Can't Control

Chapter 6: Connections

The next couple months passed, and I got to see more of the Knights than ever before. Since they felt more comfortable around me, they told me about how they worked closely with their boss Kylo Ren, the owner of First Order Enterprises, and their official title within the company as the Knights of Ren. They had come into the bar every Friday and Saturday evening and always stayed until I closed up with Scott.

It felt like we had all spent so much time together; some of the Knights would talk to me while I was working at the gym, but considering I was working a shift and they were there to get a workout in, we didn't get to hang out too much. There were also times where I didn't get to see some of them, and they would let me know that they had to go out of town for work for several days at a time. Generally, three or four of them would be gone at one time, but they would always come back and make it up to me somehow, not that I asked them to, though. Sometimes they would tip extra-well, better than their usual generosity, or the Knights that had been gone would insist on taking me home from the bar after they came back so that they could spend more time with me (that was usually Trudgen or Vicrul who would do that). I'd never asked for anything, but a couple times the Knights would come back with a gift for me when they had traveled outside of the country. I had no idea where their jobs were taking them when they would leave, but one of the gifts was a bracelet I had started wearing every day; it consisted of multiple black leather cords with a fairly large piece of glass vaguely in the shape of a crown. The leather was connected to the crown on each side of it and wrapped around to a small clasp on the other side. Trudgen had gifted this to me, telling me that it was a piece of Libyan Desert glass, so it was not man-made. It was one of the most sentimental and thoughtful gifts I had ever received.

I had met Kylo two weeks after the first night that Trudgen and Vicrul had driven me back to my apartment.

The Knights entered the bar with someone new, who I assumed was their boss. Turns out, it was, and Kylo Ren came up to my side of the bar as the others went to sit at the booth. If anyone looked like the epitome of a mob boss, it was him. A perfectly crisp suit fitted to his body like a glove; it was black with mild gray pinstripes, a black button-up underneath. No tie, as he had undone a few buttons at the top of his shirt, showing off his sexy collarbone with a peek of his chest. A silver chain on his neck with a symbol of First Order Enterprises hanging from it, and he wore several rings on each finger, like trophies to adorn. He almost looked like someone out of a mobster movie. His hair was dark, nearly to his shoulders, and the perfectly fluffy waves moved slightly when he walked towards me. As he came closer, I was drawn immediately to his eyes. They sparkled in the dim lighting, deep-brown and gold. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Hell, if I wasn't completely terrified of getting back into the dating scene, I easily would've thrown myself at him.

I stepped out from behind the bar, not only to introduce myself to him formally but also to greet the Knights in the back booth.

Kylo held out his hand to me, and I took it but pulled him in for a light embrace as well. He didn't seem surprised by it, as I'm sure the others had mentioned I was kind of a hugger, and he returned the gesture. Sandalwood and vanilla hit my nose; I wanted to stay right there and savor it. When I pulled away, he spoke with that lovely deep voice of his. "Hello there. I've heard so much about you, Samara."

"And I've heard about you, Kylo Ren," I said with a coy smile.

"Just Kylo, please. I hope my Knights haven't spoken too poorly of me," he replied. Fuck, he had a goddamn flawless smile. Why must the universe tempt me like this?

"Only the worst stories," I teased and elbowed his arm. I started walking towards the booth where the Knights were seated, who were arguing and laughing over something that happened when they were out of town recently. Kylo put his hand on my lower back, guiding me towards them and didn't let go when we got there. "What can I get you to drink, boss?"