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Xavian’s facial expression seem to go through several emotions in the span of seconds. Surprise, then confusion, then distaste, then anger. “This is tacky,” he says.
Margot works her jaw as she stares at the terminal. “I agree. This is why we’re meeting with your publicist in a couple hours. We’ll make this all go away.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as the two hosts laugh at the picture, which was clearly taken without my knowledge or consent. My hand snakes around this beautiful woman’s torso, and my tongue is down her throat. That night is a blur. It came hot off the heels of a stressful show, and I just wanted to let off some steam. So, I went to the Dusk Lily, Paris’s newest sapphic club. We all had too much to drink that night.
“I just think if you’re going to talk about someone like this,” Xavian says, his arms folded across his wide chest, “you should at least have the decency to invite them onto your show to defend themself.” His expression is surprisingly dark.
“That’s a great point, Xavian,” Margot says. “Let me call your publicist right now. Excuse me.”
She leaves the room, and I continue to watch as my favorite morning television show rips me to shreds.
“I mean, she denied being gay at that interview a couple weeks ago. Remember that? Hoo boy! That was a doozy!” Aria says, smiling at the audience.
Everyone laughs. But I’m not laughing.
“The one she ran out of like a crazy person?” Chase jeers, and the audience whoops and hollers as another photo pops up on the screen. It’s of me in the café, running out into the lobby. Dionne must’ve taken that and plastered it all over the internet. Of course she did. Since the incident, I’ve been avoiding the news because I knew it was going to be bad. I just didn’t realize it would be this bad. “Oh, look, there she goes. Running for the hills!”
“This is hilarious, Chase. I mean, come on, why not just tell everyone you’re gay? The universe has gay rights now! Even the Slitheron recognize it!” Aria squeals. “The Slitheron!”
The audience claps obediently.
Before I register what’s happening, Xavian is on his feet and grabbing the remote out of my hand. He turns the terminal off and lobs the remote at the bed. It bounces off the cushions as he begins to pace.
“Easy there, tiger,” I say. “What’s that all about?”
He has his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as he walks back and forth, back and forth across the carpet. “I just don’t understand how you can sit there so calmly and take all of that,” he says, and stops in front of me. He gathers his long mane of hair up and twists it into a tight bun as though he’s looking for something to do with his hands before he loses his mind. Relatable, really. “They’re verbally abusing you.”
“They’re just doing their jobs,” I say, waving my hand dismissively at the wall. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all for ratings. It’s just a show.”
Xavian takes another step toward me and places the palm of his hand flat on my scalp. Heat radiates from his hand, sending a warm tingle down the length of my spine, and I swallow. My cheeks warm next, and then my throat and clavicle.
“You don’t deserve to be spoken about that way,” he says. “Not for ratings, not for entertainment. Not for any reason.” My heart pounds in my throat, then my ears, until all I can hear is the blood rushing around in my skull.
“I … okay,” I murmur. What else am I supposed to say to that? “Fine. No big deal. Don’t even care.”
Xavian steps back and drops his hand to his side. I can’t meet his eyes, so I stare at his feet instead. When Margot comes back into the room, either she doesn’t notice the weird, lingering tension between us or she doesn’t care.
“Okay,” Margot chirps. “Time to get ready, then we’ll head over to that cute little bistro we saw the other day.” When I don’t move right away, she scowls at me. “Well, come on. What are you waiting for?”
When I stand up, my legs wobble just enough to make Xavian move forward. He clasps my forearm in his large, warm hand and smiles down at me. “You good? Eat enough?”
Plucking an Oozoo berry off the plate, I pop it into my mouth and relish the deliciousness as it bursts in my mouth. “Yeah,” I say with a genuine smile. “I think I have.”
16XAVIAN
With Kal off at her meetings, I’m suddenly left with an abundance of free time. Free time I hadn’t accounted for in my schedule, because I had assumed—wrongly, it seems—that I would be included in these meetings. But apparently, she doesn’t need a bodyguard just to have lunch with her agent and publicist.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t invited. I’m not sure I’d have anything kind to say to the man who thought scheduling a private performance on Nocturne was a good idea. We barely made it out of that situation alive. Kallista and Margot have no idea just how damn close we came to meeting our end on that stupid chunk of rock.
Before heading out for a jog to clear my head, I decide to take advantage of the walk-in steam shower. Back on Terra, even with my handsome Reapers salary, I couldn’t afford a walk-in shower. I missed my old brownstone apartment every so often, but not even a whirlpool tub would fit inside the tiny bathroom.
I strip down, toss my clothes in the corner of my room, and stride into the bathroom fully naked, then check myself out in the mirror. The first thing I notice is that I’m in dire need of a haircut. My long blond mane is starting to look closer to a lion’s, with its frizzy ends and untamable length. The second thing I spot are the dark circles underneath my eyes. Since dropping bounty hunting, I’ve been sleeping better, but still not enough. I’ve been averaging around anywhere between four to six hours per night, unable to shut my mind off and just fall asleep.
Tearing myself away from the mirror, I turn the shower faucets and allow the steam to build up in the room. The humidity is bliss on my skin, and I tilt my head back and exhale. Why did I even take this job? Bounty hunting was no cakewalk—far from it, obviously—but at least I had Aiken to back me up when jobs went south. And they went south all the time.
Yesterday was ridiculous, though. There’s no doubt in my mind that the general will follow up on our little meeting. I’ve certainly insulted him enough, handing him his own tail and emasculating him in front of his hoard of women. The way he treated Kallista still sends venom surging through my veins, though. Not that I’m surprised, but still.
When he interrogated her about her sexuality like that, I was ready to throw my fist into his good eye. But when he touched her? Something inside of me snapped.
