Chapter Nine
Ryder
I ’m actually having a great time.
The martinis are good, the violet adding a touch of something floral without tasting like those terrible mint things you can still buy for reasons known only to the gods themselves.
Elliot finishes her drink and I order another for us. “Go lightly,” I warn, “this isn’t your normal martini. It has Crème de Violette for the floral and vanilla notes, which are enhanced by the kick of Cutty Sark hundred proof that gives a chocolatey depth, and it’s cut by lemon juice, and elevated by the honey syrup.”
“You’re reading the ingredients.”
“True. But they used spiced honey, with a touch of black pepper and the hint of salt and complex lemon.”
Her gaze is on me as her finger taps against the stem of her glass. She’s got a little glow from the buzz of the booze and it only enhances her. I called her beautiful because women are beautiful. But she’s not plain like I first thought. But I also don’t think she’s beautiful in that sense of the word. There’s something there that makes her way more interesting than beautiful or pretty or plain.
She’s both confident and vulnerable. In command and deliberately tries to chameleon herself into whatever situation she’s in, so she goes unseen. But once you see Elliot Perry, good luck unseeing her.
She’s got a sweetness and she’s prickly as fuck.
Sharp, too. I like her intelligence.
And maybe I’ve had one too many of these damn drinks. It’s when they’re blended so perfectly and they don’t taste like booze that they get you.
“Yes?”
“That’s the preserved lemon they use. And I bet they slide some into the lemon juice, too.”
I don’t want to go home. Sure, I love being out. I love meeting people, or I should say, women. I love what happens when I do go home, or to wherever it might be so I can give and take pleasure. But right now? I like being here. With Elliot.
Holy shit, I could spend time with her and not be trying to not imagine her naked. Not going there. I could do that, because I like spending actual time, clothes on, with her.
I also liked kissing her.
But kissing is an art that is always good.
That kiss, though… It had been spectacular.
Maybe because it was what it was. A lovely thing that had no agenda attached. Private agenda.
“Is this your way of telling me you wanted to be a bartender?”
I laugh. “Mixologist. No. But if you know how things work, then you get more from them.”
“So that’s why you’re so good with women.”
I’m really not sure what to say. She keeps blindsiding me with things that never blindsided me in the past.
I know she thinks I’m hot. But she also isn’t interested in flirting. And she keeps taking things I say the wrong way. It’s like I’ve stepped into a version of the world when I’m with her that I don’t quite understand.
And that’s a good thing. Because I need not to be sidetracked. I also think we’re becoming friends. Which is both weird and good, and I know I can work with that.
Elliot glances at her watch then back at me. “I think we’ve stayed out long enough to make it look good. Let’s call it a night.”
Something like disappointment overtakes me, even though I nod.
Being with Elliot is fun. She’s weird and cool and I can talk to her. I can talk to anyone, anytime, but this is different. Like there’s a layer of something missing, making this easy, like we connect. It just is.
That keeps returning to me as I pay the final bill and we get our things and go.
The ease with her. The natural flow.
Elliot Perry is intriguing in more ways than one.
Out on the street, I turn to her. “We could walk.”
“Are you offering to walk me home, Ryder?” she asks.
Am I? “Maybe you’ve just uncovered my secret—I’m a tightass with money.”
“I don’t think so. And did I say you’d be paying for the car?” She calls an Uber.
“Somehow I think I’ll be doing that.”
She laughs. “I’ll be billing you.”
“So, we should walk.”
“Tell you what,” Elliot says, looking me in the eye. At her height and in the heels she’s wearing she’s up there. And I like it. “We’ll walk, but you wear my shoes.”
I glance at her feet as a cold gust of wind pulls at us. “They’ll never fit me, I’m afraid.”
Just then a gold car pulls up. “Saved by the car service.”
The driver is playing some Indian rap, I think. The car moves slow, as this seems to be the hour everyone’s either heading home or on to the next place for the evening.
“You know, I have an actual car service we could have used.”
She pulls her phone from the pocket of the coat and I silently sigh at the way the lines of the dress are hidden by the merino overcoat. I don’t have to be into her to enjoy the sweet curves of her body. “Do you want a gold star?”
But the corner of her mouth lifts as she says that. She’s scrolling through different feeds on her phone.
“I live for gold stars,” I say.
“Shit.” Elliot looks at me. “This is pretty good, but not good enough.”
I’m tempted to ask what or make a joke, but I know what she’s talking about and it isn’t funny.
“We just started, Elliot.”
“I know. But we’ve got four weeks. I’ve handled last night pretty well, along with what we did tonight, but I think we’re going to need extra rules to keep you out of trouble.”
“That sounds like a tighter leash.”
“It is. Problem is, I don’t have any numbers to go on in regards to the board. If I go asking for updates on your progress, then that looks bad. It means you’re doing this deliberately.”
