Page 27 of Shâhzâdeh

“Yes.” He answered as though it were the most normal thing in the world. But then again, I guess it was to him.

“In your home?”

“Not in my home. Zhey provide me with securing my home and zhen zhey stay on zhe property.”

“Always?” Again I felt dumb but my inquiring mind wanted to know what to expect. And even that was odd because he was just a client.

“Yes.”

“When did this become a thing? Is this what success has forced you into?”

He seemed to like me asking questions about him, which was a dangerous thing for me to do. Zhis is what being born part of an important family forced me into. From birz I’ve had someone to watch over me. It’s tradition so I don’t know of any other way.”

I loved how he thought of himself as royal even if so many others would’ve looked down on what he and his friends did. Having a high sense of self in the Black community was something that people seemed to hate us for as a whole. At least that was my perception as a girl who’d tried to have her self-love beat out of her. “I’m not sure if I’m fascinated or heartbroken for you.”

“For you to feel an emotion zhat strongly toward me would be refreshing. Normally I receive indifference. We are making progress.” He put his hands together as thought pray bouncing them slightly against his lips as they moved.

“Xerxes—”

“Zhe house must have a pool. I prefer somezing zhat is no more zhan ten years old. I would need to have information on zhe builder and several inspectors to provide a full report on all aspects of it and the land. Zhe smallest lot I could handle is five acres. Zhe most is twenty.”

“And you think you’re going to find that within Charlotte’s city limits?”

He smiled as though he felt like he could ask me for the sun and he believed I could come through for him. That amount of belief in me did something to my ego.

“No. I know zhat you will find me what I need in a location zhat is suitably close to where I vill hold my business. I have a helicopter zhat I vill get zhe necessary paperwork for in order to fly into zhe city for work. So commute time is of no consequence to me.”

“A helicopter.” Because he couldn’t be serious.

“Yes. When I have it flown here I vill have to take you on an aerial tour of the city. Zhat might be zhe best way for us to scout locations.” He looked off into the distance as though he’d just realized how much merit his words held.

“You’re really serious aren’t you?”

Xerxes turned back to me, that smile on his face forcing me to think of sin instead of the mental catalog of properties that would fit his needs.

“Of course. I am not a man who limits myself based on the opinions of others. If I have somezing at my disposal zhat would make my life easier, I use it. If someone has an issue with it, zhey are more zhan welcome to come and speak to me about it. I don’t have zhe helicopter for a frivolous reason. It serves a business purpose to ensure zhat I get vhere I need to on time. My time is too valuable to miss out on a deal because of something as ridiculous as traffic.”

“Because that’s a poor person issue.” Cause I couldn’t lie, he sounded elitist as hell just then.

“I do not look down on people with limited resources. Zhat is disgusting behavior. I am where I am because of zhe luck of genetics. Both of my parents were wealzy before zhey had me and now are exponentially more so. I’m blessed, zhere is no reason for me to deny an easily researchable fact.”

This was the longest time he and I had ever spoken without the interference of someone else and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Many people would see Xerxes and think he was bragging. That his words were meant to make you feel less than when really he was just explaining why things were what they were.

“Still don’t know if that was incredibly arrogant or just pragmatic.”

“Pick whichever descriptor makes you zhe happiest and we will go wiz zhat one.” He didn’t seem too bothered with what I might think of him and that unshakeable type of confidence was… attractive. Potentially addictive. Which is why I’d run away from this man like a rabbit from a lion. Only I wasn’t sure what would happen when I got caught. No, if not when. If.

Fuck, this is bad.

I swallowed as I watched him watching me with thinly veiled desire. Every movement I made was studied, his eyes moving almost near imperceptibly over my features like he was studying a masterpiece and found some additional aspects of it to adore with each viewing.

“Um… we need to… focus. Um, what style of house would you like?”

Heavily lashed brown eyes rose to mine brightening as the smile spread across his face again. “My mother is creole and my father is Persian. So putting it lightly, opulent.”

“Wait, creole how?” I was looking over his face hating that I was doing what so many people did to me. Frankie had made a big deal about telling me that Xerxes was Persian, but she didn’t say anything about him being anything else.

Like your light bright ass can talk, Vee.

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