Riley's Reckoning

by Claire Britain

  “Well, I intend to do a better job of looking after her. I’ve asked Riley to marry me, David,” Joanna beamed.

  “That’s wonderful, congratulations!” David said, kissing first Joanna then Riley on the cheek. “And cause for celebration. We had to cancel our last dinner plan, how does next Friday sound?”

  “I know we are free, how about you two?” Helen asked, turning to Joanna and Riley.

  “Yes, we’re free, that would be lovely. David, thank you.”

  “Super, I’ll send the car for you at six.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Riley settled back into work and worked diligently with the two interns. She took an instant liking to AJ’s feistiness, and her design ideas were just what Riley was looking for. She had a feeling about AJ; she reminded Riley a little of herself. She thought back when Joanna had taken a chance on her and hired her nearly three years prior. Riley had scraped her way financially and academically through grad school and she was delighted when Joanna and Helen hired her. Unfortunately, she found herself in hot water on more than one occasion, as she tried to navigate the corporate world.

  Andrea, on the other hand, seemed to fit right into the firm. She too had some undeniable talent and she had the looks and confidence to back it up.

  During their first week, Riley made an effort to show AJ and Andrea around to the local haunts of the Big Apple, and even though AJ had resided at the dorm at NYU for the entire school year, she still seemed a little lost in the big city.

  Andrea and AJ had both started running with Riley and Kate in the mornings. Although Riley normally preferred to be in her own element on her runs, Joanna had forbidden her to run alone, and with the trauma of the attacker still fresh in her mind she welcomed the company.

  It was a balmy Friday morning, as AJ and Riley made their way through the park. Andrea had elected a run on the treadmill at the gym, citing her seasonal allergies, and Kate had an early meeting at Bencom. So, it was just the two of them and Riley seemed to be pushing the young Irish girl despite the fact it had been less than a week since they first met. Riley felt like she had known AJ for a long time, which was evident in their bantering.

  “Jaysus, Riley, the sweat’s running down the shuck o me arse, would ya slow down! When I said I’ll come run widja, I didn’t know I’d ave ta run like two men and a wee fella because Andy’s not with us!”

  Riley stopped running and leant against a tree, bending over in a full belly laugh at AJ. “AJ, you crack me up with your expressions!”

  “Well, I know it tends to get me in trouble sometimes, but it’s who I am. I hope Ms. Klein didn’t catch what I said in the office yesterday, my filter tends to have problems sometimes!”

  “Oh, I can assure you, Ms. Klein catches everything, but you’re okay, put it down to our cultural differences,” Riley replied with a wink. “Now then, back to it, only another mile and a half. You gonna make it, AJ?”

  “Ah, fer the love o jaysus an’ all the holy saints above, you’re killing me, Riley!”

  “Come on, Irish, you’re a lot younger than me, you should be kicking my ass!”

  “Yeah, well, the Bushmills kicked my arse last night down at Duggan’s. Dangerous having an Irish bar walking distance to the apartment, you know! And fecking Lenny kept buying me shots. It was craic, but shite, my head’s a little fuzzy this morning. Andy and I are going out tonight, want to come?”

  “No, can’t, we have a dinner thing with David Lannister. It was planned for a few weeks ago before I was attacked so it’s rescheduled for tonight but it may be over early enough we can join you after, or how about Saturday? We’ll take you and Andrea out.”

  “Feck, I was following that on the news. You’re brave, Riley. You okay about it all? I mean that would have shaken the shit outta me!”

  “Yeah, I think so. Jo wasn’t happy about me going to the park and how I went about it and you know the detective that was on the case was shot so it didn’t turn out like I planned, I guess.”

  “Jaysus, Riley, not half wise, was it? I mean that’s pretty bold, you could have been killed. Me mam would have skinned me alive if I did something like that. Pretty sure I wouldn’t be sitting for a fecking month. She still believes nobody’s too old for a good arse smacking.”

  “Yeah, well, her and Joanna both,” Riley replied, her cheeks a little more flushed than from just the running.

