Selfish

by Shantel Tessier

  His lips pull back into a smirk as he places his hands in his front pockets and I clench my thighs together. Thankfully, I actually wore panties tonight. “I say we stick together then.”

  “I could be persuaded.”

  He takes the steps, closing the space. “I’ll do whatever it takes,” he says as he looks me up and down. The heat in his eyes sends a chill up my spine. His eyes land on mine, and he clears his throat. “All joking aside, you look gorgeous,” he says seriously.

  Gorgeous? Why does he say that word so smooth? His deep voice makes that word sound better than any word should. “Thank you.” I smile at him. “How did you know where to find me?” I ask, trying to calm my nerves. He makes my body break out in goose bumps and my sex throb when he’s this close to me.

  “Because you stand out. How could I miss you?” I feel a blush creep up my cheeks, and I try to change the subject.

  I nod my head. “So you bought yourself a yacht?”

  His eyes never leave mine. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “Buyer’s remorse?” I ask, arching an eyebrow. “I once bought a snake and had buyer’s remorse,” I tell him.

  “Something like that.” He laughs. “A snake, huh? I don’t see you being the type to own a pet snake.”

  I shrug. “Thought it was a good idea at the time,” I repeat his words to him.

  He chuckles. “Did it end up eating another pet of yours?”

  I shake my head. “No, he was some kind of snake magician, and no matter what I did, he always escaped his cage. The time my mother went to bed only to find he had curled up under her pillow, Fangs had to go.”

  “Fangs?” he asks with a smile.

  “I was into vampires.”

  “It all makes sense now.” He smiles, and I return it. “What about men?”

  “What about them?”

  “Have any regrets in that department?” he asks.

  I give him a flirty smile. “Not yet.” But I see it coming.

  He laughs, removing one hand from his pocket and runs it through his thick, messy hair.

  “Mr. O’Kane.” A man dressed in a black suit and tie comes up behind him with a tray of drinks. Ryder grabs two and thanks him. He turns to face me and offers me one of the flutes of bubbly.

  “Thank you.” I take a sip as he watches me intently. “Well, hopefully, I won’t regret my present I got you.”

  He smiles at that. “Does it consist of you naked in my bed downstairs after everyone has left?”

  I laugh softly. “Not quite. But that can be arranged.” It won’t take much.

  “That’s all I need.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  RYDER

  She looks amazing. The black cocktail dress shows off her body but not too much. She has bright red heels on just like Tuesday night, and I can’t wait to get her undressed. “How about we forget about the party and go take care of that now?” I suggest.

  “Not so fast.” She shakes her head. “You wouldn’t wanna disappear and disappoint your guests.”

  I take a step closer to her, closing the space. I take my free hand that isn’t holding a champagne flute and place it on her soft skin. “The only guest I care to see is right in front of me,” I admit.

  “Still feeding me lines, I see. Even after I already gave it up,” she teases.

  “You ever think that maybe they’re not lines?” I ask.

  The teasing smile drops off her face, and she looks up at me. Her blue eyes search mine, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why she doesn’t believe me. I want more! I wanna be selfish too.

  She’s the one making all these stupid rules; I couldn’t care less about them. I want her. All of her. She has consumed me. Filled my head with all these thoughts I’ve never had before, yet here she is, calling all the shots. I should be lost. Confused. But I’m not. I’ve never been more sure.

  “Ryder. We can’t …”

  “Shh,” I say, lowering my lips to hers. “I want my birthday kiss.”

  She presses her lips to mine softly. I taste the sweetness of the champagne on her lips along with the taste of strawberries from her lipstick. She opens her mouth wider for me to deepen the kiss.

  “Ryder! There you are.”

  She pulls away from me quickly, licking her lips. My back tenses as I recognize the voice. Vicki! Before I can even turn around to tell her to fuck off, a hand squeezes my ass. I jump as an awkward laugh comes out of me.

  “Vicki!” I say in a high-pitch voice. “What are you doing here?” I ask stupidly.

