The silence in the car was setting my nerves on edge and I almost started regretting my decision to come to this dinner with Ryder. He sat quietly beside me, his attention on the iPad in his hands as he replied to some emails.
Letting out a low sigh, I turned to stare outside the window at the beautiful city as the Rolls Royce Phantom glided smoothly along the streets of Seattle.
Overcome by my discomfort at this whole thing, I blurted out, "Did you not want me to accept your father's request?"
Ryder paused in his actions, not turning to me. "If I didn't, then you wouldn't be here."
Fair enough. He had always been very blunt with his take on things and I believed that he'd have said something earlier if he was uncomfortable with my presence.
"So, why are you so quiet?" I found myself asking just to keep the conversation, which wasn't much of a conversation anyway, going.
He looked up at me this time, his back straightening in his seat. "Have you ever known me to be a talker?"
Suddenly, I felt stupid. Of course, he wasn't. Here I was trying to make small talk with this man, allowing my nerves to make me forget exactly who he was—my asshole boss.
Resigned, I turned to look outside the tinted window of the car, silently regretting the fact that I had turned down drinks with my best friends for this.
Ryder released a long breath before saying, "My...family is a touchy subject for me."My mind registered his words as an apology the best way he knew how because I doubt Ryder stone ever had to actually utter the word 'sorry' to anyone.
A smile almost came to my face at that but I reeled it in as I faced him once more. "Why?"
"We don't have the best relationship." Was his curt response. I was very curious to know more but I refrained from asking because like he said, they are a touchy subject for him.
I could understand the sentiment, however. I can't say I have the best relationship with my parents because that would be a lie. I don't have any relationship with my parents. I was thankful to them for bringing me into this world but that was as far as my sentiment towards them went, as far as I allowed it to go.
I had come to realize early on that the best way to avoid getting hurt, was to not feel, so they had become a topic that I was highly impassive about.
"I can understand that." I told him.
His eyes took on a look of mild interest. "Do you have a good relationship with your parents? You look like someone who does."
I laughed at that, a small sound that sounded loud in the confined space. "What? How?"
"I don't know." He shrugged noncommittally. "You look like someone who grew up in a family of two loving parents, a dog perhaps, white picket fence, maybe a few siblings too; all that jazz."
"That can't be any farther from my reality." I divulged with a small smile that he looked like he didn't know what to make of as he stared at me.
Ryder parted his lips to say something but then the car slowed down, causing his words to die on his lips as he turned to look outside the window. "We're here."
"Any words of warning before we walk in there?" I asked playfully.
He paused as he seemed to consider my words before saying, "I may not have a good relationship with them, but my family is not that bad. You may even have fun tonight."
His words intrigued me. If they weren't 'that bad', why didn't he relate with them well. I didn't have time to ponder over that as his door was then pulled open by his driver, Mikhal.
I slid out of the car after him, mildly surprised at the restaurant before us. The name "Chen's" was written above the building in red Chinese font that was lit up. As we walked I paused briefly as I took in everything; the retro lights that somehow worked with the red decor of the place, the sweet aroma of Asian food, the sizzling of said food as some dishes were being prepared in front of customers, and the loud chatter as people engaged in conversation.
"I can't believe I've never been here." I said to myself as I looked around, immediately enamored by the establishment.
Ryder, who heard me, said, "This place didn't exactly become popular until recently. Chen was about to close due to bankruptcy about a year ago and he had refused to sell despite that. My father stepped in and offered to invest in his restaurant instead of buying it. Now, my family makes sure to visit here whenever they're in town."
I found myself admiring Stone Sr even more when he shared that with me.
After checking in with the hostess, we were led to a room at the back of the restaurant and past a thick red and gold curtain where a small group of people sat. The chatter halted as soon as we stepped in and I felt awkward as all eyes shifted to Ryder and I.
"Son," Stone Sr said, standing up. "I almost didn't think you'd make it."
"I said I would, and I don't go back on my word." Ryder replied tersely, his demeanor switching back to the one I knew all too well.
His father nodded before turning to me. "It's nice to see you again, Nicole."
I gave him a close lipped smile, wondering how he knew my name when I didn't know his. "Same here..." I trailed off.
"Walter," he filled in before holding my arm softly. "Come meet my family. This is my wife, Felicity." He pointed at the woman seated on his right side, her golden tresses curled to perfection on her head and her makeup impeccable. She gave me a warm smile, her emerald eyes a stunning shade. I register quickly that she looked nothing like Ryder which led me to wonder if the two were even related at all.
Walter continued. "This is my daughter, Gianna." He gestured at the girl seated across, next to a man, who looked to be in her early twenties or late teens, I wasn't sure which.
