Ryder

by Ali Parker

  “I know. And I’m so grateful for you taking care of Tanner while I was at school and offering this apartment when you could be making money off a tenant.”

  Mom waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t listen to your father. We don’t need the money, and I’m happy to have my daughter and grandson so close to us. It’s every mother’s dream to keep her family close.

  It wasn’t my dream, though. Since the divorce, my life had been in a tailspin. I thought after getting married and having a child, my life would be complete. A cheating husband put a wrench in that. And since I didn’t want Tanner around someone who had a drinking habit to boot, I didn’t have much help other than my parents.

  “Besides, I know you’re a hard-worker and none of this would have happened if Killian would have been honest with you.”

  “Mom,” I warned.

  She put up her hands defensively. “I’m done.”

  She knew it was a sore subject for me. And with Tanner in the other room, I didn’t want him to know what his dad did to us. Even if Killian was a shitty husband, he was good with Tanner. At least when I was around. Since the divorce, Killian has only had supervised visits with our son.

  “Anyway,” I said, desperate for some positivity. “It’s an assistant job to a real estate mogul. I could get some experience while building relationships with clients. I’m actually excited about it and I’m hoping they will let me interview last minute.”

  “I’m sure you will do fine. You were always good with interviews.”

  Yeah, I thought, I’m not so good about getting the jobs.

  “What are you going to wear?” Mom asked.

  I shrugged. “I have that pantsuit.” I’d bought it on clearance at a department store a year ago. It was a little big in some areas, but I couldn’t afford to get something tailored.

  Mom sidestepped the tree and placed both hands on her thin waist. “You’re still wearing that hideous thing?”

  “Mom!”

  “Well, it is! I’m taking you shopping tomorrow to find something more professional.” She looked me up and down. “And something that fits.”

  I sighed. “No, you’ve done enough.”

  “Think of it as an early Christmas present,” she said.

  “I don’t want any more charity. I’m so much in debt with you it's not funny.”

  “Fine,” she said. “I’ll loan you the money and you repay me when you get the job.”

  “With interest,” I said, not backing down.

  “Absolutely not,” she said as if I’d insulted her.

  I smiled, a little giddy to go shopping for myself. I hadn’t been in quite some time, and I loved hanging out with my mom for sure. “Deal.”

  She picked up another ornament and held it in front of her. “Now about your hair.” She wasn’t holding back today.

  “What about it?”

  “I know you like to wear it down, but maybe for this interview, I think you should wear it back. You’ll look smarter and accentuate your eyes.” She wagged her eyebrows.

  I rolled said eyes and knelt down next to the box of ornaments. I grabbed the small box of hooks to find a new one. “Mom, it’s an interview. The last thing I want is some guy’s attention. Seriously.”

  “Rainey, I know you hate when people put attention on them, but they are absolutely gorgeous. Embrace what God gave you.”

  As a child, the other kids made fun of my honey-brown eyes. They were different and kids had a way of exploiting unique qualities in order to bring others down. It wasn’t until after high school that I started to be okay with them. Killian had a way of complimenting them several times a day, which made falling for him so much easier. Sorrow raced through my heart, and I couldn’t help but reach up and rub my chest. Even after all the shit he’d put me through, there was some small part of me that wanted things to work out. Mostly for Tanner, but it was there nevertheless. I needed to get my mind on something else.

  “So you’re saying the reason I haven’t gotten a job already is because of my clothes and wearing my hair down?”

  “Well, it couldn’t hurt to change something after being in a rut. Though I think blame mostly falls on that outfit.”

  She was right. I needed something to change. I was nervous that I didn’t have an appointment for the interview on Monday. I hoped by going into the office early Monday morning I’d be able to show my dedication and persistence. It was something that Mr. Carrington admired. At least that’s what the article about him in the New York Times had said. It was worth a shot and I had nothing to lose since I was already close to rock-bottom.

  Chapter 3

  Michael

  My body was stiff as hell when I woke the next morning. Something about switching beds or the way I fucked the blond the day before had my hurting in places I didn’t realize could hurt.

  I ran my hand down my stomach and stroked my erection as I glanced over at the clock, wondering if I had time to treat myself to a release before starting what was sure to be a long day.

  Lisa crossed my mind before Cynthia took her place.

  “Nope.” I got up. I wasn’t jacking off to the memory of the women in my past, at least not that morning. Next best thing to self-love was the gym. Thankfully, I had one on the second floor of my penthouse. It would have to do.

  The sun was barely over the horizon, which made the room just light enough to distinguish the outline of each piece of equipment. I enjoy running on the treadmill when it's still early. Looking over the NYC skyline from the 53rd floor gave me an adrenaline spike to start my day. I pressed the buttons on the machine for one of the harder workouts involving many hills and sprints in between. I barely lifted anything except for a coffee mug while I was away, so I wanted to make up for lost time.

  Using the small remote for my Bose system, I turned on my rock metal playlist. The hammering drums helped keep me on pace.

