Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments
Gina and Emma's Kitchen

Both Ryker and Gina watched me in horror, still seeming to be processing what I had just said. I had been fired. Something in me knew it was coming, and I was having mixed emotions as I poured myself another drink of scotch.

On one hand, somewhere in the back of my mind was thinking of how I was going to pay my bills now. What if I can't find another job right away? What if this video being out there just makes it that much harder for people to see me as a professional?

As a blonde female who was definitely not a stick figure, I was no stranger to being stereotyped. It had happened to me most of my life. Some would look at me, and at first glance assume I was stupid, or overly provocative. I've spent years trying to prove to people that's not me, and now that's all wasted with one video. I made myself look exactly what they always thought I was.

I downed my second glass of scotch, anxious to not have to think about how many things have went wrong in one day. Gina and Ryker both stared at me with a look of concern.

"What did Carl say to you, exactly?" Gina asked, breaking the tense silence. She folded her arms and her furrowed eyebrows gave away her growing anger. Ryker didn't look very happy either, but had yet to say anything.

"You mean besides 'you're fired?'" I asked sarcastically, looking at the third glass I had just poured and not at her. I could already feel a bit of a buzz. Keep in mind, I never drink like this.

Gina scoffed, not seeming amused. Ryker stepped closer past Gina and towards me, a look of anger in his eyes.

"What did the bastard say?" His eyes stayed on me, daring me to make eye contact. His voice sounded on edge and he spoke through gritted teeth.

I downed the third glass before speaking, and I felt my stomach turn and my gag reflex come up. Yep, definitely not used to drinking like this. I should let my tummy settle. Nothing sexy about blowing chunks all over the kitchen counter. Trust me, I speak from experience.

"Fuck that guy!" My voice sounded slurred and unnecessarily loud, even to me. I propped myself up against the kitchen counter, not trusting my balance.

"Oh Lord, she's half drunk already." Gina sounded both concerned and amused. I hardly ever get drunk but each time I have, Gina was in the passenger seat.

As a matter of fact, a few times she was behind the wheel..and drove us straight into a whiskey river.

"Half drunk? Whoo! Almost there!" I attempted to do a fist pump but my balance and coordination was leaving something to be desired.

I tried to make a grab for the bottle of scotch on the counter, but Ryker swiped it away from me at the last second.

"Swipper, no swiping!" I slurred before laughing at my Dora The Explorer reference, which was probably only funny to me.

I tried to take the scotch out of his hands, but I was pretty much useless in this moment. Ryker focused his eyes on my face, something in them looking intense and serious. Gina stood quietly observing from the other side of the kitchen.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, Foxy." I slurred at Ryker, motioning for the bottle in his hands.

He raised one eyebrow at me, holding the bottle out of reach. "Foxy, huh?" He looked like he was trying to be serious, but a smirk threatened to form on his lips.

If the shoe fits, wear it. "If the wear shoes, fit it!" I exclaimed. Wait..that didn't come out right.

Both Gina and Ryker chuckled as if laughing at an inside joke I didn't understand. I eyed them suspiciously while leaning against the counter.

"The two of you assholes are Ha-Haing at me, aren't you?" I slurred, beginning to have a hard time thinking straight.

"Slow down, and tell me what he said." Ryker's voice sounded demanding and like he was trying to keep his cool.

I looked at him, puzzled and low key still trying to figure out how to take the scotch away from him. "He who? Who he? I mean..what?" It came out more jumbled than I intended, but that was the best I got at the moment.

I heard them both groan impatiently at me. I wiped my forehead with my hand, and realized I was sweating like a stoner in a dispensary.

"What did Carl say on the phone when he fired you?" Gina said, pronouncing each word slowly and clearly like she was talking to a child.

If I was sober, it would have irritated me. But considering drunks are basically overgrown children who cuss a lot, I let it slide.

I groaned, bitter at the reminder about Carl and what he said on the phone. "He basically called me a whore and said he wasn't running an escort service." I managed to get out. Their mouths both dropped open. "Can I have the scotch back, now?" I motioned for the bottle in Ryker's hands.

"Oh my god, he's such a prick!" Gina shouted, angrily. "He has a lot of nerve to talk shit about an escort service. He's probably their best customer." She scoffed in disgust.

