Marissa turns her head toward me with bug eyes. “Mari?”
“Spill it, Simone. Finn is like Fort Knox with the details and it’s taken everything in me not to come visit you and find out the details before today.”
I give them the shortened version of events from Mari’s ridiculous visit Wednesday night. All three girls sit quietly without interrupting the story — a first for this group. When I finish I shove another bite of my French toast in my mouth and wait for their questions, but they don't come right away. Shock probably.
Marissa is the first one to break the silence. “I didn’t know Trey had it in him, but that’s pretty sweet.”
“Yeah.” I stare dreamy eyed at the far wall lined with comic book character dolls in tall rectangular boxes. “But…" looking back to the group I use a few seconds to pick my words. “It’s weird. He so all ‘us' at full steam lately. He says the sweetest things, but he’s still…”
“A dickhead?” Marissa fills in the blank for me.
“Marissa!” Aspen yells and scowls at her friend, but Marissa doesn’t flinch.
I laugh a little. “Nooo. Maybe unemotional and bossy describes it best. He’s particular. I overlook it for the most part, but sometimes it’s hard."
“That’s what he said,” Amanda shouts into the group and then turns red when what she’s said registers. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Well this has gone downhill.” Aspen throws her balled up napkin at Amanda. “The way I see it, you guys have experienced some lag and it's making you nervous to believe him.”
“Huh?” My question seems to be the one on the other ladies’ faces as well.
Aspen’s face reddens. “Come on. You know what lag is. When your game slows down,” she suddenly perks up and her voice becomes excited. "Or like when your Internet stops and you can’t get your tabs to load. It’s lag.”
Amanda shakes her head a little. “Not all of us try to open fifty tabs at once, Aspen, but yes I know what you mean.”
Marissa laughs at the exchange. “Finn is so turning you into a nerd, Pen.”
“Whatever.” Aspen does her own annoyed look and continues. “You and Trey should have become a couple when you met on vacation, but you lived too far apart. You definitely should have ended up together when you first moved to San Francisco, but because he’s a dipshit you two experienced some lag and you’re picking it up now. Emotionally you two are further ahead in your relationship than people just starting out."
“So our relationship had to buffer?”
She looks to the ceiling in thought. “Um, maybe. I don’t know, my nerdome isn’t that high yet, but kind of.”
We all turn our attention back to our brunch containers and I let Aspen’s words soak in. The longer I process them, the more they make sense. Trey and I are moving fast, but in a way we’ve been working our relationship out for months. If we had met in a bar or restaurant here in the city, everything would be different. We’ve had some setbacks, but maybe we’re both coming to terms with them in our own way. I’m ripped from my thoughts with a rustle of papers as Jason returns to our group and throws down a thick newspaper on the table between us.
“I’m assuming no one has read this yet. You need to call Trey.”
I look down to the paper he’s thrown on the table as Aspen gasps. The headline’s sideways, but the large bold print makes it easy to read even from my angle.
Local Millionaire Gaming Playboy Caught in a Cheating, Drug, and Embezzlement Scandal
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
A zoomed-in picture of Trey and me as we walk out of the RDA building holding hands is placed to the right of the headline. I immediately move down on the couch to read more of the article but don’t touch it. The secondary bi-line makes me hitch my breath. "Ex-girlfriend speaks out about the abuse suffered at the hands of Trey Good, Raven Digital Arts CEO.”
“Oh no, Simone. This isn’t good.”
My first reaction is to say “no shit,” but I bite my tongue. There are too many emotions for me to sort through first without anything I say sounding bitchy. We sit silently all reading the article at our own pace.
The picture isn’t the worst of it. Not by far. The story Mari shared with the Sunday edition of the local paper is so much worse. She starts with the cheating allegations, quoted as saying, “She can’t handle the numerous affairs any longer,” and while she doesn’t use my name, the piece goes on to mention the company secretary as his latest victim.
