by Alta Hensley
As soon as Evan parked the car in a large lot by a warehouse building, he turned the car off and leaned against his door to face Ruby.
“Where are we?” Ruby tried hiding her anxiousness.
“Okay, you know I get photographed a lot for my… profession… if you call it that.”
Ruby nodded. “Yeah?”
“There’s a photo shoot inside that I have to do.”
Ruby’s eyes narrowed a bit. “And this is a surprise? Why didn’t you just tell me that you had to work?”
“We both have to work.”
Ruby stared at him, clueless.
“The photo shoot is for both of us. The magazine wants a spread of us as a couple.”
Ruby sat motionless, stunned by the idea.
“I knew you’d be nervous. But trust me, okay?” Evan said while reaching for Ruby’s hand.
Ruby’s eyes widened. Her face burned as if on fire. “No way! I can’t do that. I’m not a model.”
“I’m not a model, either.” He leaned over to kiss her. “But you’re beautiful and I want you by my side. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Evan grazed his lips across Ruby’s. Grabbing her face with his hand so Ruby had no choice but to stare into his eyes, he added, “I want the whole world to know that you’re mine.”
“And if I say no?” she asked.
“I won’t force you. I’ll go inside and cancel.”
“You can’t just do it without me?”
Evan kissed her again, meeting her eyes. “No, because this was meant for me to do with you. But the choice is yours.”
She stiffened and nibbled on her bottom lip. “Okay, I’ll do it. But promise me that I won’t look like an idiot.”
“You’ll be perfect.”
Ruby’s mind spun into overdrive. She had no idea how to pose for a picture. Did she smile, or look sexy, or try to pull off sultry? Then her thoughts came to a screeching halt. Was this a BDSM magazine? Was she coming out to the whole world that she was engaged in a Domestic Discipline relationship? She tightened her jaw and stared out into nothing in front of her. Her pulse beat so fast that she thought she might have a heart attack. How would this look for her article?
“What’s wrong?” Evan asked.
“Is this a BDSM magazine?”
“Yes. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Well… uh… yeah, I kind of think it is.” She turned to stare at Evan. “I’m not sure I’m ready to be… well to be…open.”
Evan looked crushed. “I guess I just thought that since you and I were—” Evan shook his head and reached to open the door. “Never mind, I’ll go cancel the shoot. It was stupid—”
“Wait,” Ruby interrupted. “You’re right. We are.” She reached for Evan’s hand. “I’d be honored to be by your side. Let’s go do this.”
Evan tensed up.
“What’s wrong?”
Evan shook his head. “I’m not sure. I just get the feeling sometimes like you aren’t telling me everything. Like you’re holding back.”
Ruby stared at him for a moment. The door had opened. This was the time to just blurt it all out. Confess everything and hope to god that they could move on. This was the time… but the shoot. They had work to do.
“Ruby? Are you keeping our relationship a secret from someone? I didn’t think about the fact that maybe you haven’t told everyone in your life about me when I scheduled the shoot. I guess I just assumed that everyone knew.”
Ruby’s eyes narrowed, not understanding at first. “What?” She shook her head violently. “No, no! I’m not keeping you secret at all. I swear.”
Evan didn’t say anything.
“What’s the matter?” Ruby couldn’t read the expression on his face.
“I just get the feeling sometimes that there’s more.”
The door was opened even wider. Now. Now.
Ruby took a deep breath. A large enough breath to jump in the deep end. “Harold,” she said. “Well, it’s not exactly what you think.” She hesitated, nerves racking her body.
She watched Evan’s expression change slightly. “I think I know what’s going on.”
“You do? I wondered if you did. I’m so sorry for keeping this from you.”
“Why didn’t you tell Harold that I spank you? Do you think he’d have a problem with that? Do you think he will think I abuse you?”
The lump in Ruby’s throat sunk to the depth of her stomach. Ruby realized that Evan was completely off base. He had no idea the real truth about Harold. She shook her head. “No, that’s not it. Harold knows all about you and me. Well, I haven’t exactly gone into detail with him that you’ve spanked me. But I’m pretty sure he can connect the dots.” She smiled. “You are after all, Evan Steel.”
