Ryan Ch. 06

It was early in the day, but Dani was already planning her outfit for the party that evening. The attire was dressy, but not necessarily formal. The festivities would get underway at six thirty with cocktails and h'orderves.

There was more than enough time, but she wasn't leaving this selection to the last minute. She remembered all too well the anxiety over the Sinclairs dinner party. Admittedly, there wasn't the stress involved with this event that she had with the other, but she wasn't taking any chances.

The other thing was, she felt a bit off. She wasn't sick, but her sinuses were stuffy and she had a headache. She was no stranger to the effects of allergies which rarely slowed her down, but she was beginning to feel fatigued too. She'd taken her usual remedies earlier in the day, but the symptoms were persistent. All things considered, she didn't really feel that bad, just not up to par.

*

Dani was deep into her walk-in closet when she heard Ryan call out, "Baby, where are you?"

"I'm in the closet, Ryan!" she yelled.

Walking to her bedroom, he saw an explosion of clothing all over the bed; dresses, shoes and purses. He had a sudden sense of deja vu.

Walking into the closet, Ryan was greeted by Dani's awesome derriere which was sticking out as she bent over rummaging through her shoes. When he got near, he swatted her jean clad butt with the palm of his hand.

"Ouch!" Dani yelled, quickly straightening up.

"Ryan Sinclair, you are a meanie for spanking me while I'm in that position," she complained rubbing her backside.

Grinning, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her while his big hands simultaneously felt up her butt in the guise of soothing the swat.

"Aww, babe, it was only a little love tap. You know I wouldn't hurt the thing I love so much," he said before he swatted her again.

That time she felt it in her pussy and groaned, "Ummmm," rubbing her belly against his growing erection.

The man was a danger to her peace of mind and he knew exactly what he was doing. She loved that he could send her hurling into orgasm just by spanking her. Even now, she was starting to tingle just at the thought of his hand burning up her ass.

"Shit," she thought, "I need to put a stop to this."

Reluctantly, she pulled away from his hot body.

"No more of that. I need to get my stuff together for the party tonight. If you distract me, it'll be two hours before I get back to this. So save it and I'll be nice to you later," she promised with a smile as she stroked his firming cock through his slacks.

Ryan pulled her back for one last kiss, then said, "It's a deal, but you had better be very nice to me."

Adjusting himself, he stated, "I have a few phone calls to make, so I'll leave you to it. After I'm finished, I'll fix something for lunch."

"Thanks, baby," Dani said as she continued her quest for the perfect pair of shoes.

After lunch Ryan left to run a couple of errands.

Later, while Dani was getting dressed, Ryan called and said he was on his way.

*

Looking in the mirror, Dani was happy with her choice of dresses. It was one she bought for another party two years ago, which was the only time she'd worn it. Thankfully, she had it cleaned before hanging it up.

The dress was made of champagne colored silk. The bodice was a beaded corset with tiny color matching pearls and thin shoulder straps. The skirt of the dress fell in soft shimmering folds, flaring out slightly to just above her knees. She paired it with matching accessories which included shoes, earrings and a clutch.

Her hair was a simple ponytail. The style was swept up with the base of the ponytail at the crown of her head. A length of hair was wrapped around the base and secured with pins hidden beneath the fall of her hair in the back. The sleek ponytail dropped down to the middle of her nape.

Looking in the mirror again, she gave herself a nod of approval.

When Ryan arrived, he was a sight to behold. He was wearing a two button Hugo Boss dark Gray suit with black shoes. He wore a medium tone gray silk dress shirt with a matching gray silk tie and stainless steel cuff links.

Grinning at Dani's open mouth expression Ryan said, bowing slightly, "Your carriage awaits, Milady.

Snapped out of her silence, Dani grinned back and said, "You are so close to having me tear off your clothes and jump your big bone. Damn! You are gorgeous," She gushed.

Ryan gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

Coming up for breath, he said, "Thanks, baby."

"You look absolutely delicious. I love the dress. It's got that sexy floaty thing going on and your breasts; shit, guys are going to be all over you," he said with a lusty gaze as he gently caressed the tops of her soft mounds.

