Chapter 48
Seventeen
The gnocchi had been mouth-wateringly delicious. Everyone had been in high spirits at dinner. Emma had laughed and felt buoyant. Cal had flirted with her and given her his wine. Emma had already warned him that she was involved with someone, so she wasn’t worried about misunderstandings.
Everyone commented on how happy she seemed.
And she knew she looked prettier now than she ever had before.
Mr. Lawford had taken her to a two-hundred-dollar-per-session hair stylist and her hair fell in bouncy waves around her face, her make-up looked fresh and sexy, and her clothes fit better than they had in her life because he’d convinced her not to give up when shopping and buy the first thing that fit halfway decent.
It was about finding the exact right piece that suited her.
Her snug jeans and low-cut, flared shirt were perfect. The top flirted with sexy while still being comfortable. She passed the bar on her way to the bathroom. A hand shot out and caught her just under her ribs.
She stopped short and turned to tell the man to let her go until she realized it was Him. Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward, her arms sliding around his neck. He was dressed in a suit and looked gorgeous.
“Hi, Sir. I didn’t know you were here. Did I miss a text?”
Shay shook his head. “Give me a kiss.”
She smiled and kissed him. He tasted like a Bloody Mary, her favorite, and smelled like the aftershave that made her ache for him. She lingered in his arms until she remembered why she’d been crossing the club in the first place.
“I was going to visit the ladies’ room. May I go and come back?”
He nodded, giving her butt a soft swat as he sent her off.
Emma shivered. This was turning into one of her favorite days ever. She’d been dying to see him, but he’d encouraged her to make more friends, so she was trying.
She used the restroom quickly and checked her makeup. Her cheeks were bright pink. Too many drinks and too excited to see him, she thought, trying to cool them with her fingertips.
She fanned her face, which seemed to do no good. Luckily the club was somewhat dark. She wove through the patrons and noticed the bartender was flirting with her Sir. Emma frowned, watching the woman lean forward to touch his arm as she served him his drink.
Emma approached and stood next to his chair, narrowing her eyes at the bartender.
“She served your drink. Why doesn’t she go away?” she murmured.
He glanced at her. “Problem, pet?” he asked in a low voice.
“It’s crowded here,” she said, staring at the female bartender who was ignoring other customers so she could focus on Master Shay. She wore low cut jeans and a slinky top and was skinny except for her boobs. Probably fake, Emma thought gloomily.
“It’s really crowded,” Emma repeated, then leaned forward to whisper. “Would Sir like to take his pet somewhere private? I’m sure he’d enjoy that more than here.” Her hand on his side curled to compel him off the barstool.
Master Shay slid a hand into her hair and kissed her neck. “When I’m ready to leave, I’ll say so. Don’t try to top from the bottom, Em. The only thing you’ll succeed in doing is getting your ass punished.”
“Is it wrong for a pet to want to be alone with her master whom she hasn’t seen in two days?” she challenged.
“No,” he said, resting his hand on her low back, close to her butt. A little thrill ran through her. She liked him touching her there. “But it is wrong for her to try to manipulate him, which she very well knows.”
Emma pouted.
“Thanks for reminding me what a pretty pout you have. Later, I’ll give you plenty to pout about.”
“I don’t care,” she whispered, glaring at the bartender.
Master Shay laughed.
“Does she have a stamp?” the bartender asked Shay. “If she’s underage, she can’t sit at the bar.”
Master Shay’s expression cooled when he turned his head to the bartender. “She’s not sitting at the bar.”
Emma smiled covertly. The woman had taken the wrong approach.
“You know what I mean. She should trot back to her friends. They’ve been trying to get her attention,” the woman said, nodding to the table.
Shay glanced over, then returned his gaze to Emma’s face. “How was dinner?”
“Delicious,” she said and then elaborated when he asked for details.
He drank, not hurriedly, as he listened. The bartender moved away with a roll of her eyes.
“Will you tell me about your day, Sir? Did you have a chance to work on MindSnap for fun? Or did you have to spend the day working on the bugs in the media interface?”
“The team needed help today.”
“Did you find the big bug?”
He nodded.
“Were you able to fix it?”
