by Sloan Storm
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, as I dropped my head back, glancing skyward for a moment. “Is anyone hurt? Where’s Julio now?”
“No, no ma’am. No one is hurt. Um, Armando posted Julio’s bail. I don’t know where he is.”
“The car?”
“It’s impounded.”
“Shit.”
“What do you want me to do ma’am?”
Turning back to face Grey, I noticed him munching on a piece of toast.
“Just sit tight. I’ll be back tomorrow night. Hopefully nothing else goes wrong before then.”
“Yes ma’am. I’m so sorry for interrupting your trip.”
“Don’t worry about it, Carmen.” I said, as I tried to reassure her. “You did the right thing.”
“Okay.”
“There is one thing, Carmen.”
“Yes ma’am?”
“When we get back, you are not breathe of word of this to Mr. Sinclair. He, um, has enough going on right now. This is something we can handle ourselves. Do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am. I won’t say a thing.”
Exhaling, I slid my finger across the smooth surface of my phone and disconnected it. Just then, a breeze blew off the water, carrying whiffs of salt in the air along with it. I pulled some wind-blown strands of hair away from my eyes and turned to head back up the beach and join Grey.
Before I did, I glanced out to whitecaps as they broke nearby. Seabirds rode them without appearing to have a care in the world. Yet, just below the surface, their feet surely paddled in frenzied strides to keep them from going under. And just like them, I would struggle to keep my head above water when we got back to town.
Some vacation…
GREY
Standing in the lobby of Maddie’s office Monday morning, my phone vibrated inside the pocket of my suit jacket. Pulling it out, I looked at it to see a number I didn’t recognize. However, the Caller ID, which read, ‘LA City’, piqued my curiosity, so I decided to answer.
“Grey Sinclair.”
A crackling noise came over the line first, followed next by the sound of a woman’s voice.
“Mr. Sinclair, this is Miss Shandra Williams with the City of Los Angeles Police Garage.”
Confused, I glanced at Maddie. She and Carmen were in the midst of a discussion so I turned my back to them and began to walk down the hall. I replied, “Um, okay. What can I do for you Miss Williams?”
“Sir, your name is listed as point of contact in the public records for a vehicle we have in the impound lot. We’ve tried contacting the other person listed here… a Miss Madeline Olsen but the call won’t connect.”
I turned and looked at Maddie and Carmen once again. Neither of them bothered to look my way.
“Yes, Miss Williams, I’m actually in the presence of Miss Olsen. I’m her business partner. What seems to be the problem?”
“Well, sir. We’ve got a limousine registered to your company impounded here.”
“Oh yes?”
“Yes sir, the driver of the limousine was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.”
I nodded. “I see. How can I help you?”
“Well sir, it’s not normally city policy to make calls like this but the credit card Miss Olsen provided to us was declined. Now even though the driver has been released from custody, we’ll have to keep the vehicle impounded here at the lot until the fine is paid.”
I thinned my lips and glared in Maddie’s direction.
“Absolutely, I understand. After all, you’re only doing your job. I’ll take care of that right away if you’re ready.”
I pulled out my wallet and credit card and gave her the information she needed.
“That went through sir, thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome, Miss Williams. Thank you for contacting me.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
“Oh and Miss Williams?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Could you tell me please… How long has the vehicle been in the impound lot?”
“One moment,” she replied. In the background, I heard the distinctive clack of fingertips on a keyboard as she checked the records.
“Um,” she began. “Since the arrest. So that would have been last Friday night.”
“Very good, Miss Williams. Well, thank you again for being so helpful. I’ll be sure and let Miss Olsen know that you called. It’s vital to our business that our vehicles are available, so I just want to let you know how grateful I am to you for taking the time to call and help us out.”
“You’re welcome, sir. You have a good day, now.”
“You too, Miss Williams, you too.”
As I disconnected, I slid my phone back in my coat pocket and straightened my tie. I looked down the hall towards Maddie and felt my hands twitch as I resisted the urge to ball them into fists. Instead, I took measured steps back down towards them and stopped next to the desk.
“Okay, well, I need to be going,” I said as I reached down and touched Maddie at the hip. “I trust everything is in order?”
Maddie glanced up at me and smiled. Her skin still carried the sun-kissed glow of our brief weekend respite. She came around the desk, stood on the tips of her toes and kissed me on the cheek. As she did, Carmen disappeared around the corner into a small room behind the reception area where they kept the printer and copier.
“Thank you again for the wonderful weekend,” Maddie said, as she looked up at me.
“Not a problem,” I replied. “My pleasure. I’ll call you.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile.
Straightening my suit coat, I turned and started to walk away. As I rounded the corner of Carmen’s desk, I stopped and snapped my fingers.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask,” I began. “How’s the new driver is working out? What was his name again? Armando’s cousin or something, wasn’t he?”
I studied Maddie in that instant like a hawk watches for an unsuspecting field mouse. I already knew she’d kept this from me. Now, I wanted to see how far she’d be willing to go with this foolish fucking charade.