By the third paragraph they’ve moved on from his most recent torrid love affair with me to Mari’s newest claim that Trey’s a drug addict. She rounds it out with a story about Trey doing lines of coke in the bathroom of a party last year.
Marissa leans forward even more and I worry she might fall off the couch. “You have to read this shit.”
Annoyed at the interruption I wave her off. “I am.”
My stomach sinks with each new accusation Mari hurls at Trey. The two-page article paints Trey as a villain from some 1940s black and white horror movie standing in the corner as he cackles over his misdeeds. By the time we all reach the last few paragraphs, she’s made her most damning claim — embezzlement. From wild parties to all-inclusive vacations, even his bright red Miata, Apple is said to be purchased all on the company’s dime. There’s even a chart with his projected yearly income and the amount doesn’t come close to the estimates Mari claims Trey spends on drugs and parties.
I finish reading and lean back against the couch, worried my earlier meal might not stay in my stomach much longer. I’ve never seen anything from Trey to support her claims, well besides the vacation, but he admitted Finn paid for it. Of course, maybe Finn doesn’t know he paid for Trey's expensive vacation?
What am I thinking? There’s no way Trey’s a drug user or an embezzler or even cheater — even if I’m a little less confident on the last one. The rest of it though is definitely not Trey. Even in his overbearing and demanding moments, that isn’t Trey. RDA is his life and Finn a brother, he wouldn’t take money from either one.
“She really stuck it all in there, huh?” Marissa leans back on the couch matching my position.
My head nods up and down in agreement. Mari wasn’t bluffing when she threatened Trey Wednesday night. My head falls into my hands and I rub my temples to help stop the sudden headache as I work through everything in the article.
“That is such bullshit.” Aspen’s apparently finished reading. When I don’t respond because I don’t know how, she keeps going.
“I hope you don’t believe any of that crap, Simone. Trey and I may have had a rough introduction, but he’s none of this." She stabs the paper with a finger causing the pages to rustle.
Aspen sticking up for Trey makes me smile. “I know,” I say behind partially open fingers. “This is Mari’s well-crafted revenge.” Trey did comment on her cunning business ability to me once.
I snatch up my black leather purse and dig around to find my phone. Trey was the last person I called, so I’m quick to pull his number up and call him. Seven rings later his voice mail picks up.
Across the space Aspen has the same idea as she pulls her phone to her ear. Her scowl grows with each passing second until she stabs her phone and throws it on the couch beside her.
“Finn’s not answering and he always answers.”
We both know it isn’t a good sign, but neither of us confirm it with words. Trey and Finn have definitely read the article if they’re both unavailable.
Marissa suddenly stands. “Come on, ladies. Let’s go.”
“You’ll drive us?” Aspen asks.
Marissa gives her the “please, you have to ask?” look. “Of course, but get a move on it.”
I jump up behind her as Aspen and Amanda hurry to put on their coats. Trey wanted to protect Finn’s privacy so his friend doesn’t get swept up in crap like this, but now it seems he’s pulled the entire company into the gossip nets with him.
**
Marissa
drops us off at the curb of the building and Aspen and I turn back to wave as she and Amanda pull off with a, “Good luck.”
“Marissa sure can drive like a mad woman when time is of the essence, huh?” I ask.
Against the hurried reason for our crazy car ride, Aspen laughs. “She’s got nothing on Jake when he’s running late. Trust me. He'd have jumped a few curbs.”
Aspen opens the door to the back employee entrance and we stand in front of the elevator. “You think he’s in the apartments?”
“You check Finn’s place. I’ll check mine. If he’s not in the building, we’ll walk to his house.”
Aspen enters the special elevator for the penthouse and I take the stairs to the second floor. I exit the stairwell on my floor, but it’s easy to see Trey isn’t waiting outside in the hallway. I decide to take the extra minute to check inside even though he doesn't have a key. He isn’t here. As I relock the door, my phone chimes with a message from Aspen that they’re not upstairs. I take the stairs back down and meet her in the stairwell.
