RUBY'S POVThe beauty of the hotel simply took my breath away the moment I stepped out of Lilac’s car. The towering structure seemed to touch the skies. I stood there, not even realising that my black dress was catching the soft evening breeze, as I tilted my head back to take it all in.“Wow,” Ariana whispered beside me, holding her bejeweled clutch to her chest. “I’ve only seen this place in magazines. It's so beautiful!"“Same,” Lilac added, linking her arm with mine. “You sure you’ve never been here before, Ruby? I mean, your family has a reserved suite and all.”I shook my head. “Never. My father used to come here for business when I was younger, but I guess I never had a reason to visit.”Even though my father had enough money to put a small country's economy to shame, he never exposed me much to this life. I attended private boarding schools in the suburbs. And even after my father died and I finished high school, I was shipped off to Yale University, miles away from home. The
DOMINIC'S POV The moment Damien spotted me, his face broke into a wide grin, and before I could stop him, he pulled me into a bear hug. I froze immediately. I wasn’t a fan of physical affection—especially in public—but this was Damien, my best friend. The one person in this world who could get away with something like this.So, for once, I allowed it.“Dominic!” he boomed, “you look as sharp as ever! Man, it’s been too long.”I sighed, patting his back awkwardly. “Damien, we saw each other less than a year ago. Not exactly a lifetime.”“Still too long. And we only saw each other for one day,” he replied, grinning and pulling back to look at me. “I missed you, bro.”“Keep your voice down,” I muttered, stepping out of his grip and brushing imaginary lint off my jacket. “We’re not at a family reunion. You’re embarrassing me.”Damien laughed, loud enough to turn a few heads at the party. “Embarrassing you? Oh, come on, Dom. You need to lighten up. Let people see you’re human for once.”
RUBY'S POV“I need to go rest,” I hastily told Ariana and Lilac, not even waiting for their response. I bolted before they could stop me, making a beeline for the first thing my eyes saw.The staircase."Excuse me," I murmured to some of the guests as I passed them by. I rushed past the dozens of people packed in the room, my heels clicking against the marble floor as I made my way to the spiraling staircase. My heart was roaring in my ears, my breathing was rapid and erratic, and my hands shook with the pressure of the presence of the man I had just seen. I had spotted Dominic Rutherford across the room, those blue eyes locking onto mine like a heat-seeking missile. Suddenly, all the confidence I’d built up for this night evaporated. Suddenly, everything I had told myself about him disappeared into thin air.Suddenly, all I wanted to do was to escape him.When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I chanced a glance behind me. I gasped in alarm when I saw him striding towards me with
DOMINIC'S POVAs if she'd been waiting for that moment, Ruby took over the kiss in two seconds.I wrapped my hands around her neck and pulled her closer as she held me in place. Despite my gold mask, kissing her wasn't hard at all. It was all I could do to let her stay in control when I wanted to grab her arms, pin her against the elevator wall and fuck her from the back.We started off just brushing our lips together, and when that was almost driving me crazy, I broached her with my tongue. She tasted like champagne and something minty—toothpaste probably. The combination did things to my groin that no expensive perfumes or flowery creams could do to me.The sound of the rumbling elevator faded behind the sound of my own blood roaring, behind the increase in my heartbeat. Ruby's skin had grown oddly warm, as though the same thing was happening to her. She and I were completely in sync. The rubbing against my dick, the quick stolen breaths, the way she moved in the same moment I pull
Ruby's POVAt any moment now, I would collapse. I tried to put one shaky foot after another as I led the way out of the elevator. My legs felt like cooked spaghetti straight out of the pot. Dominic Rutherford was chuckling behind me, apparently proud of what he'd done to my body. The sneaky bastard!I got to the door of my family's suite and fished out the key card from my bag. The doors parted with a ding, and I led the way inside.The last time I'd been in this suite was a few months before my father had died, for some event I could no longer remember. It was obvious that nobody had used the suite since then, even though it looked very well taken care of."Shouldn't we get back to the cocktail party?" I asked Dominic as I set my bag down on a nearby shelf.“No.” He stopped me from the back and kissed my bare shoulder, then slid a hand down my chest to the corset that surrounded my waist.“Right.” I briefly closed my eyes to catch my bearings before I fell apart again. “We won’t tal
RUBY'S POVI’d forgotten about the thong. Before I could take care of it, he moved down to kiss my belly. I tensed, waiting to see where he’d kiss next as he pulled down the red silk. His moist breath bathed the skin at the top of my thighs. Next came his lips, his teeth, the tip of his tongue...until I interrupted to help him draw the thong to my ankles. I used my toes and heel to speed the process. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t touch him. I wanted to very badly.“Come here,” I said, then added, “Please,” when his slow smile told me he had no intention of hurrying.“What’s the rush?” He dragged the backs of his fingers up the inside of my thigh, and smirked when I clamped my legs together.I didn’t care if he found out I was wet; I simply didn’t want it all to end in two minutes. “The reason I don’t have condoms,” I said, lifting my shoulders off the mattress and curling up until I could almost reach him, “is because I’ve been too busy for...this...” “Sex?" He asked with a raised
