Reuben Chapter 4 #2
“Reuben, I know you joined our group tonight to keep an eye on Rhys. Thank you, but it’s not necessary for future reference.
Yes, his joining us made me uncomfortable.
I didn’t say anything to get him kicked out, because I thought it would go better if he saw I was having a good time with other men.
I wanted him to be intimidated by the competition, though in reality, he’s never been in the acceptable man category.
Plus, I believe most people deserve a second chance, and this was his.
He won’t get another.” The edge to her tone alerted me to the fact that he’d said something to upset her more.
“What did he say?” I uttered gruffly. I said it as a command on purpose.
Her swift inhalation might’ve indicated she disliked my tone, but the way her cheeks flushed and her breathing increased, I got my first hint at what Cristiana liked. She wasn’t turned off entirely by a guy taking charge. Good to know.
“Don’t think you can boss me and I’ll fall into line all the time,” she warned.
I leaned my head closer to hers. “Will it get you to obey sometimes?” I whispered seductively.
This time, she shuddered, and the blush darkened. I ran my thumb across her cheek. “God, look at you. So beautiful, and this blush is sexy. Don’t distract me yet. Tell me what he said,” I half-commanded, half-cajoled.
“H-he was demanding to know why I was willing to spend time with all these men and have drinks, but I wasn’t with him.
He said that it wasn’t right that I wouldn’t give him a fair chance.
Rhys insisted that he and I spend time alone so he could show me that he’s the kind of man I’m seeking.
I told him that the others approached in a different, less disturbing manner.
I feel safe with them. He hated that. He said I was stupid if I thought they didn’t want what he does, and for thinking any of you are safer.
Then he…” Her voice faded away. Her gaze left mine.
Executing another fancy twirl and footwork, I waited until we resumed regular dancing before I lifted her chin.
“Look at me, Cristiana,” I demanded.
When she didn’t, I repeated it, with more force. Her lashes lifted. Her pupils were dilated. Christ, she was responding to me. I fought back the elation—one thing at a time.
“What else did he say? It clearly upset you. Tell me. You can trust me, Cristiana,” I told her softly. She hesitated a couple of moments more before she answered me.
“He mentioned you when he said I was stupid for trusting any of you. Rhys pointed out that you were the last man I should trust. He went on to tell me, as if he thought we were going to become involved, that you might play with me a few times, but you’d grow bored quickly and move on.
You always do. And that if I thought I’d be your only plaything or lover during our time together, I was wrong.
I told him that we’re not planning to be play partners or anything else, but if we were, he was the last person I’d listen to.
He was upset and swore at me a few times.
Thankfully, the song came to an end, and I had a reason to walk away. ”
As Rhys’s tales about me sank in, my fury grew. I realized my hands had tightened when Cristiana gasped and looked down at her arm. Noting the hold I had, I immediately lessened it.
“God, I’m sorry, carino, honey. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“Reuben, I’m fine. It just hurt for a second,” she rushed to reassure me.
“That son of a bitch needs to shut up about things he knows nothing about. How would he know what I would or wouldn’t do regarding you, us?”
“He was just being ugly. Don’t worry, I’m not presuming either of those would happen. He’s lashing out. It’s clear he sees you as the biggest threat for some reason.”
The reason was that he knew I was the one most interested in her. I hadn’t fooled him. But there was something I had to clear up. Needing more time alone with her, I rushed on.
“Cristiana, we need to talk about this more. Will you please come to my office? We’ll have privacy. No one will be able to eavesdrop. I have more questions for you. I’ve got to ensure your safety.”
Her steps faltered for a second before she synced back up with mine. The song was almost over. “Please,” I begged.
“Alright, yes, I’ll speak to you away from him. But how will we get rid of the others? I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”
I was less than thrilled she was worried about their feelings, but I pushed that away. “Let me take care of it. They won’t be upset,” I assured her.
Relief overcame me when she nodded as the song ended. Wrapping her arm over my forearm, I proudly escorted her back to the table. No one had left. Rhys was scowling. He didn’t attempt to hide it. Rather than seating her, I held on to her arm.
“Gentlemen, I hate to do this, but I have an urgent matter that I need to speak to Cristiana about. It can’t wait. She hates to cut the evening short, but we’ve got to do it tonight. Will you please excuse us?”
Although they were less than thrilled, I noted the way their eyes shifted to Rhys, then back to her and me. They guessed it was regarding him.
“Thank you for such an amazing night. I can’t wait to see you again,” Sawyer uttered first.
One after the other, the Doms all said some variation of what Sawyer said.
She gave them each a smile and promised she’d see them next time she was there.
She wished them a wonderful remainder of the night.
The only one she didn’t was Rhys. His face darkened more after each apology she made to the other men.
When she glanced over at him, all she did was give him a single nod and said, “Goodnight.” There was no promise of a future meeting.
The others were rising and saying goodbye to each other. Rhys barely contained himself. Not wanting to give him a chance to say something else to her, I nudged her in the direction of the elevator.
We had to return to the second floor to get to my office.
