Xavier

 

It was almost closing time, so Xavier knew he needed to get his game on. Truth be told, he was enjoying just watching her as she worked. Her breasts jiggled as she wiped down the bar, and her face seemed to change from moment to moment as different thoughts crossed her mind. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what he found so intriguing about her, but she would definitely look good between his sheets. He wanted nothing more than to bury his face between those big, beautiful tits and not come up for air.

 

He stood from his chair and stretched. “Chrome, you better hustle up. I don’t think you’re the only one who wants that blonde.” He gestured across the bar to where a man was hitting on the waitress. She had her hand on the back of the diner’s chair, and she smiled enticingly.

 

The skinny man drained his beer glass and held it up in the air to get her attention, and she came trotting right over.

 

As much as Xavier wanted to stick around and watch Chrome practice his skills after spending a year and a half in prison, he had better things to do. He strode across the weathered wooden floor and slid easily onto an empty stool at the bar, watching her for a moment as she skillfully mixed drinks and sent them sliding to their final destinations.

 

She finally looked up at him. Her eyes were full of fire and rage, but her features softened as soon as she realized who she was looking at. She stepped down the bar until she stood directly across from him, and she leaned on the wooden surface and smiled. Her teeth were white and straight, and they stood out nicely against her olive skin. “Isn’t Candy taking care of your table?”

 

“She is,” Xavier replied, “but there’s something a little lacking about her service.”

 

“I can get the manager for you, if you’d like. Or I can get you a beer.” She gestured behind her toward the taps.

 

“No, I think you can help me. I just want conversation for right now.”

 

The waitress batted her eyelashes at him, and a slight flush came to her cheeks. He had a feeling she wasn’t close to being as innocent as she looked. She must have known what she was doing to him. “What do you want to talk about?”

 

“You, mostly.” Xavier could have dispensed with the talking altogether and just put her on the back of his bike, but he knew women were talkers. His looks didn’t hurt, but his tongue was what got him the most pussy. He knew how to act interested even when he wasn’t and how to say just the right things. “What’s your name?”

 

“Kenzie.” She responded to a call from down the bar for another beer, grabbing a clean glass and pulling the tap. Her fingers wrapped around the knob suggestively, her manicured nails sliding up and down the handle as she gave Xavier a seductive glance. She slid the beer down the bar but returned to him immediately.

 

“That’s a nice name, and unusual. I’ve been watching you while you work. Doesn’t look like you put up with shit from anybody.”

 

She took it as a compliment, as he knew she would. She smiled again, rewarding him with those white teeth. “Sounds like you’ve got my number.”

 

“I’m sure you get hit on all the time.” He couldn’t blame any of the other customers for wanting to reach out and grab a little when they saw her. With that tiny skirt and tight shirt, she had all her goods on display. Xavier had a feeling, though, that she would be sexy even in sweatpants.

 

“It happens.”

 

An odd feeling crept down the back of Xavier’s neck. He turned to find the source of it, and his eyes locked instantly on a man at the corner table. He was familiar, and it didn’t take long to realize who he was. The goon worked for the Labriola family, and Xavier and the Reaper’s Hearts had just stolen a big chunk of business from them. If he was here to start trouble, he would regret it. Xavier had his best men here with him, and there was little chance the man would see the light of day. He shot him a dirty look before turning back around to face Kenzie. “What about the guy over there, the one who keeps staring at you? He give you any trouble?” It would have been incredibly satisfying to take the guy down for his own purposes while rescuing the damsel in distress.

 

She glanced that direction and shrugged. “Nah, he’s just a regular. He’s no worse than anyone else around here.” Kenzie grabbed a broom and swiped at an invisible speck of dust.

 

“Just so you know, if you need any help with any of the assholes in here, I’d be glad to give it.” He could still feel the man’s gaze on them. Even if it wasn’t bothering Kenzie, it was sure as hell bothering him. If the guy had a problem, it would have been better for him just to confront Xavier. He didn’t like to wait around for a confrontation if he didn’t have to.

 

“Yeah?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “And what would you do to him?”

 

“Whatever I have to do to make sure he doesn’t cause trouble for you.” And at the same time, it would keep the mafioso from causing trouble for him. It would be a pretty nice cap on the evening to deck the guy square in the jaw and then walk away with a hot lady on his arm. Fighting and fucking. It didn’t get any better than that.

 

She blinked prettily, tipping her head and her body in all the right ways. Oh yes, he had her on the line. Now he just had to reel her in, and from there it would be easy to get her on the boat. “And then I suppose I would owe you?” Kenzie asked. “There would be some sort of … payment … required?”

 

Hot damn she was sexy, and she was helping to create a scene in his head that he just couldn’t get rid of. Maybe he should offer to stick around after closing—to make sure she was safe, of course—and then bend that sweet little ass of hers right over the bar. “I’m sure you could think of something. My name is Xavier, by the way.” He held out his hand.

 

She hesitated for only a moment before she took it. “Another unusual name. But really, don’t worry about that guy. He’s here all the time, and he doesn’t know how to keep his eyes to himself, but he’s harmless.” When she took her hands back, she ran them over her head and down the length of her ponytail. Even tied back, her hair rested in dark waves that he wanted to run his own hands through.

 

“How long have you been working here?” It didn’t matter. She could have been working at the bar for a day or a decade for all Xavier cared, he just wanted to get laid. But this was the process, and it was one he knew well. He glanced over his shoulder to see how Chrome was doing. He and the other men were still at their table. Candy was sitting on the edge of it, so that was a good start. A woman Xavier didn’t recognize had just walked in the door and was headed toward Crocodile, probably his hooker. Maybe it would be a successful night for all of them.