Page 11 of Bad for Business
“I don’t want to plan in an hour.”
I let out an annoyed groan as I force myself to meet his eyes. “I don’t remember asking what you want.”
His grin gets even wider. “Shouldn’t you care what I want? Make the client happy and all?”
“Your father hired the firm, not you. What you want doesn’t matter to me. The only thing that matters is that we get out of here as soon as we can.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t make my father look bad again. I plan on being on my best behavior.” He takes a step closer to me, effortlessly tucking his hands into his pockets as he keeps his stare on me. The smile on his face doesn’t falter once. “But unlike you, I enjoyed myself that night we had together. Maybe Iwantto talk about it.”
I roll my eyes, my cheeks flushing in anger. It’s cruel of him to tell me he enjoyed that night when he wasn’t even in bed when I woke up the next morning.
“Ryker,” I begin, his name leaving my mouth accompanied by a long sigh. “That night is something we should forget about. It happened between two people who thought they’d never see each other again. It wasnothing. Meant nothing. And talking about it only makes things between us unnecessarily complicated. Rule number two. We don’t talk about it. Got it?”
His smile falls. All humor is wiped from his features as he stares blankly back at me. “Nothing?” he asks, his voice tighter than it was before.
“Nothing,” I confirm, keeping my voice confident. “It was a mistake, but that doesn’t mean we have to let it get in the way of us cleaning up your image for the summer. We’re going to get you that board approval.”
He swallows, his gaze leaving mine. I watch him closely as he runs a hand over his mouth and looks around the room. Slowly, he nods before looking at me once again. “A mistake. Nothing.” He smiles again, but this one seems a little more forced. “You’re right. I was thinking the same thing.”
“Did you just tell me I was right?” I ask, a little in shock. The air between us changes. It seems…stiff. There’s a sudden shift in his demeanor as everything about him seems rigid as well.
He gives one curt nod of his head. “I did. You’re right. At least we can agree on one thing.”
I narrow my eyes on him, wondering why his words come out a little rushed. Before I can ask him, he’s backing out of the room.
“We’ll meet in the kitchen in an hour,” I call, watching him retreat from the room.
All Ryker does is laugh.
I want to call after him and force him to confirm the meeting time, but I bite my tongue. I just have to trust him that no matter his annoyance with me, he’ll still do what’s in his best interest and come up with a plan with me. As much as he gets on my nerves, it’s obvious in the few conversations we’ve had that he doesn’t want to create a bad image for Davenport Media.
But I instantly regret putting any sort of faith in him when I find myself waiting at the kitchen counter for two hours with no sign of Ryker.
EIGHT
RYKER
“Davenport!”Jude Kensington yells my name from outside the men’s locker room at Pembroke Hills Country Club.
I give him a smile as I make my way toward him.
Jude is a good friend of mine. He might be a little older than me, but he’s always the life of the party, which means we get along really well. He’s a great guy, and seeing him here this afternoon settles the unease that was creeping in.
The moment I left Camille alone at the house, I felt guilty. I know she’s just trying to help, but her words in that room hurt me. She called me a mistake so effortlessly. As much as I hate to admit it, I think she meant it, which crushed me because I’d never be able to call what happened between us a mistake. It was only one night, but I liked her. For a moment in her room, I had hope that maybe I’d see that version of her again.
And then she obliterated all of my hope by saying we meant nothing.
“Hi,” I say to Jude as I come to a stop in front of him. “It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
He runs a hand through his wet hair, making me wonder if he’s spent the morning and early afternoon golfing. It wouldn’t surprise me. “Work’s been so fucking busy. I don’t want tohave to leave as often this summer, so I’ve just been trying to get everything taken care of in Manhattan. What about you, Davenport? What have you been up to? You’re a little early for the season.”
I scratch the back of my neck, not wanting to tell him the real reason I’m at Pembroke. He doesn’t need to know that my father hired a publicist to spend the summer with me and that somehow that publicist bruised my ego enough to send me over to the club sulking instead of doing what she asked me to.
Jude keeps his eyes on me with his typical easy grin plastered on his lips. He waits patiently for me to answer. I gather my thoughts, wondering how much I want to confess. “Got myself in a bit of trouble with the press,” I admit, knowing he’s probably already seen it, and there’s no reason to hide it. We run in the same circle. The heir to a billion-dollar company accidentally leaking plans months before they’re meant to go public is a big deal. “Came to the Hamptons to lie low. Plus, a lot of the board members spend the summer here. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to get on their good side.”
Jude nods. “Happens to the best of us.” He reaches out and claps an encouraging hand over my shoulder. “I have faith in you. If anyone can charm a board, it’s you. Do you have any plans for this evening? Want to grab an early dinner with me?”
I give him a smile, some of the pent-up tension leaving my body. Jude’s confidence in me is something I didn’t realize I needed. He and I are very similar. Compared to our social circles, we’re the more carefree and fun type. Even if he’s more easygoing than most, the board at his company still respects the hell out of him. That’s exactly what I want.
