Not So Nice by Emma Lyon
Nathan
“We’re taking a private jet?”
As Ryan gazed, awestruck, around the plush, expensive cabin, I had to admit I was enjoying his reaction. The jet was one of those indulgent purchases I’d allowed myself because it was part of the image I had to maintain, but it didn’t make it any less sweet.
“My private jet,” I corrected. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Ryan looked surprised by the offer. Not any more surprised than I was. But I couldn’t help showing off the jet to him like a kid with a new toy. There was the cabin, of course, which was laid out like a living room with a cream wraparound couch and fixed ottoman with two overstuffed chairs on the other side of the aisle. The kitchen at the other end was attached to the bar, mostly for heating up prepared food. Next to that was a bathroom, large by airline standards, with a shower, even.
Ryan made all the requisite impressed noises, which pleased me more than was warranted. It’s a jet. He should be impressed. It wasn’t at all that my pleasure came from impressing him.
Taking him back to the front of the plane, I knocked on the cockpit door before opening it. The pilot, a retired Air Force veteran and certified commercial airline pilot I’d managed to snag with promises of a more relaxed life in the private sphere, turned in his seat and gave Ryan a smile and me a nod.
“We have another twenty minutes until takeoff. They’re just clearing the runway.” Turning back to Ryan, he said, “Do you want a look?”
I stepped back so Ryan could get a better view of the instrument panel, and let the captain explain all the various gadgets, which Ryan seemed to find fascinating. He wasn’t faking it, either—he had a quick mind and natural curiosity, and after five minutes of their back and forth, I cleared my throat meaningfully.
Ryan glanced over, eyes still gleaming with interest in what the captain had been saying, and smiled at me in such an unself-conscious way I was momentarily derailed. “We should let the captain get back to his pre-flight.”
Ryan straightened and looked abashed. “Of course.” He turned his smile on the captain. “Thanks for showing me everything.”
I was absolutely not jealous that someone else was the recipient of that smile. Leading the way back to the cabin, I took one of the chairs and gestured for Ryan to take the other. Time to bring this back to business. “What did you find out about Gabriel Lorde?”
Ryan picked up the cue and straightened in the chair. He reached for his laptop bag he’d left next to it. “I have some notes—”
“I don’t care about specifics,” I interrupted. “I want to know your impressions.”
Ryan released his grip on the laptop bag and sank back slowly in the chair, chewing his lip in thought. His blue eyes stared unfocused somewhere above my head, and I itched to bring them back to me. “He’s highly thought of in the gaming development community, and he’s passionate about his company.”
“Passion can be used like anything else.”
Ryan looked like he might disagree but let it go. “Why a gaming company, though?”
Ryan was right that I didn’t have any other holdings in that industry. Possibly an oversight, considering its exponential growth the last decade, but I didn’t like jumping into things I didn’t know. If I managed to convince Lorde to sell, then I’d see about expanding.
“It’s not the company I want, it’s their imaging software. Lorde has managed to create something light years beyond anything else that’s out there currently. There are so many possible applications—medical imaging, next-level 3D printing—but all Lorde can see is games.”
“Why doesn’t he lease out the software himself?”
I snorted. “Because he’s small-minded and doesn’t care about money.”
“Or improving medical care,” Ryan added.
I waved my hand dismissively. “That too. The point is, he doesn’t know what he has or what to do with it. That’s why he needs me.”
Ryan looked at me curiously. “Why do you need me?”
I hesitated. I hadn’t actually decided on the best way to reveal my plan to Ryan. I was saved from answering when the plane shifted under us and the captain called back from the cockpit that we’d be taking off soon. And to fasten our seatbelts, please.
“Let’s talk about that when we get there,” I said.
* * *
As the plane touched down in Ithaca an hour later, I mulled over my reluctance to bring Ryan up to speed, trying to understand its cause. Maybe it was because I wasn’t actually sure how he would react. He’d disapprove, certainly. The fact that I cared about his approval at all only increased my irritation, so I put it out of mind until we got to the hotel and Ryan said something about going up to the front desk to check us in, and I realized an obvious problem I’d overlooked.
“I’ll check us in,” I said. Ryan stopped short. I raised an eyebrow at his surprised look. “I can actually do things for myself.”
