Chapter 41
CHAPTER 41
BECKETT
A week after his showdown with Preston Kingsley, Beckett walked into Club BDE with Ruby at his side. She was sulking a bit, probably because he’d plugged her with the largest plug he owned as a reminder for her to behave herself.
And, though he hadn’t told her yet, because he had every intention of flogging her into a mindless mess tonight and then fucking her gorgeous ass once they got back home.
His home, which was quickly becoming theirs. To his surprise, she’d already packed up nearly all of her clothes and moved into his closet, along with a few other boxes of things from her apartment.
Apparently when his girl made up her mind about something, she didn’t waste any time. Which was perfectly fine by him.
“Do I have to wear this thing all night?” she asked as they climbed the stairs up to the restaurant.
“Yes.”
“Ugh. But why ?” Her voice pitched up to a whine, and he was surprised she didn’t straight up stomp her foot as they stepped onto the gleaming hardwood floors.
Pausing beside the stairs, he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Close enough to catch the sharp intake of breath, and to see her pupils widen with need. “Because Daddy said so.”
Pink rose to her cheeks in an adorable flush. “Oh.”
“Mmhmm. And my good girl does what her Daddy says, doesn’t she?”
A mischievous smile curved her lips. “Sometimes.”
“Touché, Ruby Red. Touché. Allow me to rephrase.” Lowering his head, he dropped his voice to a low growl. “My good girl does what her Daddy says if she doesn’t want to get her bottom caned and fucked in front of the entire club. Doesn’t she?”
Her eyes widened and her breath caught, but the mischief was still there, dancing in her eyes. Along with a healthy dose of need that had his cock twitching in his pants. “Y-yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Let’s go find our friends.”
It didn’t take long, since nearly the entire gang was seated at a huge table in the middle of the floor, including Cordelia and Ivy. They must have had the night off, because Cordelia was wearing a gray suit with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows over a very see-through corset, instead of the usual outfits she wore whenever she was working. She’d told him once that the other Doms were more likely to tip if she was dressed as a more popular fantasy like a cheerleader or a schoolgirl.
It was always fun to see those same Doms do a double take when she walked in looking like the absolute badass she was. Even more so when they watched her put Ivy through her paces with more skill than any of them could ever hope to have.
The only one missing from their group was Frankie, which probably explained the brooding expression on Holden’s face.
“You’re here!” Jumping up from the table with a squeal, Lottie raced forward, throwing her arms around Ruby’s neck before taking her hand to drag her back to the table. “You have to tell us everything . You’ve been very stingy with the details in our group chat, naughty girl.”
“Charlotte.” Braden raised an eyebrow. “We talked about this at home. Do you need a reminder?”
Color flooded Lottie’s cheeks as she shook her head. “No, Daddy.”
“Good. Sit down and let Ruby breathe for a minute before you start pestering her with questions.”
“I am not pestering her,” Lottie grumbled, her bottom lip pushing out in a pout. “I just wanna know what’s going on.”
“I’m sure you’ll get your answers soon, Lottie-bug. Just be patient.”
“I swear, it’s like you don’t even know me.”
Laughter erupted around the table as he and Ruby took their seats, and even Holden managed a smile and a shake of his head for Lottie’s brattiness.
Beckett and Ruby took their seats in the middle of the table, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit like he was being put on display. And judging by the tightness around Ruby’s smile she was feeling the same.
Placing a hand on the back of her neck, he gave it a gentle squeeze. Not in warning, but just a reminder that he was right there if she needed him. That he would always be right beside her, no matter what. Almost immediately, he felt the tension drain from her shoulders and her expression turned almost serene.
“Oh, look how cute they are.” Hand over her heart, Ivy let out a dreamy sigh. “I’ve never seen Ruby look like that. It’s so sweet I could cry.”
“No tears, blossom. Save them for when I get you down to the pit.”
Now it was Ivy’s turn to blush and duck her head, though Beckett caught a glimpse of her grin before she did so.
“Okay, to address the elephant in the room, yes, we are together. Everyone happy now?” Ruby asked, pinning each of their friends with a glare in turn.
“I won’t be happy until you tell me what happened .” Despite the warning look from her Daddy, Lottie leaned forward, her eyes lit with excitement. “So take us through the whole thing and don’t you dare leave anything out.”
“Since you probably won’t leave us alone until we do, fine,” Ruby said with a roll of her eyes.
Leaning back in his chair, he let his girl do the talking. It was fun to hear it from her point of view, especially when she got to the part about him punching Preston in the face.
There was a collective gasp from the submissives at the table, and cheers from the Doms, including Cordelia. And, a moment later, a quiet chuckle from behind him as a hand came to land on his shoulder. “I see you didn’t need my assistance, after all.”
Twisting around, he grinned up at Killian. “No, but I did invoke your name. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Always happy to lend a helping hand in putting the fear of god into men who hurt women. I’m glad it worked out for you.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Eyes wide with pure shock, Ruby held up a hand. “ Master O is the mafia guy you threatened Preston with?”