  The pounding of my feet against the belt created a monotonous rhythm that cleared my head. It was the only part of the day that was truly mine. No one disturbed me while I was working out. Unless I was with Alex. As my trainer, he tended to work my muscles harder than I could on my own. Every penny I paid for him was worth it. I was in the best shape of my life. Not many other thirty-six-year-olds could say that. Especially those in my field. The only thing missing was a woman to worship what I’d created through sweat and pain over the last few years. I’d return the favor of course. My body hardened at the mere thought of finding the right one, though it was getting a bit bleak.

  I cleared my thought and headed to the kitchen after running and doing three sets of circuit exercises. I liked my solitude in the mornings. Getting my head straight for the day was a big priority for me. I worked hard enough all day and most nights, which is why I consistently wake up so early for personal time. It seemed like everyone needed a piece of me during the day and for that, I had to be in the right head space.

  When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the aroma of coffee filled my nose. I grinned. There was nothing quite like Milly’s home-brewed coffee.

  Entering the kitchen, Milly’s back was to me as she cleaned the marble counter-tops with her back facing me.

  “Good morning, Milly,” I said to my housekeeper.

  She started and whipped around while letting out a sound of alarm. “Jeez Michael! You scared me.” She pressed her wrinkled hands to her chest and took several gulps of air.

  I laughed and held up my hands in front of me. “Sorry.”

  She smoothed her hair back behind her ears. “You can’t do that to an old woman. Sam will have a hell of a time finding you a new me.”

  “I would be lost without you,” I said smiling. “And your coffee.”

  She waggled her finger at me. “Don’t be smart.”

  Milly was a born and bred New Yorker. While some of my staff tended to keep to themselves while working, I always enjoyed Milly’s company. She was down to earth and I enjoyed talking to her. When people met me and realized
how wealthy I was, they treated me differently. Milly, however, did not. She was the sweetest woman in the world yet thick-skinned as well. That’s what New York did to people. It was one of the many reasons why I loved it so much. The world could get so much more done if emotions could be left out of the equation. It might not be as fun, but shit would get done.

  I lifted a mug from the shelf above the breakfast bar and crossed the room. “How was your Thanksgiving?” I poured myself a cup of coffee before adding a little bit of milk to the mug as well.

  “Oh it was lovely,” she said in a sincere tone. “Seeing my kids was so good, though I’m happy they’re back in their own homes. Every time they come to visit, it seems like they have forgotten how to do everything. Cook, clean, laundry…” she trailed off.

  I took a sip from my mug and winced as the searing liquid burned my tongue. “I’m sure you love doting on them too. Tell the truth now.” I smiled as her cheeks burned pink.

  “Of course I do. But I can only do it a few days at a time. These joints aren’t what they used to be. How was Bar Harbor?”

  Milly kept me company while I finished my cup of coffee and I told her all about the event I’d helped plan. Talking about it with her made me have the same sense of calm that I experienced when I was away. It was refreshing.

  And even though she continued to clean around me, she was attentive and prodded me by asking more questions about my visit. She was the closest to a mother-figure that I had in the City.

  After about ten minutes, she excused herself without another word to get back to work.

  I needed to do the same.

  I lifted the blender from the cabinet and placed it on the counter. I poured a packet of protein powder into the container along with several other items. I was on autopilot since Alex insisted I drink it after every workout. He swore by it and I never questioned him. It wasn’t the most flavorful smoothie but I trusted his advice.

  I blended the shake and poured it into a tumbler. I rinsed the blender container in the sink, leaving it for Milly to wash. I had to shower and get to work.

  ***

  A half-hour later, I was at my desk. I’d only finished about half the smoothie. A few days away from it had made my taste buds turn against it. I choked down the rest of it, not delaying the inevitable. The chalky after taste was still in my mouth when I picked up the phone.

  I called Sandra first. She answered on the third ring.

  “Hello?” a muffled voice said from the other end of the call.

  “Sandra?” I asked, checking to see I had the right number.

  She coughed and loudly cleared her throat. I pulled the speaker away from my ear.

  “Yeah, boss. Sorry. I’m getting a cold.”

  Getting? She sounded like hell. I rubbed my forehead, feeling the beginning of a headache. She spearheaded all of the interviews for the assistant position; I needed her well, like now.

  “Are you healthy enough to chat?” I asked firmly. It was rhetorical and she knew that.

  There was a shuffling sound on the other end. “Of course I am. What do you need?”

  “How many interviews are set up for tomorrow?” My headache grew at the thought of entertaining interviews. I needed to find someone to weed through the interview process. I mentally made a note to make that happen the next time we needed someone new.

  “Three in the morning and three in the afternoon. I had to schedule them around a few phone calls.” She coughed and it sounded like something that had just crawled out of the crypt.

  I nodded. Breaks were a necessity. I needed time to pace the floor and decompress from the ignorance that I was sure would abound while entertaining a new wave of people who thought they knew what hard work was. “And how about the rest of the week?”

  Sandra gave me a quick outline of my schedule. With the abbreviated work week for Thanksgiving and my trip to Bar Harbor, I knew I’d be coming home to a jam-packed calendar. Which was fine with me. I liked being busy around the holidays. It kept me focused and there was less time to think about Cynthia or Lisa.

