Chapter 11
***RYAN***
The sound of someone pounding on the front door woke Ryan from a sound sleep on Monday morning, and he sat up in bed, disoriented for a second.
When the knocking didn’t stop, he threw back the covers and stumbled out of his room toward the stairs, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
He made it down the stairs without killing himself and threw open the door, wondering where everyone was.
Momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight, he stood there waiting for his eyes to adjust.
“Well, are you going to invite me in or just stand there like an idiot?” his mother asked, her voice making him cringe. “I’ve been standing here knocking for ten minutes…”
“Mother, what are you doing here?” he asked, still not moving. “You never go anywhere before noon.”
It was a stupid thing to say, but he was so shocked to see her standing on the front porch that his mind wasn’t working.
“I didn’t have much choice since you wouldn’t answer your phone,” she said, shoving past him into the house.
“I was worried about you, and Erin is so upset. I can’t believe you hung up on her.
She showed up at the house almost hysterical. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Wondering again where everyone was, desperate for someone to help buffer his mother, he closed the door and stood staring at her as she continued to berate him.
“Are you even listening to me?” she finally asked, then looked around the entryway without waiting for an answer.
“Where is the staff? Why are you answering the door? Someone around here should be fired.”
“Mother, we don’t have a staff. If you’d ever come to visit before now, you’d know that,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe we should go into the kitchen. I could use a cup of coffee.”
His mother looked him up and down. “Were you still in bed?” she asked, then started shaking her head. “That’s disgraceful, Ryan, here I am thinking something terrible has happened to you and you're sleeping like a baby. I bet I’ve got new wrinkles because of you; you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Mother, if I spent as much time being ashamed of myself as you seem to think I should, that’s all I would do,” he said, losing his patience. “I’m going to the kitchen to get some coffee. You can either follow me or stand here and wait. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“I will not go to the kitchen, I can’t believe you would even suggest it,” his mother said with a huff. “Only the staff go into the kitchen, you should know better…”
“I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself,” he finished for her, beginning to think the whole thing was a bit funny. “You really are a bit of a broken record, Mother.”
A scowl appeared on his mother’s face, but she quickly smoothed it away. “I’m sure there’s someplace else we can talk. I didn’t come all this way just to check on you,” she said. “It’s time we discussed the future, Ryan. I don’t think we should put it off any longer.”
He’d been dreading this conversation but had assumed he had a few months before it would come up. “I guess we could sit in the library,” he said, resigned to another showdown with his mother. “Would that be more to your standards?”
“Don’t be cheeky with me, young man,” his mother snapped. “That will be acceptable.”
“Great, it’s just down there,” he said, pointing. “I’ll just go grab some coffee and meet you in five minutes. Can I get you anything?”
“I think not,” she said with a sniff, then turned her nose in the air and walked down the hallway toward the library.
With a sigh, he headed for the kitchen, even more aware of how quiet it was in the house as he poured himself a big cup of coffee.
He was reaching for a muffin out of the basket in the middle of the table, his mouth already watering at the thought of the plump blueberries he knew would be inside, when he saw a note.
Picking it up, he quickly scanned it, then put it back down with a sigh.
No one was coming to his rescue; he was going to have to deal with his mother on his own.
When he walked into the library, she was seated in the big chair by the cold fireplace, her purse in her lap, an unhappy look on her face.
“Don’t say a word if you’re going to complain or criticize something,” he said, sitting down across from her.
“This is my home, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult it like you do about everything else in my life. ”
He was pleased to see that shut her up for a few minutes.
“Well then, I’ll get right to the point,” his mother said with a little huff.
“It’s time for you to follow through with your engagement to Erin, and I think the family Christmas party would be the perfect place to make it official.
Everyone will be there, the photo opportunities will be excellent, and they’ve all been asking when the big day will be. ”
“Mother, we talked about this, we had an agreement, I’ll marry Erin, but not until after I graduate,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve held up my end of the deal; I expect you to hold up yours. No engagement or wedding until after I graduate.”
“We never agreed to that. Besides, that was before,” his mother said, waving her hand in the air. “Bebe Wellingtong’s son is getting married next spring, and it’s supposed to be the wedding of the season. I won’t have her outdoing me; we just have to speed things up.”
He could only stare at her for a second. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he finally said, getting to his feet. “You want me to get married early so you can compete with some other spoiled rich woman? This is over the top even for you.”
“Ryan Bellamy, don’t you talk to me like that, you’re going to make the engagement official at Christmas, and the wedding will be this spring.
I expect you to do the right thing and cooperate, it’s the least you can do after everything we’ve done for you,” his mother said, then opened her purse and pulled out a ring box.
“This is your grandmother’s ring; it will make the perfect engagement ring. Give it to Erin when you propose.”
When he didn’t take the box from his mother, she set it on the coffee table between them.