Feeling the rising heat, Dani took Ryan's roaming hand into hers and said, "Let me get my purse and we can go before you get too distracted."

Turning, she walked back to her bedroom, Ryan's eyes following her every step. But before she got very far, she looked over her shoulder, fluttered her eyelashes and wiggled her butt at him.

Ryan chuckled and said, "You're begging for a spanking, lady. Hurry and get your purse, you don't want me thinking about that too long."

With that, Dani hurried out of the room.

*

When they got to bar, there was already a nice crowd with h'orderves being served by the wait staff. One of the spacious banquet rooms was elegantly decorated and there was a large birthday banner draped across the ceiling.

The space in the front of the room was for mingling and dancing. In the dining area, which could be seen through a large open doorway, was ten tables which sat eight people each. Each table had a small floral arrangement set in a clear round vase at its center. The table was covered with pristine white linen. The dinnerware was white china etched with gold banding, the flatware sterling silver with gold edging. Crystal glassware rounded out the setting.

Some time later, Caroline Jameson arrived with her date. Dani was at the far end of the room talking with a small group of women which included, Monica, Jessica, Haley and Amanda.

Caroline was dressed in an elegant sleeveless sapphire chiffon dress that flattered her tall figure. The long dress flowed to the floor in shimmering waves. Her date was a tall blond with dark brown eyes; his hair was long, but professionally cut. They made quite a striking pair.

Dani, with her back to the room, noticed that Monica's attention was drawn by something behind her. Looking back, she didn't notice anything unusual and wondered what piqued Monica's interest. But before she got a chance to ask, Monica said,

"Caroline Jameson just arrived. She's wearing the long blue dress," she said for Dani's benefit.

Dani looked back again and said, after a slight pause, "Oh. She's very pretty."

Although Ryan told her about his conversation with Caroline at the bar, somehow Dani had totally put the woman out of her mind. She knew Caroline was no threat to their relationship. Had Ryan wanted to be with her, he would have made that move long before now.

After a momentary lull, the women went back to their conversation.

A few minutes later, Caroline made her way to the small group. Dani, with her back to the room, didn't see Caroline approach, but heard Jessica's whispered, "Here comes Caroline."

"Good evening everyone," Caroline said in a cloying sweet voice.

"Isn't this just a fabulous party? I'm so glad that I made it back home in time to attend," she enthused.

Everyone greeted her and welcome her home. They also, agreed that it was a great party and complimented her on her lovely dress. After a minute of banal chitchat with the other ladies, Caroline turned her attention to Dani.

"I know everyone here, but I don't believe I've met you," Caroline said.

Jessica looked like she was about to say something, but before she could, Dani introduced herself.

"No, we've never met. I'm Danielle Carter."

"Danielle Carter? Do you know my brother Tony or his wife Lizzie?"

Caroline knew very well who Dani was having asked one of her friends to point her out from among the few black women there. Soon afterward, she had the opportunity to escape her date. Nice man, but not the one she wanted. She left him talking sports with some of the men.

Dani knew what Caroline was about and decided to humor her for a while. But with her increasingly painful headache, she thought she might well strangle her instead.

"Both," she replied.

"I've known Tony and Lizzie for about eight months now. I actually met Tony first through Ryan," Dani answered sweetly.

"Oh, you're Ryan's little friend," Caroline said in a condescending tone.

Jessica started to interrupt, when Dani put out her hand and said,

"No need Jess, I've got this."

In a low voice Dani said to Caroline,

"I was willing to play along with your childish little game, but I will not be disrespected. You know who I am, that's why you came hightailing it over here, probably as soon as you could dump your date. I'm not a child and I don't appreciate being called little in that tone. Although I'm Ryan's friend, I'm also his lover. A big girl like you should know what that means or have you developed memory loss?" Dani asked sarcastically.

When Caroline started to reply, Dani said,

"Save it. I really don't want to hear whatever it is you have to say. I know being dumped must have been hard on you, but you really shouldn't let it make you so bitter. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my man. I'll give him your regards."

Turning to her friends, she said, "I'll see you all later."

As Dani strolled away, she heard Carolina say, "How rude!"

"Shut up, Caroline," Monica retorted.

Then she walked away, followed by the other women, leaving Caroline standing alone.

