For One Night Only (Siren Publishing Classic)

by For One Night Only (lit)

  In a way she was glad she hadn’t confronted the woman. If she had done her harm and gotten caught, any hopes of being reunited with Ruben would be gone forever. He wasn’t hers yet, and she didn’t have the right, or the reason—she hoped—to be jealous.

  Getting on top of the bed, she tried to fight the tiredness, but knew she would have to sleep soon, if only so she would have more energy for later. Knowing he was somewhere above her in the hotel didn’t excite her, it wasn’t as if she would be able to get near him. Shit, she doubted Albert would let anyone onto the entire floor, assuming his boss had taken his usual penthouse suite.

  Ruben hated having anyone around before a performance—including friends and family. A thought panicked her. What about after? He often entertained or hit the clubs after a show, still pumped from the adrenaline of being on stage. Things could get complicated if the mystery woman was still hanging around like a bad smell while he was looking to release some of that excess energy. She was sure he would be resting for the time being, knowing from bittersweet personal experience that he wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of a show.

  She shut her eyes, deciding to rest while she could. The night ahead promised to be a long one and, if the brunette knew what was good for her, Ruben would spend it alone.

  Chapter 5

  Bethany breathed a ragged sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. Her earlier conviction that Ruben couldn’t possibly be interested had left her unprepared for what had happened. During the whole encounter, she had been unable to move, never mind stop him. It all seemed so unreal and her brain simply refused to accept what it had just seen. If she hadn’t been there herself, she wouldn’t believe it either!

  Sure, it was flattering that he’d come on to her but what was the point of it all? She never did this kind of thing and she seriously doubted that he was interested in anything other than quick, mindless sex. Not that she found the idea unappealing. He was an attractive man. That body could take her mind off her troubles for a few hours, she guessed.

  Squirming at the throbbing between her thighs as she thought of his lips on hers moments before, she allowed herself the indulgence of imagining what could have happened if she hadn’t been ‘saved by the bell’. Throwing herself back onto the bed, she blew out a loud breath, trying to relax.

  Why did she always have to be so serious? Maybe just this once, she could have fun, without fear or expectation? Saying it was one thing, doing it was another. Her relationship with Simon had suppressed the natural inhibition she used to have. She smiled wryly, trying to chase away the tiredness that always invaded her spirit whenever she thought of her ex-fiancé.

  The girl she used to be wouldn’t have hesitated for even a moment. Ruben wouldn’t know what had hit him. She laughed into the stillness of the room as she imagined him, lying stunned and naked on the floor, after she’d had her way with him. She sighed as she remembered she wasn’t that girl anymore.

  She picked at her breakfast half-heartedly, the sleepless night beginning to catch up with her. With just enough energy left to arrange an alarm call, she fell asleep on top of the covers.

  Many hours later, Bethany led Donna and Tyla through the curtain and up to the door of his dressing room. After one more urgent whisper at her niece to calm down, she knocked, feeling no braver than the young girl, but determined to lead by example. Tyla had hyperventilated for almost an hour once she found out what her aunt had managed to arrange for her.

  Her mother Donna, Bethany’s younger sister, had been almost as excited, but more interested in hearing the juicy details. She appeared to have forgotten she was sulking at the moment, convinced that Bethany simply wasn’t telling the truth about her time with Ruben.

  Inside the room minutes later, Bethany was almost sorry she had come. Tyla was sobbing uncontrollably, clinging to the front of Ruben’s shirt. Bethany and Donna were making soothing noises whilst trying to pry his clothing out of her fingers, talking over each other as they kept apologizing. Ruben impressed Bethany with the way he tried to calm Tyla without being panicked by her actions. Finally, his soothing tones got through to the young girl, who went from loud wailing to quiet sniffling. Not long after that, they managed to coax her into a chair.

