Iris’s POV
After I hung up the phone with Ryder, my head was spinning.
I felt like a complete mess, trapped between Damian’s cheating, and his dangerous uncle.
I couldn’t think straight.
I went back to my mom’s place.
It was a safe haven where I could just sit, and catch my breath.
The loud ring of the house landline startled me.
My mom was in her room, so I reached over and picked it up.
“Hello?”
”Iris!
Oh my god, thank God,” my best friend Ruby’s voice came blasting through the speaker.
She sounded worried.
“Where have you been? Damian has been blowing up my phone, asking if I’ve heard from you. He said your line goes straight to voicemail.”
I clutched on the phone handle, my teeth clenching.
“My… my phone died, Ruby,” I said quickly.
“Listen, if he calls you back, just cover for me, hmm? Tell him we were together or something. I just can’t deal with him right now.”
Ruby paused, her tone instantly switching from worried to suspicious.
“Iris, what’s going on? I can feel you’re getting angry from over here. Talk to me.” She was munching on something as she spoke.
I swallowed, my body suddenly feeling tired.
How long have I been bottling up this mess?
I needed to vent it all out, otherwise, I could literally explode.
“Ruby…
it’s over.
Damian is cheating on me with another dude.”
”What?!” Ruby shrieked so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Wait wait wait, he’s gay?”
”It’s worse than that,” I whispered, looking toward the kitchen to make sure my mom couldn’t hear.
“He doesn’t just have a lover. He’s trying to take over the company, and he’s got a pretty solid plan.”
I bit my lip, the guilt of last night heavy in my chest.
I opened my mouth to tell her about Ryder…but the words locked up in my throat.
I couldn’t do it.
I was too ashamed.
“No need to say anything to her.” I concluded quickly.
On the other end of the line, Ruby flew into an absolute rage.
“Are you kidding me?!
That absolute piece of trash!
Where is he right now?
Iris, I swear to God I am going to drive over there right now and rip his head off!
He is not getting away with this!”
”Ruby, stop.
Please, just… stop.” I had to stop her.
“You can’t do that.
What good would that do for us, huh?
I have proof on my phone, but I need to handle this quietly.
If you cause a scene, he’ll know I’m onto him and hide his tracks.” My words seemed meaningful to her because she kept quiet, though I could still hear her heavy breath.” Just promise me you’ll cover for me tonight.
Please.”
Clearly, she was trying to control her anger for my sake.
“Fine,” she grumbled finally.
“I’ll cover for you. But you better tell me your plan, Iris. Because if you don’t ruin him, I will.”
Still sounding incredibly angry on the other end of the line, she grunted again.
“I said I’ll cover for you, no need to worry.”
I sighed, “good.
Thanks.”
”But honestly, Iris?” She said suddenly, “fuck him and his dumb lover.
If he is out there sleeping around and trying to steal your life, you should go out and do the exact same thing.”
I blinked, completely stunned.
“What?”
”I’m serious!” Ruby urged, her voice turning sharp.
“Go find some insanely hot guy and cheat on him.
Get some payback.
Let Damian taste his own medicine!”
”Ruby, no.
Stop it, that’s insane!” I argued quickly, my cheeks instantly bursting into flames.
But a sudden, sharp heat flared deep in my stomach.
My ears started to burn.
Against my will, I remembered exactly how it felt to be pinned down under the solid muscle of Ryder’s body last night.
I could almost hear the low, rough growl he made against my throat.
Would that really be insane?
The forbidden thought hit me like a physical slap.
I quickly shook my head to clear the haze, gripping the phone tighter.
“I have to go, Ruby,” I muttered, hanging up before she could say another word.
Not even up to twenty minutes later, the heavy thud of a knock shook my mom’s front door.
I walked over and pulled the door open.
My eyes bulged open.
“Ryder?”
He stood on the porch, his eyes lingering on mine.
I blinked in shock.
“How… how did you…”
A slow, dangerous smile curved the corner of his lips.
He didn’t answer.
He just looked down at me, his gaze scanning my face before he tilted his head toward his sleek SUV parked right behind.
He turned and walked back to the car, completely confident that I would follow.
I hated that I had to.
Closing the door behind, I followed after him.
The heavy car door clicked shut, sealing us inside.
I sat next to him in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead as I tried averting his gaze.
My fingers twisting the fabric of my dress.
Suddenly, the space around me vanished.
I gasped, pressing my back hard against the leather seat as his hand reached over my shoulder.
The scent of his rich wood smoke cologne wrapped around me, thick and intoxicating.
He pulled the seat belt strap down, but he didn’t click it in.
Instead, his movement stopped.
He hovered inches from my face.
I could feel the intense, radiating heat of his skin.
His breath fanned across my cheeks, warm and steady, while mine came in shallow, panicked puffs.
His dark eyes flickered down, locking onto my lips with a hunger that made my knees go weak even while sitting down.
Before I could even blink, his hand shot out and cupped the back of my neck.
His fingers tangled into my hair, gripping just tightly enough to tilt my head back.
He pushed deeply into my mouth as he forced my tongue into his.
The roughness of his stubble scratched against my sensitive skin, sending a wild shiver straight down my spine.
I pushed my hands against his broad chest, feeling the hard, unyielding muscle beneath his shirt, but he didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, his thumb pressed firmly against my jawline, forcing my mouth open wider as he tasted me deeply, devouring my breath until my mind went completely blank and my hands slowly lost the strength to push him away.