Page 56 of Rival to the Billionaire

I blink. "'Ever comes back'? Wh-What do you mean, if he ever comes back?"

She blinks back innocently, her voice sugary-sweet. "Why, he took off earlier. Didn't you know? On some expensive bike. You know Ryder and his toys."

"Ryder took off? When? Where?"

"Earlier. After breakfast." She shrugs, her smile turning to a smirk. "I think he said he wanted to go out. Get some fresh air. See the sights. Something like that."

"So, he just hopped on a motorcycle and took off into the desert? Is that what he told you?"

"Well, no. I saw him trying to take off, so I stopped him to chat before he left with a bike helmet in tow. Like I said, Ryder loves his toys. He likes to take them out once in a while." She steps closer. "You're not still hung up on that kiss, are you?"

I freeze for a second.

"What?" I return to her, sitting this time on the bench I've just left.

"That kiss. Someone said they heard and saw two people in the powder room last night outside of the cocktail hour." Her green eyes heat. "Two people that were described exactly like you and Ryder."

"We were talking. In private," I say, my heart racing. "I told him about a report I needed to get together for him about what to stock for the trade show booths. We were talking privately, and someone saw us and made the wrong assumption. Nothing else."

"Then they were wrong," she says smugly, her lips turning up at the corners. "About the kiss, that is."

I'm so tense I can barely speak. "This rumor is totally false."

"You do understand, you and Ryder being discovered by the press outside of a bathroom together would make for a most explosive story, don't you?"

"You know it's false."

"If I'm wrong," she says, "I'd like to apologize. But if not…" She snorts. "Then let me give you a little warning about Ryder Anderson, alright? He's a man who likes a rush, like he likes his BMW bikes. He gets off on the adrenaline, of course. But he only plays with his toys for a little while…before he wants to try something new. He doesn't keep them for the long haul. You seem like a long hauler kind of girl."

"I don't have that sort of relationship with Ryder, Chastity. We're colleagues. I'm sure you're aware of that. We're nothing more."

From the smug smile on her face, it's plain that she isn't buying my denial. Then again, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. And it's not like I can convince her otherwise about Ryder's behavior…because I can't personally vouch for it myself.

"I'm smarter than I look, darling. And I know what I know. Ryder isn't interested in being in a long-term relationship, of any kind. You're the type of woman who goes for commitment. I can see that, with your buttoned-up image and your quiet demeanor. You like to be in control. And he's looking for something—anything—but that. Something that's out of your control. Something that's wild, impulsive, and spontaneous…"

She grins at me.

"It's not my business to tell you this, of course. But I figured I should. Because what he might be looking for, he won't necessarily find in you. In fact, he might not like what he does find. Ryder's 'toys'? His bikes, his women, his thrill rides?" She shrugs lazily. "They're just that. Things to use. Things to satisfy his needs. And I just think that with someone as buttoned up as you, you'll never satisfy a man with whims like Ryder Anderson has. And if you think you can, you're likely deluding yourself."

Her forward words leave me flabbergasted. I'm trembling. My hands, my lips, everything on me.

How dare she?

I want to retort. To defend myself.

But my tongue feels thick. My lips are cramping, and my throat is too tight for me to speak at all.

"I don't mean to make your life difficult, darling. I just wanted to give you a little warning… Susceptible and sensitive women like yourself, who are used to orderly, regimented lives. They're not used to things being so intense the way Ryder's life is. You might think…well…you might exaggerate his feelings for you. Make things into more than what they are. I can see you taking something like this, something intense…seriously. You might take it deeply. And he doesn't take anything deeply. You'll just end up getting hurt. And you won't be the first, either."

I stand. "You have no right to say anything about me or Ryder, Chastity. You don't know a thing about him." I swallow, feeling the need to defend him. "He's a decent guy.”

"Is he? A decent guy?” She cracks a smile. "Well, he's certainly ‘more than decent’ in the bedroom, I’ll tell you that. And you can say what you want, Jenny. But the worst mistake you'll make is denying it. Denying it won't make it go away." Shaking her head, Chastity crosses her arms, her emerald eyes alight. "Ryder Anderson can play the part of a sweetheart in the press. But he's not. He's not a kind person. In fact, he doesn't think he's anything other than what he is. And he's not afraid to let you know what he is. No one can change who they are."

My eyes glance in the direction of my phone and the sunlight. "I have to go." I glance back over my shoulder at the gardens and to the grand fountain. "Enjoy the flowers, Chastity. Watch the thorns… You'd be surprised. They're even more of a prick than you are."

I push past her, walking towards the hallway leading to the exit out of the Fountain Springs.

My phone rings and I have to finally grab it from my purse, my gaze downward as I answer.

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