Breaking His Rules Page 14

  I took the drink she handed me and sipped. It felt good going down my throat, warming me from the inside. It didn’t do anything for my growing fear of rejection, however.

  Then she got the guys’ drinks going. I noticed that ours were a much darker red from the cranberry chasers. She made the boys’ with barely a hint of the stuff. As if she wanted them good and inebriated.

  “Hey, hey…What’s with the stiff shots for the boys?” I had to ask.

  “Well, we happen to do this pretty often. We need a bit more fuel than you ladies,” Ashton interjected.

  “Sexist much? I happen to own a club. Did it ever occur to anyone that I can hold my liquor?” I wasn’t even sure why I had a slight edge. If Gloria had pointed out that I hate the taste of liquor, I wouldn’t have said a word. But with Ashton? I wanted to bite his head off. Or…maybe I wanted to do something else with him.

  “Cool. You can drink as much as you want. I’d nearly forgotten you downing that sextini, was it? Shall I order you one right now?” It could have been that I was off my game, but when he smiled with that perfect grill and slight set of dimples, I’m sure I melted.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “That you are.”

  Another heat flash. I had to wonder whether my deodorant was going to hold up.

  “We’re going to dance,” Gloria announced. It was so sudden I don’t know if they wanted to get rid of our killjoy asses, or if they genuinely wanted to go dance to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow.” Whichever it was, they eased by us, scooting between the table and where I sat. Gary grabbed her hand and was hot on her heels as she led the way. By the curtain, she raised the hand he held and did a little shimmy.

  “Oh, okay,” I said, even though she probably couldn’t hear me by then. Damn her. She was going to leave me alone with Brit Boy and I’d have to talk to him…or not. I could have walked out behind them. This was already awkward enough. In fact, I was pretty sure my brain signaled my feet to leave. Yet they didn’t move. Not. One. Step.

  “You angry about something?”

  His voice was gruff, taking me out of my space where I was actively trying to coax my limbs out of hiatus. “What?”

  “Pissed. Mad. Wanna cut me? Call me a tosser? Are you any of those things right now?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Well, you seem edgy. And I don’t know why you would be,” he said. He was perched on the chair, like he owned the place. “I’m the one who can’t get a call back.”

  I gave him my best glare, even if I didn’t feel it. Not really. “I could say the same of you.”

  “Could you? I think I’ve been pretty cordial. You know, for a man who’s been tossed out into the cold. You may as well have thrown a ‘bugger off’ after me. It would have been apropos.”

  “Apro-no. I had things to do around here. Besides, I was giving you an out, since you were clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen after you get what you want from women? Several times you’ve had what you wanted, might I add.” I was leaning forward then, my voice a bit more elevated than I wanted. I wasn’t even sure when that happened.

  “Ah…that’s it. It was preemptive. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I cannot be found in chapter ten of your How to Recognize a Shitty Arsehole handbook. Sometimes you should simply wait and see what people actually do and not just presume to know.” He on the other hand did not raise his voice, lean forward, or do any of that shit. Cool as a cucumber was what he was.

  I sat back, attempting to mimic his poise. “That’s completely imagined. Although I should write it. I have experience.”

  “Level with me. That man from the other day. He hurt you? Anyone else? It seems like you’re fending off a lot more pain than that.”

  “You would hurt me…if I let you.”

  “No, seriously. Was it the guy who was here yesterday? You have that trademark thing going on. I’ve seen it from time to time in women. The ones with a million years of experience showing in their eyes. Even if their eyes are quite exquisite.”

  “You want me to believe you wanted something other than sex? Which you got, by the way. I’m not—”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want the sex. I most certainly did. And for all your demonstration, you weren’t like this when you asked me back to your place after dancing last Thursday, nor when I was on top of you yesterday having the most mind-blowing sex of my life. Shit, I hope of yours, too.”

  “It was.”

  “A momentary lapse in judgment, right?”

  “I’m going to answer you if you stop interrupting.”

  “Okay, then. Go. Let me have it. I’m sitting here. I rode with Gary, so I’m a captive audience. Tell me. What has you so sure that I was going to hightail it out of there?”

  “I…I wasn’t sure. But then you did.”

  “You asked me to leave. Even yesterday, you wanted me gone once you got what you wanted, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “I thought you were trying to come up with an excuse.”

  “Oh, I see. You’re punishing me for what you thought. I’ve got it. Look, love.” The way he said the words sliced through me, but then he got up, moved to Gloria’s seat on the end of the red velvet couch, and leaned over, inches away from me. “I may indeed have had one thing on my mind. To be honest, our experience wasn’t that far off from my usual MO. But…I wasn’t there with you yet. And when I came back, I have to admit, part of it was ego. The rest was you. I think you’re funny, intelligent, and apparently one spectacular businesswoman. I was sincere when I asked you on another date. And I’m sincere now when I tell you I want to know what’s under that dress of yours. Are you even wearing underwear?”

  The blush hit hard and without warning, so intense it ran from my cheeks up to my ears, a lightning flash of heat. I took the drink I’d been holding and downed the thing. “What?” I asked, even though I’d heard him perfectly fine.

