Part 18 (1/2)
”I crashed and burned.”
”You got Aidan to agree to do some stuff differently. That's a partial win.”
”You think he's gonna keep his word?”
”I don't know. I'll ask Jason to look up more about him. Maybe you want Rick to talk to your lawyer, though? Get some pointers for this kind of thing in the future?”
”Not sure Rick would be down with that.”
”Then you fire him.”
”Not sure I can do that. Ben would vote against it just to spite me.”
”Is now a bad time to ask about your management agreement?”
”Our mom oversaw that one being drafted. I mean, she was mad about us getting rid of her, but she didn't want us to get taken to the cleaners.”
”Well, that's something at least.”
”I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I miss having her in charge.”
”Really?” I think of all his stories about being locked away from the world.
”I don't know.” It's jarring how vulnerable he looks right now, and I wonder if this is a recent change or just a side to him he never let me see before.
I put my hands on his arms and again note how muscular he is. His broad chest rises and falls with each breath.
He looks me in the eye and manages a smile, which makes him look like his old self. ”Thanks for being here,” he says.
”Of course.”
He leans down to kiss me, only to break it off when there's a knock at the door.
I pick up the tray of pastries, and once he opens the door to find Rick on the other side, I carry it out.
Rick looks me up and down.
I ignore him and call back over my shoulder, ”You want all of these packaged for the flight?”
”You can figure this out, I'm sure.”
”Okay, you remember I don't work for you, right?”
”It's pastries. That too much responsibility?”
Rick's attention is on Zach now. I make my escape.
Okay, so the pretend antagonism is kind of fun.
THE ATMOSPHERE on the flight to Geneva is strained, to say the very least. I sit in my corner while Brent films from his seat. The guys of Triple Cross sit, brood, and glare at each other. It's how I imagine being in the wolf exhibit at the zoo would feel while the pack is deciding on a new alpha. Lots of stare downs and the ever-present threat of an all-out fight.
For once I really wish I didn't have to fly on the private jet.
The tension eases briefly as the plane takes off, pressing us all more firmly into our seats. My ears pop as we climb into the sky and feel more at ease when we level off. I hate the steep climb at the beginning of a flight.
Ben gets up from his seat and comes to park himself next to me.
”Hey,” he says. For once he doesn't act like he's putting on an act. He doesn't waggle his eyebrows or try to put his hands on me.
”Hi.”
”Did you have a nice night last night?”
”Hmmm?” The muscles all up and down my back tense, but I do my best to play it cool.
”Yeah, so something funny happened this morning,” he goes on.
I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear this.
”I got home and saw my cousin walking down the hall without a s.h.i.+rt.”
So what? I tell myself. That doesn't prove anything.
”I asked him if he'd been with you and if you were any good. If all your experience paid off.”
There's no point saying anything. One word in my own defense would be too much. I just look at him as if impatient, wondering what his point is.
”He told me you were a virgin and that if I ever disrespected you like that again he'd throw me out a window.”
I'm not sure how to answer him or if I even should answer him.
”Listen, you don't play with his head like that. The whole naivete thing he's got going on? That's not an act.”
My mouth is so dry that the skin on my tongue is bound to crack at any minute. I can't swallow because the sides of my throat are stuck together. A million excuses fly through my mind. Brandy and Marissa were jealous and lying when they spilled the beans about me. It's a misunderstanding. Zach made an a.s.sumption. The truth is, though, while I can let lies I didn't start slide past, I can't tell one outright.
”So what's your game?” he asks.
I don't have one. I'm crazy for Zach and trapped. I look down at my hands and see that they're shaking.
”You know that, once he finds out, that's it. He'll never speak to you again, right?”
I nod. ”Yeah.”
”So what are you doing, Armijo?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Zach's glare. He is not happy to see me talking to Ben.
I sit up straighter and level my gaze at is cousin, making it clear with my body language that there is nothing going on between the two of us. ”I never meant to lie to him and I don't want to hurt him,” I confess. ”I've just...tried to be a good friend to him, and last night he was in a really vulnerable place and-”
”You pounced.”