Ryan--Empire Series

  RYAN

  * * *

  EMPIRE SERIES

  BOOK ONE

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  RYAN - EMPIRE SERIES

  First edition. December 20, 2021.

  Copyright © 2021 Edie Harrison.

  Written by Edie Harrison.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  For Joy

  xx

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ryan King stepped out of the bathroom with a towel hanging low on his waist to see Selena, the actress/waitress/model he’d spent the night with. She was still stretched out on his bed, barely covered by the comforter that exposed a fair amount of her admittedly hot body. Selena was watching him, her eyes roaming his body, from his well-toned abs to his handsome face and she licked her lips not trying to conceal a sensuous smile of admiration. While Ryan dried his hair with another fluffy white towel, she climbed off the bed in all her naked glory and sauntered towards him, adding an extra sway to her hips.

  “Hey, baby,” she purred, plastering herself to his still wet body. Her perfectly manicured nails grazed his smooth tanned skin, exploring his hard stomach muscles beneath her fingers.

  “You should leave, Selena,” Ryan bit out, the hint of annoyance that had been building since he woke evident in his deep voice.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to have some more fun?” Selena’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, her hand traveling down his chest to the knot holding the towel to his waist. Ryan quickly caught her arm, staring her dead in the eyes with a blank expression.

  “No”.

  Without uttering another word, he strode past her and headed to the closet to get dressed for work. A few minutes later, he emerged to see Selena still standing in the middle of the room, her lips set in a line, a hurt expression marring her face. In truth, he wasn’t concerned about her emotions. From the very beginning of their relationship, he’d told her clearly that it was just sex and the odd date to events. He expected nothing else from her and he thought they were on the same page. Ryan didn’t even intend for her to stay over again, but they’d obviously both had a bit too much to drink at the Gala last night. Every time she slept over, she seemed to get a little more comfortable in his home and that was something he was going to have to take care of. Perhaps it was time to find himself a new fuck buddy. Ignoring her presence, he exited the room, heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

  As usual, his morning coffee was already sitting on the kitchen island, steaming hot thanks to his housekeeper. Taking one of the high-backed stools, he enjoyed his black coffee while awaiting breakfast. In a matter of minutes, the chef was done and the dining table was set. His home always ran to precision, a hangover from his parents day. Ryan pulled out a seat for himself, ready to sit down at the same time as his younger brother, Sean, strolled into the room with a wide grin on his face.

  “I see I came at the right time, brother,”

  Ryan rolled his eyes.

  “Good morning, Sean,”

  “Good...” Sean was interrupted when Selena strolled into the room, dressed in her clothes from the previous night, a black body con dress that left little to the imagination, coupled with five-inch heels that made her legs go on forever. “Oooh...” Sean drawled, his gaze pointedly flitting between the scantily clad woman and his brother, who returned his dramatics with a glare.

  Ryan ignored the woman and took his seat, preparing to get down to eating when she sauntered to his side and placed a full kiss on his lips, despite his obviously rude demeanor.

  “I have to leave now, baby,” she said. Ryan kept his expression neutral, not wanting to do anything to lead her on. “Will I see you next week?” Selena’s voice held so much hope as she asked, but Ryan barely acknowledged her as he reached for his toast. He shrugged in response and muttered something insincere about calling her sometime. Determined to maintain her pride in the face of Ryan’s behaviour, Selena sashayed out, masking her hurt with a bright smile and wave at Sean.

  “Damn, you’re a cold-hearted bastard,” Sean reprimanded his brother as soon as the woman was gone, slumping into one of the dining chairs.

  “And who’s talking? I’m not taking advice from the man that doesn’t remember the names of the women he fucks, or even what they look like as soon as he’s pulled his cock out of them?” Ryan’s expression was mocking. He looked pleased with the blows he was landing, and continued eating his toast.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Sean growled out, not wanting to continue with the line of conversation.

  “That’s what I thought,”

  Without waiting to be invited, Sean got a plate and served himself, proceeding to join his brother. They ate in silence, occasionally staring out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked New York City far below them.

  MALLORY LAID ON THE two-seater sofa in the small living room, listening to her friend Sam. He was seated opposite her, dramatically giving her the rundown of his latest plan to help her.

  “So, I also made an ID for you and your full name will henceforth be Mallory Adams. It’s also stated that you passed high school and got a college degree in business, from the University of California,” he smiled, pleased with himself, and settling more into the soft but worn recliner, the only other chair in the room.

  “That’s...err... nice,” Mallory commented, but deep down, she was feeling uneasy about lying about her identity, or her ability to pull it off. She knew Sam was doing his best and had to try to make it work.

