In The Mirror

Ryan Davis was a man who liked to pick up women. Married, single, dating, or engaged, it didn't matter to him. For years it was his sport. He relished the feeling of a new conquest and always wanted more of the rush.

It was easy for him. He was young, good looking, made good money, and knew how to use his charm.

He'd gotten into a few fights over the years messing with the wrong woman though. It was enough that it had him reconsider his lifestyle and think about settling down.

Ace Taylor, who eventually became a friend of his sucker-punched him for talking bad about his eventual wife Jenny, after Ryan once tried to seduce her. Ryan helped save Ace's life a few months later when he was stabbed in a fight with a thief. They became very close because of it.

His boss at his old job racked him in the balls for trying to hit on her. He was caught massaging her shoulders by her husband. The husband stormed off and when Ryan tried to smooth it over with her, she used her knee the way men don't want ladies to use them.

Ryan had recently tried to get involved with a married co-worker, Ali Chambers, but her daughters had some football player friends jump him and he ended up in the hospital needing some minor reconstructive surgery

Getting beat on for those events was ironic. He never even got the girl.

For as long as he could remember he was always the top dog. His parents were wealthy, he had the best looking girlfriends, he was the best in his school at sports, and he even got excellent grades.

His guidance counselor in high school told him he could've been valedictorian if he'd have wanted it as much as he wanted to be a baseball star.

He entered the Major League Baseball draft straight out of high school and was drafted in the third round by the White Sox. He was fast, hit for average and power, and he had a cannon for an arm, so he was a top high school prospect. If he were a pitcher, he may have been drafted in the first round, but he was an outfielder.

He wasn't offered enough money in a signing bonus, so he took the route many players drafted in baseball out of high school do and declined to sign and went to college. He had taken a big chance to go for a higher draft status and a bigger contract.

Everything was on track for him until his junior year at The University of Florida. He was injured in a car accident. He was the passenger when the drunk friend driving passed out at the wheel. They drove off of the road and down an embankment. The car rolled over twice before it stopped and in the aftermath, Ryan had a badly broken leg and knee cap. the driver had a broken arm and concussion.

He was lucky to survive and was lucky, in a way, that after several surgeries, he was able to walk without a noticeable limp. If he's fatigued, it's more pronounced, but he keeps his muscles strong for proper support.

His baseball career was over, but he finished college and got a degree in Marketing. He still had a strong competitive nature but couldn't play any physical sports. He was able to play in a darts league though and became very good, very quickly. That channeled his drive to win.

After the accident, he changed. He became mean and surly and lost his girlfriend of two years when he cheated on her; several times.

He decided that he didn't want a long term relationship with anyone and kept to one night stands and sometimes short flings, if they were really hot in bed.

That changed two years after he graduated. He met a sweet girl named Carolyn Graham.

She was beautiful, in a classic way. She came from a wealthy family and carried herself with an air of class and grace.

They met when a mutual friend introduced them at a party. They hit it off, but he was unable to get her into bed that night. He was hooked on her though, looking at her as a challenge.

She gave him her number and instead of tossing it in the trash, he called her and asked her out. They dated for almost a year before Ryan got caught.

She was pressuring him to get married and he was fighting it tooth and nail. It ended one night when Ryan got drunk and brought a girl home from the bar where he was partying.

He was cheating on her for most of the time that they dated, but he started getting sloppy. He started flirting with her friends and even got two of them to take it farther.

He never noticed one of her friends, that he took to bed, sitting at the bar when he left the bar that night he was caught.

Carolyn got a call and was told that he was seen leaving with a girl. She rushed over to his apartment, let herself in, and caught him sitting on his couch with a girl bouncing on his lap.

When Carolyn saw them, she snapped. She threw anything that she could lift at him. The girl ran out half-naked carrying the rest of her clothes. Ryan locked himself in the bathroom to protect himself.

Eventually, Carolyn left and Ryan surveyed the damage to his apartment. It was trashed and she made several holes in the walls. After a few minutes, the cops came to investigate the domestic disturbance call they got from a neighbor.

