Strip Me Bare (16 page)

He rolls his eyes, “Okay maybe it’s a little
funny.”

“Seriously, what’s wrong?”

“This whole thing just seems kind of shady.
Meeting everyone in your family except your father.”

I shrug, “It is shady. But that’s the way it
has to be. Everyone knows my father and what kind of man he
is.”

“I don’t understand how he can be so cruel,”
Ryan blows some air into his hands to warm them up.

“Cruel? I don’t know if it’s cruelty that
drives him. It’s social status. His image. He’s an elitist.”

“What about your image? What if I go in there
and make you look bad?”

“How? Are you going to start table
dancing?”

“Alana-” Ryan gives me a
quit fooling
around l
ook.

“They’ll accept you.” I rush the words,
“You’re the first guy I’ve ever brought home. They know how
important you are. If there’s one thing I can say about my uncle
John, he’s spent his entire life trying to make up for all my
father’s shortcomings.”

I kill my cigarette in the ashtray by the
door, taking Ryan by the hand I lead him inside. I nod to the
smiling hostess and we make our way to the back of the restaurant.
The Palm is an upscale steakhouse known for its impeccable food,
celebrity sightings and unique décor. It’s also one of my uncle’s
favorite places to eat. They know him by name.

The dining room is covered in dark red cherry
wood; the floor, the side panels and even the booths. The most
intriguing aspect and trademark of the restaurant are the cartoons
and caricatures on the walls. Almost every inch is covered with a
recognizable face or a regular diner. It’s a quirky, chic
atmosphere, but it’s also warm and inviting and the wait staff
always go out of their way to treat their guests like family.

I spot Emily at a round table in the corner
gabbing to Alex, her husband. That sounds so weird to say. Next to
her are my uncle John and my aunt Caroline, and two empty seats for
Ryan and I. As we approach the table, Emily jumps up and nearly
tackles me to the ground. She’s wearing a tight pair of jeans with
white stitching, a white tunic top with sequins and knee-high black
boots. The outfit is hot. I introduce everyone to Ryan, the men
shake hands and Emily and my aunt give him a hug and a kiss hello.
We all sit down and there is a moment of awkward silence.

The waitress comes over and takes our drink
orders, I’m going with red wine tonight, Ryan gets his usual, a
Tangueray and tonic. My uncle doesn’t waste any time as the
waitress struts off.

“So Ryan, what is it that you do, son?”

Emily nearly spits out her drink.

I glare at her. We knew this conversation was
coming, so Ryan and I prepared.

“Um, I’m working some odds and ends jobs
right now to save money to start a company.”

My uncle nods, his brown eyes sparkling.
“What kind of company?”

“Graphic design.”

“That doesn’t sound like there’s much
overhead.”

“Um, no there isn’t,” Ryan fidgets with the
napkin on his lap. He’s cute when he’s nervous. “But I want to put
my full attention into it, so I’m trying to save enough now so I
don’t have to work any side jobs later.”

The corners of my uncle’s mouth curve up,
“That’s a very sound plan.”

“Ah, thank you sir.”

The waitress returns with our drinks and Ryan
immediately takes a huge swig. I can’t believe how nervous he
is.

“So are you from the city?” my aunt Caroline
asks.

“Um, no. I’m from New Jersey, I moved to the
city a little over a year ago, for a change of pace.”

“What part of New Jersey?” Of course she’s
curious; it’s where we’re all from.

“Neptune,” Ryan answers uncomfortably.

“Oh,” my aunt smiles, “that’s where I grew
up.”

Ryan is momentarily surprised.

“We moved to Marlboro when I was sixteen
though.”

Marlboro is one of the towns next to Colts
Neck, which is where I grew up. Marlboro isn’t as elite, it has
more commercial space and the homes aren’t as large, but it is just
as beautiful as Colts Neck, with its sprawling farmlands and
pristine grounds. Neptune is south east, more towards the ocean.
It’s urbanized, with decent sections and not so decent
sections.

Ryan grew up in one of the not so decent
sections.

“Do you have a big family?” my aunt goes on,
and my stomach clenches.

“Um, no,” Ryan answers. “It’s just me and my
mom, and my twin brother, Sean.”

“Twin?” she says intrigued, her blue eyes
twinkling. “You mean there’s two of you walking around?”

