Business as Usual (Off The Subject)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  “Definitely.”

  “What about Ben? He’s attractive enough,” Scarlett says this as though she’s listing the periodic table.

  “Wow, I might get a big head if you keep giving me compliments like that,” I say, turning my attention to the girl now that she’s looking at me. She’s petite, with a fair complexion. Loose blonde curls hang slightly past her shoulders, but it’s her striking blue eyes that catch my attention. I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I can’t place where yet.

  The blonde looks up at me, confusion flickering in her eyes, followed by something that looks like panic. Why would she panic? Icy realization shoots through me. She probably recognizes me from my brush with infamy. But I quickly realize I’m wrong. She seems nervous but not fearful. It’s as though she’s worried I’ll find out something about her.

  “We’re still sorting through the details,” she finally says, shifting her gaze back to Scarlett.

  “I might be able to help if I knew what you were talking about.” I slide my chair next to her. I’m certain she’s recognized me, but I still can’t place her. While I’m not usually drawn to blondes, I’m sure I would have remembered this girl.

  Scarlett starts to talk, but the girl hushes her by putting a hand over hers. “We’re still in the planning stages so let’s keep this quiet,” she says. “I want to make sure it has the maximum impact when we announce it.”

  Scarlett’s eyes narrow. “Okay…”

  I’m dying to know more about this girl, and the one sure way to get her to tell me her name is to introduce myself. I reach out a hand. “I’m Ben Masterson. Obviously, I work with Scarlett here in the lab.”

  She smiles, but it wobbles. She’s still nervous. “Nice to meet you, Ben,” she says, shaking my hand with a firm grasp.

  The fact that she purposely omitted her name doesn’t escape my notice.

  She stands and picks up her leather bag, casting a wary gaze in my direction. “Scarlett, can I talk to you out in the hall?”

  Surprise flickers in Scarlett’s eyes. “Sure. I don’t have any students waiting for me.” She gets up and follows her out the door.

  I wheel my chair back to my table and pull my homework out of my bag. That’s another benefit of this job—I can work on homework when we don’t have anyone to tutor. I’ve started on an equation from my last class when Scarlett returns and resumes her seat.

  “Who was that?” I ask, not caring if I sound nosy. I’ve seen the girl before and my brain won’t rest until I put it together.

  She looks down at her own work. “Reed’s sister.”

  “That’s Reed’s sister?” And suddenly, I’ve figured out where I saw her last. The day I started, Reed was explaining how the lab worked when a cute blonde walked in. He stopped everything to go talk to her, but I barely got a glimpse of her before they ducked into his office. They look nothing alike, so I figured she was his girlfriend.

  “Stay away from her, Ben.” Scarlett’s tone tells me she’s serious.

  My mouth drops in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can tell that you’re intrigued, but Reed will skin you alive if you ask her out. He takes overprotectiveness to his own extreme level.”

  I hold up my hands in surrender. Reed’s already made it clear he’s only tolerating my presence here until I screw up somehow. “No worries. Not interested.” I am, but if she’s Reed’s sister, I’m not interested enough to lose my job.

  “Good.”

  The student at Tina’s table leaves and Tina scoots her chair next to mine. She’s made it clear she’s interested in getting to know me better and I’ve made it as clear as possible that I’d prefer a raging case of herpes. The girl doesn’t take a hint.

  “Personal space, Tina,” I growl.

  “Easy there, Virgin Ben. I’m not going to rape you.”

  I cringe at her word choice. So far no one in the math lab has shown any sign they know about my arrest last fall and I hope to keep it that way.

  “Wasn’t that Reed’s sister in here?” Tina curls a hand around my arm. “You should hook up with her. She’s virginal too.”

  Scarlett shoots her a glare. “That’s enough, Tina.” It’s obvious that she cares about this girl more than she would about someone who was just her boss’s sister.

