Page 28 of Bad for Business
Ryker scoffs. “I’m not a child. I’m not in trouble. You can’t just barge over here. I’mbusy.”
I roll my eyes. “Flirting isn’tbusy. We need to talk. Now.”
“Is this your girlfriend?” the blonde asks, her voice hesitant as she looks from me to Ryker.
I laugh.
Ryker coughs.
“Oh God, no,” I hurriedly get out. “Can you imagine? What an absolute nightmare that would be.”
Ryker stares at me for a moment. His lips turn down in a frown as he watches me with an unreadable expression for a moment. Just when I’m about to try and decode the look in hiseyes, he blinks and shakes his head, completely wiping away the solemn look I swear he was wearing.
“She works for me,” he answers, his voice completely monotone.
“Okay, well, we were going to the beach anyway. See you around, Ryker.” The blonde grabs her friend’s wrist and leads her to the private beach.
I watch them walk away for a moment, making sure they’re out of earshot before I turn my gaze to him.
“What the fuck, Ryker?” I seethe. “Where have you been, and why haven’t you been answering me?”
“Why do you care?” he responds. The charming, smiling golden boy that was on display for the two girls he was talking to is all but gone. On his face, there’s only coldness and detachment as he stares back at me.
My mouth opens and closes for a moment as I try to think of a response. “Why do I care? Because we’re supposed to be working together this summer.”
He’s a grown man, but I swear he rolls his eyes at me. “I hung out at the club and then spent the night at Jude’s. I was on my best behavior, and you don’t need to worry about anything.” He sidesteps me and heads toward the club. “Now, leave me alone,” he tosses over his shoulder.
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to take a calming breath. I want to fight with him and tell him he’s being childish, but I know it won’t go anywhere. I need him to work with me, so lashing out probably isn’t the best idea.
“Wait,” I call after him.
His steps pause for just a moment. It’s long enough for me to have hope he’ll maybe listen to me.
He doesn’t. He continues to walk back up to the club, forcing me to chase after him.
Luckily, I wore a comfortable pair of heels. His strides are long and hurried, but with a jog, I’m able to catch up with him.
“Look,” I say, a little out of breath as I come to a stop in front of him. Back home, I often worked out. I had a strict regimen. Here, I haven’t been able to go for a run or do any kind of strength workouts, but I’m hoping to find time soon. My hands land on my hips as I take a deep breath in. My all-black outfit makes it feel like I’m cooking in the sun as I stand in front of him. “You’re stuck with me. I will keep showing up and annoying you until we have the approval of your board. Get used to it.”
Ryker’s eyes flick down to me. I hate that he looks totally disinterested. This doesn’t seem like him, and I can’t help but wonder what I can do to change things. I know he wants me to leave him alone, but I can’t. I need him to prove to my father that I’m worthy. I need to make partner. And to do that, I need Ryker to stop looking at me like I’m his least favorite person on the planet.
“I’ll be inside. I told Beck I would meet him for lunch.” He steps around me once again, and this time, I let him go inside without me trailing behind.
I’ll let him have his lunch. Maybe then he’ll feel like he’s won. And after that, when we get home and I can keep better tabs on him, we’ll have an extremely lengthy talk about him never disappearing on my watch again.
SEVENTEEN
RYKER
Camille leavesme alone longer than I thought she would.
I sit across from Beck as he talks about a time not too long ago when his board didn’t have full faith in him. Apparently, some article had been published about him being too much of a playboy, which resulted in the board of the company he created not trusting him anymore. He explained that they were on the verge of losing investors before he got his act together and married his wife, Margo.
The longer he explains his situation, the better I feel aboutmycurrent situation. I have confidence that if he can pull it off, I can too.
I’m alone with Beck for twenty minutes before Camille makes her way into the room. Her eyes find mine immediately. Even from across the room, her glare is reserved for me and me alone. She doesn’t spare anyone else a second glance as she heads in our direction.
“Fuck me,” I whisper under my breath, my body slipping down in the chair as Camille closes the distance to us.
