Page 59 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

“Alice?”

“Reuben.”

He crossed his arms, and studied me, not moving aside.

“I’m not late,” I said. “And I wore a dress. Just for you.” I gave him my best smile.

He continued to stare, looking confused. I was distracted by the smell of something rich, buttery, and savory wafting through the front door. “Whatever you’re cooking smellsamazing.”

“Why are you here?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“You invited me to dinner?” I answered, mimicking his inflection.

“You blocked me, told me to fuck off.”

“Oh, I don’t have your number. I lost that piece of paper.”

His face fell, his bushy eyebrows knitting together.

“Actually, that’s half the reason I was so pissed at you yesterday. After our time in the elevator, and then all those lines, and then... nothing. No checking in, no follow ups, zilch. Made me mad.” I shrugged. “So, you gonna let me in, or just stare at my tits all evening?”

Reuben opened and closed his mouth a few times, his expression turning horrified, and then dropped his face into his hand. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“Alice, I’ve been texting someone all week who I thought was you.”

Something he said clicked into place.You did literally ask for this.He wasn’t talking about Christmas.

“You’re joking.”

He stepped aside and let me in, and then pulled out his cell phone, handing it over. The messaging app showed a conversation with someone who he’d saved in his phone as “little brat.”

-Sunday-

Reuben: I hope you didn’t reach out to me before just now, because if you did, I’ve lost everything on my old phone. Long story.

Little brat: Who is this?

Reuben: It’s Reuben Weston. Jake gave me your number.

Little brat: lol. I never understood why you’d name your kid after a sandwich.

Reuben: Me neither. By the time I had enough money to consider changing it, my name was pretty much plastered across the internet.

Little brat: so... we gonna talk about that video where you make that girl cum just by whispering to her? Cause... o.O

Reuben: You’ll get yours. We aren’t going there for a while. We have a lot to discuss.

Little brat: We can discuss you putting your head between my legs...

Reuben: We can discuss you getting a spanking if you keep talking like that.

Little brat: Oh. Oh really.

Reuben: If that’s what it takes to fix your attitude. Though I have some other ideas in mind that will probably be more effective. We both know you’d like it too much.

Little brat: I’ll take the spanking, please. Fuck.

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