Daisy stood outside Reed Tower, keys clutched tightly in her palm.
She told herself she wouldn't go.
Told herself she wouldn't answer.
But Xander's voice haunted her like a spell she couldn't shake.
And when he'd texted:
"Meet me in the car. Now."
She didn't think. She moved.
When she opened the sleek black door of the backseat, she didn't expect what she saw.
Xander sat alone, legs spread, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, a glass of whiskey resting beside him.
"You're late," he said without looking at her.
"I didn't agree to come," she shot back.
"But you did."
She slid into the seat and closed the door. The windows were tinted, the air warm, intimate. It felt less like a vehicle more like a private cage.
A moving one.
As the driver pulled out onto the freeway, Xander finally looked at her.
His gaze was fire.
"Remove your panties," he said flatly.
She blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
"Your driver..."
"Doesn't exist right now. Focus on me."
Something about the way he said it not cold, not forceful, but deeply expectant made her thighs clench. She hesitated then reached beneath her skirt.
He watched.
Slowly, hungrily.
When the lace slid down her thighs and into her hands, she held it out to him.
Xander took it, then slipped it into his pocket like a secret he planned to keep.
"Now," he whispered, "sit on my lap."
She climbed over to him as the car turned onto the bridge, city lights glowing outside like flickering stars.
Once on his lap, Xander slid her skirt higher and pulled her flush against him.
She could feel him thick, pulsing, straining beneath his trousers.
"You know what I want."
And she did.
She slid down slowly, his hand guiding her, her moan echoing in the enclosed space as he filled her deeply.
"You're so wet already," he muttered, fingers digging into her hips. "You love being my toy."
She didn't deny it.
She moved slowly, grinding, rotating, drawing his groans from deep in his chest.
"Ride me, pet. Make me forget why I ever tried to control my feelings."
She did.
Hard. Fast. Deep.
Their skin slapped, the motion hidden by blackened windows and night's disguise. His mouth found her chest, then her lips, devouring every inch of her.
When they finished, she collapsed against him, breathless.
And his whisper was darker than the ride.
"I'm never letting you go."
Later That Night
Back at her suite, Daisy sat cross-legged in bed, hair wet from a shower, skin still flushed.
Xander's name flashed on her phone.
Incoming Video Call.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
His face appeared, backlit by his bedroom lamp, shirtless, that same sharp hunger in his gaze.
"Show me," he said.
"What?"
"Take off your shirt."
She stared.
"I'm not with you," she whispered.
"That's never stopped me."
She did.
Under the screen's glow, she peeled the shirt away, revealing flushed skin and trembling anticipation.
He groaned softly. "Spread your legs. Let me see how much you miss me."
Daisy obeyed.
And as his voice guided her low, dark, intoxicating she touched herself for him.
He watched, jaw clenched, pupils dilated.
When she moaned his name, his voice cracked.
"You're mine. Every inch. Every sound. Say it."
"I'm yours, Xander."
"Louder."
"I'm yours!"
And he came undone, face tightening with pleasure as they reached the edge together. Oceans apart, yet closer than breath.
Later, after they hung up, Daisy stared at the screen.
This was more than sex. More than control.
It was dependence.
But was it love or obsession?
And what would happen if she tried to break the chain?
The next day, while at work, Daisy received an email from a hidden server:
"Check the security footage of your father's last hospital visit.
He didn't die from the illness.
He was silenced.
By someone on Xander's payroll."
Her fingers trembled.
Attached was a still image from a hallway camera:
A tall man in a suit entering her father's room late at night.
Behind him stood a familiar figure.
Tall. Black suit. Silver watch.
Xander!
That night, Daisy waited for Xander to fall asleep.
And made her way to his personal home office.
Inside, she found the file mentioned.
And when she opened it, her world split in two:
Patient: Harlan Dane
Date of Termination: [REDACTED]
Approved by: X. Reed
She didn't hear him enter until it was too late.
His voice dropped behind her like a storm.
"You shouldn't have seen that."
She turned, heart racing, the file still in her hand.
"Tell me you didn't do this."
Xander's eyes darkened.
"That depends on whether you're asking as my pet or as my enemy."