ClaimingRuby (8 page)

Deflated, she dropped back on the pillows. Disappointment
made her pout. What had she expected? They hadn’t declared themselves a couple.
She might be his submissive in the bedroom but that’s where the attachment
ended. Why should he stay?

Still, she’d expected…something.

She felt better. Less stuffy. Maybe his TLC had helped.

Ruby turned on her side and saw a folded piece of paper.
Nothing fancy, just a piece of paper torn out of a notebook, but her heart
tripped over anyway.

She read the note.

Morning, sleeping beauty,

You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you. Hope
you are feeling better? I’m instructing you to rest. There is breakfast and
fresh fruit in the kitchen. I’ve called Jamie and she is coming to take care of
the shop. REST!

I wanted to be there but have an important early morning
meeting. I’ll call later, check up on you.

I have a thing in a few days—a charity ball auction. Come
with me? I won’t take no for an answer.

Joshua.

“Wow.” It felt exhilarating, having someone take care of her
for a change. He’d gone to so much trouble—getting breakfast, calling
Jamie—then gone to deal with a multimillion-dollar company meeting. Her needs
had come first.

A warm, fuzzy feeling lodged inside her.

She was falling hard for Joshua Quinn.

The glitz and glamour of the charity ball made her eyes bug
out. Talk about sensory overload. Ruby glanced around the large, ornate
ballroom. The glitterati were out in force—women decked in expensive furs and
dripping with diamonds, men in expensive-cut suits. Cristal champagne flowed.
Waiters moved seamlessly through the crowd, refilling empty glasses and
offering hors d’oeuvres on china plates.

She looked down at her dress, thankful she’d allowed Joshua
to provide the pretty blue crepe. The fifties Audrey Hepburn style hung
perfectly on her curves, skimmed her waist and flared slightly. She looked like
a starlet. Classy and sexy.

Joshua stood beside her. His comforting presence eased some
of her trepidation. The pressure at the base of her spine urged her forward.

“It can be a bit overwhelming.”

She swallowed her nerves and said, “A bit?”

He smiled. “Just remember to smile until your jaw aches, sip
the champagne and nod at the appropriate moments.”

“Is that what you do?”

He guided her through the crowd. People parted as he cut
through them like a warm knife through cold butter. He nodded and sprinkled a
few greetings here and there. “See? Easy.”

She huffed. “Maybe for you, Mr. Big Shot.” She nabbed a
glass of champagne and sipped. The bubbles burst on her tongue. She savored the
taste, a mixture of dry fruity sweetness, before swallowing.

Joshua whispered in her ear, “I love watching your throat.
Makes me think about you swallowing my cum.”

Heat flashed through her, lodged in her loins and soaked her
silk thong. The throaty promise in his voice instantly turned her on.

“Joshua, how you doing, son?” A jovial man with shocking
white hair clapped Joshua on the shoulder before encasing him in a brief hug.

He returned the embrace as she watched in fascination. “Senator.
Been a long time.” He turned to Ruby. “I’d like you to meet my companion, Ruby
Romano.”

“Miss Romano.” The senator dipped his head and kissed her
hand. He’d have been devilishly handsome back in the day.

“Ruby, this is Senator Edward Walton.”

“Pleasure.”

Warmth exuded from the older man and she liked him
immediately. “How do you two know each other?”

“He used to be Colonel Walton a few years back. And my boss
a few years before that.”

They chatted a while. Ruby laughed as Walton regaled her
with stories about Joshua and his crew. Talk about being a handful. It was a wonder
Joshua never got court-martialed.

“Joshua, there are some people I’d like you to meet.
Business acquaintances. Big ‘old boys club’. Yada, yada. Can you drag yourself
away from this beautiful lady for a while?” Again he flashed her a devastating
smile.

Joshua cupped her cheek. “Will you be okay? I’ll be ten
minutes.”

She slipped a hand over his and caressed his knuckles. His
protectiveness was an appealing aphrodisiac but business was important. He’d
built an empire and he needed to maintain it. She understood that. “I’ll be
fine. Go.”

He kissed her with a long, tender kiss that made her blush. “Don’t
move from here.”

Slightly breathless, she answered, “Yes Sir.”

As he weaved through the throng, she focused on his ass.
Strong, purposeful strides made his glutes work to perfection. She ached to be
naked with him. No barriers. Skin to skin.

She tingled with sexual tension as she watched him dip his
head, frown and listen to a colleague. When he glanced at her, the fire between
them ignited. She wet her lips and his jaw twitched. Teasing him would lead to
serious trouble but she didn’t care. Ruby delighted in pushing his buttons. She
might be submissive but she wanted Joshua to know he wasn’t the only one who
could tease.

