Chapter 12

DREW.
Emily slid into the car beside me, "OMG, I'm so excited to be going with you! " she squealed.
Who says OMG?
"Yeah, me too. " I said, surpessing an eye roll.
"You know, I've never been to a fundraiser before. "
"Yeah? " my mind was anywhere but here. I had no time for Emily and her shenanigans; the only reason she was currently sitting in my Bentley was because I had no one else to take on events like this.
I thought about Kate. If she'd agreed to my offer on Thursday, would she be going with me now? Not like I'd ask her to go with me though but would she accompany me? And what would my employees say about a supposed 'relationship' between us? I shuddered.
"Drew? " Emily called.
"Yes? " I turned to her.
"We're here. "
I looked through my window and saw we really had arrived. And I had no idea.
Mixing with several well of people in the society wasn't my idea of a fun time but it was good for business.
We moved to the dining hall where I found my seat. I drew the chair next to mine out for Emily then took mine. Everyone took their allocated seats at the table before the dishes were brought over. It smelled absolutely divine and I found myself actually wanting to eat something.
"This smells so delicious. " Emily uncovered her plate.
"It really does. " I smiled, looking up at her. I was about to open my plate when my eyes got drawn to a familiar set of small hands with purple tipped nails.
My eyes flew up and truly Kate was sitting directly opposite me. What was she doing in a fundraiser? I got the answer to the question when I saw who sat beside her. The 'boyfriend'. She smiled at something he said then shoved a fork of chicken into her mouth. So she was his date. The guy was obviously more than I gave him credit for.
I lost my appetite immediately but I couldn't sit while everyone else ate, so I ate about one quarter of the entire meal before pushing the dish away. I dabbed the corners of my mouth with a napkin then excused myself from the table, which, of course, drew attention to me, making Kate see me.
Her eyes widened slightly but she didn't react other than that. Maybe she knew I'd be here anyway.
I walked away, fingering the black bow tie at my throat. I needed a fucking breather. I couldn't believe Kate had actually meant what she said. Turning down my offer for the model? No matter how much I I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. It hurt. Bad.
I felt around in tuxedo pocket, wishing I had a blunt. I didn't smoke a lot; just when I needed to clear my fucking head. I calculated on a scale of one to ten how assholish it would be if I just bailed and sent Emily a text telling her I had something come up. Twelve, I think.
Fuck. I was stuck here. I needed to occupy myself with something. Fast. Before I'd do something stupid.
I turned to go back inside when I saw him standing there. I couldn't find it in me to be surprised he was here because it was a given for him to attend a fundraiser. What I didn't expect was that he'd try to pick a fight. In public.
"What do you want? "
He smiled, "Just enjoying the view. "
I stared at him, cursing the irony of his existence. He had the face of an angel and the heart of a devil. To the unsuspecting eye, it would seem like we were having a nice conversation but we knew better. This was war.
"Well then I wouldn't want to taint it for you. I'd better get back inside. " I made a move to walk past him but I knew he wouldn't let me go. Not when he hadn't achieved his aim.
"Enjoy it with me. "
"As long as you're here, it's already tainted. " I smirked.
The smile dropped from his face. "You sick piece of shit. "
I tsked, "That's no way to speak to me, Dad. "
Thomas Rutledge was one of the most influential men in Brooklyn. It didn't matter whether he wasn't the CEO of Rutledge Towers anymore. He was treated the same way.
"I'll speak to you however I see fit. " he assesed me with dead eyes, "What's eating you? "
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me, "There's no need to fake concern. How stupid do you think I am? "
"Answer the damn question. "
"I'm shocked. Really. You used to be slicker than this, now you're just fucking pathetic. Asking me for information about my personal life so you'd use it against me? That's low Thomas, even for you. "
"I'll ruin you with or without your information. Don't test me, Drew. "
"Ruin. " I smirked, knowing it would piss him off, "How appropriate a word for what I'm going to do to you. " I walked past him, getting the last word.
When I got in, I saw that people were already gathering in the hall for Ruth Becker's speech. I was too agitated, too unstable for this. I continued walking until I saw a door to the left. I pushed it open and found out it was a restroom. The genders shown perfectly there.
I paced, trying to work off some steam. If I was being honest, this was one of my worst weeks so far. Dealing with Kate's rejection, the fight I got into at the bar and my Dad openly telling me he wanted to ruin me, I felt like I was backsliding.
I heard the creak of a door opening and I followed the sound, seeing it was the ladies room. The occupant stepped out and I lost my breath.
Kate was a fucking vision tonight. At the table, I didn't have the chance to admire her because she was sitting but now that I had the luxury of standing within ten feet of her, I drank her in.
