by Abbi Glines
My stomach rolled again and I shook my head. Woods laughed out loud this time. “You always make things more interesting, Blaire,” he said, leaning down toward my ear. “I’m sorry about Rush. Just for the record, if you’d have chosen me you wouldn’t be working tonight. You’d be on my arm.”
I felt my face flush. It was enough to know I was a dirty little secret but for others to realize it was humiliating. I’d wanted Rush, though. So bad. Well, I’d got my wish alright.
“I need the money. I am very close to being able to afford a place of my own,” I informed him matter of factly.
Woods gave me a brisk nod and a sympathetic smile before turning to greet an elderly guest who was passing by. I took that moment to get away. I had snails to feed people.
Jimmy caught my eye and he winked at me reassuringly. He’d taken care of Rush’s side of the room brilliantly. I hadn’t even gotten close to him. Bethy smiled brightly at me when I arrived at her group. Her smile died when she looked at the food on my tray.
“What is that?” she asked in horror.
“You don’t want to know,” I informed her, causing Jace and a guy I wasn’t familiar with to laugh.
“Probably best that you let this pass on by,” Jace told Bethy as he tucked his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to his side affectionately.
She beamed up at him and that was all the sweet romance I could take. I hurried on to the next group. The curly red hair was familiar. It took me a second to place her. The evil venom in her smile reminded me exactly where I’d seen her before. She had been after Woods at Rush’s house the night of Nan’s party. I hadn’t made a fan that night thanks to Woods.
“Isn’t this fun?” she said, turning her attention away from the couple she’d been talking to and focusing on me. “Guess Woods decided you were more suited to work for him than date him.” She giggled and shook her head causing the red curls to bounce around. “I swear, this makes my night.” She reached up and tipped my tray.
Snails ran down the front of my shirt followed by the tray clattering loudly on the floor. I was too stunned to move or speak.
“Oh and look she’s super clumsy. Woods should be pickier about his employees,” the girl hissed hatefully.
“Ohmygod! Blaire, are you okay?” Bethy’s voice came from behind me snapping me out of my shock.
I managed to shake off the snails still clinging to my clothing.
“Move,” commanded a deep voice that I instantly recognized. My head shot up to find Rush pushing past the couple with the red head who seemed to be laughing at the mess I was in. He was angry. There was no mistaking that. Rush grabbed me by the waist and studied my face a moment. I wasn’t sure what for. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, not sure how to react just yet.
The veins in his neck were once again straining against his skin as he swallowed hard. He barely turned his head to cut his eyes toward the red head. “Don’t come near me or her again. Understood?” he said in a deadly calm.
The girl’s eyes went wide. “What are you mad at me for? She’s the clumsy one. She dumped the whole tray all over herself.”
Rush’s hands clenched tightly on my hips. “If you utter one more word I’ll threaten to remove all my contributions from this club until you are escorted out. Permanently.”
The girl gasped, “But I’m Nan’s friend, Rush. Her oldest friend. You wouldn’t do that to me. Especially for the hired help.” The childish pout in her voice was odd coming from a twenty- one year old woman.
“Test me,” he replied.
He looked back down at me. “You’re coming with me.”
I didn’t have time to respond before he turned his head to look over my shoulder. “I have her Bethy. She’s okay. Go on back to Jace.” Rush slipped his hand around my waist. “Watch out for the snails; they’re slippery.”
Two of the busboys were hurrying into the room with supplies to clean up the mess. The music hadn’t stopped but the place had gone quiet. Slowly, people started to talk again. I kept my eyes on the door waiting until I could get outside of this ballroom and break away from Rush’s arms.
If everyone in there hadn’t known we were having sex, they did now. He’d just shown everyone that he cared about me to an extent but he didn’t exactly want to walk around with me on his arm. My chest ached. I needed my distance from him. It was time I learned to crawl back in my own little world where I trusted me and me only. No one else. Once we were out of the ballroom and away from prying eyes I stepped free of Rush and put some distance between us. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down at my feet. I wasn’t sure if looking at him was such a good thing yet. I hadn’t taken time to enjoy how gorgeous he looked in a black tux. I’d been doing my best not to look at him. Now that he stood right here in front of me dressed like he was while I was in my server dress covered in snail oil, the massive difference between our worlds was evident.
“Blaire, I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen. I didn’t even know she had issues with you. I’m going to talk to Nan about this. I have a feeling she had something to do with it—“
“The redhead hates me because of Woods’ interest in me. Nan had nothing to do with it and neither did you.”
Rush didn’t respond right away. I wondered if I should just turn and walk back to the kitchen.
“Is Woods still hitting on you?”
Had he really just asked me that? I was standing there covered in snails and butter and he was asking me if some other guy was hitting on me? I didn’t even know if I still had a job. That was it. I’d had enough. I spun around and started for the kitchen. Rush didn’t let me get far. His hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
“Blaire, wait. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. That isn’t the issue right now. I wanted to make sure you were okay and help get you cleaned up.” His voice was pained as he said the last part.