  If she could use the identity to find a job and earn some money, she could finally get out of the New York area. Maybe head all the way to the West Coast where Jake would never be able to find her and start over – far away from Jake, his gang, the drugs, the violence, and degradation. How had life come to this? Mallory’s life was never going to be easy, moving from one foster home to another she’d finally been sent to a decent one at 14. She met Jake and Sam on her first day. It had been as noisy and frightening as every first day in a new place, but they’d been kind to her and soon it seemed like things might be looking up.

  Sam was smart and encouraged her to study too. They’d hunker down and revise, dreaming of the day they’d head into the city, get great jobs and live in an amazing apartment together. A couple of years older, Sam’s hard work eventually paid off. With a college scholarship he found a way out though college and worked in the IT sector. Sitting in his small but safe apartment, Mallory was so proud of him. She just wished she could feel proud of herself.

  If Sam had been her best friend and supporter, Jake was her first love. Funny, witty, and charming to all, Jake was a loveable rogue character that everyone wanted to do well. His background was as sad as anyone else in the home. A father that knocked him about, a mother on drugs and little hope for a better future. But like Sam, Jake was determined to do better and ‘beat the system’. Mallory was infatuated with Jake and believed his stories of growing up to be rich. They’d have everything they’d ever wanted and a big happy family.

  It had felt so nice to finally be surrounded by love that Mallory didn’t consider that it might be wrong for a 17-year-old boy to take her virginity at 14, because he wanted to show her his love. Sam had been friends with Jake for two years, also craving the close bonds that are hard to come b
y in foster care, but he didn’t quite trust Jake. When he found out about Mallory, he told Jake it wasn’t right. That was the beginning of the end for their friendship and Mallory increasingly found herself stuck between the two most important people in her life. It should have been obvious that Jake was always going to make her choose.

  Mallory’s future began to unravel when Jake was offered a mystery job that paid really well. He didn’t think twice about leaving the foster home or taking Mallory with him when she was only 16. With Sam away at college there was no one to talk to, and no one to stop her. The job turned out to be gang related, the money came from drugs, extortion, and girls. At first, they lived in squats, eventually moving into an apartment block owned by his boss, but Mallory wasn’t allowed to leave. Jake said it was for her own protection, men came and went all through the day and night, Mallory was constantly scared. The men all shared girls in the rooms upstairs and she often heard screaming and crying. She had no friends, though she’d talk to some of the passing girls, they didn’t seem to like her. They always called her Jake’s princess.

  Jake kept her to himself, told her everything he was doing was for her and that one day they’d live in a big house and have a family. His wit and charisma were still there sometimes, but the old Jake that everyone loved began to fade. In his place was a meaner version, older than his years who would snap over nothing and thought nothing of slapping Mallory or pulling her hair if he was in a bad mood. As his operation grew bigger there were police raids, frequent moves, and increasingly violent behaviour.

  Mallory’s life was a dark reality that she knew she had to escape from. She managed to find Sam’s address in the city and planned her escape for three months, arriving on his doorstep one day with the clothes on her back and an array of old and new bruises. He took her in without question and had been helping her heal for weeks. Now was the time to move forward. The first step was to erase her past.

  “Don’t you think all of this is too much?” she questioned, sitting up and staring at her best friend.

  “Not at all, Mallie,” he called her the nickname he’d given her the first time they met, she always smiled, remembering that day. “With this information, you’ll be able to get a job with decent pay, but trust me, whatever job you’ll get with this will still be basic, they won’t expect major experience or credentials. You’ll be fine. No one has to know anything about your past, you can save some money and live the life you deserve,” he sounded so confident, she so wanted him to be right.

  “How will I even get a job when I have no experience?” Mallory asked, worrying her bottom lip, lines of stress appearing on her forehead.

  “Mallie, love, leave that to me,” Sam assured her, smiling.

  This all came quite naturally to Sam. Mallory wasn’t the first person he had created a fake identity for, and he knew he was good at it. Although he wasn’t proud of some of his old connections, it was how he managed to see himself through school before he got a good-paying job at the company where he now worked. Most of his clients back then were criminals, looking to get new lives to erase their history or disappear completely. It had earned him the quick money he needed to survive on his own. Knowing it was a dangerous line of work, he’d stopped as soon as he could support himself, but was more than happy to do it for Mallory. He lived with so much guilt for letting her slip through his fingers when she’d washed out of the system with Jake. Sam blamed himself for not being stronger to stand up to Jake back in the day. Mallory deserved so much better, she’d just been a kid back then. He was determined to help her get her life on track.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Mallory was in the little kitchen preparing their dinner when Sam barreled in, filling the space with his enthusiasm, and sporting a wide smile on his face. He dropped his satchel on the kitchen counter, taking off his suit jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt in readiness for his announcement.