  “God, Scarlett. You need to loosen up. I told Virgin Mary that Friday night when I took her home. Imagine my surprise when she busted out with the piece of intel that she’s not a virgin after all.” She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms under her breasts. “I bet fifty bucks Reed doesn’t know that.”

  “And you’re going to keep it that way,” Scarlett says, her tone harsh. Scarlett is a mild-mannered girl, but I can tell she’ll bear her claws if Tina keeps pushing. “And what do you mean you took her home Friday night? Caroline said she was supposed to be out with her friend on the committee.”

  Tina shrugs and gives a smart-ass grin. “Hell if I know. All I know is that I was leaving the Voodoo Club with my friends when Curly Sue comes running up, asking if I can give her a ride back to her car.”

  “Stay away from her, Tina.”

  “Ben can’t play with her. I can’t play with her. What’s the fucking deal?”

  “I mean it, Tina. Stay. Away.”

  “Damn, Scarlett. No need to be such a bitch. It’s not like the two of us were going to become besties anyway. I took her to her car and dropped her off. I even offered to help her open a match-making business, but she flat-out turned me down.”

  God help me, this conversation is making me even more intrigued with the girl. Despite my better judgment, I find myself asking, “Why would she start a match-making service?”

  “Haven’t you heard?” Tina asks.

  “Would I ask if I had?”

  Tina releases a throaty, sexy laugh. “I like you, Masterson. I think we should keep you around.” She leans forward on the table, looking into Scarlett’s face. “We’re a bit incestuous around here.” She lingers on the word. “You see, Scarlett used to be roommates with Caroline Hunter until she moved in with Tucker last summer.”

  “After he quit the Chicago Fire.”

  “Don’t encourage her, Ben,” Scarlett grunts.

  I know I shouldn’t, yet I’m curious.

  “Yep,” Tina says. “That’s right. So Caroline was left without a roommate and Scarlett and I were friends.” The way she says the word makes me question it. “Anyway, I wanted out of the dorms, so Scarlett suggested I move in with her bestie.”

  “Okay…” I say, wondering where she was going with this.

  “Here’s where it gets interesting.” She sits up and turns to face me. “Reed moved here last August with his baby sister. They came to the party Tucker threw Scarlett for her high GRE scores and Caroline was there. The sparks that flew between Caroline and Reed were strong enough to start a raging inferno, only Caroline was too busy looking for a rich boyfriend and Reed was too busy being a stuck-up prick. Baby sis decided to take matters into her own hands and got the Monroe Foundation to sponsor the fashion department’s fall fashion show because she knew Caroline would be working on it. And she got Reed to be the head of the committee.” She grins. “You would have thought getting laid regularly would mellow the guy, and it did until a couple of weeks ago.”

  “So Caroline and Reed hooked up?”

  “Keep up, Masterson. I didn’t think you were slow-witted. Yes, they hooked up, and those two…” she releases a low whistle. “Let’s just say that the walls in our apartment are thin and I heard things most people don’t want to hear.” A slow, evil grin spreads across her face. “Good thing I’m not most people.”

  Scarlett rolls her eyes in disgust.

  “Reed Pendergraft is a dirty, dirty boy,” she drawls.

  “Enough, Tina.” Scarlett looks close to blowing up.

  I hold up my hands. “Yeah, I have no desire to hear about his exploits in the bedroom.”

  She lifts an eyebrow coyl
y. “They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I bet Virgin Mary is a freak in the bedroom too. Maybe you want to find out.”

  “That analogy refers to offspring, not siblings,” Scarlett says.

  Tina shrugs her indifference.

  “Yeah, no thanks,” I say. Yes, I’m interested, but I need to keep Reed on my good side. “I’ve had enough freaks to last a lifetime.”

  She leans forward and curls her fingers around my thigh. “I want to hear more about your freaks.”

  I brush her hand off. “Not a chance. Don’t you have work to do?”

  She looks up at me through thick, black eyelashes. “Nothing more interesting than what’s in front of me right now.”

  “Leave Ben alone or I’ll write you up for sexual harassment,” Scarlett says, turning a page in her notebook.

