by Ellie Rowe
“Do you need me to spell it out for you, Becky? The jig is up. This file was brought to me the other day, and it’s a pretty interesting read.”
Without pausing, Darian walks over to the coffee table and flips open the file. The letters “F.B.I” and “CONFIDENTIAL” decorate the first page, and I curse under my breath.
“So? What’ve you got to say? Is it true?”
Both Darian and Peter are staring intently, and I sigh. Darian is right. The jig is up. Without another word, I turn towards my purse and pull out a small black case. Flipping it open, I watch as their eyes grow in astonishment.
It’s my F.B.I. badge.
Sixteen
Darian
“Let me explain…” she says.
“Yes, please do,” I say, in a tone I never thought I’d use with Becky.
“I do work for the FBI…”
“We already know that. Why? Who are you really?” Peter questions her.
It’s weird to be on the same side of something with him. It’s always been us against each other, never us against someone else.
“Okay look. About a year ago I was put on this project. The FBI has been suspecting that Max Slee- Kleeberger is involved in some really hardcore criminal activity. I don’t think I should say just what it is because I could still get in a lot of trouble for doing that. But this is a very high-profile case. We suspect something has been going on for years now, and somehow getting past us.”
Peter and I share a look, and Becky continues.
“So they deployed me to work undercover and pose as a stripper at Max’s club. They told me to work for him as long as I could, so that I could get close with him. He needed to trust me so that I can find out as much as I can from him. I still haven’t found a lot of evidence, but I think I may be on the cusp of something-”
“So, Max recently ordered me to get the two of you to fight with each other so that he could get the best deal possible out of you. He assumed that the two of you would want to one-up each other and raise the numbers higher and higher. Which is why I’m here.”
“I originally thought you two were involved with what he has been doing. But after being around the two of you- it’s pretty obvious that you guys had no idea about any of this. Either that, or you have both been playing me back and are very talented actors. In that case, bravo.”
She stops and raises an eyebrow at both of us, as if waiting for our confirmation.
“You were right, I didn’t know anything about this,” Peter tells her.
“Me neither. In fact, now I feel kind of stupid.”
Peter nods in agreement.
“Look, this is a very important investigation and it’s my first time out in the field. I cannot screw this up. You two knowing about this could potentially ruin the entire thing. You cannot say a word about this to anyone, or in front of anyone but me. If you do, you would be ruining not only my career but the FBI’s entire investigation on Max. We would lose years of hard work and be forced to start all over.”
I’m completely baffled by this entire thing. The fact that this has been going on and I didn’t know a single thing? And that I was going to let Max have a seat on the board? This is insane.
But on one hand, it kind of makes sense now. Certain pieces of the puzzle are starting to click in place, and I start to get an idea.
“What if us knowing all of this didn’t ruin it, but in fact had the opposite effect?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I would be willing to do anything I can to help your investigation. Anything, just say the word.”
“Me too. If you want the help, we’re here for it. If Max is into some bad shit, we don’t want that in our city. Besides, Max is a complete ass anyway. He’s given me nothing but bad vibes when I’ve been around him. And now that I really think about it, his whole deal that he’s trying to land with us is pretty suspicious.”
Becky is silent for a moment, deliberating. She gets up and pours herself some scotch, not saying another word until she finishes her drink.
“I appreciate the both of you for saying this, really. For right now, I need both of you to keep operating as is. Don’t make a single move in any other direction. That is very crucial to this. You need to keep acting like you are still interested in his bid. If he suspects anything different, he might pull the whole thing and then all of this will have been for nothing. Do you think you can do that?”
Peter and I share a look and then turn back to Becky.
“Absolutely.” We say together.
“Great. This could actually work then. When I have the next step, I will let you guys know right away. But just keep acting like you know nothing about any of this. And make sure you don’t seem too eager either, you still need to play hard to get with him, or make sure that he still thinks you’re debating things. And that also means that you two still need to act like enemies.”
I look at Peter.
“That won’t be a problem,” I say. “This changes nothing between Peter and I.”
“Agreed. Won’t even have to pretend there.”
She looks at both of us, seeming to come to a decision.
“Okay then.”
She gets up and pours all three of us our own scotch.
“Cheers?” she smiles at us.
“Cheers!” we all say in unison.
The atmosphere between the three of us feels different, lighter. It feels like everything is out in the open, and there are no more secrets.
Now, normally if I was into someone and then a little while into it, I found out that they had been lying about who they were and were pretending to be someone else-? I would immediately run the other way. Whether it was for the FBI, or they were just a messed-up person. But for some reason, with Becky, it just makes me like her even more and have a whole new level of appreciation for her.
I already thought highly of her, but this just changes everything. This girl really is a fucking goddess.
I’m not sure if Peter feels the same way I do right now, and I can’t lie and say part of me wishes this were a deal breaker for him. But knowing that we are now going to have to work together on this if we want to keep Becky- sort of makes me hate him a little less?
