Free Maybe This Time by Chantal Fernando

when
Ryan walks in without knocking. I squeal a little, covering my bra
clad breasts with my hands. Instead of being embarrassed, Ryan
grins and closes the door behind him.
    “You have a
smoking body, Summer,” he says, approval dripping from his
tone.
    “I’m glad you
approve,” I say dryly, opening my wardrobe and pulling out my
little black dress. Or should I say the little black
dress.
    There is
little this dress can’t do.
    “Are you
alright?” he asks, taking a seat on my bed.
    “Are you just
gonna sit there and watch me undress?” I ask as I let my hands drop
from my breasts so he has a plain view of my bra.
    “Hold on a
sec,” he says as he lifts his phone to his ear. “Hey, bro.”
    My heart stops
beating.
    “Just wanted
to see where you are tonight cos I’m taking Sum out and I don’t
want her to run into you,” he says into the phone, smirking at
whatever Reid replies . Ryan stares up at me, a mischievous look
taking over his face.
    “You can take
the bra off, too, Summer, nothing I haven’t seen before, trust me,”
he says, I’m sure so that Reid can hear. I roll my eyes at his
antics and take my dress into the bathroom so I can undress in
peace.
    I exit the
bathroom twenty minutes later, dolled up and ready to party. With
my black dress, I’m wearing my strappy platform heels that make my
legs look longer than they really are. My brown hair is down and
ironed dead straight, and my makeup consists of a brown smokey eye
and a nude lip.
    “Someone’s
dressed to kill,” Ryan says as I walk back into my room, doing a
little turn to show him the back of my dress, or lack thereof. He
stands up and walks over to me.
    “You look
beautiful. My brother’s a dumbass,” he says, checking me out
again.
    “Thank you,” I
tell him, meaning it. That was the perfect thing to say. I walk
out, frowning when I see Xander and Dash missing in action.
    “They had to
go somewhere, they'll meet us out. Come on,” he says, heading to
the front door. I lock up the house and slide into his car,
wrinkling my nose.
    “This car
smells like… sex,” I say, looking at Ryan’s profile. Ryan laughs
but doesn’t explain. Knowing him, he probably got some action
before he came for dinner.
    “How come I’ve
never seen Dash hook up?” I ask, suddenly curious.
    Ryan shrugs,
keeping his eyes on the road. “That’s Dash’s story.”
    I make a
growling sound in my throat and Ryan laughs. “So glad to amuse,” I
deadpan. When we pull up into a car park of an apartment complex my
head snaps to Ryan.
    “What the
f…”
    “I have to
stop by and get dressed, I’m not going out like this,” he says
gesturing to his jeans and T-shirt. He looks fine to me.
    “Fine, go on,
I’ll wait here,” I say, pulling out my phone from my handbag to
keep me amused.
    “I can’t just
leave you here,” he says.
    “You can.”
    “Reid isn’t
here. When I rang him he was at the bar, so you don’t have to worry
about seeing him,” he says, getting out of the car and walking
around to open my door for me.
    “Promise?”
    “I promise,
babe, come on.”
    We walk up the
stairs and to the front of apartment number twenty eight. Ryan
unlocks the door, and gently pushes me to enter before him. He
turns on the lights and I walk in, checking the place out. It’s
spacious and beautifully decorated, sparsely but lovely just the
same. The kitchen is black and white, with red bar stools.
    “This is my
room,” he says opening the door to a large room, with a huge bed
and probably the largest TV I've ever seen. He turns the TV on and
tells me to sit, leaving the room, and returning minutes later with
a vodka orange for me.
    “Thanks,” I
say, taking a sip. I cringe when I realise it’s mainly vodka. “If
this is how you pour your drinks at the bar no wonder so many women
want to go home with you,” I joke. Ryan messes my hair up with his
hand and then leaves to the bathroom. I finish my drink slowly,
smiling when I hear Ryan out