DOMINIC’S POV I stood on the balcony with the cigarette balanced between my fingers. The faint glow of the city lights stretched out beneath me, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were elsewhere. The cool night air bit at my skin, but I welcomed it. It was better than being inside, facing the woman I’d just left behind.The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, and through it, I could see Ruby lying in bed. She wasn’t asleep yet—I could tell by the way she shifted under the covers, as if trying to get comfortable. I’d left her abruptly, and she hadn’t said a word. But I could feel her confusion from where I stood.I inhaled deeply, the smoke burning my lungs before I exhaled slowly, watching the thin wisps disappear into the night. What was I supposed to say to her? "Sorry, Ruby, I can’t handle this because it reminds me of a life I’ll never get back"?Pathetic.The truth was, I had felt something back there. Something I hadn’t felt in five years.The last time I’d held someone so cl
RUBY'S POVThe sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, waking me slowly. I turned over in bed, stretching my arms lazily before realizing that I was alone. Dominic was gone.A part of me wasn’t surprised. He didn’t strike me as the kind of man who hung around after sex. But another part of me… well, I couldn’t lie. I felt a twinge of disappointment.My phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling me from my thoughts. I grabbed it and gasped at the sight of 23 missed calls. Thirteen from Ariana, ten from Lilac. Groaning, I unlocked my phone and opened our group chat.Ariana: Where are you, Ruby?!Lilac: If you don’t answer, we’re calling the cops.Ariana: Seriously, you better be okay.Lilac: Or we’re breaking down the door to your suite.I scrolled through 76 unread messages, all ranging from concerned to borderline threatening.“Great,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.I hit the FaceTime button and waited for the call to connect. Within seconds, both Ariana and Lilac appeared on the s
GABRIEL'S POVI sat in my car with a cigarette balanced between my fingers, watching the slow creep of pedestrians passing by. A block ahead was the Rutherford building; the tallest building that I could see from this point. I leaned back, blowing a stream of smoke into the air. Julia was late. She was supposed to meet me here ten minutes ago. I checked my watch again and tapped the steering wheel impatiently. I had half a mind to drive up to the building and drag her out myself. What could possibly be taking her this long? Movement caught my eye. A woman shuffled down the street, clutching a bag to her chest. Her black hair, cut jaggedly at the ears, made her look like she’d let a toddler wield the scissors. Those ridiculous round Harry Potter glasses perched on her nose only added to the mess. And her clothes were hilarious. I took a look at the mismatched patterns, baggy fabric, and shoes that belonged to someone's ninety-year-old grandmother. I let out a sharp laugh, danglin
Ruby's POVHe leaned away from me, a jeering smile on his face, his lips moist with the wetness of my pussy. "Damn, Ruby." He commented. "You make the most hilarious sounds when you're about to orgasm.""You can't blame me, can you?" I grumbled. "Do you think your workers heard us?""If they did, I don't care." Dominic carefully put my leg down from his shoulder, then kissed my stomach. My fingers went to his hair as he stared up at me, his eyes tender rather than demanding. It wasn't like he hadn't given me head before, but this time was very different. It was more intimate.“Dominic, that was… I am....”"It's alright." He interrupted. "Say less."Coming to sit beside me, he planted a kiss on my lips, and then another and another. His lips began to travel downwards again, but I held him back this time."My turn now, Dominic." I whispered. "You did mine, and now I'll do yours."His eyes darkened. "Are you.... sure?""Yes." I murmured in response. Then, I remembered something. "Do you
Ruby's POVAt that moment, my mind blanked with delirium and pleasure. My nails dug into his shoulders and I slammed myself down on his dick.His hips rocked in rhythm with mine, as he grinded against my panties and the fishnet stockings. Our lips crashed against each other in a kiss that was the most violent I'd ever had. Dominic wasn't gentle this time; his fingers clawed at my skirt, as my own yanked at his shirt.Somehow, I knew that he couldn't hold it back in anymore.Finally, Dominic tore his lips away from mine. His eyes were dark and stormy, and his chest shook with each gasp of breath.Slowly, my hand snaked down his body, coming to settle on the hard bump bump of his dick. With a sharp motion, I squeezed, and Dominic flinched."You want me to fuck you like a whore, is that it?" His eyes darkened even further as they narrowed on me while I swallowed hard. I realised that while kissing, Dominic had moved me from the wall. I was now backed up against the edge of the long table
