Ryker Fox

Ryker Fox's Penthouse
8:59 a.m

"Watch. She's going to be late. On her first day, no less." I mumbled to Dexter  as I bit into an Apple.

He shot me a pleading look as he anxiously waited by the entryway. "Please remember what we discussed, Ryker--"

"Oh my god, enough already. I know, okay? 'Be nice, but not too nice." My tone was mocking as I took another bite. How many times is he going to repeat himself?

I pulled my cell phone out of the pocket of my slacks and looked at the time. "9:00 am. Tsk tsk tsk." He glared at me, his blue eyes narrowing.

"Can I go smoke a cigar now?" I couldn't hide my irritation as I was already done with this whole thing. Without waiting for an answer, I retreated to my balcony.

"Goddamnit, Ryker! You couldn't wait two seconds?! I'm sure she'll be here any--" right before closing the sliding door behind me I heard him pause mid-sentence, as there was a knock on the door.

Huh. The girl's on time after all. Go figure.

Emma Riley

Ryker Fox's Penthouse
9:00 am

I was so relieved that I had made it on time. Without a moment to spare and I already felt exhausted from the rush over, but still.

I did one last check over my clothes and hair as I heard footsteps walking towards the door. "Meh. This is as good as it gets right now." I mumbled to myself, right before the door swung open.

I immediately went into my "I get paid to be nice to you" mode. Greeted by a middle-aged man around my height with short brown hair and dark blue eyes, I flashed the friendliest smile I could manage.

"Good morning! My name is Emma and I'm with Sunshine Cleaning." I did my best to keep on my smile as I waited for a response. He looked me up and down, studying me from head to toe. I felt a hint of insecurity wave over me as I could see dissapproval in his face.

What was it? Was my outfit too much? Not enough? Should I have fixed my hair more? Why is he looking at me like that?!

As usual, my emotions must have shown on my face because he cleared his throat, seeming to collect himself before speaking in a calm, professional tone that seemed just as forced as mine was. "Yes..of course. Please come in. Mr. Fox is on the balcony." He motioned for me to come inside, still examining me with a look of disapproval. I took a deep breath, and walked past him.

As he closed the door behind me I couldn't hide the shock on my face as I looked at my surroundings.

The penthouse had a breathtaking view with large windows and an open concept. Black leather furniture, soft plush carpets, all kinds of fancy little knick-knacks everywhere. My guess was, a professional decorator was hired. It was obvious a bachelor lived here with the lack of a feminine touch, but it was also obvious this bachelor had taste.

I had never even been in a place this beautiful..let alone be responsible for cleaning it. I was scared to death I'd sneeze and break something worth more than I make in a year.

'Professional, Emma. Remain professional.' I scolded myself. I focused my attention back to the man, who was studying me very carefully. The sass in me wanted to ask him what the fuck his problem was. But instead..I said; "What was your name, sir?" Since, you know..you were too busy judging me to actually tell me it. I flashed a bright smile for good measure.

"Oh..right. My apologies." He seemed a bit embarrassed by his rudeness and brushed himself off before continuing.

"Dexter. My name is Dexter Solan and I am Mr. Fox's personal assistant. I am the one who spoke with your boss, Carl Kindsvatter." I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at the sound of Carl's name. So ironic he had the word kind  in his last name, considering he was a colossal prick. He seemed to take note of my eyeroll and gave me a knowing smirk, but luckily did not comment further.

"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, Mr. Solan." I smiled sweetly, even though I still didn't much appreciate the way he looked at me.

"Please, call me Dexter. Would you mind waiting here for a moment young lady? I need to speak with Mr. Fox for a few moments." He didn't wait for me to respond before he headed towards the sliding doors that assumingly lead to his private balcony.

I awkwardly stayed where I was and looked around the room, he hadn't exactly invited me to sit down and I didn't want to be presumptuous.

Besides, something told me that for whatever reason..I might not be staying long. Judging from the way he looked at me, my guess is he's headed to the balcony to talk about me.

Ryker Fox

I was very much enjoying my quiet time with my trusty cigar, even though I knew the moment wouldn't last long.

Sure enough, Dexter  came out to the balcony and walked over to me looking upset about something just as he had done the night before.

"So?" I prompted for him to say whatever the hell was wrong now, as I took a puff of my cigar.

