TRAGIC: Rook and Ronin, #1 (20 page)

"Stop!"

What?

Who the fuck said stop?

"Ronin, what the hell are you doing? Rook, this is over now." Elise drapes a white robe over my shoulders and escorts me away from the crowd of people. Everyone stares at me, their eyes wide and their mouths gaping open as I pass.

"What? What happened? I don't understand!"

"He's got you way too worked up, Rook, this is not how we typically operate."

"I don't get it, isn't that his job? To work me up so you guys get good pictures?"

She opens my studio apartment door and pushes me inside but doesn't follow.

"He's supposed to make it feel real, not bring you to orgasm in front of a dozen people!"

And then she slams my door and leaves.

And I'm standing mostly naked in my new apartment, very pissed off that my clit is still throbbing like crazy and Ronin's magic fingers are outside and he is at this very moment—I know because I'm peeking out the front window—being bitched out by his sister.

Chapter Thirty-One - RONIN

"What the fuck, Ronin?"

Elise is so angry she's stabbing me in the chest with little staccato pokes of her finger. Her nails are long and pointy, so this does not feel pleasant. I glance over at Rook's window and find her face and grin.

"Ronin, stop smiling at her! I assured her this wouldn't happen and you made me a liar."

"She told me to go, Elise. Why would I stop? She was enjoying herself."

She pulls me along until we are back inside the studio. I'm assuming so Rook cannot see us.

"Ronin, this girl is fragile, do you understand? Much too fragile to make a rational decision about what is and is not appropriate on her first serious modeling job. You are the professional here and you know better!"

"Yeah, but this one's kinda like my girlfriend."

"All the more reason to protect her from this, you stupid piece of shit! Why do you think Antoine has me doing make-up and hair?"

I sigh and scrub my hands across my face. She's right. What the hell was I thinking? "OK, I get it. It's just that she drives me crazy and she said
go
, so…" I have no excuse. "Sorry, I lost control." I look down at Elise and nod. "I won't let it happen again, OK? I promise."

Elise and I both stop talking as the photographers come back inside. Roger laughs as he passes. "Way to go, Flynn. That was quite a show. This campaign is in the bag."

When I look back to Elise she's shaking her head. "You better make this right, Ronin. She's all worked up with the passion right now, but once she realizes these pictures are going out to clients, she's gonna be pissed."

I walk over to the terrace window and peek through at her window. Her face is gone now and I wonder what she's thinking. "Will you go talk to her?"

"No way. That's your job. You did this, now you fix it."

She looks at me for several seconds, her head tilting. I know this look, it says she's got an idea. "What?"

"Antoine and I have tickets for a fundraiser at the zoo, but he's meeting with Spence and the STURGIS team tonight."

"Oh, that sucks. Sorry, sis."

"Take Rook instead."

I shoot her a dirty look. "Now you want me to take her out, but yesterday you were threatening my manhood if I got anywhere near her? What's the deal?"

"Spencer is here and he's got that look, Ronin. Don't let him swoop in because you know he'll try. Let her choose a dress from the closet and take her to the fundraiser. I have a feeling she'll enjoy herself. Oh, and write a check on your way out. A big one."

And then she pats my cheek a few times and walks off.

A night at the zoo. For a fundraiser. I'm not sure about this. It sounds like I have to wear a tux. I think about this for a second, then wander into the closet. It also means I could pick Rook out a nice sexy dress. I make my way over to the evening gowns and start looking for something red, long in length, and plunging at the neckline. I grab the dress and some shoes that look like her size, and then put it in a garment bag and hang it on the rack with Rook's name tag.

I hope she likes it.

Next on the list is the girly stuff, so I head over to the salon and talk Josie into making Rook up for the occasion. She agrees if I tip her generously, which I do because I figure if Rook has to worry about hair and make-up she'll probably say no.

Walking across the terrace makes me nervous for some reason. This girl who has not even been in my life for one week completely dominates all my thoughts. I mean, she's on my mind every second of the day. Even when Clare and I were fighting this morning, the only thing on my mind was how Rook was going to perceive that manic display of insanity from Clare.

I told Antoine I'm done with that girl. If Clare wants to jump off the ledge, fuck—there's nothing more I can do. I cut her loose and that's the end of it. Antoine was not happy, but whatever. He's never been able to control Clare and I've only ever had a tenuous hold on her at best. But all of that has left the building these days.

I can only hope that Rook doesn't read too much into it.

I stand at her door and knock, again feeling just a little bit off balance from all the recent changes. Rook answers in a pair of shorts and a halter top. My eyes take her in, from her perky nipples standing at attention, to her long legs, to her bare feet.

Which have painted pink toenails and are fidgeting around like she's Gidget talking on the phone or something.

I take a deep breath.

"Hey," she says, seductively leaning against the door jamb, jutting her hip off to the side and twirling her long raven-black hair around a finger. All she needs is some gum and she'd be the Gidget of my dreams.

"Hey," I say back, like an idiot. "Uh, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the zoo with me tonight?"

That sounded lame.

She coughs down a laugh. "The zoo?"

"Yeah, it's a fundraiser. Antoine and Elise were gonna go, but they have to work tonight. So she gave me their tickets."

"What are we raising funds for?"

"I have no idea."
Fuck, all I want to do is take you upstairs and throw you on my bed and hold you down while I make you scream my name.
I hope to fucking God I did not just say that out loud.

She doesn't laugh or squirm, so I guess I'm safe. "Is it fancy?"

"Yes, very. But I have a dress for you and Josie said she'll do your hair and make-up. What do you say?"

