Ruffles & Beaus

by Carina Adams

  “Let me guess. Like me?” I shot back as I picked up my bottle and took a sip.

  “You are something else entirely.” His eyes sparkled in challenge. “I want to own you, possess your body so you forget everyone who came before. Ruin you for everyone after. I want to fuck you so bad it hurts.”

  I choked and water dribbled out my mouth and over my chin. Heat spread down my body, but I wasn’t sure if I was embarrassed by my actions or the effect his words had on me. The ass sat back, and watched me as if I wasn’t making a fool out of myself.

  As I mopped at the wet spot on my t-shirt with my napkin, desperate to recover from my humiliation, I took the chance, met his eyes, and said the only thing that popped into my mind. “So, it’s safe to say you’re not dating her then.”

  “Brooke?” He looked horrified. “Jesus, no.”

  “You typically have lunch with your best friend’s exes?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Ex. Just one. Roman never dated anyone else seriously.” He clarified. “If you want to get technical, she was mine first. I’m having dinner with an old friend.”

  “An old friend who just happened to leave your best friend at the alter and decimate his heart in the process, turning him into a bitter prick.”

  The tip of his tongue darted out and massaged the corner of his mouth as he considered me. Finally, he nodded. “That’s one version, yes.”

  “There’s more than one?”

  “There are three. His. Hers. And the truth.”

  “Do you think she misses him as much as he misses her?”

  He nodded once.

  “Then why aren’t they together?” It was a rhetorical question.

  “Because sometimes pride is stronger than love.”

  I scoffed at his ridiculous words and tossed my napkin on the table angrily. “Well, that’s because love is stupid and meaningless.”

  “Oh, I agree,” he chuckled as he leaned toward me. “Love is for romantic fools.”

  “Says the man who hits on me every time I see him,” I grinned playfully. “I knew it was an act.”

  “Oh, little girl,” his eyes sparkled in the light. “I wanna do bad things to you. I won’t stop until you’re begging, your legs are shaking, and your neighbors know my name. I want to lock you in my room until we’ve both had our fill. But that’s where it ends.”

  I considered his words for a moment and let them sink in. They should turn me off. Most women my age wanted to love and be loved, to be taken care of, to find their Prince Charming and live their fairy tale, even if it was short lived. I was not one of those pathetic idiots.

  “Sex without emotions? Is that even possible?” I was skeptical at best.

  “No. Sex makes you feel. It heightens your emotions. But it doesn’t have to get serious,” he sat back. “I drink because its fun, but I know when I’m reaching my limit. I can walk away any time. I don’t use recreational drugs because I don’t want to lose control, become an addict, and ruin everything I care about.” He rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. “Love will fuck you up more than any drug ever will.”

  I watched him, mesmerized. That had been, by far, the best analogy I’d ever heard. I’d never thought about it that way, but he was right. I wondered if someone had hurt him or if he’d learned from watching the people he cared about, like I had.

  It felt like Brooke had been gone too long, so I glanced toward the end of the restaurant to make sure she wasn’t going to interrupt. She’d stopped to chat with an older couple at another table.

  “I want you, Cady. It’s not an act.”

  I swallowed and shot my attention back to him, unsure what to say.

  He was hot as hell and I was incredibly attracted to him. He put me at ease and made me feel like I was the sexiest woman he’d ever met. I wasn’t dating anyone and didn’t want to. Especially with a job I’d never be able to explain. Yet, Reid knew what I did, and he wanted me anyway. He didn’t want to be tied down anymore than I did.

  Words formed in my mind, a suggestion on the tip of my tongue, yet something held me back. Roman’s face flashed in my mind. I pushed it away; there was no room for him in that discussion. I didn’t want him.

  I forced myself to ask Reid the question. “Are we staying in Boston Saturday night?”

  Immediately he perked up, as if he understood what I was suggesting. “We are.”