“Yes, Julio,” she said, while leafing through some paperwork on Carmen’s desk. “Um, you know, he’s only just started so it’s probably a little too soon to tell. Why?”
“Ah, I see,” I said with a smirk. “Well, a Miss Williams from the county impound lot called. Seems the credit card you tried to use was no good.”
“Uh huh,” she muttered. Still half-distracted by whatever it was she looked for, Maddie continued. “She’s sweet, isn’t she?”
I stared at her and waited for the inevitable to occur. At last, she froze in place and with a slow turn, Maddie swiveled her head back towards me.
“Grey, please…” she began.
“No!” I replied, cutting her off. I closed the gap between us and got to within a foot of her.
“Don’t deceive me, Maddie. You have no idea what kind of misery it will bring to your life if you do.”
Before she could reply, Carmen came back around the corner and stopped. I noticed a wave of crimson splash across Maddie’s chest as she shook her head at me in defiance.
“Grey, you don’t understand. I want to handle this. It’s under control!”
I waved off her assertion.
“Look, I admire your effort to show some backbone here but you’re clearly not capable of handling any issue that rises above run-of-the-mill office administration. And aside from that, I will not be deceived by you under any circumstances.”
“Uh!” she said, as she threw her arms up and then allowed them to fall, slapping her on the outsides of her thighs. “I am not trying to deceive you Grey. I am trying to do what you want, which is to grow this business and handle these problems for myself!”
I shook my head and readied my response but before I could, she continued.
“But look now, twice in the span of a few days you’ve stepped in and arbitrarily fixed things when I was perfectly capable of
doing it. Don’t you get how frustrating that is!?!”
“Don’t be a fool, Maddie,” I said. “Farrah would have turned around and extorted you every chance she got.”
“Uh! I know that’s what you said, Grey, but you don’t know that for sure. What if she hadn’t? What then?”
I cut her off. “Don’t be ridiculous, Maddie. Not to mention the fact that you offered to pay her with money you didn’t have… all the while assuming that I’d just step in and take care of it.”
“Well that’s what you seem to enjoy!” she exclaimed.
Ignoring her, I continued. “And what about this situation? How and when we’re you going to tell me about this?”
I shot a quick glance at Carmen. “Did you know about this?”
Carmen’s eyes rounded in fear as she glanced at Maddie.
“I…” she stammered.
I glared at Maddie’s assistant. “Lie to me one more time, I’ll fire you and take you to court. Do you understand me?”
“Leave her alone, Grey!” Maddie yelled as she balled up a fist and struck me across the chest with a glancing blow.
I snatched her hand at the wrist and she whimpered. Glassy-eyed and on the verge of tears, Carmen disappeared around the corner and out of site.
I let go of Maddie with a small shove.
“Maddie,” I began, as I straightened my tie. “I hope you’ve learned by example here. A great business idea is only as good as the people trying to execute it. You’ve got half the equation right. You need to learn to take guidance from someone who understands what it means to command the respect of others.”
“Respect, Grey?” she scoffed. “Don’t you mean fear?”
I snapped my jacket at the elbows and turned to leave.
“I’m not going to get into a game of semantics with you, Maddie. Spin it any way you like. It’s clear that you still have a lot to learn when it comes to running a successful enterprise. Now show a bit of grace and humility and maybe you’ll learn something in the process.”
MADDIE
In the wake of my latest blowout with Grey, I needed a break.
In the month or so since I’d moved out of Katy’s place we’d only texted and talked by phone for less than ten minutes altogether. So after work one night, I agreed to come by her place and have dinner. It might have only been a pot roast but it was way better than the contents of my fridge, which were mostly comprised of leftovers.
Which, uh, I don’t know why I ever take that stuff home. I never eat it.
“So no luck with a new roommate yet?” I said, as I finished the last bite of my meal.
“No,” Katy began. “I’ve had a couple that looked like decent prospects but for one reason or another, nothing has worked out yet. Who knows, maybe it’s the universe’s way of keeping your old room open in case you ever need it back.”
Pushing my plate away, I leaned back into the sofa and sighed. I picked at one edge of my crumpled paper napkin, tearing it into symmetrical three inch strips.
Katy dabbed at the corner of her mouth as she finished and then turned her attention towards me.
“Maddie, what’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Huh?” I asked, propping my legs up on the living room table. “Oh it’s nothing.”
“Come on,” Katy said. “I’m not gonna be relegated to seeing you once a month so you can shut me out when I do.”
I leaned my head back into the pillow and looked up to the ceiling. “It’s just work. I mean, I guess it’s a good problem to have.”
“What is?”
I exhaled as I continued. “Oh, it’s just so insanely busy all the time now. I never seem to have a second to myself for anything anymore.”
“Yeah, I know,” Katy said with a casual tone.
I wrinkled my brow in confusion. Lifting my head up, I turned to her.
“What do you mean, you know?”
“Hmm?” she said. Her eyes flashed round and she immediately got up to clear the dishes. “Oh um, nothing. It’s nothing. I meant I know what you mean when say you’re busy.”
Before I could say another word, she scampered from view and headed back towards the kitchen.
