Chapter 5 Ryder
RYDER
Ryder wished he didn’t have friends as he glared at Ethan and Mason, who were laughing at his expense. After a couple of days feeling sorry for himself, he’d confided in his friends about what went down with Felix. They thought it was hilarious.
“I knew something was up when I spoke to him,” said Mason.
“What? When did you speak to him?” asked Ryder, pushing down the gnawing feeling of jealousy.
“He was the photographer at the Delaune party.”
“What were you doing at that? You hate those things.”
“Just a favor for Catherine.”
“Did Felix . . . Did he say anything about me?”
“Let me think,” said Mason, scratching his chin.
Ethan chuckled. Ryder huffed at both of them. They were enjoying this far too much.
“He was very respectful and didn’t mention your little . . . incident. He probably thought I’d be upset that he’d slapped you. If he’d told me, I would have shaken his hand.”
“Fuck off!”
“He’s cute.”
Ryder growled.
“Okay, that’s new,” said Ethan. “I’ve never known you to be possessive about anyone.”
“I’m not being possessive, but he doesn’t need someone like Mason pawing him. Besides, what would Zeb say?”
Mason scowled at him, and then, as if the gods were looking down on Ryder and wanting him to be happy, the man himself walked in. Zeb was only twenty years old, but the kid had been through a lot of shit in his young life and was more mature than many guys Ryder’s age.
“Sorry to interrupt, boss. I need you to sign these requisitions.”
Mason signaled for him to come over. Zeb was a confident young man, except around Mason when he’d get shy. Anyone with eyes knew the boy had a huge crush on his boss. Despite what Mason said, it was reciprocated.
“How’s it going, Zeb?” asked Ryder.
“Good thanks. How about you?”
“Wonderful. Have you been on any dates?”
Ryder saw Mason’s shoulders tense as he was reading and signing the forms. Ethan smirked at him but said nothing. He loved rattling the grumpy chef as much as Ryder did.
“No. I don’t really have time.”
“It’s your twenty-first next year, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“The same month Mason turns forty, right?”
If looks could kill, Ryder would have died a dozen times based on how Mason was glaring at him now.
“Once you get to twenty-one, I’ll take you out for a drink. I can be your wingman. Get you a nice older man to look after you. That’s what your type is, isn’t it?”
Zeb’s eyes widened, and he looked at the floor.
“I mean, you can’t wait around forever for someone to notice you, can you, Zeb?”
Mason growled, causing Zeb to jump. He passed the papers back to Zeb, who couldn’t get out of the office quick enough. As soon as he was gone, Ryder couldn’t help but laugh.
“What the fuck are you playing at?” snapped Mason.
“That boy needs to stop pining for you, or you need to put the both of you out of your misery and fuck him.”
“He’s my employee.”
“And nineteen years younger than you,” said Ethan.
“Thank you for that reminder, Ethan. Don’t be siding with him.”
“It’s pretty obvious you have a thing for him, Mason,” said Ryder. “He worked in the kitchen and hated it, so you took him on as an assistant, which you’ve never needed before.”
“Well, I should have had one before. You know I don’t like the business side of things. It’s helpful having someone else do all the paperwork.”
“And someone with no experience was an objective business decision, was it?”
“I see what you’re doing. Deflecting again. Is it because Felix has done the unspeakable and made you feel an emotion?”
“No. He’s cute. I just want to fuck him.”
Ryder felt wrong saying that about Felix.
He meant a lot more than that, but Ryder wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was genuine, or if it was just because Felix was the first person who’d been able to make him hard since his problem started.
Ryder had an appointment with his doctor this afternoon.
He hadn’t been able to get hard to jerk off, even when he’d thought about Felix’s pert ass wrapped around his cock.
Whenever he conjured up a fantasy of what Felix would look like when he came, the look on his face when he’d stormed out of Ryder’s apartment interrupted it.
“Are you at least going to apologize to him?” asked Mason.
“I’ve already done that. I sent him flowers.”
Mason chuckled. “I guess that’s something.”
“I said I was still happy to be part of his project, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“I’m sure you will once he’s dealt with . . .” Mason trailed off.
“Dealt with what? Do you know something?”
“Look, I’d already left, but I understand there was an incident at the party and Felix ended up in the pool with his camera.”
“Is he okay?”
“I assume so. I only heard it as secondhand gossip. It’s being played off as an accident, but Sapphire had it in for him. I had to intervene at one point. She didn’t believe we were acquainted so I put her in her place.”
