Page 39 of Taming Her Temptations

“Sorry, are they not dating?” She sees my confused face. “She was his plus one on the RSVP.”

Oh. Relax, Dean. I’m supposed to be getting Petra to go after me, not figuring out the complicated dynamics of dating Ruby.

“Oh, yeah, they came together.” I agree because it’s not false. I’m really a stimulating conversation partner right now. But I just want to get to the point so I can leave.

“Hey, we have a music thing tonight. But I’m new to Greenfield and I’m really trying to get to know the town. Would you be up for showing me where to get a good cup of coffee?”

Her eyes relax, and I actually feel kind of bad. She’s not asking to be mixed up in this whole mess. We exchange numbers and I pretend to be excited, then finally get the hell away.

I beeline towards Ruby. She’s chatting with a few people that I haven’t met yet so I bend down and whisper in her ear.

“Our mission is complete here. Wrap up and meet us in front. I’ve got an idea for the rest of the night.”

She looks at me, confused. I just raise my eyebrows, daring her to object. Her face softens and a glimmer of excitement shines in her eyes. I wonder what she’s imagining I have planned for her and suddenly, I’m imagining something much dirtier than my original idea.

But, hell, we can be dirty at the same time, if that’s what she’s into tonight.

I wrangle up Asher and Levi, who are surrounded by women who look like they’ve lost track of their husbands. They both look at me with relief when I apologize to the ladies and pull them away.

“What’s going on?” Levi asks as I drag him to the front. I’ve already texted our driver, who’s waiting for us.

“I have a date set up with Petra soon. Works done for the evening. Let’s show Ruby the side of New York City she never got to see by being the pretty tame wife of shithead Steve.”

Grins spread over Levi's and Asher’s faces, as I knew they would. It’s time to show Ruby that the world is bigger than Greenfield, Connecticut. And a lot more fun, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ruby

“I didn’t even know places like this existed.” I sit back in my seat, wide-eyed. We’re in a split-level industrial space that faces a large stage. Wildly different types of murals cover the walls, and Victorian couches in all kinds of fabrics and shapes are gathered in semi-circles below us. We’re on the second-floor balcony, overlooking the entire space and surrounded by thick velvet curtains to create our own private area. Acrobats are hanging from the ceiling from long silks and a band is playing on the stage with a singer who looks like she stepped out of a 1920s burlesque show. Her deep, sultry voice fills the entire space with ease.

“We used to perform here all the time.” Asher grins. “Before anyone gave a damn who we were.”

I eye the three of them. They’ve each done their best to disguise the fact that they were just in suits. They left their jackets in the car and ripped off their bow ties as soon as we drove away from the gala. Their sleeve are rolled up and their top buttons undone, exposing pieces of their tattoos. And damn, they look sexy like this. Not just because of the tailored fit of their dress shirts hugging their bodies, but the lightness they have on their faces. They’re in their element here.

“The only goal for the rest of the night is to have a fucking good time,” Dean says, squeezing my knee. My eyes trace down to his big hands grasping my knee and my heart does a flip.

In perfect timing, the singer on the stage unlaces her bustier. I want to raise my glass to her for doing the exact thing I feel like doing right now. Except, not quite on a stage in front of everyone.

A man comes up to our space and the three of them obviously have a history with him. They rush over to him and each embraces him, chatting and laughing. I let them have their space as I head over to the balcony railing.

I watch in awe, absorbing the entire scene like an excited pupil. I’ve never considered myself uncultured, but suddenly I realize the answer is much more complicated. I’ve had access to my dad’s gallery shows growing up, and then as I got older have seen Broadway shows, operas, and ballets. But I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve never seen the kind of expression that might get stopped before it becomes mainstream. Maybe because it’s too explicit, or too unconventional, or just too much in general. But that doesn’t make it less valuable. In fact, right now I’m enraptured me like a moth to a flame.

I imagine the three of them performing here when they were younger, and it makes me feel a surprising swell of joy at the thought. It also makes me understand them a little more. There’s simply no space in a place like this to feel self-conscious or worry too much about what people think of you. It’s refreshing, just like them.

“Do you like the performance?” Levi says, leaning next to me on the railing of the balcony.

“I love it.” I smile. “They’re really talented. And I love imagining you guys playing here.”

“Well, maybe you don’t have to just imagine.” He smirks. “Our old buddy Benny is managing this place now and he said there’s a guitar and a microphone if Asher and I want to perform. Would you mind? Dean would hang back with you since there’s no drum set.”

“Would I mind?” I say, a silly grin spreading across my face. “I would absolutely love to see that.”

He laughs at my excitement and leans over to kiss me on the forehead.

“It will only take us a little,” he says. “Have fun while we’re gone.”

Asher winks at me and waves as their friend Benny practically drags him out of the room.

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