What the hell?
Curious, I got up from the couch and followed close behind.
“What’s going on with you?” I asked.
Katy shrugged. “What? Nothing. I’m fine.”
But no sooner had she dismissed my concern than she turned back towards the kitchen sink and banged her left arm against the counter. The impact caused her to lose her grip and in an instant, a shower of white plates and metal went crashing to the floor.
“God damn it!” Katy yelled.
Normally, I would have rushed over to help but… something was up. As Katy squatted down to begin cleaning, I ran my tongue along my teeth and narrowed my eyes in suspicion. The last remnants of savory, salted roast beef lingered on my taste buds as I glared at my best friend.
As if she sensed my glare, Katy gathered up a portion of the mess and then stopped. Wordless, she stood and faced me. Placing a knife and fork on top of the two halves of a broken plate, she exhaled as her guilt got the better of her and Katy’s shocking confession came out.
“I know how busy you’ve been because I’m the one that’s been sending you new clients,” she began. “Well, they aren’t exactly my clients. I mean, um…”
I shook my head in confusion. “Katy, you aren’t making any sense. If they aren’t your clients, where are they coming from?”
“Please don’t be mad, okay? I was only doing what he told me.”
“Who?”
“Grey.”
“Grey? What’s he got to do with this?”
Katy groaned. “Okay, shit. I’ll just tell you.”
“Please.”
She winced as the words spewed from her mouth in rapid succession.
“Grey’s been sending me travel clients on the expectation I’ll recommend your business to them.”
I felt like someone punched me in the gut. Dumbfounded, I shook my head.
“Katy… Why? Why would you do that? I don’t understand, I thought you had all your own clients.”
“Well, I didn’t mean for it to turn into this, but once Grey got involved with you, he kept sending me more and more business. I couldn’t turn it away. I mean, especially after you moved out. I’d never be able to afford it here by myself.”
“Uh! Katy!” I said as smacked my hand on the kitchen counter. I pointed my index finger at her. “Don’t try and turn this around on me!”
Katy shook her head and looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with me.
Disgusted beyond belief, I threw my hands in the air. “I’m outta here.”
“Maddie, please… wait, don’t go!”
Snatching my bag from the kitchen table, I marched towards the front door. “No! I don’t want to talk to you right now, Katy. Jesus! I can’t believe you would let him manipulate you like that.”
“I know. God, I’m so sorry. Can you please forgive me?”
“I gotta go,” I replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” she began, as she tried to lean in and give me a hug. “Call me.”
“Um, no,” I replied, blocking her with my hand. “I’m super pissed at you right now.”
Seconds later, I slammed the door and hurried down the hall to get out of there as fast as I could. Grey would be back in town tomorrow night. This wasn’t going away and I’d make sure he knew it.
Damn him.
GREY
After landing, I came straight from the jetport to the apartment because shit if I wasn’t beat.
Nearly a week full of non-stop meetings. Sometimes the whole routine wore thin on me. About the only thing I enjoyed these days was seeing Maddie, but recently even that had grown into more of a headache than I wanted to admit.
Not so much from a business standpoint, mind you, but damn it all if she wasn’t acting ungrateful as hell. If she had an
y idea of all the time I spent putting this thing together for her, she’d change her tune. Course, there's no way I could tell her. Not yet anyway. I figured it wouldn’t be much longer though. Those initial clients would start referring and I could back off a little. I hoped that was the case anyway because it was starting to cause constant friction between us.
And not the good kind of ‘between the sheets friction’, either.
That was still good, damn good, for now.
For now.
About ten minutes after I got in, I was in the bedroom when I heard the front door to the apartment.
“Grey?”
“Back here!”
I heard Maddie walk down the hall, her heels marching at a speed that indicated news of one kind or another headed my direction. All of a sudden, she came around the corner and right away I saw it wasn’t gonna be good. I’ll be honest, though. Seeing her still stirred me in all the right spots. It didn’t matter how upset she seemed to be right now.
She stood in the doorway. I felt my jaw flex as I looked at her. Her tits were impeccable. Perfectly round, full and begging to be touched. Course I always thought they looked like they wanted me to touch them and judging by the hint of hardened nipples beneath the fabric of her blouse, I suspected I was probably right again.
That is, until she spoke.
Maddie wasted no time laying right into me. Cat was out of the bag with Katy. Not that it mattered much except Maddie really did have the wrong idea. With any luck, I could explain it enough so she’d listen. Once she’d finished her initial outburst, I sat down on the bed and slipped off my loafers.
Setting them aside, I looked up at her. “What is it you want from me, Maddie?”
She exhaled and marched about five feet away from me, before turning on a dime and responding.
“I want you to stop rescuing me, Grey! Don’t you understand how frustrating it is? Every time I try and do something for myself or solve a problem in the business, you swoop in and save the day. Or at least, that’s what you seem to think.”
I shook my head. “I’m only protecting my investment.”
“Well, I don’t need your protection, Grey.”
I exhaled and leaned back on the mattress, finally coming to rest on my elbows.