"You picked my dress?"

Oh, shit. I probably fucked up with that move. "Uh, well, you can pick something else if you want, but it's sexy as hell." I waggle my eyebrows at her and grin like an idiot, hoping to defuse that blunder.

"Does it make me look like Gidget?"

"No," I say too quickly. "Not at all."

"Well, in that case, I'll go. What do I have to do?"

I take her hand and tug her out the door. "I'll take care of everything, just relax and I'll meet you outside the dressing room at seven."

I drop her off with Josie and get the hell out of there before she can change her mind or ask me anything else about fruit baskets and vacant bedrooms on the lower floors of the building, then take the stairs up to my apartment three at time and go searching for my tux.

Chapter Thirty-Two - ROOK

Josie does my hair in an up-do. It doesn't take long, all she has to do is brush it out and pin it up, swooping it over to one side, while the top and back are sufficiently poofed up to give it some height. When she shows me in the mirror I let out a small gasp. Even without the make-up and dress, I already look better than ever before. The hair is sleek, not messy and half falling out like most up-dos end up, but shiny and pulled tight.

Josie smiles when I look over at her. "That's how fashion models do the up-do, Rook. Don't ever let them give you those wispy tendrils again!"

As if I ever had wispy tendrils to bag on. "Thank you, it's perfect."

"Now, for make-up, you don't need much. Some foundation and bronzer, then red lips. Ronin said the dress was red, so you must have lips to match. I'll put a sealer coat over it, so it will last."

She does it just like she said and then sets me off to find my clothes in the dressing room. It's past six now, so the whole place is quiet. I find my bag and take it over to the upholstered benches in the middle of the outer dressing area where all the naked girls were earlier. This time I get shoes, and I'm relieved because my ripped-up Converse would never do for the absolutely stunning red creation I pull out of the bag.

Maybe Ronin is a control freak, but he has good taste in dresses. I hold it up to my body and it falls to the floor like it was made specifically for me. I guess it was, really, since I'm a standard model size and all these clothes are made for people who have a shape and height like mine.

It's strapless and has two slits that go all the way up to my mid-thigh on each side. The neckline is not low enough so my girls are hanging out if I move and the fabric is incredibly soft. I have no clue what it's made of, but it's soft. The bodice is trimmed in a few clear sparkles, just enough to make it twinkle in the lights, but not enough to make me look like a disco ball. After helping myself to some new panties from the underwear drawer, I wiggle into it and reach around to draw up the zipper. I only make it halfway, but I'm sure Ronin won't mind finishing that off for me.

I chuckle when I think about him. Gah, this man! I'm not sure what to do with him. He made me feel incredible today. Seriously, I've never had an orgasm. Sex was not something I enjoyed in the past, but after experiencing what he can do to me, I'm hoping that is about to change.

When I slip my feet in the shoes and realize they are not only my size, but comfortable to boot, I almost give in to his controlling ways. He really does know what he's doing. Is it so bad to trust someone to take care of you?

"Rook?"

"Come in," I yell back.

He walks in and I about have a heart attack. He's wearing a tux. "Oh, my," we say at the same time. And then we both burst out laughing.

"I feel like a grown-up," he says, looking down at himself.

"Mr. Flynn, you definitely look like a grown up." His tux is the kind that rock stars wear to those award ceremonies—black on black with slim-fit trousers. He walks straight over to me without hesitation and wraps his hands around my hips. His touch releases a fire that travels all through my body.

"Do you need a hand with the zipper, Gidge?" he asks, leaning down into my ear.

I want to say
yeah, but not the way you think
. I want him unzipping me right now. I want him to lift me up, slam me against the dressing room wall, and take me right here. Fuck this dress, this fundraiser, and everything else!

"Yes, please," is what really comes out.

Darn stupid inhibitions.

He turns me around, his hands trailing around my waist, and then his fingertips dance along my bare back for a moment before he gently lifts the zipper. I twist a bit at his touch and let out a gasp when he leans in to kiss the back of my neck.

"Did I tickle you?" he asks, leaning in closer as I turn back to face him. His breath teases my throat and then his lips travel up and flutter against the soft skin under my ear.

"No, you excite me, Larue. You make all my Gidget parts tingle." I giggle as his tongue continues to tease my throat and then I have to shake my whole head to dampen down the shudder of pleasure that runs through my body.

"You're gonna make me want to forget all about this night out if you're not careful. And then I'll have Elise mad at me for wasting the tickets and Josie mad at me for wasting the beautiful job she did on your hair and makeup. Now, hold still."

Something cold slides against my chest and Ronin's hands clasp together a piece of jewelry around my neck. I look down and bite my lip at the gemstones as they sparkle in the overhead lights of the dressing room.

He turns me around and steps back, hands never leaving my body. "I have no words for you, Rook Walsh."

"Try," I whisper back as I stare hungrily into his eyes.

He brings his palms to my face and tilts my chin. "I could describe what you look like, but that's not what I see. You are so much more than a body inside a dress, Rook. You fit me. When I saw you crouching in that stairwell last week I felt like I knew you. You stopped me dead in my tracks, you wiped my mind. And I reached out to touch you that day because I couldn't resist. I needed to do it and I plan on touching you all night, on the way there in the car, through dinner, as we walk around the zoo and do whatever the hell it is they do at a nighttime fundraiser, and all the way home."

"And then?" I prod.

He lets out a soft laugh. "Oh, Miss Walsh, I plan on doing many more things to you tonight, but most of all, when I finally get you back to my apartment and into my bed, I plan on making you whimper into my neck, begging me to make you come."