  “Sorry. I asked what you’re wearing under that dress. I’ve honestly been having the hardest time covering my erection in these slacks.”

  “Poor thing. You should have planned better,” I said, affecting a singsong voice.

  “I would have had I known you were the person I was meeting. Quite honestly, this is the first blind date I’ve ever been on where they actually got it spot-on.”

  I laughed. Mostly because I agreed with him. Usually I would have been out of there in fifteen seconds flat. “Okay, I can go with that one.”

  “Oh my god. Finally, you’re laughing. Why oh why do you make me work so hard to satisfy you?”

  “I’m not making you. It’s your choice to do that. I’m actually pretty low-maintenance.”

  “No, no. Beautiful women are never low-maintenance.”

  “Who’s using a rulebook now?”

  Something flashed in his eyes before he held his head down and smiled before looking at me again. “Oh no, you don’t. You do not have authorization to use my own psychology against me.”

  “Don’t I?” I was laughing again, the tension and fear of rejection I’d been combating when I walked in in the rearview. One thing was for sure—it was a first. I’d initially seen him and thought for sure I was in for a very public rejection. And here he’d surprised me yet again.

  As he stood, leaned over the table, and grabbed his highball glass, I watched him. He was certainly a smooth operator. His tailor-fit suit and impeccable build were enough to make my mouth water. He downed the drink, much like I’d done with my own, and turned his attention back to me. “Listen, if you want something casual with no strings, I can go for that. I won’t pretend with you. But this isn’t something I actually…Well, I don’t want to stop chasing you all over the city or to stop being friends. No relationship, no problem. But I think we can both get what we need out of this without making each other crazy,” he
said. Leaning over, he thumbed the strap of my dress. A wave of heat shot over me. A trio of girls wandered past the room, swaying to the music and singing at the top of their lungs. It wasn’t enough to break the connection Ash and I had. “Where can we go continue this conversation?”

  I should have said no. I should have kept my distance from this tall, handsome man who had trouble written all over him. I wondered how I would stay on the right side of the line I’d drawn in the sand. I should’ve ignored the flashes of heat that ran over my body. But I didn’t.

  “My office.”

  Chapter 13

  Ashton

  Some days were better than others. What classified them as such could be something minuscule. Other times what made them awesome was something a bit more monumental. Like when the most fit woman you’d ever met was leading you to her office in a dress so well-fitting you wondered if she’d sewn it onto her body. Never mind the slit in it, which made me believe in thighs again, rounded off with sky-high heels that made her bum sit perfectly. She had offered me everything I usually aspired to have in my nonrelationships. That would have to be enough. I was what was best for me and her, apparently.

  As Terra led me out of the VIP section, grabbing my hand so I could follow her onto the floor through the mass of bodies pumping and grinding to one of Drake’s newest songs and undoubtedly over to the stairway to her office, I was not completely oblivious to the looks she garnered from other men. I tried my hardest to give every one of them a look that read back the fuck off. Most of them, at least the ones I could see, adhered to my warning and eye daggers, but there’s always someone who wants to challenge the alpha.

  I saw him out of the corner of my eye and knew instinctually that something was up. He was hard to miss once you’d seen him before. I couldn’t recall his name off the top of my head, but it was him. The guy from yesterday was near the middle of the bar and seething. And heading in our direction.

  I gently tugged on Terra’s hand to alert her to the seemingly determined squirt coming our way. That’s what my father used to call them. Squirts equaled pissant blokes who were all puffed up air and no actual substance beneath their inflated exterior. It was as if the term was created special, just for guys like him.

  “Terra!” he yelled at the same time I pulled on her hand.

  Okay. So, he hadn’t calmed down from the previous day. Still, I didn’t let go of her hand.

  When she turned to face him, her eyes narrowed, it seemed, from my vantage point.

  “He’s back,” I said, drawing her close to me so she could hear me over the music.

  “Yeah.” I actually hadn’t heard her, but I was staring at her lips.

  “I need to talk to you…about the money. I need it.” He was closer now, and louder than before. The music was still bouncing off the walls from the bass, but he was loud and obnoxious. He didn’t appear drunk, so clearly that was his normal persona. Something was definitely off about him, though.

  When he got close enough to reach out and touch her, I took one step and was in front of her. I quickly let go of her hand and pushed her behind me. “Whoa there, mate. Why don’t you back up a bit? A little too close to…”

  “Who the fuck are you, Frenchie?” His breath was rancid, like the breath of a drug user. I’d run into a few of them before. He was classic. Dead eyes, black rings just below them.

  Maybe he hadn’t actually seen me standing behind Terra and Brice the day before. Didn’t matter to me one bit. “Nice. That’s a new one for me, but no. Clearly, accents aren’t your thing. It’s English. Actually, not that uncommon here in the States anymore.”

  “Shut the fu—”

  “Marcus,” Terra snapped. She stepped away from me and addressed him directly. “What do you want?”

  “I told you. I need that money,” he yelled, spit collecting in the corners of his mouth.

  “I sent it last week. You know the schedule and I just reminded you yesterday. You aren’t due another installment until next week. Remember? The judge ordered twice a month. You won’t get any more than that.” Her voice had a tone that reminded me of schoolteachers when they were trying to hide their frustration with a troublesome chap.

