Rumors: Angela & Tyler

by Rachael Brownell

  The day the rumor is about her is the day I believe she isn't the source of everything.

  "Maybe we shouldn't have let her come. She brought Megan as her date. Is she really that desperate?"

  "I have a feeling Megan invited herself as Allison's date. Either that or those two are up to something. Did you hear Megan ditched Ally after we left?"

  I haven't spoken to anyone since we've been here aside from Hunter. He sent me a few texts, all work related, but that's it.

  Ang, on the other hand, has spoken to Emerson almost every day. She knows everything that's going on back home.

  That reminds me. I need to text Vinnie and make sure everything's okay with the house. Not that I don't trust him, but I haven't heard a word from him since we left the reception.

  Shit!

  Please don't say she left with Vinnie.

  "What about Amara?" I ask, hoping Amara left with Megan. That would mean no one else was with her.

  "She went home with your parents. Do you think Megan left with someone? Who would be stupid enough to want to tangle with her?"

  There's only one person I can think of. I pray I'm wrong, that he didn't make the one mistake I warned him not to make, but deep down, in my gut, I know he has.

  It's not a question of yes or no, it's a question of whether it's still going on.

  Is he still sleeping with her, or have things run their course already?

  Megan moves fast. One minute she's happy with Ryder, the next she's cheating on him with his best friend. He never gave her a reason to be unfaithful. He was all-in, committed to her and to Amara. They were his life.

  She threw it all away for a quickie with Jared. Or rather, months upon months of quickies.

  "You have a look," Ang says, pulling me from my thoughts. "Who was it?"

  "What?"

  "Who'd she leave with? I can tell you know. You suck at hiding things."

  Well, there is a reason I'm not good at keeping secrets. A reason I hate them with a passion. Not only do people tend to get hurt, but I can't keep a secret to save my life.

  "If I had to guess, I'd say Vinnie."

  Ang wrinkles her face in disgust. "Please tell me you warned him about her."

  "I tried."

  "Do you think he brought her back to our house?"

  "Or she brought him home. Either way, no one would find out unless one of them says something. I doubt either of them wants to spread their own rumors."

  Ang thinks it over for a few minutes.

  "Well, if they do become a thing, it'll sure be interesting. Maybe the gossip whores in the office will have something factual to talk about for a change."

  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I heard about the rumor," I say, pulling her into my arms and holding her against me.

  "Don't be. It was better coming from Em, anyway. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to confront Allison and give her a piece of my mind. She was supposed to spread a retraction. Em said she was trying, but no one wanted to talk about how I really wasn't with child. It wasn't as interesting as the speculation."

  "Well, the day we find out we're pregnant, I'll let you announce it to the world. Until then, let’s just practice making babies."

  "I like your plan, Mr. Dixon," she purrs, moving to straddle me. "Would you like to start practicing right now?"

  Ang grinds against me, and my cock comes to life beneath her.

  "I'll take that as a yes," she says, answering her own question.

  Ang takes control. In minutes, she has me begging her for more. As always, she's happy to oblige and an hour later, after I've taken care of her twice, we lay side by side, breathing heavily.

  "So, what are we doing today?" she asks, reminding me that I made plans for us.

  "I was going to surprise you, but I found an art dealer that will ship back to the States for us. I was thinking we could go pick out a few pieces."

  "Really!" Ang shoots straight up in bed and begins bouncing excitedly.

  My eyes are drawn to her chest. The naughty boy that I am reaches out and pinches her nipple.

  "Do that again and we're never going to leave the room in time," she scolds, leaping off the bed and gathering our discarded clothes.

  "What are you doing? Come back to bed," I plead with her.

  "There's no time. You shower, I'll work on packing and then I'll shower. We can head straight to the airport from the gallery. Let's go, Ty."

  Laughing, I head into the bathroom, following the strict orders of my often-bossy wife. When there's something she wants, she'll push until she gets it. She doesn't have to. I'll give her anything she wants. Right now, she wants to go to the gallery.