  “Feck! Huh, doesn’t really surprise me, you know. Ms. Klein and Ms. Armstrong scare the bejaysus outta me, to be honest! But then there’s no one like me mam. I got a little tipsy and smarted off to her before I left to come to America. She blistered me good with that fecking hairbrush of hers!” AJ replied, stopping at the entrance to the apartment building to catch her breath.

  “Yeah, well, I have round two coming tomorrow morning then I will be absolved of my sins!” Riley laughed.

  “Shite, and ya marrying the woman! Good luck with that!” AJ teased.

  “Don’t I know it; perhaps that concussion made me a little nuts after all. See you in the office.”

  “Nah, I was teasing Riley, she’s a gem, you’re very lucky. Now I need to finds me some coffee, see you in an hour.”

  * * *

  Joanna walked by the entrance to the bullpen and was pleased at the enthusiasm of the two interns already busy at work.

  “Hey, Andy, what do you think of these, think Riley will like this one or this one better?” AJ asked absently, putting the pencil she was pointing at the monitors back in her mouth.

  Andrea pointed at the screen with irritation. “This one, and Parker, if it’s all the same to you, I’ve told you before, I’d prefer it if you called me by my given name!”

  “Sure thing, Andy,” Parker replied. “This one it is, thanks!”

  Andrea closed her eyes and shook her head in frustration, as Parker continued to bang away on her keyboard.

  “Hi, hon,” Riley said, passing Joanna, as she entered the bullpen. “Hey, AJ, hey, Andy, how are those designs coming along?”

  AJ couldn’t help a nasal giggle when she heard Riley address her counterpart by the nickname she hated. Andrea stomped her foot with a huff and left the bullpen.

  “What’s with her?”

  “No idea, maybe she’s PMSing!” AJ said with a smirk.

  “That’s great, I like it!” Riley said, looking at the graphic displayed on AJ’s computer screen.

  “Riley, can I have a word with you when you have a minute?” Joanna asked, poking her head around the bullpen wall.

  “Yes, of course, I’ll be right there,” Riley replied, finishing her conversation with AJ, before getting up and heading toward Jo’s office.

  Riley knocked on Joanna’s door, before entering the other corner office.

  “Sit.” Joanna motioned to the chair on the other side of the mahogany executive desk.

  “Shit, am I in trouble?” Riley asked with a puzzled look on her face.

  “No, you’re not, hon, at least not about what I’m going to discuss now. It’s Andrea and AJ; as their leader you have a certain amount of responsibility. I guess we really didn’t discuss that role, but since they are working for you, there are some things you need to consider. First of all, we have no issues with you hanging out outside of work and showing the girls around, and you have done a great job of making them feel welcome and part of the team. But in the office, there needs to be some protocol.”

  Jo could read Riley like a book, and with her crossed arms and scowl on her face it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see how defensive Riley was getting.

  “Look, before you get the wrong idea here, I overheard a conversation between AJ and Andrea. Did you know that Andrea doesn’t like being called Andy? From what I can tell, Andrea has made that abundantly clear to AJ, yet she blows her off and when you came in and called her the same thing just now, she got frustrated.”

  “Well, maybe she needs to pull up her big girl panties and suck it up!”

  “Hear me out, young l
ady, or I’ll be pulling down your little girl panties and laying it down!”

  Riley rolled her eyes at Joanna’s retort. “I still don’t see what the big deal is?”

  “Riley, it’s obvious you and AJ have a lot in common with your motorcycles and other things, but we all respected AJ’s wish not to be called Alice, so you owe the same courtesy to Andrea. You’re in a leadership position now, and Helen and I expect you to step up, and that starts with respecting your team equally. Do you see what I’m saying, Riley?”

  “Yeah, I guess I do, when you put it like that. I’ll talk to AJ and I’ll talk to Andrea!” Riley replied, emphasizing the intern’s name dramatically.

  “Riley,” Joanna warned.

  “Yes, okay, I hear you.”

  “Riley, that’s not the only thing, it’s not just about the name. We want both these young women to be successful; this is not a summer camp. If AJ wants to be a part of this firm after she’s graduated, you of all people should know what that takes. No one is saying not to have fun but be a leader to them, they will respect you if you do.”