Ryan told them the whole story but refused to give them Carolyn's name. He caused it and didn't want her to get in trouble over it. He paid for the repairs needed and was lucky to not be evicted. His landlord did refuse to renew the lease.

Carolyn was distraught. She had all of her mental pictures of a storybook wedding and a house full of kids shattered. She shut herself in and made no contact with anyone for over a month. Her parents flew in and put her into therapy and she recovered after a year of sessions. It turned out she had a hormone imbalance that caused anger management issues.

Her best friend, Hannah visited her several times a week and was her only friend through the ordeal. Carolyn did eventually reconnect with the rest of her friends and was introduced to a man who she eventually married and had her storybook wedding and children with. Ryan never spoke with her again, after that confrontation night.

Ryan went through the next few years traveling the country playing darts tournaments. There is a circuit for it, like a smaller-scale version of Pro Golf albeit with a lot less money.

Ryan became one of the top players in the country and had a group of cronies following him around that treated him like a king among peasants.

The darts tournaments were a breeding ground for girls looking for one night stands or weekend lovers. He was like a pig in slop and enjoyed it immensely.

He still played some tournaments, but being a successful realtor, he had to work most weekends and couldn't travel as much. He made much more money working and the thrill of making the sale ate up his competitive juices just as much as playing darts ever did.

********

On a recent Friday evening, Ryan took his date to a nice steakhouse for his usual wining and dining. He made a show out of tipping the valet to keep his Mustang close, he then ogled his date's legs as she exited the car.

They walked up to the reservation desk and he said, "Hi, Ryan Davis, reservation for two."

The hostess smiled and said, "Yes sir, right this way."

As they were walking to their table, they walked past a happy couple enjoying their meal. The lady saw Ryan and gasped.

Frank and Ali Chambers were sitting in a booth enjoying the resumption of their Saturday night date nights. Their baby Frank Jr. had just turned six months old and their twin teenage daughters had proven responsible and trustworthy enough to babysit and give the couple their much-needed break.

Frank and Ali had hit a rough patch in their marriage just prior to her pregnancy. Ali gave him the "honey we have to talk" speech and separated from him. She was caught going out with Ryan and it almost cost her their marriage.

It was only a conversation with Ryan at a bar that convinced Frank that she didn't cheat on him with Ryan. He overheard Ryan tell his tale about getting beat up over a married woman. Frank had never met Ryan, and he was told the story as if Ryan didn't know him either.

Ryan spoke about getting beat up for nothing because he had never slept with the woman. Frank recognized all of the details from his story and knew that his wife was the subject of the tale.

It was hearing that story that made Frank finally believe Ali about him being the father of the baby.

With Ryan being in the same restaurant, Ali lost her good mood.

"What's wrong, hun?" Frank asked his wife.

"Frank, Ryan just walked by."

Frank remembered his wife almost being led to adultery by the young lothario and said, "So?"

"I'm sorry, I just got hit by a wave of guilt. I still feel so badly over my seeing him when we separated and how much I hurt you."

"It's past and over. I'm in a good place with you now and I'm not worried about him."

"Frank, I have to confess something."

Frank dropped his steak knife and looked down, dreading what was coming. His chest tightened and he could hardly catch his breath.

"I feel so badly for doing it, but I was desperate to get your trust back"

"What?" Frank asked.

"Frank, I set you up. I sent Ryan to the bar that day to get you to somehow understand that I never slept with him."

Frank took a deep breath and started laughing. "Oh, that? Sweet Jesus, I thought you were going to tell me you had really slept with him. Christ, I almost had a heart attack here."

"Huh? You're not mad?"

"Sweetie, I figured that's what happened. About a month before Frankie was born, I thought about how coincidental that whole scene was. It was too convenient that he was there at the bar at the same time I was and more so that he told me all of that crap."

"You never said anything."

"No, I didn't have proof of it. What good would a fight with you about it have done? Neither of us could prove it either way, so it would've just led to more issues. You were 8 months into a risky pregnancy and I didn't want to hurt the baby. I talked with Mom about it and decided to just go with the flow until Frankie was born."

"Until he was born? Oh God! You..."