"It's not going to work. We are going to have to send her away." He shook his head and rubbed his neck with his hands, looking genuinely stressed out.

I smirked, as I took this as meaning I was right. "What happened? Not so 'professional' after all?" He glared at me once more as a grin spread across my face. I loved being right.

He avoided eye contact as he began to awkwardly fidget with his suit. "No, it's not that. She seemed very professional and very sweet."  He said this in almost a mumble and for a moment I wondered if I heard him correctly.

"Now I'm confused." Not to mention irritated, that he was once again killing my vibe. I took one last puff of my cigar before I put it away.

"What's the problem, then?" I continued, annoyed he didn't elaborate further automatically.

He hesitated. "I...I'm not even sure I want to tell you. But it's not going to work. I don't suppose you could do me a solid and leave it at that?" He sounded skeptical, obviously already knowing the answer to that question.

"Goddamnit, Dex. Stop wasting my time and tell me like it is, I'm a big boy. Why don't you want to hire this woman?"  He let out a defeated sigh as he accepted he had no choice but to tell me. The great thing about Dex, he knows when not to test me.

"Fine. It's because she's--" he paused as his face flushed, obviously embarrassed to say whatever he was about to say. Which only peaked my interest.

"She's what?" I said as I stood up to look him in the eye. "What is she? A yellow-breasted sap sucker? What?!" He rolled his eyes at my sarcasm.

"She's...attractive. okay?" I blinked and stared at him, not believing I heard him right. She's...what?

He seemed to read the confusion on my face, so he continued. "She's attractive. Very attractive. I just..I don't think it's a good idea. Feels a little too much like waving a shot in an alcoholics face."  He said it without any humor, but I laughed anyway.

"God, Dex. How little self control do you think I have? Just how attractive can one cleaning lady be?"  He looked at me with a skeptic look. How attractive, indeed. I thought to myself. She must be something to have Dexter  all worked up.

I'm definitely going to have to meet this girl now. No wonder he didn't want to tell me. He shook his head as if reading my thoughts.

"Don't even think about it, Ryker."  He growled the warning through gritted teeth.  But something told me he knew it was too late for that. "You promised to be careful." There was a hint of a whine in his voice, and it reminded me of a little kid.

"I promised I would be more careful. I didn't promise I was becoming a monk." I snapped back as I headed towards the sliding doors. A panicked Dexter  trailed behind me in an awkward skip-walk, trying to keep up.

"Besides, the young lady came all this way."  I flashed a devil smile as I gave him a wink before entering inside. "No need to be rude, Dex."

Emma Riley

I was startled to hear the sliding doors open after what felt like centuries. I stood in the same spot, clutching onto my purse and preparing myself for the awkward "This isn't going to work out" speech.

I was startled to say the least, to see the man who identified himself as Dexter  return..with Ryker freaking Fox.

My mouth dropped open in shock as the two walked towards me, my eyes fixated on Ryker. Obviously, I already knew what he looked like. But to see him in person was..wow.

His very presence made the large space seem too small. The way he walked, the way he carried himself, it was intoxicating.

He was in black slacks and a tight-fitting gray sweater that complimented his blue-gray eyes that were paired with long, black lashes. His tan complexion was flawless and his jett black hair was kept, but deliciously messy. I saw him roll his eyes as Dexter  seemed to whisper something to him. He gave him a playful wink and flashed that million-dollar  smile of his. No wonder they pay him the big bucks. Fuck.

God, maybe he's come to fire me himself? This is going to be so cringy. I took in a deep breath as I waited for one of them to address me. All I could hope was they had enough mercy to make it quick.

Ryker Fox

The whole way inside and into the living room Dexter  was practically begging me to let him "handle" it. Truth be told, I just enjoyed ruffling his feathers a bit. He made it too much fun.

The fact of the matter is, he was worried for nothing. Surely he was overexaggerating. Unless this girl has beer-flavored nipples it's nothing I haven't seen before. To be honest, I found it offensive he had such little faith in my ability to maintain professionalism.

Just then, I turned my focus from Dexter  onto a woman awkwardly standing by the doorway. She stole glances at me here and there, but she mostly stared at the hardwood floor, clutching her purse.

