Tall, Handsome, Intimidating
Chapter 13
A taxi dropped Ruby in front of a restaurant, as he drove off.
She stood in front of the building in confusion as she looked at the address Kevin had sent to her and the restaurant.
Confusion was written all over her face as she kept glancing from her phone to the building.
Thinking maybe she was in the wrong place.
But Kevin’s address wouldn’t be wrong though.
This was a very expensive restaurant, with emphasis on the word expensive.
She has tried getting a job here, but they wouldn’t even give it to her, saying that she wasn’t qualified.
They were so picky with the workers, that’s how big and expensive the restaurant was.
She was still lost in her thoughts when Kevin suddenly came from behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“You’re here,” he said.
“Oh my God!” Ruby exclaimed, shifting away from him as he totally took her by surprise.
“Sorry if I startled you” he apologized.
Ruby’s heart was pounding in her chest as she recovered from the shock of Kevin’s sudden appearance. It was a stark contrast to the calm exterior he projected.
“It’s fine,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I just didn’t expect you to pop up like that.”
“I couldn’t resist,” Kevin said with a charming smile. “I wanted to surprise you. Now, are you ready to eat?”
Ruby’s eyes darted back to the restaurant with hesitation on her eyes.
“Here?” She pointed, wanting to be sure.
“Yes, here,” Kevin confirmed with a nod. “This is one of my favorite places. The food is incredible.”
Ruby’s confusion only intensified. How could Kevin, a seemingly ordinary guy, afford to eat at such a high-end establishment?
“I… I’m not sure I can afford this,” she said, mustering the courage to voice her concerns.
“It looks really expensive,” she muttered, tucking the strand of her hair that was dangling on her forehead.
“Don’t worry Ruby, bills on me” he smiled at her and Ruby’s eyes only grew wider.
“Wh…. at?” Ruby stammered, the last time she remembered, Kevin was not that well to do, to afford such a place.
Ruby’s mind was racing, her thoughts colliding with one another like cars in a traffic jam. This was all too strange, too surreal. What was going on?
“I’m not kidding,” Kevin said, noticing her shock. ”
“Kevin, what’s really going on? How can you afford all this?”
“Come on Ruby, stop acting like a kid. We last met a long time ago. I’m now an independent man, I work and own a company” he informed as ruby mouthed an oh.
“You see?”
“So come on and stop asking questions..” he held her hand as led her into the restaurant.
Ruby let Kevin lead her into the restaurant, her mind still reeling from the revelation that he was, apparently, very well off now. The interior of the restaurant was as lavish as the exterior, with plush red velvet seats, expensive-looking artwork on the walls, and waiters scurrying around like ants in a colony.
As they were seated, Ruby tried to distract herself with the menu, her eyes widening at the prices. “Wow, everything here is really expensive,” she whispered again to him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kevin said smoothly as a waiter approached them.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kevin repeated, turning to Ruby with a reassuring smile.
“Why don’t you try the Champagne? It’s Dom Perignon, one of the best.”
The waiter nodded in agreement, seeming impressed by Kevin’s knowledge of the wine list.
“And for appetizers?” he asked, pen poised over the notepad in his hand.
Kevin glanced at Ruby, a question in his eyes. “Would you like escargot or foie gras?
“Yeah sure” Ruby smiled as the waiter wrote down the order before leaving.
She had heard of how good Escargot was but never got to taste it, now she was glad at the opportunity to taste it.
A few moments later, the waiter arrived with their order.
The waiter set down the food, the earthy aroma of the escargot mingling with the rich, buttery scent of the foie gras. “Enjoy your meal,” he said with a bow before departing, leaving Ruby and Kevin to their own devices.
Ruby shifted in her seat, unsure of how to start the conversation.
“Enjoy your meal” Kevin was the first to speak as Ruby nodded at him.
She was just about to pick up her cutlery when her phone vibrated.
“Excuse me” she muttered, picking up the phone.
To her surprise, it was a text from Jaxon.
Son of the devil!! What did he want now? Ruby thought to herself as she unlocked her phone.
‘Where are you?’That was the text he sent.
No greetings, no nothing. He didn’t even know if she was alive after dumping her in the middle of nowhere and it was in the night.
‘The last time I checked, I can go wherever I want to,’ she texted back.
She was about to drop her phone when he texted again.
‘answer my damn question!!”
Ruby scoffed inwardly, rolling her eyes, he still had no manner of approach.
She decided to ignore his text as she kept her phone in her purse.
“Sorry, it’s just a colleague from work” She waved her hand in the air returning her attention back to Kevin.
“I see” Kevin uttered.
“I hope there’s no problem?” He asked.
“No, not at all..” she smiled at him.
Kevin seemed to accept her explanation as he just returned to his food.
She was about to pick up her cutlery yet again when a text came, then another text and another.
“I’m sorry, I’ll tend to this” Ruby apologized, collecting her phone from her purse.
It was from Jaxon. She was with someone and did not have time for whatever rubbish he was asking, without thinking twice, she switched off her phone and threw it inside her purse.
“Good riddance,” she sighed.
“Did you say anything?” Jaxon asked curiously.
“No, uhhh…uh.. I just said that this champagne looks nice, can I try it?” She pointed at the bottle of champagne.
“Sure, why not?” He replied, pouring some into a glass for her.
Ruby reached for the glass, taking a long, slow sip of the sparkling liquid. She closed her eyes, savoring the bubbles as they tickled her tongue and the crisp, fruity taste that followed.
“Wow, this is really good;” she exclaimed, her eyes opening again to meet Jaxon’s curious gaze.
“You should try it.”
Kevin then picked up his own glass of champagne, taking a sip as well. He seemed to be studying her as he drank, his expression unreadable.
Just when she was about to take another sip, the doors opened and a tall man walked into the restaurant.
Tall, handsome, and had this intimidating Aura.
Ruby almost spat out her drink as soon as she saw his face, what was Jaxon doing there!!!