His Beautiful Addiction

\'\'We would not be having this discussion now if you were the least responsible,\'\' Zac said and Xavier\'s eyes widened.

\'\'Wow! It\'s quite unfair to attribute my whole existence to my relationships with women when you aren\'t quite the saint yourself!\'\'

\'\'At least I don\'t have over twenty body counts and counting!\'\' 

Xavier laughed; \'\'I\'ve not slept with that many women, stop exaggerating. \'\' 

Zac rolled his eyes;  \'\'You know, if you continue this way, you would end up with different women having your kids, and that\'s not a good thing. And when that happens, there would be no turning back from there. It\'s not too late to retrace your steps.\'\'

Xavier groaned; \'\'You think too much, Zac. Let\'s live in the moment, for now, the future would take care of itself. \'\'

They had a few more drinks and Zac slept over and only returned to his room the next day.

…

The last day of their trip came faster than Ari had expected, she would not say she enjoyed any bit of it because clearly, she did not. But she was happy that it was finally ending and she would be home the next day. She just got off the phone with Lu, the next meeting was by 2 pm, and she was almost late, quickly picking up her bag, she made her way to the lobby. 

Ari was surprised to not see anyone when she got downstairs. She checked the time and it was a few minutes past 2 pm. She was about to check the company group for any information she had missed out on but stopped when she saw Xavier walking towards her casually.

She smiled and greeted;

\'\'Where is everyone?\'\' she asked as she followed him out of the hotel, the chauffeur who was already waiting in front of the hotel, quickly opened the door when he saw them.

\'\'It\'s just the two of us for today, any problem?\'\'

Xavier asked and Ari shook her head; \'\'Not at all.\'\' she replied. Although a bit uneasy. She wondered why it was just the two of them but she decided not to think too much of it.

As they drove out, Ari remembered the meeting of the previous day. Zac had seemed so withdrawn, it was obvious that he had a lot of questions to ask her but he could not ask. She knew he was starting to like her and that encounter in Xavier\'s room spoiled everything. She wondered what Xavier had said to him after she left. Ari did not want to complicate things the more, so she decided to forget about him, even though she liked the friendship they were having. She already made things complicated by sleeping with his friend anyways. 

The meeting was brief and Ari barely did a thing, which made her wonder why he brought her out in the first place. He did not say a word to her, and even when the meeting ended, he walked out with the foreigners as though he had not come with her.

Ari glared at him as she walked behind them, wondering why he called her out just to stare at their faces. She could not do a thing though, it\'s not like she had a right to complain.

Xavier bade the investors goodbye, and finally turned in her direction;

\'\'Let\'s go have lunch?\'\' He spoke with a smile. Ari internally rolled her eyes at him but she smiled back; \'\'Okay; \'\' 

...

\'\'So have you been to France before?\'\' Xavier asked as they drove to the restaurant. Ari shook her head,

\'\'No, this is my first time,\'\' she replied, staring outside the window.

\'\'Oh. It\'s a pity we\'re returning tomorrow, and you didn\'t get to join the others for sightseeing today. \'\'

Ari turned to him, she didn\'t even know that the others had planned to go out without her. This made her wonder if they had another group that she wasn\'t a part of.

\'\'I guess you know whose fault it is,\'\' she replied with a shrug, making Xavier chuckle.

\'\'I guess. So how do I make it up to you?\'\' He asked, but Ari did not reply.

\'\'Should we stay back, while the others leave tomorrow?\'\' Xavier asked and Ari glanced to him, wide eyed\'

\'\'No… I mean, you don\'t have to do that, it\'s fine. I can travel some other time, you don\'t have to disrupt your plans because of me. \'\' she said with a chuckle.

Did he know what he was talking about?! Staying back with him would explode the company chat groups and would seal the rumors that she was sleeping with him. He didn\'t mind obviously, but she did and having such rumors around her was not a good thing, as it might make it difficult for her to get a job when she leaves here.

But he would not know about that because he owns the company, and had a generational wealth waiting for him in case he decides he did not want to work anymore.

Ari sighed; she wished he would see things from her point of view and just let her be.

\'\'Okay, if you say so, but I have to make it up to you somehow, how about we go to the club tonight, what do you say?\'\'

\'\'With everyone? That would be great. \'\' Ari smiled. She had intentionally added that everyone part, the last thing she wanted to do now was, be in a club alone with him. Again. She saw the dissatisfaction flash through his eyes but it was replaced quickly with a smile. 

The restaurant Xavier took them was exquisite; Joia, the name.

Ari didn\'t forget to take a selfie in front of the restaurant. Xavier just stood by the side, watching her amusingly but did not say a word. There was something about Paris restaurants, they were just different from those in the states, like a breath of fresh air.

\'\'This restaurant is owned by Helene Darroze. \'\' Xavier started a discussion after they had ordered their meal.

Ari raised her brows; \'\'And who is that? \'\'

\'\'The best female chef in the world.\'\'

\'\'Oh wow, that\'s interesting. \'\' she nodded as she took a look around.

\'\'They have the best vintage wines you can find in the city. \'\'

\'\'You\'ve been here before, \'\'

\'\'Yeah, a couple of times,\'\' he replied.

\'\'It seems you travel a lot. How many countries have you been to?\'\' Ari asked, looking interested.

Xavier was glad that there was something about him she was interested in.. Finally.