Ryder

 

Ryder watched out of the corner of his eye as the beautiful woman receded from Paolo’s office, which apparently belonged to him now, according to the will waiting for him on the top of the desk. Jesus Christ, Ryder thought as he reached over for his father’s last will and testament, rereading the part that said, “I leave all executive functions of Rainieri Enterprises, including all its affiliated companies, to my eldest son, Ryder Antonio Rainieri.” Ryder ran his fingers over his own name, halfway hoping he could make the words disappear if he read them enough times. The whole thing felt so surreal, like something out of a drug-fueled nightmare.

 

He didn’t have time to agonize over it, though, as there was a knock at the door a few moments later. When he didn’t call out in response, the door swung open, revealing his younger brother Giovanni, standing there with a scowl on his face. “Have you read it yet?” he asked through clenched teeth.

 

Ryder nodded slowly. Well, actually, he hadn’t read the whole document from start to finish, but he saw the part that mattered, the part that denied Giovanni control over the business. “How did you guys find it so quickly?”

 

“It was in the top drawer of his desk,” Giovanni said with a shrug. “One of the servants found it, probably searching for cash or something.” He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.

 

Ryder could practically see tangible waves of rage wafting off of Giovanni, barely contained in his tiny body. It wasn’t like Ryder didn’t understand why his brother was so angry. Despite the fact that he was the younger brother, Giovanni had spent the last ten years learning the business from their father, determined to become the next Don. Yet here the will was, the terms written in black and white, plain as day. Ryder was the heir, not Giovanni, and he didn’t even know why he was chosen.

 

Regardless, Ryder had another question in his head, currently taking precedence over his father’s will. “Did you see that girl that passed by here a few minutes ago?” he asked Giovanni.

 

His younger brother rolled his eyes, probably annoyed that Ryder appeared to be on the lookout for a piece of tail mere hours after their father’s death. “I’ve told you about her before, remember? Adriana? Dad’s assistant?”

 

“Oh. The one who Dad…?”

 

“Fucked?” Giovanni answered for him, a slow grin spreading across his face, making him look like a rabid animal. “Yeah, he drilled that gold mine, if you know what I mean.”

 

Ryder grimaced, his mind suddenly filled with dozens of disgusting images, mental pictures of his older father nailing the beautiful young woman he’d just caught staring at him moments before. It was revolting for several reasons, actually, especially the fact that his dad had been married to his mother for thirty-odd years now. “And it’s been going on for how long? A year? I’m surprised Mom didn’t kill Dad herself.”

 

Giovanni shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “Mom’s tough. She gets it.”

 

“You sure about that?” Ryder asked, feeling highly skeptical that his intense, controlling mother would just tolerate being disrespected that way.

 

“Well,” Giovanni said, chewing on his bottom lip briefly, “I think she was gearing up to fire her, actually.”

 

Ryder felt a weird mix of emotions at that. “Really? Because of the affair?”

 

“I guess. Anyway, if you’re going to try to hit that, first of all, good luck because I haven’t been able to get it in yet. And second of all, try to make it happen fast because she might not be here tomorrow.”

 

Ryder bit the inside of his cheek, fighting with himself to hold back the words he was so tempted to say. Ah, fuck it, he finally thought. “Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s up to me whether she stays or goes,” he said casually, pointing to his father’s will, which still rested on the desk in front of him.

 

Anger flickered across Giovanni’s face, lighting up his eyes for a moment before they went blank again. “You want to deal with it?” he said stiffly. “You’ve never fired anyone before, have you?”

 

Ryder shrugged, even though the answer was clearly a “No.” He picked up his father’s will and waved it in the air like a flag. “This gives me the power to do it now, right?”

 

Giovanni stared at him for a long moment, his jaw clenching and unclenching, apparently fighting to stay calm while Ryder exerted his new authority. He finally nodded and forced a fake smile, saying, “I’ll send her in so you can do the honors,” before turning and walking out, slamming the door to the office behind him so hard that the objects on the shelves trembled like they were struck by an earthquake’s vibrations.

 

Ryder stood still, feeling his blood pump harder in his veins as a result of his newfound power. In the past, whenever he was surrounded by his family, he felt so out of control, especially when his mother was around. That was the big reason why he ran away to the city in the first place. But now, thanks to his father’s last act on this earth, Ryder was sitting on the throne. He felt almost overwhelmed, his body shaking a little bit as he realized the extent of his new power.

 

The door opened a moment later, and the woman from before, Adriana, stepped inside. “Hello, sir,” she said politely as she shut the door behind her.

 

“Do you know who I am?” Ryder asked, folding his hands behind his back. His fingers were still trembling a little bit, and he didn’t want to reveal the strange sense of anxiety that he was feeling at the moment.

 

“Giovanni told me you’re his brother. Congratulations, by the way, about the job,” Adriana said, a lot more confidently than Ryder had expected. She looked directly into his eyes, staring unblinkingly, but her own eyes were calm. Assured. She clearly wasn’t as nervous as he felt right now, trying to get a handle on his new position.

 

“Thanks, why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured to the chair on the other side of his father’s desk. Adriana immediately complied, and Ryder felt a familiar spark of sensation at the base of his stomach, just watching her obey his command. She seemed so comfortable doing what he said, even though he remained standing, practically leaning over her at this point.

 

Adriana looked up at him with wide, innocent-looking eyes, and he felt something crack open in his chest, like a hibernating animal finally shaking himself awake after a long winter’s slumber. She was beautiful, yes, but it wasn’t about that. There was something else to this girl, some secret energy simmering under the surface of her skin that Ryder felt only he could detect.

 

He was keenly aware that several seconds had passed without him saying anything, but his tongue had gone dry within his mouth, just from staring down at her. He couldn’t help but imagine what she would look like on her knees, bending in submission to him. Jesus, he almost popped a boner just thinking about it.

 

But the next second, he felt repulsed by himself, almost physically cringing back from Adriana in disgust at his own lust. His father had bedded this woman, for Christ’s sake! He definitely couldn’t go around hitting on her. She was off-limits, until the end of time.

 

Ryder almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. The one woman he found that had potential to be his Sub, and she was the one woman he couldn’t touch.