by Melody Anne
He hadn’t heard Patsy was hurt. He decided to make some calls and get some background information on the situation. He needed to be well prepared when Nicole stepped through his doors. He’d been incredibly surprised by her call. He wasn’t having any more surprises when she stepped back into his life. He also needed to speak to his uncle. He didn’t know what the old man was up to but he knew not to give his number out to anyone. His uncle should’ve taken her number and given it to Ryan. That way he wouldn’t have been surprised. He didn’t like to be blindsided.
By the time Ryan got the answers he was looking for, he hung his head in shame. He couldn’t believe how bad things had gotten for Patsy. He knew beyond any shadow of a doubt he would help her but Nicole had no clue of that. He would help Patsy but he was also going to get what he wanted out of Nicole.
She’d once thought he wasn’t good enough for her and now he was the only one who could save her baby sister. He felt a sense of justice in that knowledge. He knew there wasn’t any point in working the rest of the day, as he couldn’t concentrate. He was eager for his appointment the next day. A smile stole across his features, as he sat back in his chair. He enjoyed a challenge and Nicole would definitely provide him some entertainment.
He made several phone calls, which included getting Patsy moved to a private room. He then found the best cardiothoracic surgeon he could find, called in for a consult. He didn’t do anything in half-measures and he wanted to make sure she received only the best of care.
By the time he hung up the phone, he felt more in control. Patsy was going to be well taken care of and he was going to get his chance for redemption with Nicole. She would pay for what she had done to him and they both would enjoy the punishment.
Ryan headed home, feeling better than he had felt in a long while. That somewhat empty feeling he had been dealing with for quite some time seemed to have completely lifted. He found himself smiling as he jogged up the stairs to change clothing. He was meeting up with Drew later in the evening and decided to enjoy his great mood.
Nicole paced outside the high rise building, working up her courage to enter through the double doors. He wouldn’t have told her to come in unless he was going to help her sister. He may hate her for what he thought she’d done to him but he used to be the kindest person she knew and there was no way he could let Patsy die.
She squared her shoulders and held her head up high as she entered the plush interior of Titan Enterprises. Even the lobby of the building screamed luxury, with its marble floors and huge security desk. There were plants strategically placed to make the area warm and inviting and several people were moving around the lobby, coming in and out of different doors. She didn’t know if the room was supposed to seem intimidating or not but it certainly made her feel out of place. The people he dealt with on a daily basis most likely didn’t notice the luxury surrounding them as they were around it all the time.
The guard behind the desk looked pleasant enough but Nicole could see the steel in his gaze. If she wasn’t on the acceptable list, there was no way she’d make it to the elevators. She had to fight every instinct in her, which told her to turn around and run away. She was made stronger than that and wouldn’t back down. She’d fought harder battles in her life but her sister’s surgery was the only one she’d ever fought for with her whole being.
She tried to walk with as much confidence as she could muster. What if him having her come in had been a cruel joke and the guard was going to send her on her way? If that were the case she would leave kicking and screaming. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her sister, even if it meant humiliating herself.
“Do you have an appointment?” the man asked her.
“Yes, I’m here to see Mr. Titan,” she answered. She’d been trying to sound confident but her throaty voice sounded weak, even to her own ears. She took a few deep breaths, trying to pull herself together.
“Your name, please?” the guard asked.
“Nicole Lander,” she replied. The man looked at his computer for a moment and she had to quell the panic from rising. After what seemed an inordinately long amount of time, though it was only seconds, he nodded his head and handed her a badge.
“Go to the elevators and swipe this badge. Go up to the twentieth floor. When you step off the elevators go to the right and you’ll find the reception desk. Mr. Titan is expecting you so check in with his secretary,” the man said. Nicole nodded at him, to let him know she understood.
Walking over to the elevators, she pushed the button and waited. It felt like she was in a fog as the bell chimed and the doors opened. She stepped inside and had to fight her claustrophobia as the metal machine rose higher and higher. Instead of the music being comforting, she was feeling more closed in. She hated small places but as the numbers lit up, signaling her imminent arrival, she could feel her breathing become shallower. She was seconds away from seeing her first love and she had a feeling the meeting would be quite the chilling one.
She’d wanted him to hate her when she pushed him out of her life. It had been a far better option than the alternative. There was no way she wanted him to know who she really was. She would much rather have him look at her with anger and contempt in his eyes, than pity or disgust from knowing the truth.
The doors opened and she jumped a bit from the bell signaling her arrival. On wooden legs she stepped from the doors and made her way to the beautiful desk, which sat in the middle of a huge reception area.
“Name please,” the woman asked, barely looking up from her computer.
“Nicole Lander,” she answered in a bit stronger voice. The woman picked up her phone and spoke into it for a moment.
