Ella POV
"Ms Rodriguez"
It was that voice, that beautiful voice that has been haunting my day dreams. I slowly turned around to face him while doing my very best to hide any sign that I was actually happy to see him again.
"What are you doing here?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You mean besides admiring a beautiful woman?"
"Well aren't you the sweet-talker, but like I said the last time not interested."
"You're breaking my heart Ms Rodriguez." he grabs his chest and feigned being hurt.
"Must you insist on calling me by my last name?" I rolled my eyes.
"It's is your name is it not and besides the fact that 'you're not interested' doesn't put us in a position to be so informal with each." He then signaled to someone behind me, I guessed it was the bartender.
His last statement had me stomped-of course there was nothing wrong with him using my name so formally-I don’t know him. But I knew that he was only calling me by that name to get under my skin-Oh... What I would give to be under him. Ugh.. Stop it Ella, remember your goal-no more men.
"I'm sorry what did you say?" I asked when a realized he was waiting for me to answer some question.
"I said share a drink with me."
"Okay." One drink couldn't hurt, I took the shot glass from his hand.
"Here's to getting to know one another." I looked him straight in the face and he kept his eyes glued on me while he knocked back the contents of his glass, he urged me to follow and I did. It had the faint taste of peppermint but sweet.
"What is it that you want exactly, Dylan?" I decided to stop beating round the bush- he was so hot and cold that I couldn't get a good reading on him.
"I'm not sure what you mean Ms Rodriguez?" he said with a smile playing on his pink lips.
"Don't play dumb with me?"
"I'm not, I saw a familiar face and I came over to say hello. I have no other intentions."
"Well since you got what you came for, you can take off now." I began to turn my back on him when he stopped my bar stool from turning.
"Why the hostility? I thought we were getting along."
"Getting along? You think we're getting along. I don't know what your playing at but you can count me out of any game you have in mind." he started to speak but I cut him off and continued, "One minute your a real arrogant jerk and the next your sweet, flirty and flashing that sexy grin of yours- your giving me whiplash. So when you figure out what you want let me know…Better yet, don't." I stood up off the stool and pushed pass him, I took one glance in his direction only to see a blond in a mini dress that left very little the imagination, slide in beside him.
He didn't take notice of her presence at first, he had his eyes solely on me and for a split second it was just he and I. It may have only been a few seconds but it felt so much longer, with the intense stare he gave me-I started feel a gravitational force that pulled me back towards him. I immediately shook it off and scowled in his direction before turning around once again, but just before he was completely out of sight I saw his shoulders shake as he shook his head and laughed.
"Son of bitch!" I wasn't sure if I was cursing him or myself. I looked up and saw Rach walking back towards me and her face didn't look exactly happy either.
Rachelle POV
I made my way back down to the main floor, where I found Ella walking towards me already, looking very distraught. It allowed me to forget briefly the complicated shit my life is turning into.
“Hey what happened?” I asked.
“That asshole, the nerve of him. Actually thought I would be interested.”
“What the hell happened, woman?”
“Don’t you recognize him-the guy that parked in my spot.”
“Dylan-that was him?”
“Yeah.”
“Ohh…my bad.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing-you ready to go? The night kinda began to kill my buzz.”
“Yeah-I’m ready.” she said actually looking very relieved I didn’t want to stay.
We got our coats and left the club. Our driver wasn’t expecting our call so early so we had to wait for a few minutes outside the club-and that’s when I saw him running.
“Come on-move!” he shouted to his friends behind him.
Something was wrong and I began to run towards him-not the best shoes for a 2am run but I‘ll manage. I could hear Ella screaming behind me to stop-but I didn’t.
“Ross, what’s going on?”
“Rach-what are you doing here?”
“Well I’m heading home and you?”
“Getting the hell out of here-come on.” he said and started to drag me.
“Hey-where the hell do you think you’re going with her?” Ella jumped in front of us.
“Ella its ok. This is Ross-Ross this is Ella.” I introduced them.
“Not the time-Rach-we gotta run.”
And with that Ross was pulling me and Ella was running behind-and screaming for someone to explain what was going on, but everyone was solely focused on getting out of there. And that’s when our paths were cut off by two black SUV’s-and out got 50cent-and with that once again the shit has hit the fan. I didn’t know what was going on but I knew it wasn’t good-I gripped Ross’s hand a bit tighter-out fear not for me but for him. In such a short space of time Ross has grown to mean a lot to me-I consider him family and I wasn’t ready to loose him.
