Release (8 page)

“Of course
you’re not.  And listen to me, Ry.  Don’t be ashamed to
feel
! 
You’re a woman.  A beautiful, passionate,
horny
woman,” she laughed
teasingly, pushing her down on the sofa trying to lighten the mood.  Then
she quoted their favorite
Bridesmaids
line, which was often said to the
other whenever one of them was feeling insecure.  She used her best
drunken slurred speech, and said, pointing her finger at her, “You are more
beautiful than Cinderella, you smell like pine needles, and you have a face like
sunshine!”

Ryann chuckled,
then sighed.

Ayanna got
serious again.  “Maybe he doesn’t think of you as another one of his
women.  I mean, he followed you home all the way to Jersey, Ry.  He
wouldn’t have done that if he wasn’t interested.  I mean obviously he’s
interested.  And, remember what your student said to everyone?  How
he’d never seen a woman stand up to him?  I’m sure you’re nothing like the
other women who he’s used to falling at his feet.  Trust me, you’re
refreshing.”

Ayanna took a
deep breath, and looked into Ryann’s eyes.

“Sweetie, you
need to fuckin’ enjoy this,” she said.  Then she took a deep breath, “How
did it end?”

Ryann sighed,
and looked down.  “He basically told me when he wants something, he
doesn’t allow anything to stand in his way…and that I should be warned.” 
Pause.  “Pompous son of a bitch,” she mumbled, disgruntled.

Ayanna laughed
again.  “I have never heard you curse this much in one sitting…ever. 
And the fact that you’re pouting only proves how much he’s really gotten to
you.  And I, for one, am thrilled.”

Ryann smirked
and shook her head.

“What am I going
to do, Yan?”

“Well, you can
sit back and see what he does.  He’s either going to end up being a dick,
or he might just end up being a gorgeous, yummy guy who happens to have a lot
of the same interests as you, and something might actually happen with
him.  Don’t overanalyze, honey.  Maybe the fact that he’s at the
Institute won’t be an issue.  Just be yourself and let things
happen.  Either way, you’ll find out soon enough if he’s worth it or not….
But between you and me?  He sounds dee-lish.” 

Ayanna looked at
her with all of the many years of love and friendship they had between them,
and said, “It’s been awhile for you, I know.  But you know what? 
It’s time.”  She put up her hand as if to stop the protests before Ryann
could utter them, and continued.  “I understand you feel guilty, but Brent
would want you to move on.  You
know
this.  So, when are you
going to see him again?  Did he say?”

“I don’t
know!”  Ryann flopped back on the sofa.  God, when did she turn into
such a whining, sniveling thing?

“Well, I’m
telling you right now.  The next time he
does
see you?  You’re
going to be ready.”

They both looked
at each other a moment, then Ayanna reached forward and hugged her. 
“You’re going to be ready, Ry.” 

Sunday, Ryann
woke up at 6am, wanting to be ready for the movers arriving at seven.  She
had slept much better than the night before, and she could only credit Ayanna
for talking her through the situation…actually it was more like yelling, she
thought wryly.

By seven, she
was in her cutoff jeans, coupled with a white V-neck t-shirt and sneaks, and
her hair clipped up in a messy topknot.  She had stripped her bed, made a
full pot of coffee, and had bagels ready on the table for the movers.  She’d
learned having food for the moving men was always a good idea.

The day
progressed, and several hours later as she closed up her house for the last
time, she allowed herself a moment of nostalgia.  This was the first home
that she and Brent had bought together.  It would always be special to
her.  The moment gave her time to reflect, and then, a few moments later,
allowed her some closure.  She was not only ready to move, but move
on
as well.  She hopped into her car, and followed the movers into the City.

Although many
buildings with doormen in the City didn’t allow people to move in on the
weekends because most of the residents were home, her friend who had discovered
the unit for her sat on the co-op association and worked it so she could move
in on a Sunday.  Considering there wasn’t a ton for her to move in because
of her significant need to downsize, it wouldn’t take the movers long to unload
everything into her new 700 square foot home.

By late
afternoon, she had her car in the garage below the building, and was buried
under boxes in her new apartment on the West Side, and couldn’t be
happier.  She absolutely loved her new place.  With an open floor
plan, it had only one bedroom, but a large living room, and an adorable
kitchen.  She couldn’t wait to paint and decorate.

It was a fresh
start, and she was feeling the excitement for this next chapter in her life to
begin.  She took a deep cleansing breath and allowed herself to embrace
this new feeling of happiness and contentment.  Smiling, she opened the
first kitchen box and began to unpack.

…..

About an hour
into her unpacking, Ayanna arrived and began helping her put the place to
rights. 

A knock sounded
at the apartment door at around 6:30pm, startling both Ryann and Ayanna, since
no one had called on the intercom for them to buzz someone up to her
place.  One of the things that Brent’s life insurance money had guaranteed
was a spacious place in a safe area of the City to live, and her favorite part,
a doorman at the door.  Wondering who it could be, she walked to the door
and looked out the peep hole.  She smiled and opened the door wide.

“There better be
pepperoni on that pizza, Mr. White.”

