Make it Reighn (A Threads Inc. Saga Book 1)

by R. J. Castille

  “What the hell, Sandra? You were the one who told me to give him a chance. You said he wasn’t that bad of a guy and, after spending some time with him, I realized you were right. He has some issues and that has caused him to behave the way he does, but it turns he really is just like the rest of us,” I couldn’t tell who I was trying to convince, Sandra or myself. It was upsetting that she was coming at me like she was, and I was in full defense mode.

  “Yeah, well, I lied. He is just a man after all, only after one thing and when he gets it, you’ll see, he will discard you like he does all the others,” I could not help but think of the look on his face as he told me about his past, the horrible things he had lived through and think that she was wrong. Perhaps it was because I was the only one who was privy to that information. On the other hand, what if she’s right? What if this is all a game? My mind tortured me with a barrage of questions, each of which called Reighn into question. She had known him a lot longer than I did and she herself had fallen prey to his ways so, why would she lie. I resolved myself to just keep a little distance from him, emotionally at least, and see what happens. Reighn Abrams had not done anything egregious to me, yet, so I intended on giving him that chance that Sandra had encouraged me to.

  “That’s fine, I will be extremely cautious then,” I tried to sound like I was not upset with what she was inferring. It was difficult because I really was. She had no idea what she was talking about. I had seen a different side to Reighn, a human side and I definitely was interested in seeing more of that. Sitting down behind my computer at my desk, I worked toward letting it go. Sandra had offered up her warning and I was definitely going to heed it but at the same time, was not willing to let go of finding out more about the man behind the magazine cover model. Perhaps I would confront him the next time we were alone together. Something told me, at that point in the game, Reighn Abrams would be completely transparent.

  In order to smooth things over with Sandra, since working next to someone in an office who was giving you the cold shoulder was incredibly awkward, I bought her one of the fancy coffee drinks she enjoyed from the Starbucks in the lobby. Caramel Frap with no whipped cream of course. I never saw the point of one of those drinks without the creamy, sweet goodness of a big pile of whipped cream on top but that was some women’s way of convincing themselves they were not ingesting a beverage with a million calories. It made me laugh sometimes because the whipped cream was only a tiny portion of the problem with them.

  Placing it down in front of her, after putting down a small, square napkin I had grabbed on my way back up to our office, I offered her an apologetic smile. It wasn’t really my fault but I did not want to be given the silent treatment for days on end. The drink was sort of a peace offering I hoped she would accept so we could move on. Women were like that sometimes. They refer to it as relational aggression and it always drove me crazy. Unlike men, who just go out into the street and duke it out, expelling their energies in the culmination of muscles and strength, women tended to drag it out forever. I did not want it to get out of hand since women also tended to involve other women in their plot of destruction and that would mean possible difficulties at work and that would never do.

  Her face softened when her eyes traveled from the cup to mine. I kept my smile in place, not wanting her to detect anything negative. When she picked it up off her desk and wrapped her lips around the long, green straw, I knew I had won. She was powerless against the sweet, caffeinated goodness and I knew that. Sure, it was a low blow to use people’s weaknesses against them but in that case, I was simply trying to keep the peace.

  “Thank you, that really hit the spot,” her tone returned to its typical jovial sound and I was glad. I did not want to keep getting the silent treatment indefinitely. She took another sip and turned her attention back to whatever she was working on. I followed suit, rounding my desk and sitting back down in my chair. Setting my own beverage down on a square napkin, a light, green tea with honey instead of sugar, I too went back to work.

  By the time my day came to a close, I was more than ready to escape. It had been a tense one and I wanted nothing more than to settle into my couch and binge watch with my bestie. That’s what we always did on Friday night. Courtney reserved Saturday nights to go out and party but left her last weekday evening to me completely. It was good to have such a good friend for so long. Someone that knew everything about me and I her. Her strength had gotten me through some tough times over the years and I had come to her rescue on a number of occasions and we remained at each other’s sides. That was something unusual, or so I am told. People usually drift apart after high school, moving on with their lives and often in different directions. Not Courtney and I, we were a permanent fixture and I was ever-grateful for her presence in my life.

  I practically ran back to my car after finishing my latest assignment and forwarding it to Regina. My car waited patiently for me to get inside so it could carry me far away and back to the solace of my small apartment. Courtney and I had taken on another roommate lately. Not because we needed help paying the rent, but because she was in a bad situation and we were trying to help. Lindsey Green, the receptionist at Threads in the main lobby, needed to get away from an abusive boyfriend and quickly. After explaining the situation to Courtney, she vehemently agreed with my plan to excavate her from the ordeal she was facing and allow her to stay with us until she could find something of her own. That was several weeks ago and it did not look like she planned on going anywhere anytime soon. We didn’t mind much since she kept to herself and helped us keep the apartment clean, which was quite a task since Courtney was a tornado in a teacup and a disaster area could be declared wherever she went.

  By the time I made it home, Courtney already had the NetFlix application open and was perusing the titles. She had flagged several shows and movies for my review and approval already. When I dropped my purse and keys onto the counter and joined her on the couch, she smiled at me. Courtney went over her tentative selections, glancing at me for a sign of approval with each one. Finally, after several minutes of looking, we settled on an older, romantic movie that was light-hearted and fun. I was in no mood for intense situations and drama. I had enough of that earlier from Sandra to last me the rest of my life.