  Bethany dared a look at her sister. The surprise on her face wasn’t a revelation. Although happily married for many years, Donna still had the wildness in her that Bethany had lost. Her eyes were asking how the hell Bethany had kept her hands to herself while she was alone with this guy. Donna blatantly took in the view from her position behind him, smiling and winking up at him as he turned around and caught her doing it. Bethany was relieved to see him laugh and wink back broadly. She just prayed that for once in her life, her sister wouldn’t blurt out what she was thinking.

  Tyla looked up at him in silent awe, red-rimmed eyes wide as he turned his attention back to her and asked if she had enjoyed the show. Nodding mutely, she dropped her head, embarrassment starting to kick in. Sensing her discomfort, Bethany decided to bring her ordeal to an end.

  ‘Thank you so much for seeing us Ruben. It’s getting late though and I think we’re all a little tired,’ she said with a kind look at her niece. The group moved slowly toward the door as Ruben signed pictures for all of them. About to follow her family out into the hallway, Bethany was halted by the sound of her name.

  ‘When are you going home?’ Ruben asked

  ‘We’re flying back very early tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Will you join me for a late supper tonight, in my suite?’

  Bethany hesitated. Now that was a complication she didn’t need to think about at the moment. He obviously intended to pick up where they’d left off earlier. After the morning’s foreplay, they both knew if she accepted, she was consenting to more than just dinner. As usual, her brain went into overdrive in an attempt to stop her body from getting her into trouble. About to shake her head, if only just to play for time to think, she was interrupted.

  ‘Yes, she would love to,’ came her sister’s distant voice through the open doorway, followed instantly by the sound of her niece giggling uncontrollably. Ruben and Bethany grinned at each other.

  ‘Well? Will you join me, Bethany?’

  The look in his eye told her he already knew what her answer would be. Nodding quickly, she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she held his gaze. Kissing her cheek briefly, he let her go; his look promising that he would see her later.

  Rejoining her sister in the hall, she was greeted by incredulous eyes. ‘I know you weren’t thinking of turning him down,’ her sister said, a laugh in her voice. Not wanting to spend the whole journey back to the hotel explaining in front of Tyla why she had almost refused, Bethany simply shook her head and smiled.

  ‘I’m not going.’

  Ruben was furious, but trying hard not to take his anger out on Byron, who had just delivered the news that the record label needed some extra publicity shots. They wanted him in New York by early morning.

  Byron persisted. ‘Why must we stay here tonight and why are you being so stubborn?’

  Ruben kicked his shoes off. ‘I just want to, that’s all.’ Dragging his hands through his hair, he began to pace. ‘They can’t just call and change plans at the last minute. They own enough of my life without eating into the pathetic amount of free time I have left.’

  ‘I warned you not to cut your hair, didn’t I? But you couldn’t wait. You had to have it done straight away.’ Byron placed his hands on his hips. ‘So now, your publicity shots are out of date.’

  He was right, of course, but Ruben wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable. Fixing Byron with a glare that always terrified the road crew, Ruben was pissed that it didn’t scare him at all. Just this once, he wished his friend would give him some personal space and allow him to make his own decisions. He told him so.

  ‘Fine,’ Byron snapped, looking offended. ‘You can wipe your own ass for a change.’

  Ruben felt bad as he watch
ed Byron launch into the tidying and cleaning he always did when he was angry. Clothes were put away at record speed, newspapers folded, things moved to one side and then put back for no good reason as he muttered mutinously under his breath. Ruben tried to ignore him, but verbal missiles like ‘better things to do’ and ‘must think I don’t have a life of my own’ came flying at him from all directions through the charged atmosphere.

  Smiling despite himself, Ruben couldn’t stay mad for long. Guilt at causing the uncharacteristic outburst from Byron sent him scurrying to the kitchen. Returning minutes later with a cup of tea, he guided him to a chair, placing the drink in his hand. ‘I am sorry,’ he said, giving Byron’s shoulder a brief squeeze.

  The smile he received in response showed him all was forgiven. Taking a sip of the tea, Byron spoke. ‘But what am I going to tell the label?’