“Of course there
is.  What kind of New Yorker do you take me for?”

Ryann chuckled,
and gave him a quick one armed hug.  She stood back to let him in.

“Hi yourself,
Mrs. Thornton.  Welcome to the neighborhood,” he said with a twinkle in
his eye.  He walked in and looked around, then stopped when he saw Ayanna.

Ayanna herself
began preening, as only Ayanna could.  She was looking at Jonathan as if
he was a popsicle she wanted to lick all over.

“Hi,” she said
breathily.  “I’m Ayanna.”  She walked over and put her hand out.

“Jonathan.” 
He shook her hand, barely paying her any mind, then turned to Ryann.  “If
this isn’t a good time, I can just drop the pizza off for you.  I thought
you might need some food.”

Ayanna jumped
in.  “No, please stay.  We’re both starving, and it’s perfect
timing.”  She beamed her best  smile. 

Jonathan looked
at her, then back to Ryann.  Ryann was nodding, “Yes, please stay. 
It’s about time you two met each other, anyway!  I feel like you guys
should already know each other.  I’ve certainly talked about each of you
to the other a million times.”

Jonathan White
was Ryann’s colleague at the Academy who now lived a few floors above
her.  Because he was her friend who had been on the co-op board of the
building, he was able to tell her when this unit had become available. 
Ryann had mentioned to him that she’d wanted to make the move out of the burbs
and into the City, so when Jonathan told her of this place, she took a look at
it, immediately fell in love, and put in an offer.

Jonathan had
been a good friend.  A former Wall Street investor, he had an epiphany in
his late 20’s and decided he wanted to give back to society.  Earning his
teaching certification in Business, he was hired as the teacher of Business and
Finance at the Academy, and had been a huge help to her when she had needed to
invest Brent’s life insurance money. 

At 30, he had a
studious handsomeness about him, and was dressed in brown denim pants, coupled
with a red and white checked button down, with the sleeves rolled up. 
Finishing his look were his trademark wire rimmed glasses highlighting his baby
blue eyes.  His close cut sandy colored hair topped his head, which
reached about six feet, one inch into the air.  The female students at the
Academy were gaga over him.

During the last
school year, she had wondered if he’d had feelings for her beyond
friendship.  But then again, what did she know?  Her “man” radar had
never worked properly, according to Ayanna.

He nodded,
“Yeah.  Good to finally meet you,” he said to Ayanna.  Then turning
back to Ryann, he said, “So how did the move go?  Looks like everything
fits.”  He set the pizza and bottle of red wine on the coffee table.

 “Yup. 
Everything fits.  So welcome to my humble abode.”  She smiled then
added, “I’ll just go get us some plates and stuff so we can eat.  I’ll be
right back.”

Ayanna didn’t
offer to help, but stayed behind with Jonathan. 

It only took her
a minute or two to get the plates and glasses.  So when she came back into
the living room, she was surprised to see Ayanna and Jonathan in what looked
like a heated discussion.  When she entered, she heard the tail end of
Jonathan’s comment, “Is this your modus operandi, Ayanna?”

She cleared her
throat when she walked in and they both turned to look at her.  Ayanna’s
face was flushed with what looked like embarrassment, and Jonathan looked as
cool as a cucumber.  What the hell had just happened?

Ryann looked
between the two of them and said, hesitantly, “Everything okay in here?” 
She gave Ayanna a pointed look.

“Everything’s
great!” Ayanna said breezily.  “Jonathan and I were just getting to know
each other better,” she smiled brightly.  “Let’s eat!”

Ayanna sat down
on the sofa, and Jonathan sat on the single stuffed chair, the farthest point
away from Ayanna.  Yup.  Something definitely had happened.

They opened the
wine, then the pizza box, and dug in.

Conversation was
a little stilted.  If she didn’t know any better, she would think Ayanna
had put the moves on Jonathan, and he turned her down.  She would’ve believed
it, had the idea not been so preposterous.  She had
never
known a
man not to succumb to Ayanna’s charms.

After a very
awkward 10 minutes, she heard another knock at the door.  What is this,
Grand Central Station?  No one had called on the intercom again, so who
could it be? 

Ryann looked
through the peephole, and nearly threw up. 

She cleared her
throat, and stepped away from the door.  How on earth did he find me? she
thought.  She hadn’t mentioned her new address to him the other
night. 

She swallowed,
then stepped back and opened the door.

God, did he look
good. 

Jeremy
McCallister stood tall and lean in his black Armani V-neck that fit him like a
glove showing off his well formed chest and muscled arms.  He wore faded
Levi’s, faded in all of the right places, and a pair of black and gray hiking
sneakers. His dark hair was sexily tousled, and his green eyes bore into her.

Her body
completely overheated in a matter of two seconds, and she stood there with
what, she was sure, was a dumbfounded look on her face.  She tried not to
run her hand over her sloppy hair, and dusty clothes.  All she could think
about was the last time they were together in her house, and the warning he’d
given.  Well, at least she had one question answered.  He was definitely
interested.

He was looking
intently at her, his eyes amused.  “Hello, Ryann.”

