Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments

"What?!" My voice sounded loud, and panicked..even to me. I must have heard her wrong.
She seemed taken off guard by the tone of my voice. "Yeah. Fucking Maria Martinez came in and asked for a haircut. I don't think she knew who I was." She chuckled to herself as if remembering something funny.
"Didn't Sam recognize you?" I tried to keep my breathing calm but the subject of my ex-boyfriend and Maria Martinez  was a sore one. I couldn't wait until the day came when I could think about them and not feel like throwing up. If that day ever comes.
"He's seen me like a thousand times. Of course he recognized me." She rolled her eyes like it was a silly question. In all fairness, it was a silly question. "He did what he does best. He played dumb." She finally said, the distaste in her voice. She never liked Sam.

After we broke up I was grateful to her for not saying 'I told you so,' though as her best friend I knew her well enough to know she wanted to.

"I have a bit of a spoiler alert for you Gina." I said as she spread out on my bed. "He's not playing dumb. He's just dumb." She laughed even though she knew I was being serious. She loved it when I talked shit about Sam. I used to stand up for him when she'd say negative things. That was before I realized she was right.

"Oh my God, you should have seen him, Emma. He looked horrible." She beamed as if she was giving me good news. I had to admit, the part of me that was still pissed off and hurt liked where this was going.

"Horrible how?!" I tried to sound casual, but failed. She once again sat herself up as she prepared herself to deliver the 'juicy gossip.'

"He looked miserable, Em. I mean like...'fuck my life' miserable." She could barely contain her excitement as she relished in his discomfort. I realize I wasn't there, but I started to think maybe she was reading too much into it.

I've seen pictures of Sam and Maria on social media and they looked disgustingly into each other. I'm not an idiot, I realize people can put on a fake face. Maria  seems to be an expert at it. But I guess I always had it in my head that Sam had left me to move on to 'bigger and better things.'

"He was in a hair salon, Gina. It sounds like he was being dragged along while Maria did her girly shit. He always hated that stuff." I got mild satisfaction imagining Sam at the mall or something holding Maria's handbag while she spent every last penny he had. Her dragging him to get her nails done, her hair done, the whole works I'd imagine. She's definitely a high-maintence girl. Sam used to always say he hated girls like that, and how grateful he was that I wasn't one of them. Oh, the irony.

"I'm telling you. This was the look of a beaten down man. I think he looked up from the ground like, twice. He couldn't even hold his head up." She grinned as she thought back to the encounter she obviously found amusing. "God, it was incredible. It was so hard to remain professional." She flipped a lock of her firey red hair and rolled her brown eyes in the back of her head.

"So wait..did you actually have to like, cut her hair?!" I couldn't hide my horror at the thought of actually having to touch that horrible human beings head.

"Hehe..yeah. That was unfortunate. For her, too." She grinned from ear to ear and I recognized that look. Panic set in my heart, mixed with some excitement.

"What the hell did you do?!" I demanded, my mouth dropping open. She gave me a look that seemed to say 'what the hell do you think?' and then threw her head back and let out an exaggerated cackle, as if she was a evil villian.

"Let's just say, I don't think she will be coming back." She folded her hands in her lap, looking quite pleased with herself. "In fact, if I was her I wouldn't leave my house at all for a few months." She said the sentence casually while examining her manicured fingernails.  When I didn't respond she looked up at me and seemed caught off guard by the shocked look on my face.

"You gave her a hack job?!" I unintentionally shouted and she put her hands up defensively. While I appreciated her loyalty, I was concerned she would lose her job and reputation if it was to be found out she did it on purpose.

"Just a little one." She said sarcastic, but defensive. I tilted my head to one side and raised an eyebrow, wondering if she ever actually listened to herself talk. "Don't panic, I'm sure it will grow back! Hair has a way of doing that sometimes. Trust me, I'm a professional." She flipped her hair back again and stuck her nose up in the air as if she thought she was fancy.

I shook my head, not believing she understood what she had actually done. "You shouldn't have done that. You should have just cut her hair the way she wanted it and left it at that." She seemed incredibly annoyed by my mature way of thinking. She crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at me. As if I  was the one that lost their mind.

