Ryker Fox

Ryker's Penthouse

I walked her to the front door as she turned around to say her goodbyes. Dexter was just getting off the phone in the kitchen and walked over to stand behind me.

"Well..I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked it as a question and pressed her lips together in thought.

"You most certainly will, Miss Riley." Her name rolled off my tongue like it was honey and I gave her a wink as I opened the door for her.

I could almost feel Dexter's eyeroll behind me without even looking back.

She turned around to leave, stopped, and then turned back around to face me like there was something she forgot.

"Can I ask you a question?" She hesitated like she was nervous to ask. I raised my eyebrows, intrigued.

Yes. I will make out with you. "Another question?" I teased as she rolled her eyes. "What do you have to lose at this point?" I continued.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her shiny blond hair. "You can of course say no if you want to." She admitted, though I couldn't imagine ever saying no to this woman. "But I was just wondering if you minded if I wore my regular cleaning clothes?" She seemed a tad embarrassed.

I smirked, but let her continue. "It's not some trashy french maid outfit, so don't get any ideas." She scolded, mistaking my smirk. I heard Dexter chuckle behind me.

"My boss..he told me to not look like I had just rolled out of bed or whatever." She couldn't hide the irritation in her voice from being told how to dress.

"But I think we can both agree this isn't appropriate cleaning attire." She continued, gesturing to her coffee-stained shirt like it was proof.

Her face turned a reddish color again, and my guess was she was remembering the clevage incident. I sure as hell would never forget. A man doesn't forget tits like that.

I realized I hadn't respond and was staring again. Just as Dexter was about to step in, most likely to tell her it would be in her best interest to dress professionally..I spoke up.

"You can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, Miss Riley." I assured her, smiling. She actually smiled back at me this time..which did something to me that was hard to describe.

"That's very sweet of you, Mr. Fox." She said in a friendly tone, still smiling at me. "Thank you." She seemed relieved.

You can thank me by sitting on my face. She gestured goodbye to Dexter and gave me one last look before walking through the door I had held open for her.

Don't smack her ass, don't smack her ass, God that shits beautiful no..don't smack it. I buried my hands in my pockets just to be safe.

As I closed the door behind her and turned around to face Dexter, I found him with his arms folded across his chest and looking at me like I was a little kid he had just caught stealing cookies.

I groaned, feeling a Dexter Lecture coming on. "What, Dexter? I was perfectly nice." I said as I passed him and started walking to my office to get a cigar. He trailed behind me, not easily ignored.

"No. You were perfectly thirsty. I swear to God, the way you were looking at that girl you would think you had spent the last twenty years in prison." He shook his head in disapproval, his best judgemental tone in tact.

I stopped in front of my desk in the office and turned to face him as I was pulling out a cigar from one of the drawers.

"She seems like a nice young lady." He said with an edge in his voice as he raised one eyebrow at me. "I don't think you should hire her." He shook his index finger at me.

He was starting to piss me off again. "Dexter, she has already been hired. It's a done deal." I began to walk out of the office with my cigar in hand, he of course followed me out to the balcony.

"You know damn well I can take care of it with one phone call, nothing is a 'done deal'" I could hear the airquotes around 'done deal' even without turning to face him.

"Well, I don't want you to take care of it. I've made up my mind already." I could hear my tone getting harsher as my patience stretched thinner.

I sat myself in my favorite chair on the balcony, smiling to myself as this balcony reminded me of her now.

I looked at the now empty chair she sat in, the ground still slightly messy where she spilled the coffee.

I hadn't had a woman on this balcony before. This is where I come to be by myself. The only one who comes out here besides me is Dexter, and he doesn't give me much of a choice.

Besides..normally when I'm around women, we don't do much talking. I cringed, realizing what a man whore I sounded like.

In fact, I don't remember the last time I actually had a real conversation with a woman. Until this morning. Not that I ever gave it much thought.

But her...I had to admit, I liked talking to her. I was kind of bummed out when she had to leave. She was strong, and hard-working. She was one of those people that were funny without meaning to be. Not to mention she was adorable.