  The house is dark when we enter. Flicking on the hall light, I hear voices and the pitter patter of feet across the hardwood floors.

  "Hey, asshole. We're home," I call out for Vinnie.

  He pokes his head out of the guest room and waves. Shirtless, he walks toward us, a look of guilt and shame on his face.

  Well, fuck.

  She's here.

  Of course she is.

  "How was your trip?" he asks, avoiding eye contact.

  "Good. How was your week?" Ang asks, oblivious to the fact that we've interrupted sexy time for Vinnie and Megan.

  "Fine. Dude," he starts, turning to me. "We need to talk. I have a meeting with your dad in the morning. Can I get a ride in with you?"

  "No problem. I'm not going in until after lunch. What time is your meeting?"

  "Noon."

  Nodding, Vinnie turns and heads back down the hall. "Welcome home, lovebirds," he calls over his shoulder. "I'll be out of your hair in a day or two. I promise."

  "No rush," Ang hollers as he turns into his room.

  As we make our way up the stairs to our room, Ang is talking to Emerson on the phone. She's going on and on about everything we did. As soon as I flop backward on our bed, our eyes meet and she lets her go.

  Crawling on top of the mattress next to me, Ang curls into my side.

  "Did you think Vinnie was acting weird?"

  Her question catches me off guard. The last person I want to think or talk about in my bed, with her in my arms is another man. Even if he is my friend.

  "I think we may have caught him in a compromising situation."

  Just as I finish my sentence, I hear a door close downstairs. Moments later, I hear a car engine come to life, and as it fades with distance, Ang begins laughing.

  "I can't wait to hear what the rumors are about this," she says.

  Fuck my life.

  As long as they're not talking about me, I usually could care less. Vinnie's my best friend, though. He may not have heeded my advice, but he sure as hell doesn't deserve to be the center of attention at the office.

  Especially if his meeting tomorrow is what I think it is.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  "Welcome back, Tyler," Helen greets me as I step off the elevator. When Vinnie steps out behind me, her attention shifts. "Can I help you, sir?"

  "Vincent Redding. I have an appointment with Mr. Dixon."

  Vinnie cleans up nice. His suit is perfectly pressed, head freshly shaved, and he trimmed his beard this morning.

  The ride over was filled with awkward silence thanks to Ang. As soon as Vinnie showed his face this morning, she started grilling him on who was over last night.

  He actually looked scared.

  Scared to tell her. Scared to admit he hadn't taken my advice.

  He was caught, and my girl, my wife, wasn't going to let him leave without getting information out of him. It took all of five minutes and he relented.

  "I'm sorry. I should have asked, but I had a girl here last night. It won't happen again. I promise."

  If all goes well with my father, he won't have to worry about it. He can find a place to call his own and have all the women over he wants. Megan or anyone else.

  Let's hope it was someone else.

  He refused to say who it was. Claimed we didn't know
her, but I can always tell when he lies. It doesn't happen often but when it does, it's always about self-preservation.

  "Dude," I say, pulling Vinnie to the side. "Before you go in there, I want you to know that whatever happens, I'd be happy to have you here, a part of Dixon Advertising."

  "I kind of thought this was an interview. I also thought you might be pissed at me for bringing her to your place. I didn't plan it."

  "That's your business. I gave you my two cents, warned you, but if you want to dance with trouble, that's your business. It has nothing to do with our friendship or our working relationship."

  Patting me on the back, my father calls out for Vinnie before he can reply.

  Heading into my office, I power up my computer and I'm about to start opening the week’s worth of mail sitting on my desk when Macie walks in.

  "Welcome back, Mr. Dixon."

  I'm in a good mood, so I'm not going to let her get to me. Not today. Not five minutes after I walk through the door.

  "Macie. Nice to see you. How was last week?"

  "Fine. A little boring without much to do."

