by Mia Ford
On the sidebar of similar videos were even more of the same, taken by other patrons from different angles. My name, along with Chad’s, was listed in the title of several of them.
“Oh my God,” I mumbled, sitting down heavily in one of the twin chairs placed in front of Graham’s desk. The video was on a loop, and I watched everything happen three times before looking away. I closed my eyes and let my head sink in my hands, suddenly understanding why everyone had been staring at me in the lobby.
“Graham, I’m so sorry,” I started, but he stopped me with his hand in the air between us.
“Your private life is none of my business,” Graham said formally, his voice far from the friendly, I’m-here-for-you attitude I had always gotten. “But when your private life becomes public, well, you become a reflection of this company, and right now, we look like shit.”
“I was having dinner with a friend and Mark –”
“With Chad Walters,” Graham cut in.
I nodded. “Yes, with Chad Walters. Mark just walked up and started making a scene. He was drunk and—”
“Making a scene? Whatever Mark was doing, it was definitely not making a scene. This…” Graham said, pointing at the video, “this is making a scene.”
“I didn’t know that was going to happen,” I said, weakly. “Mark kept pushing, saying awful things, Chad was simply protecting my honor.”
“That’ not good enough, Zoe.” Graham shook his head in frustration. “I can’t sell an excuse like that.”
“Sell it to who?”
“The publisher,” he said, hands in the air. “The big guy at the end of the hall who has to okay everything we do.”
I blinked at him with tears in my eyes. “You mean like the Costa Rica trip.”
“Yes. The Costa Rica trip. The contract for your next book. Whether or not to keep you under contract.”
“You’re saying…”
“I’m saying it could all go away,” he said with a heavy sigh. He shook his head at me as if I were a petulant child.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. I put my hands in my lap and kneaded my fingers together. “What can I do to fix this? What do you want me to say?”
“That you’re not purposefully trying to fuck up your life and career for starters,” Graham said, his tone walking the line between anger and frustration. “Jesus, Zoe, do you now realize how many people are affected by your actions? How could you be so fucking careless?”
“I was having dinner,” I said, wanting to yell but knowing it wouldn’t help. I was taken aback by his reaction, shocked, frowning in disbelief at his sudden outburst. Never in all the years I had known him had he spoken to me in such a way. If I hadn’t known he was gay I would have sworn that he was jealous.
“You’ve put me in a very difficult position,” he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips. He took a deep breath and pushed it out slowly. It seemed to drain the anger from his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to explode at you.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I said, feeling lousy for putting him in the position of having to defend me to the publisher. “Honestly, I had no idea that was going to happen.”
“I know,” Graham sighed, ruffling his hair and leaning back in the chair to give me an apologetic smile. “I really am sorry,” he said, pursing his lips. “Who you see is none of my business. I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.”
“Is this about Chad Walters,” I asked. “Are you upset that I went to dinner with him?”
“You’ve told me about him in the past,” Graham said with a shrug. “You just get out of this mess with Mark, then this guy shows up and all hell breaks loose. I just want what’s best for you, Zoe, and I don’t either of these assholes will do. You’re a great writer, but your taste in men is absolute crap.”
“That’s… sweet,” I said with a smile. “I guess. So, what happens now?”
“Now, we do damage control,” Graham said, blowing out his cheeks and leaning forward. “I know you were innocent in this mess, but you know this business. It’s all about public perception. I’ll meet with the PR folks and figure out the best spin. In the meantime, please, keep a low profile.” He saved a dismissive hand at the laptop. “And stay away from both of these assholes. They’re nothing but trouble and you know it.”
I would have no problem staying away from Mark. Chad, on the other hand, well, that might be an issue since I left him naked and hard in my bed.
“There is more bad news,” he said.
My eyebrows arched. “More? What could be worse than that?”
“I got a call from Mark this morning, just letting me know that he was filing suit against Chad Walters and you’d probably be named, as well.”
“What?” I gawked at him. “What did I do?”
“I think the term Mark used was ‘incitement’ or something to that effect.” Graham shook his head and gave me a tired look. “Basically, it means you incited Chad Walters to smash his face into the table. You started it and incited Chad to finish it.”
“That’s total bullshit,” I said. “I did no such thing. What the fuck, are we in high school here?”
“Mark also said that I, meaning Roland House, should stay out of it or he will find a new publisher.” He shook his head and held out his hands. “Like it or not, Mark’s spy books make this company a lot of money, so…”
“So, you need to stay out of it, I understand,” I said. I gritted my teeth and fought back the tears. “That son of a bitch. He told me he wasn’t finished with me. He said it would never be over until he said it was.”
Graham gave me a slow nod. “He’s not going anywhere because his contract is iron-clad,” he said. “But he can make things harder for you.”
“He can go fuck himself!” I said. “I’m not afraid of Mark. You can just roll over and play dead, but I’ll be damned if I will.”
Graham frowned at me. “Do you think I’m not taking your side?” he asked. “I know how much of an asshole Mark can be. But he’s a major asset to this company, and I’m outvoted here. Just lay low for a bit and—”
“I’m not going to be treated like a second-hand writer just because Mark sells more books,” I said. “I’ve earned Roland House a lot of money, and I’m not going to be shit on because of that son of a bitch.”