"Yep, I got a DNA test while Frankie was still in the hospital. I know some people there and got a quick turnaround on it. You'll be happy to know that I'm his father," he said taking a bite of his perfectly cooked, medium-rare bone-in ribeye.

"I knew you were his father all along," she said with a tear falling down her cheek.

"Ali, don't worry about it. It's old news. Let's leave it in the past where it belongs."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, honey. Don't let your fish get cold."

*****

The following Friday, Ryan was sitting in a bar waiting for his friends to arrive. He spent most of the time watching a beautiful blonde with large breasts interact with her date.

Ryan could tell by her body language that she wasn't into the guy and it would end badly for him. Ryan had plenty of experience picking up women and could read the signs very well.

The blonde got up and went to the bathroom passing by Ryan. She didn't make eye contact, but he got a close-up view of her assets.

He looked over at her table and saw her date put something from a small vial into her drink. "That fucker," Ryan thought and then he called 911.

The bar didn't have a bouncer and the bartender was a woman on the smallish side. Ryan felt she'd be no help in dealing with the guy.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, I just saw a guy put drugs into a girl's drink." He told her where he was and described the man.

As he hung up the blonde walked by. Ryan called out to her, "Hey wait," and rose to grab her arm.

"Let me go, jerk," she said.

"Wait, please. I just called the cops on your date. He put a drug in your drink."

"What!" She shouted and snapped over to look at her table. The music was loud so no one heard her shout.

"You can go back over there until the cops get here, but don't take a drink. Don't let anyone take the glass away. They will take it as evidence. Scum like him give the rest of us a bad name."

"You better not be lying to me."

"I have no reason to lie. I just don't want you to end up a statistic. I'll watch for the cops and send them over. Or you can stay here for a few minutes. He might panic and take off though, figuring you saw him."

She sized Ryan up and said, "I'll be the bait to put that asshole away then. Will you keep an eye on me?"

"Of course."

"Thanks," she said as she walked away pissed.

Ryan could tell she was still upset when she sat down and the guy didn't help the situation by putting his hand on hers. He thought she was going to blow it, but then the police walked in.

"Hey, I'm the one that called. It's the hot blonde and the douche bag that's got his hair slicked back over there."

"What did you see," said the female officer.

"He has a little vial in his left jacket pocket. He poured something into her drink, but I was able to warn her and let her know that you were on the way."

"Okay, sit tight. We'll need a statement before you go."

"Okay."

He watched as the police walked up to the table and confronted the guy. He tried to spill the drink but the blonde picked it up and pulled it back. The guy was looking around like he wanted to run, but finally just walked away with two of the police officers.

The other two police officers poured the drink into a container and sealed it. They bagged the glass and walked out with the blonde. She mouthed, "Thank you," to Ryan as she left.

Ryan texted his friends that he had to go and walked out to find the policewoman and give her his statement.

After he was done, he looked around for her, but didn't see the girl and hoped she was okay. "Damn," he thought. "I would've liked to get to know her."

*****

Ryan had started selling real estate part-time, but found he was good at it. He quit his day job as in marketing and took on real estate full-time. The issues with Beth, his old boss, factored into that decision.

His walk-in client was waiting for him in a conference room at his office. She was looking to sell her condo and buy a townhouse. It was his turn to get the next client that walked in.

Hannah Stevens was looking at her phone when the door opened. She saw Ryan, jumped up, and said, "What the fuck?"

Ryan put his hands up in defense and said, "Hannah wait! Please sit down."

Hannah was still best friends with Ryan's ex-girlfriend Carolyn.

"Hannah, please. Sit and let's talk. I'm not the same guy I was back then. I promise, I can help you."

Hannah calmed down and sat back down. She took a sip of her water and said, "You broke her heart, asshole."

"I know, but she's much better off with her husband than she would've been with me. I heard she has kids and everything. I wasn't ready for that then."

"Whatever. I'm not going to give you my business."

"I understand why you don't want to, but I've been the top agent here for the last 3 months. If you can get past your feelings for me, I really can help you find what you want."

