by Cassy Roop
I walked statically into the studio for class with a heavy heart. Dominic’s presence still felt like it lingered on my body and I involuntarily touched my hips to feel the marks that I knew existed there. It was bad enough seeing him this morning, knowing how angry and closed off to me he was, but also to be reminded by my best friend, who was also mad at me, that it was my birthday.
The studio was already abuzz when I entered. Rownan was already there in a robe talking to Ginny, and I chuckled because I knew that was the reason why everyone was talking at once. I took a brief moment to pause and examine his profile. His soft wavy dark hair was a tad too long, but somehow worked on him. Even from a distance I could make out the beautiful length of his eyelashes; eyelashes that any woman would kill for that made his blue eyes even more prominent. He was tall, so tall in fact, that Ginny looked like a child next to him, barely having the top of her head reach his chest.
I don’t know how long it was that I stood there admiring his beautiful features, but I was embarrassed when Rownan looked over and saw me gawking at him. He flashed me a beautiful smile that had all the blood rushing to my face, making my cheeks ten shades of red. I smiled warmly in return before ducking my head and walking over to my stool at my station to get my stuff ready to finish the abstract.
“Good morning, love,” Rownan’s smooth British accent came rolling over my shoulder causing me to startle and drop my brushes and palette tumbling to the floor. Thank God, they were clean this time.
“Good morning,” I replied as I bent over to pick up my mess. Rownan bent his long legs and squatted down next to me, helping me retrieve my items.
“Thank you,” I said appreciatively.
“My pleasure, love. You look to be in better health today,” he acknowledged.
“I am feeling much better. Thank you, Rownan, for helping me. I-I don’t have many friends right now,” I confessed as I focused my gaze on the ground instead of the seam in his robe that was now a little more giving than moments before. My face flushed once more at the thought of him being naked under the cloth.
“Again, my pleasure, love. I better get back to Ginny so we can get started with class.”
“Oh, okay.”
He went to find Ginny as I sat down at my stool and uncovered my picture. I sighed as I looked at the picture of Dominic I painted on Monday. I took in each hard line of his jaw, his dark chocolate eyes, and the muscles I painted of his chest. Even though I was looking at Rownan when I painted it, I painted everything before me from memory. Every feature, every line, every shadow, were pictures that I had carried in my mind since the day I met Dominic.
“Good morning, class!” Ginny said cheerfully as she addressed us all. Her hair was tied up in another one of her colorful scarves, and was in deep contrast with the bright red peasant skirt she wore. The patterns and colors reminded me of a Mexican style rug.
“Today we will finish up our abstracts so that they will have time to dry. Rownan here has a wonderful surprise for all of you.”
Mumbles came from the class as Ginny directed Rownan to address the class.
“A week from Saturday, my gallery will be hosting an art showing and gala. I am going to be displaying all of your pieces at the show and you are all welcome to attend.”
Excited cries and ahs came from the class while all I could do was sit there with my mouth hanging open. He wanted to display our work? I looked at my painting and to several others around me, although their pieces didn’t look exactly like Rownan, mine looked nothing like him because it wasn’t him.
“Ok, get started. Mr. Kleinfield, strip,” Ginny said as she clapped her hands together with animation. I got to work mixing my colors. I only needed to add a few details and finishing touches to the piece, so I stayed with dark colors to provide some contour and contrast. I tried not to glance too often at Rownan’s naked form, but every once in a while, my gaze lingered.
It felt like only moments had passed as I worked on my painting. I became so focused on the image of Dominic in front of me that everything else just existed in my peripheral around me. I didn’t realize just how much time had gone by until I heard Ginny’s voice interrupt my process.
“Ok, put on those finishing touches, class. Time is almost up,” she announced as she made a circle around to each of us, giving her critique. I washed all of my tools and then went to retrieve my purse from the rack where we kept everything out of the way. As I lifted the leather strap off the hook, the buckle holding it to the side gave way and broke, sending the entire contents of my bag scattering on the floor.