"Why the hell would I do that? She's luckily I didn't cut off her whole head." She yawned as if the conversation was starting to bore her. I couldn't believe she hadn't even considered that her actions could possibly have consequences.

"Think about it, Gina. Maria Martinez has a social media following. What if Sam tells her who you are and she puts two and two together? What if she tells everyone not to go to you for their haircut because you don't know what the fuck you're doing? She could ruin your reputation!" The thought of that happening after she has finally found something she's passionate about. After how much this job and supporting herself without the help of her narrow-minded parents meant to her.

The thought of her losing all that and being back at square one because she felt she was defending me somehow, I would never forgive myself. I was already blaming myself, though logically I knew it wasn't my fault.

I found that I had zoned out, randomly staring at the clock on my nightstand. I looked back at Gina, who was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Don't do that. Don't do the Emma thing." She scolded, waving her index finger at me. I stared back at her, confused. There was an 'Emma' thing? What the hell does that even mean?

"Don't look at me like there's not an Emma thing. There is totally an Emma thing, and you're doing it now." She snapped her fingers and looked at me like she had just fucked me with the long, hard dick of the truth. I connected my palm to my forehead. Someone needs to come get their best friend, because she makes no damn sense.

"I'm going to regret asking this..but what 'Emma thing' are you referring to?" I gave airquotes around the words 'Emma thing' to make sure she knew I still thought she was full of shit.

She kicked her foot and gave an exaggerated scoff, like it was unnecessary to have to explain herself. "Every time anything ever happens, you immedietely start thinking of all the reasons why it's your fault. Every fucking time." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me, seeming to see through my soul. I swallowed hard as I realized, she wasn't entirely wrong.

"It doesn't matter what it's about." She continued, as if she hadn't made her point already. "I could call you up and say 'Hey yo, my foot hurts' and it would turn into an hour long conversation about what a horrible human being you were for putting me through this kind of pain. That is what is known as...'the Emma thing.'" She airquoted around the words 'Emma thing,' obviously mocking me.

I stared at her, to the point she began to get visibly impatient for me to respond. I studied her, as if I was looking at an unusual painting I was trying to find the meaning of. "'Hey yo, my foot hurts?' Name one time you've ever greeted me with 'hey yo?'" She looked like she wanted to punch me, and for a moment I thought she might.

"Really?! That's what you got out of that?" She threw her hands up and looked up at the ceiling, as if saying a silent prayer for her hopeless best friend.

"Okay, so you're right. I have a habit of blaming myself. What's your point?" I was really ready to talk about something else. This was one of those times when Gina  knowing me so well was annoying.

"My point is, don't do the Emma thing. It's not your fault." I struggled to make eye contact with her, which seemed to piss her off. "I'm serious! I did what I did because karma is a bitch, and so is Maria Martinez. That's it. It's not your fault that I'm petty." Gina said it very matter of fact, and didn't look the least bit sorry. In fact, there was a tone in her voice that sounded proud of herself.

I took a deep breath..accepting that while she was a tiny bit insane, she was right. I smirked, part of me feeling bad that I loved the image of Gina  butchering Maria's hair. But as much as Gina irritates me sometimes, I was lucky to have her.

"Well, I just hope it doesn't come back to bite you. But I have to say, I kind of love that you take my heartbreaks so personally." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. I always wanted a sister and somewhere along the way, God gave me one. Gina.

"Any enemies of yours, is an enemy of mine. You know this." She wasn't lying. She still held grudges over shit people said to me when we were in school. She stays angry when someone is mean to me long after I do.

"So..how badly did you mess up her hair exactly?" I asked, part of me not sure I wanted to know. She beamed once again at me, and I tried to remain semi-serious. I wanted to handle this maturely, but the petty part of me thought it was hysterical.

"Oh my god, she looked bad. You should have seen Sam's face. He looked like he wanted to run." She gave out a belly laugh, and even I couldn't keep myself from laughing.

"Here's the kicker, though..this vain bitch still thought she looked hot!" She rolled her eyes and I shrugged, which caused her to look at me in confusion.

