Michelle Valentine - Phenomenal X

There are so many things that are uncertain now, but I’m ready to face whatever comes at me, head on.

“Oh, and I talked to my boss about you yesterday. Andy says he can use another waitress since the one he just hired quit, so the jobs yours if you want it. All you have to do is fill out an application and you can start right away,” Quinn informs me.

I smile and place my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough. I’m truly grateful”—I put my other hand on Aunt Dee’s shoulder—”to both of you.”

Aunt Dee pats my hand. “You’re more than welcome, dear.”

I lean back in my seat. No matter how many times I thank them, it’s never going to be enough. It’s like they have given me a chance to live life my way for once. I’ll always be grateful.

“Anna, I know you probably don’t want to think about this right now, but I think you need to give your father a call and let him know you’re safe. My big brother will worry himself to death if he doesn’t at least know you’re with me. He’s probably worn a path in the marble floor and driven your poor mother crazy by now,” Aunt Dee says as she merges onto the freeway.

I sigh. “I can’t. I lost my phone on the plane.”

“Oh, shit,” Quinn says. “Do you have the insurance plan so you can get a new one?”

I shrug. “No idea. Father pays the bill. But it should be okay because I know who has it and I have his number, so I can get it back. All I have to do is call him and make arrangements to get it…and my purse.”

Quinn jerks around in her seat, concern written all over her face. “Anna, I know this being on your own thing is new to you, but you cannot make friends on airplanes. You never know what kind of whack-job you’re sitting next to. How did a stranger end up with your things anyhow?”

I glance down at my soiled clothing and replay the moment I met Xavier in my head while I explain what happened on the flight.

Quinn furrows her brow. “So some rich guy has your stuff and wants you to call him.”

“I guess, if you want to look at it that way.”

“Looks like he took a special interest in making sure he’d get to see you again.” She smiles. “Girl, sounds like you’ve got more game than I gave you credit for. That must’ve been some conversation on that flight because he could’ve easily turned it into the flight crew.”

I roll my eyes and feel my face heat up, revealing a blush. There’s no way I want to repeat the things Xavier said to me. I shouldn’t have allowed him to speak that way to me. I should’ve stopped him, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t liked it. “You’re ridiculous.”

Quinn gasps, making a big show of being shocked before nudging Aunt Dee’s arm again. “He’s hot, isn’t he? I know that look.”

I raise my eyebrows. “What look ?”

She smirks. “The one that says I-just-met-a-really-hot-rich-man-that-totally-wants-to-jump-my-bones-and-I-just-might-let-him. Trust me, Anna, I’ve had that look a few times myself.” She laughs. “So tell me all about him.”

“Quinn, I don’t really know him,” I say.

“You spent four hours next to the man chatting. That’s longer than most first dates, so spill, sister.”

I laugh at her forwardness. “I hate to disappoint you, but I slept most of the way.”

She twists her lips. “You must be one hell of a sleeper to get a man that sprung without much conversation. Come on, Anna. At least tell me his name.”

I lick my lips as his face pops into my mind. “Xavier.”

“Oh, rawr . That’s a definite hot guy name. Tell me more. What’s he look like? Details, girl. De-tails.”

I chew on my bottom lip. “He’s really tall, has really broad shoulders, tattoos and he’s sort of…”

“Oh my God, what? The suspense is killing me,” Quinn whines.

“He’s famous,” I blurt out.

Quinn’s eyes widen. “Who is he? If you say Xavier is Ryan Reynolds’ real name I will wrestle you for his phone number.”

I chuckle. “No, it’s not Ryan Reynolds. I would’ve probably freaked if I sat by a celebrity I actually recognized.”

She frowns. “So he’s not super famous, just a little famous?”

I shake my head. “Oh no, he’s popular. I’m just not sure what for. He signed autographs the entire flight.”

She tilts her head to the side and her eyes drift up toward the ceiling. “Hmm. I don’t know anyone famous by the name Xavier and I study the tabloids proficiently, so he must be known by something else.”

“Does Phenomenal X ring a bell?”

“Ring it? It fucking smashes it! I can’t believe you didn’t know who he was! He’s only the hottest man in wrestling, and the newest playboy to grace the cover of all the magazines.” She tsks. “You really are the most sheltered human on the planet. This needs to be rectified immediately.”

“And how do you plan on making me worldlier?” I tease.

“Easy.” She grins and the wicked twinkle in her eye scares me a bit. “You’re going to start by sleeping with a known bad-boy.”

I shake my head. “Oh, no. No way, Quinn. I don’t do things like that.”

“Maybe old Anna didn’t, but new Anna will. You came out here to live a little and be free. What better way to experience true rebellion than messing around with a guy who’s the exact opposite of everything you’re used to. Plus, as a bonus, Uncle Simon will hate it. It’s a total win-win for you.” The confidence in her tone tells me she believes what she’s saying down to her soul.

“I don’t know, Quinn. That’s a huge step for me. I’m not sure I can sleep with some guy I barely know. That’s crazy.” I glance over at Aunt Dee who is shaking her head at Quinn’s evil-genius plan.

I sigh. “How about we compromise? I’ll call Xavier and ask him to meet us somewhere so I can get my stuff back. I’m not promising to sleep with him though.”

“As long as we can meet him in a bar or something, it’s a deal. I’ll need some liquid courage to speak to that beast of a man.” She claps her hands together and then digs through her Coach bag to find her phone. “Get his number out. We’re setting this up before you have a chance to talk yourself out of it.”

If I didn’t desperately need my phone back, I’d never call Xavier. Just the memory of the way he made me feel without really touching me on that plane is enough to make me nearly combust. I’m in way over my head here, but Quinn’s right. I need to do the exact opposite of what I would normally do. I hope I know enough to keep me afloat once Quinn shoves me into the shark tank.

The folded paper is still in my back pocket, so I lean forward and retrieve it. “Can I borrow your phone?”

She hands me her phone wrapped in its sparkly diamond case. “Be assertive. Tell him to meet you at Gibby’s Bar on Third tonight at nine o’clock. Don’t give him a chance to gain the upper hand. With a man like Phenomenal X, you have to take control and show him you aren’t the kind of girl who will take his shit. You call the shots and he’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.”

A lump builds in my throat as I dial his number. After three rings a distinctly male voice answers the phone. “Speak.”

The cold way he answers the phone throws me off guard. I open my mouth to speak, but no words will fall from my lips. All of the witty things I wanted to say to him fly completely out the window.

Quinn nudges my leg, pushing me to say something so I just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “I want my phone back.”

Xavier chuckles into the phone. “Is that any way to say thank you after I rescued your belongings? Ask me a little nicer and I might just give you what you want.”