Chapter7
Ryder stood outside of Taylor’s front door, his hands in his pockets as he tried to work out what he was doing in his mind. He couldn’t believe that he had gone through with Taylor’s crazy idea, but he had, and like it or not, he had to make it work. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to do that alone.
He drew in a deep breath and knocked sharply on door. Moments later, Taylor opened the door and gave him a nod and a smile as he stepped backward to vacate the space in the doorway. “Come in, brother! What are you up to?”
Ryder walked in and Taylor closed the door behind him. “I actually came to talk with you about something kind of important.” Ryder walked through the large foyer of Taylor’s home and into his entertainment room and bar.
Taylor followed him and when Ryder walked behind the bar and looked over at Taylor, he lifted his chin a little with a smile. “Pour me one too, please.” Ryder and Taylor drank together often enough at Taylor’s house that Ryder had become accustomed to getting his own drinks when he wanted them.
“If we’re drinking this early in the morning, then I know it’s serious.” Taylor gave him a smile, but it was clear that he was masking his concern. “What’s s bad enough to have bourbon for breakfast?”
Ryder looked up at Taylor seriously. “Your crazy idea.” He handed a double shot of bourbon to Taylor and poured one for himself.
Taylor frowned slightly. “Which crazy idea was that?”
With a short laugh, Ryder nodded. “Good question. You do come up with no end of them, don’t you!” he shook his head a little as he looked down into his glass and drew a deep breath. Raising his eyes again to meet those of his best friend, he spoke clearly.
“The crazy idea in which I get married to a hot cocktail waitress in order to trick my father into giving me my inheritance.” He closed his mouth then and waited for Taylor to respond.
Taylor blinked in surprise. “OH… yeah, that idea. I forgot about that idea. We were drinking. She was hot. I was making a point more than anything else. I just think that you could marry anyone and pay them to do it, and you could get your inheritance. It’s just a perk if you get to marry a hot cocktail waitress just to piss your dad off.” He laughed and lifted his glass, taking a long pull off of the drink before setting it back down. He grinned and looked curiously at Ryder.
“Why… are you going to find someone to get married to as a business proposition?” Taylor lifted one brow interestedly. “Did you actually con someone into marrying your crazy ass?”
“Yeah, actually. I thought I’d marry the hot cocktail waitress.” Ryder answered him.
Taylor frowned. “You already asked her and she told you off. She said she couldn’t be bought and she left you, brother. I think you might be barking up the wrong tree going after her.”
“I went back and talked with her again and we worked it out. She said yes. We’re getting married. I need to ask you to be my best man.” Ryder told him in one quick shot. Taylor’s mouth fell open.
“You’re marrying the hot cocktail waitress? The one from the strip club?” He asked incredulously.
Ryder nodded. “Yeah, I am. That’s the one. Her name is Regina.”
Taylor laughed out loud, long and hard. “That’s awesome! I don’t know how you pulled that off, but it’s amazing! Do it! Marry that girl. She was a hottie!”
“Yeah, she is.” Ryder agreed, thinking about how it might be to have her in his bed every night. “She was all for it once we got it worked out.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Taylor reached his hand out to shake Ryder’s hand. “Well, congratulations brother. I’m glad for you, I guess. I can’t get over it… only you would go back to a woman who told you off and get her to marry you.”
Ryder shrugged. “Well, I think she did it for the money and only the money, but we’ll see. I mean, we’re going to be faking it while we’re tied in a knot together, so we might as well be making it, right?” He laughed at his little joke and then swallowed half of the liquor in his glass before growing somewhat serious again.
“Really though, I need you to be my best man. This was all your idea in the first place, and I wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you, so what do you say? Will you be my best man?”
“Yeah, definitely! I’m definitely in.” Taylor nodded and chuckled a bit more. “Wow. I can’t believe it… you’re getting married.”
“Hey now, don’t get too far off the beaten path here; I’m getting married so that I can get my inheritance and then I’m getting divorced. This is all going to be over in no time at all, so don’t forget that please.” Ryder pointed out in a cautious tone.
“You got it, bro.” Taylor answered as he finished up his drink. “God, your old man is going to be so pissed at you.”
Ryder smiled and nodded his head. “Yes, he is, and that pleases me to no end.”
“You sure this could get physical with her?” Taylor asked, eyeing Ryder.
Ryder nodded. “Oh yeah. Think about it. She’s going to be in my bed every night. If I have to be married, at least I’ll have a hot woman in my sheets whenever I want her; someone who turns me on. She definitely turns me on.”
“You’re one lucky bastard.” Taylor said with a shake of his head and a half smile. Then he looked up at his best friend with a slightly more serious expression. “So, on a personal note, and you don’t have to tell me this, but why are you so bent on marrying someone your father will hate? Why don’t you marry someone you like, or someone your father at least likes?”
A dark expression shadowed Ryder’s face. He glowered down at the bar top before speaking in a low tone. “My father loves his business, he loves his reputation, and he really loves his money, but he doesn’t love his family. I’m just doing this to get a rise out of him. I’m just doing it to piss him off. I just want to see him care about something other than the money. Just once. Even if it’s only his anger about the whole thing. It would be a nice change.”
He lifted his glass of bourbon and tossed it back, swallowing all of the contents of the glass. Taylor nodded silently and then reached for the bottle near Ryder.
“Round two?” he asked helpfully, knowing that his friend wasn’t even close to being done.
“Bring it on.” Ryder answered with determination that had nothing to do with the alcohol.