"Gigi." She corrected him, rolling her eyes before beaming up at me. "Hello."
I returned her smile with one of my own. She looked very much like her mother, same facial features and all, except for her dirty blonde hair that looked to be a mixture of both her parents.
"And that is my other son, Malcolm." Walter introduced and the guy who had his attention solely on his phone until now, looked up at me. This gave me a good look of his face which bore a resemblance to his father, and in turn, Ryder. He gave me a mock salute before clearing his throat and turning to Ryder.
Unlike most brothers, the two only shared a respectful nod before Ryder moved to settle into his seat at the other end of the table. I went to sit on the last available spot, the one on his left.
Ryder looked awfully tense as he sat down, his shoulders wrung tight and a grim look on his face as if he were about to jump into a sea full of sharks and not have dinner with his small, seemingly warm family. And he wasn't doing well to hide his feeling either as his discomfort seemed to roll off him in waves.
Felicity, who he had barely acknowledged her presence, looked at him for a moment with sad eyes before shaking her head and looking away. Malcolm had returned his attention to his phone while Gigi seemed like the only one who wasn't bothered in the least by her brother's countenance.
The small, rhythmic sound of Ryder drumming his fingers on the tabletop caught my attention and I realized that this is something he did often. This made me wonder if he played any instruments but for some reason I shook my head to dismiss that thought. He didn't look like someone who did.
A voice in my head reminded me of the wrong assumption he'd made regarding my parenthood earlier in the car and I thought, never judge a book by its cover. A very handsome cover in this case.
A server came in to take our order and I already knew what I was going to order, a favorite of mine—Chinese fried rice with shrimp, and beef in oyster sauce.
"So, Nicki—can I call you that?" Gigi asked.
Since she had insisted that I call her by the abbreviation of her name, I deemed it only right that she was afforded the same right, so I nodded.
"Are you and my brother dating?" Ryder's head shot up at the question as did everyone else's as they awaited my response, curious stares sent my way as I froze in confusion.
Did Walter not tell them that I was Ryder's assistant?
Uncomfortable, I cleared my throat, shifting in my seat at the unwanted attention. "Um, no, I'm not. I'm married." I brought her attention to the small diamond ring on my left hand which had been conveniently hidden under the table. Ryder eyed the ring speculatively, his face blank.
"Nicole is my assistant, Gianna." He finally spoke up, holding Gigi's eyes briefly. The look seemed to convey a message and after that she kept quiet. The Ryder Effect.
"You're married?" Felicity said, prompting me to look at her. She was seated beside me, her sweet and no doubt expensive perfume permeating the air. "Aren't you a little too young to be married?"
"I'm twenty five, so no, not really." I replied assertively.
She nodded, seeming satisfied with my answer. "How long have you been married?"
"It'll be a year in two months time." In an effort to shift the topic from me, I asked her, "How long have you and Walter been married?"
She gazed at him lovingly, a smile on both their faces before saying, "25 years. The best years of my life." The two shared a brief peck and I saw Gigi roll her eyes dramatically.
"Mom and dad are so in love, it's nauseating sometimes." She divulged to me. I chuckled because although she acted like it bothered her, it didn't seem that way at all. "If my man doesn't love me like dad loves mom, I don't want him."
"Damn right." Walter agreed with a grunt.
Malcolm turned to his sister sharply, his eyes squinted. "What man?"
"Oh God, Mal, I was just saying. I don't mean it literally. At least not yet." She added the last part lowly and from the way he looked at her, I could tell that Malcolm was fiercely protective of his baby sister.
My mind went back to Felicity's words as I watched the servers return with several plates of steaming hot food. If she and Walter have been married for twenty five years, and Ryder was thirty one years old, that meant that she definitely wasn't his mother, didn't it? And if she wasn't, who was?
I didn't ask that, pushing the thought to the back of my head as I focused on the meal before me. I was about to dig into the tantalizing looking food when Felicity asked, "Shall we say grace? Gigi, please do the honors."
Felicity held out her hand to me as everyone intertwined hands. When I slipped my hand into Ryder's hard palm, something lit up in my belly, something hot and almost primal. I could feel his eyes on me but I had to force myself not to look up as Gigi said grace.
"Amen." We all chorused before digging in.
I moaned when I took my first forkful of the meal. I loved Chinese and ate it often but this food was simply amazing and unique. "This is so good." I pronounced and Walter smiled.
"Chen is the best in the city, hands down."
After swallowing my food, I said, "I was told that you had invested in his business a while ago."
