Sugar Sweet

by Christine d'Abo

  She shook her head, and it was only then that he noticed the tears on her face. “That’s fine. I’ll call an Uber.”

  “Where are you going?” He shouldn’t have asked, but he still wanted to make sure that she was okay. That she’d be safe from the oncoming storm. “Your mom’s?”

  Her small smile broke his heart. “It’s probably best if I don’t tell you that. Easier for both of us if I just disappear. But thanks for everything. It was good while it lasted.”

  She took another step, which had him move closer to her. There was no reason why he should let her go. She was hurting and it was his fault. Vince could easily pull her into his arms, beg for forgiveness, and promise that they’d work it out.

  Catching himself, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Do you need more money? For school, I mean.”

  “No. I want nothing…I’m good.” She opened the door. “Bye, Vince.”

  The silence once she’d closed the door behind her was deafening. He looked around the condo, his gaze landing on each place Marissa had touched in her short time here. The emptiness was oppressive, though it was the normal state of being for Vince. With the exception of Caroline and Nate, Vince had no friends. Plenty of acquaintances, of people who drifted in and out of his life. But no one he could call up, to come over and commiserate with him.

  For a short time, Marissa had filled that void in his life. Had brought warmth and smiles. Forced him into conversations about things that weren’t business. To speak to waiters and drivers, those people who intersected his life. She’d cracked open the wall he’d built to keep himself safe from the world, and invited him to look out.

  The strength in his legs threatened to give out, forcing him to sit on the couch. The scent of Marissa was strong here, filling his head. While there was a part of him that wanted her in his life, he knew it was best for both of them if they went their separate ways. Even if it felt like he was making a terrible mistake.

  Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the couch, and did his best to keep everything together.

  Because despite everything, he missed her already.

  * * * *

  Marissa thanked the Uber driver, and climbed out of the car. Naomi was waiting on the steps of her apartment building, and came running down the second she saw Marissa. “Okay, I was worried before, but now I’m scared. What’s going on? You look horrid.”

  “Once we get into your place. I…I can keep it together until then.”

  Naomi wrapped her arm around her and led her inside. “My roommate is out, but I gave her a heads up that you’re staying over. She said she’s fine with you staying with us as long as you need.”

  “Thanks.”

  The apartment building was a new construction and had a number of perks that Naomi said were well worth the extra money she paid for rent. Marissa had been here a number of times in the past, had been jealous of the large laundry room, the brightly painted walls, and the common room that ended up being a social area where most of the residents could gather.

  But after just having been at Vince’s condo, the entire place came off as small and more than a little basic. She squashed those thoughts as quickly as they came to mind. That was a world that she no longer had access to. And while she’d had a glimpse of what might have been, it was best not to dwell.

  Naomi shut the door behind them and immediately grabbed the bottle of vodka from the cupboard above her stove. “We’re going to have a few drinks, and then you’re going to tell me exactly what the hell happened.”

  Marissa should really be able to hold her shit together. She’d never set out to have a relationship with Vince, certainly not anything romantic. This was supposed to be a means to an end, a way to help pay off the bills that had piled up around her, so she could concentrate on the important stuff. But ever since New York, her attention on school had been unfocused at best. Assignments had piled up as she’d continued to work extra shifts.

  The good news was she’d been able to get several of the creditors off her back with the money Vince had given her. Valuable breathing room that should have been enough to get her on track.

  The only problem was she wanted her old life, but she also wanted Vince.

  “Hon, are you okay?” Naomi put two glasses and the bottle down on the table and came over to hug her.

  She wasn’t going to cry, she’d done enough of that over the past few days. She’d exhausted the deep well of tears, and all she had left was disappointment and anger. Hugging Naomi back, she let out a sad chuckle. “Let’s get that drink and I’ll let you know what’s been going on.”

  It took over an hour, and at least three screwdrivers, for her to tell Naomi everything. With each word she said—what Andrew had done, her time with Vince, Andrew’s blackmail—the pressure that had weighed her down began to lift. Seeing Naomi’s face morph from shock, to adoration, to rage hadn’t hurt.

  “So, I left the condo and came here. I don’t blame Vince for freaking out. I mean, he went through that whole thing with his ex a few years ago. He doesn’t want to do that again. We were never supposed to be anything more than friends. I helped him with some events. He helped me with the money.”

  Naomi finished her drink, poured another few inches of vodka into her glass, and began to drink it straight. “Darling, I know you want to defend Vince, but he fucking kicked you to the curb when you needed him most.”

  “Actually, he picked me up from my apartment, took me to his house and looked after me when I needed him most. Then Andrew came along and fucked things up. The worst thing about this is that I couldn’t even tell him that it was his father who’d put Andrew on our trail in the first place.”

  “I don’t get that. If this guy is as big an asshole as you say he is, why not let Vince know? He’s going to have to deal with him sooner or later.”