She dipped her fingertip in the champagne before placing it
on her tongue and sucking. She let her eyelids flutter shut as she tasted the
bitter liquid and imagined it was his cock she suckled.

When she opened her eyes, his expression quickened her
pulse. The tic in his jaw beat rapidly as if he was clenching his teeth. His
dark expression promised punishment for goading the beast. Thrills of pleasure
danced down her spine.

“Magnificent, isn’t he?”

She started at the sultry twang in her ear. The woman moved
in front of her, blocking her view. Amazonian in height, she towered over Ruby
by a good five inches. Her strawberry-blonde hair fell in perfect waves,
cascaded over her bare shoulders and fell halfway down her back. A shocking,
sheer red dress barely covered her lithe form. An icy-blue stare penetrated
Ruby before sweeping up and down her body. Her expression said she’d judged
Ruby and found her wanting.

Ruby blinked. “Pardon me?”

“Joshua. Magnificent, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.” Ruby felt a sense of vague familiarity. With
her statuesque build and flawless skin, the woman was definitely a model. Ruby
would bet her store on it.

The Amazon held out a perfectly manicured hand. “Julia Lowe.”

She recognized the name. Julia was a well-known model. Ruby
shook her hand and Julia’s bright-red talons bit into her skin. “Ruby Romano.”

“Has he fucked you yet?” Julia asked the question in a
matter-of-fact tone that threw Ruby off balance.

Anger boiled at such a rude question. “That’s none of your
business.”

“So he hasn’t. He’s got an amazing cock. Big and thick.
Comes like a stallion. We used to date.”

“Really?” Ruby snapped. Julia’s crude words made her sick.
Who was she to talk about Joshua in that way?

“Yeah. Hot and heavy for over a year. On and off since then.
Tabloids swore we’d get married. And the sex. Wow.” She leaned forward as if
sharing a secret with a close girlfriend. “Let me tell you, he is one kinky
fuck. Liked it rough, you know? I often came away with bruises. Not good in my
line of work, darling.”

“I imagine not.” The pounding in her ears grew to a roar.
Images of Joshua taking the perfectly formed Julia to Decadence and working her
over made Ruby want to vomit.

“Such a shame it ended. Our schedules never coincided.” She
glared at Ruby and sneered. “Maybe it’s time I got back in contact.” She
flicked a strand of Ruby’s hair. “He must be starved for a real woman. Making
do with someone who is so not his type. Slumming it with a homely frump. Poor
Joshua. I suppose everyone goes through a phase of fucking a fat chick.
Thankfully it won’t last. He’ll get bored and you can go back to your tub of
Ben and Jerry’s in front of the TV while I’ll be riding his cock.” Julia
smirked. “No wonder he’s been leaving me voicemail messages all week. He’s
desperate for a real woman.”

Anger, humiliation and a niggling sense of truth warred
inside her. She felt sick. Julia had played on Ruby’s every fear and anxiety.
How could Joshua possibly want her when he had the beautiful Julia Lowe to
screw? Ruby knew men found Julia irresistible despite her acid tongue and now
she had proof. A deep sense of betrayal crept down her spine and twisted in her
gut. Joshua obviously wanted Julia—that stung. She would not cry, wouldn’t give
Julia the satisfaction of knowing she’d hurt her.

A handsome man with slicked blond hair and a tailored
charcoal suit circled an arm around Julia’s waist. “Making friends, Julia?”

Ruby had seen him on the cover of numerous magazines. Jason
King—billionaire oil tycoon who’d taken over the family business. He was also
reportedly a spoiled brat and notorious womanizer. He gave off the arrogant
aura of inherited wealth and Ruby disliked him immediately.

“Just chatting with Joshua’s new pet,” Julia said but her
tone dripped with a sneer.

Jason gave Ruby a once-over, assessing her. When he turned
away, she felt as though she’d been dismissed. Asshole.

“Have fun.” He pecked Julia’s cheek and slid into the crowd.

How dare these people talk to her as though she were
nothing?

Julia chuckled. “Jason doesn’t have very high standards. He’ll
fuck anything with a pulse and even he can’t be bothered with you.”

She wasn’t going to stand there and take this shit. “Julia?”

“Yes?”

“You’re a bitch.” She pivoted and headed toward the ladies’
room.

Pain ripped into her. Tears welled. She was proud of the
fact she hadn’t shed them in front of the she-devil. Julia’s words had been
humiliating enough, but worse than that, the words rang true.

She pushed into the opulent bathroom and into a cubicle.
Locking the door, she sank to the floor and let the tears come. She stuffed her
hand into her mouth as the sobs racked her. Julia had ripped off the Band-Aid
Ruby’d slapped on to stem all the self-doubt. Now it came rushing to the
surface and bubbled over.