Evan looked confused. “Then what? What’s going on?”
Overwhelmed with guilt and fear, Ruby sat motionless. Twisting her fingers together, she tried to drum up the courage to confess. She’d felt so many unfamiliar emotions since she’d met Evan, yet none compared to what she was feeling now. The fear of losing him made Ruby realize just how important Evan was. If she were standing right now, the emotions would certainly bring her to her knees.
Evan kissed her temple softly. “Hey, whatever it is, can’t be that bad. You’re pale.”
She looked down at her hands, picking at the loose skin around her cuticle. Every ounce of her courage dissipated by the second. There was no way she could let Evan out of her life now. The thought suffocated her, gripping her beating heart. She sat in the car feeling dazed.
“Ruby, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
Ruby attempted to give a reassuring smile. “It’s no big deal. Silly really.” She reached out and patted Evan’s leg. “Let’s go get this shoot over with, and then I’ll tell you all about it.”
Chapter 17
Walking through the door of the photo shoot, Evan could almost feel the buzz of the room. The intensity of the energy almost seemed to knock him over with the power. This was a part of the whole celebrity craze that Evan really enjoyed. It was fun to get all dressed up and pose in cool and interesting positions. The backdrops always blew him away, and he always loved the photographers. He just hoped that Ruby enjoyed it as well.
As usual, Evan’s heart raced at the sight of Ruby. He loved Ruby’s natural beauty, but seeing her all glammed up was a surprising change. Evan bent down and kissed her in the makeup chair. It was supposed to be a reassuring hello kiss, but, unable to restrain himself, he kissed Ruby passionately until the makeup artist cleared her throat.
Ruby pulled away immediately, playfully pushing Evan to the side. “You’re going to mess up my lipstick.”
“I can’t help it.” Evan smirked, pulling away with a sigh. “You’ve gone from the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen to the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
“I hardly recognize myself.”
Evan laughed, lacing his fingers into Ruby’s. “It’s amazing what they can do, but with you they had it easy.”
The shoot went really smoothly. It was easier than most, and definitely more fun. Ruby was a natural. Every time Evan glanced at Ruby, he would catch a smile or a twinkle of an eye. It appeared that Ruby enjoyed it just as much as he.
“Are you getting tired? Do you want me to ask for a break?”
Ruby shook her head. “No. This is a lot of fun.”
Evan glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been several hours, and Ruby didn’t seem fatigued at all. With her focusing this much, the shoot was bound to be complete any minute.
Evan decided to make the shoot a little more intimate and brought Ruby’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. He immediately forgot about the room full of people and the flashing photos. He put his arms around Ruby’s waist and pulled her close. “You’re a real natural. I think you may have found your calling.”
Ruby nodded in agreement. “I have. I’ve found my calling as your girlfriend. I’m enjoying this because I’m with you.”<
br />
There were a lot more people than Evan expected in the studio when they finally wrapped up. Apparently they had scheduled another shoot directly after theirs. He knew the magazine was doing a full spread on the whole gang, so he wasn’t surprised when he saw other people showing up.
Evan liked watching Ruby mingle with his friends. Ruby seemed to blend in with the group effortlessly. They were becoming Ruby’s friends, too. Selfishly, Evan hoped Ruby would create a whole new life here in Seattle and would decide to stay. The more friends she had, the better. This was a topic they hadn’t discussed, mainly because Evan was scared of what the outcome would be. The thought of Ruby leaving killed him. But he wouldn’t dwell on that right now and ruin a perfect day.
Gage came up from behind, laughing, and put his arm around Evan’s shoulder. “So what the fuck? You replace us for some lovey-dovey shots?” he teased.
Evan shrugged. “What can I say? Do you blame me?”
Gage playfully shoved him. “One word. Pussy whipped.”
Ruby walked up and wrapped her arms around Evan. “That’s two words.”
Adam walked up to the laughing group. “Holy hell, Ruby! You look amazing.”
