These Ashes Between Us

The Gilded Cage

Kimberly’s body was still thrumming with pain and adrenaline from the rescue when the SUV swung through the gates of a modest two-story building. The silence that greeted her as she alighted from the vehicle was unnerving. It was broken only by the hum of security gadgets. Her journalistic instincts screamed that she was walking into another prison as she was led into the pristine building. The heavy doors automatically swung closed behind them.

She followed Xavier's giant assistant, the one he called Arturo, through echoing corridors and up the winding staircase to the second floor. Motion sensors blinked faintly and cameras swiveled as if warning her. Or were they assuring her? She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being led to a more grand prison. Worse still, she saw no other occupant except the guards.

The giant wordlessly ushered her into a dimly lit room and left her with so many unanswered questions. And Xavier was nowhere in sight. Her mind replayed their one brief exchange en route to the safe house. Poor Tasha. Her tear-filled voice coming through the car Bluetooth speaker still echoed in her head,

“Tell me you've found her, Xavier, tell me…”

“Yes,” Xavier had replied, glancing at Kimberly. “She's right here with me.”

“Ohhh, thank you! Put her on. Let me…”

Kimberly had cut in, “Hi, Babes. I'm so sorry I had you worried sick. I'm safe now,” she'd said, stealing a glance at her saviour, praying he wasn't another captor. “I'm sorry for the scare.”

Before Tasha could respond, Xavier had cut her off, his voice firm. “You'll talk to her later, Tasha.” Kimberly had bristled but was too weak and confused to argue with him.

Now, the neatly made bed beckoned. She meant to stretch her frame briefly, but when she woke up, the sun was making its shy debut for the day, and birds were chirping somewhere near her window. The aroma of delicious food drowned the sterile scent of the room. She sighted an array of plates on the table and quickly made a beeline for it.

The door swung open just as she finished the last morsel. He walked in, impeccable in a charcoal suit, cream shirt with the first three buttons undone, hair shiny and unruly. His eyes, those dark green, bottomless pools, pinned her.

“Good morning, Kimberly. Sleep well?” he asked, sitting across from her.

“Hello, Xavier. She said coolly, pushing the plates aside. “Yes, I slept well. Thanks for the food. And for the rescue.”

“You'll stay here a while. Let's figure out who and why you were taken, to avoid a repeat.”

Her laugh was humorless, eyes flashing. “Who died and made you king over my life? I'm leaving today. I can handle myself.”

Xavier laughed. “Still as stubborn as a mule. Does that mean you know who orchestrated the kidnap then?”

She stared out of the window, jaw tightening as the memory flooded back, “No. I don't. But I won't be a prisoner again, not even in your house, surrounded by unseen eyes and gun-wielding giants.”

He merely stared at her, his gaze dragging over her body now clad in a clean shirt and jeans. Her heart began to beat a staccato rhythm, her mouth going dry. She strode to the window and stared at the garden bursting with colors, trying hard to ignore the heat building in the room.

“Tell me, Xavier,” she said. “Are you a mafia of some sort? Or just some crime lord masquerading in silk suits? How much secret are you hoarding, Xavier? Is that even your real name because I obviously don't know you at all.”

He leaned back and crossed his legs, “I am Xavier and you know me where it matters. I just have the right tools and connections to make things happen. That's all you need to know.”

She stared at him, eyes alive with tension as she worried her lips. He stared at those lips, mesmerized. She watched him watching her with the lust-filled piercing eyes and her p***y began to throb, heat gathering at her core.

She unconsciously ran her tongue over her full lips, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as he drew closer to her. He stopped a few feet away from her, lifted her chin and without preamble, claimed her lips in a searing kiss.

Kimberly trembled at the contact. She gripped his shirt, instinctively drawing him closer. Xavier growled and dug his tongue deeper into her warm mouth, his hand traveling downwards to grab her perky boobs. Kimberly moaned into his mouth, her breaths coming in ragged bursts through her mouth and nose. Her hands roamed over him, frantic and needy, searching for more of his inked skin, for more heat, for more of him.

His mouth closed over her lower lip, sucking and biting gently until a tremor ran through her. Then he moved upward, leaving a trail of urgent, feathered kisses across her cheek. His tongue swept the curve of her ear, a searing lick followed by the nip of his teeth against her neck. She tipped her head to bare more of herself, breath breaking into shallow pants. Her eyes fluttered shut and her knees threatened to give way beneath her.

“I can still make you forget your own name in an instant, Kim, my little phoenix ,” he breathed against her ears. Her eyes flew open, her pleasure high vanishing in a blink. She froze, then fixed him with a hard unblinking stare.

“s**t! What did I say wrong?” he asked, bewildered as she quickly detached herself from him.

“f**k you, Xavier. I hate you. After everything we shared? How were you able to just walk away?” she dragged in breaths to steady her raging emotions. “I meant nothing to you. That's how.” Her temporary blindness was lifted and in its place was a chilling clarity of her own folly and the sheer wickedness of the man before her.

Xavier strode to the bar and poured himself a stiff drink even though it was barely ten in the morning. “It was nothing like that, I assure you,” he explained. “My life is just complicated. Had always been. Maybe one day, I can explain it to you.” He downed the drink in one gulp and winced as it burned down his throat.

“Don't explain s**t to me. I just need to go home,” Kimberly sulked, leaning on the wall.

Xavier drifted towards her, as if drawn by a force more powerful than her anger. He slowly reached out a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She drew back, as if he were a snake, but the wall behind her kept her in place.

“Don't you dare touch me, Xavier! she snapped, swatting the offending hand away. “Don't invade my space like you own me, you spineless weasel playing hero,” she spat, eyes blazing, even as her hands were quivering.

He pulled back and squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling a long, ragged breath.

“Arrggh, Kimberly,” he said in a raw voice and turned away. The room suddenly felt too hot, suffocating. He stripped off his jacket and threw it on the couch, slumping into the chair, shoulders tense, hands gripping his knees.

“There's a lot you don't know, and I can't disclose them. Not yet. Not until I'm sure you are the Kimberly that stole my heart away back in the day, not until I've sorted things out,” he explained.

“Save it! I'm done with your deceit and half-baked lies.” She turned back to stare out the window, her mind too agitated to admire the view below. “I need a phone. Mine. And I need to go home ASAP,” she demanded.

He pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it to her. It wasn't hers.

“What about my phone?”

“Use that. Your phone is irredeemably crushed,” he said simply and stood up, jacket in hand.

“You'll have everything you need to be comfortable. If not, call Arturo. His number is saved on that phone.”

Her fury erupted. “Damn you Xavier. I'm not your prisoner, let me go!” she screamed, running after his retreating back. He turned abruptly, causing her to slam into his brick of a chest. He didn't try to steady her as she faltered.

“You'll go home when I say the coast is clear,” he murmured, his lips only a breath away from hers. “Not a second before, Cutie.”

With two long strides, he was gone, door shut in her face. Kimberly’s pounding on the door and the unladylike obscenities flying out of her mouth like a pirate echoed through the hallway. He chuckled as Arturo emerged from the shadows.

“A feisty one,” Arturo smirked. “I would've liked her, but she may be a threat.”

Xavier's smile vanished, his eyes narrowing to a slit. “What threat?”