Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
RUBY
B eing pampered by Beckett was definitely one of the high points of letting him play Daddy. After her shift, he’d taken her back to his house—letting her drive his car back for him after a long, heated debate that had nearly ended with her over his knee—where he’d promptly ordered her into her pajamas so she could relax. A cup of soup and a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich later, and she’d definitely been feeling better.
And that was all before the bubble bath.
Even when she’d been with her first Dom, she’d never been spoiled like this. It was definitely something she could get used to, if she wasn’t careful. A fact she kept in mind as he continued to fuss over her the next morning as she got ready for brunch.
“Seriously, Beckett, I feel much better. I think I was just overtired yesterday.”
Leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded, Beckett watched her move around the bathroom, a frown tugging at his lips. “You still sound congested.”
“I’m a little stuffy, but nothing major. And the headache is gone, which was the big thing yesterday.” Mostly gone, anyway. But she knew damn well if she told him she was still in any pain at all that he’d make her stay home. And if it came down to risking a punishment from him or disappointing Lottie, she’d take the spanking any day.
Still looking unconvinced, he stepped into the bathroom and laid the back of his hand against her forehead. “You feel warm.”
“Because I just got out of the shower. The very hot shower you made me take because ‘the steam will be good for you’. Remember?”
“I do.”
Fighting the urge to sigh, she turned and placed her hands on his cheeks, meeting his concerned gaze head on. “I promise if I start to feel bad again, I will immediately call you to pick me up. And even if I try to tough it out, I’m sure Cordelia will call you.”
“Good point. I’ll be sure to ask her to keep an eye on you.”
Well, shit. That wasn’t at all what she’d intended. But if it made him worry less while she was out, then she was willing to let Delia hover a bit.
Outside, a horn honked at the same time her phone buzzed on the nightstand. “That’s Lottie. I have to work super early tomorrow, so I’ll probably go home this afternoon. I’ll see you at the club tomorrow?”
“Can’t.” Though Beckett pulled a face, excitement glittered in his eyes. “I’ve got a big dinner meeting tomorrow night. Tuesday?”
“I work the late shift.” Hiding her disappointment with a bright smile, she rose up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “We’ll figure it out. See you round, Bex.”
Her sass earned her a hard swat to the ass as she scurried away, and she laughed as she raced down the front steps to Lottie’s car.
And if she felt a little out of breath, it was just from the running. Maybe a little bit of Beckett. Nothing else.
Ruby
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Beaming at the group around her, Lottie lowered her glass. “Thank you all for making it to the first official Duvall-Elliott Wedding Planning Meeting. I’ve asked you all here today because I value your opinions and because I have something very special to ask you. If you look under your seat, there’s a little present for you.”
Confused, but doing her best not to show it, Ruby shifted to grab the expensive-looking gift bag under her seat. Sneaking a look at the women around her, she pulled the gift box free and sat it on the table in front of her.
“Oh my god!” It was Ivy who squealed first, bouncing excitedly in her seat beside Cordelia. “Yes, yes, I would love to be your bridesmaid!”
Nerves twisted in Ruby’s stomach as she slowly pried open the lid. All around her, equally enthusiastic exclamations came from the other women as they each opened their boxes. There were, if Ruby wasn’t mistaken, even a few tears from Frankie as she accepted her position as Lottie’s maid-of-honor.
“ If you have time,” Lottie said, tears slipping down her own cheeks as the friends embraced. “I know you’ll be busy with med school and everything, so if it’s too much just let me know.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” Frankie smiled and waved a hand as if batting away Lottie’s concerns. “You have to make time for what matters, right?”
Once again, Ruby was left wondering how Frankie had time for med school and as much socializing as she did. But she didn’t want to rock the boat on Lottie’s special day, so she kept her concerns to herself.
“Okay, but you have to promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much. I know how you are, Francesca.” Lottie narrowed her eyes in a decent imitation of what Ruby thought of as Cordelia’s ‘Domme look’ but somehow it didn’t have the same impact.
“Pinky promise. But it won’t be too much. I know how to handle my shit, Lottie-baby.”
“We’ll all help,” Ivy chimed in, holding a gorgeous emerald-green silk pajama shirt to her cheek with a sigh. “We’re all in this together.”
That seemed to appease both Lottie and Frankie, who grinned at Ivy as she gushed over the silky material in her hand.
Considering that a crisis averted, Ruby took a deep breath and opened her box all the way. And stared.
When Charlotte Duvall decided to do something, she did it right .
Inside were the emerald pajamas Ivy was still sighing over, with Ruby’s name embroidered on the front pocket in gold thread. A personalized cup, again with her name in gold, along with everything one might need for a sleepover.
And there, nestled in the middle, was a familiar blue box. Picking it up with trembling hands, Ruby slipped the white ribbon free and opened the box, a gasp escaping her lips when she saw the silver hearts carefully placed on the white satin lining.
“Lottie… this is too much. I can’t accept this.”
“Of course you can,” Lottie said with a wave of her hand. “It’s a gift.”
An expensive gift. A way-too -expensive gift. The kind that came with invisible strings, whether the giver meant to attach them or not. “But… you barely know me. What about your other friends?”
The look Lottie pinned her with was the epitome of withering. “I talked to Eva and Portia already. They’ll be here for the wedding but they won’t be around enough to really help with wedding planning. So they’ll be in the party on the big day and they’ll probably make it in for the bachelorette party, but that’s probably it. As for you and I, we’ve worked together for months. And you hid me from Daddy, and you even got your ass publicly caned for it. As far as I’m concerned, we’re besties for life.”