Great. Just fucking great.
This day had to go down in history as one of the worst birthdays on record. I brought my knees to the floor and tried to pick up all of the items I had spilled, when I noticed a rather large set of feet approach me. I looked up to find Rownan chuckling before he bent down to help me.
“Either you have a severe case of butter fingers, or you just really enjoy picking things up off of the floor.”
I couldn’t stop my laugh. It felt nice to be humored, when inside, I was feeling desolate.
“My strap broke on my bag,” I explained to him. I looked over to find Rownan with the card in his hand that Kelly had left for me this morning. He opened it to reveal the happy birthday message that Kelly had wrote.
“Is this old, or recent?” he asked as he extended the card back to me.
“Oh, uh, it is recent. This morning in fact.” I said as I grabbed the card from him and put it back into my purse along with my other belongings.
“It’s your birthday?” he asked with a wide toothy grin. Tiny dimples formed in the sides of his cheeks each time he smiled and it made him look sexy. Dangerously sexy.
“Uh, yeah. I am twenty-six today,” I said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.
“Got big plans for this evening then?” he asked as he helped me to my feet.
“If big plans include going home and watching TV or reading a book, then yes.” I chuckled slightly.
“Oh, no, no, no. We cannot have that, love. You need to celebrate. I’m taking you out.”
“Oh, no Rownan, that’s ok, really. I am completely fine with a bag of popcorn and a cheesy movie,” I responded.
“Well, I am not. You are going out. I’ll be by your place at eight. Be ready.”
Not giving me a chance to refuse, he turned and walked out of the studio. There was the dominant Rownan that I hadn’t seen before. I shrugged inwardly. What harm would it do to go out and have some fun?
It was my birthday after all.
Rownan showed up right at eight on the dot. I answered the door wearing a three-quarter length sleeve peasant dress that hit me mid-thigh. It was sky blue and the back was made of a soft crochet material. I paired it with my comfy cowboy boots and gold bangle earrings. My hair was in a side ponytail that let waves cascade down my right shoulder. Rownan was wearing a black dress shirt and black slacks. The spicy scent of his cologne filled the air around me and I had to stop myself from taking a deep inhale.
“Hello, birthday girl. Are you ready for some fun?” I smiled at how excited he looked. It was a relief to be able to take a break from my reality even if for only a few hours.
Rownan drove us downtown to a club called Intentions. At first, I was nervous because it was extremely close to Dominic’s apartment. But after finding refuge inside, I felt better about being in the area. The interior of the club was amazing. It was decorated in almost every purple color you could think of. Purple walls, purple chandeliers, even the floor was purple. Lights flashed all over the dance floor on the lower level as music pulsed through the speakers. The floor vibrated through my boots with each step we took.
Rownan led me over to the bar where he signaled to the bartender. Even though the tall, muscular guy was busy, he dropped everything when he saw Rownan.
“Rownan, my man! What brings you in here?” he said as they gave each other a bro code handshake.
“Jake, go
od to see you, mate. It is my friend Ashley’s birthday and we are celebrating her glorious years here on this earth. I think she needs a shot,” he said as he looked down at me and smiled mischievously. His infectious grin made my own mouth twitch up at the corners. The last few days have been some of the most horrible in my life. I didn’t think that I would be able to trust again after Jared’s infidelity, and then I met Dominic, who no holds barred, completely captivated my heart and soul. I have never fallen for someone as fast as I had with him, and to be without him now was pure torture. I was so thankful for Rownan bringing me out tonight. Maybe I could have a bit of fun, even if for one night, and eradicate Dominic from my memory for a few hours.
“What is your poison, love?” Rownan asked me as he leaned in to reach my ear. The loud music that bounced off of the walls of the club made it difficult to hear even though we were already extremely close. I pondered his question for a moment. The honest answer would have been Dominic is my poison, but since Rownan was referencing the libation variety of poison, I had to go with my second most honest answer.
“Whiskey, neat,” I answered with authority in my voice.