“I am.”
She sighs. “Yes, but the trick is to make it seem like this ultimation or whatever you want to call the letter and your task, is the catalyst for you wanting to change. The world responds to that. The bigger picture here means the smaller one. But with you, I don’t have stats to go on.”
“So a tighter leash to keep me on the straight and narrow.” I tap my fingers against the glass as I watch the traffic and buildings pass slowly on the what should be a quick trip to SoHo. Then I look back at Elliot. “But that makes me look like this is deliberate, too.”
“Not if we play it right.”
Like her turning up tonight as the woman I’m dating. Is that the life partner shit she was talking about? I’m assuming so, but then again, I don’t know what her devious mind has up its devious sleeve.
“And how do we do that?”
“Fill your social calendar. Carefully orchestrate it. Tell me about your family. I’ve met your mother. But no one else.”
We’re approaching SoHo, and I lean forward and say to the driver, “Do you have other bookings yet?”
“No, this is my last one.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out some crumpled bills. “I’ve got—” I count the money “—one hundred and fifty to go around the block a few times when we get to the destination.”
“You’re the boss.”
I lean back and look at Elliot. “What did you think of her?”
“You. Charm covering a stubbornness and a manipulative streak. I liked her.”
“So you do like me.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, Ryder…” She flicks to another page on her phone. “But I see where you get certain abilities from. And I think she sees way more and is involved more than you might think.”
“You got that from a polite and brief conversation?”
“I’m very good at my job. And I know when someone is fishing for information on me and my family. Which is what she was doing. Checking to see if I was one of your more problematic women.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You’re a scary-ass female, Perry.”
“And you’re too good looking for your own good. We all have problems.”
I laugh. “I’m the youngest, as you know, and I’m sure you’ve got this all written down. So let’s go with this. We’re all getting letters and tasks. Two down and me and Kingston to go. King isn’t interested in history or sentimental worth. He likes cold, hard cash. But he’s a good guy. We’re all good guys, even if I say so myself. We all work fucking hard and while I might play more than them, I work just as hard and meticulously as the rest.
“We have our own businesses and fortunes we built, and we also share some, so we do get together a few times a week for both fun and for work.”
“So it’s just the rest of the time I need to orchestrate. You can’t go out alone anymore, Ryder. Not for the remainder of the four weeks.”
Annoyance rises up. “There are times when I have impromptu get togethers with clients. And with friends. A lot of those times were like last night. Business and pleasure.”
“Okay.” She nods, but I know she’s not going to let it go. “I know you’re sitting there thinking I don’t trust you and you’re right. But I also don’t trust other women. There are going to be more who pop up for a few minutes worth of fame and you’re an idiot if you don’t know it. Worse, there’s gonna be the ones like the woman you say you don’t know.”
“I don’t.”
“Your family—”
“They know I hired someone. I think we covered this—didn’t we? Even mother knows, and I’m not putting it past her to have worked out you are that someone.”
She sighs again. “This is all good, but you’re not hearing me on this. As I was saying, your family is a help and it’s even better if they all know someone is helping you improve your life. But it’s not enough.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” she says, smiling sweetly, “that your life for the next four weeks is mine.”
Something cold trickles through me. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means, dear Ryder, you don’t breathe or eat or sleep or blink without me knowing.”
“What happened to life partner?”
“I tried to get someone, but there wasn’t enough time. Welcome to your new girlfriend, your life partner. We’re going to be serious as far as the world, aka the board, thinks. We met recently and fell for each other, and more importantly my family means I fit what they see as someone good for Ryder 2.0.”
“I meant since when does life partner or serious girlfriend or whatever you want to call it mean jailer?”
“Heard of the old ball and chain?”
“Not funny.”
Okay, it is. And the coldness dissipates as her words settle in, along with their meaning. I’m already going to be spending a lot of my time with her during the next four weeks, this just shifts it a little.
I’m okay with it.
I really am. I like her. I like spending time with her. And when you’re not plotting your next lust filled move, things are clear and sweet. So yeah, I can do this.
“Fine,” I say. I glance at her phone. Something in my chest lurches a little at the photo she’s looking at.
It’s me and Elliot.
Kissing.
And it does things, seeing that kiss.
I give a thumbs up to the driver to pull over as we once more approach the final destination, her office. My phone buzzes and I pull it out and there’s a text.
From Mona. I don’t even know who Mona is. But I must have hooked up with her recently and enjoyed it enough to have given her access to the second line on the phone.
I click on the text and oh yeah.
My mouth, your cock. The Taylor.
Now I remember her. That was some blowjob. And the Taylor is her signature move which sounds hokey, but fuck it’s hot, and—
“What the actual fuck, Ryder?” Elliot snatches my phone and holds it up at me. “I can’t trust you for a second.”