I pace back and forth, running my hands through my hair as she tells me about how she called my father crying ‘cause she had run into Conner at a Starbucks and how he then called Jaycent.
I come to a stop and turn to face her. “He what? When was this?”
She goes to open her mouth but shuts it the moment that my office door opens. “Ryder, what in the hell …?” My father cuts himself off as he spots my sister. “Becca, what are you doing here?” he asks, trying to hide his surprise.
“I needed to talk to Ryder,” she says, sniffing and then wiping her wet cheeks. “I’ll go ...”
“No,” I tell her. “You’re fine. You can stay as long as you want.”
She shakes her head. “I need to go. I’m meeting Jaycent for lunch.” She walks over to me and gives me a big hug, whispering, “Thank you, Ryder. For everything.” And then she pulls away, giving me a small smile, and it’s the first smile I’ve seen on her face in a while. “I love you,” she says, walking to the door.
“I love you too,” I tell her, watching her hug our father and promising to call him later.
She comes to a stop at the door and turns back to face me. “I’m here to help you, Ryder. Let me know what I can do.”
I know she means with Ashlyn, so I just nod, and then she leaves, closing the door behind her.
“So you finally found out about Jaycent,” my father says.
“No thanks to you,” I snap.
He shrugs. “I knew she would tell you when she was ready.”
“Well, she didn’t,” I say. “I caught them.”
He smiles at that. “So I’m going to assume that Jaycent was the one who gave you the shiner,” he muses as his eyes look over my left cheek.
I look away from him, hiding that side of my face. “What do you want, Dad?”
“I was wondering why you canceled two very important meetings and weren’t taking my phone calls.”
I gesture to the door that my sister just walked out of. “Well, now you know.”
“And Ashlyn?” he asks curiously.
“What about her?”
“Have you patched that up as well? She seemed pretty pissed when she took over the meeting the other day.”
I sigh. “Nope.”
“Too bad.”
I laugh at all the craziness that has become my life. “You sound like you actually care.”
He nods. “I do.”
I snort. “This coming from the man who lied to me.” He had the perfect opportunity to tell me what was going on when we were on his plane on the way back from Philadelphia, but instead, he chose not to.
He goes on. “Just so there’s no confusion and you don’t come to me later on pissed off at me for keeping secrets from you, Ashlyn has found out that O’Kane’s is buying Talia’s, and she put in her two weeks’ notice.”
“What?” I demand. “When the hell did this happen?”
“I spoke with her last week about it,” he says with a careless shrug. “I talked her into giving me a month. Told her this process would take time and not to throw in the towel so soon.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, Dad. The auction is weeks away. The moment we buy it, you’re tearing it down. So where does that leave her?” I growl.
“It leaves her here with you.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “So you’d better come up with a way to keep her here before she packs up and heads back home. Word on the street is that that’s the plan.” Then he turns away from me.
“Word on the street?” I ask skeptically. “You mean Becca.”
He doesn’t respond as he continues to walk toward the door.
A thought hits me. “Dad?” He stops and turns back to face me. “Did the decision to divorce Mom have anything to do with what she has been doing to Becca?”
He doesn’t smile nor does he look surprised by my question. “I can handle a lot, son. Most think this company is all that I care about. And I do care about it very much. But no one, and I mean no one, will tell you or your sister how to live your life. You guys are one of the main reasons I put so much into this company.” He crosses his arms over his chest and lets out a sigh. “When it was time for me to go to college, I asked my father if he would be disappointed if I didn’t plan to one day run the company, and he said no. That nothing I could do career-wise would disappoint him. That I controlled my own future and where it took me. And I feel the same way about you and Becca. If you didn’t want to be here, then I’d understand. Although I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy getting to see you every day.” He uncrosses his arms and runs a hand down his already straight tie. A sign that he is getting uncomfortable with this conversation. We’ve never been the type of guys to open up to one another. “But it took your mother paying a man to date my daughter and her current boyfriend telling me he beat him up to realize I am not like my father. That I have only supported you guys financially, and that is not how I want our relationship to be.” Then before I have a chance to respond, he walks out.
I turn to face the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Manhattan and sigh. “Fuck,” I hiss. It seems like one thing after another. I have to get back into the know. I need to call Jaycent and set up a time to talk to him. I need to call my mother and tell her to go to hell. And I need to talk to Ashlyn and find out just what it is that’s going through her head ‘cause my dad is right. If she leaves the gallery and goes back home, I’ll lose my chance with her.
As my eyes scan over the buildings of downtown Manhattan, something catches my eyes, and I smile.
Grabbing my phone off my desk, I dial my sister’s number. She answers immediately. “Hello?”
“Still wanna help me?” I ask, sitting down behind my desk.
“Of course,” she replies.
“Good. ‘Cause I have a plan.”
ASHLYN
Four days go by with no word from Ryder, and I can’t decide if I’m relieved or mad. I mean, the guy ruined my date and then had me half naked and all hot and bothered. Then nothing! But it is all my fault, I walked away that time.
It’s been the only thing on my mind all week. I’m just thankful that it’s Friday, and I don’t have any plans tonight but to lie in bed and watch a movie with Harry.