  “I don’t know.” In the moment, she didn’t want it to seem as though she was deflecting the blame away from her and Andrew and over to Geoff. “I was hurt. He looked hurt as well. I guess I didn’t want to make things worse.”

  “You need to call him and let him know.” Naomi shook her head. “This wasn’t supposed to turn into a big deal. I figured you might have to sleep with some guy, it might suck, but you’d get some cash to help out. I never dreamed this shit would happen.”

  Marissa laughed again, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting her. “Hey, at least he bought me a new copy of Star Wars.”

  It was too bad they’d never get to watch it together.

  Marissa was about to say something else, when a yawn stopped her. “I’m dead. Mind if I crash on your couch?”

  “It’s all yours.” Naomi got her a pillow and some blankets. “We’ll figure something out in the morning.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tomorrow. That seemed to be where she lived her life these days. Today was far too horrible to deal with, but tomorrow there was at least the hope things would get better. Maybe a good night’s sleep would be all she’d need to figure out how to make things work.

  Maybe.

  Chapter 24

  Vince sat at his desk and let the calm of the early evening wash over him. He’d been in meetings all day and his brain was full of Bull Rush shooting schedules, finance report numbers, and promises to look into a new company. He’d barely had time to catch his breath, let alone ponder what had become of his life in the last little while.

  But every time there was a lull, his mind would flick to Marissa and the devastated look on her face when she left the condo. It had been over a week and with no new stories in the papers about him and his mystery woman, he had to assume they’d dodged a bullet with Marissa’s ex. The separation worked as he’d hoped it would. There’s no story if they’re not together.

  Even if he missed her more than he cared to admit.

  Banging outside his office pulle
d his attention back to the present. The cleaning woman was making her rounds, emptying garbage cans and wiping down desks. Vince got to his feet, needing to stretch his legs, and went to watch. She wasn’t old, maybe mid-twenties, and was bobbing her head in time with the music that was playing in her ear buds. When she caught Vince watching, her eyes grew wide and she pulled the buds from her ears.

  “Hi, sir. Is there something I can do for you?” There was a slight quiver in her voice, as though she were scared of him.

  Nate said he had a reputation of being an asshole in the office, but Vince hadn’t fully believed him. “Nothing at all. I needed to stretch my legs.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She looked around, unsure what to do. “I’m just going to keep going then.”

  “Sure.” Marissa would have known what to say to her. She would have had the woman talking within seconds. Vince cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward. “Have you worked for us long?”

  She blinked at him and squeezed the cloth in her hand. “About two years now.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I guess. I mean, yeah, it’s a great job.” She blushed and fumbled with the cloth.

  He was totally screwing this up. He chuckled and shook his head. “Honest to God, I can talk to a boardroom full of people without a second thought. But the moment I try to have a conversation with someone one-on-one, I screw it up. I’m freaking you out, aren’t I?”

  “I bit.” She finally laughed as well. “Absolutely.”

  “I promised a friend that I’d try harder at being more social. Clearly, I suck at it.” He held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Vince.”

  “Candace.” She hesitated for a moment before finally shaking it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same.” He looked around the empty office, surprised at how strange it looked empty. “You have a big job.”

  “I don’t mind. I work nights so I can go to class in the day. It’s not going to be here forever and you guys pay well.” Candace went back to wiping down the work station. “Besides, your job’s a bit more important that mine.”

  This was the sort of thing Marissa was doing, the hard task of juggling school and making a living. She was doing the best she could, just as Candace was. “Never say that. Never thing that someone is better than you simply because their position is more visible. Or they make more money. Our entire office would fall apart without you.”

  Her blush deepened. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” The phone in his office began to ring. “Shit, I have to get that. It was nice talking to you, Candace.”

  “You too, Vince.”

  Striding across the office, he barely made it to his desk on the fifth ring. “This is Taylor.”

  “Hey Vince. It’s Kyle Adamson from the Toronto Gleaner. How’s the world of reality television, eh?”

  Vince sank slowly into his seat. He’d known Kyle since the early days of Bull Rush, had done a number of interviews with the Gleaner. In all the years they’d known one another, Kyle had never reached out to Vince directly. “Good. We start shooting season six in a month.”

  “Awesome. Hey, I wanted to give you a heads up. We have a story that’s going to run tomorrow. I wanted to vet it first, you know, make sure we weren’t printing a bunch of gossip. Mind answering a few questions?”

  With his heart pounding, Vince closed his eyes and did his best to keep calm. “Of course. Fire away.”

  “Great. I received some information from a source that you’ve signed up for a sugar daddy site. I mean, I’m on it now and wow. I don’t have the bank account to even talk to any of these women. But to clarify. Is the profile yours?”

  His mind raced through the site. It had been Geoff who’d registered for it, had used his information. Vince never had his name anywhere on it. “Not mine.”

  “Well, no. I mean it’s technically your father’s. He confirmed that to me when we spoke earlier. He said you’d been the one to actually go on the date with the woman. Ah…Marissa Roy, he said. That’s correct, yes?”