“Of course. In the hands of the right master, all defiant behavior is overcome sooner or later.”
She chuckled. “I found an article in Forbes that mentioned you. I didn’t know you majored in mathematics.”
He nodded.
“It called you a genius.”
“That word gets tossed around a lot.”
“It mentioned you made a major deal while you were still in college. It implied that you wouldn’t need to work if you didn’t want to.”
“Hmm.”
“I thought…”
“What?”
“I thought you worked so hard because you were trying to establish yourself. Are you already established? Already very successful?”
“You saw how I live.”
“You said you rented the house from a family friend. I assumed the rent wasn’t as high for you as it might’ve been for a stranger.”
“When I first arrived, I rented the house. Then I decided to stay, so I bought it.”
“Oh,” she said, glancing at the floor.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel silly. I’ve been telling you about all my successes on school exams and projects, like it’s a big deal.
By the time you were a sophomore in college, you weren’t up to your ears in school loans and still unsure of what you were going to do with your life.
You’d already made your first million. Or many millions, if the article’s implications are true.
You must have been rolling your eyes every time I—and that night at the club, when I said I was on track to graduate summa cum laude.
” She cringed. “Like you should be impressed.” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me to shut up?”
“Do I have trouble telling you what I want you to do?”
She shook her head, glancing up at him.
“If I’d wanted you to stop talking about school, I would have told you to talk about something else. Since I didn’t, you should assume I like hearing that things are going well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Smart kittens are sexy.”
She smiled.
“Hey,” Cal said from behind Emma. She and Shay both turned. “Who’s this?” Cal asked her, frowning slightly at Shay’s hand resting on Emma’s hip.
“Shay Urland,” Sir said, extending a hand.
Cal shook it, but didn’t even give his own name in greeting. He just blurted, “Emma’s boyfriend?”
“For all intents,” Shay said. “Congratulations on your study group’s success.”
“Thanks. So what’s up with tonight? Sending the car? Showing up unannounced? Sitting at the bar, instead of coming over to meet everyone? What’s the deal? Are you married or something? Trying to keep track of your college girlfriend while still keeping the relationship secret?”
Emma’s jaw dropped.
The corners of Shay’s mouth quirked up into a smirk. “Whatever I’m doing, it’s none of your business.”
“We’re worried about Emma.”
“Collectively, you’re worried? As her study group?” Shay asked lightly.
Cal shrugged. “We all think it’s weird. The girls said that when a guy shows up out of the blue to keep an eye on his girlfriend, it’s never a good sign.
“It’s the first time Emma has been out with us. Are you trying to keep her on that tight a rein? You’d have to be really jealous and really controlling to send a car so you’d know exactly where she goes. Did you show up because the driver told you she was flirting with me?”
“No, I hadn’t heard about the flirting,” Shay said, giving her a speculative look.
“It was not a big deal, Sir—seriously,” she said, blushing. Had Cal noticed that she’d called Shay Sir? She’d hurried the word seriously in after the slip, but she wasn’t sure she’d been quick enough to cover.
“Emma, why don’t you come back to the table? We’ll take a cab back to campus,” Cal said.
Emma wrinkled her nose. “I don’t need a cab. There’s a car to drive me back to campus. If you guys are ready to go, though, don’t feel like you have to wait for me.”
“Come with us,” Cal said, putting a hand out to take Emma’s arm, but Shay’s hand reached her arm first so that Cal’s landed on Shay’s. Cal jerked his hand back and tried again, but again Shay’s hand got in his way.
“What the hell?” Cal said, scowling at Shay.
“Don’t try to touch what doesn’t belong to you,” Shay said, his voice low. “I know you’re drunk, kid, but you’re not blind. She hasn’t left my side since she saw me. Deep down, you know she’ll stand here all night if I want her to. Walk away.”
“Emma, did you hear what he just said?” Cal asked. “That you’d stand here all night if he told you to?”
“I heard him. I had a really nice time with the group. Dinner was great—”
“At least come and say goodnight to everyone,” Cal said, holding out a hand.
Emma glanced at Shay who shook his head. He was clearly hammering home his point.