“Yes, but do you?” he said, with that dry humor that always seemed to spark an answering heat in me.
I took it as a challenge. “Just watch.”
I left him with the bags the driver had brought in and made my way to the glossy wood and granite front desk. Luckily there wasn’t a line. I hated waiting in line, which was why I usually made sure I never had to.
The young woman behind the counter looked up at me without a trace of recognition but still with definite interest. “How can I help you?”
Clearly I didn’t need notoriety to get what I wanted. I gave her the smile I usually reserved for media appearances. “Good afternoon.”
The effect wasn’t lost on her. She practically glowed. I put my elbow on the counter and leaned in as if we were the only two people in the room. “You should have reservations for two rooms under the name Nathan Graham.”
I waited for her to recognize the name, at least, but apparently she lived under a rock when not working at this hotel. It figured that the city I’d spent my first eighteen years in wouldn’t have a clue who I was. Add that to the multitude of reasons I hated this place.
She punched in a series of keys on her computer. Her face fell. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any reservations under that name.”
Ryan had probably booked the rooms under the company name. “How about Graham Enterprises?”
Her keyboard clacked again. The small frown lines around her mouth cleared and she looked happy again. “Yes, here it is. You have reservations for one of our Deluxe rooms and—” here she paused, impressed, “—the Tower Suite.”
“Excellent. We’ll only be needing the Tower Suite, however.”
She bit her lip. “I’m so sorry, but there’s a fee for canceling a room less than twenty-four hours—”
“That’s fine,” I interrupted. “I’ll pay the fee. Just charge it to the credit card on file.”
Now she looked agonized. “I’m sorry, but I’ll need to see some identification first.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Maybe I didn’t need notoriety, but I’d gotten used to the perks of it. I pulled out my wallet and retrieved my driver’s license, sliding it across the counter to her.
“And the credit card on file.”
If I called Ryan over now, it would be as good as admitting defeat. How people managed to jump through these hoops all the time, when it could all be made so much easier, I didn’t know.
Money, of course, was the surest way to easy. I pulled out my personal card. I’d expense it to the business later. “You can put it on this.”
She looked torn. Probably there was some antiquated hotel rule that she could only accept the credit card used to make the reservation, but at this point I was prepared to reserve an entirely new room rather than let Ryan see me fail.
To my relief, she accepted the card. “All right.”
I felt like I’d slain a dragon when she finally slid two sets of key cards across the counter along with my credit card and ID. “You’ll need to use your key card in the elevator to access your suite. Shall I have someone take up your bags?”
“Please,” I said, gracious in victory. I turned and raised my eyebrow at Ryan, who was still standing with the bags in the middle of the lobby. See?
I caught a distinct roll of his eyes before the bellhop summoned by the desk clerk appeared to take our bags from him.
As we followed the bellhop into the elevator, Ryan turned to me. “Did she give you a key card for my room too?”
I prevaricated. “There’s something I want to talk to you about first.”
Ryan didn’t seem suspicious as we exited the elevator and I used the key card on the door down the hall. It opened onto an expansive suite of living room, dining area, and bedroom with iconic views of the university towers and surrounding lush green countryside and sparkling lakes.
“Wow,” Ryan said at the view, going to the large windows as if drawn there. I tipped the bellhop and closed the door behind him. “They had pictures on the website, but this is even nicer.”
The view really was impressive, even if the familiar scenery left me cold. I went to stand next to him. “That’s Cayuga Lake.” I nodded at the blue gleam of water on the other side of the university campus.
Ryan’s gaze flicked to me, surprised. “You know the area?”
“A bit.” I wasn’t going to get into how, not even with Ryan. “You’ve never been up this way?”
He shook his head. “Most of our vacations were taken at the beach. I went to college locally. I guess I haven’t traveled much.”
I forgot sometimes how young he was. Not that twenty-three was young, exactly, but there was so much of his life he hadn’t lived yet. For a moment I was tempted to blow off the summit and show Ryan around Ithaca for the weekend. I might hate the place, but I couldn’t deny it was beautiful. He’d probably enjoy that more than the summit.
