Play the Player

Chapter Two - Chasing Red

Xavier ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He had paced round the dimly lit alley in hopes of catching a glimpse of her. A futile search convinced him that she was indeed gone.

“Hey man, what’s up?” A voice called out as he made to enter back into the club. It was Adrian.

“Yeah… What's good? Xavier responded flatly.

“Is everything alright? We saw the way you dashed out, and we were kind of worried.” Adrian finished, stepping forward with a concerned face.

Xavier nodded his head to show that he was okay. He signaled one of his boys and tried to describe her, the aim was to have him find her, and bring her back to him, but Xavier knew that it was going to be a fruitless endeavor the moment he started to describe her.

“She’s drop-dead gorgeous, has an angelic aura, and she wore Red.” Those were the only words he could mutter.

The flustered look on the boy’s face told Xavier that he had done a horrible job with his descriptions.

Adrian and the other guys looked more confused, and Xavier could easily tell why, before he could speak, Adrian had already blurted out.

“Did this lady perhaps use voodoo on you Xavier Adams? I’ve never seen you hunt after a woman in our two decades of friendship.

The other guys nodded in agreement and Xavier almost burst out laughing.

“It’s all good. She intrigued me, that’s all. I just need to find her and fill this lingering curiosity. Xavier responded without making any move to leave his current spot. Eyes still roaming around unconsciously.

“How about we go back inside? The night is still young, and you never can tell who you get to meet again. Maybe this time, you’ll meet a ‘purple’. Adrian blurted out, shading Xavier for his earlier reference to the lady as ‘Red’, and earning a laugh from the two others.

“Actually, I will be leaving.” Xavier said unflinchingly and beckoned his security detail. He leaned into the muscular, bearded man and whispered;

“Comb the entire city if you must but find her for me. I’d ask the manager to release the CCTV footage from tonight so we can get better visuals to aid your tracking. Let me know if you find something.”

With that, he made his exit, earning an exchange of confused glances from the other guys.

-

******

Maddy, was breathing hard as she dropped off from her cab. She had a shift for the next fifteen minutes and was most likely going to get in late, all thanks to her stubborn insistence to go to the club that evening.

But who would blame her. It was in a bid to honor the girl’s night commitments she made with her friends at the beginning of the year.

The agreement was that girls would hang out every fortnight. Tonight though, the other three ladies were all in different cities and it was agreed that they would all hang out independently.

Maddy had wanted to wing it and stay indoors, but the girls had made a ground rule that everyone would show a snapshot. And there was a pinky promise too, Maddy could not break pinky promises.

She hurriedly paid off the driver and rumbled through her stuff to find a comfortable change of outfit. She threw her hair into a ponytail, wore a pink two piece and ran back into the taxi that was already still waiting for her outside.

Luckily, she was just five minutes late, so she hurriedly ran in, draped an apron around her waist.

“Oh you look so radiant tonight, Maddy.” Anne, her co-worker whispered with a smile.

“Thank you girl. I was a bit held up that was why I came in late. Hope there’s been no trouble?” Maddy asked in hush tones, while glancing around, hoping not to see the supervisor.

“Don’t worry about Luke. I told him you were having diarrhea. He almost rang to tell you not to bother coming in.”

“Awww. You are the sweetest girl, Anne. Thank you so much.” Maddy responded and pulled her into a brief hug.

“You know I’d do anything for you Maddy hahaha. Now run along before he sees us talking instead of working.”

Maddy nodded in acceptance and ran into the kitchen session. She would start there and retire into the main hall once it got very busy.

The thought crowded her mind again and this time, instead of pushing it away, she let it stay as she sorted dishes. The feel of his firm hands on her body as she swayed. The gentle touches he gave that sparked fire within her.

She had never experienced that kind of connection with anyone, and she wished she had stayed back to satisfy her curiosity, but she had sworn off men, and one breathtaking handsome god-like man was not enough to make her break her promise.

Somehow, her stomach felt hollow at that thought, as though bearing witness with her heart that she didn’t mean that thought.

Either way, he was gone for good. He probably drooled over her that much because she was in a high end-club. He probably thought she was one of these rich city ladies. If he knew the real her, he wouldn’t as much as spare her a glance.

That thought somehow made her feel a lot better, and she continued with her tasks.

Maddy balanced two steaming plates on a tray and hurried toward Table Seven.

"Medium rare steak, one grilled salmon..." she murmured under her breath, mentally going over the order as she weaved expertly between customers.

The restaurant was already full and buzzing with the usual evening chatter. Spending hours inside the kitchen had a way of blinding you to the amount of work going on outside, she thought.

Soft jazz floated through the speakers while the large television mounted in the far corner played an entertainment news segment. No one was really paying attention.

She served and went back to the station, awaiting the readiness of the next order.

“Oh my God! Is that you Maddy?” A voice fluttered and cut through her thoughts. It was Anne.

“What?” Maddy asked cluelessly.

“Come take a look. Except you have a twin sister, I can swear that this is you.”

"...and now for the biggest entertainment story of the day."

The cheerful voice of the presenter echoed across the restaurant.

Maddy, strolled to Anne’s side with her tray in hand, there was no reason for her to appear on television. She wasn’t that cool or something.

"Looks like billionaire Xavier Adams has finally met his match after all."

One of the waitresses snorted.

"Oh please," the waitress muttered. "That man doesn't keeps changing women every weekend like it’s some sport."

The presenter continued with an amused smile.

"For the past four hours, the city's most eligible bachelor has reportedly been searching for the mysterious woman who completely captivated him at The Eclipse Club on Saturday night."

Maddy froze, her fingers tightened and the smile slowly started to slip from her face.

"...Sources close to the billionaire reveal that the woman vanished before Mr. Adams could learn her identity. Since then, his team has been trying to locate her."

Her heart skipped.

No...

There was no way…

Still, she saw a picture of herself from earlier that evening. Her signature silver chains draped around her waist.

It was a blurry image, but anyone who knew her would know that it was her.

The tray slipped from Maddy's trembling fingers.

Clang!

Every head turned. Anne stared at the television, back at Maddy, then back at the television.

Her eyes widened.

"...Maddy, what’s going on? How do you know Xavier?"

Another waitress abandoned the coffee machine and rushed over.

"Wait..."

She pointed at the screen.

"That's you."

Maddy couldn't hear the presenter or anything anymore.

All she could see was her own face, staring back at her from the television.

The presenter smiled at the camera while delivering the final blow.

"Mr. Adams' office is offering a generous reward for credible information leading to the identification of the mystery woman."

The words landed like a punch to her stomach.

Reward?

Her breathing became shallow..

"What the hell..."

One of the chefs leaned out from the kitchen.

"Isn't that our Maddy?"

Another waiter frowned.

"Wait... are you saying she danced with Xavier Adams?"

The realization swept through like wildfire.

Not just any man but Xavier Adams.

The billionaire every major news outlet couldn't stop talking about.

Maddy's fingers turned ice cold as she suddenly understood something she hadn't before.

The stranger from the club wasn't just another handsome man.

He was one of the most powerful men in the country.

And if he wanted to find someone...

He probably could.

Her heart was raging in anger. How dare her put up pictures of her without consent. What the hell has she gotten herself into?

"He's insane." She managed to blurt out

Then, Anne turned slowly beside her and said;

"Girl... Do you know how much money I'd get if I reported you?"