“We’ll play it by ear. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back, and I’ll let you know where to meet me. If I tell you to meet me in the lobby, bring your tie and I’ll do it in the car.”
Traffic was a nightmare just getting back to the Omnia campus. While waiting in traffic, I was thinking ahead to the party and tried to think of anything I should give Ryder a warning about. I thought he’d do fine during dinner. If there were any pieces of manners or etiquette that needed to be polished up, that would be something easy to work on. He’d take a class in that during his first semester, so I wasn’t worried about it. Most incoming first years could socialize, so I wasn’t concerned with that either.
My slight worry was over the possibility of sex. It wasn’t uncommon for two first years to sneak off for a quickie or for a King to test out some Omnia mouths. Ryder could probably handle it, but I didn’t want him hurled into that right away. Most of the Kings knew to be gentle at first and let the students enjoy the evening, but there were a few Kings who had reputations for being complete assholes, and I’d unfortunately seen them on the guest list.
I had Oscar keep the car running while I got ready for the party, and it took no time at all before we were back out in the terrible traffic. Traffic between Thanksgiving and the New Year was especially bad in New York City. While moving at a snail’s pace, I exchanged a few texts with Louis. As it turned out, he and his mentee, Finn, were already on their way to the party. I had hoped Ryder and Finn would hit it off and perhaps become friends. They were both going to be in the Aqua Cohort, and Louis and I had been able to ensure the two would have several classes together.
Traffic was getting worse, so I texted Ryder and told him to be in the lobby by the entrance, and I’d come in to get him. As soon as Oscar stopped under the canopy for the valet, I hopped out and hurried inside. I immediately started glancing to my left and right as I stepped into the lobby, trying to find him.
Not him. Not him. Nope. No. Not him. Not…wait a sec.
I stopped in my tracks and stared at the young man walking toward me while pulling on his coat. Looking as sharp as could be—and wearing a tie—Ryder walked over. I’d overlooked him. He looked incredible and had rendered me speechless.
“Hey, sorry. I was right there by the door,” he said. His hands worked on the buttons of his coat, but before he got it completely closed, I reached out to stop him.
“Wait.” His hands froze, and his eyes met mine. “Let me get a look at you.”
“Did I mess up?” Ryder’s hands flew to the knot of his tie.
“No, not at all. You look remarkable, Ryder.”
“Whew.”
“I thought you didn’t know how to do up a tie?”
“I watched a few videos on how to tie them. I had it after watching the first video, but wanted to watch a couple others to make sure it was correct.”
Photographic memory.
“It’s correct. You look fantastic.”
His smile lit up the lobby at my praise. Ryder already had a firm grip on my heart, and I was quite certain that Will was going to have a lot of competition on his hands.
16
Ryder
December
As we drove down the long tree-lined path, the one overwhelming feeling that came to mind was how sick to my stomach I felt. I’d been around some kids in high school who came from wealthy families. They had nice cars and huge homes, but they were nothing like the home we were approaching.
Kaleb Andrews didn’t live in a home. His was similar to one of those fancy two- or three-story sprawling beach resorts in California. Even though the sun had set a long time ago, there were tons of lights around the property to accentuate just how massive this place was. But then again, I guessed this was the house of the powerful guy who oversaw the Omnia Council.
Our car had stopped, and I looked out the window at the lineup of cars inching their way closer to the front of the house—mansion. It looked like the guests would get out of the car and the valet of sorts showed the drivers where to park the cars. So I guessed the slowdown was just so people could exit theircars. As soon as we were next up to exit the car, I glanced at the area where the drivers were parking their cars. Everything was high end and either black or silver. Mercedes, Bentleys, BMWs, Range Rovers, and Audis seemed to make up most of the vehicles. It looked like one of those small car lots you’d see on streets in crappy parts of California that only sold luxury cars. I was sure the cars either had tons of damage or had been stolen because how else would tiny hole-in-the-wall dealerships get those cars?
I took a deep breath as the back doors opened for us to exit. When I stepped outside, the first breath of cold air caught in my throat.Would I ever get used to this fucking weather?
“Have a good evening, Mr. Christos and Mr. Smith,” the valet said to us.
“Thank you,” Atlas replied as I walked around the back of the car and stepped up on the sidewalk. “Remember to relax and have a good time. I’ll introduce you to people, but I don’t want you to be afraid to wander off either,” Atlas told me as we slowly walked up a few steps to the door. I couldn’t imagine having the balls to just wander off in this guy’s massive house.
“I feel like I should take my shoes off when we get inside,” I said under my breath. Atlas laughed and then coughed to either clear his throat or mask his laughter.
“Removing your shoes won’t be necessary, Ryder.”
As soon as we stepped inside, there were a few people ready to take our coats. A chill wrapped around my body at the loss of the garment, leaving me feeling cold and exposed. We’d walked a few steps farther inside, and while I tried to concentrate on the entryway décor, someone approached us with a tray of glasses with a few different colored drinks.
“Welcome, Mr. Christos and Mr. Smith. Champagne or sparkling water?” The server looked only at Atlas as he asked. After Atlas took a glass of the sparkling water, the server lookedat me. “Some sparkling water, Mr. Smith?” I nodded and took the glass next to the one Atlas had taken.