"If she thinks she looks hot, maybe she won't try to sue you or something." I yawned as she thought about it for a moment. Talking about Maria  was exhausting to me. Well, not to mention..I have been um ahem, getting some much needed exercise lately.

"I think Sam misses you, Emma. I just got that feeling..like if Maria hadn't been there he would have asked about you." She caught me off guard with the subject change, and at first I didn't know how I was supposed to respond to that.

"He couldn't wait to get away from me when we broke up. So I doubt it, Gina." I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked away, as I remembered how much that hurt my feelings at the time. "Even if he does, I'm not interested in who or what he misses anymore. I've moved on." I said plainly, and I meant it.

I looked at her face, to see one of those grins that go from ear to ear and take up her whole face. One of grins that make me feel like I needed a shower. One of those grins..that made me regret opening my big mouth.

"You certainly have moved on, haven't you?" She finally said nudging my arm with her elbow. "Speaking of which, you owe me a new pair of eyes. I think I might have got a corneal burn when I walked in." Gina rubbed her eyes as if they were in pain, and for a moment I considered making an honest woman out of her by punching her in the eyeball.

"I thought we talked about that already." I covered my face, attempting to hide my pinkened cheeks. Thinking of my encounter with Ryker  got me hot all over again, followed by a mixture of pure humilation and embarrassment because Gina had walked in.

"Oh no, we didn't even begin to talk about it. I need details." She was way too excited that I was getting laid. Which reminded me, we need to find someone for her. Maybe if she was getting some, the fact that I was wouldn't be as big of a deal.

Oh, listen to me. Give me a little bit of action and suddenly I'm talking shit about other people's lack of sex life. Dick move, Emma. Pun intended.

"Why do I need to tell you details? Did you not see enough when you walked in?" I was being serious, but Gina cracked up laughing.

"Just tell me..is he good to you?" Gina  suddenly fell completely serious, and was studying my reaction. I nodded, and smiled at her concern.

"Yes, actually. He's good to me." I exhaled before I continued, knowing she would freak out at this next part.

"In fact, we have a date tonight." I jumped off the bed and ran towards my bathroom, looking back to see Gina  staring at me with her mouth hung open.

"WHAT!!! Why the fuck are you just telling me this?!" She immedietely ran to my closet, out of breath. "What are you going to wear? Do you need to borrow something? Oh my god you should let me do your hair and makeup!! Where is he taking you?!"

She spent the next ten minutes like this while I took a shower, seeming more excited than I was. After a while I zoned her out, wondering what Ryker  was doing now.

Ryker Fox

Ryker's Penthouse

I sat in my favorite chair on my balcony with a cup of coffee in front of me on the table. Dexter  sat in a chair across from me and as usual was taking longer than I'd like to get to the point.

"Okay Dex. You got me over here. Now just tell me what's going on. No fucking around, please." I rolled my eyes as I picked up my coffee to take a drink of it. He seemed very nervous, which wasn't exactly doing anything for my nerves either. I also found myself irritated that I had to sit here and talk about this drama instead of planning my date with Emma.

I automatically smiled at the thought of her, and found myself anxious for the evening to get here so I could see her again.

Dexter  studied my face and seemed irritated, as if being able to read my mind somehow. I hate when he does that. He always gets so judgy about everything.

"Have somewhere more important to be, do you?" Dexter's voice sounded annoyed and slightly defensive as he glared at me.

Sure do. Up to my neck in Emma Riley's pussy. Thanks for asking! "Don't be getting jealous, Dexter. Just because you have to share me now doesn't mean I stopped caring about you, boo thang."

His eyes rolled way back into his head as he didn't seem to appreciate my sarcasm at all. "You're hilarious. But I'm being serious. It's like you don't care about anything else anymore besides Emma Riley." He shook his head in disapproval as he picked up his cup of coffee.

Okay, he's pissing me off already. I set my cup down on the table and leaned forward in my chair. I stared him in the eye, to let him know I meant business. "Say her name in a negative way again, and I'll throw you off this goddamn balcony." There was an irritated roughness to my voice that even I hadn't intended. But hearing him talk about her put me on edge.