After the women walked away from Caroline in disgust, she realized that she'd under estimated Dani. She never thought the woman would pick up on her little jab let alone tell her off in front of everyone. She imagined, from what Karen told her, that Dani was a wallflower who let her sister fight her battles.

Standing there alone, Caroline was well aware that instead of coming off victorious, she made a fool of herself. Not only that, but if she continued her behavior with regard to Dani, she would lose what little social status she had. That thought led her to the conclusion that she seriously needed a drink.

Caroline waded through the crowd, barely returning greetings, and took a seat at the bar. After ordering and receiving a gin and tonic, she took stock of how she came to be where she was.

She knew that Ryan was serious when he said there was no chance of renewing their relationship. That really hurt; but if she couldn't have him, she wanted Dani to feel insecure about her relationship with Ryan and jealous of her. She still didn't understand what he wanted with a black woman, no matter how pretty or how everyone had so easily accepted her into their circle.

But as she lingered at the bar and ordered a second and third drink, it began to sink in that Dani hadn't been the problem in her relationship with Ryan. He didn't leave her for another woman, it was all on her. That had been the deepest cut and the thing that she hadn't wanted to confront; Ryan just didn't love her, never had. . Caroline sighed, took another sip of her drink and tried to resign herself to the fact that Ryan was forever lost to her.

While she lamented the loss of the battle and her love, Caroline knew at least one thing for sure; Ryan would never marry the woman.

*

Dani did leave to seek out Ryan, but her headache was becoming more painful and she thought it best to take care of that first. She went to the bar to see if Dave had anything that might help.

"Hey, Dave, do you have any Advil or Tylenol?" Dani asked.

"I'm getting a monster of a headache. I haven't had any alcohol," she quickly added.

"Good," Dave said. "I wouldn't recommend alcohol after taking these either. I always keep them on hand for myself. A barkeep's life is sometimes stressful," he added with a smile, reaching under the bar for the pills.

"I hear you. It must be a laugh a minute hearing all the stories; or am I stereotyping bartenders?" she asked.

"Nope, you're right. I have plenty of stories to tell, some you wouldn't believe. It's amazing what people are willing to tell a complete stranger as long as he's serving them alcohol."

He poured out a glass of water and handed it to Dani.

"Thanks," Dani said, then downed two pills with half of the water.

"I'd best be getting back to the party."

Turning, she almost ran into Ryan.

After steadying her with his hands on her forearms, Ryan pulled her to him, sliding his arm around her waist.

With a frown he asked, "Are you all right, baby?"

Leaning on him, she said, "I'm ok, Ryan, I just have a sinus headache. I took some Advil; I should be fine once it kicks in."

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, lifting her chin with his finger to look into her eyes.

Shaking her head, Dani said, "No. I'm sure I'll be fine, I just need to give the pills time to work."

"All right, but let me know if you need to go; Tony and Lizzie will understand," he assured her.

"By the way, I saw you talking to Caroline. Is she in any way responsible for your headache?"

Dani shook her head before answering.

"She's a pain, but in the other end. I'll tell you about it later. I was coming to find you when I decided I was in immediate need of something for my headache."

Placing both of her arms around Ryan's neck, she nuzzled his chest.

"Ummmm."

"You sound like you're sleepy. Are you sure you don't want to go home. I could make some hot tea and put you to bed," he offered.

"That sounds wonderful, but we haven't been here long. I really think I can make it through dinner which will be starting in a few minutes. I promise that I will let you know if I need to leave," Dani replied.

Looking up at him with a sexy gleam in her eyes she said,

"I just love to snuggle with you. Tell me why I'm staying here and not going home to bed with you."

Ryan chuckled and pulled her along as dinner was announced.

Thirty minutes later Dani was only picking at what was left of her food. She was starting to feel more fatigued and listless. Besides the headache, she was a little bit nauseated. She wasn't in distress, but she didn't want to take any chances. Running to the bathroom to vomit in the middle of a party wasn't in her plans.

Turning to Ryan, she said in a whisper, "Ryan, I think I need to go home. I don't feel so well."

Looking at her with a frown of concern, he said, "Ok, baby. Let me tell Tony. I'll be right back."