I found it left me frustrated, still having so many questions. There was still so much to learn about her.

I realized I had zoned out, staring down at the mess on the ground with a cheesy smile on my face. I looked up to find Dexter staring at me with his mouth hung open and his eyes as wide as they could go.

His expression automatically made me feel defensive. "Whatever you feel like saying..don't say it." I warned him, seriously not in the mood to hear his two cents about the situation.

"You like her!" He accused, throwing his hands up like I had lost my mind. Ignoring my warning completely.

I groaned, and lit my cigar..trying to stay calm. I know he means well but he can be so overbearing. He doesn't know when to chill out.

"You actually like her!" He repeated, when I hadn't responded. "I knew it! That's what this is about. You hired her to clean your toliets because you want to date her." He shook his head and wiped his forehead, obviously thinking I was a moron.

"I didn't hire her, you did. Technically." I pointed out, trying to control my rising temper. "It's not like I picked her out of a lineup. 'Yes, that's the one! The blond girl with the big boobs! Bring her in!'" I was heavy on the sarcasm, my defensive mechanism.

"You might as well have." He scoffed, like I was making no sense. "She quit and that was the end of it. You were the one who ordered me to track her down and bring her back." He rested his hands on his hips, looking completely done with my shit.

I gripped my chair again. This time, for a different reason. I didn't like him talking about her. It made me..uncomfortable somehow. I damn sure didn't appreciate him talking to me like I was an idiot.

"You can't hire someone because of a crush. A man of your status, your reputation, this is the worst possible thing you could do right now." He began to raise his voice, losing his patience as well.

"Shut the fuck up, Dexter!" It came out as more of a growl as I snapped back. He was stunned into silence, staring at me like I had punched him in the face.

"I mean it! Just drop the fucking subject. You work for me, I don't work for you. I don't have to give you a goddamn play-by-play of every decision I make I'm a grown ass man." I took a puff of my cigar and stared ahead of me. He seemed speechless.

I took in a deep breathe and willed myself to calm down. I usually don't talk to him like that. He shifted his gaze around the balcony, awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

"Look, Dexter." I said, trying a more reasonable approach. "Everything else aside, she's the best person for the job." I assured him. He eyed me suspiciously.

"She has a work ethic that's rare. I've met people twice her age that don't have that work ethic. She takes pride in her work. How many have come through here that you can say that about?" I took another puff of my cigar with a smirk on my face as he seemed to think it over. But we both knew I was right. Nobody has come through here like her.

He let out a defeated sigh. "I'm not saying you're wrong, Ryker." He said in a hushed tone, trying to assure me.

"So what exactly are you saying then? You said it yourself, she's a nice girl." I was really just ready to be done with this conversation. It's pointless anyway, she's hired and that's that. I'm not changing my mind for shit.

"I'm saying that it's a convenient excuse. I'm saying, it's not your brain that's doing the decision making. I'm saying, that if you wanted to do the right thing by this girl you'd leave her alone." There was a sympathetic tone in his voice, but I wasn't sure if it was for me or her.

"You know what I'm saying? I'm saying you need to tell me what this 'meeting' I have to go to is so you can get the fuck off my balcony." I was done with this back and forth. I wanted peace, and quiet.

"There is no meeting." He admitted, seeming upset. "I thought it best to break up your little date before you corrupted her right here on this balcony you love so much. You were looking at her like you were a starving Lion and she was last Zebra left in all of fucking Africa."

He brushed himself off before walking towards the sliding door. I felt relieved he was finally dropping the subject, but guilty for snapping at him.

"You know something? Maybe I should take a few days off. Give you time to think about whether or not I'm the right person for my job, too." He shut the door and disappeared into the house.

He's bluffing. I thought. He's overworked and he needs a break. But he'll be back. I took a puff of my cigar, wondering who it was I was trying to convince.

Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments

As I got out of my Dodge Durango and began walking up to my apartment, I searched through my purse until I found my keys. In case Gina wasn't home and the door was locked.

Gina comes from a wealthy family and was practically born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She grew up never wanting for anything to the point she was what you'd call a tad spoiled. Complete and total opposite of how I was raised.