“Hey!” Frankie exclaimed, doing her best to look offended. “What am I, chopped liver?”
“Oh, hush.” Rolling her eyes, Lottie gave her friend a playful shove. “You know nobody could replace you. But you have to admit, Ruby is pretty freaking awesome.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Turning to Ruby, Frankie wagged a finger in her direction. “But I’m watching you, Red.”
The playful nickname had Ruby snorting out a laugh. “Your hair literally looks like someone lit a flame on your head and you’re calling me ‘Red’?”
“Takes one fiery redhead to know one.”
“Fair enough.”
Looking back down at the gorgeous box in front of her, Ruby smiled and carefully plucked an earring from the white satin. She caught Lottie’s gaze as she held it up, letting the silver glitter under the lights. “Thank you, Lottie. They’re beautiful.”
As the conversation shifted to wedding plans—a Christmas wedding, Lottie said, hence the green pajamas—Ruby snuck another peek at the earrings she’d been gifted.
There’d been a time, not so long ago, when she’d been buried in little blue boxes. But when she’d told him she wanted out, that she wasn’t interested in being anyone’s second choice, everything had been taken from her. It surprised her to realize how much she missed all the things she’d tried so hard to pretend hadn’t mattered.
You have your freedom now. That’s what matters.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Snapping the box closed again, Ruby turned to Cordelia and forced a bright smile. “Yup. Peachy-keen.”
Eyes narrowed in that ‘Domme look’ Lottie had tried to copy, Cordelia studied her for a long, tense moment. “Your Daddy asked me to keep an eye on you. Do I need to call him?”
God. She could only imagine how Beckett would freak out if she did that. “First of all, Beckett isn’t my Daddy. Not like that. We’re… It’s casual.”
Cordelia snorted out a laugh. “Honey, I hate to tell you this, but there’s nothing casual about the way that man looks at you.”
Excitement and panic slammed into Ruby’s chest in equal measure. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve known Beckett Stone for years, and I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you.” Tilting her head to the side, Cordelia studied her with those serious green eyes that always felt like they saw far too much for anyone’s good. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
“Haven’t noticed what?” Silver, who had been mostly quiet during the meal, finally spoke up.
Perfect fucking timing.
“How Beckett looks at Ruby,” Cordelia said, her concerned expression shifting into a smirk as she settled back in her chair, running her fingers through Ivy’s hair.
Silver immediately perked up. “Oh, you mean like he’s been starving for years and she’s a full fucking buffet?”
“Exactly like that.”
“Oh my god.” Cheeks burning, Ruby downed what was left of her mimosa, praying it would help the headache that was now pounding at the front of her skull. “It’s not like that, you guys. We’re just… enjoying each other’s company.”
Cordelia snorted out a laugh. “Enjoying each other’s company at Beckett’s house, which he’s never done for as long as I’ve known him.”
“That’s what I told her!” Silver jabbed a finger in Ruby’s direction. “Didn’t I tell you the other day that Ice has never seen him take someone home?”
“You did, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means everything!” Lottie bounced in her seat, her eyes dancing with excitement. “I wish you’d stop fighting it so hard. You guys are so cute together! Almost as cute as Frankie and Holden.”
Frankie let out a sound that could only be described as a snarl. “Charlotte, I swear to god if you don’t stop with the Holden crap I’m going to make sure you walk down the aisle looking like a circus clown.”
“No you won’t.” Leaning over, Lottie snuggled against Frankie’s arm. “You love me too much to do that to me.”
“That’s probably true, but I wouldn’t push your luck.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Whatever.” But when Frankie rolled her eyes again, there was a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Besides, this isn’t about me. This is about the fact that Beckett is clearly head over fucking heels in love with our Ruby.”
Air. She needed air, and she couldn’t seem to get enough of it into her lungs. “No. He’s just—we’re just—it’s casual. ”
Frankie cocked an eyebrow. “Did you contact Webster’s and ask them to redefine the word ‘casual’? Because what you’re doing with Beckett sure as hell doesn’t fit the current definition.”
“You can keep lying to yourself, Ruby,” Cordelia said with a nonchalant lift of her shoulder, as if she wasn’t trapping Ruby in yet another gilded cage with every word she spoke. “But the rest of us see it plain as day. If that man isn’t head over heels in love with you, I’ll eat my hat as the saying goes.”
“Wanna bet?”
She wasn’t sure what made her say it. But the words were out now, and the way her friends were watching her, there was no taking it back.
“All right,” Cordelia said after a long, drawn-out silence. “If Beckett doesn’t say he loves you by the end of the month, you can have all my tips for a week.”
Beside her, Ivy’s mouth dropped open. “Dee!”
“Don’t worry about it, blossom. There’s no way I’m losing this bet. What are your terms, Ruby?”
She wished, desperately, that she hadn’t finished off her mimosa. If for no other reason than it would give her time to think .
“Same. All my tips, for one week.” It would put a dent in her savings, but with her new job it wouldn’t be a very large one.
And it didn’t matter, anyway. Because no matter what Cordelia said, this was one bet Ruby was absolutely certain she’d win.
Because there was simply no way she’d walked into this trap a second time. Beckett might be overbearing and bossy and demanding, but there was absolutely no chance in hell he was in love with her.
None.