Walking around the large Table, he bent down and whispered in Tony's ear. Dani saw Tony nod and give her a small smile which she returned.

Ryan came back and explained to those immediately around them that Dani wasn't feeling well and they were leaving. After they murmured their well wishes to Dani, she and Ryan left, navigating through the tables.

The conversation at the tables was lively and boisterous which allowed them to leave without much notice.

However, there was a pair of envious eyes marking their departure.

Caroline wondered what was prompting their haste to leave. She felt her cheeks heat as she recalled that a number of times she and Ryan fled parties to rush home and make hot passionate love all night long. Even now, the thought of those nights was causing her vagina to throb and ache.

"Oh, fuck!" She thought as she felt her panties dampen. She glanced over at her date and knew he'd get lucky tonight.

*

Ryan took Dani home and straight to the bedroom where she undressed while he got a gown from the large chest of drawers. He helped her into it and pulled back the covers on the bed.

"I've got to take off my make up and brush my teeth," Dani said wearily.

"All right, baby. I'm going to turn off the lights; do you want anything to drink?" Ryan asked.

"Water, please," she replied and turned to go to the bathroom.

"Ok, I'll get it," he said.

"Get the thermometer out of the vanity," he called out. Before heading to the kitchen, he hung up her dress in the closet and placed her shoes on the closet floor.

Ryan returned to find Dani sitting in bed under the covers. He put the water on the night stand and picked up the thermometer she'd placed next to the lamp.

"Open wide, sweetheart," he requested.

He put the thermometer under her tongue, waited for the beep, and then checked the reading.

"Ninety nine point two," he said.

He reached into the side table, got a pen and small pad making note of the time and temperature. It was in the range of normal, but he'd keep an eye on it.

"With your symptoms, baby, you might have more than a sinus headache. If you aren't better in another day, I think you should to go to the doctor."

Dani nodded.

"If you need me during the night wake me, understand?" he asked.

"Yes," Dani said with a weak smile. "Are you going to be like a mother hen now?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Ryan answered with feeling.

Leaning down he pushed her hair back off of her forehead and kissed her there.

"You're my woman and I mean to take care of you."

With a sigh, Dani sank down into the bed.

Ryan went to the bathroom; when he returned, he undressed and got in bed behind her easing her into the spoon position.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he said as he placed a kiss on her nape.

"Goodnight, baby," Dani whispered.

Minutes later, they both were asleep.

*

Dani didn't feel any worse the next day, but that night was fretful with her waking up every few hours coughing. Her face hurt, her throat was sore and she had a bad taste in her mouth.

She awakened Ryan, but not intentionally.

She apologized profusely and offered to sleep in the guest room. Ryan told her, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn't going to happen. Dani didn't argue because she really didn't want to be alone.

Ryan took her temperature again and recorded it.

"One hundred one point two degrees," he said.

"Is there anything you want, baby?"

"A glass of water, please."

When he returned, she drank some of the water with two more Advil, which put her at the limit for a twenty four hour period.

Dani knew that she had a sinus infection. She'd suspected it before now, but chose to deny it. She hated to go to the doctor, but knew she would need to sooner rather than later. However, she didn't see a need to tell Ryan, at least not at that moment.

She finished the water and snuggled back into his arms.

The next morning Dani felt too sick to go to work. She probably could make it through the day, but didn't want to risk making mistakes. Ryan called and spoke to her boss, Mr. McClain, who wished her a speedy recovery and said she should take all the time that she needed.

Before Ryan went to the bar, he left instructions with Dani to call him if she needed anything. She would have preferred not to bother him at work, but Crystal was out of town meeting Isaac's family.

*

Dani's condition progressively worsened. She berated herself for not going to the doctor earlier, but regret was a little late. Just as she was reaching for the telephone to call the doctor, the phone rang, it was Ryan.

"Hello," she answered in a croaked voice.

"Hey, baby, you sound worse," he said.

"I think it's time that you went to the doctor. I'm coming home to take you. Call your doctor and let him know. If he can't see you, I'll call my doctor. Ok?"

Ryan asked, but Dani knew that he would drag her there if need be.

"Ok, Ryan," she agreed. "I'll be ready."