“Damn, your girl has balls, Ro. That is my kind of woman,” Jake the bartender said as he winked at me and went about pouring my shot.
“Make it two, mate,” Rownan said holding up two fingers. When Jake sat the amber liquid in front of us, Rownan and I, each picked up the tiny glasses and held them in front of us.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous girl. May your days be better than the ones before, and your next year be plenty to celebrate. Cheers, love.” We clinked our glasses together before tipping the shots back. I welcomed the burn of the whiskey as it coated my throat and settled warm in my belly. I closed my eyes, licked my lips, and savored the sweet flavor of the liquor before I opened my eyes. I was surprised to meet the heated stare of Rownan after appreciating and welcoming my shot. Heat rose in my cheeks as the corner of his mouth turned up in a devilish smile.
“How about one more and we hit the dance floor, eh? I can show you my mad skills,” he smiled. I smiled in return before nodding my head and Rownan signaled to Jake for another round. After taking our shots, and the effects of the alcohol started to seep in, I allowed Rownan to lead me to the dance floor where I decided to let everything go. I took all thoughts of Dominic, Knox, Kelly, and even Asher and Drake, and bid bon voyage to them and allowed myself to live in the moment, even if it would only last for the night.
The club was packed by the time that Knox, Victoria, Toby and I arrived. My thoughts were centered on getting my ass to the bar as fast as I could in order to start wiping away the memories and thoughts about Ashley that were driving me insane.
I pushed my way through the throes of people, not even caring if my friends were behind me or not. I was a man on a mission, a mission to abolish all thoughts of my situation from my mind, even if it meant that I have to inebriate myself to do so. Knox, Vic, and Toby caught up with me just as the bartender, and my friend, Jake, made his way over. Reaching out my hand, our firm grips collided as we greeted each other.
“Nic, good to see you, man. What can I get for you?” he asked as he reached into the cooler in front of him to retrieve two bottles of beer and popping the top off with a bottle cap key.
“I need something strong and punishing.” I admitted as I tapped my fingers on the hard wood of the bar. I looked back at Knox, Toby, and Victoria before suggesting, “A round of tequila?” They all nodded, and I instructed Jake to give us eight shots. I needed the foggy effect of the alcohol to course through my veins.
“We also want one of the VIP rooms upstairs,” I requested.
“You got it, man.”
Knox had his phone whipped out and was punching a text out in rapid pace. He caught me staring at him and quickly put the phone back into his pocket. Leaning in, he yelled so that I could hear him through the deafening tone of the music.
“Kelly is going to join us as soon as she finishes her event at that new restaurant down the road that is if you are ok with that. I know with everything that is going on you probably don’t…”
I pulled away before he had the chance to finish his sentence and held my hands up in surrender.
“It is ok, Knox. I know you like her. Just because she is Ashley’s best friend, I am not going to stop you two from seeing each other. Hell, maybe she can give me some insight on why the fuck her friend did this to us,” I replied.
I grabbed two of the shots of tequila that Jake had placed in front of us and tossed them back one after the other. The singe of heat coated my throat and I reached for one more shot and tossed it back just as quick.
“Whoa, Nic, if you are on a mission to get plastered tonight, then so be it, but I am not cleaning up if you purge it all later. Note it, man.” He said in a false sense of seriousness.
“Duly noted, Knox.” I replied with a chuckle.
After Vic, Toby and Knox took their shots, I grabbed the key that Jake handed me and we made our way up stairs to the VIP room. The music dulled to a low roar as we all entered the purple room. Huge, plush sectional couches were lined along the walls with one of them being completely made of glass that faced the dance floor below. There was a personal bar, complete with bartender in the room, so we had no need to go down to the first level, unless we needed the restroom. VIP privileges provided us with two servers as well to be at our beck and call.
