by K. M. Scott
I only hoped he truly did still love me.
Chapter Five
Tristan
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, as you ordered," Rogers announced as he walked into the dining room.
I waited for something else to follow his dinner information, but instead he simply stood silently watching me. "Is there anything else, Rogers?"
He shook his head. "No, sir."
My second sir of the day. Another person in my house who wanted to call me something entirely too formal.
"Sir, Rogers? There's no one but the two of us here, and even if Nina was here, she's heard you call me by my given name before."
"As you wish, Tristan."
Why did I have the distinct impression that my butler was giving me the cold shoulder? "Is there something you want to say, Rogers? And if it has anything to do with our conversation the other day, don't bother. I'm not interested in hearing it again."
"Then I have nothing to say," he said as he turned to leave.
"I do. Make sure Jensen is ready to go tonight. I'm taking Nina to the city."
Rogers stopped his movement toward the doorway and stood still as Nina entered the dining room in a dress that was nothing less than stunning. She wore the gold shoes she'd worn the night of the book party at the hotel and the effect was just as incredible as that night. The memory of our time in the back of my car made me want her right then and there.
As I stood from the table to pull her chair out, I couldn't take my eyes off her. I'd never seen her look so beautiful. "Nina, I'm happy you're joining me."
She twirled around to show off her outfit and tripped over her feet, sending her stumbling into my arms. I looked down to see her face red from embarrassment, but to me she looked more gorgeous than ever.
"Thanks. I'm too smooth," she joked in the self-effacing way she always did when she was uncomfortable.
"My pleasure."
As she stood back up on her feet, she added, "Thank God you were there or I would have landed flat on my butt."
"I'll always be there, Nina."
We took our seats and her eyes lit up when Rogers began to bring the platters of food in. "Is that roast beef? I love roast beef!"
"I know. I thought it might be nice to have one of your favorites tonight."
Nina rolled her eyes and smiled. "I swear you don't miss a trick, do you? I better start learning some things about you so I can do nice things like this for you sometime."
I loved the idea of Nina thinking about me enough to surprise me, even if I hated surprises. That I couldn't express that had nothing to do with her and everything to do with me.
I felt Rogers' stern eyes staring at me as she talked of how excited she was about our planned night out. His disapproval filled the room, threatening to ruin all the happiness she felt and I wanted to feel. I couldn't stand his glaring at me as if I'd done something bad by falling in love with her.
Taking my attention away from Nina, I waved my hand in his direction. "Thank you, Rogers. That will be all for tonight."
He glared at me and bowed in a way that was undoubtedly meant to mock me. "Sir."
I stuffed down my anger at him and turned back to see Nina looking at me with reproach. "Are you always so short with your butler? He might smile more if you were nicer."
"I doubt it."
"Have you tried?" Her blue eyes looked like they were staring into my soul, like they were searching for the answer to her question.
Sheepishly, I answered, "No."
"Well, you can't know if you don't try. How long has he worked for you?"
"He's been with my family since I was a child. He's known me longer than anyone else in the world."
"Oh. Have you always been like this with him?"
I thought back to the countless times Rogers had picked up after me, first when I was an insolent child who cared nothing for his belongings and then when I became an adult and cared even less for the effect of my actions on others. How many times had he cleaned up some mess I'd made, making sure some female was driven home and sworn to silence or whisking me away from someone's apartment before I could get arrested for possession of enough coke for a small town?
"Are you hungry?" I asked, changing the subject.
She grimaced, marring that gorgeous face for just a moment. "Guess we're done talking about your cranky butler. That's okay. I am hungry, though."
"Good. We'll eat dinner and then head to the city."
Dinner was fantastic and by the time we left for the city hours later, Nina was laughing and full of smiles. It took every ounce of restraint on my part not to tell Jensen to forget the drive, sweep her into my arms, and take her back to my room to show her how much I loved her. I wanted to believe she'd worn the sexiest dress in her closet for me, but even if that was the case, we were still playing the game all first time lovers play—a light touch here, a sexy glance there, and no one truly sure of the other person's feelings, even though I'd told her I loved her more than once since coming home from the hospital.
I loathed the idea of going to a club, to be honest. After far too many nights spent in supposedly the best places in the city doing things anyone with a conscience should be ashamed of, I'd sworn off the city's nightlife, except for the functions required because of my position as the head of Stone Worldwide. I never even visited the clubs my company owned, but Nina wanted to go out to a club, so I had little choice.
If it made her happy, I'd go.
Jensen dropped us off behind a club called ETA just outside of the West Village, and we snuck in the back door unseen by any of those leeches with cameras. ETA was an enormous club that claimed to afford a person all the privacy he or she desired as they sat amongst hundreds of other like-minded individuals. Its name meant Estimated Time of Arrival, a not-so-clever ploy to get patrons thinking even more about sex. Years ago, I would have been happy to come all over every square inch of the place, but tonight I planned to find as secluded a spot as possible for Nina and me and hopefully she'd enjoy herself.
We were escorted into a semi-private room off the main club and seated in a dark corner in a booth covered in soft purple velvet. Dim lights flickered around the room and provided just enough light to see who you were with but not enough light to notice their imperfections.