  “Looks like you had a great day at work,” Mallory laughed, noticing his happy demeanor. In response, his smile broadened, as he insisted on taking over the veggies she’d been cutting, and handed her the bottle of wine he’d brought in.

  “I had a nice day, but my happiness is all about you, actually,” Mallory paused, turning around to face him, her arms folded across her torso, an inquisitive look on her face. “Let’s just say your new life is ready to go!” he grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

  “What do you mean, ready to go?” Mallory enquired nervously

  “Well, I finally got all your credentials confirmed, and I also kinda applied for a job for you at a temp agency. That way, you only have to get your resume checked once. And look, New York is a big city, and Jake won’t leave his patch in Coney Island. You’re safe in the city with this ID”

  By the time he stopped talking, Mallory was so overwhelmed that tears sprang to her eyes. Without thinking, she covered the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him.

  “I owe you so much, Sam. You don’t know how grateful I am,” she said, after managing to clear her voice of the emotions threatening to choke her.

  “Come on, Mallie, you know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I should have done so much more back then, this is me putting that right.”

  “Don’t be silly, and thank you,” she pulled away from him, drying the stray tears off her eyes that were now brighter than before, glinting with hope. But then, she remembered he mentioned applying for a job with her name and credentials. “Um... Sam, don’t you think applying for a job instantly is too much? I mean, we talked about this, I have zero skills or experience. Jake never let me work.”

  “Not at all, Mallie, and you’re a smart and intelligent young woman. You’ll pull through.” he assured her. “Oh, and I should also tell you the main news. You got accepted, here’s your new email by the way. They’ll send you your first gig.”

  He dropped the news like it was no big deal and watched as Mallory’s eyes went from worried to wide with astonishment and shock.

  “Oh my god?” she exclaimed.

  “I obviously did a really good job with your qualifications and they’re always looking for new people for these roles,” he shrugged like it was all pretty simple. He handed her his phone with the temp agency details, she scrolled through the site noting some major brand names

  “This is so out of my league,” she cried, feeling the panic rising.

  “How will I cope in an office full of classy people?” she asked, regaining a calm but hopeless voice, the realization that she would now have a job sinking in. But her nervousness grew with it. She didn’t even have work clothes, but Sam had an answer for everything.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Mallie. You won’t need any major skills, you’ll only be working in admin and you know how to use a computer, print, photocopy and answer the phone. I promise it’s nothing you can’t do, you’re super smart remember.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, still skeptical about her ability to pull it off.

  “Very. As for your work clothes, don’t worry about that. There’s a place where we can get fairly good clothes totally free. All you have to do is pray they’re your size.”

  “And where’s that?” Mallory asked, genuinely intrigued.

  “It’s err... a local charity that supports women going back to work after surviving and escaping from abuse.”

  “Ohh...” her shoulders slumped but she knew there was nothing she could do. She had no money for food, not to mention new clothes that would probably cost hundreds of dollars. So for now, she’d have to take whatever she could get to start up her new life, and hope that with time, things got better. That night, Mallory went to sleep, thoughts of potential new jobs and the people she might meet, coupled with how inexperienced she’d look, haunting her dreams.

  IT WAS MONDAY MORNING. Sam had been right, the temp agency had set her up straight away so it was Mallory’s first day at work, ever. The weekend had been spent prepping. She’d read everything she coul
d find about the company, Empire Publishing, and which computer systems the average admin assistant normally used. Sam had laughed at her, saying she was the most over prepared temp in the world. She’d been so nervous that morning that she’d been tempted to give up the job before she started. Thanks to some tough love from Sam, she was now standing outside the office building dressed in a pencil skirt and white dress shirt that was perfectly tucked in, coupled with leather stilettos she’d also gotten from the charity Sam had taken her to. The clothes weren’t great, but she had to admit they weren’t bad either, and she was so grateful to the kind women running the charity. They’d been incredibly encouraging. As Mallory stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the shiny glass building, she felt so small. Looking down at her scuffed shoes, they didn’t look fancy like the ones she’d seen most of the women entering the company wearing. She felt like a complete fake. She was a complete fake, even her shoes didn’t really belong to her.

  “This is it,” she muttered under her breath as she headed in, walking straight to the receptionist with a smile on her face to mask her nervousness. She introduced herself, handing the woman behind the desk her fake ID and introduced herself as a new employee like Sam told her to do. The woman smiled at her, congratulating her for joining the team before directing her towards another office on the floor above.

  Mallory walked in with shaky legs, her nervousness getting the best of her. She noticed different employees at their different cubicles, some working and others chatting. Ignoring them, she headed towards the office she had been directed to and tapped on the door lightly. A masculine voice called out for her to enter. As she did, she saw a middle-aged man in a slightly scruffy suit sitting behind a desk with his head buried in some papers. When he heard her close the door, his gaze lifted to her.