Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
BECKETT
R uby wasn’t answering her phone. Texts, calls, voicemails, nothing seemed to be getting through. She’d been short with him when he’d talked to her after her day out with the girls, which he’d chalked up to her not feeling well. But now he’d gone nearly twenty-four hours without hearing from her, and he was ready to say fuck the meeting and drive over to her apartment to get to the bottom of her behavior.
“You ready for this?”
To Beckett’s left, Jonas tugged at his tie, straightening it again for the tenth time since they sat down. Telling himself he’d deal with the Ruby problem after dinner, Beckett slid his phone in his pocket. If she knew what was good for her, he’d have at least a text waiting for him when he checked it again.
“I am,” he said, raising a brow at the painfully nervous Jonas. “Are you?”
“Me?” Pausing with his fingers still gripping the knot of his tie, his eyes a little wild, Jonas cleared his throat. “I was born ready. Why? Do I look like I’m not ready?”
“You look like you could use a drink.” Beckett nudged an untouched glass of whiskey closer to Jonas. “Take a sip, a deep breath, and calm the fuck down. We’ve got this.”
As if his words had conjured the man himself, Preston Kingsley chose that moment to walk through the front door of the restaurant. His big, booming laugh cut above the din of the other patrons as he chatted with the ma?tre d’ before being shown to their table.
“Showtime,” Beckett muttered as he rose to his feet to greet their guest with a welcoming smile. “Preston. Great to finally meet you. I’m Beckett Stone, and this is my associate, Jonas Caldwell.”
“Beckett.” Reaching across the table, Preston grasped Beckett’s hand in a firm, if unexpectedly sweaty grip. “Holden’s told me a lot about you. I’m looking forward to hearing all about what your firm can do for me. But that’s business, and business can wait until after we eat.”
“Agreed. I took the liberty of ordering a few different hors d'oeuvres for the table. They should be out soon.”
Settling into his seat across from Beckett, Preston beamed approvingly. “A man who takes initiative. I like it.”
Score one for Stone Investments. Just as the thought popped into his mind, a waiter appeared, placing a glass in front of Preston with a flourish. “Your old fashioned, sir.”
Eyebrows raising, Preston lifted the glass and sipped. “And you’ve done your homework, I see.”
“I always do, when it matters.” Beckett lifted his glass, toasting his new companion before taking another sip of his whiskey.
“And that’s the Southern touch I’ve been missing.” Despite his stated desire not to discuss business before they ate, Preston shook his head, his expression turning dark. “Those New England bastards, they just see the money. There’s no personal touch, you know? I want to work with people who see me as more than just a number on a ledger.”
“You would certainly get that from us,” Jonas finally spoke up, his voice only a smidge shriller than usual. “I like to think all of our clients feel like more than just a number when they invest with us.”
“Alice Carrigan speaks highly of your firm. As does my old friend Holden.” Preston’s smile turned smug. “But I suppose you know that, since he’s the reason you got this meeting.”
Beckett shrugged off the insult of Preston pointing out he wouldn’t have gotten the meeting without Holden’s help. It was true, after all, so there was no point pouting about it. “I like to think our reputation speaks for itself. But yes, Holden is a good friend and I’m grateful he was willing to put in a good word for us with you.”
“I’m sure you are.” Settling back in his chair, Preston raked his gaze over Beckett’s face. “Are you married, Stone?”
“Ah, no.” Not anymore . But that kind of grief was far more intimate than a meeting like this warranted.
“That’s a shame. Every man needs a good woman warming his bed.” Preston chuckled, sipping at his old fashioned. “I have a different one for every state I own a home in.”
Disgust roiled in Beckett’s gut, but he kept his smile firmly in place. Thank god Ruby wasn’t with him. He couldn’t imagine exposing her to someone like Preston Kingsley.
Luckily, he was saved from having to comment by the arrival of the hors d'oeuvres and they spent the next few hours drinking and swapping stories about business and life. Preston shared a few stories about Holden that Beckett tucked away to torment his friend with later, and he shared his own anecdotes, though he was careful not to reveal too much about where they spent the majority of their time together.
But the more they ate and the more they drank, the more Preston’s public facade faded. Revealing a much uglier, more abhorrent version beneath.
When dinner was finished, Beckett rose from the table, an apologetic smile on his face. “Well, Preston, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance. Unfortunately, Jonas and I both need to get home as we have a meeting first thing in the morning. We’ll be in touch.”
Pushing to his feet, Preston held out a hand and Beckett had to force himself to accept. “I have a few other meetings down this way, but I’ll be sure to give you a call when I’ve made my decision. Stone Investments wasn’t at the top of my list, but after tonight, I can safely say you’ve moved up a few notches.”
And you’ve moved down to the bottom of our list. Keeping his polite smile in place, Beckett held out a hand and shook Preston’s again. He let out his first easy breath of the evening when the other man disappeared through the front door of the restaurant.
“What a fucking douchebag,” he said when he was certain they couldn’t be overheard.
“Oh, good. I thought it was just me.” Jonas let out a shaky laugh. “Something about him just seems… off.”
“Agreed. I believe I’ll be letting the board know tomorrow morning that we will not be accepting Preston Kingsley as a client.”
“They aren’t going to like that.”
“Yeah, well. It’s still my company.” Though he couldn’t deny the ripple of unease that passed through him. Even if he didn’t want to bring Preston on board, he could easily be overruled.