  I watched, my eyes ping-ponging between the two of them and trying to put it together. We’d talked into the wee hours the first night we’d been together and she’d never brought this pissant up. Hadn’t been exactly forthcoming about him the day before, either. A pang shot through me. Couldn’t place whether it was anger or jealously, but the more he aggressed on her, stepping closer and closer, the specifics of my emotions became less important.

  “Terra, we don’t have to do this the hard way. I’m trying to talk to you civil and make you see that I need it this time. For real.” He swayed on his feet, most likely coming down from his drug-induced haze.

  Stringing words together was obviously not his strong suit.

  “Marcus, there’s nothing more to be done. My lawyer cited your excessive drug use and somehow the judge sided with me. Go figure…”

  “Why do you have to be such an evil bitch, Terra?” The remainder of the crowd shifted, all eyes seemingly on us.

  Heat from the additional bodies around us and my growing anger was a dangerous mix. First instinct—knock his block off. But I didn’t want to embarrass Terra any more than she already was. Her eyes were wide and she’d been glancing around as the small crowd grew larger with each passing second. I sized him up. A good two inches shorter than I was. He was light in the arse, as if his weight would have been different had he laid off the drugs. His dark, ashen skin was probably made so due to his addictions. His lips were nearly dark purple in color. His clothing was expensive, yet dirty, mud on the bottom of one of his pant legs. From the bottom of my soul, I wanted to kick his ass.

  “Okay. I’ll take that. Will you please leave, Marcus?”

  “Not until I get my money.” He leaned in in a move that made her visibly more uncomfortable and me forget all about that gentleman shit. He’d gotten so close to her I was sure he was spitting in her face as he yelled at her.

  “All right, buddy. It’s time to go,” I said, stepping between them again.

  “I asked you before, who the fuck are you? Damn, you hard of hearing or something? This is between me and my wife anyway.”

  “I’m a friend of Terra’s.”

  “You a bouncer?”

  “No, but I don’t have to be, do I?” With a glance over my shoulder, I checked for the actual bouncers. Not that I needed any help with the loser, but once I knocked his ass out, I wanted someone to take out the trash. A small crowd was forming around the three of us, and I worried whether things would get chaotic. One of the waitresses was there and then she was gone. I was sure she had gone to get reinforcements.

  “If you wanna tangle with me, you probably should be.”

  I returned my attention to him, tired of his shit. And his smell. “C’mon. Let’s take this out of here.” I grabbed him by the collar. Not tight, but enough to let him know I would physically lift his ass free from his shoes and remove him from the premises.

  “It’s all right, Ashton,” Terra said. Her eyes were welling with tears, which only served to make me want to punch him in the grill even more, if that was possible.

  “No, it’s not all right. This is not okay, Terra. He should not show up here and harass you every day.” I still had a grip on his collar and he was actively beginning to squirm.

  “Shut up, goddammit,” he said. I hadn’t even fully turned back to him when I saw his hand reach around me and push Terra. She lost her footing on the tall heels and fell to the ground. She released a yelp as she hit the hard floor, then one of the people in the crowd reached for her, probably to help her up. Somewhere in there, I’d stopped tracking and all I saw was red.

  I wasn’t sure what happened first, whether I lost
it initially or if that was after my fist connected with his face. When he fell backward, I jumped on him and punched him in the grill a few times, unmoved as it was wet with blood. I would have kept on punching him, too, but there were hands on me from behind yanking me off the guy as he struggled to catch his breath. I hadn’t been aware of my hand on his throat, choking him as I punched him again and again.

  In an instant, I was up and being held back by two rather gruesome-looking gentlemen, one that I’d recognized from the door earlier. The other was a new guy. Shit, how many brick walls had Terra hired to pose as actual men? With a jackass like that lurking around, I couldn’t blame her.

  “All right, man. You kicked his ass. That’s enough.”

  My attention shifted to Terra. I wanted to make sure she was okay. The music had stopped and scores of people were surrounding us. “Terra,” I called out.

  “I’m here.” Another hand on my shoulder let me know she was somewhere beside me. “I’m right here, Ashton,” her voice louder without the music playing around us. It took me a second to register that she was okay, but once I did, air filled my lungs once more. I hadn’t been aware I wasn’t breathing until just then.

  “I’m okay, guys,” I said, pulling away. They released me, and one of the gigantic men went over and lifted Marcus or whatever his name was from the ground with one hand.

  Terra was pulling at me, but I waited until he was gone before I turned to her. “You okay, baby?” I asked her, checking to see if she had any visible bruises or, so help me god, I would kill him. If he’d harmed her in any way, he could have just offed himself given what I would do to him.

  “Yes, I’m fine. It’s not the first time he’s—”

  “Hit you?”

  “No. I was going to say come here and caused some trouble. Yesterday was mild, comparatively speaking.”

  Terra turned her head away, the tears still in her eyes. None were on her face and I couldn’t figure out how she was keeping them in. “I’m so sorry, Terra,” I said. Mostly because I didn’t know what else to say.