“Rach, Ella get behind me.” Ross said while pushing us.
“No. I’m staying here-me and him have history.”
“What-what kind of history you got with Max?” Ross snapped his head in my direction and I shrugged.
“Well, well Princess-you like getting yourself into some shit don’t you.?” 50cent said or rather Max.
“ If there is a chance to kick your ass-definitely.” I answered back while stepping forward. But Ross immediately pulled me back-and told me to shush. I did what he asked as I watched the other car door opened-I knew who it was before I even saw them. He wasn’t happy that much I could tell-he looked in my direction and his eyes softened-but instantly he recovered and brought back that hard exterior.
“Eric-hey man. Look I know how this seems but I swear to you that it wasn’t our fault.” Ross began to explain.
I couldn’t take my eyes of Eric-it was only a few minutes ago we were on a roof bumping and grinding and…then I felt a huge nudge… in my side.
“This is so NOT the time to go off to dreamland Rach.” Ella said-along with her elbow in my side.
“I’m here, I’m here.” I assured her.
I listened as Ross tried to explain that it was some other guy that screwed them over, something about a deal. Deal? What deal? Ross involved in gangs-I couldn’t believe it.
“What do you want with him?” My question was directed to Eric.
“Stay out of this, Princess.” he snarled at me. It wasn’t long ago he kissed my hand and called me Princess-but this was different-it was angry and the Eric I knew and began to Lov…the next thought that came to mind was too hard to even think-I swallowed hard with great difficultly as my throat felt abnormally dry and all I could do was just stare.
“You gotta believe me. I swear to you man-it wasn’t us. The guy was talking about all this being some kinda message from Ry-Dawg.”
In that moment-Ella and I looked at each other-and I could see we were thinking the same thing. Was all this due to the message I had Eric deliver? But how would hurting Eric’s business would help him get back at me-he couldn’t know what was going on between Eric and I-I wasn’t even sure what was going on between us.
I was afraid to look at Eric-but I couldn’t help myself. I found him looking right at me, as if he wished I wasn’t in the middle of all this. We stared at each other for a very long moment and then I remember where I was-I looked around to see if anyone noticed that there was something else going on but everyone was oblivious-except Max. He was watching the both of us the whole time-he was the only one that knew what was going on between Eric and I and he didn’t look happy about it.
“Boss, let me handle this.” Max the ever eager dickhead jumped in.
“No. I wanna find out what exactly happened tonight.” Eric replied.
“No? Boss we know what happened-this motherfucka and his sluts went in there and fucked up two-months of work. We should teach them a lesson.”
“I said let’s go.” he shouted at Max “We’re done here for tonight.” and with that Max shut his mouth for this was no longer up for discussion. He looked directly at me-as though he was saying that this night would have gone completely different if I wasn’t there. It was then I realize where his eyes were focused-I didn’t realize how me standing beside Ross clenching his hand must have looked to him. I wanted to run over and explain to him-but what was I to say-“Ross is not the guy I’m with but another one.” I took my eyes off Eric and began to observe Max-just staring at Ross even when he was in the car and ready to drive off. When the SUV’s disappeared- felt Ross’s grip loosened-but I knew he wasn’t finished with me, just as I wasn’t finished with him.
“Let’s just get out here before we start drilling each other.”I said to him before he started questioning how I knew those guys. “And if you think I’m the only one with questions to answer for-you’re in for a big surprise.” I continued as I pointed over to the car for him to get in.
“So is it still the same destination, Ms. Berg.”
“Yes-Sun City Grand.” I answered.
“Your taking him too?” Ella asked.
“Yes I am-he needs somewhere safe to stay-and so he’s coming home with us.”
“I don’t need you protection Rach.” Ross said.
“I know you don’t Ross-but I want to.” I said while holding his hands.
He just smiled and leaned his head back. I was about to do the same when Ella asked.
“Did you see how that Eric guy was looking at you?”
“They were looking at all of us.”
“Not the way he was looking at you Rach. I don’t know but it was just weird-if I didn’t know any better I’d say…”
“What?”
“Not possible, don’t worry about it.” she said that fell into the same position as Ross. I knew what she wanted to say-I saw it too, in spite of how cold and harsh he sounded, he looked like a man in pain having to choose his job over me. ‘Why?’ would be the appropriate question to ask-but I already knew the answer, for I stood there feeling the same way.