CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

"Lots of eyes on us."

"Ignore them," Ronny said as he continued eating.

That was impossible. Brina continued eating too, but she had to know the truth since almost all of the people staring appeared to be females. And none of them seemed pleased. "Does some of those eyes belong to your ex-girlfriends?" she asked him.

"You're my first and only girlfriend," Ronny responded firmly. "I've known ladies, yes, but none of them held any titles in my life."

That sounded evasive to Brina. He didn't answer her question at all. "Are any of the ladies you've known here right now staring at us?"

Ronny was chewing as he looked at her. Was she jealous? A part of him liked the thought of that. But the bigger part of him didn't want her to worry about anything. "A few are, yes," he admitted.

"Are any of those ladies still known by you?"

Ronny's blue eyes fixed on her. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"Are they, Ronny?"

"We're just getting started."

"I understand that. I know our relationship is new. I just want to know what I'm up against."

Her response touched Ronny. He exhaled. And nodded. "Yes. A few are still women I have been fooling around with recently."

"What's recent? When was the last time you were with any of them? Or with some other woman?"

"The day before you cried on my couch in my bedroom."

"Three months ago? Why haven't you been with anyone in all that time?"

Ronny wasn't a man who admitted anything about his feelings, and he was kind of annoyed to be asked to do such a personal thing. But Sabrina was different to him. "You and I were reacquainted on that day. And I couldn't stop thinking about you. I had no interest in partnering up with anybody else but you."

Brina smiled. "Good answer," she said, and he laughed.

"But I guess I was asking you all those questions," she said, that sincerity in her eyes again, "to find out where I stood."

Ronny stared at her. "Meaning?"

"Are we going to be exclusive, or something else?"

Ronny stopped chewing and swallowed hard. "What do you mean? You don't want to be exclusive?"

"Yes! But I'm asking you."

"Hello there, Ronny."

Both turned to the sound of the male's voice. When they looked, they saw that it was former Governor Grisham and his daughter Fallon. "Didn't expect to see you here today."

"Didn't expect to be here."

"Who's that?" Fallon asked in her usual nasty manner.

"Governor, and Fallon. Please meet Sabrina."

"I didn't ask you her name. Who is she to you?"

Ronny didn't skip a beat. "She's my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend ?" Fallon immediately grabbed Ronny's glass of wine and threw it in his face. "How dare you!"

But Ronny stood up, grabbed Brina's glass of wine, and threw it in Fallon's face. "Who do you think you are?" he said angrily.

Brina was as shocked as Fallon appeared to be. But she could see that Fallon was hurt too. She stormed out of the club.

"Spoiled bitch!" Ronny yelled after her as he wiped the wine off of his suit.

"Don't you dare speak to my daughter that way," Governor Grisham angrily said. Then he moved closer to Ronny and lowered his voice. "You can kiss goodbye any endorsement from me!"

Ronny looked him dead in the eyes. "Have you checked your company lately?"

Grisham stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ronny didn't blink an eye. "You know what they say karma is."

Grisham frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You bilked my old man out of those land leases when he was just getting started. Told him they were worthless and you'd take them off of his hands."

"They were worthless."

"Worthless my ass!" Ronny shot back. "They were priceless, and you knew it. My father struggled for ten years after you bilked him, until he made his own fortune. He forgave you. I didn't."

Brina was staring at Ronny. So was Grisham. It was as if Grisham was seeing Ronny for the very first time. "You were never interested in the White House?"

"That would be correct."

"Nor my daughter?"

"That would absolutely be correct."

"Nor my endorsement?"

Ronny nodded his head. "Correct again."

"It was about Warren all along?"

Ronny didn't respond to that one.

Grisham began to feel ill. "What have you done?"

"Let's just say Grisham Refineries have a brand-new majority stakeholder."

Grisham's heart dropped. "Are you telling me that you, that you now own my company?"

"It's mine now," Ronny said.

Grisham lost it then. He went to punch Ronny with all the strength he had. But Ronny blocked his punch. "You did it to yourself. Bilking my father and expect no retribution? You did it to your own damn self!"

"You're serious?" Grisham realized in that moment it was no drill. Ronny meant every word he said.

Grisham pulled out his phone, turned it back on, and was hurrying away, bumping into tables as if he was drunk. If it was true, he knew he was done for. But when he saw the text messages he had missed, and all those doomsday messages, he knew it was true. He fell against the doorjamb at the entrance doors, and then he pushed himself on through.

Ronny sat back down.

"Is that true?" Brina asked him. "You own his company now?"

Ronny didn't respond. They stared into each other's eyes. He could see the trepidation in her eyes. "This is who I am also, Sabrina," he said. "That will never change."

Brina continued to stare at him. He seemed ashamed of his actions, but not regretful of them. He looked to her like a man who did what he had to do. She didn't know if that was a good thing, or a horrible thing.

"Eat your vegetables," he said to her when it seemed like they were at an impasse, and he continued to eat his own food.

Brina didn't know what to say or do. It seemed so cruel to her, so exacting, but she was certain he didn't get to be a billionaire by being nice and unassuming. Yet he was so nice to her! That was the part that kept her from running. And her heart kept her there too. She saw the deeper side of Ronny, the vulnerable side, and she had to think on that. But he came with that other side too. How was she going to navigate that?

But one thing was not up for debate: She was in his world now. She had to either get used to it, or get away while she could.

She ate her vegetables.