He quickly set his cup back down and put his hands up defensively. "I don't have a problem with her, Ryker. I really don't. She's not the problem, you are." He crossed his arms and looked at me wearily. He seemed to know what he was saying would make me angry, but he didn't look like he cared very much.

I gripped the handle of my chair. I didn't speak, just glared at him. I was afraid of losing my temper completely if I spoke. Is this why he wanted to do this in person? Is this some kind of intervention or something? Like that TV show. Any moment now he would pull out a paper from his pocket and say something like; 'Ryker, your addiction to Emma Riley's pussy has affected your life negatively in the following ways.'

He took a deep breath and continued when I didn't respond.  "Look, I know you're not used to this. Actually having feelings for someone I mean. So sure, it's exciting." There was a sympathetic look behind his eyes, but I couldn't help but feel annoyed. He was talking to me like I was some lovesick teenager with no life experience whatsoever.

"But, you're an adult with a lot of priorities. Priorities that have all taken a backseat so you could have a little sleepover with your new girlfriend. Meanwhile as your assistant, I'll be left picking up the pieces." He picked up his coffee cup again, avoiding eye contact with me. I was feeling very defensive. Because part of me knew, he wasn't entirely wrong. My mind has been..occupied lately. But still..his judgemental tone was unappreciated.

"My..priorities have not taken a backseat." I suddenly felt awkward as I fidgeted with my clothes. I could feel him glaring at me, but I refused to return his knowing gaze.

"Alright..have you gone over the script?" He looked as if he already knew the answer to that. Fuck. I forgot all about the script. I'm supposed to have gone over it and had a good understanding of the character by Friday. It was now Wednesday and I hadn't even really looked at it. Goddamnit, I hate when he makes a point.

"That's what I thought." He shook his head, seeming dissapointed in me. "You used to be so dedicated to your craft. I always admired that about you. You were amazing at what you did. A real gift." He absent-mindedly stared into his cup he was holding in his hands. He looked..sad, in a way. "Maybe you just lost your spark for it." He mumbled, as if speaking to himself more than me.

"Dexter..I've had a lot going on, okay? My mind has been distracted. But my career is still important to me." I really did mean it. I didn't do it for the money, even though that was a nice bonus. I sure as hell didn't do it for the fame, because in my experience fame does more harm than good.

The idea of escaping reality and being somebody else always fascinated me. You could say it started from the rejection I felt from my parents, I don't know. But I always loved playing a character and having people related to it somehow. I love being an actor. It will always be important to me. It's just lately..I've quite liked being myself, because of Emma Riley.

"Is your career still important? Is it really? Because I already explained to you several times why getting this role was important to your career and you obviously don't care because here we are." His signature stress in his voice was fully present. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty, because I knew it was me who put it there.

"Two days before your audition, and I have to cancel because you're not prepared."  He continued, connecting his palm to his forehead. I rolled my eyes, still feeling like he was being a tad dramatic. But I understood where he was coming from at the same time.

"Don't cancel it. After tonight I'll go into full on beast mode. I can do this, alright? Don't give up on me just yet." I attempted to ease his mind, and he thought about it for a moment, seeming to be processing my words. Perhaps deciding if he believed me or not.

"'After tonight'? What's happening tonight?!" He sounded suspicious and I tried to hide the irritation from my face, as he was still studying me. Leave it up to Dexter  to pick up on that one.

"Don't freak out. I'm serious, I don't want to hear it." He scoffed and sat back in his chair as if he already knew where this was going. "I have a date with Emma Riley tonight." I immedietely picked up my mug and drank out of it. Not from being thirsty, but just to avoid eye contact. I could feel him judging me already.

"A date?! Like in public?!" He gestured towards his brain and then to me like he was talking to an idiot. "You don't go on 'dates.' There's no way nobody will just not notice! Are you trying to make my job harder, is that it?" The volume of his voice had gotten louder as he was the one who was starting to lose his temper. Which in return, was pissing me off...again.