Walter nodded. "I did. I don't usually do that. I leave the buying and investment to Ryder." He tilted his chin in Ryder's direction. "But it would have been a grave pity to see this place shut down for something as basic as funding."
True. I understood his words all too well as I'd had to put off a dream of mine for God knows how long due to 'something as basic as funding'. I tried not to think about it, however, as it only caused an ache in my chest that was becoming dull with each moment that it went unaddressed.
Conversation flowed as we continued with dinner and I was become throughly enamored of the Stone family as time went by. Unlike most people of wealth and status, they seemed like relatively normal individuals who enjoyed the basic things. This made it easy to talk to them. Ryder, however was quiet for the most part of the dinner. Specifically when a question wasn't directed at him.
Malcolm and Ryder blatantly ignored each other for the whole duration while I chatted with Gigi. I came to find out that she was staying behind in D.C while her family traveled back to their home in California because she was considering going to school here. She wanted to study women and gender studies which I found a little odd, but after listening to her speak about how she wanted to help society and women in general, this desire only heightening after taking a gap year to tour Europe and Asia, I started to believe that Gigi could really achieve all that she planned to, and more.
"I'm a proud feminist," she announced although I'd already gathered that much. "Which is why I don't support of the life that my brother lives." I was wondering which of the brothers she was referring to (and leaning towards it being Ryder) when Gigi nudged her head in Malcolm's direction.
He looked up at her exasperatedly. "This again?"
"Yes, this." She turned to me. "My dear brother seems to be under the illusion that the only parts of women that is useful is their mouth, and the thing between their legs."
Malcolm rolled his eyes, his facial features leading me to believe that Gigi was exaggerating. I spared Walter and Felicity a glance but they seemed to be in a world of their own, their heads leaned close as they engaged in conversation.
"Listen, you support women being straightforward about what they want, correct?" Malcolm asked to which Gigi nodded firmly.
"Well, if a woman straightforwardly tells me that she wants sex, who am I to deny her of that if it is within my ability?" He shrugged like he had just given the best comeback.
Gigi was speechless momentarily. "Do you even hear yourself?" She released a disgusted groan. "Ugh, I can't with you. It's so ironic that despite this mindset of yours, your best friend is a female. I wonder how Charlotte puts up with your shit."
Ryder stiffened in his seat at her words, pausing with his hands on his cutlery and I wondered why he reacted that way.
"Unlike you, she understands that I'm a man, and I have needs," Malcolm said.
"You just wait until you get someone pregnant," Gigi retorted. "Which would be anytime soon, I'm sure of it.
Malcolm shook his head. "That will never happen so don't hold your breath." I raised a brow at the rigid certainty in his tone.
Soon after that, dinner ended and we all walked out of the room. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant, Mr Chen, a small Chinese man with graying sparse hair on his head. He was warm and friendly as he invited me to come back anytime, even going as far as packing me a plate to go. I was grateful, a sincere smile on my face as we headed outside. The skies were dark at this point and the chill in the air gave off the vibe that it was going to rain anytime soon.
"Thank you for coming, Nicole." Walter said, holding my hand. "Don't be a stranger. If you're ever in L.A, my wife and I will take you out for dinner."
"I'll hold you to that, old man." I grinned before giving Felicity a hug. "Goodnight. Have a safe flight home."
The pair left in a black, chauffeured town car leaving just Malcolm, Gigi, Ryder and I.
Gigi pulled me into a tight side hug. "Let me have your number so we can hang out sometime. I don't really have any friend in the city, except you."
I was flattered that she considered us friends after only one night of knowing each other because the feeling was entirely mutual. Although younger than me, Gigi was wise beyond her years and I loved her bubbly personality. Without hesitation, I handed her my phone as she handed me hers. After programming my number in, I returned it.
Another car pulled up, a blood red Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The car looked like a firecracker with silver rims and it was exactly what I would've imagined for someone like Malcolm.
"I love your car." I told him, admiring the striking edges of the majestic automobile.
Malcolm smirked as he rounded the car to the driver's seat. "Maybe I'll take you for a ride sometime."
Gigi rolled her eyes at her brother before waving. "Bye, Nicki."
Before I knew it, they were out on the road. I turned to my boss who had his jaw tight and a blank expression on his face, no surprise there. Without even sparing me a glance, when the black Rolls Royce rolled into the curb, Ryder slid in and shut the door behind him, not waiting for his driver to do the honors.
One step forward, two steps backwards.
Shaking my head, I rounded the car to join him, preparing my mind for an uncomfortably silent ride.
_______________
Please don't forget to comment and vote, x.
Also, I'm not sure if I said this earlier or made a mistake, but Ryder is thirty-one years old.