RAGE (BWWM)

14

There were three men and two women, seven people in total when including Rowan and myself. The booth was big enough for everyone to sit spaced out. I, on the other hand, was so close to Rowan that anyone could easily think that I was sitting in his lap. And when I initially realized how close we were, I tried to give him a little bit of room, but he only pulled me closer.

I didn't mind the closeness at all, and we both sat relatively quiet, just observing the others. I said absolutely nothing the entire time while Rowan only chimed in whenever someone spoke to him directly. My silence allowed me the opportunity to study these people, and it didn't take long for me to notice just how acquainted they all were. You could smell the familiarity, especially with the amount of banter coming from around the table. I then started to wonder how often they gathered like this in a public setting.

"If I had known that you were bringing a sub, I would've brought mine," someone voiced, getting everyone's attention. It was the man from earlier, the vibrant one that introduced himself first. He was a fine-ass chocolate man, but clearly older than myself—maybe in his mid-thirties. He was handsome, but his mouth turned me off whenever I would find myself tuning into his conversations. His arrogance was suffocating, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes every time he spoke.

But don't get me wrong, I love a man with a little bit of arrogance, but only when it comes off naturally. Rowan, for example, has a tendency to exude arrogant behavior, but his arrogance is always consistent with how he acts on a daily basis. It's not forced, and it's certainly not his sole personality.

"Amira is still fairly new, so we don't get out much," Rowan responded, rubbing circles along the small of my back.

"When did you get her?" The man asked, and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes as he talked about me in the third person.

"Less than a month ago," Rowan answered, eliciting a few gasps from the individuals at the table.

"How long do you plan on keeping her?" A woman spoke up. She was sitting directly across from me on the other side of the booth, eyeing me strangely. I wasn't sure if it was out of curiosity or maybe something else, but her gaze made me a little uncomfortable.

"For as long as I please," Rowan muttered, now sounding annoyed by all the questions.

"Hmm, well she's stunning," the first man replied back, eventually turning his gaze on me as well. I didn't acknowledge him in the slightest, but when Rowan confessed his own agreement by uttering a simple, "she is" at the man's compliment, I turned to him in appreciation. He was on a roll tonight with all these reassurances.

The questions soon stopped, allowing Rowan and I to go back to being silent. I turned to him again not long after and asked where the restrooms were. He then pointed me in the right direction, sliding out of the booth and standing up.

"I might go to the bar after, if that's okay with you," I whispered to him.

"That's fine. Have the tab sent to the table," he said. I nodded before leaving his side, in desperate need of a few moments to myself.

On the way to the women's restroom, I paused as I spotted a large red sign that read, Vixen's Nightclub. I stared at it for a while, trying to remember if I had ever come across the name. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure so I kept to my previous destination.

After emptying my bladder, I went to the bar and ordered a drink. I eyed the front of the room, catching sight of a fancy stage situated next to a pole. Both were unoccupied, and only a live band played off to the side.

"Amira...was it?" A soft feminine voice stole my attention away from the music. I looked to the woman...the same woman from earlier, the one that kept her focus on me the entire time we were at the table. She was beautiful with her long jet-black hair, pale skin, and her dark brown orbs, but something about her was unsettling.