“Yes,” I interject, catching her hint. Ryan
is heart-stoppingly hot, there’s no ignoring it. “Their
personalities are completely different though.”

Ryan glances at me uncomfortably, maybe I
shouldn’t have brought that up.

“How so?” My aunt’s interest is piqued.
Oops.

“I guess you could say I’m the lover and
Sean’s the fighter,” he flashes a shy smile and I swear my aunt
Caroline swoons.

“When we were younger he got in plenty of
fights over me,” Ryan smirks awkwardly.

“You never told me that,” I lean into
him.

He shrugs, “Sometimes, I think Sean was just
looking to pick a fight. I was a good reason to start one.”

“It has more nobility when you do for someone
you love?”

“Something like that, I guess,” Ryan says
unconvinced.

The waitress comes back over and takes our
dinner orders; everyone goes for a steak except Emily, who orders
lobster tails.

The conversation rolls along smoothly as
everyone gets to know each other, and by the time Ryan is done with
his first drink, his anxiety level has dropped and he’s charming
the pants off everyone at the table. Emily glances at Alex who is
playing on his phone, then leans over to me. “Hey,” she whispers.
“How is everything going with Ryan’s ‘side job’?” she says, adding
air quotes.

“Fine,” I say truthfully. “He leaves work at
work if you get what I mean.”

Alex gives us a strange look. I guess he
doesn’t know what Ryan’s ‘side job’ is.

Emily smiles, “That’s good to know. You two
look happy.”

“We are,” I smile back at her. I haven’t seen
or talked to Emily much over the last few months. With me in law
school and her married now, the dynamic is different. But I’m
hoping over winter break we can spend some time together.

“Can you come spend a night in the city while
I’m off from school?” I ask her. “We can have a girl’s night.”

Emily’s grin widens.

“Yes, please take her,” Alex chimes in.
“She’s been going stir crazy in the house.”

Alex and Emily met at a work gathering three
years ago. She was interning for a magazine, which was doing a
spread on the fifty most eligible bachelors in New York City. Alex
was number thirty five. He’s classy and handsome with short brown
hair that’s curly on top and really, really defined cheek bones.
Did I mention he’s filthy stinkin’ rich? Which is why Emily is
probably bored to death. She doesn’t have to work and she has no
idea what to do with herself.

“I have no one to hang out with anymore,” she
whines.

“What about Alex?” I ask.

“I live with him, I have to hang out with him
too?” she jokes, just as I overhear some of Ryan’s and my uncle’s
conversation.

“So, graphic design?” my uncle asks. “Do you
do logos?”

Ryan nods his head yes. “Logos, book covers,
web design,” he rattles off the list.

My uncle gets this look on his face, the one
where you can see the steam engine churning. It’s the same one he
gets when he’s preparing for a case. “Would you be interested in
designing a logo for my law firm? We’re in the market for a new one
and we just haven’t found anything we like. Maybe we need some
young blood to mix things up a bit.”

Ryan’s mouth drops open. My uncle’s law firm
is one of the biggest in New York City. Doing a logo for him would
put Ryan on the map.

“Ah,” Ryan stutters, “of course, I can put
together a few specs for you to look at, I’ll just need to know
what kind of feel you’re going for.”

“Great, I’ll set it up,” my uncle says just
as our food arrives. Ryan looks over at me with astounded eyes. I
just smile.

“What about you?” My uncle turns his
attention to me.

“Me?” I squeak. “You want me to design a
logo, too?”

My uncle John laughs. “Are you interning
anywhere over winter break?”

“Um, no. I sent out a few feelers, but I
haven’t gotten anything yet.”

He cuts into his steak, the knife slicing
through it like it’s butter. “Would you be interested in interning
at my law firm?”

It’s my turn for a jaw to drop.

“Of course,” I hastily answer.

“Good,” he chews and then swallows. “Come in
at eight on Monday morning and we’ll get you squared away.”

My uncle has put on a red suit and is
commanding eight tiny reindeer tonight.

As we finish dinner and look over dessert
menus, Ryan and I decide to split a brownie sundae and get a
cappuccino each. I’m chit-chatting with Emily when I hear a whiney
voice that sends chills down my spine: “Oh my God, you’re him! That
guy, Jack the Stripper!” I whip my head around to find a big-busted
brunette in Ryan’s face. “I saw you perform a couple weeks ago. I
tried to get a private dance, but you are like, booked for
months
.”