“Mr. Titan is currently busy. He asked me to tell you to have a seat. He’ll call you when he’s finished up,” the woman said. She turned back to her computer, confident Nicole would do what she was told.
Nicole walked over to one of the plush seats and picked up a magazine. She glanced at her watch every few minutes. She was anxious to get back. She really wanted to make it to the hospital to visit with her sister before she had to report in to her waitressing job.
The time continued to tick by and she was getting seething mad once an hour had passed. She figured she’d be in his office no more than a half hour but if she didn’t get in there soon she wouldn’t be able to visit her sister. She stepped up to the desk, thinking he’d forgotten about her.
“I wanted to make sure Mr. Titan knew I was still here,” she said to the receptionist. She knew she had a bit of bite to her tone but it was rude to make someone wait this long. He must assume he was the only one who had a life. The secretary looked up startled, like she couldn’t possibly believe Nicole would dare to question her boss’s intentions.
“Mr. Titan’s a very busy man. You’ll have to wait for him to call you in,” the woman rudely replied. Nicole nodded and took her seat again. Another half hour passed, still with no word from Ryan and she could no longer wait. She couldn’t afford to be late to her job. It looked like he’d played her for a fool. He was most likely in his office, watching her fidget from some hidden camera and having a nice laugh to himself.
She slowly got up and headed off towards the elevator. She didn’t approach the reception desk again, why bother? She took the elevator back downstairs and returned the badge to the security guard. She held her head high as she exited the building. She was going to barely make it to work on time so she wouldn’t allow the tears fall, which were trying so hard to escape.
She felt like she had failed her baby sister. She really didn’t see any other options of being able to pay the surgery bill. She’d already given up her tiny apartment. She was living on friend’s couches and her sister’s hospital room chair. She had sold everything of value she owned and it still wasn’t enough. Her car decided when it wanted to work, which was only about half the time. She wasn’t a person to give up on anything but she didn’t see what more she could possibly do.
She rushed in th
e doors of the second rate, all-night truck stop, where she waitressed and put her purse away. She made it out to the floor with a minute to spare. Her boss looked up with a glare and pointedly glanced at the clock. He then went back to his paper and ignored her. It was going to be a long night, as she hadn’t gotten a descent night’s sleep in forever. She was used to that and would deal with it like she did everything thrown her way.
Ryan hadn’t expected the business call to take so long and was about to pull his hair out, when he finally managed to get off the phone. He’d been planning on making Nicole wait for a while, just to make sure she squirmed in her seat a bit. He wasn’t normally so rude though as to make someone wait two hours.
“You can send Ms. Lander in, now,” he said into his intercom. There was a pause before his efficient secretary came back.
“It looks as if she left,” came the reply. Ryan didn’t say anything else. He hung up and called the security desk asking if she’d left the building, only to find out she’d indeed left about a half hour earlier. She wasn’t acting like someone who wanted a favor. If any other person had walked out before he was ready to speak with them he would’ve scrapped the whole thing but this wasn’t business, it was personal.
He made some phone calls and found out where she was. When he discovered where she was working, his bad mood deepened even further. He really shouldn’t give a damn where she worked, or what she did. She shouldn’t matter to him in the least but when he thought about her working overnight at the dive of a truck stop, his stomach clenched. He knew the kind of people who habituated a place like that in the wee hours of the morning and it was certainly no place for a woman.
He gathered up his things and called his driver. It looked like he was dining out that night. He smiled to himself, when he pictured her reaction to him entering the joint. Hell, when his car pulled up, he was sure there would be a bit of a stir. People like him simply didn’t go to places like that. At least people like him nowadays. He would’ve been happy to go anywhere when he was a kid. That would’ve been a real treat.
It took the driver about forty minutes to navigate traffic and pull up in front of the diner. It was fairly busy and he looked through the windows, spotting her almost immediately. She’d changed in the years since he’d seen her last but not much.
Her young, sleek body had matured and now she had curves, though he couldn’t see them well beneath the loose clothing and apron she was wearing. Her hair was still dark and hung low on her back in an unflattering braid, which looked like she had made up in minutes.
As he stepped through the diner doors and quickly browsed before she noticed him, he could see the weariness in the set of her shoulders. When she finally turned to see who’d walked in and caused a silence to fall over her customers, he felt a kick in his gut by the sheer exhaustion of her expression.
She’d always been so full of life and now she looked drained, as if she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. She approached him slowly, as if he was a dangerous animal ready to strike any moment. His lips turned up in a sardonic smile because he was a dangerous animal, far more deadly than any four legged creature she may encounter.
“Do you want a table?” she asked him suspiciously. She knew he normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a truck stop restaurant.