  Brooke headed back toward our table, but I didn’t focus on her. I met Reid’s stare head on. “Have Rome and Vi get their own rooms.”

  “Yeah?”

  I twisted my lips. “Yeah.”

  He was practically beaming when Brooke sank into her chair.

  “Sorry that took so long, I ran into—,” she cut off mid-sentence and stared at Reid. When she slid her glance to me, I tried to school my face and look as serious as I was when she’d left. It didn’t convince her. “What’s going on?” She sounded nervous, as if she had a reason question our behavior.

  I’d never had a friend so insecure about everything. It was sad and unnecessary. There was a reason she lacked trust, probably in part from her ex-fiancé’s job. If I was dating one of our bouncers, and he spent every night watching women take their clothes off, I’d be insecure and jealous as hell every time he left for a party.

  I didn’t know how to answer her, though. Sometimes the truth wouldn’t do, and I was positive this was one of those times. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I told her she’d walked in right before Reid and I could plan what I hoped would be an epic one-night stand, but something told me she wouldn’t handle it well.

  Thankfully Reid was ready, a fib rolling off his tongue. “Cady doesn’t think my jokes are funny.”

  I shook my head and played along, “That’s because they’re not.”

  “Oh, I love your jokes!” Brooke clapped like a little kid excited for Christmas. “Tell me.”

  Without missing a beat, Reid stabbed a piece of pasta and held it off his plate. “What do you call a fake noodle?” She shook her head, unsure. “An impasta!”

  I rolled my eyes but Brooke giggled. He never ceased to amaze me.

  A few minutes later, he explained he had to get back to campus and excused himself. When he pulled me in for a friendly goodbye hug, his lips nipped at my ear. “Saturday, you’re mine,” he warned in a low tone that sent shivers down my spine. “Don’t bother wearing any sexy lingerie. I’ve seen it all before, and I want you bare.”

  Twenty

  Reid

  Roman was in his office when I bombarded him late Friday night. Soiree looked like a ghost town, deserted and dark other than the lone light in the office. I didn’t knock, just sauntered in and dropped myself into the chair on the other side of the desk.

  “The Mistresses of Mayhem are in Boston tomorrow night.” I hadn’t mentioned it to him before because regardless of what I’d told Cady, I hadn’t decided until that very moment if I would ask him to go with us.

  He glanced up at and scowled. “How did we not know?”

  I shrugged, “It was invitation only.”

  “Where?”

  “Sway.”

  He rubbed his forehead with his pointer finger, puzzled. “I just talked to Marcus a few weeks ago. It wasn’t mentioned.”

  “Maybe it was last minute.”

  His doubt was obvious. “A show like that is planned months in advance. Tickets probably sold out in June.”

  “I got tickets last week.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not? We have the night off. I’ve missed them every time they’ve come and wanted to finally scope out the competition,” I joked. As if a company as big as theirs would ever be threatened by our little dance troupe. When he didn’t laugh, I sighed. “I want Violet to see the show. She’s always watching YouTube videos and taking classes because she thinks she’s not good enough. It’s a great opportunity to prove to her that she is. Maybe even help her find her niche.”

  He nodded and rubbed his chin. “That’s a good id
ea.”

  “I know,” I scoffed. It was a brilliant plan. “Plus, it’s the Mistresses of Mayhem.” Did any man need a reason to want to see them?

  His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t look impressed.

  “Do you want to come? I have an extra ticket.”

  He didn’t take a moment to think about it. “No.”

  “Okay,” I nodded at him and pushed myself of out the chair. If he didn’t want to go, I wasn’t going to push it. “Just wanted to make sure.”

  “Wait.” I didn’t make it across the room before he stopped me.

  I paused at the door and glanced back. As much as I hoped he wouldn’t change his mind, I’d be shocked if he didn’t. Especially once he asked the question I knew was coming.

  He was staring down at the paperwork in front of him, pen still in hand as if he was fully engrossed in work instead of the conversation. I knew him too well to believe that, though. “It’s just you and Violet going?”