It was the perfect place for people who craved privacy and those who didn't want to face the reality of their night's companions. For us, it hopefully would be secluded enough that no one would notice me and interrupt our time together. In any event, I'd prepared for the worst, but I really hoped we could avoid any unwanted attention and just enjoy being with each other.
The beat of the music thrummed inside my head, making it hard to hear anything else, so I pulled Nina close to me. "What do you want to drink?"
She looked around the room as the place began to fill up and turned to smile up at me. "What are you drinking?"
"Scotch."
"Do I like scotch?" she asked with an innocence that made me rethink that idea of not coming at ETA.
"No, I don't think you do," I answered after thinking about that first night we'd spent together. "Maybe something sweeter?"
"Okay," she said and then bit her lip nervously. "Any ideas?"
"I'll have the bartender make something you'll love. Wait here. I'll be right back."
The guy behind the bar seemed to know exactly what Nina would like although I said nothing more than 'make it something sweet', and I returned to the table with a glass of twelve year old scotch and a chocolate martini.
Nina looked down at the martini glass rimmed with sugar and then looked up at me. "What is it?"
Leaning over to whisper in her ear, I said, "Taste it. Lick the rim and then take a taste of the drink. It's sweet."
She tentatively slid her pink tongue over the frosted sugared rim of her glass and took a tiny sip. The liquor slid down her throat, and she turned to face me with a smile. "It's chocolate!"
A tiny sugar crystal hung
off her bottom lip, so I slid the pad of my thumb across it to clean it off before I licked the sugar from my finger. "Definitely sweeter than I'm used to," I joked as I reached for my drink to wash the overwhelming sweetness down.
Nina touched where I'd slid my finger across her lip and smiled. "You prefer the harder stuff, don't you?"
"I guess I do."
She licked her lips and reached up with her fingertip to touch mine. When she tasted the drop of scotch from her finger, she made a face like she'd just sucked a lemon. "I think I'll stick with my sweet stuff and leave that to you. That's gross."
"It's an acquired taste, I guess."
"Maybe someday I'll acquire it," she said with a tiny smile.
I shook my head. "You're more the sweet kind."
Two hours later, we'd talked little more because the music had become so loud we could barely hear one another over it. Memories of my time at clubs just like this one washed over me, making me wish for somewhere far quieter. Nina seemed to enjoy watching the sea of humanity that flowed past us, but I didn't get the sense she was having fun.
My suspicions were proven correct when she turned to me and said in my ear, "I wish we could find a place just a little quieter. Can we go somewhere else?"
I was thankful to get away from ETA and had a place in mind that would be a bit quieter, although I wasn't sure I should take Nina there. It was definitely more secluded and out of the city, but was Top the right place to take someone like her, even if I was part owner of the place?
Jensen held the door open for Nina and as she climbed in, I said to him in a low voice, "Take us to Top. Do you remember how to get there?"
As stoic as Rogers, he simply nodded his head and waited for me to get into the back seat of the car.
"Where are we going?" Nina asked as we pulled away from ETA.
"A club I know of. We'll be able to talk there. They have a private room we can use."
"Where is it? Near here?"
I shook my head. "Outside the city. It shouldn't take long to get there."
Nina talked about how she and Jordan had always planned a huge celebration for her twenty-first birthday. The sadness at the time she'd lost was clear as her voice dropped and she said quietly, "I wonder if we ever did that."
I texted Top's owner, Chase Mitchell, that we were coming, and almost a half hour later, we were in the suburbs at the club. The facade of the building gave no indication of what Top truly was. An old warehouse, Chase had converted it into a members only club three years ago, and other than an occasional visit now and then, I'd been a completely silent partner in the business. Chase's fetishes weren't my style, but the club had made a handsome profit for both of us, so who was I to look down my nose at one man's turn-ons?
I held Nina's hand as we walked up to the door and as I knocked on it, quietly said, "This place will be more intimate."
Her blue eyes widened and a look of fear settled into them. "What kind of place is this?"
"A private club that I'm half owner of. Don't worry. It'll be fun."
"Okay. Promise you won't let anything happen to me, Tristan."
I squeezed her hand and brought it to my lips in a kiss. "I would never let anything bad happen to you, Nina. Never. You can trust me."
The door to Top opened, and just inside stood Chase with a stunned look on his face. "Holy fuck! I got your text and thought somebody was pulling my chain. Tristan Stone as I live and breathe!"
Nodding, I pulled Nina close to my side as the doorman shut the door behind us. "Nice to see you, Chase."
"You're just in time. The night's just getting started. But I'm more interested in who your friend is."
Chase turned his focus to Nina and extended his hand to shake hers. "Chase Mitchell, owner—well, half owner of Top. What's your name, darling?"
Before Nina could say a word, I pulled his attention back where it belonged. "Remember your place in this, Chase. We want to find a secluded spot and have a few drinks, so how about you show us to one of the private rooms?"
Nina reached her hand out and introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Nina. What kind of place is this?"