But he’d built Stone Investments brick by fucking brick, and he’d built it on a legacy of treating every person who walked through their door with the dignity they deserved.
And he was damn well going to keep that legacy alive and thriving if it was the last thing he did.
“We’ll figure it out.” Jonas clapped a hand to Beckett’s shoulder and squeezed. “We should get going. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home to the pretty barista whose name you were very careful not to mention during dinner.”
“There’s nothing to mention.” No point in bringing up a woman he was just having a casual… whatever it was they were having. It was definitely more than a fling, but not quite a relationship.
Was that what the internet called a ‘situationship’ these days?
God, he felt old.
“Uh-huh,” Jonas said, his tone dry and disbelieving. “So not worth mentioning that you were checking your phone every thirty seconds before dinner to see if she’d texted you?”
“First of all, we’re going to have to talk about how observant you are. It’s rude. Second of all, it’s not like that. She’s been sick and I’m worried about her.”
Concern passed over Jonas’s features. “Has she checked in yet?”
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Beckett frowned at the screen. An old, familiar fear churned in his gut as he scrolled through the notifications. “No. And she should have been done with work hours ago.”
“Then what the hell are you still doing standing here talking to me? Go check on your woman.”
Doing so certainly fell more into ‘Daddy’ territory, and outside their negotiated relationship. But he knew from experience he’d never forgive himself if he ignored his instincts and something happened to her.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”
Ruby
Stumbling into her apartment well after the time she was supposed to be getting home, thanks to Nancy deciding at the last minute there was some task Ruby just had to stay late to complete, Ruby bypassed her kitchen and went straight to her bedroom where she fell face down onto her bed.
Thank god she wasn’t scheduled at the club tonight. She wasn’t sure she would have survived it. The stuffy nose and headache she’d been fighting since Saturday seemed intent on hanging around, but the worst part was just how fucking exhausted she was.
Although, she was pretty sure the exhaustion was Nancy’s fault. Nobody could be around that woman for eight whole hours without feeling like they’d been put through the wringer, as far as Ruby was concerned. She hadn’t even had five minutes to herself to text Beckett back, which she had no doubt she’d be hearing about whenever she did find the time to talk to him.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely Nancy’s fault. Ever since she’d made that stupid bet with Cordelia, she was feeling much less sure of her role in their relationship than she had been.
Did Beckett love her? Was she just being oblivious?
All questions to be answered once it no longer felt like her brain was too big for her skull.
“Just an hour. I just need an hour to close my eyes and then I’ll get up and make dinner.”
She woke to the sound of someone pounding at her front door, each heavy knock joining with the pounding in her head to rattle her senses as she forced herself from the bed.
“I’m coming, I’m coming! Hold your fucking horses.”
Yanking the door open, she blinked blearily up at Beckett. A panicked, worried-looking Beckett, rather than the furious one she’d expected to go toe to toe with once she’d gathered the courage to actually text him back. “Oh. Hi.”
Beckett blinked, then blinked again. “‘Oh. Hi.’ That’s all you have to say for yourself, little girl? I’ve been trying to reach you all fucking day! I’ve been worried sick about you!”
Maybe it was manipulative. She’d worry about that later. But her eyes immediately filled with tears at his scolding and she sniffled, the sound pitiful even in her own ears. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh, baby. Come here.” Stepping forward, he bent and scooped her up into his arms, kicking the door shut behind her before carrying her back to her room. “What’s wrong? Are you still feeling sniffly?”
Relief flooded her, and it was a good thing he was holding her because she wasn’t sure her own legs would be up to the task. Daddy was here, and he’d make everything better.
Except, she didn’t want him to make it all better. Didn’t want to rely on him to take care of her, even when she felt a bit like she might be dying.
But even as that logical part of her brain tried to remind her of all the reasons this was dangerous ground, she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. “Uh-huh. And my head still hurts.”
And her throat. And her chest.
Fuck.
“Poor baby.” Settling on the edge of her bed with her still cradled in his arms, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re a little warm. Do you have a thermometer?”
“No.”
She felt as much as heard him sigh. “All right. Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“No.”
“Do you have soup here, or do you want me to order you something?”
“I dunno.” She didn’t want to have to decide. She just wanted to curl up in his arms and not have to worry about anything.
“Okay, baby. Daddy will take care of it. Why don’t you change into some comfy pjs and I’ll figure out dinner.”
Common sense, and a little bit of shame crept up inside her, crowding out the relief of having him there. “You don’t have to do that. I’m not that sick.”
Beckett raised an eyebrow, and everything inside her quaked. “If you’re not that sick, then we need to have a talk about you ghosting me all day with no explanation.”
Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. “Um, no thank you.”
“Then I suggest you stop arguing with me, Ruby Red. Because the next time you say you’re ‘not that sick’, I’m going to take you at your word and put you right over my knee. Understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” He pressed another gentle, sweet kiss to her forehead. “Go change, and then it’s right back to bed with you, little girl.”
She still felt a little guilty as she changed and climbed back into her bed. It was wrong, letting him play Daddy like this when she had no intention of letting their relationship grow into anything more. Especially if, as Cordelia and the others seemed to think, he was in love with her.
But that was a problem for healthy Ruby. For now, Daddy was here, and everything was okay.
Everything was fine.
Really.