Page 68 of The Bet
Chapter 20
“He wants to meet,” said Izzy, closing her cell phone in confusion. He had called her the day after she’d met with Savannah, and she wondered if it was some strange coincidence, or not.
“Shoemoney?”
“Xavier.” After yesterday’s shock news from Savannah, the last person she wanted to hear from was Stone.
Cara rolled over on her bed, propping herself up on her elbows and gave her a Cheshire Cat-worthy smile. “Xav-i-er.” She stretched out his name on her lips as if it were a dirty word ripe with sexual connotations.
“Don’t ‘Xav-i-er’, me,” whined Izzy, repeating his name the way Cara had said it. “I told him I was busy revising but he said it was business related and it wouldn’t take long.”
“Business related? I wonder what he means?”
“I’m intrigued enough to want to find out.”
Cara’s brow raised slowly. “I can come with you, if you need support, or chaperoning.”
“It’s not what you think. I can tolerate him. If you met him you’d see what a total jerk he is.”
“The offer still stands. I can come with you.”
“Thanks, but I can handle Xavier Stone.”
“Are you going to his apartment?”
“No.”
“Where’s he taking you then?”
“Nowhere.”
An hour later she met him in Central Park, over by the benches near the kiosks.
“Hey,” he said, getting up as she started to walk towards him. He looked sexy in navy blue. That was her first impression, seeing him the smartest she’d ever seen him, in a thick, short woollen coat and dark jeans.
“Hi.”
“I won’t beat around the bush.”
Good, she thought. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long. “This is all very secret spy-ish.”
“I was too scared to turn up at your apartment,” he replied, a mischievous look danced in his eyes.
“Funny.”
“You still haven’t told me what happened.”
“And you still haven’t stopped being nosey.”
“It’s part of my nature, Laronde.”
“I noticed, Stone. It’s also very annoying.”
“Gladthat’sout of the way,” he muttered, staring straight ahead.
“You said you weren’t going to beat around the bush, and it’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“I’m making small talk. I’m trying to be polite, seeing that we don’t usually have much polite conversation going on between us.”