That was until about two years ago, when she fell in love...or at least thought she had. With a woman, named Jamie.

Her parents both came from extremely religious backgrounds, so she hid that part of herself from them her whole life even though she said she kind of always knew that she was bisexual. Someone attracted to both men and women.

It was easier to hide it, before she fell in love. But when you fall in love, especially in the beginning when you still have that excitement of a new relationship, you want to shout it from the rooftops.

So Gina did, and her parents were less than thrilled. They swore they would get her the best therapy money could buy. They said, they'd be willing to forgive her, if she promised to never talk to Jamie again and accept this as what they believed it obviously was; a phase. A sinful, disgusting phase. Not exactly what you want to hear when you tell your parents that you're in love.

She told them there was just one problem: she wasn't asking for forgiveness, and this was who she was whether they accepted it or not.

Needless to say, she ended up being financially cut off, and emotionally abandoned by her family. She showed up at my door, heartbroken and with no place to go.

Of course, I invited her to move in. She was my best friend, and I had an extra room anyway. I didn't have much, but whatever I did have I was more than willing to share. She would have done the same for me, and no one should go through the heartbreak that comes from being rejected by your parents.

She really struggled for a while. Especially when Jamie ended up leaving her for someone else. We spent many, many nights bitching about how much love sucks and eating our weight in icecream. I don't think either one of us would have got by if we didn't have each other.

Gina ended up getting a job part-time as a hair stylist in the mall. She is actually very good at her job, and it's probably the first real job she's ever had. It's been good for her. Not only did it help her feel independent but she's really very incredible at making people feel beautiful. I love that about her. She sees a unique beauty in everyone and she always seems to know exactly the best way to bring it out.

Her parents swore she'd never be able to handle supporting herself or working for a living, they were so sure she'd come crawling back to them like a dog with it's tail between its legs. They obviously don't know Gina that well. That just gave her more motive to prove them wrong. She hasn't spoken to them in two years.

Anyway, her schedule is kind of unpredictable these days. So I never really know when she's going to be here and when she's not. I used to wonder if she had met someone and was not wanting to tell me for some reason, because I couldn't believe her schedule was actually that unpredictable.

But she's promised me, she will give me all the dirty details when she meets someone worth mentioning, if I promise to do the same.

Let's be honest though, she's much more likely to meet someone than me. Not only is she a gorgeous redhead with a ballerina figure but she has a fun, outgoing, bubbly personality most people are drawn to. I sure am, that's why she's my best friend.

I on the other hand, leave something to be desired. My personality is like one of those sourpatch kid candies from the television commericals.

You've seen those, right? They are sour, then sweet? The sourpatch kid cuts off the girls hair for no reason other than he's an asshole but then he's all cuddly afterwards like oh, sorry about the hack job and the girl just goes aww, it's okay.

Yeah, put a coffee-stained shirt on him and that little fucker is my spirit animal. Which reminds me, I need to add Sourpatch Kids to my grocery list.

I turned the knob when I got to the front door of our apartment to see if it was locked, and it wasn't. Gina must be home. I didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed about that fact.

On one hand, I kind of wanted someone to vent to about this mornings..events. On the other hand, she has a tendency to go overboard. I was feeling exhausted from my morning and not sure I could handle her energy at the moment.

I closed the door behind me, kicked off my shoes into the shoe pile by the door and let out a deep breath, happy to be home. I also couldn't wait to shower and get out of these clothes.

I set my purse down on the kitchen table and saw Gina at the kitchen counter, making a very large salad.

I took my cell phone and charger out of my purse and plugged it in the outlet by the table, letting it charge for a minute.

Gina finally looked up from her salad and greeted me with a bright smile. "Hey, you! Thank God you're home because I've been dying to---shit!" I looked up from my phone at her startled. She had a handful of cherry tomatoes in her hand, holding it over a bowl of lettuce as if she had stopped right in the middle of adding them to her salad.

Her big brown eyes were fixated on my now coffee stained shirt. I rolled my eyes and attempted to dust off my shirt, knowing damn well it wasn't going to help.