I walked to the bar and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. I did want to be able to somewhat enjoy this time out with my friends, and decided to slow down on drinking, although my mission was to still get shit faced. After the bartender handed me my drink, I walked over to the glass wall to look down upon the dance floor below. Knox, Victoria, and Toby sat down on one of the sectionals and ordered a few pitchers of beer from the server. I leaned my forehead on the wall and closed my eyes, welcoming the coolness of the glass on my flesh. After a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes and leaned back to take a sip from my whiskey, only I paused before the glass made contact with my lips when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
I did a double take just to be sure what I saw was real or not. My blood began to boil and my heart beated frantically. Sweat started to form on my brow and the back of my neck. I felt my body temperature rise with each sharp intake of breath as my eyes focused in on the couple dancing below me.
“Son of a fucking bitch!” I roared as I continued to look down and watch Ashley on the dance floor...with Rownan fucking Kleinfield.
I stared at the text messages on my phone with a huge smile on my face. The message was right. It couldn’t have been better if we planned it ourselves. Things were falling in to place, and with little effort at that.
I couldn’t wait to rip more of Dominic’s heart out of his chest. I wanted to destroy him further, but I was told I couldn’t. Offering Drake money to help us had been my idea, and it was almost turned down until I reiterated how he could help us tremendously. He was easily manipulated into doing our bidding; making it well known, he would betray Dominic and Knox easily. The conspiracy surrounding Dominic was phenomenal. People that he trusted, loved even, were betraying him behind his back. I got a hard on just thinking about it.
When Dominic banned me from the club, I was going to just let things fucking slide and find another club to be a member that would be more accepting of my...tastes. I like to fuck, and fuck hard. Nothing turned me on more than to pound as forcefully into a woman as I could. I liked to leave my marks upon her body; I liked the punishment. I crave it, and I had never craved it more than when I saw Ashley at The Celtic Knot.
So when I was approached with the idea that would not only let me exact revenge on Dominic, but have Ashley as well, I jumped at the opportunity. When she denied me at the club, it only made my craving for her more intense. She was a compulsion to my system, a poison to my desires. I would make her mine. She would become my pet and I her master. No doubt with a bit of training, I would have her
begging to please me; begging to fulfill my every sadistic desire I have had since I first laid eyes on her. I wanted Ashley, and someone else wanted Dominic. It would be a win-win situation for the both of us.
A picture came through on my phone of Ashley and Rownan dancing together at Intentions. As much as it raged me to see my pet dancing with another man, the thought of what it must be doing to Dominic right now, made the sacrifice worth it.
Downing my glass of scotch, I reached for my suit jacket and slipped it on with practiced grace. I placed my phone in my front pocket and grabbed my keys. I needed to get to the club to bear witness to Dominic losing his shit right there in the middle of that dance floor.
Several shots, the pulsing beat of the music as it pumped into the air, and the company of a gorgeous, sweet man had made my birthday almost tolerable. Sweat was running down my back and causing the fabric of my blue tunic dress to cling to my skin, soaking up the moisture. Rownan had sweat on his brows as he moved smoothly to the beat of Enrique Iglesias’ “I’m a Freak” pummeling through the club. He honestly did have some “mad skills” as he put it. How in the world a man of his height could move like he did was beyond me. He was graceful, the way his tall muscular body swayed to the beat of song.
I began to relax more as the alcohol began circulating through my veins and found myself laughing and having fun with Rownan. Even though Dominic wasn’t far from my mind, I enjoyed the fact that the devastation I felt was currently at a dull roar instead of screaming at me inside of my skull.
The song changed beats, becoming the more sensual, sultry pulse of R. Kelly’s “Bump and Grind.” Rownan reached for my hand, pulled me closer to his body, and began to gyrate his hips against mine. The move was intimate and sexual, and I felt my traitorous body respond to his movements. I stiffened slightly feeling like I was betraying Dominic all over again by allowing another man to put his hands on me, but Rownan just edged me on and soon I joined him matching him move for move. We smiled at each other as we lost ourselves into the moves and the music. The hair of my side ponytail clung to my cheeks as the heat in my body began to build.