  “Okay, I get it, I guess I wasn’t thinking beyond the summer. I’ll talk to AJ,” Riley conceded, looking down and absently twisting the new gold band on her left ring finger. It was custom made, and Joanna had it inset with two diagonal rows of stunning princess cut diamonds and a band of black opal complementing them on the left side, going the same direction.

  “That looks good on you, my darling, I can’t wait until you’re Mrs. Armstrong.”

  Riley looked back up at Joanna and smirked. “Hmm, Carrington-Armstrong, I think!” she retorted, before making a beeline for the door but not before Joanna landed a small swat to her rear end.

  Joanna folded her arms and leant against her office door frame with a huge smile as she watched Riley head back to the bullpen. She stayed there for a moment, not intending to eavesdrop but it was early and the office was still quiet.

  “Hey, AJ, probably need to cut Andrea some slack. She gets kinda bugged by Andy, so how about we stick with Andrea?” Riley said, addressing her intern in a somewhat serious tone.

  “Ah, sure thing, boss, I was kinda thinking the same thing, don’t think she always likes me teasing her. Not to worry, Andrea it is. And feel free to kick me when me mouth takes off on its own, would ya?”

  “Yep, deal!”

  Joanna’s smile got wider from her office door, hearing the exchange. She saw Andrea go back into what Riley called the master design den, and she couldn’t help but hang around a little longer.

  “Hey, Andrea, listen, sorry, I know you don’t like Andy, so from now on, Andrea it is.”

  “Yes, sorry, Andrea, that goes for me too. It was inconsiderate of me to assume Andy was okay,” Joanna heard Riley chime in.

  There was a brief pause in the talking, until Andrea spoke. “Really? Thank you, I appreciate that, I really do. Now Riley, did you see AJ’s new design?” Andrea asked cheerfully. “Well, as AJ would say, it’s fecking tight!”

  Laughter erupted from the three women and Joanna just did a face palm as she went back inside her office.

  * * *

  David’s limo arrived for them promptly at six, ready to take Joanna, Riley, Helen, and Kate to his loft, which was only a few blocks from the apartment, in an upscale building overlooking the river.

  “Ladies, lovely to see you,” David greeted them. “And glad we didn’t have a serial killer mar our plans this time!” he added, as he winked at Riley and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Hi, David,” Riley replied as David greeted the other women.

  “And I’d like to introduce you to…” David started, gesturing to the gorgeous Latino man standing behind him, with a perfect physique and just the right amount of sexy stubble on his chin.

  “Miguel Santoro!” Riley gushed. “We’ve met, you’re the model for Urban Swag underwear, I designed your shoot, but how do you and David, umm, I mean…” Riley blushed, as she realized she was being perhaps a little too inquisitive.

  David chuckled at Riley’s awkwardness. “It’s okay, Riley. Miguel and I have known each other a while, and he is the greatest cook, so I like to keep him around!”

  “Escusa me, Davide but I am chef, not cook,” Miguel replied with a sexy grin, making everyone laugh.

  Miguel Santoro was a celebrity in his own right, by his famous billboard ads portraying him with his naked torso, jeans wide open and down with a gorgeous woman either side of him with her hand inside the waistband of the famous underwear.

  “Ladies, come in, come in and let’s get some drinks. We have much to celebrate!” David said, ushering them into the chic, modern living area.

  David’s loft was huge, taking up the entire top floor of the building. It was industrial, with a steampunk flair but refined at the same time, and it was obvious David had spared no expense.

  Conversation was lively during dinner, and while Joanna, Helen, and David talked mostly business, the younger Kate, Riley, and Miguel hit it off, talking fashion and music.

  Joanna, Helen, and David were still talking shop after dinner was over and Miguel flashed David a mischievous smirk.

  “While you three talk business, I’m going to take the girls out. What say, ladies, would you like to accompany me for a little drinks and dancing?” Miguel asked.

  Riley was excited at the prospect of going out. She had been cooped in the apartment way too long. “Can we? Kate, want to?”

  “Yeah, sounds fun!”

