Alexander pov.
“Ahhh!” The woman screamed, clutching her broken hand in shock, her eyes widening in fear as tears streamed down her face. I merely tilted my head to the side, exhaling the smoke from my cigar, my gaze cold and unfeeling.
“Touch me again with those filthy hands,” I said, my voice steady and cold, devoid of any emotion. “And you won’t have them to touch anything else.”
I signaled to Adrian, who immediately bowed and pulled the woman to her feet before dragging her out of the room. I narrowed my eyes, a frown forming as I took out the handkerchief from my pocket. I wiped the hand that the foolish stripper had touched, as if trying to rid myself of the filth she’d left behind.
I hated being touched. I hated being anywhere near that bastard Xavier’s club, but it was business-one that was important and required my presence. That’s why I came here straight after landing in the States.
I was already in a pretty bad mood, especially because during the past few days I had spent in Italy, my mind had been nothing but a mess. The thought of her kept clouding my every move, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
And the most frustrating part of it all was that my thoughts had been mostly-no, entirely-sexual. I couldn’t shake the memory of how her lips had felt against mine, the way her breath hitched in those soft, desperate gasps, the tremor in her body as she melted beneath me. And then, my mind would wander to even darker places-imagining what it would be like to be inside her, to hear her moan my name as I took her, to feel her unravel beneath me, lost in pleasure, begging for more.
This had never happened to me before-never had a woman gotten so deep under my skin, never had I been this distracted.
Fuck. I needed a drink.
“Tsk, I knew it was you the moment I saw one of my girls with a broken hand. Can’t you ever go a day without causing trouble, Alexander Knight?” A deep, amused voice sounded beside me, and I didn’t need to look to know who it was.
I straightened in my seat, my gaze locked on the figure standing in front of the door with a teasing smirk. Dressed neatly in a tailored suit, his black hair fell messily past his shoulders, and his piercing green eyes were framed by tattoos that adorned his hands. It was Xaiver Harrington.
I exhaled a breath, trying to keep myself in check, knowing that talking to Xavier would only trigger my anger. Xavier was-what was the word? Annoying but he was also the best in the drug business so I had to resist the urge to beat him up sometimes.
“You should keep those idiots in check before you come at me. You are lucky she only got off with a broken hand” I replied, causally taking my gaze from him as I flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray.
“True, true. Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing one of my girls like you did last time,” Xavier chuckled, his voice low as he settled into the seat across from me, casually reaching for the whiskey in front of him.
“Care for a drink?” he asked, pouring himself a glass with slow, deliberate movements, his posture composed and refined.
The corner of my lips tilted up into a sneer at his question.
There was one reason why this bastard’s clubs were always packed: drugs. Xavier laced the drinks and served them to unsuspecting guests. Some knew and didn’t care; others were blissfully unaware. But one thing was certain-anyone who stepped into Xavier’s club always came back for more.
Xavier paused, his gaze flickering to mine when I didn’t respond. Then he laughed, clearly amused by my expression.
“Haha, you shouldn’t be so stiff, Alexander. I couldn’t possibly use drugs during business deals. Plus, I know if I did, you’d kill me.” He joked, taking a deliberate sip of his wine as if to prove his point. “Look, you know I don’t like that stuff either. It’s bad for my health.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, letting the silence hang heavy before reaching out to pour myself a glass.
“Bad for your health, yet you feed people drugs,” I said mockingly, taking a long gulp of the whiskey. The burn scorched down my throat, but I welcomed it.
He shrugged with a smirk. “Eh, it’s just business. But seriously, I can’t believe you’re criticizing me right now, Alexander. You’re worse than me, you know.” His smirk deepened. “At least I have a reputation for being merciful to those who betray me. But you?” He chuckled darkly. “I heard you went to Italy and wiped out half your men because some of them were working with rival gangs.”
I tilted my head slightly, observing Xavier. I wasn’t surprised he knew-it was hard to keep something like that completely under wraps. And let’s not forget that Xavier was one of the most powerful dons in the States.
“Oh, and I almost forgot,” he said with a grin. “I heard Nico’s men attacked you again, and you killed all of them. Pretty impressive-weren’t there like fifty of them?”
I gave a casual nod. “Nothing impressive about that,” I said flatly. “The real achievement would be finally killing that bastard.”
Xavier laughed “Haha, you’re quite the monster, Alexander. I also heard you sent Nico his one of his men’s heads as a gift.” He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with mischief. “According to my sources, Nico was so upset he had to call a doctor-his blood pressure shot through the roof. You’re gonna send that old man to his grave without even pulling the trigger.”
The corner of my lips twitched as I stared at Xavier. For some reason, the way he acted made it seem like he was enjoying this, as though he’d finally found some twisted form of entertainment.
“Stop this nonsense and let’s talk business. I don’t have time to entertain you,” I hissed, my eyes narrowing dangerously at him.
The idiot only chuckled and shrugged, unfazed. He reached out to his right-hand man, Lucian, who stood behind him.
Lucian handed him a file, and Xavier dropped it on the table with a soft thud.
“Everything is ready,” he said, his tone casual. “Read the contract, sign it, and the goods will be delivered to you tomorrow.”
I pulled my pen from my pocket and opened the file, my eyes quickly scanning through the contract. It seemed flawless.
Just as I was about to sign, Lucian leaned in close to Xavier’s ear and whispered something to him. Xavier’s gaze suddenly darkened, his eyes narrowing in response to whatever information Lucian had shared.
“A cop? How did a cop manage to get in?” Xavier asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
Before Lucian could respond, the door burst open, and Adrian strode in. He approached me swiftly, leaning in to whisper.
As he spoke, I tightened my grip on the file, a frown slowly forming on my face.
Valentina was here?