  “You invited me, silly.” She comes up beside me and notices Ashlyn standing in front of me. “Oh. Hello,” she says as she looks her up and down.

  Ashlyn smiles, and I can’t tell if it’s fake or real. She places her glass in her left hand and reaches out her right. “Hello. I’m Ashlyn.”

  Vicki smiles back, but I can tell it’s all fake. “Vicki,” she replies, sticking her nose up in the air. “What are you doing out here, Ryder?”

  I clear my throat. “I was talking to Ashlyn.”

  “About what?” she asks as if she deserves to know.

  I turn to fully face her. “I don’t see how that is any of your business,” I say, and she gasps like I struck her. “Now …” I’m about to tell her to leave us, but Ashlyn interrupts us.

  “It’s okay, Ryder,” Ashlyn says, waving it off. “We can talk work later.” She winks at Vicki. “He’s all yours.” Then walks past me with that smile that I still can’t decide is real or fake.

  “Are you drunk, Ryder?” Vicki demands.

  I let out a long sigh as I tip the champagne flute back and down the entire glass. “Not yet,” I say with a tight smile. I look over to see Ashlyn walking away, her ass swaying in that tight black dress, and all thoughts go to her. She is the one I wanted to spend this evening with. She is the reason I wanted to cancel this party for. Her. And that’s who I’m going to spend the night with. “Ashlyn, wait,” I call out, and she stops. I look back at Vicki. “I’m gonna show Ashlyn around.” And with that, I walk off toward her.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Ashlyn whispers as I place my hand on her lower back. I feel her tense, and I frown.

  “I did,” I say, pressing her forward. “I’m gonna show you the boat.”

  “Yacht.” She corrects me, and I feel her body relax. “I’d hate to see what you guys call an actual boat,” she says with a chuckle.

  “Mr. O’Kane.”

  I turn around, about to snap at whoever is interrupting us, but then smile when I see it’s my captain. “Matthew.” I turn to Ashlyn. “Ashlyn, this is the captain, Matthew. Matthew, this is Ashlyn.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he says as he shakes her hand. She does the same. He places his attention on me. “Are you ready, sir?”

  I nod, and he nods back before he turns and walks off. “What was that about?” she asks.

  “We’re about to take off.”

  Her eyes widen, and she smiles. “We’re taking it out?”

  “Of course.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Let me show you around.”

  I show her around my boat, avoiding my bedroom for a reason. If I take her in there right now, I’ll have her bent over my bed with her dress shoved up around her waist, and that will have to wait until later.

  “What’s her name?” she asks as we stand on the bridge of the boat. She places her hands on the helm as she looks out the glass to the bow.

  “She doesn’t have one yet.”

  She looks over at me and frowns. “Isn’t it bad luck not to name your boat?’

  “I’m not superstitious,” I tell her.

  “Guess that’s a good thing. I have to ask. Is there a spot for a helicopter on here?”

  I nod. “Not sure I’ll ever use that, though.”

  “Why did you buy a yacht?” she asks frowning. “Do you like to spend a lot of time on the ocean?”

  I nod. “I would love to have a house on the
ocean. It would be convenient if my yacht was docked right there.” She gives me a slow and sexy smile. “What?” I ask, wondering what she is thinking.

  “That’s all I could think about while in Panama City. I wanna live on the ocean too.” She looks back out to the bow. “I can imagine waking up and walking outside to drink my coffee on the deck as I listen to the waves and inhale the fresh air.” She closes her eyes and smiles. “It’s always been a dream of mine.”

  ASHLYN

  Ryder and I walk out onto the bridge, and a guy comes up to him and starts a conversation about his yacht. I look around and spot Jaycent and Becca. I start to walk toward them, giving Ryder time alone to talk with his friend. As I approach them, they are laughing. Becca clears her throat when she sees me coming.

  “What is up with you two?”

  “Nothing …” Jaycent answers.

  He has to know that I know about them. Right? I arch an eyebrow at him as he just stares at me.