“I’m trying to help you here,” Graham said desperately.
“No, you’re not,” Zoe said. “You’re covering the company’s ass.”
“That’s not true.”
I knew my temper was getting the better of me, but I seemed to have lost the ability to keep my mouth shut. I gritted my teeth and wagged a finger at him. “Graham, you’ve always been a friend to me, and I can’t hide the fact that what happened last night is not going to wash over easily.” I paused, taking in a deep breath. “But I’m not going to keep getting walked over just because everyone thinks I’m some airhead who writes porn.”
“What?” He huffed at me. “Who said anything like that?”
I thought about it. “Well, fuck, Graham.” I plucked several tissues from a box on the desk and dried my eyes. “I’m sorry. Fuck. And it started out such a good day.”
Graham softened his tone. “Look, just keep your distance from Mark and Chad Walters, at least for the time being. Just give me time to work this out.”
“Okay,” I said, taking a shuddering breath. “I won’t see Mark or Chad again.” I smiled and he seemed satisfied with the lie. I took a moment to compose myself, pecked him on the cheek, then headed home, wondering if Chad would still be there.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Chad
“Chad? Chad, wake up.”
I woke up with a groan to the sound of Zoe’s voice. I stretched out my arms and legs and looked up at Zoe through sleepy eyes. I smacked my lips and smiled back at her.
“Morning,” I said, my voice hoarse. There was a drum beating in my head that made me wince. “What did you do to me last night? I think I’m going to need a pot coffee before I’m good fo
r anything.”
“There’s a fresh pot in the kitchen,” Zoe said. It was then that I noticed she was fully dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” I asked, reaching for her.
“It’s almost two in the afternoon,” she said, pulling away. “I’ve been out to a meeting with my publisher. Just got back.”
I felt a pulsing between my legs and looked down at my morning wood pupping like a tent under the sheet. I kicked off the sheet and took my cock in my hand and gave it a good morning squeeze. I wiggled my eyebrows at Zoe and smiled. “Looks like I’m not the only one happy to see you. Why don’t you get undressed and climb on board?”
Her smile faltered. Her expression told me something was wrong. Oh fuck, here we go again. I was about to get kicked out of her life all over again.
“What’s the problem?” I asked, suddenly shy, pulling the sheet back over my withering cock.
“I’ll pour us coffee in the kitchen.” She got off the bed and moved to the door. “Get dress and come out. We need to talk.”
I frowned. I hated those words. Nothing good ever came after those four words. Not to mention the way she said it sounded extremely familiar, and I could see from the way she nervously played with her hands that needing to talk was going to ruin my day. I sighed and sat up in bed, my hard-on now a distant memory.
“What is it? Just tell me”
She shook her head and stood up. “Get dressed,” she said. “I can’t take you seriously like that.”
I didn’t want to be taken fucking seriously. I wanted answers, and at the same time I didn’t want a replay of what had happened years ago. Last night had been incredible. I had never experienced anything like it after she had left me, and I wanted more. A part of me believed there could be more, and just thinking about what she wanted to talk about me left me frustrated.
I took my time, showered for longer than I needed, and tried to cool off. This was a conversation I didn’t want to have. Not now. Especially not after last night.
I found her in the living room, drinking her own mug of coffee and gesturing to mine at the kitchen counter. I took a sip, then a longer one, and silently wished my headache away. I wanted to be clear for this. I sat down on the couch opposite her, already anticipating what was coming.
“Is this the part where you tell me what an awful mistake last night was?” I asked, setting my mug down and looking her in the eye.
She looked away. “Stop that.”
“No, really, because if it is, then I’ve heard it all before,” I said, feeling the anger rising inside me before I could hold it back. “I have to admit, though, it’s a lot quicker this time around. Just one night. Not bad.”
“Chad, that’s not what this is.”
“Then what is this?”
She put her mug down next to mine and bit her lower lip, a sure sign that she had no idea how to tell me whatever it was she wanted to tell me. “I got some news this morning,” she said, avoiding my eyes. “Not very good news. Horrible news, actually.”
I waited, a part of me already scoffing at whatever excuse she was going to throw at me this time. I suddenly felt incredibly stupid. Stupid for letting my guard down. Stupid for thinking this might have gone somewhere, that we could have picked up where we last left of. Stupid for even trying to rehash the past.
You should have just stuck with the easy lays, man.
“Your fight with Mark… It’s all over the internet,” she said.
“It wasn’t really a fight,” I said smartly. “It was more of his face hitting a table.”
“Please, this isn’t funny,” she said. “My publisher called me in this morning. Mark is also their author. He makes them a lot of money. There could be complications.”
I frowned. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about what happened last night going viral, but I wasn’t the first person to get into a fight in public and have his face all over the internet. I patted my pants for my phone, knowing that Martin had probably already worked up a shit storm and was ready to bombard me with a load of crap I didn’t want to deal with. Besides, no publicity is bad publicity. Wasn’t that the saying?
“Mark’s trying to press his weight with the publishers,” Zoe continued. “He may try to get them to break my contract.”