Chase shook her hand and looked at her like she was some kind of morsel, ratcheting my anger up a few more notches. "What kind of place is this? Love, this is the finest private club on the East coast."
"Private club?"
"Members only and high rollers. Whatever they want, we have at Top."
Nina looked up at me with a confused look on her face. There was no point in explaining it. This probably hadn't been my best idea, but now that we were there, that was a moot point. I really didn't want to explain anything in front of Chase, so I merely shook my head.
Chase continued to talk, testing my patience even more. "Tristan, I didn't expect to see you so soon after last time. You looking for the same? What can I interest you two in tonight?"
"Interest us in?" Nina asked in a shaky voice as she stared wide-eyed up at me.
"You look like you could be a walking schoolgirl fantasy, my dear. No wonder he brought you here."
We stood there surrounded by an awkward silence as I struggled not to knock Chase on his mouthy ass. He got the gist of my glaring at him in little time, though, and quickly escorted us to a dimly lit private room. Nina took a seat at one of the tables as I excused myself to speak to Chase alone.
Closing the door behind me, I grabbed him by the collar and pasted him against the wall. The bass from the music in the main room of the club began to vibrate the lights that hung near his head and only served to irritate me more. "You have less than five minutes to get me the finest scotch you have in this place and a chocolate martini. And I'm not talking about that bottom shelf shit you try to pass off on the customers."
Chase opened his mouth to protest his innocence, and I pushed him into the wall again. "And one more fucking word out of you and I'll make sure this place is shut down by tomorrow morning. You'll have nothing and I'll be short one pissant fucking club I care nothing about. Do you understand me?"
Chase looked at me with fear and confusion. "What? She seems nice. I was just teasing. Trying to give her a compliment. Is that the one I saw you with at some party a few weeks back? The one who was in the car accident? She's got a nice, girl-next-door look you haven't gone for in years."
"Now you have four minutes."
"How did that couple work out? The ones you took out of here a while back? I never got a chance to hear how that went."
Pushing Chase away from me in disgust, I turned to join Nina, adding, "And have someone else bring the drinks."
I found Nina sitting at a table watching some sex show on a big screen television on the other side of the room. Chase had obviously gotten the wrong idea when I said secluded. I sat down across from her and waited for the inevitable questions.
"What kind of place is this, Tristan?" she asked in a hurt tone. "Do you bring women here all the time?"
I could barely make out the sadness in her face, but it was there. "Don't listen to him, Nina. I barely know him, and he knows nothing of what I feel for you."
"What did he mean schoolgirl fantasy? What is this place?"
"Don't let him bother you. He's an ass. I just helped him get this place off the ground."
"With money?"
"Yes."
"Is this a nightclub? What did he mean when he said it's a private club?"
This hadn't been my best idea. I'd hoped that we could find a secluded spot to talk, but maybe Top wasn't the right place, even if I was the owner.
"The club is sort of a nightclub meets sex fantasy camp," I said, hoping I wouldn't have to go into it more than that.
"Sex fantasy camp?" she asked with surprise in her eyes.
"Yeah. I guess this isn't a place you'd want to be. We can go."
Nina shook her head and smiled. "No. We can stay a little while. I'm curious about this side of you, Tristan Stone. A fantasy sex club seems distinctly un-Tristan."
"It is. Don't ge
t the wrong idea. I'm just a silent partner here."
A waitress dressed in a tight, white T-shirt that left nothing to the imagination and skin-tight black shorts interrupted our conversation to deliver our drinks, and I saw Nina's eyes grow wide in the dim light as the woman ran her fingertips over my shoulders as she left. Looking up, I saw it was a girl named Brandi who'd worked at the club for the last year.
"Haven't seen you in ages, Tristan. Nice to see you back," she purred in a silky voice.
"Do you know her?" Nina asked as she watched her walk away.
"No."
"Well, she knows you. She called you by name."
I didn't exactly know Brandi. She'd been Chase's girlfriend when he hired her, and more than once I'd had to listen to her as she cried on my shoulder about his inability to remain faithful.
"She's just someone who works here," I said casually as I took a sip of my drink.
"Oh. What's her name?"
"Brandi."
"Of course it is," Nina bit out.
I could tell she was jealous, which in some twisted way made me feel good. Her feelings had been relatively tepid since coming home from the hospital, even though I'd hoped she was beginning to feel something for me. Maybe if she was jealous, that wish was already coming true.
Her eyes kept darting to the screen behind me, and I couldn't tell if she was curious or embarrassed by what was playing out on the television. I didn't want her distracted by one of Chase's kinky flicks, though.
There was a lounge area on the other side of the room with couches and chairs, so I suggested we move there instead, hoping to turn her focus back to us. The couches were the best money could buy. Chase was nothing if not eager to spend his investor's money. As we sat down next to one another, her jealousy and my hope crashed into each other.
"These are very nice," she said as she rubbed her palm over the back of the black leather couch. Then abruptly, she said, "I think you know that woman."
"I told you I didn't."
"Then why would she touch you like that?"
"Maybe she thought she knew me or maybe she got the sense that I was available and we weren't together?" I said half-jokingly.