  Jaycent sighs heavily, and then he looks quickly behind me. I turn to see Ryder patting the guy on the shoulder and then turn, heading straight for us. So I drop it for now. “Hey guys,” he says as he comes up to us. He drapes his arm over my shoulders.

  I shake him off, confused on what to think. I’m to the point where there’s no going back. I’ve let this go too far, and now, it’s either sink or swim. The problem is, which one is the right one?

  “Everything all right?” Ryder asks me.

  I just nod. Jaycent looks away as if he didn’t just see his friend get turned down. “We’re gonna go find …” He can’t even think of a name to say as he grabs Becca’s hand and then yanks her away, leaving Ryder and me alone.

  “I’m sorry about that, babe.”

  I take a deep breath and look up at him. His dark green eyes search mine, and he reaches out, wrapping his hand around my waist. He pulls me tight to him, and I melt like I have every other time he has touched me. Or even smiled at me.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his, and he takes my breath away as he pulls me into him. I kiss him deeply, passionately, like at any moment he’s gonna be ripped from me. And I realize I’ll never be the same.

  I pull away before it goes too far in front of all his friends. He lets out a long sigh as I take a deep breath. He places his forehead against mine, and I smile, knowing I affect him the same as he does me. I’m not alone when it comes to my feelings, and he hasn’t been secretive about his. “No need to apologize, Ryder.” I pause to take another long breath. “I’m not one of these girls who doesn’t want you talking to your friends. This is your party. You should be mingling.”

  “What if I told you all day I dreaded this party?” he whispers, his forehead still pressed to mine.

  “Why would you do that?” My smile grows. I wanna be with him right now. I want it to just be the two of us.

  He pulls his forehead away from mine and looks down at me, running his right hand through my hair. “Because I just wanted to spend tonight with you.”

  “I’m here.”

  “But we’re not alone.”

  I feel heat run up my spine from his words, and I have to agree with him. I wish we were alone too.

  My phone starts to ring, and I pull away from him, wondering who would be calling me. “Hold that thought,” I say, digging into my clutch. I answer it when I see it’s Bradley. “Hello?” I ask, taking another step away from him.

  “Hey, princess,” he says really loud. I jerk the phone from my ear as I laugh.

  “Are you drunk dialing me?” I ask. It’s only seven o’clock here. It’s too early for him to be drunk in Seattle.

  I hear a lot of background noise, which tells me he’s out at the bar. “Hang on,” he calls out.

  I lean my back up against the side of the railing. “Okay, you there?”

  “Yep,” I say looking down at my heels.

  “Oh God, Princess,” he breathes, and I know that sound. He’s drunk and horny. “I miss you.”

  I smile. “I miss you too,” I say, truly meaning it. He and I were as close as Becca and I are. He’s been my second best friend for three years now.

  “No,” he says softly. “I mean I really miss you.” I hear him cough and then I hear a few voices before it gets quiet again. “You need to come home.”

  I frown. “I am home, Bradley. New York is my home now,” I tell him softly. “I do miss you, though.”

  There’s a long silence on his end of the phone to the point I think I lost him. I check my phone and see that the call is still active. “Bradley?”

  “Yeah!” he slurs. “I’m here,” he says quickly. “I, uh, gotta go, princess. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then before I can even say a word, he hangs up.

  I place my phone back in my clutch, and when I look up, Ryder is standing in front of me. A full glass of champagne for me. “Thank you,” I say, taking it from him.

  I go to take a sip but pause as I get a good look at him. His green eyes are narrowed, and his defined jaw tight. He places both of his hands in the front pockets of his white slacks and pulls his shoulders back. “What’s wrong?” I ask. Ryder is the type of man who wears his emotions on his face. Some men can stare at you blankly while they imagine running you over with a car; Ryder is not one of those men. If he’s mad, you know it.

  His eyes look down at my clutch for a few long seconds and then back up to me. He gives me a small smile. “I was wondering about my birthday present?” he asks. “When can I receive that?” His voice is a little tighter than earlier, but he obviously doesn’t wanna talk about it, and I don’t wanna push it and ruin his birthday party.

