Page 19 of Ruined
But I did. More than Aldrich. At least right then.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Aldrich dismiss Mel and move onto another server. He had lost interest, and it would have been the perfect moment to sweep in for the rebound. But being with Lucas for a few hours seemed a lot more appealing than battling Aldrich. And as much as being with Lucas was a struggle of its own, he didn’t disgust me.
And yet there was something unnerving about Lucas. The calculated way he said and did everything. As if each word, each gesture, was another piece in a complicated strategy to win it all.
I slid into the seat next to him, and leaned in close, not wanting to interrupt Iris’s performance.
“You remember my limits?” I asked in a low voice.
“I won’t cross them.”
And somehow, I knew he was telling the truth. He might push me, but he’d never deliberately break my rules. Not like Aldrich.
“Okay. Then I’m in.”
“First,” he held up a hand, stopping me, “You have to agree to my demands.”
His demands? What the hell did that mean? “We already negotiated. I’m not going to break my rules.”
“I’m not asking you to.” His jaw was stern, his eyes completely focused on me.
“Then what do you want?” I asked.
“That will come later. For now, you’ll have to trust me.”
As long as it didn’t break my rules, then what was there to negotiate? But there was something sinister about the way he said it. He had hidden intentions. And it didn’t seem like it was as simple as asking me out to breakfast again.
I held in a breath.What did he want?
“You won’t tell me?” I asked.
He shook his head gently, then asked, “Do you agree to my demands?” He held out a hand, and I took it.
“Fine,” I said. I let him lead me to the Terrariums.
We selected a room without any of the usual entertainment equipment. We sometimes called these rooms ‘the love suites’ to give more flavor to an otherwise plain room. The same plush velvet couches decorated the interior with mirrors covering the ceiling. A decadent array of champagne and chocolates had been set to the side.
We closed the door, switching the light to occupied. I lifted the robe before settling onto the seat. Lucas poured champagne into slender flutes, the bubbles rippling along the edges of the citrus peels.
I was never afraid in the Dahlia District. I may not have agreed with the way Dahlia handled our contracts, but she dealt with assault and harassment with swift action. If we ever felt threatened, she made sure that those issues were corrected. She always reminded the members of their manners, and not in a nice way.
But with Lucas, I wasn’t scared. It was something else. As soon as the door had closed behind us, leaving us alone in that private room, a lingering tension ached in my stomach, making my heart rate increase and my fingers twitch. He handed me a glass, and our fingers brushed for the briefest moment. The first contact we had made since he had pulled my hips into his, the last time we were alone in a room like this.
I opened my fists and flexed my fingers, trying desperately to get rid of this tension. Biting my tongue and smiling. I was supposed to be pleasant.
This wasn’t about how I felt. It was about making Lucas’s time worth it. He was the client, the club member, the billionaire. I was just a server.
Still, whatever hisdemandswere, I wanted to get it over with.
He must have been able to read me, because he smirked and lifted his drink.
“It will come,” he said. He took a sip, and I followed the same motion. The drink was sugary with a pucker of pungent alcohol. “Tell me about Aldrich.”
I blinked. “Do you mean what I know about him?”
“Your relationship.”
I blushed. That should have been obvious. We had non-disclosure agreements, but I didn’t feel particularly bound at that moment. Did I trust Lucas not to tell? Or did I not give a fuck about Aldrich?