“That would be great,” he responded overconfidently. Her manager was watching the pair of them and she couldn’t afford to get fired so she gritted her teeth and showed Ryan to the table. She didn’t get why he’d come to her place of work but she couldn’t make a scene and as humiliating as it was she was going to be forced to serve him.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked through clinched teeth.
“I’ll take a coffee,” he replied. He’d determined within minutes of walking in, she’d be leaving with him. He knew exactly what he wanted in payment for helping her sister and he would get it. He would enjoy a little bit of cat and mouse in the meantime. He knew he would win, so he could be indulgent for a while.
“Here’s the menu. I’ll be right back with your coffee,” she said and walked off. He enjoyed the sway of her hips, which were slightly thicker than when they were teenagers. She’d definitely turned into a woman and he couldn’t wait to explore the new her. She was still stunning, even with the stress and exhaustion etched into her features.
She returned with the coffee and he noticed the mirth in her eyes, as he took his first sip and a grimace passed over his features. It was horrible tasting and he had the feeling she was enjoying his suffering. He controlled his face and took another long sip, just so he could wipe that smug look off her face. She controlled her own expression but couldn’t hide the twinkle in her gorgeous brown eyes.
“Are you ready to place your order?” she asked him.
“What are your specials?” he asked in a serious tone. She thought two could play at him being just an ordinary customer.
“We have the chef’s meatloaf special and we serve breakfast all day,” she said sweetly. He perused the menu, like he really cared what he ordered. Her foot started taping impatiently, as she continued to wait for him.
“Ms. Lander, can you please come over here?” her boss asked and she couldn’t keep the twinge from showing in her expression. She walked over to her obnoxious boss with what she hoped was an obedient expression pasted on her face.
“Yes, Mr. Archer,” she said.
“Could you please try and act more professional. That man showed up in a jaguar and you’re taping your toe in impatience. Do you want to keep your job?” he threatened her.
“Of course, sir. I’m sorry about that,” she said, hopefully humbly enough. He dismissed her and she walked back over to Ryan, even more furious with the man. She saw the look of steel in his eyes and she was scared he was going to cause a scene.
“I’m sorry about making you wait, have you decided yet?” she asked him.
“I’ll take a turkey sandwich and the soup of the day,” he responded. Ryan didn’t like the way her boss had spoken to her and it only solidified his decision she’d be leaving with him. She jotted down his order and quickly disappeared.
Nicole served him his food quickly and he forced himself to choke some of it down, while he continued to watch her. She never stopped running, as she refilled coffee and took down orders. She kept his glass topped off, along with the other twenty or so customers. He almost came out of his seat when he saw some trucker get a little bit too friendly. He had to admit he was impressed how she handled the man, letting him know she was unavailable, while still being polite.
He gave up on eating the terrible food and sat back, drinking the muddy tasting coffee. He’d been there for a couple of hours and several of the customers cleared out and yet she was still running around. Her boss snapped orders at her left and right and she still managed to keep a positive attitude. She had to be dead on her feet. He wasn’t going to take much more.
“We need to talk,” he told her, when she came to top off his mug again.
“I can’t talk right now, I’m working,” she told him, somewhat exasperated.
“Have you had a break yet tonight?” he asked her. She looked at him as if he were insane. She was lucky to get to run to the bathroom on any given night.
“I’m the only waitress here, I don’t have time to take a break,” she finally said and turned to walk away. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the booth, next to him and she gasped in outrage at his high-handedness.
“Ms. Lander, you have customers waiting on you,” her boss said, thinking she was slacking on the job. She looked at Ryan in a panic. If he was trying to get her fired, he was doing an excellent job.
“I’m sorry sir, I tripped,” she said, as she struggled to get back up.
“Ms. Lander hasn’t had a break the entire time I’ve been here and I’d like to speak to her for a few minutes,” Ryan said to the man, while glaring over at him.
“I don’t appreciate you telling me how to treat my
employee’s, as it’s none of your business,” her boss puffed up in anger at Ryan for having the audacity to call him on anything. “Get back to work, Ms. Lander,” he snapped.
She once again struggled to get up and Ryan still refused to let her go. She couldn’t make a big scene in front of her boss but he was giving her no choice.
“You’re going to get me fired,” she said through gritted teeth. She was starting to get scared and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. He was done with the place and she was leaving with him, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder.
“We’re leaving now,” he said, as he released her and stood up. He threw some bills on the table and grabbed his jacket. Nicole quickly fled from him, then went around the tables and refilled her customers’ glasses. He stood by the counter and waited until she was done.
“I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” Nicole told her boss and quickly disappeared. Ryan’s rage increased when the man nodded tightly. He couldn’t believe she needed to get permission to use the bathroom. It was ridiculous. He spotted the cook, who looked like an understanding man. He pulled a couple hundreds from his pocket and approached the guy.