New Beginnings Read Free

a small set-up in a corner of the room. A small hardwood dance floor had also been laid out. Xavier spared no expense to make this dinner special for all of us.
    We toasted our friends with a bottle of Dom Perignon. We talked and laughed over a beautifully prepared steak dinner. Xavier even made arrangements to have a small two-tiered wedding cake served following dinner. We happily danced until my feet were throbbing in my pumps. With the passing of every joyful moment, my doubts and fears about marrying Xavier diminished.
    As the evening came to a close, Xavier presented our wedding gift to Tom and Renatta. Well, he called it our gift to them, but I hadn’t known anything about it. He made all the arrangements himself. He was sending them to Maui for a week.
    “You leave Monday. I have made all the arrangements with your employers. I’ll have a limo at Equinox to pick you up and take you to the airport. I’ve also made arrangements to have my company jet available to you. This trip is all-inclusive. The only thing I ask is that you two enjoy yourselves,” Xavier said.
    Tom looked shocked. He just sat and gaped at Xavier at a loss of what to say. Renatta squealed and jumped up to kiss and hug us both.
    When it was time to leave, Xavier hit me with a little surprise of his own. As we exited the restaurant, Stewart opened the door to the black BMW SUV, which was parked behind the limo we had all arrived in.
    As soon as Tom and Renatta left in the limo, Xavier turned to me. “We’re going to the mountains for the weekend,” he said quietly. He gestured for me to get in the vehicle.
    My pulse started to race from the weird vibe I was getting from him. The serious tone he was talking in set me on edge. He sat down next to me, but didn’t touch me, which was odd. “We need to talk,” he said somberly.

 
     
    It was a long and tense ride to Xavier’s house in Port Angeles. The few times that I snuck a peek at him, he was staring pensively out the window into the darkness. It was too dark both inside and outside of the car to be able to see his reflection in the window. I could only assume this had something to do with my moodiness from earlier during Tom and Renatta’s wedding.
    It was just after one in the morning when we arrived at the house. I was surprised to see my silver SUV in the driveway. Obviously Stewart or Marissa had been up to the house earlier. Stewart opened the rear passenger door for me. I walked around to the back of the SUV to help with the bags, but Xavier held his hand up at me. “Clothes and essentials are already in the house. Just go inside. You should get ready for bed. It’s late.” He didn’t even look at me when he spoke.
    Without answering, I just turned and went into the house that was already unlocked thanks to Stewart. I headed directly into the bathroom, shut the door, and started the shower. The hot water burned my skin. I should have found the shower to be relaxing, but I was too tense trying to figure out what Xavier wanted to talk about. Wrapping a towel around me, I headed back into the bedroom.
    Somebody at some point had been busy in the house. The one dresser was filled with pants, jeans, t-shirts, and underwear for me. In addition to Xavier’s things, the closet also housed some dresses, a couple of knee-length satin nightshirts, and a few satin chemises with matching robes. I chose a deep purple, lace top chemise with a matching robe and headed into the living area.
    Xavier was sitting with his back to me at the breakfast bar typing furiously on his laptop. He didn’t hear me approach. I waited until he was done typing before I spoke.
    “Xavier?” I asked softly.
    Slowly, he turned around. He froze momentarily as his eyes swept up and down my satin-covered body. An impassive look remained on his face. He turned back around to his laptop. “You should get some sleep. I have some things I need to take care of for work that can’t wait. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he