Page 55 of Bad for Business
“You got it.” I like that he doesn’t say anything else. Davis is great at what he does. He’s good at reading people. And I’m sure the tightness of my jaw and the thin press of my lips tell him everything he needs to know.
I’m not one for small talk right now.
I risk a look at the entrance, wondering if Camille has come back in. I don’t see her, but I know probably any minute, she’ll be marching back in here and pretending that nothing happened. All I can do is hope that I’m able to get a drink in my hand before she shows back up.
It’s going to be a long rest of the day.
Hell, it’s going to be a long rest of the summer.
TWENTY-EIGHT
CAMILLE
“I’ll take another.”Ryker’s words slur together. He holds up his empty glass and waves it in the air. He looks in the direction of the bar, still brandishing the glass.
“No, he won’t,” I speak up, giving the bartender a polite smile. His name is Davis, and he seems really sweet, but if he gives Ryker another drink when it’s obvious he doesn’t need another, I’ll be pissed. He was the one who started serving him when we were inside, and when we moved out here, he followed shortly after. He’s served Rykerplenty.
Ryker twists his body to glare at me. “You’re not the boss of me.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Technically, Iamhis boss. I’m in charge of him for the summer, and if anyone found out I let him get this drunk in public, it’d be bad news. I’ve already let him drink more than he should’ve, but I was just trying to mind my business.
I shouldn’t have.
He’s wasted, and I have to find a way to get him out to his SUV without anyone seeing him.
“We’re going home,” I announce, pushing myself out of my chair. We’d gone with our group to the beach for the evening.The weather has been beautiful, and at first, when we came out here, it was busy. The beach bar was packed, and there were people even out in the ocean. It was a fairly casual night, which might be the reason I didn’t pay as close attention to Ryker and how many drinks he was consuming. As time passed by, everyone left until it was just me and Ryker.
Luckily, none of the Davenport Media board members were outside. We could take the path on the side of Pembroke and get Ryker to the car without any prying eyes. If anyone on the board saw how drunk he was, it might ruin the progress we’ve been making.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Ryker speaks up. To his credit, he says the words slower, making them easier to understand.
I look around. The only other person nearby is Davis, and he’s too preoccupied doing something at the bar to even be listening to Ryker right now.
“You don’t really have a choice.” I close the distance to him until I stop in front of his chair. I hold my hand out and wait for him to take it.
He gently swats it away. “No.”
I purse my lips and hold my hand out once again. “Yes. I’m your only choice right now, Ryker. You’re going to have to accept my help. Now, come on, before someone sees how ridiculously drunk you are and you destroy your chances with the board.”
He swats my hand away again, but I don’t argue because he pushes himself out of his chair. “Fine,” he mutters. “But don’t talk to me.” The second half is said so quietly I almost miss it.
He doesn’t even look at me as he stomps forward. He can barely walk a straight line, but I don’t offer him help. I already tried that, and he didn’t want it.
“Well, this is going great,” I whisper to myself. I can’t believe I let him get this drunk. I was still reeling over our conversationin the bathroom, and I lost sight of what I was supposed to be here doing in the first place—my job.
I follow closely behind Ryker as we walk toward the SUV. I stick to my word. He doesn’t say a thing to me, and I don’t say a thing to him either. I get lost in my own thoughts, scolding myself for allowing us to end up in this situation in the first place.
I shouldn’t have let last night happen. I knew better than to kiss him. To domorewith him. The problem is that, with Ryker, I lose all sense of what’s right and wrong. I swear I don’t like him, but I’m not even sure about that anymore. When his lips are against mine and he’s uttering my name so desperately, it seems like he needs me.
It feels like I like him far more than I should.
Ryker knows how to push every single one of my buttons. It’s a talent that he has, and it drives me crazy.
But he also knows how to get me to let my guard down.
And that’s terrifying.
I don’t like being vulnerable. I loathe it. I much prefer for people to make their own assumptions when they don’t know a single thing about me. Their opinions don’t matter if I haven’t let them in. But it’s the people I let in, the ones who see the vulnerable parts of me, and still walk away who do the most damage.