My mouth was left hung open as I took in her appearance. She had delicate, porcelain-like skin, soft-looking blonde hair and full, plump lips. Her eyes, her eyes were the most beautiful I had ever seen. They were a bright, sea-glass green that matched her top perfectly.

This drew my attention to her chest, and I could feel a lump forming in my throat as I bit down hard on my bottom lip. Goddamn, those were some awesome tits.

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink as she looked up at me, and it reminded me I was staring. She nervously tucked one loose strand of hair behind her ear. My mind immedietely imagined grabbing a handful of that neat little ponytail of hers and pulling it.

Oh, fuck me. Dexter was right. I'm never going to be able to keep my hands off her. How annoying. I let out a frustrated sigh as Dexter  shot me an "I told you so" look.

The young lady cleared her throat and I realized we hadn't said anything since we came in. "It's um..nice to meet you, Mr. Fox. My name is Emma Riley." She smiled sweetly. Her smile was warm and inviting. Her voice was light, and calming.

Her eyes shifted from Dexter  to myself  and she raised one eyebrow. When we were both still silent, she continued.

"I'm sorry.." her tone remained professional, but she couldn't hide her confusion. "..is there some type of problem?"  I could see she was trying her best to maintain face, but something in her eyes looked weary.

"I'm the one that's sorry, young lady." Dexter  sounded genuinely sorry as he prepared to shot her down. I had yet to speak, still a bit stunned by her looks. What the hell's a girl like this doing scrubbing toliets? She should be laying on a bed of goose feathers being fed grapes or some shit.

"I'm afraid there has been a miscommunication." Dexter  continued, annoyingly breaking my concentration. Her face fell, like she knew what was coming.

"We actually--"  I couldn't let him do this. We can't fire this poor girl for being attractive. That's ridiculous. Besides, I wasn't sure I was ready to let her go just yet.

"We actually wanted you to start tomorrow." I flashed her a smile and both her and Dexter  shot me confused looks.

"You did?" She said, hesitating. "We did?!" Dexter  looked even more skeptical than she did.

"Sure. But since you're already here..would you like a tour?" She narrowed her eyes at me, as she seemed to notice I had asked the question to her beautiful chest. I smirked, taking note that this girl had some sass in her. Good.

Dexter  tried to give me one of his famous glares, but my focus was elsewhere.

Emma Riley

I didn't know what to say. I was sure  that his assistant was about to blow me off. Now I'm being offered a tour of the house?

I began to think of what Gina  said, about Ryker Fox's reputation. That on top of the fact he had taken his eyes off my chest maybe twice..I was suspicious, to say the least.

I must say though, I used to judge the women who had let themselves be used by him. 'That would never happen to me'  I thought. Now that I had actually met him, now that he was here...looking me over like I was a fucking snack, I get it. I get the temptation.

That being said, I meant it when I said I didn't want to be another notch on his bed post.

"So..what do you say, Miss Riley?" It sounded almost like a purr. "If you're going to be working here, don't you think a tour is a good place to start?" He looked down at my boobs again as his assistant shot him an annoyed stare. What is his assistant's problem with me, anyway?

I didn't really know how to respond. On one hand, something behind Ryker Fox's smile and traveling eyes told me his intentions were slightly less than pure.

On the other hand, if this job doesn't work out it doesn't matter the reason, Carl  will blame me. He would most likely fire me. He's already on my ass about feeling like he 'can't trust me.' Let's not forget Ryker Fox hasn't actually done anything yet, apart from checking me out. But I mean..with his reputation that shouldn't be a surprise. Maybe he's more than he seems?

Wishful thinking. But I suppose that settles it. I took a deep breath as they both waited for a response, and put myself back in professional mode.

"A tour would be great, Mr. Fox. Thank you for offering." I flashed a friendly smile and he placed his hand on my lower back. Just a little too low, if you catch my drift.

"Ryker is just fine. May I call you Emma?" I saw his assistant roll his eyes and cross his arms over his chest in disapproval.

"Emma will be just f-fine." I studdered slightly, my brain having a hard time concentrating on anything but how low his hand was.

He smiled at me once more, our eyes briefly connecting. God, he really was beautiful. He could probably run me over and I'd say 'thank you.'

"Follow me."  He said with a wink as he guided me down the hallway.