  And there it was. Asked way too casually. He knew the answer before I gave it to him.

  “No,” I shrugged, playing it off. “Cady is coming, too.”

  He dropped the pen and met my stare. “You’re not taking the two of them alone.”

  “Jesus,” I scoffed. “It’s Boston, not inner city Chicago. We’re three grown adults taking the train, getting in an Uber, and going to a well known club. It’s not like I’m taking my chances and walking two girls in full costume through the bowels of the underground.” I spread my arms and put myself on display. I wasn’t the biggest or baddest, but he knew damn well I could be one of the scariest if I needed to be. “No one is going to bother them while they’re with me.”

  “Maybe not. But you can’t keep eyes on both of them all the time.”

  “For fuck’s sake Roman. They’re not kids running wild at an amusement park.”

  “It’s Violet and Ruffles,” his tone implied that’s exactly what he thought they’d do.

  “Violet’s as country as it gets and panics easily, so she’s not going to stray.” He knew that just as well as I did. “I plan to have my hands on Cady all night, so she’s not going anywhere either.”

  His face darkened, as if pissed I’d dared to argue, but I knew it was the last comment that had irritated him. “You’re not taking them alone,” he repeated it slowly, as if I’d missed his command the first time.

  There had been times over the years when I found his alpha mentality appealing. This was not one of them. I wanted to assert my own dominance, tell him he didn’t have a say in what I did, especially not in what Cady and I did together, but it wasn’t worth the argument it would cause. I acquiesced.

  “Fine. I’ll ask Grove.”

  “He and Peaches have a show.”

  I held in a sigh. “Then I’ll ask one of my law school buddies.”

  He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’d be better off going alone.”

  I cocked an eyebrow, point made for me.

  His face hardened, angry either because I was right or for some other reason only he knew. “What time are we leaving?”

  I barred my teeth, annoyed. “You just said you didn’t want to go.”

  “I don’t want to. I can think of a million things I’d rather do than spend my one free Saturday night babysitting at a mainstream burlesque show. But, you already bought the tickets and you made plans with Ruffles and Violet, so I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

  “You always have a choice,” I snarled, old issues coming to the surface.

  It was his go-to excuse, one I hated. He’d stolen Brooke from me years before because he ‘didn’t have a choice’; he’d claimed he couldn’t control how he felt about her or help that it had hurt me. He’d fucked Livie, breaking Brooke’s heart in the process, because he ‘didn’t have a choice’ even though that one had never been explained. Unless she’d held a gun to his head, I didn’t understand the lack of choice. It was his cop-out.

  He ignored my jab. “I can’t keep Ruffles safe if I’m two states away.”

  “Cady. Her name is Cady when she’s not working,” I snapped. “She’s not on the fucking clock this weekend, so it’s not your job to keep her safe.”

  “So you don’t plan on stepping in to protect Violet if the need arises?”

  Insufferable bastard. “Violet is my best friend.”

  “And Ruffles is my friend.”

  “Not this weekend. Cady is not your friend. She’s not your partner. You don’t even know her.”

  “That so?” He laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. “You’re the one who doesn’t know her. You don’t even know a single thing about her.”

  His challenge put me on edge. “I know she’s not one of your damsels in distress. She’s the fucking dragon, and if you’re not careful, she’ll devour you whole. She doesn’t need me to protect her.”

  “You’re right about one thing,” he agreed with a haughty nod. “She doesn’t need you to protect her. That’s my job.” I started to argue but he cut me off. “What time are we leaving?”

  I hesitated. I never should have asked him to go. Now, even if I said no, he’d find a way to be there, if only to piss me off. “I told the girls to meet me at my house at…,”

  My phone rang, and interrupted me mid-sentence. Happy to have the distraction, I pulled it from my pocket and frowned when I saw her name. Cady never called me. The only reason she’d have to dial my number at a little past nine on a Friday night was to cancel our plans for the next day. I almost didn’t answer.