  “Did I get any messages while I was gone?” I asked after she finished with the schedule.

  “Several, but they can wait until tomorrow,” she said. “I did want to ask you about one. Sal Rossi, he’s a potential client. He seemed very insistent on speaking with you as soon as possible. I informed him that you were out of the office. Would you like me to schedule a phone call tomorrow with him?”

  I chewed the name over. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. “Yes, schedule a phone call for tomorrow. I don’t want him to look elsewhere before I get a feel for him.”

  “I will contact his assistant today.”

  “And after that, get some rest. I need you alert this week.”

  There was a muffled cough on the other end. “Okay, Boss. I will.”

  “Talk to you tomorrow, Sandra,” I said and hung up the phone only to pick it back up to call Sam.

  He answered on the first ring, “Sir?”

  “Send some chicken noodle soup over to Sandra’s and a care basket.”

  “Right away, Sir. Is that all?”

  “For now.”

  I put the phone down and jotted the name ‘Sal Rossi’ on the notepad on my desk. I stared at it for a minute, as if the answer would jump off the pad. Why did that name sound so familiar?

  My phone rang and I checked the caller ID. It was my brother, Fredrick. I grabbed the receiver. “Hey you. Happy belated Thanksgiving.” A smile lifted my lips in anticipation of talking to my brother. We only had one another for most of our lives, at least until I met Cynthia and he met Tara. Sadly enough, both of the women from our pasts were gone, and much of our stability and happiness went with them.

  “Same to you, Michael. What’s going on with you? Did you fall off the grid for a while?” Thumping music colored the background on his end.

  I spoke louder to make sure he could hear me. “I went to Bar Harbor, remember?”

  “I know that. I meant the two months I heard squat from you before that.”

  Preparation for the Bar Harbor trip on top of my own work had made the days speed by. Had it really been two months since I’d seen Fredrick?

  “I’ve been busy. You know that. Let me make it up to you. How about lunch this week?”

  “You got it. As long as you’re paying.” Fredrick laughed at his own joke, a little too hard.

  “Do I ever not pay?” I rolled my eyes.

  That made Fredrick laugh harder. We were both successful and wealthy, independent of each other. His club, Kadia, was one of the prime clubs in the City, and though it had some nefarious dealings, the clients seemed to enjoy the edge it provided.

  “How’s business?” I asked.

  Fredrick went on about all the women he’s slept with over the past two months. He had a habit of mixing business with pleasure. And women flocked to men who could get them free drinks and private rooms in the hottest club in New York.

  My eyes wandered to the note on my desk. “Hey. Questions for you.” I interrupted him as he started to tell me about another one of his sexcapades. We were honestly getting too old to be sharing our bedroom stories. “Do you know someone named Sal Rossi? He called the office looking for me. And I swear I know that name from somewhere.”

  There was a long pause on the other end. Had I dropped the call?

  “Fredrick?”

  “Yeah, Michael. You might want to be careful with that one.”

  “Yeah? Why is that?”

  Fredrick sighed. “I don’t wanna get involved. Call Demetri about this.”

  I sat back in my chair. Demetri Demarco was a dangerous man that we dealt with from time to time, but only when we needed to. He was head of the Castaletta Syndicate, a Chicago Mafiosi family that had survived a lot, and still kept their various businesses thriving.

  Did this Sal guy know about my relationship with Demetri? Is that why he contacted me? The guy sounded like bad ne
ws, and I wasn’t necessarily interested in stepping in shit when life was going well.

  The conversation sobered up, and I promised that Sandra would set up lunch with Fredrick later in the week. If my brother was concerned about this Sal character, then I should have been too. We said our goodbyes and hung up.

  I stood from my chair and went to the glass wall that stretched from floor to ceiling, giving me a landscape view of the City.

  I raked my hands through my hair and smoothed down the ends. What the hell was going on? I debated on ignoring the phone call from Sal completely but I was also curious. I’d talk to Demetri first and see what was going on.

  To stop myself from dwelling, I went back to my desk and focused on work. I didn’t want to talk to Demetri yet, though I had a feeling Fredrick was already on the phone with him. I loved my brother but he had a tendency to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. It was my fault for asking, but I had to figure out how I knew the name. My business might be at risk if it turned out bad, so I didn’t care about ruffling feathers to get the answers I needed.

  In the hours spent catching up on work, the phone only rang twice. I was used to the long hours working, but after being around so many people in Bar Harbor for those few days, the loneliness was more noticeable.

  I sat back in my chair, releasing the tension in my shoulders. I already had the love of my life once before. But it would be nice to have someone to spend the holidays with. I picked up my cell and flipped through my contacts. There were a few women that I could call up that would be thrilled to spend time with me.

  I stopped on Natalia’s name. My finger hovered over her number. She was always up for a good time. And she’d be the perfect distraction.

  To Be Continued…

  Author Note: This contemporary love story was one of my favorites! Maybe it’s because I’ve been a single mom. I just love the idea of second chance no matter how it’s served up! If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to pick up a copy of Money Can’t Buy Love HERE.