  Tina rolls her chair back to her table. “God, I realize you’re all a bunch of math nerds, but can’t you have fun like ever?” Grabbing her purse, she stands. “I’m taking a smoke break.”

  I expect Scarlett to stop her—Reed has specifically forbidden smoke breaks—but her lips just press together in irritation as she watches Tina walk out of the room.

  “She didn’t always used to be like that,” Scarlett says after a moment. “And she’s right, we used to be friends. But she’s changed so much in the last year and I can’t figure out why. When I try to bring it up, she changes the subject.” Releasing a sigh, she rubs her temple. “Sorry for her behavior.”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault. I can handle her, but it makes it difficult since we work together so much.”

  She sighs again. “Well, Reed’s just about had it with her, so I’m not sure how much you’ll have to put up with her.”

  “Damn, he’s firing people right and left.”

  “He wasn’t like this until the last month or so. He’s always been a perfectionist, but something’s going on with him. I thought it was about his sister, but Caroline says it’s not. Tucker is over him, saying he’s upset Caroline one too many times… I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, though. I think he’s acting out because he’s under some kind of pressure.”

  I release a bitter laugh. “You’re nicer than most people. I could have used you as friend last fall.”

  She looks up, her brow wrinkling with confusion. “What?”

  I shake my head. “Nothing.”

  If Scarlett’s right about Reed, things are bound to get rockier in the math lab.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lexi

  I stare at the message on my phone and my breath catches.

  Come to the math lab. I have some information.

  When Scarlett and I spoke in the hall outside the math lab several days ago, I asked her to let me know if she heard of anyone looking for a roommate. She insisted Reed would pitch a fit.

  “That’s why I really need for you not to tell him,” I said. “But you and I both know it’s time. Me living with Reed and Caroline isn’t helping their relationship.”

  She sighed and leaned against the wall. “I think they have more problems than you living with them.”

  “I know. Something’s going on with my brother. Do you have any idea what it is? He won’t tell me.”

  She shook her head. “After Caroline showed up on my doorstep Friday night, she told me what was going on, including how she went to his office and didn’t find him there.” She scowled. “Tucker was ready to go beat him up.”

  “Again?”

  She grinned. “Well, technically, last time he only punched him for making Caroline upset. He claims Reed’s out of strikes. The only reason Tucker hasn’t gone after him is that I threatened to deck him if he did.” She shook her head and frowned. “Obviously that won’t help anything. If it did, I’d be tempted to let him have at it.”

  I grinned despite the fact that she was talking about her boyfriend hurting my brother. “Caroline’s lucky that Tucker looks out for her like that.”

  “He considers her my sister since we’re so close. And you’re lucky to have a brother who cares so much about you.”

  “I love Reed, but he’s a little over-zealous.”

  She lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “You mean like Tucker.”

  There was no comparison between the two, but I knew it would be pointless to argue that fact. “Look, I want to help Reed, but I can’t unless I know what’s going on. Will you let me know if you hear anything?”

  She nodded. “Even though I’m not a fan of eavesdropping and spying, I’ll keep an eye out. I’ll let you know first if I find anything out.”

  And with that, she left.

  Four days have gone by without a word, and now she’s sent me a message. Is it about an apartment or Reed?

  Reed has his own classes to attend on Friday morning, so I know I won’t run into him. Scarlett is waiting for me in his office, a serious expression on her face.

  It’s about Reed.

  I’m nervous when I enter the math lab, mostly about why Scarlett wants to talk to me, but also because I’m worried about running into Ben. I recognized him right way when I was talking with Scarlett the other day, and I don’t want him to figure out that I was the woman he talked to at the bar. Not that he probably remembers anyway. He meets tons of people at his job and I was wearing a wig. But he works with Reed, and if he tells my brother about me dancing and practically making out with Rob on Saturday night, Reed’s liable to lock me away in an ivory tower for the rest of my natural life.