I sighed and turned back around and met his gaze this time. “I’m fine. I need to go to the kitchen and see if I even still have a job. I was warned by Woods this morning that something like this might happen and it would be my fault. So, right now I have bigger problems than you suddenly feeling the need to be possessive of me. Which is ridiculous. Because you were doing your best to ignore me until this incident happened. You either know me or you don’t, Rush. Pick a team.” The hurt in my voice hadn’t been easy to mask. I jerked my arm free of his hand and stalked back toward the kitchen.
“You were working. What did you want me to do?” he called out and I stopped. “Acknowledging you would have given Nan reason to attack you. I was protecting you.”
The fact he even admitted that told me so much. Nan came first. He was ignoring me to keep Nan happy. I’d expected this of course. I was just the booty call. Nan was the sister. He was right to choose her over me. How could he look at me as anything more when I’d gone so easily to his bed?
“You’re right, Rush. You ignoring me would keep Nan from attacking me. I’m just the girl you fucked the past two nights. All things considered I’m not that special. I’m one of many.” I didn’t wait for him to say anymore. I ran for the kitchen doors slamming into them before the tears welling up in my eyes broke free.
Chapter Twenty- Two
“Whoa, girl,” Jimmy said holding his arms out to catch me as I came barreling into the kitchen.
A hiccup escaped and I swallowed back the sob that followed it.
“That was brutal in there but it could have been worse. At least Rush came to the rescue.” Jimmy patted my back and hugged me.
I didn’t want Jimmy to know how incredibly cheap I was. I couldn’t tell him these tears were because I’d become a rich guys dirty little secret. Not because some mean bitch had dumped food all over me in front of a room full of people.
“Get back out there Jim. We need more servers on the floor. I’ll talk to Blaire,” Woods said as he walked into the kitchen.
Jimmy hugged me hard o
ne more time then frowned over at Woods before taking his tray and heading for the door. “You be nice to my girl,” Jimmy said as he passed Woods.
Woods didn’t reply. Instead he studied me. I figured this was it. The big “it’s your fault so you can leave now” moment.
“I go to the trouble of warning you about Nan and it isn’t even Rush’s fault a jealous bitch attacked you,” Woods growled and shook his head in disgust. “I’m sorry, Blaire. This one is all on me. I wasn’t expecting that from her. She’s the crazy exgirlfriend I can’t seem to shake.”
He wasn’t firing me? I leaned back on the counter behind me to take a deep breath.
“Due to the drama, I don’t want you back out there. You can stay in here and help prepare trays though. I’ll make sure you make the same amount as you would have made out there.”
“Thank you. But can I change?” I asked, needing to get the snail off of me.
Woods smiled, “Yeah. Go get one of the cart girl outfits from the office. We have all our extra server uniforms in use tonight.”
I pushed off from the counter and headed for the door.
“Take your time. We are fine in here if you need a break,” Woods called out as I exited the kitchen.
Rush and Nan stood in the hallway in what looked like a heated argument when I walked out. Nan shot her icy glare my way. I could see the frustration in Rush’s expression. I was only causing him grief. I didn’t care to see this. They could have their family quarrel and get over it. After tonight, I should have enough money to move out. Tomorrow I would find a place because sleeping under Rush’s roof was going to be impossible. I turned and opened the door leading outside.
“Blaire, wait,” Rush called out.
“Let her go, Rush,” Nan demanded.
“I can’t,” he replied.
The door closed behind me and I tried to block out what I’d heard. I didn’t need to think or even consider that Rush would fight for me.
The door swung open and Rush came running out of it. “Blaire, please wait. Talk to me,” he begged.
I stopped and watched as he ran over to stand in front of me. I had nothing to say to him. I’d said it all.
“I’m sorry. But you’re wrong; I didn’t ignore you in there. Go ask anyone. My eyes never left you. If there was any question in anyone’s mind how I felt about you, the fact I couldn’t look away from you while you walked around that room should have answered it.” He paused and ran his hand over his hair, and muttered a curse. “Then I saw the look on your face when you saw Bethy with Jace. Something inside me was ripped open. I didn’t know what you were thinking but I knew you were realizing the wrongness of tonight. You should have never been there serving everyone. You should have been by my side. I wanted you beside me. I was strung so damn tight waiting on anyone to make a wrong move toward you that I forgot to breathe most of the time.”
Rush reached out and ran a finger over my clenched fist. “If you can forgive me, I promise this will never happen again. I love Nan. But I’m done trying to please her. She’s my sister and she has some issues she needs to work out. I’ve told her that I’m going to talk to you about everything. There are some things you need to know.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m dealing with the fact that you may walk away from me once you know them and never look back. It scares the hell out of me. I don’t know what this is that is going on between us but from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were going to change my world. I was terrified. The more I watched you the more you drew me in. I couldn’t get close enough.”
He was ready to open up to me and let me in. He wasn’t just using me. I wasn’t just another girl he screwed and tossed aside. He was ready to let me into his world of secrets. He wanted to keep me. My heart gave up. I’d held back and I’d fought hard to keep him from taking it over. Still, he’d managed to own it. Seeing him vulnerable was the last straw. I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I had fallen too far. I was in love with Rush Finlay.
“Okay,” I said. There was nothing more to say. He had me.