Hannah realized that she may be able to guilt him into a cheaper commission so she said, "I want to sell my condo and buy a townhouse and I don't want to pay a lot."

"Okay, since you're a friend..." She grunted when he said that.

"Since you're a friend, I'll list you for 3% and I'll have to give most if not all of that to the buyer's agent because it's so low."

Hannah knew from her google research that 5-6% was typical and the realtors would normally split it. So she continued to listen.

Ryan could hardly concentrate with Hannah's beauty distracting him. He had always liked her hourglass figure and cherubic face.

"What about the purchase?" She asked.

"We can negotiate that the seller pays the commission, like we would do on yours, and if we need to come down on price, I'll cut my split with the listing agent to help.

I'm serious, I want to help you. I always felt bad about what happened with Carolyn and this could show you I'm really not that guy anymore."

She thought for a moment then said, "Okay, but if I think for a second that you're being a snake or if you flirt with me once, I want to be able to drop you."

"No problem. Say the word and I'll tear up the listing agreement myself."

They spent an hour going through the motions of what she wanted from her condo sale and what she was looking for in a new townhouse. He set her up with a webpage where she could view available properties and pick ones that she wanted to see. He would also send her lists and set up viewings and open houses.

As she was getting in her car to leave she couldn't believe that she was letting him help her. She was in lust with him while he dated her friend, but never acted on it.

Ryan had flirted with her a lot back then and it took all of her willpower to not succumb to the charms of the womanizer. She never would've done anything to hurt her friend, but there were times it was close.

"God, he's still gorgeous," she thought. "Too bad he's an asshole."

******

Ryan arrived at her condo to take some photos for the listing. She showed him around and after a while, he said, "I think we need to spruce the place up a bit. Pink bedrooms are fine, but neutral colors show better to buyers. I have a guy I use that's pretty reasonable and he could do it for you. I think the kitchen could use a fresh paint job as well. The walls by the stove that aren't tiled are showing some discoloration from the cooking done on the stove."

"Okay. Just keep it cheap."

"Is there a number you want me to keep him below?"

"I don't know? Two-hundred?"

Ryan knew it would be more than two-hundred, but said, "Okay. I also want to have the carpets deep cleaned. I use a little old Polish lady for that job. I can have it all done on a Saturday, so there will be little disruption for you."

She thought it made sense and was something she figured she would have to do herself at some point anyway.

"Okay. If you can have it done this week I'll be at my sister's on Saturday. I can just go shopping earlier."

"Perfect. I'll have them come around 8 am. I'll come at 7 and move the furniture. That'll save you a few bucks and I can help him cover up and put that blue tape they use on the trim and stuff. That'll save you a couple more bucks."

"I can help with that before I leave."

"Perfect. I'll see you Saturday then. Once all the stuff is done, I'll take new pictures."

"Okay."

"Well, I'll be going. See you in a couple of days."

He got up and walked to the door. As he opened it she said, "Hey, Ryan; thank you."

"My pleasure."

Ryan called his friend Bill the painter. He knew what the answer would be, but he figured he'd try anyway.

"Hey Billy, can you do a bedroom and kitchen for me on Saturday? One-color job, nothing fancy."

"Maybe. How cheap are they?"

Ryan laughed and said, "She's a friend. She can only afford $200."

"No way man. That's $300 minimum. A small bedroom could maybe be $200 by itself."

"I figured, man. It's a large bedroom. I had to ask. Thanks anyway, bud."

*********

Ryan walked in at 7 on the dot with coffee and breakfast. He set the bags in the kitchen and said, "Let's eat before it gets cold. Then I'll go down and get the plastic sheets and stuff."

"Okay. You didn't have to bring breakfast. It's probably too unhealthy for me anyway."

"Nope. You don't think I keep my boyish figure by eating junk food, do you? There are egg white and turkey sausage sandwiches on whole-wheat English muffins and a couple of fresh fruit cups in the bag. The coffee is black, so you can girly it up however you want."

"Okay, I'll have the fruit then, thank you."

She thought for a moment that it was thoughtful of him to bring the food but then hardened herself figuring it was a ploy to make her fall for him.