“That’s bullshit,” I replied, clenching my fists. I was already imagining that bastard’s face in front of me. “They can’t do that anyway. You can sue them. Surely you have a contract.”
Zoe shook her head. “They won’t do break my contract,” she said. “But they are insisting that I stay out of whatever Mark throws at you.”
“Me?” I blinked at her. “What could the fucker to do me?”
She glanced up at me, and for a split second, I thought I could see tears in her eyes. They were gone just as fast when she turned away and reached for her mug again.
“Mark’s suing you, Chad,” Zoe said. “And he’s threatening to sue me, too. The publishers can convince Mark to leave me out of it, as long as I steer away from the spotlight on the lawsuit.”
“What?” I barked, confused as hell. Too much information in one sentence, and my headache wasn’t helping. I glanced at my voicemail. There were a dozen calls from Martin. Bad publicity was one thing, but a lawsuit? That could ruin everything. It was definitely going to screw up any plans of opening in New York. I didn’t even register the rest of what she said.
“That son of a bitch,” I hissed. I let my eyes come up to hers. “So, what does this mean for us? You and me?”
Zoe took a sip from her coffee and gave me a pitiful look. “I’m sorry, Chad, I just can’t do this. Not now. Not with a new book coming up. I have to be on Costa Rica in a week, and if Mark plays dirty, the publisher might just ground me to pacify him.”
“To pacify him?” I asked, looking at her as if she were crazy. “What about you? I thought you were a big shot author? How about pacifying you?”
“Mark isn’t small league, Chad,” Zoe said. “Besides, I don’t want to go head to head with him on this. The more he pushes, the dirtier it will get. I don’t want to go through all that.”
“So, you’re going to let him just walk all over you and force you to push me away?”
Her head snapped up, and she looked at me with eyes that shot daggers. I didn’t give two shits about making her mad. I was equally pissed off, and didn’t really care if I hurt her feelings or not. This whole thing was fucking ridiculous. I suddenly regretted ever coming to New York City.
“I’ve thought long and hard about this,” Zoe said.
“Since when? This morning?” I asked, scoffing. “Looks like you made up your mind pretty fucking quick.”
“That’s not fair,” Zoe said. “You can’t expect me to just throw away everything I’ve worked for all these years just to be with you.”
“Just to be with me?”
“Well, I mean— “
I held up a hand to stop her right there. “You know, I thought this time things could have been different, but I was obviously either too naïve or too fucking stupid to realize that I was just banking on a stupid dream. But you know what? You’re right. You have worked too hard to throw everything away just to be with me.”
“Chad.”
“No, that’s fine,” I said, pushing off the sofa to make my way to the door. “Have fun in Costa fucking Rica, Zoe. Great to see you, as always.”
She followed me to the door. “Chad, seriously, it doesn’t have to end like this.”
I turned around and shot her an angry glare that made her stop in her tracks. “End like this?” I asked. “Honey, you can’t end what never started. We fucked, that was it. I’m seeing it all clearly now. Thank you for opening my eyes. Next time I need a reality check, I’ll be sure to call Zoe Maxwell. Or just pick up your fucking book and read for myself how our story ends.”
I stormed out, slamming the door behind me.
I didn’t ever expect to see Zoe
Maxwell again.
* * *
“You really fucked up this time, man.”
I was in the back of a taxi on the way to the hotel. My phone was to my ear, and Martin was screaming at me. I didn’t hear half the things he said, every second word either ‘fuck’ or ‘shit’, his voice coming through as static with every shout. At one point, I had to hold the phone away just so I could hear him properly.
“What the hell were you thinking? Are you fucking insane? You just threw the shit we’ve been fucking working on for years away, and for what, some girl?”
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “How bad is it?” I asked.
“How bad is it!” Martin huffed. “How fucking bad do you fucking think it is?”
“Martin. Calm the fuck down and just tell me. How bad?”
“Very bad!” Martin yelled. “Colossal! So bad we might as well kiss Body by Chad New York City goodbye!”
“It’s a lawsuit, not the death sentence,” I said, trying to act calm when I was anything but. I kept imagining that Mark guy in front of me as I pounded the living hell out of him.
“It might as well be!” Martin shot back. “The guy’s suing for millions, man! And he’s fucking quick, too. You beat the shit out of a lawyer, a well-connected New York lawyer! He’s coming for us like a bat out of hell, man! This is fucking bad!”
“Can we settle?” I asked.
“Are you drunk? Did you not hear a word I just said? This isn’t about money, dude. He’s already rich. This is about revenge!”
“Can you calm down, or am I going to have to punch you to your senses?”
“Fuck you, Chad!” Martin said. His voice seethed in my ear. “I worked my ass off to get us where we are, and you threw it all away just because you couldn’t control your temper!”
“Hey, you weren’t there. The guy was being a dick.”
“I didn’t have to be there to know that it could have been handled better than breaking his nose!”
I shrugged, not really believing that. To me, the guy got less than he deserved. If I had been just a little less aware, if I hadn’t been preoccupied with chasing after Zoe, I probably would have broken more than just his nose. Probably should have, too.