She squeaked out
a “Hi.”

“Are you going
to invite me in?” 

Weren’t humans
not supposed to invite vampires in?

“I’m sorry,” she
blurted.  “Please, come in.”  Her stomach was in complete knots, and
she was racking her brain to figure out how she was going to get through the
next few moments.

Flustered, she
stepped aside and let him in.

When Jeremy saw
Ayanna and Jonathan, he said, “Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything. 
I didn’t realize you had company.” 

Ryann took a
deep breath.  “No, we were just having some pizza and wine.  This is
Ayanna, my best friend.  We grew up together.  And this is Jonathan,
a colleague of mine from the Academy.  He lives in the building and was
the one who told me about the unit when it became available.  Guys, this
is Jeremy McCallister.”  She paused to give Ayanna a look, who had a
restrained giddiness about her.  “Jeremy is Tabitha Lowe’s son, the
artist?  He and I met the other night at his mother’s art showing.”

Ryann cleared
her throat, while they all shook hands.  Then Jeremy looked back at her.

She was so
flustered, she had to stand there another moment before she could get her
bearings.  Wait, how had Jeremy gotten up here?  “I didn’t hear the
intercom.  How were you able to get up here?”

“Coincidentally,
George, your doorman downstairs, was a doorman at the building where
I
first lived.  We recognized each other, and he let me up so I could
surprise you.”  He gave her a pointed look.  “Surprised?” 

She wanted to
smack that look right off of his face.  She suddenly realized she had a
pretty good idea how he found out where she lived, and she wasn’t sure she was
happy about it.  How did he get his hands on her application at the Institute
when he didn’t start on the board until the next day? 

At the same
time, she felt warm and gooey inside.  What woman wouldn’t be thrilled to
know that a gorgeous man who she happened to be madly in lust with, made an
effort to find her?  All because he wanted her.   It was a bit
stalkery, but in a good way, right?  She knew his family, so he couldn’t
be that bad.  His mom and aunt gave him rave reviews.  But somehow
that didn’t surprise her.

Her breasts
began to tingle and tighten, and she crossed her arms over her chest so no one
could see her nipples harden. 

It was his
presumption that pissed her off.  He couldn’t just show up expecting
everything to be hunky dory.  There were issues that needed to be talked
through.  And the way that he had gone about getting her address just
proved that this relationship was probably unwise.

So here she was
thrilled, aroused and pissed.  She was a mess.

“Yes, I am
surprised,” finally answering Jeremy’s question, giving him a look. 
“Would you like to join us?”

“I would love
to.  Thanks for asking.”

 She
blinked.  Why did she think he was going to say no?  She needed a
moment to figure this out.  “Let me go get another plate and glass,” she
said, glaring at him.  “I’ll be right back.” 

“I’ll help you,”
Ayanna said, and grabbed her arm propelling her into the kitchen.

They walked into
the kitchen, and Ryann grabbed the countertop to steady herself.  She took
a deep breath, turned on the faucet, and wet her hands, placing them on her
heated cheeks. 

“O.M.G.,
Ry!”  Ayanna said while fanning herself.  “He. Is. Gorgeous!”
whispered furiously.  “He came over! This is awesome!  How did he
find you?”

Ryann dried her
hands, and grabbed another plate and wine glass.  She was taking deep
breaths, trying to fight off hyperventilating.

“Here, I’ll take
these,” she said keeping her voice low.  “You look like you’re going to
fall over.  Take a deep breath, sweetie.  This is a good thing. 
We were wondering what his next move was going to be, and now we know. 
You’re ready for this, baby.  Come on.  We don’t want to be in here
too long.  He’ll know we’re talking about him.  We don’t want him to
think you’re that affected.”

And with that,
Ayanna propelled her right back out again, without Ryann having muttered a
word.

“Here ya go,
Jeremy.  Have a piece of pizza.  Would you like some wine?” Ayanna
asked.

“That would be
great, thanks.”

Ayanna moved to
the arm of Jonathan’s chair and sat, swinging her foot, leaving a space open
next to Ryann on the sofa.

Jeremy sat next
to Ryann toward the middle of the sofa, stretching out his long legs, crowding
her.  He reached for some pizza, while Jonathan poured him some wine.

Ryann was so
nervous, she was finding it difficult to eat.  Instead, she took a huge
swig from the wineglass that Jonathan poured for her, hoping it would help calm
her nerves. 

When Jonathan
handed his wine to him, Jeremy said.  “So, Jonathan, you teach at the
Academy?  My cousin attended there.  Robbie Callahan?”

“Robbie is your
cousin?” Jonathan asked with a genuine smile. Jeremy nodded.  “Great
kid.  And an awesome student.  How was his first year at Yale?”

While Jeremy
gave Jonathan a quick summary of Robbie’s year, Ryann sat back and watched the
exchange.  She started to relax.  Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after
all.  Ayanna looked at her with a gleam in her eye, then placed her hand
on the back of Jonathan’s chair.  He glanced back at her, but continued
talking with Jeremy.

Yup, Ayanna was
definitely making a move.