“Any sign at all?” Aspen asks as I open the stairwell door.
“Nope.” We both turn toward the inner door that leads to the large open workspace to search Trey’s office.
Aspen gets there first and she holds the large metal door open for me. We can hear the yelling before I’m past the threshold. The door to Trey’s office is open, but I still stop to knock twice.
“What?” An irritated Trey yells from his spot behind his desk without looking up.
“Um, Trey…” my sentence tails off as I realize I have no idea what to say in this situation.
His head pops up at the sound of my voice, and he’s out of his chair before Aspen makes it in the room. “Simone, you read the article?”
“Yeah, we were at Cosmo’s,” I answer and finch as his face hardens.
He walks the few feet to me with hurried steps. “I hoped you wouldn’t see it.” His hands go to the tops of my arms. “None of it’s true. I swear to God, Simone. Finn paid for the vacation, but I didn’t cheat on Mari and I haven’t done a single drug since this one night in college. It was……”
“It’s okay, Trey. I believe you.” I cut off his words, not needing any more explanation from him. Who didn’t do something they regret in college?
His shoulders slump at my words, in relief or defeat I don’t know. He pulls me back to his desk, and with a light touch pushes me into his chair while he sits on the thick wooden desk. Our positions remind me of all the times he’s stopped at my place in the lobby except those were happy occasions. This one is fraught with despair.
“I’m glad you believe me, but no one else will. If it’s in the paper, it has to be true. Right?” Trey asks from his spot looking at the wall. “She mixed in just enough truth with all her lies that there’s no way to discredit the article.”
Aspen takes a spot in the large leather chair next to Finn, and they’re both silent until Finn’s fist lands on the arm of the chair. It’s soft and doesn't create much sound, but it’s more than I’ve ever seen Finn lose his temper. It must be the same for Aspen and Trey because both of them raise their eyes to him in shock.
“Trey’s given me his resignation.” Finn spits the words in our direction and I stop breathing waiting for Trey’s response.
“Trey?”
“It’s done, Simone. People will believe the hype from this article. It doesn’t matter what the truth is.”
“And if you leave the company it’s basically admitting her stories are true. I know the truth.” Finn looks to me. “Simone knows the truth and Aspen knows the truth. We’ll stand behind you.”
“It’s not enough,” Trey counters.
“Well I’m not taking your resignation, so find a way to deal with it.” Finn stands ready to go head to head with Trey. His strong presence only tampered by the Batman pajama pants he’s wearing.
“Finn, I’ve put the whole company in the spotlight. It’s a PR nightmare.” My head snaps back to Trey like I’m watching a tennis match between them.
Finn laughs at Trey’s forlorn words. “So, no one knows who we are. As much as you might think otherwise, no one knows who you are. No one cares about what we do. It’s gossip and it’ll pass.”
“He’s right, Trey. It will blow over when Mari can’t do anything else with it.” Aspen shares her agreement with Finn and I want to hug her for it.
Trey’s face is still edged with worry, but his body’s lost more of the tension from when we first entered the room. “Mari won't stop, though. She’ll keep going until she thinks she’s gotten her revenge.”
“Screw Mari.” Aspen pounds her own hand on an arm of the chair. “I say we send a copy of the article to her boss and see exactly what he thinks of her causing such a public scandal."
Trey sighs in defeat. “It just doesn’t seem right, Finn. I can’t come out and deny her claims and I can’t make my own because I won’t sink to her level. How are we supposed to battle this?”
Finn paces in the small area between Trey’s desk and the chairs. “We don’t. Seriously, Trey. Go home, come to work, but pretend like you haven't seen the article. She wants to engage you. She’s looking for a fight and for you to respond. Don’t give her the pleasure.”
The room is silent as we all keep Trey in our sight while he works through what’s been said. “I’m just so fucking pissed. How dare she?" He grips the edge of his desk until his knuckles turn white.