Everyone at the table goes silent and just
stares at Ryan, the color of his face changing from white to green
then finally red.

He braces his hands against the table’s edge
and glares out of the corner of his eye. “Do you mind? I’m with
people,” he says in a calm and even tone, but I know he’s anything
but.

Ms. Busty Brunette scoffs offended, but
before she can say anything else Emily stands up - all one hundred
pounds of her soaking wet – outraged: “Beat it skank, we’re trying
to have dinner.” Now all eyes have shifted to her.

“
Skank?
” the brunette sneers. “I’m not
the one who takes my clothes off for a living.”

“I’m sure if someone paid you enough, you
would,” Emily snaps, channeling Jill.

“Whatever.” The girl hisses and then stalks
off.

Ryan is stapled in place, staring at me with
repentant eyes. I know he’s not embarrassed for himself. He’s
embarrassed for me. Ryan doesn’t apologize for his occupation, he
owns it. But in this situation he didn’t want to do anything to
make me look bad. And having my family find out he’s a stripper
might reflect badly on me.

But I’m not embarrassed or ashamed. And I’m
sort of pissed Emily beat me to the punch, because I would have
loved to tell that girl where to stick it.

“Um, can you all please excuse me?” Ryan gets
up from the table and flees like his ass is on fire. I immediately
grab my purse and go after him. He’s halfway down the block by the
time I get outside.

“Ryan!” I yell but he keeps walking. I rip my
high heels off and start running. “Ryan, wait!” My bare feet go
numb against the cold pavement, but I don’t care, I’m determined to
catch up to him.

He turns around when I grab his arm. “Ryan,
don’t run away.”

“I’m not running, I’m sprinting. Why are you
holding your shoes?”

“I can’t run that fast in heels,” I say, as I
slip my black Pradas back on. My feet are absolutely frozen.

“Please come back inside,” I beg.

“Alana, I don’t know...”

“They’re not going to judge you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” He runs his
fingers though his hair and pulls. “I know who I am,
what
I
am,” he says, and his voice sounds sad.

“Don’t worry about me, my aunt and uncle
aren’t like that.”

“She’s right,” my uncle John’s voice rumbles
through the air, both of us turning at the same time to look at
him.

“Alana, would you give me and Ryan a
moment?”

I glance between them, Ryan giving me a
little head nod.

I turn and walk back to the restaurant, but I
light a cigarette before I go inside. I can see Ryan and my uncle
talking in the distance, but they’re too far away for me to hear
their conversation. God, what I wouldn’t give to be a button on
Ryan’s shirt right now. There’s a lot of head gestures on his part
and it sort of looks like my uncle is lecturing him. But I can’t be
sure. When they start walking back I quickly kill my cigarette then
hurry inside, getting stuck in the bottleneck of people trying to
get through the second door. Swallowed up in the mass I hear my
uncle’s voice: “I’ll tell you this one last thing son, if you hurt
her I’ll kill you. I’m one of the top attorneys in New York City
and my brother is a judge,
I
’
ll get away with
it.
”

Holy shit, he just threatened Ryan.

“No sir,” I hear Ryan respond, “I would never
hurt Alana. I can barely breathe when we aren’t in the same
room…”

My heart swells hearing him say that.
Especially to my uncle.

I slip through the crowd and scurry back to
the table, wanting to sit down before my uncle and Ryan return.

“Is everything okay?” my aunt asks
concerned.

“I think so,” I say, taking a big gulp of
wine.

“Is he coming back?” Emily asks.

“Yes, your father talked to him.”

“This has to be the most interesting dinner
I’ve been to in a while,” Alex comments amused. Emily elbows
him.

“Don’t make him feel uncomfortable,” she
hisses.

“I won’t.” He rubs his arm. “I just want to
know how often he gets laid, he must be teeming with women.”

I look at Alex appalled. “I am sitting right
here, you know,” I snap at him, and that’s the end of the
conversation as a tense Ryan sits back down.

My Uncle gives me a wink from across the
table as he picks up the check. I can only return a small,
uncomfortable grin.

Ryan and I say our goodbyes in front of the
restaurant, then walk a few blocks just to get some air. Silence
stretching with each step we take.