I walk into our apartment and find Becca standing in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine. “Hey, girl. How was work?”
“Exhausting,” I answer, dropping my purse on the kitchen table. “We have a showing next week, and we have to get ready for it.”
She hands me the glass of wine, and I thank her before taking a big gulp. She turns to fix herself a new one. “Have plans tonight?”
I shake my head.
“Good,” she says, and then a big smile spreads across her face.
“Why is that good?” She has something in mind. And by the look in her eyes, I’m not gonna like it.
“Because I have tickets …” I’m already shaking my head before she can finish. “To Romeo and Juliet. The play.”
“What?” I ask wide-eyed. I saw a billboard the other day on my way home from work and wanted to go so badly. “How did you get those?”
“A friend,” she says with a careless shrug. “Wanna go?”
“Absolutely!” I say excitedly. “Is it tonight?”
She nods. I start jumping up and down. It’s the first thing I think I’ve actually been excited about in two weeks. “This is awesome!” I all but shout. Finally, something I can look forward to. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” I say, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame. Careful not to spill wine down her back.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” she says with a laugh.
I pull her away, and the smile drops off my face as I eye her skeptically. “Why not?”
She starts biting her lip nervously. “Becca?” I say her name with a sigh. “What is it?”
“Well …” She pauses. “I’m not supposed to tell you.”
“Not supposed to tell me what?” I ask before taking another drink of
the cool wine.
“I’m supposed to tell you that I’m taking you to the play. You know, a girls’ night.” I just stare at her ‘cause I have a feeling I know where this is headed, and I already don’t like it. She sighs when I narrow my eyes at her. “Ryder called me three days ago and told me to give you these tickets—”
“I’m not going!” I say, interrupting her before giving her my back and making my way to my room.
She barges in behind me before the door can shut all the way. Harry meows at me as I flip on the light while he lies on my pillow. “Just hear me out.”
“Nope,” I say, shaking my head.
“Please, Ashlyn. Just give me a second—”
“What the hell is that?” I ask, interrupting her again when I see a black garment bag hanging on the outside of my closet door. It’s not mine.
“That’s the dress you’re wearing tonight to the play,” she answers.
I turn to face her and go to open my mouth to refuse when she beats me to it. “You’re going, Ashlyn!” I arch a dark brow. “He got these tickets for you three days ago.” I roll my eyes. “I know what happened in the restaurant, and I know how badly you wanted to forgive him when he came over to our apartment.” I let out a huff at her argument. I should have never told her that I almost slept with him. “It’s clear you still want him.”
“I do not—”
“Yes, you do!” She’s the one interrupting now. “I see you moping around here. Hell, I spoke to Thomas today, and he even said that you’ve been moping around at work.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m losing my job soon.” Not a total lie.
She places her hand on her hip. “Thomas also told me that has been a rumor for years.” Well, hasn’t Thomas been a little chatty Kathy. He and I need to have a talk. “Maybe it won’t happen like my father thinks it will.” She takes a step toward me as her hand falls from her hip. “Please go.” I shake my head. “You don’t even have to talk to him.” She shrugs. “It’s a play. Just sit there and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“And then what?” I ask.
“Then you’re the better person,” she adds. “He’s sorry. Just like you were sorry when he caught you half-dressed with Bradley.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “That isn’t even the same situation.”
“It is. You just don’t want to admit that,” she says softly, and we both know she’s right. “Get dressed up. Go to a play and enjoy a night with the man you love.” I snort. “What do you have to lose?” she asks.
I look away from her and sigh, looking at Harry. He rolls onto his back and stretches. “If I go, then he wins,” I say as my shoulders fall.
“Wins what?” she asks.
I look back at her. “We both know what will happen if I go tonight.” I don’t need to tell her that I love the man. That going with him to the play will put me back in the same place I was just a week ago. And that it will take more willpower than I have not to sleep with him.
She gives me a soft smile. “You could be doing much worse than spending time with the man you love, Ash. He loves you too, and he’s sorry. Let him prove it.”
**
Two hours later, I hear the doorbell ring, and I go to answer it, silence filling the apartment. Becca left after she talked me into going with Ryder tonight. She told me she and Jaycent were staying at his house for the evening, and then she winked at me. Not sure if that was for her or for me.
I take a deep breath and square my shoulders as I turn the doorknob. And my knees buckle at the sight I find once I open it. Every reason I wanted to say no earlier is now screaming yes. I spent a week crying over him, and now all I want to do is smile. At times, it was hard to breathe, and now I feel like I can fly. He does this to me, and at this very moment, I wonder why I was ever scared to fall for him.
Ryder stands there in the hall, wearing a black and white tuxedo that fits him like a glove. He’s slicked back his normally spiked dark hair and sports a five o’clock shadow, just how I like it. A bouquet of red roses in his right hand and a box of chocolates in his left.
“Hello.” My voice is breathless, and a smile spreads across his face at the sound of it. I don’t even have the power to be mad at his cockiness.