Rush frowned. “Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. If you actually want to keep me so badly that you’re willing to open up to me, then okay.” I would not tell him I loved him. It was too soon. He’d think it was because I was so young. That was something I’d hold close to my chest until I knew it was time. Maybe it was because I was so young. I felt it just the same.
A small grin tugged on his lips. “I just bared my soul to you and all I get is an ‘okay’?” he asked.
I shrugged, “You said everything I needed to hear. I’m hooked now. You have me. What are you going to do with me?”
Rush let out a low sexy laugh and pulled me close to him. “I’m thinking sex on the sixteenth hole by the lake would be nice.”
I tilted my head as if I were thinking about it. “Hmmm… problem is I’m supposed to change and go work in the kitchen the rest of the night.”
Rush let out a heavy sigh. “Shit.”
I pressed a kiss to his jawline. “You have a sister to escort,” I reminded him.
Rush’s arms tightened around me. “All I can think about is being inside you. Having you pressed close to me and hearing you make those sexy ass little moans.”
Oh. My. My heart rate picked up at the thought.
“If I could walk away from you easily I’d take you into that office and press you up against the wall and burry myself deep inside. But I can’t have a quickie with you. You’re too damn addictive.”
His description had me breathing hard and clinging to his shoulders. “Go change. I’ll stand out here so I’m not tempted. Then I’ll walk you back to the kitchen,” Rush said as he slowly released me.
I needed a moment to get myself under control before I let go of his arms. Then I turned and hurried into the office.
I didn’t see Rush again after he left me at the kitchen door with a quick kiss. The night had been endless and I was exhausted. Preparing food was harder than it looked. After the place had emptied and cleared out we had then been left with the task of cleaning up.
Three hours later it was almost four in the morning. I all but stumbled out into the early morning darkness and headed for my truck. Part of me expected Rush to be waiting on me but then he’d have had to sleep in his car so that would have been ridiculous.
I cranked up my truck and headed for his house. I didn’t have to go into work today so I could sleep. I also wouldn’t need to find that apartment any longer. As soon as I pulled into the driveway I looked up to see the lights were still on in Rush’s room. The top of the house was all lit up compared to the darkness in the rest of it.
The front door was unlocked so I went inside and quietly closed the door behind me. I wondered if Rush was still awake waiting on me or if he’d just fallen asleep with the lights on? Did I go to my room or his?
I headed up the stairs and found Rush sitting on the floor leaning against his door looking directly at me. What was he doing?
When his eyes met mine he stood up and stalked toward me. I met him half way. He seemed desperate. I just couldn’t figure out why. “I need you upstairs. Now,” he said in a tight frantic voice.
My heart sped up. Was someone hurt? Was he okay?
I hurried behind him. He closed the door and locked it. He never locked it. Then his hands were on me before we’d even made it up the stairs.
It was as if some wild man had taken over. Rush ran his hands down my hips and over my behind then back up. He grabbed my shirt and ripped it off. I heard a button pop and winced. That was a uniform shirt. I started to ask him what was wrong but his mouth covered mine and his tongue was inside. His hands found the snap on my shorts and jerking them open he began to push them down. The hungry little growls he was making were causing my body to react. I felt the wetness between my legs and the anxious throb start up.
Rush pushed me back on the stairs and jerked off my shoes and pulled my shorts and panties off then g
rabbed both my knees and pushed them apart. I didn’t have time to process before his mouth was on me licking the folds and slipping inside of me. My still tender flesh from the wild sex we’d had last night was extremely sensitive to each caress of his tongue. I began crying out his name. Falling back on my elbows I watched as he rained kisses along my thighs and then buried his face between my legs again to send me panting and begging for more.
“Mine. This is mine,” he chanted like a man possessed as he pulled back to look down at me. He ran his fingers through the middle gently and then cut his eyes up at me, “Mine. This sweet pussy is mine, Blaire.”
I was ready to agree to anything if he’d make me come. I wanted him inside me first though.
“Tell me it’s mine,” he demanded.
I nodded and he slipped a finger up inside causing another moan to escape me. “Tell me it is mine,” he repeated.
“It’s yours, now please Rush, fuck me.”
His eyes went wide and he stood up and pushed down the pajama bottoms he was wearing. His erection stood out proudly.
“No condom tonight. I’ll pull out. I just need to feel all of you,” he said as he pushed my knees up and lowered himself down until he was at my entrance. He didn’t slam into me like I expected. He eased in slow.
“Does it hurt?” he asked as he held himself over me.
It did a little but I wasn’t going to admit to that. I wanted him without control. “It feels good,” I assured him.
He bit his bottom lip and eased slowly back out. “These stairs are too hard for you. Come here.” He bent down and scooped me up in his arms and started up the steps. I’d never been carried by a guy before and I have to say this was an excellent experience. Rush’s naked chest holding me was incredible.
“Will you do something for me?” he asked bending his head down to press small kisses to my nose and eyelids.
“Yes,” I replied.
He stopped by the bed and slowly put me down until my feet touched the floor. “Bend over and lay your chest flat on the bed. Put your hands over your head and leave your ass stuck up in the air.”