She was wearing a dark red strapless dress that clung to her body like a foreskin then went free from her hips where it had a slant that ran to the bottom. Fuck. She was sexy as hell right now and it took everything in me not to rip the gown off her body and devour her.
And to think that she was wearing it for another guy.
"Did you follow me in here? " she narrowed her eyes at me, dabbing her hand on a piece of tissue.
"No. I didn't know you were in there. "
"Hmm. " she dropped the tissue in the waste bin then went for the door.
I panicked, "Wait. "
She stopped then turned to me, eyebrow cocked, "What is it? "
"Nothing.... I just... " I faltered.
"What do you want, Drew? " she snapped.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? " I yelled.
She drew her head back, "What am I doing? "
"How could you come here with him? " There. I said it.
"He's my boyfriend, Drew. Whenever he attends things like these, I'm the one he brings as his date. That's how a relationship works. " she drew the words out like I was a kid.
"That's the problem. You shouldn't be in a relationship with him. "
She crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one foot, "And why's that? "
I struggled to find the words, "Because... Because you can fucking do better. "
"Better? Like you? "
What the hell was I even doing anyway? My pest of a date was outside probably looking for me at this very moment and I was here, trying to convince a girl who had made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with me to dump her boyfriend for me. When I had nothing more than a good fuck to offer.
"And you know what? You're such a hypocrite, Drew. You came here with someone else and you don't see me complaining. "
"That's because you don't care. "
She blinked, then asked softly, "You care about me? "
I remained silent, cursing myself for being too open-mouthed. My control was shit around this girl.
My silence must have angered her because this time when she talked, her voice was harder, "You obviously have something serious with this girl. She was with you at the bar that day. "
I nodded, she was correct about one thing anyway.
"Then why the hell are you chasing me? "
She definitely misunderstood my nod, "Emily is nothing, Kate. "
She stared at me for a long time then she nodded. "I believe you. " just like that. "But it changes nothing. "
I ran my hand through my hair then dragged it down my face, "What do you want from me, Kate? "
"Nothing. " she turned, dismissing me, "I've got to get back to my date. "
I rushed to grab her hand, "You're not leaving. Not now. "
KATE.
"Are you going to stop me? " I raised a brow.
"If it'll get you to stay and talk to me, then yes. " he said without hesitation.
"Talk about what? " I frowned. "What are we talking about, Drew? You're telling me to dump my boyfriend so I'd be your booty call. Do you hear yourself? "
He inhaled roughly, "I know it doesn't sound good–"
"No shit."
"But it would be for both our benefits. You get to be with someone who knows what he's doing. I promise I'll make you come three times at least. " when he saw my eyes widen, he added, "Or more if you want. I'll–"
"Shut up. Shut up. I don't want to hear any more. " I pulled my hand away from him, backing up a step. I couldn't lie, the promise of him giving me three orgasms was appealing. It made me curious.
"Shit. This keeps coming out wrong. This makes more sense in my head, I swear. "
"Oh my God. You're such an egotistical, condescending asshole. You know that? " I seethed at his guts, "You think you're better than Trent? You're fucking wrong. Trent is sweet, handsome, hot as hell, emotionally available and what do you know? He actually wants a real relationship with me. " I panted, "You think you can compare to that? "
He stumbled back like I'd hit him, then took another step back, his eyes darting around desperately. It amazed me. That mask of indifference was gone. He didn't have a comeback for what I'd just told him and I hated to admit it but seeing him like this softened something inside me. Shit. I think I went a little too far with my words.
"Drew... "
"No, I know. It just... " he shook his head, his eyes on the ground, "It just... Hurts seeing you and him like that. I mean, together. I don't know I just always thought, you know, that if there was ever a guy beside you like that, it would be me. " he gave a bitter laugh, "It's crazy. I always think of you as mine when I don't have an ounce of claim on you. I guess I'm a delusional asshole. " he turned so I wouldn't see the look on his face. And I didn't have to guess to know he was hurt.
I hurt Drew Rutledge. The invincible man. Me. The nothing.
Big higher that I was, I walked over to him and hugged him from behind. He jerked in shock, his shoulders locking with tension. "What are you doing? "
I ignored him, laying my head on his back and relishing the sheer strength of him.
"Kate? "
"Yeah? "
"What are you doing? "
"I thought that was a rethorical question. " I muttered, throwing his words from when we first met back at him.
His back rumbled with amusement. He turned in my arms stared down at me, his hands coming to land on my hips. "I want to kiss you. " he breathed.