Ryker Fox

Ten Minutes Later

The tour was semi-uneventful. She was pretty quiet, but something told me it was out of character. I noticed she had this sort of nervous tick, where whenever she was holding back saying something she'd bite her bottom lip. Lord, did it look like fun.

She seemed to be delightfully unaware of how sexy she was. Rare for a woman with such a killer body and an adorable face to match.

She turned her back towards me as she looked at all the pictures hung up on the wall. I took note that her ass was just as nice as the rest of her.

I knew what a pig I probably sounded like, but there was something about this woman. Something about her that made me want to bend her over my desk while I held onto that ponytail like a goddamn handle bar.

"Wow, you know a lot of famous people.." she said turning her attention from the pictures on the wall and onto me. Something in her face changed for a brief moment as she turned around just in time to see me staring intently at her ass.

Her face flushed and she did that nervous tick again. The lip bite. Goddamnit. She is treading some seriously dangerous waters.

"Can I ask you a question, Mr. Fox? I mean..Ryker." her approach was hesitant, as she seemed to be examining me closely.

"Go ahead." I shrugged, still half in a daydream. She took a deep breath, her chest moving in and out.

"Your..assistant...Dexter? He, um..well he didn't seem to like me much. In fact, I could have misread the situation but I was almost sure he intended on letting me go." There was annoyance in her voice mixed with a hint of hurt. I cringed. She was very observant.

"I guess my question is.." she continued when I didn't respond. "Is he always like this, or is there some kind of issue I should be aware of?" She seemed to already know the answer. It made me curious.

"What do you think?" I prompted, still staring at her mouth. She sighed and nervously rubbed her arm, as if trying to decide how to respond.

"You can speak freely with me, I promise I won't bite you."  Yes the fuck I will. I'll start with that mouth of yours and work my way down. But anywho."Please say what's on your mind."  I urged her to continue.

"Are you..absolutely sure?" Her eyebrows furrowed with genuine concern. "Because I don't think you know what you're asking for. " She said it as a warning, and I could barely keep a straight face before she continued.

"I don't know a lot of shit about a lot of shit, but it's never stopped me from having an opinion." She seemed serious, but I couldn't help but laugh.

I was beginning to feel like she was starting to show the real her. Past the fake professional facade. I liked this better. She smiled. Not a fake smile..a genuine one, seeming pleased she had made me laugh. How fucking cute.

Something in her eyes seemed to set on fire when she smiled, and it made the room feel brighter somehow.

I gripped the edge of my oversized wooden desk I was leaning on, holding myself back. I wasn't kidding about the "bend her over my desk"  thing.

Emma Riley

I found myself staring at the pictures on the wall. All of him with various celebrities, from athletes, to presidents, to singers, talk-show hosts, models, and actors..like himself.

It was painfully obvious his life was way  more exciting than mine. Ironically, this moment right here would easily remain towards the top of my list.

His house was lovely. His various pictures and awards around the house was exciting. But I was mainly trying to not  focus on him.

He might be a playboy, and perhaps he is as spoiled and arrogant as he appears. But one things for sure. He was also a fucking masterpiece. I naturally found myself wanting to stare at him, but I didn't trust myself to get too  good of a look.

He certainly wasn't helping matters leaning against his desk, studying me so closely. His eyes, fixated on every inch of me. He gripped the edge of his desk and I couldn't help but take note of his defined muscles and the veins in his arms.

Something in his eyes were wild. Something in his smile...

I realized he was staring at me, waiting for me to continue with what I was saying. He gave me an all-too-knowing grin and I felt my face flush again. How embarrassing.

"So? Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" He winked at me, as though there was a double meaning to what he just said. "I heard of pausing for effect, but this is ridiculous."  He teased.

"Alright."  Hey..he wants to know what I think, ask and ye shall receive.

"I hope you won't take offense to this, but I am curious as to what your motives are." This wasn't exactly keeping it professional, but it was time to address the elephant in the room. If I'm going to be working here, we need to be on the same page.

He seemed genuinely surprised, as if he hadn't expected the conversation to go this route. "Oh?" He raised one eyebrow and stood himself up from the desk he was leaning on.

Part of me wondered if I shouldn't have said anything, but he had asked me to be honest. Besides, it was too late to turn back now.

