Reuben Chapter 4
It was official. I was a glutton for punishment or a total goddamn masochist. I’d spent over an hour watching man after man talk to, flirt with, and dance with Cristiana.
It took more strength than I knew I had not to punch them all in the face as I yelled she was mine before throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her off to somewhere we could be undisturbed.
That vision ran through my head multiple times as I sat there stewing.
However, I had to pretend that it didn’t bother me.
What made it worse, though it should be impossible, was the presence of Rhys.
He’d inserted himself into the group upstairs before I had a chance to entice her away from the men.
The fact that he mainly stayed quiet and didn’t cause trouble should have reassured me.
It didn’t. Instead, it made my anxiety grow.
There was no way he had lost interest in her.
And if he was hiding it, then it was only a matter of time before he couldn’t do it anymore.
That was when he’d explode, and God help Cristiana when it happened.
I might be suppressing my feelings for her, too, but I would never hurt her. Rhys, I wasn’t sure of.
When I first joined them downstairs, I took out my cell and sent out a message to the main staff working tonight. I let them know where I was and that I would remain there unless any emergencies required my attention. Luckily, so far, none have bothered us.
Watching Cristiana dance with each of them had been torture for me.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists under the table each time.
Thankfully, none of them had held her plastered to them or tried any dirty dancing moves.
In between the dances, the conversation flowed, and I discovered a lot about her.
During that time, they had a few drinks.
Seeing Cristiana enjoy the champagne I selected for her made me proud.
I’d done something to please her. It fed my inner Dom.
When she came back from dancing with Sinner, I had a third glass waiting for her.
I knew if I asked if she wanted another, she’d decline.
But if it were already there, she wouldn’t let it go to waste.
Triumph shot through me when she accepted it.
As she drank it, I congratulated myself.
Not only had I ordered it for her pleasure, but it guaranteed she wouldn’t be able to return to the second floor tonight.
There would be no playing or anything more for her with any of these guys or others.
My satisfaction over essentially cock-blocking the Doms didn’t last long.
As soon as she finished her third flute of champagne, Rhys made his move.
He stood and held out his hand as he asked her to dance with him.
His words challenged her to tell him no.
If she did, the others would want to know why.
I clenched my teeth and fists. When she gave in and said yes, it was all I could do to stay in control.
Watching them walk off to the dance floor was excruciating.
As soon as they were out of earshot, the other guys began muttering.
“What the fuck is up with that guy? He’s barely said anything, and he just watches Cristiana. I mean, yeah, she’s gorgeous and all, but he gives off a creeper vibe. Or is it just me?” Atlas asked.
They all shook their heads. “No, it’s not just you. And even though she’s done well to cover it up, he makes her uneasy, big time,” Sawyer added.
“He was challenging her to say no to dancing. What the hell is going on between those two?” Odin snarled.
At any moment, at least one of us was watching them dance.
Rhys tried to bring her closer, but she resisted.
I was about to push back my chair to intervene when she pushed him, widening the gap between them.
She was listening to him talk. And even if she hid it, she wasn’t happy.
Occasionally, she said something back to him.
“Reuben, tell us what you know. I know you’re aware of what’s between them. It’s why you insisted on joining us, right?” Iker asked.
I debated a moment or two whether to say anything, but I’d rather have them helping to keep an eye on Rhys than not.
I felt that with this bunch, despite their interest in Cristiana, they wouldn’t harm her.
They had protective instincts, especially Iker, Sinner, and Sawyer.
Any guilt over talking about her private matters was overcome by the need to protect her.
“Don’t say anything to her, but last weekend, he was coming on strong.
She refused to let him buy her a drink. He came after her upstairs and was pushing for it when Mikhail and I happened to come along.
We put a stop to it and warned him. She’s friends with Tajah.
When I saw him join your group, I had to keep an eye on him.
We don’t tolerate anyone who can’t follow the rules.
He’s had his one warning. Any more trouble or complaints, and he’s done. ”
My revelation got them muttering darkly and saying how they’d knock his teeth out if he got inappropriate with her.
More sets of eyes glued themselves to the couple.
My tension eased a bit when the song ended and she pulled out of his arms. Rhys trailed along behind her, even though I saw him try to snag Cristiana’s arm so they could walk together.
His expression said he wasn’t happy. Hers showed me she was struggling to control her upset.
My tension spiked. I needed to find a way to question her without the others being present.
Moments before they got to the table, I stood and went to her chair. Her gaze met mine. I thought I saw relief in it, but there was more that she hid behind the downward sweep of her eyelashes.
“Thank you,” she murmured, waiting for me to pull out her chair. It was a natural assumption, given that my hands were on the back of it. I gave her a reassuring look.
“You’re welcome, and you may sit in about five minutes.”
“Why in five minutes?” she asked.
“Because it’s finally my turn for a dance. Surely, you didn’t think I’d let these ruffians think they know how to dance. You have to help me school them.”
I made it sound as if I was joking. The guys all took it that way based on how they began razzing me and defending their skills. Her mouth twitched as if she wanted to grin. I gave her what I hoped was a beseeching look.
Seconds later, she burst into laughter. “Please, stop with that look. I’ll dance with you if you stop. Let’s go. I want to see if you’re full of it, or the best out of this bunch,” she slightly taunted.
I smirked as I held out my hand. “Then come with me, milady, and leave these mere mortals behind. I’m a god on the dance floor,” I said smugly.
The guys’ jeers followed us as she gave me her hand and I escorted her to the dance floor. I caught the disgruntled expression on Rhys’s face.
“If you don’t produce, you’ll never hear the end of it, Reuben. You’d better hope you can prove it,” she teased as we arrived at the dance area.
“Don’t worry. Prepare to be left breathless with awe. Excuse me for a minute while I speak to the DJ.”
At her nod, I let go and hurried over to the DJ.
I hadn’t left her far from me. A brief discussion with the DJ had him smiling and promising to give us a fantastic song after the current one was done.
I returned to Cristiana to wait. We only ended up waiting a minute and a half.
I twirled her onto the floor as soon as the current song faded away.
The strains of the new song emerged from the speakers.
It was an old song, but it fit her perfectly—not just because of her top.
Strains of “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh flowed out.
I brought her as close as I could without pressing her to me, though I wanted to.
But I wasn’t sure how she felt about me, and I was hiding the erection growing in my pants.
Having Cristiana so close, with her scent filling my nose, was causing my body to go haywire.
In the past, since I became a Dom, I learned to control my body’s responses.
If I didn’t want to have an erection or to orgasm, I could hold them back.
With her, I saw it was hard not to. Her body was stiff, and I was about to ease away when I felt her become pliant in my arms. There were many things I wanted to discuss with her, but they had to wait.
The first thing was to see how she was holding up and if I was about to be able to kick Rhys’s ass.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Rhys has been looming, and then you were coerced into dancing with him. He seemed to have a lot to say when you did. You didn’t seem happy with whatever it was that he said.”
I watched her closely. I saw her trying not to let her feelings show.
Goddamn it, I knew we didn’t know each other, but I wanted her to trust me, nonetheless.
I spun her a few times. I hadn’t been bragging when I told her I could dance.
My mamá had insisted all her children learn to dance, not just her daughters.
Since she and Papá were avid dancers, they were our teachers.
And it wasn’t just the basic two-step we’d learned. Her gasp made me smile. I winked.
“See, I wasn’t lying. Those guys don’t stand a chance.”
Her laughter bubbled up and spilled out. Her joy at my remark made me smile back. When she stopped, her face resumed its somber expression.