Ruby blushed and snuggled closer to Evan’s side. “Thanks. It was fun, but I’m not sure if I’m cut out for all of this.”
Even though everyone seemed to be in great spirits, Evan was ready to call it a day. He wanted to have some alone time with Ruby. “Well, our job is done. We’re gonna get out of here.”
“What?” There was a note of disappointment in Adam’s tone. “Hang out for a while.”
“Let’s get some drinks and show Ruby how a real photo shoot should happen,” Gage added.
Evan pulled Ruby closer to him by the waist and she leaned her head against him. “It’s been a long day. Ruby's tired.”
Ruby’s head shot up and she punched him playfully on the arm. “Hey, you can’t put this on me. I’m not tired.”
Evan smiled. “I think someone might be looking for a spanking.”
Ruby laughed and Evan turned, teasingly crossing his arms in a stern look.
“Let me get our stuff and we can go,” Ruby said as she kissed his cheek. Turning toward the guys she added, “I better get Evan to bed… he’s tired.” With a giggle, Ruby walked off.
“Hi, Evan.” The familiar voice he had grown to hate loomed behind him.
He was quiet for a second, hoping she would go away. “Maxine.”
Maxine walked around so she faced Evan directly. “It’s been a long time.”
“What do you want?” He didn’t want to be mean, but the last thing he wanted was any unnecessary drama with Ruby. Even talking to Maxine encouraged her enough.
“I’m not going to say I told you so, or try to make you feel worse, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just want you to know I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you.”
Evan sighed impatiently. He had no idea what she was talking about and didn’t even feel like asking.
“Maxine, I’m not in the mood for your games. I’m done working right now, so I’m leaving.”
“Evan, no matter what, we used to be friends. You’re still a friend in my eyes. I don’t know how Ruby could do that to you, but I know you were really blinded by her. So if you need someone to talk to now, I’ll always be someone you can count on.”
She wasn’t making any sense. The possibility of her being high or drunk was a likely scenario, so Evan had no desire to continue the conversation. “Whatever. I’m going to go find Ruby.” He turned and walked away, leaving Maxine with Adam and Gage.
No sooner had Evan started to walk away than he heard Adam call after him.
“Evan, can you come back here for a second?” Adam asked.
“I got to go.”
“No fucking way!” Evan heard Gage confronting Maxine. “You’re just trying to stir the shit.”
“I’m not making this up. Go ahead and ask her. Ask Ruby for yourself,” Maxine defended.
Evan walked back toward them, annoyed. “Ask Ruby what?”
“Maxine says that Ruby is a reporter working on an exposé,” Adam blurted out.
“Maxine, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Get your facts straight before you start spreading rumors.”
“Oh, so you’re aware that she works for a magazine? That she's here to get insider information?” Maxine asked with a smirk.
“Shut the fuck up, Maxine,” Gage shouted. “You’re such a bitch.”
“Fuck off, Gage. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not the slut who’s using Evan for a scoop.”
“What makes you say that?” Evan asked.
Adam piped in, “Just ignore her.”
Evan was undaunted. “Well? Where did you get these facts?” He stood there smiling, arms crossed against his chest. A part of him enjoyed seeing how mad Maxine was getting.
Maxine shrugged. “Whatever. I was just trying to be nice. Believe me or not, but if I were you, I’d ask that little lying fake yourself.”
“Just leave us alone,” Gage ordered.
Maxine nodded toward the direction of Ruby, who was walking back toward the group. “She’s using you, Evan. Using you for all your connections and your name. She fucks you, whores herself out, and surprise, surprise, now she’s on a cover of a magazine. I bet she’ll use it for her own story. You’re a fool if you thought this was about love.”
Evan stood still, frozen by the biting words. He knew it couldn’t be, but Maxine’s words still hurt like hell. He took in what he’d just heard, then shook his head and viciously attacked. “There’s only one whore in this room, Maxine.”
“Let’s just ask Ruby and end this shit right now,” Gage interrupted.
“Ask me what?” Ruby asked as she walked up and reached for Evan’s hand.
