Xander's Chance

In five minutes, the hot blonde from down the street would jog by. Every day since he'd slept with her, she stopped when she reached the apartment building, bent over to display her ample chest and made a show of tying her shoes. Anyone who read an article about him knew his reputation as the king of one-night stands. Still, he loved a woman's body enough to enjoy the tantalizing show, more so because he knew she wanted something she was never going to have again.

Humans were funny like that.

Right at eight, the blonde appeared.

Ingrid made a sound of derision. She set down a tray with an insulated, silver pot of coffee at its center.

"Every day," she muttered. "Like she doesn't have anything better to do."

Xander drank his coffee in silence. Ingrid left and returned with her laptop and an iPad, sitting at the table with him. She was soon absorbed in whatever she did on the computer. Xander glanced at her, accustomed to the near-trance she went into whenever she was online.

The blonde's display did nothing for him today; his thoughts were on the strange woman he saw at the hospital. He was mentally running his hands over her body. He couldn't decide if he'd be pleased or disappointed if a woman with an impenetrable mind melted at his feet like every other woman. What would it be like to be around someone completely outside his control?

Hell, he decided. He was satisfied watching others fuck up their lives without his interference, but he liked having the option of hearing their thoughts, when warranted.

Ingrid was unusually quiet. He peered into her mind. Among the activities she was engaged in: skimming money out of his accounts. That usually meant she was going on vacation. She didn't think he knew, but Xander loved the challenge of discovering other people's secrets. He loved to learn them, to explore the depths of the human motivation for keeping them and eventually, to use them against those around him. He knew all her secrets; it was leverage, in case she ever did anything stupid, like betray him.

"Where you going this time?" he asked.

"Ugh," she replied. "How do you know this stuff?"

"Want me to guess?"

"You always get it right first try!"

"Boston."

She looked up, surprised.

"Have fun."

"Will you miss me?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope."

Her disappointment was visible. Xander suppressed a smile. He used people. She didn't get that it wasn't just her; it was everyone. He didn't need much, and he was able to appreciate the skills she had. To her credit, she was bright enough to keep around.