  Vince’s hands shook, and his throat tightened as he squeezed the phone. “My father gave you that information?”

  “He confirmed it. My source gave it to me initially, though there’s some question about whether or not that might have been your father as well.”

  Geoff had been behind everything. Vince hadn’t been able to figure out how Andrew would have heard about their relationship in the first place. Geoff disclosing it to him was the only thing that made sense. No doubt, Simon would also learn about their relationship, effectively killing the deal for GreenPro.

  He’d deal with his father later. Right now, he had to contain this. “Your source is her ex and he’s out to make her life a living hell.” And if Andrew had gone to the Gleaner, then the chances were great that he’d have gone to a number of other outlets as well.

  Everything he’d said to Marissa, to push her away in the hopes of sparing her from this nightmare, had all been for nothing. She would be hounded until she gave her side of the story, increasing her visibility, and making her more of a target for creditors. And he’d pushed her away, forcing her to deal with everything on her own.

  He was becoming everything he hated in his father.

  There was only one way Vince could think of to make this right. “Kyle, I appreciate you coming to me with this. Can you squash the story?”

  “I mean, no. This is too big a scoop. My source said it would be exclusive and is looking for payment. I wanted to verify truth, which is why I called.”

  “What if I can offer you something better, and it won’t cost you a dime?”

  There was a pause on the other end of the phone, as Kyle shuffled some papers. “It would have to be quite the counter to top this.”

  “An interview. With me. For print and for online.”

  “Exclusive?” He hadn’t heard Kyle that excited in ages. “If you’re willing to do that, I’ll kill the story for the paper tomorrow.”

  “Deal. I’ll have Nate reach out to you, but we can do something on camera tomorrow morning.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I appreciate you not paying that asshole a single penny of what he wanted. He already tried to extort me and I’ll be damned if I let him benefit from this.”

  “Lucky me. I’ll wait for Nate’s call.”

  By the time Vince hung up, he’d managed to get his temper under control. His father, the man who was supposed to love him unconditionally had not only betrayed him in the worst possible way, but clearly had intended to do so for quite some time. Since the day his mom had left them, Geoff had these moments of anger that inevitably ended up directed toward Vince. But dealing harshly with a confused and rebellious teen was light years away from this.

  Vince knew they were growing past the point of him being able to salvage what little relationship they had. If Geoff was bound to make Vince’s life a living hell, then he was just as likely to sabotage the sale of GreenPro to Simon. If he even wanted to sell it in the first place. Vince needed to cut ties, but needed to do things on his own terms.

  He needed to do right by Marissa.

  Picking up the phone, he made the call that in the back of his mind, he knew he’d always have to make. “Peter. Vince. We need to talk.”

  * * * *

  Nate strode around the office, ensuring that the Gleaner had lived up to everything they’d promised to do. He’d been equal parts furious and relieved when Vince called him last night and filled him in on everything that had happened.

  “Jesus, thanks for giving me next to no time to pull this off.”

  “You’re a magician. Besides, Kyle is going to be tripping over himself to make sure this goes off without a hitch.”

  “It’s a good scoop. Not to mention getting it for print and online. Far more generous than I would have been.”

>   The fact of the matter was Vince wanted to make sure Marissa had the opportunity to see him. Not simply read his words, which could be misconstrued and lacking tone. He wanted her to see his face, to hear his voice. He wanted, no, he needed her to know that he was sorry.

  Reaching up, he adjusted the tiny pin he’d placed on his lapel. He wasn’t even certain she was going to see the video, let alone the pin. But if she did, he knew she’d appreciate the significance.

  “Okay, Vince.” Kyle marched over to where he was sitting, Nate half a step behind. “I think we’ve worked everything out. Are you good to go?”

  He gave Nate a look, cocking his eyebrow.

  “I looked over the questions.” He clapped Kyle on the back. “He’s sworn up and down that there will be no surprises for you once we’re live.”

  Kyle held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

  Nate nodded, which was all the reassurance Vince needed. “Let’s do this.”

  The next few minutes were consumed with hair and makeup, and technical setup. Vince sat as calm as he could manage, all the while battling the war of emotions that had consumed him for most of the night. Nate waited for the makeup artist to leave before coming over. “You sure you want to do this? We can simply make a statement and leave it at that.”

  “I need to have this online.”

  “You mean you want her to see it.” Nate sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Why don’t you just pick up the phone and call her? You’ve done that before.”

  “Before I hadn’t been a complete asshole to her. Before I hadn’t made her feel like shit because I was trying to protect myself. I owe her a public mea culpa at least.”

  “Okay. It’s your call. I’ve let Caroline know what’s going on and to be ready to forward all media calls to my cell.” Nate shook his head. “Thanks for blowing up the rest of my week.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Kyle came over and took the seat opposite Vince. “Are you all set?”

  No, this was the last thing he wanted to be doing. “Ready.”