"Gina, if you've been dying to shit don't stop on my account." I responded sarcastically. "But you know...you didn't have to wait until I got home. You won't hurt my feelings if you don't include me. In fact, I'd prefer if you left me out of your shit." I cackled obnoxiously, like I had just told the funniest joke in the history.

She stared at me with an overexaggerated, concerned look on her face. "God, you're weird." She shook her head while putting the rest of the cherry tomatoes into her salad.

"I'm weird? You're fixing a salad when we have leftover pizza in the fridge." I retrieved the pizza box and took out a large slice, suddenly deciding I was too starving to wait.

I'm pretty sure I just gave an example as to why she has the ballerina figure and I have thighs in seperate zip codes.

"Are you eating that cold?!" She sounded disgusted as she began slicing a cucumber and stealing glances at me leaning against the counter, stuffing a pizza slice bigger than my face into my mouth.

"It tastes better that way." I said with a mouth full of pizza. Good God, I thought everybody knew that.

She rolled her eyes and giggled, while throwing the freshly sliced pieces of cucumber into her impressive looking salad.

"So, when are you planning to tell me?" She asked plainly, while mixing up her salad concoction.

I blinked as I wiped off pizza sauce from my chin. "Tell you what?"

"Um..what the hell happened after you rudely hung up on me this morning for starters." She shot me a dirty look while I stuffed the last piece of pizza crust into my mouth.

"Second of all..what happened to your shirt?" She gestured toward the coffee stain. I flushed a deep red, remembering how it happened.

I put the pizza box back in the fridge, took the ranch dressing out and set it on the counter beside her, guessing she would need it.

"Well?! Give me the tea! My cup is ready!" She exclaimed excitedly as she poured a generous amount of the ranch on her salad.

"At least you didn't ask for coffee." I teased. "Could we maybe get into all that after I've had a shower and changed? I'm feeling really gross and I smell like Coffee and Marinara." I started walking out of the kitchen just as she was headed over to the table with her salad and a water.

"Fair enough, but we are talking about it the second you're done!" She called out. There was a sense of warning in her voice that seemed to say; 'You can run, but you can't hide.'

Great, looking forward to it.

Ryker Fox

Ryker's Office

The house seemed quiet without Dexter here. I decided to give him the day to sulk, then I'll call him tomorrow.

Truth be told, I felt like an ass for blowing up on him. He just worries, and rightfully so. As much as he gets on my nerves, I trust him completely. I can't say that about a lot of people. When you find someone you can trust, you should hold onto them. Because they are an endangered species.

That being said, I don't think I was the only one who overreacted. I couldn't believe he accused me of hiring her because I had a crush. A crush. Can you believe that shit? I haven't had a 'crush' since I was fifteen, and that was ten years ago.

Wipe that judgmental look off your face, will you? I'm serious. Just because she's beautiful with pretty eyes and curves that go on for days..just because she is strong, hard-working, funny, adorable and I enjoy her company..just because I want to bite her fucking lips off..does that mean I have a crush?

I don't think so--fuck...I do have a crush. This is terrible. How did this happen? Is there some type of support group for this?! I don't know how this works.

I was sitting at my desk going over parts of a movie script I was supposed to go over by Friday. I stopped what I was doing and let my elbows rest on the desk while I put my hands in my face. The fact Dexter was right made me feel worse.

Don't get me wrong, I meant everything I said about her work ethic. That's absolutely true. But..I'd be lying if I said the fact I want to get to know her had nothing to do with it. She basically asked me as much too, but in my defense I didn't really answer her question flat out.

The question is, what do I do? I mean, it's not like I'm in love. I barely know her. But..I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a bit more there besides an intense lust. I found myself wanting to actually know her..to talk with her.

This is not going in a promising direction. Who have I become? My penis has taken a little too long of a nap. Come on buddy, wake up. Speak to me.

I need to get laid, that's it. By someone other than Miss Awesome Tits. But God..those tits though. I was reminded of her clevage popped out in front of me after the coffee cup incident. With her like that, kneeled down right in front of me..my mind went straight to the gutter. Something told me she could be a very naughty girl.

