9. Ryker
9
Ryker
I t took at least twenty minutes for her to find her best friend and those two fuckwits. They better be taking her home. The Arabella I knew would never have done something so overtly careless. She was more responsible than most girls her age, back then. I remember wanting her to let loose a little, but this is not what I had in mind. Going back to the club area of Gravity drunk, with a boy she barely knows is just about the stupidest thing she could have done.
The girl I used to know had a fire in her eyes that I no longer see and I find myself curious where it went. I know she had a complicated relationship with Christine, but I assumed she’d be free of the burdens her mother placed on her after graduation. My stomach drops at the thought of things with her mom getting worse, instead of better.
Sliding out of the booth, I wander upstairs to the offices, hoping to find Hayes, but he’s not in his office. That means he’s wandering, because he rarely leaves before we close.
“Hey man,” he answers quickly. “I see you found someone to keep you company tonight. Are you going to see her again? She looked a little young, but she’s nice and curvy. Just how you like them.”
Groaning into the phone, I bite back, “She’s my ex-girlfriend's daughter, dickhead. She showed up here already well on her way to being drunk, then proceeded to meet her drink maximum and somehow made it into the club wing, clearly not of sound mind. Have our camera guy check the recordings please. See if we can get to the bottom of how the fuck she got past security. I need to know who let her in, so I can fire his ass.”
“Hold on Ryker. Aside from the obvious issue of someone drunk making it into the club, why do you care so much? Didn’t you break up with her mom years ago? Not like she could do anything about it.”
Why do I care? That’s a great question and one I’m not sure I can clearly answer.
“I broke up with her mom about six years ago. And I don’t know why I care so much, I just do. When I saw her downstairs, drunk, it was like a flip switched in my head. I lost my shit and acted like a parent dead set on ruining their kid’s prom night. You and I both know how dangerous that is. I couldn’t let her stay.”
“I get it, friend. But unfortunately, our tech guy quit last week.”
“What happened? How am I just now hearing about this?
“He just called and said he couldn’t keep working for us. I don’t fully understand it myself. He always seemed to love working with us. And we’ve both been busy. I thought I’d have his replacement already, if I’m being honest. I can get you the video, but unless we can replace him soon, you’ll have to look through it yourself.”
“Thanks brother. I’ll do it myself if I need to, just let me know. It’s possible this isn’t the first time he’s let someone slip by, and I’d like to prevent it from happening again.” We hang up and I lean back in my chair, rubbing my hands slowly over my face to relieve some of the built up tension. Arabella Bradley is the last person I ever expected to run into anywhere, let alone the kink club that I own.
Reaching into my desk drawer, I pull out a glass and some bourbon I keep in my office for when I need to–think. I pour myself two fingers and replay the sequence of events that led me to this moment, wondering how to handle this entire fucked up situation.
Except, maybe there’s nothing to handle.
I did what I could. I helped her sober up. I made it clear she isn’t allowed to return. My stomach sinks thinking about what could have happened to her if we hadn’t collided and I’m all of a sudden grateful we did.
Closing my eyes, I allow my mind to wander back to the moment she crashed into me. She insisted she’s not a little girl anymore and despite acting like a brat when I tried to protect her, she has definitely grown up, at least physically. Her cheeks flushed crimson when she finally looked up at me, almost knocking me off my fucking feet with those emerald eyes. I don’t recall them being quite so stunning. And that dress– if it even qualifies as one– was nothing short of perfection against her lush curves. It took me a brief moment to realize who I was looking at, but in that moment, my baser male instincts took over. I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t skip a beat at the mere sight of her. Although that could have been caused by all of my blood rushing away from all my vital organs and straight to my throbbing dick.
Once my brain caught up with my dick, I quickly put it in check and transitioned into protector mode. Aside from being my ex’s daughter, she’s also young enough to be my daughter and in no world should I be looking at a woman twenty-one years my junior like I want to devour her whole.
Shaking my head, I let out a long, slow sigh. She shouldn’t have been here while intoxicated and unable to properly consent. A feeling of heaviness washes over me. I should have taken her home myself. At least then I’d know she got there safely. Instead, I let her go home with those dipshits. If she’s smart, she’s sleeping off the rest of the alcohol. She may not realize it now, but she’ll thank me one day for getting in her way.