  It could be a booty-call.

  The thought made me smile. I’d be okay with starting our party a night early. God knew I had some aggression to work off and I’d happily do it with her. I swiped to answer and ignored the man on the other side of the room.

  “Hello, Beautiful.”

  “Handsome,” she replied immediately. “Any chance you’re with Roman?”

  The question irked me. I glared in his direction, as if he was somehow to blame. His attention had shifted back to the work on his desk but I knew he was listening to everything I said. “I am. Why?”

  She ignored my question. “What would it take to convince you to bring him down here?”

  An ear-splitting chortle in the background made cringe. “And where is ‘down here’?”

  “Hold on.” She shouted. Then everything on her end of the line went dead quiet, as if she’d muted the phone. Finally, she spoke again. “Sorry, I had to sneak into the bathroom.”

  “What in the hell is going on?”

  “I’ll explain everything when you get here,” she promised.

  “You’ve gotta give me more,” I countered.

  She giggled. An obnoxiously high-pitched sound I’d heard her use a time or two. She wasn’t drunk yet, but she’d had enough alcohol and was on her was to feeling good. I knew what was going on before she had the chance to tell me.

  “What bar?”

  “Hooligans,” She whispered, as if letting me in on a little secret.

  I hesitated and clutched the phone a little tighter. It wasn’t somewhere I had visited often, even though it was in a decent part of town and had plenty of respectable repeat customers. I didn’t like that she was there.

  “I’m on my way,” I promised. I didn’t care if I could follow through and get Rome to go with me or not. “You’re safe until I get there?” It didn’t feel like a panicked, emergency driven call, but I needed to make sure. If she felt threatened in any way, I’d call in the cavalry on my way over and we’d go in, metaphorical guns blazing.

  I didn’t know if it was my tone or my words, but something caught his attention and Roman’s head snapped up, eyes narrowed on me, no longer hiding his interest.

  Cady groaned playfully, “Yes, I’m safe.” She cleared her throat. “I’m fine,” she clarified. “I just need you to come down here. And bring him, okay?”

  I didn’t ask more questions, even though I wanted to demand answers. Cady didn’t do any
thing without a good reason, I knew that much about her, and she clearly had an objective in mind. She’d tell me what was going on as soon as I got to the bar.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you want to stay on the line until I can get there?”

  “No, but that is very sweet of you,” her voice softened a bit. “We’ll be at the bar.”

  The line went dead before I could respond. We?

  “Cady,” I explained as I lifted my cell in Roman’s direction and tipped my head toward the door. “I’ve gotta—,”

  He stood before I had a chance to finish and strode toward me, grabbing his leather jacket off the back of the chair as he walked. “Where is she?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I insisted with a shake of my head. “I’ve got this.”

  He paused next to me and I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. “Ruffles just called you, drunk, from a bar, and you were concerned enough to ask if she was safe.” He snarled out the words. “So, no. You don’t ‘got this’.” He was so damn predictable it wasn’t funny. “Where is she?”

  I sighed. If she hadn’t asked for him specifically, I’d lie and tell him she was somewhere else. She’d better have a damn good reason to call me when she clearly wanted him, or she and I were going to have some serious words.

  “Hooligans.”

  “The biker bar? What in the fuck is she doing there?”

  I rarely got to witness Rome caught off guard. The way his face went blank in utter surprise was funny as hell. It took every ounce of determination I had not to laugh at him.

  “Apparently no one told her it wasn’t on the Roman MacGregor list of approved establishments and she wasn’t allowed to go.”

  “Shut the fuck up and move,” he shoved my shoulder. “Let’s go rescue the annoying little shit. The one you don’t need any help keeping contained. You can bust my balls about stupid bullshit later.”

  “You don’t need to come,” I told him as we hurried down the stairs. “She called me, not you.” It wasn’t to dissuade him, because I knew nothing would. It was to remind him of his place.