  Shaking his head, Ruben was at a loss for an answer. ‘I don’t know, tell them you couldn’t find me.’ He warmed to the idea. ‘Tell them we had a fight and I stormed out.’

  Byron wasn’t convinced but agreed, warning Ruben to remember he was a terrible liar and they would never believe him. ‘That doesn’t matter. Don’t you see, they’ll be so relieved when I arrive for the gig tomorrow night, they will have forgotten all about the photo shoot. Hell, they are always canceling those things on a moments notice anyway.’

  Byron nodded in agreement, before surprising him with a change of topic as subtle as a sledgehammer. ‘It’s that doctor, isn’t it?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Bethany. She is the reason you want to stay tonight?’ Byron folded his arms, convinced he was right and looking smug about it. Ruben didn’t answer him. ‘Is she worth all this trouble? You hardly know the woman.’

  Ruben erupted from his seat. ‘That isn’t the point.’ He paused unsure what the point actually was. ‘I just want to do this. I want one evening the way I want to spend it, with a person I want to spend it with. I don’t want to be told where to go or what to wear or when to sleep or when to get up.’ He ran out of steam then, sure Byron didn’t have a clue what the hell he was talking about.

  ‘I understand Ruben, really I do, and sure, if you want a night to yourself, then we will make it happen.’ Byron said, compassion warming his eyes. ‘But you know that’s not gonna solve anything?’ Ruben shook his head, unsure of his meaning.

  ‘We should never have signed that contract,’ Byron sighed.

  ‘Huh. That wasn’t a contract.’ Ruben spat out. ‘Indentured servitude is a better description.’ The five-album deal he’d signed a few years earlier had seemed like a dream come true at first. Problem was, three albums later, he was marking time, desperate for it to end. He’d decided long ago that as soon as he was free, he would launch his own label. No record company would ever own him again.

  Ruben looked at his watch, guessing Bethany would be arriving soon. About to tell Byron to make himself scarce, he remembered suddenly that, despite his earlier protestations about doing things alone, he needed his help again. ‘Any chance you could scare up a gourmet meal for two before disappearing discreetly?’ he asked with a cheeky grin. Byron choked on his tea at Ruben’s audacity. Wiping his shirt front, he shook his head in mock censure, but got straight on the phone to room service.

  Chapter 6

  She arrived at his suite just after midnight. It seemed an insane time to eat and she wondered if his offer was genuine or simply a ploy to get her alone. Ruben opened the door, welcoming her into a beautiful room with a fully laid table waiting in front of the balcony.

  ‘Thank you for coming,’ he said, surprising her with the formality of his greeting. Following his gaze, she spotted a waiter discreetly organizing dishes on a serving trolley in the corner of the room.

  Allowing him to seat her at the table, she accepted a glass of wine. ‘This all seems so surreal. Do you often entertain at this time of night?’

  He held her gaze for a moment before answering. ‘No, not often.’

  Bethany had dressed simply, having brought nothing with her from Vegas. A black linen shift that she intended to fly home in had been her only choice. His appreciative glance at her legs when she’d first entered the suite bolstered her confidence. She thought he looked gorgeous in the t-shirt, jeans and casual jacket he had chosen.

  The meal was wonderful. Bethany couldn’t tell if the glow she felt was from the wine or his presence. Maybe it was a little of both? He had managed to make her forget the nervousness that had almost stopped her from accepting his invitation. What was it about him that scared her so much?

  Conversation flowed easily despite her nerves and they laughed when Bethany reminded him of her niece’s behavior earlier. Ruben assured her there was no need to apologize. Apparently, Tyla had been well behaved compared to some he had encountered.

  During a lapse in the conversation, Bethany’s eyes lingered on his hands and the strong fingers gripping the fork. The memory of those fingers working their way up her body earlier in the day made her face flood with color. Dropping her head to hide her blush, she willed her tightening groin to calm down. He appeared to notice the change in her demeanor and asked if she was okay as she took a big gulp of her wine.

  ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said, as brightly as she could given the circumstances. He looked like he didn’t believe her for one minute, but thankfully didn’t pursue it. To her relief, he took the hint and changed topic, asking instead about her family.

  Mischief twinkled in his eyes. ‘What exactly is the story with that sister of yours?’

  Glad of the diversion, she told him a few tales about ‘that sister’ that made him laugh out loud. He seemed content to let her talk and watched her intently, smiling and nodding often. Nerves forgotten, she was eternally grateful to her sister for giving her so much to talk about. Careful to make sure he got the right impression about Donna, Bethany told him of some of the crazier things she had done in her life, laughing to herself as the memories flooded back.

  Eventually, she realized he had stopped listening as she became aware of his eyes on her face, tracing every feature. He appeared very attentive and focused on what she was saying, but managed to move subtly closer until it seemed only natural when he picked her hand up from the table and began to stroke it with his fingertips. Her voice died in her throat as she watched him silently. An ache rose slowly upward from her groin causing her to flush and part her lips, suddenly short of breath. His grin told her that he knew what he was doing.

  Bethany tried to continue the conversation, but had trouble thinking. Stealing the occasional furtive glance at him, she found his attention on either her mouth, her breasts or her hair. Becoming flushed and fidgety under the heat of his stare and the sexual energy that flowed from him, she marveled how he could he make her wet just by looking at her.

  Thanks to the wine, she had the weird sensation of being excited and terrified at the same time. It surprised her to realize she actually liked him a hell of a lot. Yes, he made her feel like a frightened teenager, but that was mostly all her own doing. He was actually a genuinely nice person and she enjoyed spending time with him so why couldn’t she just relax? She pulled her hand away, smoothing down her hair in a self-conscious gesture—wishing he would stop staring at her.

  ‘Bethany. What are you afraid of?’ he asked suddenly.

  Smiling shyly, she hesitated before deciding on telling the truth. ‘I don’t like to lose control, I guess.’

  ‘Do you think you would lose control with me?’ he teased, leaning in closer. His tone was light, but she could feel the tension in him as he waited for her answer.

  ‘I’m trying not to,’ she admitted, cursing the wine for loosening her tongue. A question appeared in his eyes and if the waiter not chosen that exact moment to come back into the room, she knew he would have tested her willpower. His expression told her she’d had a lucky escape…for now.

  Instructing the waiter to leave the dessert trolley and clear the table, Ruben led her out o
nto the balcony to have their coffee. Bethany stared out over the city, awed by the view you could buy if you were rich enough. The last thing she needed now was another reminder of the differences between them. Pushing the thought from her mind, she sighed away the tension as the breeze caressed her skin and whipped at her hair. Bracing her hands on the wooden rail, she closed her eyes and took in a deep, cleansing breath—vaguely registering the sound of a door closing as the waiter left the suite. She only realized Ruben was behind her when he slipped an arm around her shoulders. Startled at first, she willed herself to relax and allowed him to pull her close.

  ‘It’s beautiful out here,’ she whispered.

  ‘You are beautiful.’

  Unused to such open compliments, Bethany ignored it, groping blindly for a neutral subject to distract him with. ‘I’ll be sorry to leave tomorrow. This trip has been wonderful,’ she said wistfully.

  ‘Can’t you stay away any longer?’

  What was he asking her? She warned herself against reading any more into the question before answering. ‘I have to go back. I’m needed at work.’

  ‘I see…’

  Ruben went quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. Bethany watched him out of the corner of her eye and it made her smile to see he was a little nervous too. She realized he didn’t know what to do next. Reaching up to smooth down the hair that was blowing into her face, she turned to ask him when he was leaving.

  Catching her hand, he brought it to his mouth, turning it over and kissing her palm. She watched mesmerized as his warm lips brushed over the pulse on her wrist before he raised his head abruptly, dragging her to him. Threading his hands into her hair, he didn’t hesitate, capturing her mouth instantly with his.