Ruby's POVAs I stepped inside, I looked around. The room was large and panelled with more brown wood, with a long table stretching across it and twelve chairs evenly spaced around it. The part of the walls that weren't covered in wood were painted gray gray, and the light from the overhead fixtures made the place feel like sone hospital theatre.Maybe It was a theatre, and I was the one being operated on.The room was empty, or at least it seemed that way at first. My eyes landed on the chair at the head of the table. It was turned away from me, its high back hiding whoever sat there.I shifted my feet in unease, then walked closer to the table. When I reached the table, I gently knocked on the polished wood, hoping to get their attention.The chair swiveled slowly, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Dominic was the one sitting there.I exhaled sharply and placed a hand on my chest. “Dominic, you scared me! Why were you sitting there like some kind of movie villain?”He smil
RUBY'S POVI kept my focus on the woman across the room. Something about her just didn't sit right with me or my head. Even though she had her back turned to me, I could see how stiffly she sat. I could also see that her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. Twice, I caught her stealing quick glances in my direction. Both times, she looked away sharply when I noticed.It was unnerving. My instincts told me to take this seriously, but I brushed it off. What else could I do? If she wanted to speak to me, she would. Until then, I refused to waste energy puzzling over her behavior.The sound of heels sounding against the polished floor broke my train of thought. I looked up and saw Dominic’s blonde secretary entering the room. Still the same as ever, I thought to myself.She had a skin-tight pencil skirt and fitted blouse on, which accentuated her figure 8 shape. There was a full pound of makeup on her face: dark blue eyeshadow, penciled eyebrows, red lips, the works. She move
RUBY'S POV"Let's go to work." Dominic announced.He started the car as I put the sex toy back into the box and returned it back to the glove compartment. The car rolled back into motion, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were stuck on what had just happened. My lips still tingled, and the memory played on a loop in my mind. I crossed my arms and tried to forget about it but the blush refused to fade.Dominic glanced over at me and smiled. “Did a cat get your tongue?”I shook my head and kept my eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I'm just thinking.”His chuckle carried a teasing edge. “About me, I hope.”I rolled my eyes. "You really like to flatter yourself.""I know you're thinking about me." He grinned, clearly pleased with himself. I didn’t push further, and neither did he. It was still weird unlocking this playful side of Dominic; It was hard to even remember the brooding man who had walked into that club on the night after I divorced Gabriel.When we finally pulled up to the office,
RUBY'S POVWe stayed that way for minutes: Dominic in the driver's seat, me straddling his laps and resting my head against his shoulder. I couldn't see much of his face, but the slight curve of his lips told me he was amused about something.“So,” I raised my head to look at him, “you said we were going to be late, right?”He glanced at me, quirking up his eyebrows. “We are late."“Then maybe you shouldn’t have wasted time kissing and fucking me in your car like this." I teased. "Or dragging me outside."Dominic gave a low chuckle. “Dragging you? I don’t recall dragging. I seem to remember you willingly following me.”“Because you were pulling me,” I sighed.“You had plenty of time to get ready,” he said. “If anyone’s to blame for us running late, it’s you.”I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. You were the one standing at the bottom of the stairs like some smitten schoolboy. If you hadn’t been staring, we’d already be at the office by now.”Dominic’s lips twitched into a full smile. “You
Dominic’s POVI stood at the foot of the staircase, glancing at my watch for the third time in five minutes. Ruby was taking her sweet time, and I wasn’t about to tell her to hurry. After last night, I figured it was better to let her move at her own pace.A voice carried down from the second floor: Ariel’s voice.“How did you do that with your eyeshadow? And your lipstick, wow. You look like an office siren.”Office siren? I raised an eyebrow at that. Ariel had a way of saying the strangest things.Ruby’s voice followed, calm and amused. “Ariel, it’s just makeup. Nothing magical.”I could hear Ariel’s footsteps trailing behind Ruby as the two of them descended. Ariel kept going excitedly. “What shade is that lipstick? Do you always blend your eyeshadow like that? How do you even get your bun to stay up so perfectly?”I smirked to myself and shook my head. Ariel had an endless supply of energy and apparently, Ruby was her new favorite subject.Then I saw her.Ruby appeared at the top
RUBY’S POVThe pounding in my head when I woke up was relentless, like tiny hammers striking behind my eyes. I winced as I threw the covers aside and stood from bed.I could hear voices and giggling downstairs, coming from Dominic and his daughter. Sighing, I reached into my bedside drawer and fetched a bottle of aspirin. Popping two pills into my mouth, I washed it down with the cup of water beside me.Five minutes later, I stood under the warm shower, letting the water flow down my body and wash off all the physical pain from the previous night. It helped, a little. Once I was dressed in an oversized blue sweater that reached halfway down my thighs, I shuffled downstairs, my bare feet padding softly against the wood.The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was a rich aroma of sizzling bacon, eggs and something sweet. My stomach rumbled. I followed the scent to the kitchen, where Dominic stood at the stove, flipping eggs like he’d done it a hundred times. Ariel was by his side, h