"I know this will be real hard to believe Dex, but my love life actually isn't about you." I snapped as he awkwardly rubbed his neck and took in a deep breath. "What's wrong with me taking a beautiful young lady out? Am I not a grown fucking man?" I almost felt like collapsing on the floor kicking and screaming. Ironic, considering I was talking about how grown I was.

"People will talk, Ryker. That's all I'm saying." His voice sounded grave and he had a look of genuine concern.

"I'd be a fool to base my decisions on whether or not people talk. People will talk anyway, Dex. Even if I keep my happy ass at home." He studied me while I spoke, and I could see him caving. "Emma Riley is single. I'm single. We are both consenting adults. What's the problem exactly?" I knew I sounded defensive, but I couldn't help it. I hated having to go through this shit because I wanted to do something normal, like dating.

"Just be careful, Ryker. Dating when you're a celebrity is much different than if you were just an average man. I'm not sure either one of you is prepared for what that might mean." His concerns while valid, were also really annoying. I wasn't a moron. I knew this already. But I believe Emma Riley  is worth the effort.

"Your concern is noted, Dex. Now..is this why you wanted to talk? Because I was under the assumption you had found out if Sheila had a reason for planting a camera in my fucking house." I got straight to the point, anxious for this conversation to be over so I could move on with my day.

He took in another deep breath, and something about the look on his face instantly made me concerned.

"She has a reason, Ryker...and you're not going to like it."

Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments
6:45 p.m.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror examining myself as Gina  finished curling the last few strands of my blonde hair.

She had taken me on as sort of a project, and turned me into her life-size barbie doll. Picking out my outfit, then doing my hair and makeup too. While the stubborn part of me wanted to protest, I figured it was best to let her take the reins. She was much better at this girly stuff than I was and if it was up to me, I'd end up in jeans and a t-shirt with my hair in some sorry excuse for a messy bun.

I must say, I actually looked pretty good. Though I hoped this wasn't too much. She had chosen a pink bandage bodycon mini skirt, paired with a lowcut white lace top and white high heels. While my outfit was more revealing than I was used to.. she went more natural with my makeup, mainly using pinks and browns that complemented my light skin tone.

I was caught off guard when she suddenly grabbed the hairspray and practically soaked my head with it. I damn near coughed up a lung but she seemed unphased as she scrunched the curls with her hands and admired her work.

"Gina..are you sure this outfit isn't too much? It's so revealing!" Gina had forced me into a pushup bra I hadn't worn in like three years and my boobs were..loud and proud, to say the least. I flushed as I imagined what Ryker  would say. There's no way  he's not going to notice.

Gina  rolled her eyes as she sprayed a lavender smelling perfume on me. "Ryker can thank me later. Tell him I accept all major credit cards, but I don't do out of state checks." She winked at me as she looked me over, seeming proud of herself.

"No offense Emma, because..I don't want to alarm you. But you're fucking hot! Your tits look unbelievable in that top. Ryker probably isn't going to let you leave the apartment." She clapped her hands together and did a victory dance, while my nerves began to sink in.

"Tell me the truth though..I look slutty, right?" I started pulling at my mini skirt, feeling like way too much of my legs were showing. But it became clear pretty quickly it was a lost cause.

Gina  sighed, and turned me away from the mirror to face her. "You are gorgeous, Em. He's going to lose his freaking mind. Don't be nervous." She smiled, and I appreciated the sentiment. But that was easier said than done.

Not only was I about to go on my first real date in well, a long ass time..but it was with Ryker Fox. There were so many things to consider, so many reasons to be nervous.

But I had to admit, I felt like a giddy schoolgirl thinking of seeing him again. What does he have planned I wonder?

Just then, we heard a knock on the door, and we both let out an excited screech. Gina  began jumping up and down while I started to hyperventilate.

"This is it! He's here!" Gina said as she started skipping out of the bathroom to answer the door. She looked back at me with a huge smile on her face. "Are you ready, beautiful?"

I gulped, not certain how to answer that. Was I ready? I wasn't entirely convinced, but it was too late to back out now..so here goes.

I took a deep breath, and attempted to hide the shakiness in my voice. "I'm ready. Let him in."

Author's note: If you enjoyed this chapter, please make sure to vote! :)