Ryker stood very still, a look of rage building in his eyes as he studied my face.

Ryker Fox

I could see the hurt and worry in her eyes, though she tried to mask it with scotch and sarcasm. I was beyond pissed, I didn't know this Carl guy but he had just put himself on my shit list.

"He has no right to speak to you like that." I told her, trying to not give away just how pissed it made me. If she knew how protective I had grown of her already, it would probably scare her.

She shrugged. "He's always a dick like that. But, he has a right to be pissed in this case. I was supposed to be there to do a job. I was representing his company. If it gets out who I am and where I worked, it's not just me that will look unprofessional. " Her words were slightly slurred from the alcohol, but she was wise and mature even when she was tipsy. "I probably would have fired me too, to be honest." Her voice sounded sad. Drunk, but sad.

She snatched the scotch out of my hand while I was deep in thought. "He's still a bitch though." She closed one eye as she tried to get her vision to focus on the empty glass in her hand. I had to admit, all concerns aside..she was a hilarious drunk.

Gina stepped in on the other side of her and took the bottle out of her hand. "If you're too drunk to pour yourself another, than you're just too drunk." She said, not seeming to care about the dirty looks she was getting from Emma.

I felt relieved she had stepped in, as I was about to. It was pretty obvious Emma Riley wasn't used to drinking like this. But I was afraid it would come off controlling coming from me. Coming from Gina, it's just her being a good friend.

Emma threw her hands up in an overexaggerated way. "If that statement were true Gina, bartenders all across the globe would be out of a job. I hear Sunshine Cleaning is looking for somebody." She said sarcastically.

"Let me just say this about that." She continued, her eyes closed and pointing one finger in the air. Gina and I both seemed to be struggling with remaining serious. In typical Emma Riley fashion, she can find humor even in the worst situations.

"Can I just point out how deceiving that name is? 'Sunshine Cleaning?'" She airquoted and laughed bitterly. "It makes you think it's ran by nice people with a cheerful disposition. Meanwhile Carl is a miserable prick. False advertising at it's finest."

"What's this Carl guy's number? I'm calling him and having a little chat with him." I couldn't hide my anger at this point but I didn't particularly care.

"Fuckin A! Do it!" Gina exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitment. Emma clapped her hands together in a mocking fashion, making it hard not to laugh once again. "Fuckin A! Don't do it!" She said.

Gina rolled her eyes. "Why not? Are you worried about being fired?" I said sarcastically. She seemed to think about what I had said for a moment.

"Okay so..you have a point there." She admitted. I smirked, how much she hated when I was right showed all over her face. "But I'm still not looking for trouble."

"He's the one who's looking for trouble when he called you a whore. " The very thought made me furious.

My complicated feelings for her aside, it's just unacceptable for a superior to talk to their employee that way. He may have a right to correct 'unprofessional' behavior, but he does not have a right to bully, or call his employees names.

Emma sighed while leaning herself against the counter, Gina nodded in agreement with what I had said.

"There's no point in getting upset about it now. What's done is done. It's not like it's the first time anyway." She shrugged.

The idea that it happened so often she was used to it, made me even angrier. But the truth is, I didn't need her to give me his number. I knew the name of his company, I could look it up myself.

"Just drop it. Please." She pleaded while rubbing her temples with her fingers. She looked completely tipsy, and completely stressed out.

"We don't have to talk about it anymore tonight, Emma." Gina reassured her while shooting me a look, that seemed to be asking me to let it go.

"She's right. We don't have to talk about it." I agreed. We didn't have to talk about it, but that didn't mean I wasn't calling his sorry ass first thing in the morning.

Emma Riley

"Maybe you should lay down." I could hear the concern in Gina's voice as I felt her hand grab my arm.

I rolled my eyes and felt my patience slipping away. "I am twenty-one years old. I'm an adult..who had a seriously fucked up day. I'm in the safety of my own home. If I want to get drunk then goddamnit let me." I snatched my arm away from her grasp, throwing a mini-hissy fit.

Gina sighed, before studying me for a long while. Ryker was quiet himself, his face not quite readable. Somewhere between angry and worried. I knew they were just trying to help, but I hated the feeling of people feeling sorry for me.

