Chapter 5
Ishika
Ryan parks my car in the driveway and walks over to a pickup truck that stands outside of my gate and slaps hands with the driver.
He then goes over to the rear of the truck and pulls down his Harley.
When the truck drives away, Ryan brings his motorcycle inside of my gates and puts it on its stand.
He approaches me with his eyes teasing, dangling the keys in front of my face.
When I go to take them, he snatches them back.
“We had a deal. Feed me first.”
Telling myself that I can act like a mature person, I invite him in. The invitation is more like an experiment. I want to convince myself that Ryan Harper can’t entice me.
Ryan whistles as he enters the living area. I know my house is nice. Mama puts in a lot of money and effort to keep it stylish yet comfortable. My parents have a reputation in society and our home is a reflection of that.
“Pretty girl lives in a pretty house,” he says, walking behind me.
“Thanks, I’ll let my mom know you think she’s pretty.”
He grins, it’s boyish and playful. His dimple digs deeper into his cheek.
My heart squeezes when our eyes lock. “I ordered pizza, I don’t have anything to cook,” I say, directing us to the kitchen island.
He sits on the barstool and waits. I push the pizza box toward him, along with the bottle of water, but he rests his face on his hand while his elbow balances on the island, watching my every move.
I open the box, grab a slice, and sink my teeth in. “I don’t know what you are waiting for. But this pizza is all I got.”
“Aha! Rich people. This is how you make money, by saving on dishwasher costs. You guys don’t use plates, do you?”
“Dude, this is a perfectly sturdy cardboard box, but because I’m feeling generous today, I’ll fetch you a plate.” I bring out two plates and slide one on the counter toward him. He catches it and places a slice of Tuscan pesto chicken and pepperoni pizza on the plate.
“I also got you soda,” I say, pushing a Coke can toward him.
“Today is my lucky day,” he quips. “I fixed the puncture, but you should get a spare as soon as you find time.”
“Okay.” I take a sip of my Coke but somehow drip the liquid on myself. I begin to wipe my bottom lip with my hand when I see his eyes drop to my lips and linger for a second longer.
My eyes go to his lips automatically. When he takes a sip of his drink, his Adam’s apple bobs. Since when do I find his throat sexy?
Ryan clears his throat and I look away, embarrassed being caught red-handed.
I should stay far away from him. He has the reputation of a player. He probably has orgies every night. He probably has trampoline sex and his penis is…
Shut up! Shut up you stupid brain and starving body and nocturnal fantasies.
I did not just think of Ryan Harper’s giant penis. He needs to leave. Why are we even sitting here pretending as if we’re friends? This morning he had no issues rejecting me.
I didn’t forget the night he put the knife to my throat. I didn’t forget I got him arrested and maybe he is here for revenge. Is this his plan? Is this a ruse and he is going to do something to hurt me?
“Why dental school? I thought rich girls like you go into fashion and glamour industries. Or creative media and visual arts. Taking your hobby to the next level,” Ryan asks, biting into his slice and chewing slowly.
Seeing Ryan in my home makes me suddenly anxious. What was I thinking inviting a savage like him into my personal space? I have to put an end to whatever this is.
I look him in the eye as I answer. “I like to examine plaque and rotting teeth. Also dentistry is one of the highly respectable professions and it pays good money. Money is important, you know. Not all of us have the skills to steal and go to jail. My hobby is to live a clean respectable life. And going to the next level would mean not associating with criminals.”
Ryan stops mid chew. In a flash, the chair scrapes the floor and he stands up.
I stand up too, immediately feeling tense for what I said.
His frown is menacing and a muscle in his jaw tics hard.
He reaches the kitchen trash can and throws the contents of his plate in the trash.
Then he turns to me, his nostrils flaring but his eyes so cold.
He extracts my car keys from his pocket and bangs his hand on the island, leaving my key fob in front of me.
“Thanks for the pizza,” he says in a calm voice and then marches out of the house.
“Wait!” I call after him and he stops outside the door, giving me his profile. Pulling out two hundred-dollar bills from my pocket, I reach out. “This is for the repairs. Thanks so much for helping me out.”
“It’s on the house. Good customer service. The first repair’s free.”
“I insist. I have to pay you for your work. I don’t wanna owe you money.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Princess. You fed me dinner, I fixed your car. That was our deal. Have a good night.”
With that, Ryan hops on his bike and rides away without sparing a second look in my direction.
My hand hangs in midair with money rolled between my fingers. I am sad and disgusted for the way I treated a man who didn’t deserve my prejudice.
The next morning I wake up feeling miserable. I barely slept the whole night and today is another long shift at the clinic. I check my phone and see a message from Daddy. Before I can reply to his text, my phone rings and Sadie’s name flashes on the screen.
I had messaged Sadie last night at 2:00 a.m. about what had happened with Ryan. I needed to get the guilt off my conscience. She must have only seen the messages when she woke up.
“Hey, morning, babe.” Sadie yawns.
“Hi,” I reply morosely.
“That bad, eh?” she asks.
“I was mean and terrible to him, Sadie. He didn’t deserve that.
He was kind to me. He dropped me home and fixed my car.
And he didn’t even get to eat his pizza.
I sounded like a bitch. He must think of me as a rich, spoiled brat.
I had no right to insult him for his past. He was probably being a teenager goofing around back then.
He is changed now; he works hard and has made a life for himself.
He has a brother who obviously adores him. ”
“And he is hot. He rides a motorcycle. Not to forget he has a dimple that is responsible for all your unsolicited behavior,” Sadie teases.
“Did I text you about his dimple?”
“You mentioned it like twenty times in the texts you sent last night. You also said his leather jacket was sexy. And you said his jaw made you dream about beard burn between your thighs.”
“Shut up! I did not say that. I want to be happy with Brent, remember?”
“Yeah. How can I forget that? You kissed him one time when you were seventeen and horny. You decided he is the love of your life. Anyway, so tell me more about Ryan. He helped you out with your car but he didn’t want to be your pretend boyfriend.”
“Well, when I first saw him in the garage, he was angry and irritated to see me there. I think I may have riled him somehow by offering him the pretend boyfriend job. However, last night, he was different. When he came home to drop off the car, he was trying to have a conversation and I snapped at him. I don’t know why I was so rude to him.
I just didn’t want him to think I was attracted to him. ”
“But you are attracted to him,” Sadie states like a matter of fact.
“Yes but it’s the kind of attraction that says look, don’t touch. I didn’t want Ryan to find out that he affects me.”
“Then you have achieved your objective. You wanted him gone. Now move on. He will never know about your secret.”
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t see the way his smile disappeared and his features hardened. The way he refused to meet my eyes. He hates me, Sadie. I humiliated him. I must apologize.”
“I’m sure you must. But, babe, this is not the topic for a 6:00 a.m. conversation. Let’s talk this through tonight. I’ll come by your place after work and we will chalk out a plan on how you can win back your good karma.” Sadie laughs.
“See you at eight.”