Resisting Ryder(24)

Stormy sat quietly in the car as Ryder steered his way through the stop and go traffic congestion. He turned the radio on after a bit to fill the silence. She just wanted to take in her surroundings, and for a split second she was starting to miss the comfort of Coleville.

Stop it, she told herself. You can’t stay in Coleville forever. Give this place a chance.

“So where do you live out here?” she asked.

“I live in East LA,” he said. “I have a condo. And a roommate.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a roommate,” she said. She hoped to God it wasn’t a girl, especially not Veronica.

“His name is Zander. He’s kind of my right hand guy,” he said. “He’s a bit of a wild card. You’ve been warned.”

“I’ve got one of those,” Stormy laughed. “Her name is Brooklyn. She’s kind of crazy, but I love her anyway.”

“So did you have anything you wanted to do or see while you’re in town?” he asked as he checked his mirror and switched lanes. His driving was a little scary and aggressive compared to what Stormy was used to back home. She couldn’t help but to grip handle on the inside of the door.

“I was hoping you’d just take me under your wing and show me around,” she said. “I just wanted to get out of Coleville.”

“You got it,” he said with a smile. She could tell he enjoyed this.

They finally arrived in East LA, and he pulled into an underground parking garage into a reserved spot. He grabbed her things from his trunk and headed to an elevator as she traipsed behind him. The neighborhood seemed a little sketchy, but the building looked newer. She felt safe with him though.

They road up to the fourth floor where he walked down to the unit at the end of the hall.

“Home, sweet home,” he said as he unlocked the heavy door and swung it open.

The place was massive. Stormy was expecting some tiny, hole-in-the-wall apartment. She knew living in L.A. wasn’t cheap, but this defied all of her expectations. The ceilings were sky high and the floor plan was wide open. The colors were neutral and the acid-stained concrete floors were flawless and so shiny she could see her reflection in them. Floor to ceiling windows lined the far living room wall and the place was immaculate. She couldn’t find a speck of dust or a stray shoe anywhere.

She stood in amazement at his gorgeous condo. It was straight out of a movie scene.

“Did you decorate this place yourself?” she asked as she took in the industrial paintings that adorned the walls and the giant ceramic pieces that seemed to be placed ever so perfectly in various places. The place was easily fit for a king – or a VP of a prominent biker gang.

“Oh, God, no,” Ryder laughed. “Zander used to date this one chick. I think she was a set designer or something? We basically let her have free reign of decorating this place. Not too bad, eh?”

“That makes sense,” she smiled. “Your place looks like it’s straight off of a movie set or something. I guess I never thought a biker like you would live in such a palace.”

“I told you, I’m also a businessman. I sort of have to have one foot in each world, straddling both lifestyles,” he explained. “That, and I have an appreciation for the finer things given how I grew up. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

Stormy stood, cemented in her place, as she yearned for him to give her a tour. She was dying to see the rest of the place. Ryder parked her suitcase next to the door.

“So down that hall over there is Zander’s area,” he said pointing to his right, just beyond the living room.

Stormy was curious about this Zander guy. She wondered if he was even home since the place was so quiet.

“Over to the left is my side of the place,” he said as he pointed just past the kitchen. “We each have our own suites.”

“Pretty neat,” Stormy said for lack of something better to say. “Where am I sleeping?”

“You can sleep in my room,” he said, not missing a beat. “I’ll take the couch.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she insisted. “I can sleep on the couch.”

“Nope,” he said. “You’re my guest. Plus, I really don’t want to subject you to seeing Zander walking around in the morning in his underwear chomping and smacking on his bowl of Fruity Pebbles. You’ll thank me later.”

Stormy laughed.

“Who’s this?” she heard another guy’s voice say from behind her.

“Zander, meet Stormy,” Ryder said.

Zander looked Stormy up and down, blatantly checking her out before extending his right hand.