I had a bad day, but I'm not a charity case. Somehow someway, I was going to make it through this. Believe it or not, I had been through worse.

"How about y'all stop being assholes making me drink alone, huh?" I pointed to the bottle of scotch. Maybe if they get a buzz going on too, they'll stop looking at me like they expect me to do a magic trick.

They both shot each other a look, before seeming to give in. Ryker took the bottle and began filling up the three glasses on the counter.

"Maybe just a few, but just calm down a little. It's not a race, and we both know you can't hold your liquor." Gina sighed as she grabbed one of the glasses of scotch.

I rolled my eyes while picking up a glass. "Why Gina..if I didn't know any better I'd think you're implying that I'm a sloppy drunk."

The audacity.

Ryker Fox

Two hours later

After our "few" drinks, Gina had ended up passed out cold on the couch, and Emma Riley could barely walk.

I was feeling buzzed myself, but I was pretty sure I was more used to drinking than either one of them. They were definitely on a different level.

That being said..as I tried to help Emma to her room so she could lay down, it was very much like the blind leading the blind.

I'm sure we looked hilarious wobbling down the hallway. Her whole weight was leaned on me, both my hands on her waist to balance her and keep her steady. I was trying very hard to be a gentleman, considering how drunk and vulnerable she was.

But my obnoxious, drunk penis couldn't stop itself from reminding me how amazing her body felt pressed against mine. Her curves, went on for days.

"Just lean into me, I'll keep you steady." I whispered in her ear, her head tilted back on my chest.

"Don't be threatening me with a good time." She slurred. I laughed, drunk Emma was even more blunt than sober Emma.

She stopped at one of the doors and motioned for us to go inside. "This is your room?" I asked, realizing I actually didn't know which room was hers.

She nodded, still leaned against me. "This is where the magic happens." She laughed like she had said something funny.

"No magic happens here, but that's what they say on MTV Cribs all the time and I always wanted to say it." She turned to face me and ended up falling into my chest, her whole body weight leaning on me.

Her hands were running up and down, tickling my back with her nails. Her chest pressed against mine while my hands were on her back, having a very difficult time not traveling lower. This was even more torture with her wearing that spaghetti strap too small for her chest and those short little shorts.

I doubt she was even sober enough to realize how much she was turning me on right now. God, it would be so easy to rip off this little top--no, penis! Bad, penis! This girl is too drunk for your shit.

"Mmm..." she moaned with her face buried in my chest, and dug her nails into my back. Goddamnit, Emma. I'm trying to be a nice guy for once. Stahp it.

"You smell good." She whispered the sentence with her face grazed against my neck. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth together, trying to restrain myself. Which is hard enough to do when I'm sober, but now that I'm tipsy it felt almost impossible.

"You smell like christmas cookies." She continued. I couldn't help but laugh at how random that was. She was definitely drunk.

I led her into her room, turned on the light so I could see and brought her over to the bed. Almost there, Ryker. You're doing great so far.

She was still leaning on me with her head buried in my chest. I tried to keep her propped up with one hand while pulling back the comforter on her bed with the other.

"Alright, time to go to bed." I told her, gesturing towards the bed behind her. She looked up at me with a half-drunken smile. She looked pretty close to passing out right where she stood.

She wrapped her hands around my neck. "Well good. I've been waiting for you to take me to bed all night." She said, a playfulness in her voice.

Huh?! Did she just...no. Walk it off, Ryker. She doesn't know what she's saying. Before I could react she pulled me down with her. We both tripped and lost our balance, falling onto the bed with me on top of her. She instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist.

Shit. This was going in the opposite direction I intended. My penis was screaming for me to move over and let him drive. Her body felt incredible.

"I--I--" I tried to speak but was distracted when I felt her lips on my neck. Giving it light kisses, until she got to my ear. My breathing became heavy, harder to control.

She whispered in my ear. "Play with me." She commanded, her voice sounded like a purr.

Holy fuck. "What?!" My voice embarrassingly broke as I pulled back to look her in the eyes. She was biting her bottom lip, but this time for a different reason. I gulped.