  I smile and decide to play with him. Try and lighten his mood. “Well, I could drop to my knees for you right now and whip it out, but if I suck you off right here, then you may have someone who decides to record that shit and post it on the internet. You don’t wanna be associated with a sex tape,” I say seriously.

  He nods quickly, his face already starting to loosen up. “I will gladly take those chances.” He pulls his hands out of his pockets and reaches down like he’s gonna unbutton his pants, and I slap his hand away. We both laugh.

  “All joking aside.” I dig into my clutch and give him the white envelope.

  He takes it from me and smiles. “Is it a coupon book?” he asks excitedly.

  “A coupon book?”

  “You know. One of those coupon books that you make up, and it has blowjobs, sex, and massages. I give you a coupon when I wanna cash it in.”

  I shake my head as I smile. He just laughs, all madness gone, and opens it up. He pulls out two tickets to the New York Nicks game next weekend. “You got me tickets to the game,” he says with a smile.

  “Yes. I saw you had some Nick’s memorabilia in your apartment and your sister said that you loved them. So I thought I would get you tickets.”

  He holds them up between us. “We’re going to the game,” he states.

  I shake my head. “Oh no, my intention wasn’t for you to bring me. I want you to take whoever you want.” I won’t tell him I’m excited he wants to take me.

  He steps up to me, pinning my back to the railing. He lifts his free hand and runs his knuckles down the side of my cheek. “There’s no one else I want to go with.” Then he kisses me. A soft and sensual kiss.

  My hands come up and wrap around his neck, careful not to spill my drink down his back. I deepen the kiss as he pushes his hard erection into my lower waist, and I instantly wish we were alone.

  “I wanna show you below,” he whispers against my lips when he pulls away.

  I nod. “Okay.”

  He leads me away from the people and walks me through the inside of the yacht. The carpet is white, and the furniture is white leather. It’s just as fancy as it looks from the outside. It has chandeliers that hang from the ceiling, and he walks down a set of stairs. And then he’s taking me down a long and narrow hallway. He comes to a white door, and he opens it.

  I gasp
as I walk through it. He follows behind me and shuts the door. “God, this place is beautiful,” I say, looking around the master suite. The wooden floors are darker brown than what the floors outside have. The walls are dark brown material. There are two large windows that I can see nothing but water in front of us. Ryder walks over to them and shuts them.

  “I was enjoying that view,” I tell him.

  He smirks. “I have a better view right in front of me.”

  He stalks to me, his eyes darkening and his lips parting as he inhales sharply. I feel my insides tighten, and my pussy starts to throb as his eyes rake over my legs.

  His hands touch my thighs, and I suck in a long breath. “Why do you look nervous?” he asks softly, his hands inching up higher every second.

  “I’m not,” I say breathlessly.

  He smiles. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a shitty liar?”

  I nod, and his smile widens. “You make me nervous,” I admit.

  He lowers his head to my neck, his hands now reaching the hem of my dress and he pushes it up and over my ass. “Why is that, sweetheart? Afraid I’m gonna ruin you?”

  I shiver. “No …”

  “Shame.” His teeth nip at my neck, and I shiver. “What if I told you that’s my plan?”

  My head falls back, and I sigh. “It’s working.”

  The door to his bedroom opens, and I shove myself away from him. I yank down my dress, heart pounding, but it’s too late; the brunette walks right in as if she fucking owns the place wearing a look of pure shock on her perfect face.

  “Ryder!” She shrieks his name.

  “Vicki,” he says her name breathlessly, and my neck heats up with jealousy when I watch as her body physically melts hearing her name on his lips. They clearly have a past. He clears his throat, and I realize it was because of me. Our kiss that made him say her name like that. I refrain from giving her a smug smile.

  “What is going on?” she asks wide-eyed, looking back and forth between the two of us.

  She looks like the typical woman you would see on a yacht like this. She’s much taller than I am, runway model comes to mind. She wears white flats with a yellow halter-top sundress. She has overly large tits that I know have to be fake along with her lips. Everything else is skin and bones.