25. Scarlett
TWENTY-FIVE
SCARLETT
Iurge my exhausted eyes to open as I stretch, and feel various pains radiating through my body.
Every part of me either hurts or, in the case of my lower regions, is on fire.
Xavier Poine is a sadistic asshole, and I can't wait to tell him so.
I just need five more minutes of sleep, a gallon of coffee, and an ice bath first.
"Wake up, Scarlett, it's time for you to fucking leave.
" The covers get instantly ripped away from me, and I screech in surprise as the cool air hits my overstimulated skin.
A pile of fabric lands on my chest unceremoniously, and I force myself to sit up, clutching it to my naked flesh.
Xavier stands at the end of the bed wearing all black, his light hair slicked back away from his features.
His haunting blue-gray eyes pierce into me, but in their depths I no longer see any of the carnality or intimacy we shared last night, or the charm he displayed at the restaurant.
No, there's nothing but anger and darkness now, and that has me scrambling from the bed and putting distance between us.
"What the hell is going on?" I question, as I fumble with my bra and he watches me, but not with lust, the way someone unhinged watches a butterfly before they rip off its wings.
"The night is over, and you've overstayed your welcome, so it's time you go, Agent Lyssa." He turns his back on me as I shove my panties back on, grimacing at their dampness, throw my dress over my head, and race after him, my bare feet slapping against his hardwood floor.
"Wait just a goddamn minute, you said you had information for me.
This whole fucking night was your idea, a trade, remember?
One night in your bed and you would tell me what you know about Ashmaker, and how he's picking his victims." My voice begins to rise in panic as he stops at his kitchen island, his back to me. "You gave me your word, Xavier."
"Did he now? He would too, the prick." He?
Who the fuck is he referring to? Is he speaking of himself in the third person like some psycho?
My head begins to swim as the reality of the morning after hits me.
Xavier's playing mind games with me. He used me, took his pleasure from my body all night, and probably either didn't ever have any intentions of telling me shit, or didn't know anything past what was disclosed as bait at the restaurant.
Humiliation hits me hard as I watch him study my reactions.
"You lied to me. You used me all along with the promise of giving me something that can help me catch Ashmaker!
" My hands clench at my sides, and my glance darts to the knife block behind him with rage.
He instantly notes where I'm looking, and a huge, malevolent smile breaks across his mouth.
His features are no longer just handsome; they're sinister, and don't seem anything like the man I had dinner with, and let inside of my body last night, and early this morning.
"Maybe, or perhaps what you seek is right in front of you, and you're too pathetic and dense to see it.
Either way, that's not my fucking problem, now is it?
" I storm forward, ready to break his damn nose, his body radiating danger, but he shifts aside towards the door, opening it wide, his grip tightening on the edge of it until his knuckles pop.
"I wouldn't, Agent Lyssa, that would be assault, and I know how you don't like to break the law.
Besides, I'd have no choice but to defend myself, and trust me when I tell you, you wouldn't want that. "
His head motions casually to the open doorway, as if he weren't behaving unreasonably, and like a damn psychopath. "Now get your skanky ass out of here. I've got shit to do."
Rage like I haven't felt since I was a teenager soars through me, until I can barely see him in front of me, and all that's playing are images of him bleeding profusely from all his orifices.
I can sense my body temperature rising, and my heart beating erratically in my chest. Stay calm, don't let him have the upper hand, my mind begs, but I am way past the point of being calm.
I'm about to hit the nuclear level, and the only thing stopping me is that this cunt would love nothing more, I'm sure, than to ruin my career.
"Where the fuck are my shoes and purse, asshole? "
"Your whore shoes are there, wannabe Barbie, and as for your purse, you didn't bring one with you here.
" He sneers as he points in the direction of my discarded shoes next to his sofa.
I stomp over to them and grab them, holding them tightly with the sharp heel pointing outwards.
I'm about to dispute his words about my purse when I realize he's right, and fuck me, I think I left it behind at the restaurant. FUCK! FUCKING FUCK!
I head for the doorway and meet his bored expression, disillusionment and hate now filling my heart.
He quirks his dark brow at the way I'm holding my shoes in my clenched grip as weapons, almost daring me to hit him.
"This isn't over, Xavier. You won't get away with the way you lied and manipulated me. "
He leans forward, his shoulders straightening, revealing our massive size difference.
The tattoos I was intrigued with, and traced with my lips last night, now appear menacing on his skin.
His scent invades my nostrils, and where I once found it delicious and sexy, now it turns my stomach.
Everything about him this morning is awful; it's as if he weren't even the same person, and it makes me wonder if this is the true him.
"What are you really going to do about it, Scarlett, hmm?
You came here of your own free will, spread those slut legs wide open, and allowed yourself to be fucked over and over, every single hole filled with my cum like a depraved whore.
" He takes a step forward, and I take one back, instantly regretting not holding my position as I glimpse the satisfaction on his face.
His long, slender finger presses against my chest, and I instantly recoil.
"If you allowed yourself to believe such outlandish lies, that's on you.
" I'm fucking done with this idiot. I slam my knee hard into his nuts and use my elbow against his nose, hearing a crunching noise as he doubles over in pain, gasping for air.