"Help me forget that my life is falling apart." There was a hint of sadness behind her beautiful eyes, but her lips were eager. "I can feel how hard you are, I know you want to play. So? Let's play."

Emma Riley

The next morning

I woke up dazed, and unsure at first what had happened or how I got here. Looking around I could tell I was in my room, and judging from my brutal headache I knew I was hungover. But I couldn't remember much else.

I wiped off my forehead, and realized I was sweating. I felt so gross, and desperately wanted a shower. But I was too afraid to move, because my stomache felt like it was doing cartwheels.

Just then, I heard someone start the shower in my bathroom. Someone's in my bathroom?! That's when I began to piece the night before together.

Ryker came over. The three of us got drunk, me in particular. I was fired because of that video..oh, God. I was fired because of that video!

The panic immedietely began to set back in my heart. How am I paying rent? How am I buying food? What if people find out it's me in that video? What if nobody will hire me because they think I'm some sex-crazed whore who can't keep it in her pants long enough to do her job?

"Morning." I was startled out of my internal freak-out by the sound of Ryker's deep voice. He was standing over my bed, dressed in clean dark blue jeans with a white dress shirt, put together with a brown belt and matching brown shoes. He looked freshly showered, shaved, and oh-so-yummy, as usual.

You couldn't even tell he was up late the night before drinking. Meanwhile, I was still in bed..knocking on death's door. It was clear he was more used to drinking than me.

"Is there a problem?" He tilted his head in confusion and smiled at me. I realized I had been staring just a little too long.

I furrowed my eyebrows and rubbed my head with my hand. Partly because my head was killing me, partly because I was trying to hide that I was blushing.

"Did you leave or something? You weren't wearing that yesterday." I observed, gesturing to his clothes.

He rubbed his neck as if there was something he wasn't wanting to say. My mind immedietely began trying to replay the night before to see if there was something I was missing.

"I..couldn't sleep too well. So I got up super early this morning, went home to shower and change, then came back." He avoided eye contact with me, which made me feel like he wasn't saying everything.

"Did I..I mean..did we--" I was having a hard time thinking over my headache enough to put together the sentence.

He sighed, seeming to know where I was going with this. "Nothing happened between us last night, if that's what you're wondering." He smiled sweetly, but I still felt like he wasn't saying something.

"Just give it to me straight. Did I make an ass out of myself?" I was already cringing at the thought of embarrassing myself in front of Ryker even more than I already have.

Sometimes when I'm drunk I have no filter system with the things I say. You know..more than usual. He laughed, a genuine, inviting laugh.

"You didn't make an ass out of yourself. You..were feeling a little frisky there towards the end but you passed out right after." He bit his lip, seeming to be deep in thought.

Oh, God. What the hell did I do that he thinks I was "feeling frisky?" Wait..I probably don't want to know.

"But..nothing happened?" I asked again, wanting to be reassured.

A devlish grin spread across his face. "Believe me Miss Riley. If I fucked you, you'd know it." He winked, and I could almost feel myself melting.

Okie dokie..moving on. "So..why didn't you?" Crap. Why did I ask that?! I meant it as a genuinely curious question, because I know what a sexual guy Ryker was. But I cringed when I could hear the disappointment in my voice.

He raised one eyebrow before pressing his lips together, studying me for a long while. "You were drunk, Miss Riley." He said, as if I needed a reminder.

"So?" I challenged. I was having an even harder time with my mouth this morning than usual. I was too weak and hungover to filter myself I guess.

He startled me once more, as he sat on the bed and leaned over me. Our eyes locking, his mouth inches away from mine.

"Rest assured, Miss Riley. I want to fuck you, and I want to fuck you hard." He said it in a hushed whisper and bit his lip.

I was stunned into silence as he continued. "But when I fuck you, I want you to have a clear mind. I want you to feel it, every second of it. You were too drunk to handle me last night." He brushed my hair out of my face with his hand and lightly kissed my neck before pulling himself off the bed.

"Now, be a good girl and get in the shower. I'll go get you some medicine for that headache you probably have, okay?" He smiled before leaving the room, leaving me shook.

