Page 57 of Playboy For Hire

A little stab of pain shot through me at those words. He was just trying to make me laugh, but he’d inadvertently rubbed in the fact that any future dates wouldn’t be with him. Which I knew. But some tiny part of me was still having trouble accepting that.

“Good point,” I said, forcing a smile.

“But I would like to hang out again as friends sometime,” Ryder said. “If you’re down with that.”

I smiled again, and it was less forced this time. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.”

11

RYDER

My phone rang.

“Are you going to get that?” Raf asked.

I looked down at the screen. It was my mom.

“Nope.”

I went back to concentrating on the TV. Raf and I were playing Super Smash Brothers, and I was currently getting my ass kicked. I needed to focus.

Raf darted a glance at me. “That’s the third call in a row.”

“If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.” I shrugged.

I wasn’t quite as unbothered by the calls as I wanted to appear, but maybe if I faked it hard enough, I’d make it. It was the same reason I hadn’t bothered to reach over and turn the ringer off.

I was supposed to hang out with Quinn tonight, just as friends. He should be arriving any minute, and then we’d walk over to The Cheshire, a bar in my neighborhood. I didn’t want to talk to my parents before that. It would only put me in a bad mood.

Amir came into the living room from the kitchen, carrying an entire roast chicken breast speared on a fork. He watched us play for a minute.

“You need to use your throw more,” he said, nodding at me. “You’re getting destroyed.”

“Iamusing it,” I grumbled. “I’m just not playing main.”

“A good mechanic doesn’t blame his tools, Ryder.”

I shot him an annoyed look. “Why do you always backseat drive my games?”

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d get good.” Amir smiled innocently.

My phone, which had only just fallen silent, began to ring a fourth time.

“Ooh, who’s blowing up your phone?” Amir asked, sauntering over. “Some girl, or—”

“No, it’s—” I began, but he swooped in and grabbed my phone before I could reach it.

“Aw, it’s your mom.”

“Just let it ring,” I told him.

“And ignore your mother? What if it’s something important?”

It wasn’t. I knew it wasn’t, because when something important actually happened, like my dad ending up in the hospital after falling off the combine last year, my parents hadn’t mentioned it for two weeks. But it was too late. Amir had already answered.

“Hi, Mrs. Olson. This is Amir, Ryder’s housemate. Oh, I’m doing fine, how are you?” He paused a moment, listening to my mom’sresponse. “That’s great. Yeah, he’s right here. I’ll get him for you.”

He waved the phone at me. I gave him a death glare.

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