Killian grinned, clearly amused by her surprise. “The one and only.”
“You didn’t know?” Lottie asked, confusion knitting her brows. “I thought everyone knew.”
“I didn’t even know his name was Killian until right this second! He introduced himself as Master O the first time we met and nobody ever said otherwise. What else have you people been keeping from me?”
Grinning, Ice raised his whiskey glass to his lips. “Did Beckett ever tell you about the bet?”
Ruby turned, her eyes narrowing as her gaze locked on his face. “What bet?”
It took more effort than he cared to admit not to squirm in his seat. “I wouldn’t say it was a bet , exactly. More like… a gentleman’s agreement.”
“What kind of agreement, Beckett?” she asked, her voice taking on a dangerous tone.
“Let me start by pointing out that you also had a bet going, which is what prompted ours.”
For the second time that evening, she looked completely and utterly shocked. “You knew about that?”
“I did. Well, Holden did. Apparently our giant friend over there has spies all around the club and a little birdie told him about the bet you’d made that you could out-brat me. So he asked me to prove you wrong.”
“So our first scene together? Was that just an act?”
It was the hurt radiating off her that had him leaning in to press a kiss to her pouty lips. “Not a single second of it, baby. I promise. I would have stuck it out whether Holden had asked me to or not. I’m pretty sure I was already halfway in love with you before I ever touched you.”
“Hmmph. Well, I think I should be provided some kind of compensation for this bet. Since it was my ass on the line, literally, the entire time.”
“Drumming lessons from Silver aren’t enough?” he asked, forcing himself to hold back a laugh when she blushed.
“Okay, we need to find this spy and turn them to our side,” she grumbled.
From the end of the table, Holden let out a snort of laughter. “Never gonna happen. Trust me.”
“For what it’s worth, I feel I owe Frankie a debt of gratitude. I’m not sure you would have put up with me long enough for me to make you fall in love with me if it hadn’t been for your bet with her.”
“Speaking of Frankie,” Lottie interjected, her expression turning concerned. “Has anyone heard from her? She hasn’t texted me or anything in two days and I’m starting to worry.”
Holden rose from his seat as everyone around the table shook their heads. “Where was the last place you know for sure she was?” he asked, tapping furiously on his phone.
“Um, school, I think. She had a big test a couple days ago, and then she just… poofed. I mean, it’s not like she’s missing because her parents would have called me looking for her, but I’m really worried she’s not texting me. I was actually planning to swing by her dorm tomorrow if I still hadn’t heard from her.”
“I’d be grateful.” Holden’s voice was grim. “In the meantime, I have my own ways of tracking down wayward little girls. I’ll see you all around.”
“Oh, Lottie, honey. Don’t cry.” Jumping up from her seat, Ivy raced around the table to wrap her arms around Lottie’s shoulders.
“I’m not. It’s just… the last time she did this she was in a really bad place and I’m trying not to freak out.”
Ruby reached across the table to grip Lottie’s hand as everyone crowded around her in comfort and solidarity. “If anyone can find her, it’s Holden. And you know if she’s in trouble, he’ll take care of her. Whether she wants him to be or not, that man is her Daddy.”
Because he knew all too well how that felt, Beckett made a mental note to contact Holden in the morning and check in.
Their time together didn’t last much longer after that. Braden bundled Lottie up and took her home, and it was a testament to how worried she must have been that she didn’t bother to argue. After that, nobody really seemed to be in the mood for a scene, so they all went their separate ways.
Hand in hand, Beckett and Ruby made their way out to his car. But instead of opening the door for her, he pinned her to the side of the vehicle, sliding his hands under her jacket as he lowered his head to capture her lips in a long, slow kiss.
“Mmm. Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” Ruby asked, her expression dreamy when he lifted his head.
She no longer looked worried or stressed, which had been his actual aim. But she wouldn’t appreciate knowing that, so he shrugged. “You said you thought you deserved some compensation for being a part of my bet with Holden. Consider yourself compensated.”
“Oh, really? You think that takes care of your debt?”
“Did you have another form of payment in mind?”
“Yeah.” Grinning, she looped her arms around his neck. “I was thinking more along the lines of forever.”
Nothing she could have asked for would have delighted him more. “Was that a marriage proposal, Ruby Red?”
“Hell no. You’re going to buy me a giant fucking rock and then you’re going to take me to some exotic location and do it right. This is just me letting you know that I probably wouldn’t say no.”
“Probably?”
“Depends on how much you’ve pissed me off that day. So watch yourself, Bex.”
“Oh, little girl. You are so going to regret that.”
Her smile turned a little wicked and mischief danced in those dark brown eyes that had been his undoing from the start as she tilted her head back, inviting him in. And when he leaned down to claim that gorgeous, sassy mouth, she whispered against his lips.
“Wanna bet?”