Page 14
Turning towards me, Ryder rewarded me with an indolent smirk. He really did remind me of a cat: a lazy, sprawling cat that expected the world to drop at its feet as nothing more than filthy peasants.
“But seriously, what’s your name, Kitten?”
Snorting at the nickname, I ignored him and turned back towards Asher.
“So, are we heading to get food and coffee or not? You can’t promise a girl food and renege – I have castrated boys for a lot less.”
“Wait?” Ryder interrupted. “She’s joining us for lunch?”
I frowned. “Wait? He’s joining us for lunch?”
“You can’t just copy me!”
“You can’t just copy me,” I mocked, lowering my voice to match Ryder’s husky tone. I admit that I took a few creative liberties in my impression of him.
“Stop it.”
“Stop it.”
“Seriously, Kitten.”
“Seriously, Kitten.”
“Stop-”
“Will you stop acting like a child, Ryder?” Asher exclaimed, sounding exasperated. Ryder opened his mouth and then closed it soundlessly. He pointed to me like a reprimanded schoolboy passing the blame.
I decided that I liked Asher a little bit more.
Poking Ryder in the ribs, I smirked at him. “Come onchild, let’s go get food.”
I hurried ahead of them before he could retort. As I turned the corner, I heard Ryder mutter something about “favoritism” and “breasts”. Oh well. Mama can’t help what she was born with.
* * *
We wentto a small café on the outskirts of the resort. Styled after a 70’s red-seated diner, Rosie’s House failed to mimic the opulence displayed elsewhere in the resort. I was honestly surprised that D.O.D. allowed such a normal place to exist in his “prestigious establishment” (his words).
I personally liked Rosie’s House, despite no one named Rosie actually working there. Maybe it was because my dad hated it. Maybe I went only as a big middle finger towards D.O.D. and Mommy Dearest.
I recognized the hostess as a young woman named Shannon. She spotted us immediately and batted her lashes at the two boys. Ryder straightened his spine. He was a lion that wasn’t just out for the hunt, but for the kill.
He leaned against the host podium, smile sly. “And what might your name be? Probably a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
I snorted, turning my face towards Asher to conceal my laughter.
The poor boy needed help. His skills were severely lacking. Fortunately for him, I had been told I was a great wingman (wingwoman?).
Schooling my features, I turned back towards Shannon and Ryder, the former of which was giggling and kicking her foot.
“So Ryder was telling me about his modeling gig,” I said cheerfully. Both Ryder’s and Asher’s eyebrows rose. I just winked. Something akin to understanding flickered across Ryder’s features.
“Well, I don’t want to brag…” he drawled, trying to act sheepish. I snorted yet again. Ryder didn’t seem to have a modest bone in his body. Yes, he was attractive, but did he have to let the entire world know that he knew? Okay, so maybe I was biased (because, for some reason, Ryder just seemed to piss me off), but he could’ve at least hadsomeclass.
I decided to up the ante, so to speak. Giving a shit-eating grin, I continued, “And tell her about your offer. Pro-football? What was the team again?” I batted my eyelashes, feigning ignorance. Behind me, Asher burst into laughter, though he quickly tried to mask it into a cough.
“I…um…” I imagined this was one of the few times that the great Ryder got flustered.
“You play football?” Shannon asked dreamily. “I only ever date football players.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14 (Reading here)
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95