Ryker Fox

Emma and Gina's kitchen
Sometime later

Gina must have woken up sometime in the middle of the night and moved from the couch to her room, because when I got up this morning all that was left on the couch was the blanket she had been using. She still wasn't up but I figured it wasn't my place to wake her.

Emma Riley came staggering into the kitchen. She was in nice black jeans, brown suede ankle boots, a soft pink shirt and white blazer. Her blonde hair was up in a bun, her makeup very light with soft pink and brown colors and pink lipgloss. She looked beautiful.

"Are you going somewhere?" I asked, still taking in her appearance. She rubbed her temples with her fingers and closed her eyes, giving away she didn't feel as good as she looked.

"I..lost my job." She said, still rubbing her temples. She seemed to notice the medicine and glass of water I left on the counter for her and went over to pick it up.

"So?" I asked, prompting her to continue. She winced as she made herself swallow the pills and drank the water like she had been thirsty for days. I tried not to laugh as I drew my attention back to the breakfast I was making.

"So?" She repeated as if I was missing something obvious. "I lost my job and now I have to go out and find another one." She put her empty glass in the sink behind me.

"You were just fired last night. Yesterday was insane. Why not give yourself a day?" I felt she was pushing herself too hard too soon.

She laughed bitterly. "Not all of us are wealthy enough we can just take a vacation whenever we want." She pointed out, her voice sounding stressed.

"Finding a job is going to be hard as it is, I need to get started right away. Our landlord is not going to wait because I'm going through a rough patch. Trust me, he's an asshole." She rolled her eyes and leaned herself against the counter.

"Don't you..don't you have anyone who can maybe help you out?" I asked, realizing I didn't really know much about her family or her background. I was genuinely curious.

A sadness was apparent on her face as she stared off in the distance. Her mind, seemed to go to another place. I immedietly regretted asking. It was obviously a sensitive subject.

"Gina can't afford to pick up my slack. She would, but she just doesn't make enough at the salon." She took a deep breath before continuing.

"My mother's dead and my father.." she pressed her lips together, as if not wanting to finish her sentence. "..my family and I just aren't close." She sounded like she wanted to drop the subject, so I refrained myself from asking for details.

She seemed to take in what I was doing for the first time. "What are you making?" She sounded like she was thinking out loud.

"Nothing fancy. Just a rich and creamy croques madame." I said while searching the cupboard for the plates.

"First of all..the plates are in the cupboard to your left. Second of all..the fuck is that?" I couldn't help but laugh at the confusion in her voice.

"It sounds fancier than it is." I reassured her. "It's just a fried egg on top of thin pieces of toast with ham, mustard, grated cheese and a silky mornay sauce. In case you're wondering, mornay sauce is like a cheese sauce." I said as I began to make a plate for her.

I found myself laughing even harder when I glanced over my shoulder to find her staring at me, her eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

"Well..that sounds lovely Mr. Bobby Flay. But I'd feel like crap if I threw up your fancy breakfast." She said sarcastically.

"It's an awesome breakfast to eat hungover. I promise. Just sit down and I'll bring you a plate." I winked at her, and I could tell she was giving in.

"Well..okay. That's actually really nice of you. Thank you." She flushed, and it was obvious she wasn't used to a man making her breakfast.

She sat herself at the kitchen table, resting her elbows and putting her hands over her head. She looked exhausted already.

"After I eat I really have to go find a job." She couldn't hide the dread in her voice.

"Take the day off." I repeated, except this time it was a statement and not a question. She grunted in frustration.

"Did you not hear me say my landlord is an asshole?" She asked, like I had lost my mind.

Heehee. "Oh, I don't know about that. He didn't seem like a bad guy to me." I came over to the table and set a plate down in front of her. The color drained from her face as she seemed to be processing what I had just said.

"Ryker..how do you know my landlord?" She looked like she was wondering if she should be panicking. I grinned. I've had a very busy morning.

"We just met this morning, but he was a very nice guy. Then again, people usually are when you are giving them large sums of money." I smiled as her mouth dropped open.

"Oh my god! What the hell did you do?!" She demanded, standing up out of her chair. I tried my best to contain my laughter as I acted perfectly casual.

"I didn't do much..except pay off your rent for the rest of the year. Coffee or orange juice?"

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