  "You finished the file updates then?"

  "Yes, sir. Is there anything you'd like me to do before you meet with your father?"

  "I wasn't aware I had a meeting with my father today?"

  "In ten minutes. He wants to meet with all the department heads."

  Ten minutes. That doesn't give him much time to speak with Vinnie.

  Dismissing Macie, I rip through my mail before heading into my father's office. Vinnie is still there, along with Emerson, Hunter, and Ryder.

  "Welcome back, son. How was Greece?"

  "Amazing. Sorry I'm late. I didn't realize we were meeting."

  "This won't take long," he begins, shifting in his chair. "As you all know, I'm planning on retiring soon. To ensure a smooth transition, I'll be here until the end of the quarter, maybe into next quarter depending on how things are going. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise since I've already asked Hunter to speak with each of you. I did that because he's going to take my place as the face of Dixon Advertising.

  "With Hunter shifting to a new role, that opened a place on the team. After talking it over with Hunter, we decided to bring in an extended member of the family. Vinnie will be taking over Hunter's role as head of market research effective immediately."

  Vinnie's smile is hesitant at first. It's not until he shakes hands with Ryder that he seems to relax. If there was any doubt in my mind that Megan wasn't the one sneaking out of my house last night, there isn't now.

  My father continues, explaining how he plans for things to go. There's going to be another company gathering. This time a party to welcome Vinnie, along with all the new executive assistant, in a few weeks. Emerson is feverishly taking notes on what he wants.

  That's her department. She's the event genius. My wedding is a direct reflection of her knowledge, dedication, and skill.

  As soon as I'm back in my office I text Ang the good news.

  ME: Vinnie's hired. He'll be taking over for Hunter effective immediately.

  ANG: That's great. What does Ryder think?

  ME: He seemed fine with it. Why?

  ANG: He caught Vinnie in bed with Megan earlier this week.

  ME: Seriously? I can't believe he didn't mention that this morning.

  ANG: Rumor has it Megan wanted to get caught.

  ME: What have we learned about rumors, Mrs. Dixon?

  ANG: They tend to hurt people and we shouldn't listen if there's no merit behind them. That's why I'm telling you. You need to let him know people are already starting to talk, and he's been working there for five minutes.

  ME: I'll relay the message. First, I want to talk to Ryder.

  ANG: What if it's not true? You'll be opening a can of worms.

  ME: I doubt he cares who she's sleeping with. Plus, I'd rather him hear it from me than hear from Allison the way I did.

  ANG: She told you?

  ME: I walked in on her telling Kimmie.

  ANG: I'm sorry, babe. I'll make it up to you when you get home.

  ME: I'm going to hold you to that, wife.

  ANG: You know how much it turns me on when you call me your wife? I might have to find my BOB since you're at work and take care of myself.

  ME: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. I'LL BE HOME BY 5.

  ANG: Gotta go. See you soon.

  ME: Don't do it. I'll know.

  ME: Ang?

  ME: You're going to be the death of me.

  My cock is standing at attention, the thought of my wife touching herself all I can envision. It's going to be a long day. A very, very long day until I can go home to her. To our house. To the bed we share and her naked body.

  "You got a minute?" Ryder asks, poking his head into my office.

  Before I can reply, he’s shutting the door behind him and pulling the curtains. Whatever's on his mind is serious.

  "What's up, man? You're acting all 007 and shit," I say as he takes the seat across from me.

  "Vinnie's sleeping with Megan."

  Well, at least I don't have to tell him.

  "I don't know what to say. If it's a problem for you, I think you should be talking to him."

  "It's not a problem for me. It'll be a problem for him. You know she's trying to get under my skin. She's using him to get to me, that's all. She'll toss him aside once she realizes it's not working. I don't want that for him. Do you?"

  "I tried to warn him," I confess. "He was checking her out at the reception. He had no idea who she was at first. When he realized, he seemed disappointed, but I got the impression that he wasn't interested in going there. He follows the bro code. Well, normally."