This whole conversation was absurd. There was no way Ruby could secretly be using him. He trusted her. Evan just hoped that Ruby didn’t get upset by Maxine’s accusations.
“Why don’t you tell everyone how you're a deceiving, lying, filthy whore,” Maxine snapped.
“Shut your mouth!” Evan yelled, a red haze of anger nearly blinding him.
“What? What the hell is going on?” Ruby looked confused and stunned by the nasty claim.
“Maxine, get your ass out of our faces before one of us paddles your ass so hard you won't be sitting for days,” Adam yelled.
Maxine took a couple of steps back. “Tell them all about the article. It seems your filthy, cock-licking mouth has been caught.”
Evan lunged for Maxine only to have Adam step between them. “Get out of here, now!” Evan’s voice vibrated throughout the room. Fury coursed through his veins.
Maxine turned to leave and then suddenly stopped. She turned and spoke over her shoulder. “I find it ironic, Evan, that you are the all-famous Dom, and yet you're taking it up the ass a lot lately. How's the ass fucking feel?” She smirked and quickly glided away, leaving her path of destruction behind her.
Evan turned toward Ruby and saw her startled eyes. Evan wanted to scoop her up in her arms and apologize for hours for having to witness that. Maxine was out of control.
“I’m so sorry, Ruby. I’ll make sure that bitch never comes near us again.” He wrapped his arms around Ruby and felt her body tense. Ruby didn’t return the embrace.
“Evan, I’m sorry, I should’ve told you this a long time ago.”
Evan’s heart sank. A long time ago?
Ruby’s beautiful smile and excited eyes had changed to a sullen expression. All Evan saw in them was fear… or was it guilt? It felt unreal, like some kind of nightmare. Evan searched her eyes for answers. Desperately searching for clarification. Reassurance that Maxine was full of shit. Evan searched for… hope. For a second, he thought he was going to be sick. His breath caught. This couldn’t be happening.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Ruby started. “I'm a writer, you know that. I did come here to get a story on Domestic Dis
cipline. But I swear I'm not using you.”
Evan’s ears rang. He stood there, heart hammering. He took a few steps back. “You told me you’re a writer. But an article on… me?” Evan stared at her, hoping he had heard her wrong.
“On Domestic Discipline,” she said. “I meant to tell you from the very beginning, but we started to get close and I didn't want to lose you, and I…”
Ruby’s words echoed against the walls of his ears. Every word was like a punch to the gut. Evan wanted to vomit. All this time, Ruby had been working undercover. Evan shook his head in disbelief and backed away even further.
“Evan, please.” Unshed tears rimmed Ruby’s eyes, but it didn’t matter. Evan couldn’t comfort the woman he loved. He couldn’t reach out and dry the tears. He couldn’t give… love.
Ruby stepped closer to Evan, attempting to reach for his hand. Evan recoiled, not wanting her to take another step. Gage and Adam stood to the side, speechless. As the reality of it settled in, the shock and pain turned to anger.
“So, did you get all the information you needed?” Evan’s voice rose with every word. “Plenty of material gathered through your experimental phase with me?”
Ruby shook head, tears coursing down her face. “Evan, please, you don’t understand. Let me—”
“So, what the hell was I to you? I didn’t think you were using me. I honestly thought you loved me.”
“I do love you! I lied, but I swear to you that everything between us was genuine. I'm a writer, but I never intended to write something negative. Please, let me explain.”
“I trusted you, Ruby. I gave you my whole heart. I had no idea you would do this to me.”
Evan stormed away, fighting back tears, vomit, and fury. He needed to flee fast. He didn’t want Ruby to see just how intensely she affected him. Those days were over.
Through the corner of his eye, he saw Ruby rushing toward him. Evan didn’t need to hear anymore. Whatever she had to say didn’t matter. It was all lies. Everything was a lie.
“Evan,” she said. “Hear me out, please.”
“There’s nothing to say, Ruby.” He stopped and glared. “Unless you can tell me you didn't move here to write a story. That you haven’t actually been lying to me on a daily basis. Can you say that, Ruby?”