  The following week dragged by. I was looking forward to seeing what Reighn had up his sleeve. He had teased me several times, offering me hints via text message, regardless of which I could not begin to guess. We chatted that way every day, exchanging messages of how the day was going and what was planned for the next day. It started to feel like we were an old couple, checking in with each other to see how the other was doing. Reighn Abrams showed no sign of what Sandra had implied, however, we had yet to go out on a real date. He literally had not had the opportunity to make that kind of a move and I had done that intentionally, based on my co-worker’s accusations and insistence that he was still that same old player just waiting for his chance.

  By the time Friday came, I was on pins and needles. It was the last work day before Reighn and I would be alone together. I still had no clue what he had planned but he made it sound like it was the most fabulous thing in the entire world. He was quite beside himself with excitement, something he admittedly had not felt in quite some time. True excitement, eagerness to see the look on my face when he finally revealed to me his intentions. It made me a little nervous and the small voice inside my head sometimes interjected sentiments of doubt into my inner monologue, but I did my best to stuff them back down as I was trying to give Mr. Abrams the benefit of the doubt. A chance to prove to me that the side of him that I had seen was real.

  Courtney insisted on taking me shopping on Saturday morning, again. She loved to shop and could think of no better excuse to do it than me having a date with the infamous Reighn Abrams. We cruised the mall, stopping into a number of small shops before wandering into Macy’s. I never shopped there, it was too rich for my blood, but Courtney had a Macy’s credit c
ard and exercised it at will. Since her father paid the bill without question, she used it to its fullest capacity, knowing he would zero out the balance at the end of the billing cycle, so she could start all over again.

  I tried on several outfits that I would not be caught dead in public. Two dresses that barely came down over my ass, that Courtney declared were perfect, I rejected outright. There was something to be said about having a little mystery and not just hanging out every asset I had. She was disappointed, of course, but continued to choose things from the racks for me to try on. Our stint at the dressing room was nearly an hour. By the time I was finished trying everything on and we had settled on the outfit to buy, I was exhausted. I glanced at my cell phone and noted the time. With any luck, we would be out of there soon and I would have enough time to take a quick nap before Reighn’s limousine came to pick me up.

  We weren’t, of course. Courtney insisted on finding the perfect shoes to match the outfit she had settled on, along with some accessories and a handbag. Finding those items slowly ate up what little time I had left. As we wandered back to her car finally, a dozen shopping bags draped over both arms, I noticed how soft the glow of the sun had gotten. It was slowly going back to sleep and cast an orange glow across the landscape. Again, I glanced at my cell phone to see what time it was and was disappointed to find that, by the time we got back to the apartment, I would only have a few hours to wait before the long, black vehicle came to retrieve me. So much for a nap.

  Instead of getting some quick shut eye, I had to start preparing for my date as soon as we got back home. I hadn’t taken a shower yet, I assumed I would have plenty of time for that after we went shopping, and I still needed to figure out something to do with my hair. Everyone seemed to like it when I pulled it up and back, away from my face and off my neck. I had gotten several positive comments the last time I styled it up, so I decided to do it again, only this time I would pull some large chunks down around to frame my face with long, soft ringlets.

  I ran around my apartment frantically for the next few hours, readying myself. For some reason, I felt like I had to look perfect, although I had a feeling I could have worn a t-shirt and jeans for all Reighn cared. The dress Courtney had chosen really was beautiful and complimented my curves perfectly. It was read with white flowers scattered across the fabric and flared out at the waist, coming to rest just above the knee. My best friend had schooled me as we shopped, telling me that the more the fabric clings to your curves, the more obvious it is how big they are. It was better to have a flowing dress that hid those little extra lumps here and there, but showed off my best asset, my legs which were prominently on display. She had chosen a pair of wedge-heeled, strappy sandals and for that I was thankful. Wedges were much easier to balance on and the cork of the heel absorbed most of the shock from each step, so you could theoretically walk around all evening in them and not cause fatigue to your feet. Courtney had not stopped there and had finished off the ensemble with a long, single-strand pearl necklace and matching earring studs. Glancing in the mirror as I turned slowly to see my backside, I was definitely happy with what I saw and just knew that he would be too.

  The driver was punctual. Calling my cell phone at exactly six thirty to inform me that he had arrived and was waiting for me downstairs. I was a little embarrassed since we lived in such humble dwellings, surrounded by questionable neighbors and weirdos that wandered the streets talking to themselves at all hours of the day. It wasn’t the best place to live, but we had quickly learned the rules of engagement in our neighborhood and had done just fine four ourselves. The sound of the driver’s voice gave away his uneasiness about sitting on the curb waiting for me too long, so I picked up the pace, promising I would be down very soon. He would no doubt attract a lot of attention, people in my area not being accustomed to the finer things in life would likely wonder who in the world was inside that monstrosity and what they were doing lurking around the hood.

