Page 2 of Bet On Me, Daddy

It wasn’t the worst idea in the world. But judging by the prank she’d so easily concocted, Ruby was a brat of the highest caliber. And he’d had his fill of bratty subs for a while.

“Maybe another time.”

Disappointment flickered across her face, but she shrugged it off. “Maybe. Another Macallan?”

“Actually, I really should be getting home. Close me out, Ruby Red.”

She raised an eyebrow at the nickname. “I’m not a redhead.”

“There’s hints of it in your hair. Like little flashes of fire when the light hits it just right.”

Fuck. He had no business flirting with a woman he wasn’t interested in. But he hadn’t been lying about her hair. It came alive when she moved, and another time, another place he’d be itching to burying his hands in those long locks.

If it bothered her that he was complimenting her right after turning her down for a scene, she didn’t show it. She simply closed out his check and handed it over for him to sign. He left her a larger-than-usual tip to make up for being an asshole when he’d first sat down and slid the paper back toward her.

“Goodnight, Ruby Red.”

“Night, Master Beckett.”

Forcing himself to stand up and walk away from the bar, he made his way down to the valet. And tried not to let his thoughts linger on the pretty girl with mischief in her eyes and fire in her hair.

CHAPTER 1

RUBY

A few months later

“Happy New Year!”

Cheers went up all around the club, nearly deafening in their volume. Loud enough, in fact, to drown out the sound of the cannons firing. Not actual cannons, of course.

Glitter cannons.

“Charlotte Ann Duvall!”

A moment after Braden’s thunderous voice rose above the din, Lottie hurried up to the bar on her usual ankle-breaker heels. But instead of the mischievous smile Ruby was used to seeing on her co-worker’s face, now she wore a look of pure panic as she stopped to scan her surroundings. Looking for a place to hide, if Ruby had to guess.

She had to admit, Lottie made quite a picture. With her dark hair pinned up in an elaborate updo, her body wrapped in a curve-hugging dress of shimmering gold, and glitter falling around her like snow while the rest of the club devolved intochaos, she looked like some pagan goddess of mischief come to Earth just to fuck with the mortals.

Which was an apt description, from what Ruby had observed over the past few months of working at Club BDE.

Lottie’s wide, horrified eyes met Ruby’s from across the bar. “It’s so much glitter,” she whispered. “I didn’t think it would be so much glitter. Help.”

These days, Ruby Matthews considered herself a top-tier brat. But there were some Dominants even she wasn’t willing to cross.

And Braden Elliott was at the top of her list.

Even so, the Brat Code demanded she help a fellow brat in their time of need, so she waved, beckoning Lottie behind the bar. “You can hide under here, at least until he cools down a bit.”

Gratitude flashed in Lottie’s eyes as she hurried around the sleek wooden bar top. “You’re a lifesaver.” Dropping to her knees, she squeezed herself into an empty corner. Between the pour station, the ice bin, and everything else Ruby and the other bartenders needed for their jobs, there wasn’t a ton of room, and if Braden bothered to actuallylookthere was no doubt he’d see her.

Hopefully for both of them, he wouldn’t look very hard.

Lottie got herself hidden just in time, because the man himself stormed up to the bar less than a minute after she’d curled up in her hidey-hole. He had his brothers with him, identical silver foxes, one of whom looked even madder than Braden while the other was obviously trying very, very hard not to burst out laughing. All three of them were covered in rainbow-colored glitter, and it took everything Ruby had to keep her own laughter in check at the sight of them.

“Ruby.” Braden brushed at a pile of glitter on his shoulder before locking eyes with a suddenly very nervous Ruby. “Have you seen Charlotte?”

Oh, man. Daddy B wasbigmad. “Um, she ran past here just a few seconds ago, Sir. She went that way.” Running through the options in her head, Ruby pointed toward the other side of the top floor, where the private rooms were housed.

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