“So it’s your fault.”
“My fault? How? I wasn’t even there.”
“You embarrassed a socialite brat, and she took it out on him. Is his camera okay? That’s his livelihood.”
“I’m sure Catherine will replace it if it was damaged.”
“For fuck’s sake, Mason. You could have done something. It’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“I still can’t see how this is my fault. I wasn’t even there, and we don’t know what happened. Maybe he just fell in. Why do you care so much, anyway?”
“It’s not about caring. You know about his project. How’s he going to do that if his camera’s damaged? It’s not like he can just go out and buy a new one.”
“Wow!”
“What?”
“You really like this guy?”
“Of course I like him, but not the way you’re thinking.”
He wasn’t getting into this with Mason. They took the piss out of each other all the time, it was their dynamic, but he didn’t want it to be at Felix’s expense.
“If he hadn’t knocked you back, you wouldn’t give two fucks about what happened,” said Mason.
“Excuse me?”
“Guys, let’s not do this,” said Ethan.
He was known as the quiet man, especially when it came to any form of confrontation, so for him to speak up got both their attention.
“I just want to know what Mason means by that comment.”
“If you’d fucked him, you’d have lost interest. You just love the chase.”
“Chase? Since when do I need to chase people?”
“There’s the arrogant Ryder we all know and love. Must sting having someone turn you down.”
To be fair, Mason wasn’t wrong with what he was saying, but his jabs were stinging more than usual today.
“I could have him if I wanted him.” What the fuck did I say that for?
“Oh really. Want to make this interesting?”
“You want to make a bet on whether I can fuck him?”
They’d made bets with each other before. They were the most competitive in their group. Sebastian had thrown in before, but since he’d met Charlie, he was all mellow and loved up.
“I’m not just throwing money away, Ryder. I have to make it challenging. How about you need to date him?”
“I don’t want a boyfriend.”
Although the idea of Felix as a partner didn’t make him want to run for the hills as usual.
“I’m not asking you to marry him. I just don’t believe you could get him into bed and then maintain interest.”
“What the fuck’s gotten into you today?”
Mason looked at the door to his office and then leveled a death stare at him . . . Zeb! Ryder had overstepped there, like he often did, and this was Mason’s payback. The problem was, Ryder was trapped. He knew that no matter what Mason proposed, he wouldn’t be able to back down from a wager.
“How about you bring him to Sebastian’s party as your date?”
“The New Year’s Eve party? Why?”
“It’s four weeks away. If you can maintain interest in someone for four weeks, I’ll give you ten grand. You can’t fuck anyone else during that time.”
“I don’t need your money, Mason. Got plenty of my own.”
“Make another suggestion, then.”
“I’m not doing this.”
“You’re admitting you can’t stay faithful to someone for a month?”
“I’ve never cheated on anyone.”
“Because you’ve never dated anyone.”
That pissed Ryder off. It was the truth as far as they knew, because he’d never told them what he’d been through. Mason knew better than anyone how to push Ryder’s buttons and rile him up, so he couldn’t take it personally.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s at least make it interesting. If I win, you have to take Zeb away for a weekend at your cabin.”
Mason’s jaw dropped. Ethan cracked up laughing.
“He’s got you there, Mason.”
“I’m not agreeing to that.”
“But I’m just a fuckboy who can’t keep it in his pants. What are you worried about?”
“Okay. If I win, you take my place at the Valentine’s Day bachelor auction.”
Ethan laughed again. “I wish I was videoing this for the others.”
“You can’t be serious? All of those rich old widows get far too handsy. No way am I doing that.”
“But you can keep your interest in someone for four weeks, can’t you? I mean, you have got some willpower, don’t you?”
Ryder narrowed his eyes. Mason was baiting him.
“Both outcomes benefit you, though. If I lose, I’m offered up like a slab of meat to all those cougars. And if I win, you’ll be forced to pull your finger out of your ass.”
“And put it up Zeb’s,” added Ethan.
Ryder snorted. Ethan didn’t make jokes often, but when he did, they were always zingers.
“You know I can’t go there with him. He’s my employee and I’m old enough to be his father.”
“I’m sure he’ll call you Daddy if you ask him nicely,” said Ryder.
“Do we have a deal or not?” he snapped.
Ryder wasn’t sure why he was doing this, but something told him there was no way he could lose unless . . .
“Wait, what if Felix isn’t interested in me like that?”
“Oh, he’s interested,” said Mason, a knowing look in his eye.