  Unfortunately, the other person I was hoping to avoid is sitting at a table. A grin spreads across Tina’s face when she sees me. “Hey, Curly Sue.”

  I ignore her as I walk into the office and close the door behind me. Scarlett is resting her butt against Reed’s desk, waiting for me. “What did you find out?”

  “Nothing definite, but there’s something I think you should know about.”

  “Did you tell Caroline?”

  Scarlett doesn’t answer, which is answer enough.

  I take a deep breath. “Go on.”

  “It may be nothing, but I’ve seen Reed take two phone calls while he was with a student, and he left the kid he was tutoring to take the calls in his office.”

  “That doesn’t sound like him.”

  “It’s not. And when he came back out, he wasn’t in a good mood.”

  I’m grateful that I’m not imagining things, but I don’t know what to do with this information.

  “Lexi, that’s not all.” Scarlett says, her forehead wrinkled with worry.

  I take a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “I saw him with a woman.”

  I feel lightheaded and my heart seizes. “What do you mean saw him with a woman?”

  She shakes her head, looking upset. “It’s not how I made it sound, but it still doesn’t look good.”

  “Tell me.”

  “After one of the calls, he kept looking at his cell. About thirty minutes later, he looked at his phone and then announced he was taking a break. He hadn’t finished tutoring the student at his table.”

  My heart stutters.

  “I’m ashamed to admit that I did this…but I wasn’t tutoring anyone at the time, so I followed him.”

  “It’s okay, Scarlett,” I force myself to say.

  “He went to the first floor and a woman was there waiting for him. They embraced and then left together.”

  Tears burn my eyes. “I don’t understand. There has to be a logical explanation, Scarlett. I know Reed. I know him. He would never cheat on anything—a test, his taxes, and most of all, he would never cheat on Caroline.”

  Scarlett’s face is flushed. “God, I hope so, Lexi. If he is, it will kill her.”

  I nod, tears clogging my throat. “I know.”

  “I’ll keep watching.”

  “Okay. I will too.” Although I suspect Scarlett is now looking for proof that he is cheating while I’m looking for evidence that he isn’t.

  Scarlett opens the door to le
ave.

  “I’m just going to sit here for a minute.” I settle into his desk chair.

  “Stay as long as you want. I’m sure Reed won’t mind.”

  I hear her tell Tina she’s taking a break, and then she leaves the room.

  I need to figure out what Reed is up to. Why would he meet a woman and then leave with her? Maybe she’s a fellow graduate student, and Reed is studying with her? If so, Scarlett would probably know her, though, and he wouldn’t lie to Caroline about the whole thing. I’m truly at a loss.

  I’m deep in thought when Tina startles me. “What’s going on, Curly Sue?”

  “Not now, Tina,” I grumble.

  She barges into Reed’s office and sits in the chair across from his desk, leaning back as she stares into my face. “What’s got you down, little one?”

  “None of your business.” I start to stand.

  “Is it about your brother and what he’s up to?”

  I sit back down. “What do you know?”

  She laughs. “I make it my business to know things. You never know when you might need to pull out some information.”

  “Then tell me.”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t just hand over information. People have to earn it.”

  “You don’t have anything.”

  She laughs. “Oh really? Scarlett might know that Saint Reed met a woman yesterday, but I bet she doesn’t know her name.”

  I suck in a breath. “You’re bluffing.”

  She shrugs, looking bored. “Suit yourself.”

  When she stands and takes a step toward the door, I say, “Wait.”

  A mischievous grin spreads across her face. “I knew you’d see things my way.”

  “What do you want?” I ask, gripping the arms of the chair.

  She taps a fingernail on the corner of Reed’s desk. “What do I want…”

  A student walks into the lab, and he looks confused when he sees only one tutor.

  “Duty calls, Tina.”

  “He can wait.” She leans to the side in her chair. “What do I want? I want so many things. The question is: What do you have that I want?”

  “You want me to list my assets?” I ask sarcastically. “How about I email you my portfolio later this afternoon.”