“Hello,” he says, looking me up and down. I’m wearing his usual overly large t-shirt. I had just gotten out of the shower when the doorbell rang, and I grabbed the nearest piece of clothing to slip on. My hands go to the hem of it, and I tug it down a little, hoping to shield myself from him, and he chuckles. “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”
“Becca told me your plan,” I say and clear my throat. Why do I sound so affected by him? How does he have so much power over me?
“I figured she’d pick your side.” His eyes land back on mine. “That’s why I decided to show up early.”
“Why ring the doorbell? Trying to be a gentleman now?” I ask, and I can’t help the smile on my face.
He grunts. “Becca took my key away,” he says, and I frown. When did she do that?
“May I come in?” he asks.
“Of course,” I say quickly and take a step to the side. “Make yourself comfortable. I have to finish getting ready,” I say, closing the door behind him. Before heading to my room, I go to the fridge and grab the wine out of it and then two glasses.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” I ask him.
“Yes. Please.”
I fill two glasses and then hand him his as I take a sip of mine. His eyes rake over my bare legs as he tips his glass back. “I’m gonna get ready,” I say before turning and heading to my room. Needing to take a deep breath. One that isn’t filled with the scent of him. That same one that makes my pussy wet.
I walk to my bedroom and grab my phone off my bed. I send Becca a thank you for letting me borrow a dress once again. I tried to tell her that I could wear something of my own, but she explained to me how people dress up for opening night. And I needed to dress more formal than club wear. I thought I was gonna be overdressed for the play, but now I’m thankful for her.
I toss my phone onto the bed and walk into my bathroom. I pick up the makeup brush that still has black eyeshadow on it and start to blend it into my crease. I’m starting the second eye when I hear Ryder walk into my bedroom. “You couldn’t have waited somewhere else?” I can’t help but ask. I need to be able to clear my thoughts. To try to give myself a pep talk so that way I at least make it to the play before I jump him.
I hear him sigh heavily. “Ashlyn … I’m sorry.”
Placing my hands on the countertop, I hang my head. Why are those words enough? How is it that three words can make me want to hug him? Kiss him? It shouldn’t be this easy to forgive him.
“I know I messed up,” he continues. “I just need one more chance.”
“Ryder, I …”
I hear him start screaming at the top of his lungs.
I push off the countertop and run into my bedroom to see him standing on my bed in his tux, his gorgeous face as white as a ghost. His glass of wine still in his hand, but it’s empty. “What the hell are you doing?” I yell as my heart races. He had screamed like a little girl.
He places his hand on his chest and looks at me wide-eyed. “I just saw a rat.” My eyes widen. “And I’m pretty sure it was wearing a fucking sweater,” he adds, breathing heavy.
What? “A rat? Where did it go?” I ask, looking around and not seeing anything on the floor. I’m pretty sure he’s mistaken. The occupants in this building pay millions of dollars for these apartments. I doubt they would pay that much if rats were running around.
He points at my closet. “It touched my leg,” he says in a high pitch voice. He bends down and starts dusting off his black pants as if it left germs on him.
I slowly push my closet door open all the way and flip on the light. I look around and don’t see anything but my shoes on the floor. I go to the very back where my jeans hang so low they almost touch the floor. I push them back a
nd laugh when I see what had almost scared him to death. “Come here, Harry,” I say, picking up my cat.
“You named it?” he demands from my room.
I laugh as I pet his back over his shirt. His green eyes are wide, and his ears are back. Ryder scared the crap out of him as well. I walk back out, and Ryder takes a quick step back when he sees me holding it. “Put that down, babe,” he demands. “Those things have diseases.”
I laugh. “Ryder, this is Harry. He’s my cat.”
“Your cat?” he asks, looking at it while tilting his head. “Doesn’t look like a fucking cat to me.”
“He’s a sphynx,” I say. “A hairless cat.”
He lets out a long breath. Seeing this macho man dressed in a tuxedo standing on my bed like a scared child makes me laugh. “And you named him Harry?”
I nod with a smile. “And he is wearing a sweater.” I look down and read it: This pussy is loved. I guess I can see where he thinks he was a rat. He’s still a kitten and very small.
He nods his head. “Well.” He straightens his black bow tie trying to act unaffected now. “He looked like a rat when he ran into the closet. I’ve been in your apartment multiple times. Why am I just now seeing him?”
“Bradley brought him here. I had to leave him behind because he had an appointment with the vet to get fixed.” Just saying Bradley’s name has changed the mood in the room. The air is thicker, and my heart feels heavy for the friend I lost and the guy who came between us.
Without another word, I turn and walk back into my bathroom, taking Harry with me.
**
An hour later, I’m standing back in my extremely large closet looking at myself in the full-length mirror. My blond hair is teased at the crown. I’ve pulled it to the right where it lay over my shoulder and pinned the big curls in place. I’ve put more makeup on than I normally wear on any given workday but as much as you wear for evening. My eyes are more of a neutral color with a touch of black in the crease. I went with winged eyeliner and natural blush. Topped off with black mascara and a dark red lipstick. It’s not a look I’ve done often, but I find that I like it.
Selfless (Selfish Series Book 3) Page 10