Regardless, I’m happy that Becky came clean and that this was the result. I didn’t want to have to lose her. And with the way this is going so far, I don’t think I will.
There is one thing weighing on my mind though, and that’s how much I’m actually starting to care for this woman. I mean how long can this three-way relationship thing that we’re doing last if I’m enemies with the third person involved?
It’s a pretty messy situation, and I’m trying to only think about the present and not get too ahead of myself- but that’s easier said than done.
We finish up our drinks and spend the next hour relaxing together before going our separate ways.
Becky still refuses to tell us anything more about the case because she’s still nervous about the whole thing and says she’ll have to consult her bosses about that first. Makes me wonder what the hell I’m getting myself into by being involved with this Max guy. How dark is this stuff he’s doing?
It kills that Becky won’t tell, because now my imagination is running completely wild. I’m imagining all sorts of different things. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, embezzlement, gang related stuff, who fucking knows. Each new scenario my brain comes up with makes me feel that much more nervous.
But at the end of my spiral, I have to remind myself that I trust Becky. I truly do. And I’m going to just have to lean on that during these next few days.
Seventeen
Peter
It’s been two days since Darian and I learned the whole truth about Becky. I haven’t seen her since, which is probably for the best.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past couple of days. Including questioning myself about a lot of things. Things like, “Is this girl worth it?” “Is she telli
ng us the truth?” And I’ve come to a decision. It’s risky as hell, but I believe in it wholeheartedly. If it comes back to bite me in the ass, well then that’ll be my own damn fault.
My decision is to trust Becky, one hundred percent. I believe everything she said to us, and I want to do everything I can to help her. As for whether or not she’s worth it? I think she is, but only time will tell something like that.
You can’t tell something’s worth until you give it a chance.
Anyway, this morning I got a message from Darian when I woke up asking me to meet him at his office. Which means it’s definitely something important. Obviously, Darian and I don’t just casually meet up- mortal enemies and all.
I head to my office and get a bit of work done, before making my way to Darian’s. Anytime I know I’m going to see him; I always feel a bit odd. Like a mixture of anger, sadness, and anxiety. Which feels exactly how it sounds… confusing.
By the time I get to his office, my whole body feels heavier than it is. Like my shoes have bricks taped to the bottom of them. Like my legs have gained four hundred pounds over the last few minutes and I can barely move them. But I keep walking, until soon enough I’m right outside his door.
One short knock later, and he answers. My heartbeat speeds up and my head gets a little fuzzy, but I ignore all of that and barge in.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“You could be a bit nicer; you know. Seeing as how I’m about to save your ass.”
“What are you talking about?”
He gestures for me to take the seat in front of his desk, as he sinks into his chair. Reluctantly, I sit down. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can be out of Darian’s presence.
“My lawyers found something about what Max is doing. You know, the part that Becky told us she doesn’t know much about yet? Well, now we know. He’s laundering money through Wiggle Jiggle.”
“What?? Are they sure?”
“Absolutely sure. That’s why he’s interested in your company. Apparently, he needs to launder even more money- money that he’ll have access to if he’s given a seat on the Board of Directors on your company like he wants.”
“Are you kidding me?? That’s what this whole thing has been about?!”
“Yes. Having a seat on your board would give him the perfect opportunity to launder the kind of money that he needs.”
“Well we can’t let him do that.”
“Why do you think I called you here instead of keeping this to myself?”
We lock eyes. There’s a split-second of understanding between us.
“I’m going to forward this to Becky,” he says, not taking his eyes away.
“Good idea. Could be a huge lead in her investigation. Listen, thanks for warning me before I made a huge mistake with my company.”
“Of course. I know how much that company means to you. No one deserves that.”
Finally, we break eye contact, and I look down at my feet. When I look back up at him, I clear my throat.
“Look, Darian. Just because we’re in this weird situation where we’re sharing the same girl- things between you and me haven’t changed.”
“I know. You think I don’t know that? This isn’t about me or you, it’s about Becky. And I don’t know about you, but I would like to keep her around.”
“She’s the only reason I haven’t beaten the living shit out of you.”
“Oh yeah? After I just saved your ass? You’re really gonna say that to me, right now? Do you really think that’s smart?”
“I don’t know Darian; did you think it was smart when you slept with Vanessa?”
A moment of silence follows. Then all hell breaks loose.
“Seriously? You’re gonna bring that up? When are you going to get over that?!”
“How can I? How can I get over what you did to me when you’re everywhere I go?”
My throat feels sore, like that feeling you get when you know you’re about to cry but you hold it in. Because right now, facing Darian, talking about what he did to me all those years ago- all I want to do is cry, and scream. But I can’t. I can’t show him even an ounce of weakness.