“Papers suck. Nothing good ever comes from them. I’m never subscribing to one again,” Aspen says to the room at large.
Her outburst sends her and Finn into a chorus of laughter at whatever she said that was funny. It takes a few seconds, but then Trey joins them with a short chuckle of his own. I’m the only one who doesn’t see the humor in her words, and as my eyes float from each of them, Trey pats me on the shoulder.
“I’ll explain it later,” he promises.
Finn gains control of himself and sits again. “Trey, there wouldn’t be an RDA without you and if you leave, there probably won’t be one for much longer. You've shed blood and tears over this company. I’m not going to let you throw away your dream… our dream over one stupid newspaper article.”
“Fine, but—”
“No buts.” Finn stands again and slaps Trey on the arm. “Go home, spend the rest of the day with Sim, build a city or something."
Trey smiles at his statement, but once again I’m left clueless at what’s so funny.
“I for one am going upstairs to waste away my Sunday watching mindless television.” Aspen’s head rolls to the ceiling, but when Finn holds his hand out for her, she stands and they walk out of the office together.
Trey sighs again and my heart breaks a little. Even though it’s not my fault entirely, I’m the catalyst that started Mari’s crazy episode and I'm partially responsible for Trey’s distress.
“All right, Mari’s fucked with our day enough. Do you want to go back to my place and hang low for the afternoon?”
“Sure.” I smile up at him and he looks a little calmer. I’m not gullible enough to believe the fallout from this is over, but at least Trey knows where we all stand.
“Where’s your coat?” he asks as he takes my hand.
I look to my left to try for some fake innocence. “Um, my apartment.”
We reach the employee entrance. He shakes his head at my lack of acceptable attire but doesn’t make me go upstairs to grab it. I laugh at his reaction and we push through the back door together to be blinded by the flashing of lights.
At least five people stand out on the back stoop with large cameras in front of their faces, the flashbulbs flickering. We both freeze and it opens the opportunity for the reporters to yell questions across the space.
“Trey, is this the secretary?”
Trey pulls me back into the building and waits until the door clicks in place. His tight closed fierce expression has me worried he’ll go back out and say something he’ll regret later. My
hand raises to his jaw, and I place a soft kiss on his cheek. His extra-long stubble tickles my lips. His missed morning trim is probably a sign he read paper first thing. I’m starting to repeat the kiss when Trey lets out a large breath and opens his eyes.
“What about we spend the day at your place?”
**
“Do you think it’s too early for wine?” I call out from my small rectangular kitchen as Trey hooks the game system from the main office to my smaller flat screen TV.
“Not today.” His words startle me by how close they are and I turn to find him standing next to me.
I turn back to the fridge. “When did you become a ninja?”
“One is born with the skill. One must only seek to use the skill.”
“Dork.” I smile at his small show of nerdiness even if he can’t see it with my head in the refrigerator. “So you want a pop then?”
“It’s so cute how you call it pop.”
“Whatever.” I pass him the cold can of pop I’ll never be able to call soda and reach toward the cupboard to get two glasses.
Trey beats me there but stops. He turns and in his hand holds the neon green cat cup from the little bar where we were met.
“You kept yours?”
I turn a little red for some reason. “Yeah.”
He sets the cup in question on the counter and opens his pop pouring some in. “I still have mine too.”
I laugh, but it sounds nervous for some unexplained reason. “Yeah, I know.”
He looks up from his pouring business and cocks his head at me.
“I saw it during sweatergeddon. It wasn’t a good night to bring it up.”
He laughs for a moment but doesn’t turn back to his glass. A heavy sigh leaves his body making his shoulders slump more. I hate seeing him so defeated and I frown at whatever thoughts are passing through this mind.
Trey takes two steps to my side of the kitchen and his arms wrap around me until he has a tight hold on me. Instinctively I wrap my own arms around him and return his squeeze.
Lag (The Boys of RDA Book 2) Page 21
