand.
"For you, Raya."
"What is this?"I ask after taking in his devastatingly good looks.
All the Heirs are drop-dead gorgeous, but the issue is they all know it, so you can only imagine how big their egos are. However, Adrik and Zilas are the two who are the most down-to-earth and tolerable to talk to.
"This would be your evening's attire. A message was also passed along. The rest of your wardrobe will be delivered tomorrow afternoon."He winks at me and gives me his signature smile.
I sigh. "If Nyx would let me go to my house, he wouldn't have to buy me new clothes."
Adrik's smile falters a little before he clears his throat and says, "He's only trying to protect you. You came here for just that, did you not?"
I hate that he's right, but I nod and reply, "Yeah, I guess so."
"Listen."Adrik brushes past me and lays the items down on my bed.
"Nyx may seem a little rough around the edges, but you must understand why.
"He lowers his voice and glances toward the door before he says, "You didn't see the state he was in when all that shit went down.
I think there's more to it, and I'll only say this once.
You can take my advice or not, but I think that if there is something that needs to be said about the past, it needs to come out.
That's the only way things will become easier for you. "
I cross my arms and look down at the floor. "A lot happened back then, and some things are better left in the past. Some things should have been brought up when it happened, but they weren't, and I'm afraid it may be a little too late to fix it."
Adrik squeezes my arm and says, "It's never too late—"
"What the fuck is going on in here?"
I jump at Nyx's angry voice, but Adrik only chuckles. "Down, boy. I was delivering your gift and just giving your girl here a few words of advice."
"I'm not his girl!"I say vehemently.
"Yeah, okay…"Adrik grins and heads for the door but stops and places his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You never have to worry about any of us Heirs trying to take your girl. We know she's off limits. "
I roll my eyes at Adrik's words but then turn when I see Nyx's glare on me.
As they exchange a few more words,I walk to the items on the bed and open the clothing bag.
A gasp escapes my lips when I see the black, sequined evening gown.
It's beautiful but different from what the hostess would wear.
Although it is sexy, it's more on the elegant side.
"Is something wrong with the dress?"
I jump again, only this time, Nyx is standing right behind me, his hand slipping around my waist. He pulls me against him and nuzzles my neck. I try to pull away, only succeeding in having him tighten his hold on me.
"Nyx, please let me go."
"What's wrong, little lamb?"
"Stop calling me that. I have a name…"
He chuckles. "I like my name for you better. Now, why don't you go get ready? We'll leave in an hour."
When he lets go and steps back, I quickly move away as I reassure him, "I'll be ready."
Smirking, Nyx turns and walks to the door."Oh, one more thing,"he says, turning back to look at me. "Wear your hair up tonight. I want to see that pretty neck of yours."
My mouth is agape as I watch him leave my room. Did he just compliment me? With his hands in his pockets, he begins to whistle. Nyx Beckam—whistling! Does he seriously think he's that amusing?
I stand staring at the empty doorway momentarily before snapping out of it.
I'm irritated that I let him get to me this way.
Thank God he mostly kept his hands to himself; otherwise, he would have figured out that his little show did not leave me unaffected.
My treacherous body can go eat a dick—preferably not Nyx's.
The slit up the left side of my dress shows off more leg than I would like, but apparently, it's just what Nyx likes. As I sit in his car, the fabric keeps parting, but when I try holding it closed, my stepbrother growls and shoves my hand away.
"Leave it. I bought the dress for a reason."
"Why do I not have a say in what I wear? My body, my choice—you know? "
He gives me a genuine smile, or at least I think it is, until he opens his mouth and ruins it.
"When you're with me in my club, you wear what I buy you. I will never buy you anything inappropriate—well, at least not for others to see."
He rests his hand on my bare thigh, where my dress keeps opening.
When I try pushing his hand away, his grip tightens, and he gives me a warning look.
It's not that it repulses me—it's actually the opposite.
