55 - Desires

I want to be a mystery, yet be known I want to be together, yet alone

Is it too much to ask, To be famous yet unknown? To be a wanderer, yet have a home?

- Kara Douglas

. . .

ZAVIER CREED

I looked at the glass on the table.

"Are you going to drink or no?" Michael asked in that irritating as fuck voice if his. Everything was pissing me the fuck off.

"Where's James?" He asked when I refused to answer. "Maze," I muttered, taking my phone out.

Kitten.

Kitten - yep?

I'm calling.

I called her and stood up, walking out of the library. The phone rang once and then she picked up. It had been about five days since we send her away. We had been too busy with everything that we didn't have much time to talk to Kitten. She called, too, but we just didn't have time. Suffer through these days and then she'll be back. That was all I needed to do.

But it didn't feel right. Her being so away. Dante said she didn't come out of her room at all. Miss Summers took her food to her. He said he had seen her just twice in five days and they lived in the same damn house. I knew she was scared of him, even though I didn't know what about him was scary.

All that guy did was style his hair and bitch about shit. "Hello, Zavier," came her voice.

I smiled, stepping out of the main door and leaning against one of the many pillars which were on the porch. The rain fell heavily. "How are you, baby?"

"Alright," she answered. "You?"

"I'm alright," I muttered. "I miss you." I miss you. I had not spoken these words to anyone. But when it came to her, I rarely did the things I did to others.

I could hear the smile in her voice. "I miss you, too."

Just like that, just like that, she made me fall for her again.

"What were you doing?"

"Class just ended," she said. "I was eating cupcakes. Miss Summers is awesome."

I chuckled. "Are her cupcakes better than mine?" "...Ummm."

"I'm the one who punishes you, Kitten. Better watch your words." She giggled. "Yours are better, I promise."

I chuckled. "Did you talk to Dante?" "Not really."

"He won't hurt you."

She sighed. "I know, I trust you," she mumbled. "He's..scary." "He likes stuffed toys." He did not.

"Liar," she accused.

I chuckled. "He's a friend, like Michael."

"Michael is nice," she agreed. "He saw me crying the day we talked about...stuff."

"Stuff?" I smirked and I could almost see her face heating up, her bottom lip rolling between her teeth and eyes downcasting. So fucking shy. It made me want to make her blush while taking my cock. "The day you said you liked getting spanked, kitten?" I asked.

"Stop," she mumbled. "Did you eat?" She changed the subject. I let it go, for now.

"I did." I hadn't. "You?" She had. Miss Summers was instructed to tell us if Olivia missed any meals or her between meals snacks. We were doing too much, I suppose, but she had a habit of skipping meals without even realizing it.

"I did, too." Silence. "Zavier?" "Yes, baby?"

"When will...this all end?"

I sighed. "I don't know yet, kitten. We will make it end as soon as possible."

She hummed. "I..." She sighed. "I miss you three so much." A shy confession. I could again imagine her cheeks heating up.

"We miss you so much, too, Kitten. Xerxes is becoming more insufferable than usual and Ashton forgot to style his hair so you know how bad it is."

She gasped. "Not the hair!"

I laughed and was about to say something but Ashton stepped out of the mansion, giving me a look that said he needed to talk about something important.

I sighed. "I have to go, baby. Call or text me anytime, yes?" "Okay, bye," she said.

"Bye, kitten." I hung up and turned to Ashton. "This better be earth- shattering."

"I was searching for the guy who attacked Olivia," he said, walking closer. "I was going through all of the men she could have contact with because she said that he seemed familiar. I went through her friends, high school guys, and everyone but they all seemed clean but then..." He took his phone out of his pocket. "There's someone who disappeared just after the fire." He handed me the phone after unlocking it. "This might be a shot in the dark but his file is too clean and no one actually knows him. He appeared out of

no where years back, suspeciously close to when Olivia came to New York, and disappeared just after the fire."

Professor Mark Daniver. Art history professor. I frowned. He looked familiar.

"We have to find him."

He nodded. "I contacted people over the state. If he's in New York, we'll find him."

I hummed. "Send his file to me."

I handed him his phone back. A fucking professor.

I had to ask her about him, and about Georgia. She needed to know. But we did not know how she'd react to Georgia being accused. But this was about her own protection. It was apparent how much she cared about Georgia, you could see that just the way she talked about her. I had asked her a few things, trying to be as casual as I could and I knew she didn't suspect anything but to know more, I'd have to tell her more.

. . .

"What's his status?" I asked.

"Last seen at a liquor shop," Xerxes said, his whisky glass in his hand. "He's going out of his way to try to convince us he's just an alcoholic who broke out of a high-security prison." He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his drink. I sat on the chair across the desk. "Michael found him a week back. He hasn't made contact with any Russian yet but he has to have a part to play."

I hummed. He did. The timeline could not be a coincidence.

"Did you talk to Olivia?" Ashton asked as he entered the office. "She's not picking up my call."

"Two hours ago," I answered.

He frowned. "Did I fuck something up?" He looked worried as he walked out of the office.

"He's scared of fucking up again," Xerxes said, rubbing his index finger on his jaw like he did when he was thinking.

I was, too. I got too angry with her sometimes. Xerxes' controlling, overly controlling, issues came out sometimes too.

I had no idea how Olivia dealt with us. If it were any other girl, she would have run away.

Made me wonder just how dark my Kitten's desires were.

. . .

Thoughts?