Page 68 of One
He places his hand on my leg, splaying his fingers and squeezing my thigh possessively. But when I lift my eyes to his face, his gaze is intently focused on the attendant. His possessiveness, which I usually find sexy, now feels off.
Maybe I’m exaggerating, especially after how Raph has been treating me since he met me. And discovering what we were to each other. But I was so damn excited about this date, and what I’m getting is very far from my imagination. I’m seeing a different side of my boyfriend. One I don’t like.
But he’s rich, well-known, and handsome. It’s a triple whammy. What did I expect? People stare at him even when they don’t know who he is. It’s in the way he stalks instead of walking, scrutinizes instead of looking, and expects instead of asking. That confidence and control that captivates even though there’s something savage underneath it. The BDE effect.
Raph’s voice suddenly infiltrates my dark thoughts. “Does that sound good, babe?”
The attendant is also looking at me, waiting for my reply with a nearly pitiful smile on his lips. An unsettling feeling rushes all the way up to my throat, but I swallow it back. Fuck this.
“Didn’t hear a word.” The attendant blinks, confused at me. “I was too distracted by your hand moving near my dick.” I give Raph an empty look before looking at the baffled fucker again. “But I’d like a drink.” I spear him with an icy stare. “An Adios Motherfucker, double on the tequila and vodka.”
The attendant opens and closes his mouth like a dying fish. “Certainly, sir,” he replies soberly. All traces of flirting are gone.
“The order of food is fine. Add another Motherfucker,” I hear Raph say coldly. Huh?
The attendant clears his throat, clearly confused by Raph’s sudden unfriendly tone. After giving a small bow, he leaves.
I grab the glass of water from the table and take a long gulp. The cold liquid feels like a soothing balm on my restricted throat.
Feeling Raph’s intense stare on me, I give up and look. He has a smug smile on his face.
“Why the fuck are you smiling at me?”
“Because you’re mine,” he annoyingly answers.
I snort bitterly. “Sure. And since you’re mine as well, I’ll let people flirt with me and treat you like you’re the invisible man then.” Like that would ever happen… Shut up brain! I feel so petty.
His smirk turns menacing. “Let them try.” His hand tightens on my leg. “And it seems to me like you dealt with the situation pretty well.”
I sniff haughtily at him, but the truth is that I kind of enjoyed putting the attendant in his place. Still… “Do I need to expect this every time we go out?”
“Only when we wander in certain circles. But usually, Uri is the one mingling. I just tag along sometimes.”
“So you don’t like it?” I hesitantly ask.
“Fuck, no. Most people bore me. It can be fun at times to play the part of the sociable playboy millionaire, but that’s not me.”
“Fucking around is not you?” I spit out.
“Not anymore,” he simply says, looking straight into my eyes.
“So why do it? The sociable bit,” I clarify, not wanting to know anything more about the hooking up with other people part.
“It’s my duty to my company and my family.” He brushes his knuckles softly on my cheeks. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anybody disrespect you. Before, with the attendant… I needed to know.”
“Know what?” I ask, confused by his words and his feather-light touch trailing down my neck.
“Know that you can hold your own.”
“Was that a test?” I can clearly hear the affront in my voice.
He nods with a small smile, titling the corner of his lips. “And you were magnificent.”
“You dick! You turned your psycho… power on me,” I hiss. I feel so damn pissed.
“Psycho power? I like it.” He has the audacity to look happy. A waitress places two light blue cocktails on our table, and I quickly sip on mine, feeling the burn of the combination of the four types of liquors spreading down my throat.
“Motherfucker!” I swear at both the cocktail and Raph. “Don’t like to be manipulated, Raphael.” My loud voice is starting to attract attention, but I can’t seem to care about it at the moment.
