The Billionaire's Substitute

Ethan's Dirty Little Game

Rachel closed the lid to a medium-sized paper cup, the scent of freshly brewed coffee surrounding her. The scent of freshly brewed coffee making her feel giddy all morning. It had nothing to do with the fact that the coffee she just prepared was meant for Ryan Parker. At least that's what she told herself. As she glanced around the room she took in the almost empty shop. Customers this early only came over for a coffee or tea to go, needing a hot beverage to start their hectic day. Her eyes trailed to the entrance, her eyes lighting up as she met Ryan's gaze. With confident strides he approached the counter, greeting her with a grin as she pushed the hot paper cup toward him. He reached for it and took a careful sip from it.

"I seriously missed your coffee." He admitted to her, the happiness in his eyes from sipping coffee making her laugh, he ignored her little laugh and continued, "You make a mean cup of coffee, you can't imagine how glad I am you're back."

"It's just a cup of coffee." She brushed him off, her cheeks heating up because of all the praise she received.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I can't believe you of all people would say that to me."

She straightened up, "I do get what you're saying, I was only teasing you." She noticed that even though he looked great that morning, there was something in his eyes which told her he wasn't quite there with her, "How did your date go?" She asked carefully.

His shoulders slumped, a tired look covering his handsome face. She guessed he didn't succeed in going on a date with a lovely lady. He was determined to do it to get his mind off his assistant, the tiredness resulted from his effort to keep things civil at the office. Ryan Parker was after all not only professional but also a gentleman.

"I did go on a date." He admitted to her, the fact that he sounded so disgusted by that idea intrigued her, "It didn't feel right though, I didn't have a good time. She didn't have a good time and then Naomi showed up."

"Naomi?"

He didn't look too happy about sharing that piece of information either. Lots of things were happening in Ryan's life and even though she was his friend, she didn't want to push him. So she waited until he started talking on his own. If he didn't want to share, she had to respect that.

"Naomi, my assistant." He leaned his side against the counter and started to drink his coffee, obviously, he wasn't leaving anytime soon and she didn't want him to. Not when he wasn't himself, "She showed up with a group of friends, having the time of her life. I couldn't focus on my own date and messed things up. We didn't have a good time that night, Naomi did, however."

She pressed her lips together a few times, wanting to stop herself from speaking her mind. Ryan looked frustrated, confused as what was going on in his life. Maybe he understood his own feelings, maybe he was just frustrated because he couldn't do anything about his current situation. Unlike Gabriel, he didn't want to break his rule about dating the staff. So he was miserable.

"Do you know why you were not having a great time while Naomi was having the time of her life?"

The glare which followed told her Ryan wasn't oblivious, he knew. He just didn't want to change the situation. He would stay miserable if he didn't take action. She couldn't watch the man she cared about fall apart because he was being stubborn. She never met Naomi, but she didn't have to. All that mattered to her was Ryan's happiness. If Naomi made him this miserable because he couldn't be with the woman he was crazy about she disliked the woman on principle. Rachel placed her hand on his, the gentle gesture causing the irritation to fade away from his eyes. A soft smile played on his lips, with his free hand he gave her a soft pat on her hand. His eyes lingered on the empty spot on her finger. Ethan never gave her a ring to make their engagement official and she figured he never would. She awkwardly pulled her hand back, clearing her throat while she suddenly felt the urge to wipe the counter so she did.