“Don’t fight me on this, Ryan. You have a responsibility to your family,” she said.
“I would hate for the clan to find out that you’re turning your back on the people who gave you life.
They might feel the need to take back your scholarship, and then where would you be? ”
***Paula***
Paula slipped into the back door, bracing herself for the chaos she’d come to expect in the frat house kitchen.
Many people living together invariably meant a lot of noise, but she’d learned to enjoy it.
The silence that greeted her instead threw her off balance for a second, and she wondered if she’d screwed up her schedule or missed a day somewhere, then she saw a note on the table.
Crossing the room, she picked it up and quickly read what Hattie had written, a smile spreading across her face at how silly she’d been.
Shaking her head, she put down the note, went back to the door, hung up her purse and coat, then put on the apron she kept there.
Crossing back over to the table as she tied it securely around her waist, she began a mental list of the preparations she’d have to make before she got started with the list of baked goods Hattie had left her.
Grabbing the note, she read it again, noticing the second time around that she needed to go to the library and print out a couple of the recipes.
Spotting the muffins on the table, she grabbed one, put it on a plate, then filled a cup with the coffee left in the pot and headed for the library, hoping no one would care if she ate in there while she worked.
She heard a conversation before she got to the door, but didn’t think much of it; the house was never quite empty, even when it seemed that way.
Hands full, she didn’t bother to knock, but wished instantly that she had when she saw Ryan seated by the fireplace, dressed only in his pajama bottoms, while an older woman sat across from him, giving him dirty looks.
Not sure what she’d walked in on, but smart enough to know getting out was the best plan, she tried to whirl around and leave, but a shrill voice stopped her.
“You there, girl, don’t you dare leave,” the woman called.
“I need a cup of tea, and none of that stuff in the bag. I want a good loose leaf and make sure that it’s good and hot, if it’s not, I’ll just send it back. ”
She froze but didn’t turn around for a second, trying her best to control her temper, then pivoted very slowly until she was facing Ryan and the woman.
“I think there must be a misunderstanding,” she said, keeping her voice pleasant.
“I don’t work here. I’m sure Ryan would be happy to get you a cup of tea. ”
“Nonsense, he will do no such thing,” the woman snapped. “My son doesn’t wait on people. Besides, you’re dressed for it, just pop into the kitchen and do as you’re asked. I don’t know what’s wrong with people these days…no one knows their place anymore…”
“Mother, that’s enough,” Ryan growled, getting to his feet. “Paula doesn’t work for you or for me, she’s Hattie’s assistant. If you want a cup of tea, I’ll be happy to get it for you.”
“I don’t see what the problem is, she’s clearly working here,” Ryan’s mother snapped. “The working class has gotten so picky these days, they won’t do this, they won’t do that. I miss the old days when they knew their place…”
“Wow, I didn’t think you were that old. I mean, you sure do carry your years well. I’d love to hear some more about the old days sometime,” Paula said. “I’ve always wondered what the world was like before electricity and cars and stuff…”
“How dare you? I am not that old,” Ryan’s mother huffed. “I will not sit here and be insulted this way. Did you hear what she said to me, Ryan?”
“Yes, Mother, it was hilarious and you deserved it,” Ryan said. “Now, do you want that cup of tea or what?”
“I don’t think so, I’m not going to stay where I’m being insulted,” Ryan’s mother said, getting to her feet. “Do the right thing, Ryan. I don’t want to have this conversation with you again.”
“I’ll take it under consideration,” he said, following his mother to the door. “Would you like me to walk you out?”
“That won’t be necessary,” his mother said, a look of distaste on her face. “Go put some clothes on; you shouldn’t be running around here half naked.”
They both stood staring at the open doorway long after his mother’s footsteps had faded, but she slowly became aware of Ryan standing next to her, dressed only in his pajama bottoms. Unable to help herself, she looked over at him out of the corner of her eye, then had to quickly look away again when her body began to tingle and tighten at the thought of running her hands over his hard chest. Clearing her throat, trying to push the vision to the back of her mind, she started to step away from him, but her feet got tangled together and she started to fall.
In one sweeping movement, Ryan grabbed her and swung her up into his arms, her entire body suddenly encircled by his.
A wave of desire more powerful than anything she’d ever felt suddenly engulfed her as she looked up at him.
Her lips parted on a gasp only to find him staring down at her, his eyes mirroring what she was feeling.
When he gently set her on her feet, she was forced to cling to him, her legs still wobbly, but this time it was because of the look in his eyes as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
Just as his lips touched hers, his hands came up to cup her face, and she let out a long sigh as warmth flooded her body.
His tongue slipped through her parted lips and the world faded away as wave after wave of pleasure swept through her, blocking out the world around her.
When he finally pulled away from her, she realized she’d closed her eyes at some point and opened them to find Ryan staring down at her, a mixture of surprise and fear in his eyes.