So, with a racing heart, I sit here, trying to keep my breathing even so he doesn't become aware of what he's doing to me.
I'm so lost in thought that I don't realize we have arrived at the club until we pull into his parking spot.
A chill comes over me as soon as he lifts his hand from my thigh, but again, I don't let it be known.
I need to get out of here tonight. I don't think I can handle this treatment—I'll give in too easily.
"Stay here until I've checked the area."
I swear, I've never rolled my eyes as much as I have since living back at the Hall. He grips my chin and turns hard gray eyes on me.
"You wanted my protection; now deal with it."
He exits the car without waiting to see if I'll respond.
I don't bother watching him until his frame shows up in the side mirror on my door.
He's wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt.
The collar is open at the top, showing off some of his tattoos.
I lick my lips; I remember the way he looked when I saw him fucking Mara.
Broad with rippling muscles throughout his chest and torso.
When he opens my door, he holds his hand out for me to take.
He stares at my legs until I cover them up, then he goes back to watching our surroundings.
It's more than usual, and suddenly, I get a prickling feeling that we are being watched.
I know it's his actions that are making me this paranoid, so I try to push the feeling aside.
Nyx refuses to let go of my hand until we're tucked away inside the elevator. Unlike last time, he pushes the button for the floor we're going to and I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about it. The memory of our first time in the elevator flashes through my mind, and my pulse quickens again.
The car stops just before we get to our floor, and I see it's Nyx's doing.
He turns to face me, looking me over as though he's ensuring I'm put together properly.
When his eyes meet mine, it becomes difficult to swallow.
I try so hard to remain held together in front of him, but then he looks at me the way he's doing right now, and I almost fall apart.
"Thank you for wearing your hair up."
"It's not like I had much choice when the Boss gives an order," I state sarcastically.
His smirk is sexy as fuck.
"I have you dressed this way and wearing your hair a certain way because you will be with me tonight."
Alarm bells start going off in my head. "What do you mean I'm going to be with you? I'm hostess tonight; it's on the schedule."
"Yes, well, the schedule has changed. I want you at my side tonight. Some important clients are coming in and I want you on your best behavior. In fact, I will be introducing you as my girlfriend."
"What?" I choke out.
"These men are sharks, and they love fresh meat. I don't want you working up front while they are here. I want you by my side."
"Who are they?"
"You've already met two of them,"he states, and a look of annoyance comes over him.
"The twins…"
"Yeah, the Kappel twins. Their father and his brother are coming in, along with Jarod and Jax.We'vebeen trying to get them to move their drug business out of Nyte, and I'm hoping we can do just that after tonight."
"You saw what the one twin did the last time he saw me. What makes you think he will keep his hands to himself now?"I ask.
"Simple. This time, you're mine. Which is why you will play the doting girlfriend."
"Oh? Would you like to put a collar around my neck and have me kneel at your feet while I'm at it?"Sarcasm always helps when I'm feeling unnerved, and I definitely feel it now.
"That would be a pleasant sight, but something tells me you will never be happy kneeling at my feet."
I scoff, "Like you care about what makes me happy—"
"Hey!"Nyx grabs my chin. "Whether you believe it or not, I don't want to see you unhappy, even after everything. "
We stare at one another briefly, and the weirdest thing happens. I believe what Nyx says, and I nod slightly. He lets go of my chin and caresses the backs of his fingers down my cheek.
"Now, be a good girl and take my arm."
I narrow my eyes at him.
"The moment these doors open, I want you in girlfriend mode, which includes smiling and staring adoringly at me,"he states as he smirks.
"You're pushing your luck, Beckam."
He tsks at me, "That's baby to you."He presses the button, and the elevator doors open before I can give him more of my mind.
Instead, I paste a smile on my face. He wants a doting girlfriend, then he will get one, but I doubt he will like it very much. A smirk replaces my smile as I walk beside Nyx, holding onto his arm.