I slam my elbow down with all my strength in the middle of his back, until he collapses to the floor, wheezing and clutching himself.
It's not nearly enough, and he deserves so much more pain, but I have to get the hell out of here before I lose complete control.
I move aside and head for the door, stopping just outside of it. "If you ever come near me again, Xavier, I'll make sure I do much worse to you. Watch your back, because your career is over."
Jesus Christ, I'm doing the goddamn walk of shame home, and I don't even have a fucking phone or a wallet.
I shove my shoes on, walk out of Xavier's loft, and head quickly down the street, where I noticed some closed shops yesterday when we drove over.
Mortification fills me as I get curious glances at my disheveled attire, and furious expression, this early in the morning.
No doubt my face is probably bright red at this point, with the rage that's coursing through me, and I'm trying desperately to hold back my tears of fury.
How could I have been so stupid, so fucking desperate to have fallen for that sleaze-ball's act?
I put my safety and career at jeopardy, and it was all for nothing.
My body protests each step, reminding me how thoroughly Xavier used me last night.
Like you didn't enjoy yourself? That's besides the fucking point.
I thought I was getting more out of it, a way to take down Ashmaker.
It takes two blocks before I can hail a cab.
Even the driver is giving me wary looks in the rearview mirror, as we now head toward my house, because I'm breathing so hard in an attempt not to scream, and release the tears that are threatening.
At least I have cash on hand at home to pay him, and no one from work will have seen my disgrace.
Small fucking mercy at this point, because I don't know if I could take the judgment right now.
Xavier Poine is going to regret the day he ever decided to approach me, and play his sick games with me. I'm going to make sure I use everything I have at my disposal to make his life fucking miserable from this point on.
How could he have faked it all? Was he that good of an actor? It's like the man from last night disappeared, and this morning's version was someone toxic and filled with hate. Face it, Scarlett, you got played. You didn't see what was right in front of you in your eagerness to break this case.
I drag my hands down my face and rub at the kinks in my neck, touching a tender spot that causes me to cringe.
One glance down at my chest and legs confirms my suspicions, that the asshole left marks all over me with that flogger, and his mouth.
I'll wear my shame visibly, as a reminder of how easily I trusted, for days to come.
We pull up in front of my house, and I tell the driver to wait while I rush to my elderly neighbor Beth's house to get my spare key, and grab him some cash. Here's hoping Beth doesn't have a million questions right now, and I can escape into my house without explaining my current predicament.
After getting the key, and Beth insisting on giving me cash to pay the driver, I slink back to my home, weariness overtaking me, and my head pounding with an oncoming migraine.
I put the key in the lock and barely turn the knob when the door flies open, and I have to catch myself from faceplanting all over my entranceway with astonishment.
"Where the fuck have you been, Scarlett? I've been worried all fucking night?"
Oh god no, please, anyone but him right now.
I force my gaze to rise from his stockinged feet, up a pair of dark, jean-clad legs, a trim waist, and a bare, muscular golden-toned chest, complete with a six-pack, that causes my mouth to fall open, and overwhelms my frazzled brain.
I continue my glance over the strong column of his neck, and dark brown facial hair to meet a pair of dark, midnight blue eyes filled with fury in a chiseled, handsome face, whose expression is thunderous.
"Jasper..." My brain can't manage any other words, and the shock of everything that's already happened, combined with him standing inside my locked house, does me in, and I feel tears prickling my eyes, knowing I'm about to embarrass myself further.
"Little vixen, you have about sixty seconds to tell me if you're alright, otherwise, I'm going to hunt that fucker Xavier down, and put a bullet between his eyes. Look at all the fucking marks all over you, Scarlett! You look like you've been mauled by a goddamn animal!"
The world tilts on its axis, and I'm powerless to fight against it as white spots begin to form before my eyes, and the air becomes trapped in my lungs.
I can feel all the color draining from my face at his words, and my legs begin to tremble before they give out, and the only thing stopping me from hitting the floor is Jasper's quick reflexes, and his grip.
"Jesus fuck, I'm going to murder that asshole! "
I don't hear any more of his vivid profanity as he lifts me like I weigh nothing, and carries me into my house bridal style, after slamming the door with force.
The heat of his body, mixed with his amber and cedar scent, finally has me feeling safe, and despite knowing I shouldn't, I lean my head against his chest, and let the wave of dizziness take me into a moment of oblivion.
I close my eyes and allow Jasper's warmth to wrap around me as his steady footsteps, strong heartbeat against my ear, and the way he gently cradles me, soothe something inside of me he didn't break.
"Little vixen, please tell me you're alright." His panicked tone almost tears me apart. I refuse to meet his gaze, and all the questions I know he has. He lays me down on the top of my bed with such gentleness, and care, that I feel nothing but shame at my own actions.
"I will be, Jasper. I just need a moment to clear my head."
"Naw, fuck that, Scarlett. You're in no shape to be kicking me out of here, and don't bother to waste your breath. I'm not leaving."
Fucking great, this apparently is the morning of masculine bullshit. Lord, send me some fucking patience and strength to deal with these men, before I land my ass in jail.