"What exactly do you think my motives are?" He waited for me to continue, his face unreadable.

Well, I might as well go for it now. I took a deep breath and gathered all the bravery I could manage.

"As I said, your assistant seemed like he was going to fire me. When you offered to give me a tour, he seemed genuinely distressed." He sucked in a deep breath. I gulped.

"I..I also am aware of your reputation..and I have..seen the way you look at me." Something in his eyes shifted, and I instantly regretted saying it. My face flushed, and I awkwardly looked down at the floor.

I was startled when he began to walk over to where I stood, not breaking eye contact the entire time. I soon found him inches away from me, and I could feel his breath on my skin.

"How do I look at you, Emma?" He challenged. Something about the way he said my name made me very nervous.

"Well.." good Lord, Emma. Shut the hell up already. But I was nearly put into a trace by how close his perfect face was to mine. If someone were to walk in, they'd think..well, nevermind what they'd think.

"You look at me, like--" he cut me off mid-sentence as if already knowing where this was going.  "Like I think you're beautiful?" I blinked twice, my eyes widened. Wait...what?! Did he just...what did he just say?!

"Huh?!" I was dumbfounded. A smirk formed on the corner of his lips.

"Shall I repeat myself?" I just stared at him like an idiot, stunned into silence.

"I said..I think you're beautiful, Miss Riley. Very beautiful, in fact." His eyes traveled from my eyes to my mouth. "Does that make you uncomfortable?" He pressed his lips together.

"Um..well.." I hadn't expected him to be so straight-forward about it. In fact, I half expected him to deny it. But he looked unapologetic as he shamelessly looked me over like I was his prey.

"Frankly?" I continued, forcing myself to focus. Knotch on the bed post, Emma. Don't forget that part. Think of how many women have probably been in this same position. Where are they now?

"Honestly, it does make me uncomfortable, Mr. Fox." I emphasized Mr. Fox  in hopes to remind him he was technically my Employer, not that he seemed to care much about that.

"Being beautiful makes you uncomfortable?" He raised one eyebrow, his voice mocking.

"You know that's not what I meant." Some of my niceness  vanishing, as his casualty was starting to annoy me. Has he seriously not learned from his past indiscretions?

"Miss Riley..."  there was a slight defensiveness in his voice. "I should not have to apologize for noticing an attractive woman. Now, if I have made you uncomfortable you have my apologies." He sounded genuinely sorry.

"But I will not apologize for being attracted to a sexy woman such as yourself." He said it very matter-of-fact, looking at me casually like he had just asked me about the weather or something.

I felt my face flush once more, annoyingly so. His bluntness catching me off guard. I began to question if I was being too harsh. After all, he hadn't actually done anything..yet.

"I..suppose I should thank you for the compliment. I don't mean to be rude at all. But, I need to know that we are on the same page." I tried to be as pleasant but professional as possible. He grinned, as if I had said something humorous.

"What page would that be?" He seemed to be challenging me to come to a point.  His tone still slightly mocking. Which kind of pissed me off. His grin spread even wider as my eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms over my chest.

I really wish he'd stop doing that. His smile made it extremely hard to concentrate.

"If you're asking me if I'll suddenly stop noticing you're attractive, the answer is a big fat no." He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, mirroring me. His face still inches away from my face.

"All I'm asking.." I continued, my annoyance raising. "Is that we keep a level of professionalism. That means no flirty looks, no invading my personal space, and stop looking at my goddamn chest while you're at it." The sentence came out like word vomit, slightly startling us both. I bit my lip, knowing I had said too much. He stared at me in disbelief.

Suddenly, a thought occured to me. Maybe this  was what his assistants issue with me was. He probably knew this would happen.

The edge in his voice was very clear. His charming facade slowly fading, now that he was equally annoyed. But I held my head up high, refusing to be intimidated.

"In my defense, your chest was looking at me first." He was obviously trying to be funny, but I wasn't feeling humorous. He took the opportunity to look down my shirt, in case I didn't get his point.

"You know what, Mr. Fox?" I was kind of done at this point. "Thank you for your time, but this is obviously not going to work out. Perhaps you should hire someone with smaller tits." His mouth dropped open, he seemed taken back by my sass.

I took his silence as an opportunity to walk out of his office and close the door behind me.

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