  Riley and Kate looked at Helen and Jo for approval and were excited when the women seemed to have no objection. Before leaving, Miguel changed into a leather jacket with a simple leather band that looked like a collar around his neck.

  “Miguel, take the car, but do not take them to that seedy leather bar you like!” David admonished, as the three readied to leave. “We’ll catch up with you a little later.”

  “David, don’t worry,” he reassured in his Latino accent as he kissed David. “Joanna and Helen. These ladies are in good hands with Miguel,” he said, tapping himself on the chest with both hands.

  Riley kissed Joanna goodbye, but Joanna pulled her back toward her when she went to leave. “Take it easy with the drinking, please, you’ve already had wine!”

  “I will, Jo, I promise, it’s just good to get out!”

  Riley was brimming with excitement as they hopped in the back of David’s limo.

  “So where are we going?” Riley asked Miguel.

  “Why, to that seedy little leather bar, of course!” Miguel smirked, as he gave directions to the driver.

  Riley felt completely comfortable with Miguel so she asked the question that had been on everyone’s mind that evening. “So is… is David gay?”

  “Riley, that’s a little personal!” Kate cautioned.

  “No, it’s okay. Riley, you are too cute. David fucks who he likes, when he likes, it’s as simple as that!” Miguel replied casually. “Now are we ready to party, ladies?”

  “Bare Necessities, interesting name, but is this place going to be crawling with all those big burly, hairy guys?”

  “No, the name is a little deceiving, you’ll see!” Miguel replied, unzipping his leather jacket, exposing his bare chest, and leading them into the club.

  The club was bumping with electric dance music, and pedestals with dancing go-go boys were interspersed on the dance floor. Most of the guys in the bar were shirtless and adorned in some kind of leather. Riley looked around wide-eyed; she wasn’t naïve, but she wasn’t used to seeing such an open display of doms with their subs either, and an unexpected excitement raced through her.

  “Fuck, this is different!” Riley said, as Miguel dispensed with his jacket, before getting them all shots.

  “Ladies, if this makes you uncomfortable, we can go someplace else, but this is a friendly place and, well…”

  “Miguel, it’s Miguel Santoro!” someone hollered from the crowd.

  Before Riley or Kate knew what was happening, Migue
l was surrounded by men, wanting their pictures taken with him, or getting autographs, and Miguel seemed to be eating it up.

  A couple of hours had passed, and in between the dancing, shots, and taking pictures of various guys posing with Miguel, the three of them decided to adjourn to the quieter bar area of the club. None of them were feeling any pain but Riley decided it was a good idea to change her drink of choice to ice water. Kate and Miguel had another shot and Riley just rolled her eyes at her friend.

  “Better take it easy, Kate, Helen and Jo are meeting us, remember!” Riley said, raising an eyebrow.

  “When did you become the party pooper, Riley? Oh, yeah, right after that last thrashing you got from Jo!” Kate laughed.

  Riley’s expression grew dark and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, as she glared at Kate.

  “Shit, sorry, Riley!” Kate immediately said remorsefully, when she realized what had come out of her mouth.

  She looked from Riley to Miguel, who had a sympathetic grin on his face.

  “Riley, it’s okay. I know, David, uh, he mentioned a couple of things, and, umm, honey, how do you say, it takes one to know one? Now dance with me, I love this song!”

  Riley was more at ease about her friend’s blunder, after she and Miguel returned from the dance floor.

  Kate was chatting with some of the local guys that Miguel had introduced them to, as another group of guys approached the table, recognizing the supermodel.

  “How about a pose like the billboard, Miguel?” a cute young guy asked, wearing only what looked like a pair of leather chaps with his bare ass cheeks on display.

  “Ladies, escusa me, my public demands me!” Miguel exclaimed, getting up and posing with the young men for pictures.

  Miguel was doing his iconic billboard pose, with two of the guys on either side of him, He had unzipped his jeans and each of the men had a hand inside the waistband of the famous underwear he was wearing. It was quite a commotion, as Kate and Riley looked on in delight at the spectacle that was Miguel and his admirers.