  "Screw the bro code. She's fair game. I'm just worried that she'll destroy him the way she tried to destroy me."

  "Vinnie's a big boy. He's dealt with crazier chicks than Megan, sadly." Pausing, I debate whether or not to tell him she was at our house last night. It's not pertinent information. Not right now anyway.

  Ryder shifts the conversation away from Vinnie and Megan. We talk about Greece for a few minutes, and then Allison knocks on the door to let him know his client is waiting.

  After he leaves, I drive into work, clearing my mind of all things Megan, Vinnie, and even my wife. If I don't, I'll never get anything finished and make it home to her by five o'clock.

  I've been married ten days.

  I've never disappointed my wife before, and I don't plan to start today.

  As we drive back to the house, Vinnie talks non-stop about his day. I listen, focus on his excitement, and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

  "You get this excited when you see Megan?" I ask, his laughter getting caught in his chest and turning into a cough.

  "You really want to talk about this?"

  "You wanna wait and talk about it with Angela?"

  "Look, I'm sorry. To be honest, I thought it would be a one-night thing. I was pretty drunk, and she approached me. You know I have little self-control when it comes to beautiful women."

  Little meaning zero.

  "Anyway, she took me back to her place. We had a little fun, and then when we woke up Sunday morning—"

  "I don't need the play by play."

  "Let's just say that I didn't leave Sunday. Ryder had Amara, and she seemed lonely, so I stayed. Until last night."

  "You stayed with her the entire week?"

  "Like I said, I didn't plan for this to happen."

  "Did she?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You know how rumors like to fly around the office? Well, a new one's already surfaced. Apparently, Megan wanted Ryder to catch you two together. They think she has an ulterior motive."

  "There was no way she planned that. He stopped by unannounced to pick up something for Amara after work one night."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah. She was in the shower, so I answered the door. I probably should have checked the peephole. Is he pi
ssed?"

  "Nah. He has Emerson. He's worried about you, though."

  "I don't get it. Everyone seems to think she's an evil temptress. From what I can tell, she's nice and fun and we have a lot in common."

  The only way Vinnie's ever going to fully understand where our concerns are coming from is to give him the whole story. Not telling him feels like keeping secrets.

  "Listen, I'm going to tell you a little story. It's not well known, and Ryder wants to keep it that way. Megan has never confirmed or denied any of this so take from it what you will. All I know is what I've been told, and this is my interpretation of it."

  He sits silently beside me as we come to the light down the road from the house. When the light turns, I take a left and begin circling the block while I share with him the story of Megan and Ryder's marriage, divorce, and everything in between.

  "She cheated on Ryder. A lot of people think he was the one that cheated, but the truth is, she was caught in their bed with his best friend. Jared came to visit, to surprise Ryder for his birthday. That was last August. Ang went over to the house to pick Megan up for their lunch date and she caught them.

  "Megan made her promise not to tell Ryder, but her alliance to Megan was tainted. Ang hates secrets as much as I do, so she went straight to Ryder and told him what was going on. Instead of rushing home to see for himself, he waited. He paid attention to the lies she told him. He kept in contact with Jared.

  "It took a while, but he finally caught them in the act. Knowing she could take him for all he had, including their daughter, he played the forgiving husband. Booked them a vacation. He even told her it was time for them to rekindle their marriage.

  "The truth was, he wanted to get her away from Amara, so he could break it to her that he had filed for divorce. He knew she wasn't going to take it well. Ryder is many things, stupid isn't one of them. She made him look like an idiot. She made a fool of him. Right under his nose. In his own house.

  "I'm not saying people can't change," I say as I pull into the driveway. "I'm sure Megan learned from her mistake, or at least I hope so. The point is this. Be careful. Don't trust her until you’re sure she doesn't have an ulterior motive. Everything’s always been about her. How she can benefit from something. What people can do for her."