“I’ll see you guys in class on Tuesday.”
“Wow. Seriously? He shakes his head, and you don’t even—I mean, no common courtesy or anything? You just do whatever he says?”
Emma fidgeted. Why didn’t Cal just go? Was he trying to make things more awkward than they already were?
When neither she nor Master Shay said anything further, he finally did walk away.
At the table, there was an animated discussion.
“Should we leave?” Emma asked.
“No,” Shay said, finishing his drink. He signaled the male bartender for another. “And a Coke with lemon for her,” he said.
Emma loved Coke with lemon, but she wasn’t in the mood for anything. She wanted to avoid another strained interaction with her classmates. Apparently, Shay didn’t care about avoiding scenes.
Mary and Hannah strolled up. “Hey, Emma, Cal said you’re staying?” They glanced at Shay and then back at Emma.
“Yes. I had a really good time tonight with you guys. But I haven’t seen Shay in a couple of days and now that he’s here, I don’t want to leave. You understand? And sorry, let me introduce you,” she said, introducing them to him.
Shay nodded.
“But you’re okay?” Hannah asked.
“Of course.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Honestly.”
“Well, it’s just a little weird,” Hannah said. “I mean we came together, and you said we’d take the car back together. Now we’re supposed to take a cab.”
“The car can take you back,” Shay said. “The cab was your friend Cal’s idea.”
“Oh,” Hannah said, glancing at the table where Cal was talking to Bobby.
“Well, we’d rather do that,” Mary said. “So Emma, Shay will drive you back then? Or do you want the car to come back for you? Just so we know what to tell—”
“Sweetheart, stop,” Shay said to Mary. “I have Emma. She couldn’t get stranded in a blizzard on Mt. Everest. Anywhere, anytime, a car, a driver, a Sherpa, a SWAT team, whatever it takes, Emma is covered.”
Mary and Hannah stared at him. “Are you like…in the Mafia or something?” Hannah asked, looking a little awestruck.
Shay laughed. “Or something. Have a nice night,” Shay said, making a swish with his hand, signaling them to leave. They did, and Shay led Emma to a wicker couch on the open-air patio.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Did you flirt with that guy?”
“A little. I told him I was involved with someone. He flirted. I flirted back. It was innocent.”
“I’m sure.”
“Are you mad at me for that?”
He shook his head. “But you’re a bombshell, Em. Be careful how you use that power.”
She studied him over the rim of her glass.
“Why didn’t anyone notice I was such a bombshell before?
I had boyfriends who said they thought I was pretty, but I never got much attention beyond a few people.
Now all the sudden, there’s a lot of attention.
Is it because I changed my hair?” she asked, touching her loose curls.
Shay grinned and shook his head. “I do like your haircut, but no. If I had to speculate, I’d bet it’s because you used to cover yourself up with clothes that didn’t flatter you and kept your head in a book most of the time with an attitude that said, ‘not comfortable in my own skin.’ Now you’ve changed your style, and your attitude is different, too.
When you walked across the club tonight, you were the sexiest thing on two legs.
The swing of your hips, the bouncing breasts, the smile. You must feel different.”
She clasped her hands and nodded. “When I was growing up, all I ever heard was that I should try harder to change my body, that I was a walking disaster. At the Marquis and with you, I don’t feel like a disaster.
Plus, you’ve made me expose myself so completely, naked and open while you look at me…
If I can get through that and actually feel okay, nothing can really hurt me.
Walking across the room in a form-fitting skirt or jeans isn’t hard anymore.
Also, honestly, your opinion is the only one I care about right now.
So it’s easy to relax and have fun when I’m out. There’s no pressure.”
“I’m glad.” Shay glanced at his phone. “Wait here while I close out my tab.” He went to the bar and settled the check, then returned.
“I hate for the night to end,” she said.
“It’s not over.”
“It’s so late. We can’t go all the way to the club. Are you taking me home with you?” she asked hopefully.
“And waste time driving?” he said, shaking his head. “I booked a room for the night. The driver’s waiting for us downstairs.”
She smiled. “I noticed you drank more than usual. I figured you planned to have the driver take you home at the end of the evening.”
He winked.