But I hadn’t gotten to where I was by acting on impulse, even ones I wanted to indulge—which was in itself surprising. Maybe I’d been working too hard if the thought of playing tour guide to my PA was more appealing than closing this deal with Lorde.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
I got my head back in the game. “Like I said, I’ve made several offers to Lorde, all of which he’s rejected. He doesn’t trust my promise to keep his company intact or to take care of his employees.”
Ryan very diplomatically didn’t point out that I didn’t have the best track record for either. “So, you’re using this summit as a way to gain his trust.”
“Exactly,” I said, pleased that he was following. Really, Ryan was wasted as a PA. Not that I’d ever tell him that. Because his intelligence made him a very good PA. “The best way to do that is to demonstrate shared values. To create a sense of mutual understanding.”
“I’m guessing you’re not going to come out to him as a secret gamer.”
I laughed despite myself. “Too obvious. Besides, I’d never be able to pull it off. What else does Lorde value?”
“His company,” Ryan said immediately. “His husband, I assume.”
I nodded. “Lorde doesn’t like me because he doesn’t like my reputation.” Self-righteous ass. “If he sees me here with a committed partner, he’ll be forced to reassess. Maybe start thinking about my offer as a viable one. God knows he’s not going to get one better.”
Ryan looked confused. “You want me to call Slake?”
I blinked. Slake? Really? “I’m talking about you.”
I had a good view of Ryan’s face and the myriad of reactions that passed over it, but I wasn’t sure how to read the sudden flush of his cheeks. He said slowly, “You want me to pose as your boyfriend this weekend?”
“Exactly,” I said, hoping that look on his face was delighted interest and not horrified revulsion. “I thought you’d find it fun.”
Ryan started to choke. “You thought I’d find it fun?” he sputtered when he could speak again.
I reassessed my strategy. Maybe I should have told him earlier after all. “It’s one weekend of pretending to be together. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because it’s lying.”
I shrugged. “To people we don’t even know. Besides, it’s for a good cause.”
“A good cause is finding homes for shelter animals.”
“It’s a good cause for me,” I clarified.
Ryan shook his head like I was hopeless. But he hadn’t said no. At least not yet. I could sense him wavering. “Why me?”
“You know me better than anyone.” I paused, hearing it out loud. Was it true my PA knew me better than anyone else? Did I care? That was society’s tunnel vision talking, not me. “Who else would it be?”
He bit his lip. He was definitely wavering. “What exactly are we talking about?”
I tried not to celebrate victory just yet. “There’s a welcoming dinner and drinks tonight, which will be the best opportunity to get Lorde in conversation. It’s also public enough to establish our status as a couple.”
He blanched a little at couple. “So just one evening?”
“Well,” I wagged my hand, “if he’s not at the dinner, I’ll have to find another opportunity. But no longer than the weekend.”
He glanced around the room as if thinking about it, and I knew I had him.
Then I saw realization dawn. “You canceled the other room, didn’t you. Because you knew how it would look if we weren’t staying together. You thought I’d be fine sharing a room.”
Put that way, it did sound…inappropriate. Possibly law-suitish. I scrambled to regain my footing. “There’s plenty of space here. I believe the couch in the living room pulls out into a bed.” I had no idea if that was true, but it seemed plausible.
“I’m not sleeping on the couch.”
“Of course not,” I said hurriedly, not wanting to lose the ground I’d gained. “You can have the bed.”
He thought for a full minute more, and I barely suppressed a smile of victory when he sighed and said, “Fine. I suppose I’ll be your pretend boyfriend for the weekend.”
I wasn’t too successful at hiding my smile after all.
Now that that was taken care of, I eyed him critically up and down. Off-the-rack suits and generic dress shirts might be normal for a twenty-three-year-old PA, but not for someone I’d actually date. “About this dinner tonight….”
“Yes?” Ryan asked cautiously.
“It’s our first opportunity to convince everyone we’re a couple. We need to make it count.”
He looked confused. “You want to do more research on Lorde?”
I shook my head slowly. “I want us to go shopping.”
He frowned like he was trying to decide whether or not to be offended. “For what?”
“Clothes. Suitable ones, that is. If you’re going to debut as my new boyfriend, you need to look the part.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, stubbornness setting in. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to answer that?” Ryan’s expression said no, he really didn’t, and he wasn’t happy about that.
“Fine.” The word left him like a sigh. “Where are we going shopping?”
I smiled. “Leave that to me.”