Page 43 of No Longer Mine (Rags & Riches #2)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Scarlett

I’d managed to evade all of the men who threw themselves at me, much to Cleo’s displeasure.

She was practically begging me to get laid.

She said, ‘What better way to get over a man than to get under another one?’.

She was on to something, but I wasn’t quite ready to get under one anyways.

None of them excited me. They all looked boring, and their pick-up lines? Even worse.

“I insisted to Gavin Crenshaw that Scarlett Montrose could cut loose.” The voice was sharp enough to cut. I straightened and turned to find familiar eyes staring at me. Sinclair Cristof rubbed the back of his nails on his suit jacket as his eyes perused the room.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

He shrugged off his coat to a smaller man standing behind him.

My eyes skipped down to his hand, where he usually wore a wedding ring.

It was missing tonight—of course it was.

He pulled a chair over and straddled it easily.

Cleo had disappeared off to the bathroom, and this snake had used the opportunity to slither his way in.

I began to regret not letting one of the other men come onto me.

I tucked my hands in my lap to hopefully hide the shaking there.

“Gavin said you were probably a homebody and you two wouldn’t be a good fit, but imagine my surprise when I find you in my club.” His grin was slow and lazy.

“I only like to go out occasionally.” I tried to reason. I didn’t know where this was going, but it was terrifying me. Where the hell was Cleo?

He leaned forward and leveled me with a stare. “Gavin is going to call you or text,” he waved his hand dismissively. “And you’re going to say yes to a second date.”

It wasn’t a request. I blinked.

“You’re going to let him kiss you goodnight and do whatever it is he wants to.”

I blinked again. Who did this man think he was? God? Certainly not.

“I’m not interested in Gavin,” I said firmly. “I appreciate you looking out for him but, I don’t think we would be a good fit either.”

He straightened in the chair and his dark eyes narrowed at me. “I will give you a pass this time because you have no idea what it means to tell a man like me ‘no’. But I think you should heavily reconsider my offer.”

I tilted my head to the side. My past came blazing to the forefront of my mind.

Before I could stop myself, I stood up, towering over him this time.

“There was no offer, there was a command and I don’t take commands from small dicked men that take their wedding rings off to go out to their clubs.

This,” I passed my hand between us. “Is why I stay at home. No amount of alcohol or dancing is worth pig headed men spewing bullshit my way.”

He stood up, his cheeks flaming as he looked at me with fresh eyes. “You would be wise to consider who you’re speaking to.”

My brows lifted as I leaned in closer to him. “You would be wise to watch what the fuck you say to me. Do you want to know why?”

He only appeared slightly amused as he asked, “Why?”

I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. “Because the last man that fucked with me ended up with a knife in his chest. Goodnight, Sinclair.”

Cleo was exiting the hallway that led to the bathrooms as I made my way toward them.

I didn’t bother with looking back at the man who would probably kill me in retaliation for so much disrespect, but I also didn’t care.

I was so sick and tired of men with money thinking they could control me. Take from me. Use me.

My voice shook with rage and fear as I marched up to my best friend—my sister. “Time to go.”

In the back of the Uber, Cleo cackled. “You did WHAT?!”

It was too soon to laugh about now. There was no way I was finding any kind of hilarity in the matter at hand, but I would allow her to laugh about it. It made me feel only slightly better. “This is why we are going to the safe house tonight.”

“You don’t think he will follow us?” Cleo looked out of the window as the lights blazed past us.

“No,” I chewed on my bottom lip. “He will expect me to go home. After all, I’m just a spoiled rich girl.”

“I can’t believe you told him all of that!”

I sighed. “I didn’t give names, but yes, I can’t believe I said that either.”

She threw her arms around me, only being slightly held back by her seatbelt. “I’m so proud of you. You stood up for yourself. Maybe Dimitri is good for you. You would have never done that before.”

“I’m tired of men trying to control my life and my narrative. I just want to be free from having to live how others want me to.”

“Do you think Gavin will try to get a second date out of you?” Cleo patted my hand on my lap.

“I’m not really sure.”

“Why would he want that?” Cleo pondered.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good. Sinclair Cristof doesn’t insist on anything unless it benefits him.”

Cleo hummed. “How could you being with Gavin benefit him?”

It was a question that would keep me up at night, I knew that much.

“Either way,” She smiled at me. “I’ve never been so proud of you.”

Once upon a time, I’d allowed men to walk all over me.

Even after I’d killed Vanewood and Jameson.

I’d allowed men with money and power to continue to abuse me for years to come.

Maybe it was the sex trafficking, maybe it was Dimitri.

I didn’t know. All I knew was that the old Scarlett was dead and gone, and the new one was going to do whatever it took to take Sinclair Cristof down.