Oh, good. I've woken the dragon. That's a good start. Then again..I'm still thinking about Emma Riley. Goddamnit.

That settles it. I have to occupy my mind. I've had just a little too much time on my hands lately. I have to get a handle on this. Not being in control makes me very..uncomfortable. I need a distraction.

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and began looking through my contacts, knowing exactly the person to call.

Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments
Emma and Gina's Living Room

I felt much better after I showered and changed into some comfy shorts and a tank top, sitting on the couch in the living room with Gina. We had the TV on but neither of us were really watching, more using it for some background noise while we gossiped. Or should I say..while she grilled me.

I still had to clean my normal buildings tonight, including the bank. But I still had several hours before I had to change and leave. Thank God, because I felt very mentally overwhelmed by my morning.

I still can't believe I spent the morning having coffee with Ryker Freaking Fox on his private balcony.

I felt my face flush, being reminded that I also unintentionally flashed my boobs at Ryker Fox on his private balcony, too.

I would be lying though if I said his reaction wasn't kind of...flattering, to say the least. The thing about my relationship with my ex-boyfriend Sam, he was done with me, long before our relationship was officially done. It's a very hard thing, feeling like the man you still (think) you're in love with has lost interest. I tried all the classics to peak his interest again. Tried changing my hair, I bought some trashy, uncomfortable ass lingerie that I knew he'd be into..I tried, you know...'spicing' things up in the bedroom.

But nothing ever really seemed to work. Not really. Obviously..I mean, he still left. It took me a while to fully accept it was truly over. I hoped that with enough time apart, he would start to miss me the way that I missed him. It took seeing him happy with someone else to accept it was over.

Now looking back I see it should have ended long before it did. I'm better off without him, I deserve someone who treats me better. I know that. But going through something like that can be a real killer to your self esteem.

After a while I got more used to being single. I loved being able to wear what I want, go where I want, say what I want, eat what I want, without having to answer to someone about it.

But I can't remember the last time I felt sexy. I think, it's important for anyone..but for a woman especially to be able to feel like their sexy sometimes.

Ryker Fox, makes me feel sexy. Sure, he's probably like that with all the women. Yes, I'm still aware of his reputation. But that moment on the balcony was..nice. Being around him was nice.

I realized I had zoned out, and was brought back to earth by the sound of Gina's voice. "So I'm driving along with the body in the trunk and it's going great until someone went 'hey Gina, what's that smell?' And I was like 'what smell? Ohhhh that it's just a dead body' then they want to get all offended like 'oooo I'm calling the police meh meh meh' so now I'm like, super frustrated because I'm already late for work and now I have to stop and kill them too, those insensitive fuckers." I stared at her in both confusion and horror, listening to her rant. She seemed perfectly casual about it the entire time, as if telling me a story about making a ham and cheese sandwich.

What the actual fuck was that? She stared back at me, a blank and unreadable look on her face. "Huh?!" I finally blurted out.

"I just wanted to see if you were listening. Good to know that you are." She sounded bitter but gave me a playful nudge to let me know she was joking.

I couldn't help but laugh. It's kind of nice having a best friend who's even weirder than you are. Gives me a break from being the biggest dork in the room.

"I'm sorry, I guess I zoned out." I admitted, still feeling flushed. She gave me a knowing grin, and I rolled my eyes. Already regretting telling her about the coffee cup incident.

"You totally should have given him head right there on the balcony. Let him know who's really boss. He would have been so happy he would have taken flight and ended up in neverland." She laughed as if she had just told a hilarious joke, even though I wasn't convinced she was joking.

"I hate you..and I'm going to take a nap before work tonight." I got off the couch and started walking towards my room.

"You're only delaying the inevitable you know! You and Ryker will be humping and bumping before the weeks over, mark my words!" She called out.

I shut my bedroom door, pretending not to hear her. But that was exactly what I was afraid of. If he doesn't give up, I don't know how much longer I can keep turning him down.

Tomorrow morning should be interesting, to say the least.

author's note: please don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this chapter! :)