Usually, she’d be denied entrance to that floor because of the amount of her alcohol consumption, but since she was with me, it was fine.
We were on the elevator and the doors were closing when I saw Rhys rush toward it.
His glare was clear. I smirked as the doors shut.
Exiting the elevator on the second floor, I waved away the attendant.
She nodded and wished us a good night. We did the same to her.
I didn’t slow down. I had to get Cristiana behind closed doors before that asshole caught up to us.
I had no doubt he was coming after us. I led and weaved us through the throngs of people to get to my office.
It was tucked in a corner, down a short hallway.
We made it without spotting Rhys. When we arrived, as I unlocked and ushered her inside, I noticed she was scanning where I worked. My office was painted dark green and cream. It was tidy because I disliked chaos on my desk. Everything had a place. I was a little OCD.
“Let’s sit here,” I told her, guiding her to the sofa. It was comfortable. I knew it was because I’d slept on it more than a couple of nights when I was too tired or too drunk to go home.
Sinking down, I angled myself so that I could look at her. She scooted herself to do the same with me after she saw me do it. Her hands were clasped together on her lap.
“What was it you needed to tell me?” she asked.
“A lot. Let’s start with Rhys. It’s clear after the way he joined the group and then spoke to you while you danced that he hasn’t learned.
You need to be careful, Cristiana. I don’t want to make you afraid.
I’m not saying that he’ll turn into a stalker or anything, but it’s better to be safe.
When you’re here, there’s me, the security team, hell, even catching anyone nearby and asking for help will get someone to come.
“The guys noticed there was something wrong. They asked me about it when you were dancing with Rhys. I explained the general outline of what was up. They’ve all said they’ll watch out for you when you’re here.
The bigger concern is outside of here. Again, I’m not saying he’ll be a problem, but you should always be aware of your surroundings.
Your safety comes first. You just don’t know if someone gets something twisted in their head,” I finished.
“Reuben, thank you for the advice. I’ll have to thank the others for saying they’ll watch out for me, but I can’t rely on other people to take care of someone who gets out of hand.
Whether it’s Rhys or not, I’ve learned to be alert and to watch my back.
I believe everyone, especially women and girls, should remain aware and learn to defend themselves.
There’s no telling when a stalker will come out of the shadows. It’s a terrifying situation to be in.”
The way she said those words triggered my alarms. This was what Mikhail had sensed those two times.
Her tone and the stiff way she held herself shouted that Cristiana was speaking from experience, not merely offering a generalization.
I reached over and picked up one of her hands.
Holding it, I asked gruffly, “Who stalked you, Cristiana?”
Her tug to break my grip failed. Alarm registered on her face.
“I said nothing about anyone doing it to me. It’s something women learn.” She attempted to deflect.
“You’re lying. I can feel it. I have a very highly developed sense of danger. Was it at that club you belonged to in Memphis or outside of there? How long ago? What happened to the person?” I fired off.
“You have no right to ask me these things, Reuben,” she snapped.
“Like hell I don’t. On a professional level, I most certainly do. We do everything necessary to ensure the safety of everyone who comes through those doors, whether they are patrons or employees. However, that’s not the only reason I’m asking you.”
“What other reason could you have? And no one said it happened at my old club,” Cristiana stated.
She was wide-eyed, but I wasn’t sure if it was due to wondering what the other reason was, or if I had guessed it was tied to her old club.
I’d come this far, I might as well tell her and get answers to the burning questions in my mind.
I prayed I wasn’t rushing things, but I wasn’t sure I could survive even a few more days without knowing.
“From the moment I saw you last weekend, you ensnared me. I’ve never experienced such an immediate and intense awareness of another person.
It morphed almost instantly into a desire to get to know you.
Additionally, I wanted to know what you thought of me.
This week has been torture for me. I’ve come to work every night and been on pins and needles wondering if you’d be here.
How soon could I see you again? When I didn’t see you, I wondered how soon you would be back.
I yearned to ask you if you were at all attracted to me.
I pledged to myself that if you weren’t here this weekend, I’d call you on Monday and set up a coffee date or something so we could talk. ”
When I paused, her mouth opened, but all that came out was her soft, “I-I don’t—” She stuttered, but I interrupted her.
“Shh, let me finish, and then you can speak. I prowled the club tonight looking for you. When I spotted the group of Doms huddling together, I was curious. That wasn’t typical behavior for them.
When I saw they were gathered around you, I wanted to barge in there and send them all running.
To tell them to get the fuck away from you, and if they didn’t, I’d make them.
My fists ached for action, which was shitty because I consider Sinner and Iker friends, and Sawyer is becoming one.
What I know of Odin and Atlas makes me believe they’re decent men.
I was about to join your bunch when Rhys came strolling up.
There was no goddamn way I was leaving you with him.
“Then I sat through the night, watching and listening to six other men doing their best to win your attention. They want you, and I can’t blame them, but it doesn’t change the fact that I want you.
Tell the truth, are you even a bit interested in me, or at least think there’s a possibility it can develop? ” I held my breath awaiting her answer.