I thought about Trent outside, about how he'd feel if he knew what I was doing right now. Then I stared at the man in front of me, who looked like he'd die if he didn't kiss me right now. I breathed. Hell, why was I even thinking about this? I wanted Drew and damn if I wasn't going to get him. If he was going to use me, then I'd use him right back.
"You never asked for permission before so don't start now. "
With a brows drawn look of lust, he leaned down and kissed me. Finally. Thank the Lord of my heels, I finally got to kiss him just how I liked it. I tangled my hands in his hair as he deepened the kiss, pulling me tighter against him. I exhaled into his mouth. Damn, I missed his lips.
He picked me up and I instantly wrapped my legs around his waist. He deposited me on the sink, adjusting himself between my thighs. I shivered as the cold from the sink penetrated my dress.
"Are you cold? " he asked, pulling away slightly.
I hadn't pegged Drew for a guy to care about a girl's feelings when they made out so I was taken aback by his question, "Yeah. " I grabbed his firm buttocks and pulled him more into the space between my thighs.
"Fuck. " he groaned, thrusting his steel length into me.
I tangled my fingers in his luxurious dark hair, kissing him with all the passion I'd kept bottled up inside me. The frustration I endured every time we started something like this thateft me worked up, I poured everything into the kiss.
He wrenched his lips away from me, panting, "This is how you kiss? " he groaned then dove back in, fucking my mouth with his tongue.
I moaned as he moved his lips to my neck, sucking on it. I tilted my head to the side to give him more access, placing my hand on his chest. I wanted to undress him and worship all that masculine goodness. I wanted this man on a level that scared me.
"Drew.... More. " I fumbled with his belt buckle, needing him inside me that very moment. But before I could take it off, he stepped away from me. "What's wrong? " I didn't recognize my own voice.
He shook his head hard, his voice strained, "No, we can't. Not here. "
I stared at him like he had two heads, "Yes, we can. I'm on the pill, come over here. " I stretched my hands out to him.
He closed his eyes like he was in pain, "Fuck, Kate. You don't know how hard it is for me to say no but I have to. Our dates are literally outside. "
The reminder that Trent was probably out there waiting for me, doused my desire so fast it was like whiplash. "Shit. I totally forgot. "
A smile graced his lips, "Yeah. I figured. "
I tried to get down from the sink but my legs barely touched the floor. Drew saw my struggle and came over to help me down.
"You're so short. " he laughed.
"No, I'm not. "
He snorted, "You're short, Kate. Very much so. But I like it. " he bent to meet my eyes, "You know you're sexy as hell, right? "
I rolled my eyes and pushed his chest slightly, telling him I needed him to step back. "Right. "
He pulled me to him and gave me one last long kiss before he let me go. He gave me a look of longing, "Now we just have to get through this charity. "
"Yeah. " I fidgeted, "Drew, I know we have something going on but I don't know what it is and I just can't process all this right now. I don't really know, Drew. I'm so confused. Trent is such a nice guy, he's been really–"
"Nice isn't your type. " he said suddenly.
I smiled despite myself, "I can't argue with that. " I arranged his bowtie then dragged my hands down, smoothing his tuxedo. "By the way, you look fucking hot. "
He smirked, his hands dropping down to squeeze my ass, "You'd bring a man to his knees in this gown, Kate. I didn't know I had this much restraint. " all of a sudden, he stepped back, shoving his hands into his pocket. "We need to go, Kate. "
I smiled, understanding his reason for putting space between us. He wanted to fuck me so bad he didn't trust himself to be so close to me. Deciding to tease him a little, I raised the side of my gown –the side with the slit– up a tad and I smirked as his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
"Fuck. " he swallowed audibly, running his palm over his mouth, "Kate... "
"Have fun with your date. " I walked out, leaving the door open just because.
When I got to the hall, I saw Ruth was just rounding up her speech and the moment I spotted Trent, the crowd applauded.
"Hey, where have you been? " he asked, placing his hand on my waist.
"Just here and there. " I shrugged, feeling guilty as hell.
He squinted at me, "Are you sure you're okay? You look flushed "
I plastered a smile on my face, "I just worked myself a little, that's all. "
Worked yourself eh.
Drew took longer to come out and I blushed a little, imagining what he'd been doing. Trent saw my reaction and looked at me funny again. Hell, I had to be careful with this guy. He was onto me. I knew I had to tell him about the situation sooner rather than later but I didn't want to bother myself with that now. I'd think about that later. For now, I snagged a drink from a passing waiter's tray.
I met Drew's eyes from across the room. I raised my glass silently in a toast and he raised his right back, a devious smirk on his lips. To delayed gratification.