  When I stepped out of the doorway of the building, the drive recognized me immediately and sprang to life. He rushed around the front of the limo and opened the door for me, allowing me to get inside. To my surprise, Reighn was not in the cabin. I looked up at him, my eyebrows raised, questioning him without words.

  “Don’t worry, miss,” his accent was slight but noticeable. I couldn’t quite place it, Middle Eastern perhaps? Whatever he was, it was a soothing sound as his words tried to ease my mind. “We will be picking Mr. Abrams up on the way. He had a few things to do at his apartment and needed to get ready still, so he instructed me to come get you, swing by his place and then we will head on over to our destination,” he was kind of speaking in code, like he didn’t want to give too much away. Reighn had likely spoken to him in advance to give me as little information as was necessary so as not to spoil the surprise. I had been picking at him for the last two weeks, trying to get some hint as to what he had planned, but it was no good. Reighn Abrams was super good at keeping a secret. He would occasionally laugh it off, his eyes sparkling with the mystery he still held inside his mind, but he never gave away one sliver of a hint and I was definitely no good at his guessing game.

  We wove through the surface streets to a much nicer neighborhood on the north side of the city. Far away from the riff-raff where I lived, yet close enough to Downtown to make it more convenient when he was summoned by his agent to work again. When we pulled up in front of the tall building, I stared upward in awe, taking in the breathtaking sight. His condo was inside a tall, high-rise. Dark windows were covered in a building wrap that was ironically an advertisement for Threads and featured, Reighn Abrams in a pair of dark, pleated pants and no shirt, his muscles bulging as he turned his head back toward the camera. As I marveled at the structure, the door opened to my right. Reighn lowered himself inside the limo next to me and ordered the driver to take off.

  I still had no idea where we were going, and it was driving me insane. Being one of those people who required planning and structure in their daily life, not knowing was starting to get to me. I would have asked him but decided I would likely get the same cryptic speech as the driver had given me in reply. Instead, I tried to relax as we pulled away from the curb and made our way to…wherever it was that we were going.

  Reighn sat next to me wringing his hands nervously, excitement clearly visible across his strong features. Something had him going and I was about to find out what it was. I was still feeling the flutter of a nervous belly when we pulled up in front of the theatre. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes caught sight of the grandeur that is the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. The sloping, curved sides of the building that ran down the length of the building to meet the sidewalk made it seem like the building was floating on air. I continued to stare for several minutes before Reighn cleared his throat loudly and tore my attention away from the building.

  “Are you ready for this?” his voice waivered a little, shaking slightly with anxious anticipation. I still wasn’t sure exactly what was so exciting to him, he did not strike me as the theatre type and was probably only taking me there because he knew I loved it, not because he really wanted to be there. Nodding in approval, he pulled the handle of the door and pushed it out, reaching forward to take mine in his other had as stepped out of the limo. Helping me out of the car, he turned toward the building which was lit from top to bottom with colored lighting that faded out and came back in another color so slowly you would not necessarily notice it unless you stared at it for quite some time. My mind vaguely registered that there were no other cars parked in the parking lot, nor were other limousines or town cars dropping off their rich passengers.

  The lobby was magnificent. Large, arched entryways channeled you inside the building. Large, crystal chandeliers hung in the center of a domed, gold ceiling between each of the entryways. We walked past several sets of employees who lined the corridor. When we reached the end and ducked into the doorway of the main theatre, I was completely shocked. Not one other soul
was in the place. The long, red carpets that traveled the length of the pathways that cut through sets of seating that sloped down and ended at the orchestra pit. Red, velvet, high-back chairs sat empty and ready for us to choose from any place we wanted in the whole theatre. I assumed we were early, but that made no sense because I knew that the show started in less than fifteen minutes. We had arrived just in time, yet the theatre was empty, with the exception of the well-dressed staff that mulled about the space.

  Reighn pulled me toward the front of the theatre, coming to a stop just before the orchestra pit and turning toward me. His eyes met mine and he smiled as he raised his arm into the air and swept it across the room. He wore a look of pride on his face, a look that told everyone that he had done something wonderful, but it had not registered in my mind what it was yet. When he opened his mouth to speak, I was waiting with bated breath to hear what he had to say.

  “For you, Jessica. I have rented the entire theatre for you, so you can choose anywhere that you want to sit,” I was stunned. I had never pegged Reighn for someone who would even entertain the idea of attending a show like that, yet, there we were. On top of everything else, he had bought out the entire show so that we could watch it alone. It was quite a romantic gesture, despite the fact that I knew he would probably rather be doing anything else but. That made it even that much more romantic. Sacrificing of himself so that I could watch and enjoy something I loved. Once again, I was completely impressed with Mr. Reighn Abrams.

  “Wow, Reighn! I am touched. Not only did you remember the one time that I mentioned I loved the theatre, you actually bought the place out, so we could be alone? That must have set you back a pretty penny!” It could not have been cheap. Every seat in the place stood empty, waiting for a patron to take their place and fill its space. They wouldn’t this time around since Mr. Abrams had made sure that no one else would be able to buy tickets. I imagined that, in addition to the cost, one would have to have some pretty serious connections to pull that off. Especially since the Lion King was in town.