From the start, Joshua had pursued her with a determination
that defied logic. He’d reassured her it was his nature. He wanted something
and he wouldn’t stop until he got it. He’d sensed something in her, something
that called to his nature as a Dominant.

How had she fallen for that bullshit? It was clear as
crystal. He’d chosen Ruby because she was the complete opposite of Julia. In
picking her, Joshua wouldn’t have to think about the blonde ice queen. It was a
phase and those voicemails proved he was already running back to Julia.

“Stupid! Stupid.” She scrubbed a hand over her face, not
caring if she smudged her makeup.

The crepe irritated her skin. She felt cheap. Used. The
worst part, the ironic kicker, was she’d fallen for him. It was inevitable—the
rich, handsome Dominant swept her into his world and she’d been carried away
again.

Like a stupid girl. Had she really believed he’d fall for
her too?

Reality didn’t work like the movies. He might be a good Dom
but he was just like her ex. Why had she gone against her instincts? Rich men
were all the same—assholes who took what they wanted then discarded things
quickly when they got bored.

She needed to leave, to get away from this place where she
felt inferior, and get her head together. She’d cut him off. Protect what
shreds of dignity she had left.

She shoved to her feet and unlocked the stall. At the wall
of mirrors she grabbed a handful of tissues and wiped the streaks of mascara
running down her cheeks. Jesus, she looked a mess. A puffy and blotchy mess.

She exited the bathroom and looked around, searching for an
exit. Locating one, Ruby headed toward it. She needed air. She needed away from
the cloying scent of the bold and the beautiful.

“Ruby. What’s going on?” Joshua seized her forearm, holding
her in place. She watched as his puzzlement turned into softer things. “Why
have you been crying?”

She yanked her arm out of his grip. “As if you care.”

She wouldn’t fall for his charm, not with Julia’s words
ringing in her ears.

His features hardened, flattened out. Ice flashed in his
eyes. “What did Julia say?”

“She said you had amazing sex. That you liked it rough but
that’s okay. She said you were going to marry her and that banging a fat chick
is a phase.” The words came out clipped, stronger than she’d expected. The
poison rolling in her stomach spilled out as she glared at him.

“That’s not true.” He reached for her and she slapped him
away.

“No. You don’t touch me. Never again.” She’d make sure of
it.

His brow furrowed. “You honestly believe what Julia told
you? I was never going to marry her. She’s a viper.”

“But you fucked her.”

“I’ve fucked a lot of women.”

“So I’ve read. All of them look like her. You’ve been using
me, stroking my ego, making me believe…” Her voice cracked and she slammed the
door shut on her emotions. “What was I? A novelty? A pity fuck? Did you fancy
bragging about nailing a needy woman? Desperate for it, wasn’t I? Practically
gagging for your cock. Well, fuck you, Joshua. We’re done.”

She turned on her heel, blood boiling, temper high. It’d
been good to release some of it. She wasn’t a weak submissive he could walk all
over and use when it suited him.

“The hell we are.” The soft, lethal tone was defied by his
actions. He wrapped his fingers around her biceps and pulled her toward him. “Come
with me.”

When she bumped his hip, he circled an arm around her waist and
dragged her to the ladies’ room.

She struggled, trying to get out of his hold. Anger vibrated
around him. It beat at her skin like a host of butterflies. “Joshua, stop it.”

“Be quiet.” He called over a waiter. “Stand outside here.
Don’t let anyone in. Anyone. I don’t care what fucking excuse you make but don’t
let anyone in until I’m done.”

“But sir—”

Joshua cut him off. “I’ll give you a thousand dollars.”

“As you wish, sir.”

He pushed open the door and roughly dragged her behind him.
A handful of women looked startled at his invasion. “Get out. Now.”

She’d never seen him like this—fierce and guttural. As if
the smooth, sophisticated veneer had melted, revealing a dark, predatory male.

The women scuttled for the exit. When they were alone, he
manhandled her in front of the vanity mirror.

He slapped her palms on the marble, her back to his front as
he stared at her through the glass. His cock, hard and rigid, prodded into the
soft globes of her ass.

“You will never speak to me in that tone again. Do you
understand?”

She knew he was holding on by a thread. She shivered. The
spike of fear weakened her muscles, made her tremble. Her nipples puckered,
demanding punishment for talking to him this way. Yet she would not give in.
Julia had hurt her and now Ruby needed to hurt him. His nostrils flared as if
he was tuned in to every aspect of her body.

She jerked her chin defiantly. “Fuck you.”

The icy orbs darkened. He fisted a handful of her skirt and
bunched it around her waist. He raised his hand and she braced herself.