“Oh, and you think I want to see you? You think it isn’t hard for me too??”
“Why would I care how you feel? After you so blatantly didn’t care how I felt?”
“Okay, you keep bringing this up- so obviously you want to talk about it. So shoot. What is it that you think I did to you?”
“Oh don’t be condescending. You know exactly what you did.”
“Refresh my memory.”
God, this guy is so infuriating. Is he trying to make this worse? Does he want me to relive what happened?
My first instinct is to just walk out of here right now. But then I think about what Becky would want me to do. I think about the fact that if we don’t talk about this- things between us and Becky won’t last very long. So I stay.
“Peter, you’re the one who slept with Vanessa after I already had,” he says.
“You think that’s what this is about? Do you honestly think that’s it?”
I stare him down as I begin walking towards him.
“I slept with Vanessa because when I walked in on the two of you going at it- I was heartbroken. I’ve never felt something that painful in my entire life. Do you understand that? Does this make sense to you now?!”
By the end of my sentence, I’m shouting. Darian winces, but I don’t care.
“I left our dorm that night feeling like someone had just ripped a giant whole through my chest. I couldn’t breathe. All because of you. What I did after that was nothing compared to that feeling. And if I’m being honest- I should have done way worse.”
Now we’re practically nose to nose.
“So I’m going to ask you again Darian. Do you honestly think that my anger towards you is about some dumb sorority chick?”
Darian stares at me, speechless. I can feel his breath on my face, and I’m about to turn away and storm out of his office, until he grabs me.
His hand wraps around the back of my neck, and his other hand around to the small of my back. And before I even have time to think, his lips touch mine.
There is one single moment of pure shock. But one second later, that feeling is replaced by need. Pure, animal need. I kiss him back, fiercely, pushing him into the wall behind him.
Our lips smash together, clinging at any and all skin they can reach. Our hands mimic our lips, gripping each other's bodies, as if we’re lovers and one of us just came back from the war.
It feels good, it feels powerful. So powerful, that I completely forget about all the reasons I’ve been hating him all these years. That is, until he pulls away, leaving my lips tingling and even hungrier than before.
I open my eyes, confused, searching his for an explanation. And that’s when I realize what just happened.
Eighteen
Darian
For a moment, I feel like I’ve been dropped out of time. Out of reality, certainly. My body feels almost weightless and my head spins. I curse at myself silently for losing myself, but my mind is having difficulty accepting the moment.
I can feel Peter’s breath on my face. His hot lips are only inches from mine. I never knew how beautiful his eyes were, that from close up you can see a dark ring around the iris and flecks of green scattered through like a nebula in deep space.
What the fuck. I struggle to gain control of my thoughts. This can’t be happening.
I see Peter’s lips part, just slightly. My hands are throbbing with sensation, my fingertips almost stinging with anticipation. I want to touch him. It’s a desperate need that comes clawing out of my bones and into my blood. My heart throbs even faster.
I see a flash of uncertainty in Peter’s eyes and my dominance rises. I might not be entirely sure what I’m doing here, but I know one thing for sure.
You’re not getting away from me.
I lunge forward, grabbing him by the upper ar
ms. The contact of my aching hands on his hard muscles is explosive and a groan slips out of my throat. Peter growls in response and I feel his muscles harden against my palms.
Yes. Fight me.
Our momentum causes Peter to stagger back and bang against the desk. I absorb the impact, crushing him against me and kissing him hard. Thoughts try to shove their way past my desire, and I turn blindly and run from them—away from reason and straight into lust.
Fuck it, I want this.
I grind my hips against Peter, feeling his hard cock straining against his pants. He writhes as my weight pushes him back against the desk and I feel him resisting as I try to bend him backwards and slam him down against the top of it. His hands come up and grab my waist, sliding along my lower back.
His fingers trail lightly across the thin shirt, leaving trails of fire as his hands sink lower. As he reaches down to cup my ass, I lose focus, moaning into his mouth as I break off the kiss. My fingers loosen on his upper arms and I hear a growl of triumph as he throws his weight against me and forces me back.
The next few seconds are a blur of utter, mind shattering pleasure. We are evenly matched in strength and size. I try to regain control, but he sets his hard body against me and we struggle, both trying to subdue the other. Peter gasps with pleasure and reaches for my mouth with his lips.
As I let him kiss me, my body relaxes without my permission. His lips press into mine, hot and slippery and I can’t help searching for his tongue. Just as my cock starts to get hard enough to tear right through my fly, Peter gives me a hard shove and I find my legs won’t hold me.
I stagger back, almost falling. Peter grabs the front of my shirt and turns me slightly. The back of my knees hits something and I go tumbling down into a chair. I can tell from Peter’s grin that he planned the move, and I don’t like that he got the better of me. I try to rise, hearing my voice low in my throat, a wordless sound that expresses my dominance and power.