White Lies (8 page)

“
So wha
t’
s your asking price? If you think you know me so well
.
”

It was the first time Zoey had seen Ale
x’
s face close up like that. It was as if a wall shifted, and suddenly his eyes were flat and blank, his mouth tight and neutral. It was similar to what had happened in the car last night, when he started asking about her research, but it was faster, happening in just one blink of her eyes. He stabbed at his omelet with more force than anyone could pretend was necessary. Her stomach tightened, and she found herself pushing away the heavy meal and reaching for her cup of coffee
.“
Was there anything you found that directly links Arturo to my father
?
”

She hated that tone. Sh
e’
d barely known the man for 48 hours, and she hated the tone that reminded her of the CEO, the man who was nothing but the power he held
.“
Alex,
I’
m sorr
y
—”

“
Because without a direct link, ther
e’
s really nothing that can be done. I can sic the company lawyers on it, I suppose, but if someone within is involved, i
t’
s difficult to know who they might already own, and who they might not
.
” His voice was quietly musing, but there was something other in his tone. Something dark and angry, something she had
n’
t seen before.

“
You could take it all to the police. Let them know your suspicions and have them take it from there
.
”

He gave her a filthy look
.“
Please
.
”

Her anger boiled over. There were a lot of things that she was used to. Being treated like less because she was southern, or because she was a woman, or because someone else thought they were a better writer than she wa
s—
or because they knew she was a better writer than them. Because she did
n’
t have enough, because she had too much, because she was
n’
t soft enough to be a girl or mean enough to be a bitch. Sh
e’
d put up with all of it. But a man sh
e’
d made love to less than an hour ago, treating her like a stranger? No, thank you.

“
Look
,
” she said, fighting to keep her tone level. There was no way she was going to get the anger out of it
.“
I do
n’
t know what rule of yours
I’
ve violated. This is new territory for me, too. I do
n’
t get the feeling you go slumming all that often, so neither one of us are perfect. Okay? Surprise! You can either accept my apology and tell me what I did wrong, or you can tell me to leave. I do
n’
t much care which you choose right now, but I wo
n’
t just sit here and be treated lik
e
—”

“
Yo
u’
re right
,
” he said, his voice quiet and cautious. She cut herself off and watched him, waiting
.“I’
m sorry. You asked a very personal question, and you had no way to know how personal it was. I had no right to blow up at you
.
” He gave a soft, somewhat sad smile
.“
If I may be perfectly honest with you,
I’
m not used to this. I honestly cannot recall the last time I had breakfast with someone after w
e’
d enjoyed an evenin
g’
s company.
I’
m not interested in being a trophy for anyone, and very few people are
n’
t intimidated by me, so there has been a lot less going on than the society pages would have you believe
.
”

She nodded. It was a decent apology, as these things went
.“
I apologize for overstepping
.
”

“
You had no way to know
.
” He pushed his plate away as well. Poor Sophia. The omelets were amazing, light and fluffy and running with a perfect blend of delicious cheeses, but sh
e’
d managed to ruin both of their appetites
.“
What I was trying to suggest, Zoey, was that you and I might be able to help each other
.
”

“
In what way
?
”

“
You keep doing what yo
u’
re doing. Look into Arturo. Look into AEGIS. See if you can find me proof, something I can take to the board to make some changes
.
” He sighed
.“
As much as I hate to say it, if you can find something to conclusively tie my mother to the ma
n’
s murder, I want to know that. If nothing else, so that the information can be properly controlled, instead of being splashed all over the front page of the
Post
.
”

“
And in return
?
”

“
In return, I will help you get what the article would have gotten you, if yo
u’
d written it and sold it. I will introduce you to people. I will talk about what an amazing writer you are. I will let it be known that you are up and coming, and that people should pay attention
.
”

“
And what will I owe you, when I get this mythical, magical job that shall descend out of the clouds with rainbows and unicorns
?
”

His eyebrows rose a bit, and his lips bent into a ghost of a smile. It was nice to see. Very much
.“
You wo
n’
t owe me anything at all. You have my word on that, Zoey. I will never ask you to write a single piece about AEGIS, positive or negative. Nothing. Jus
t—
do what yo
u’
re doing. Tha
t’
s all I ask
.
”

She thought it over for a moment. As a kid, sh
e’
d always imagined that she would be the first woman to make it on her own, to break through the glass ceiling without help from anyone. It had
n’
t taken her long to realize that when you are
n’
t willing to obliterate the last vestiges of your drawl, or force yourself to stop dropping your favorite endearment in conversation now and then, you would be perceived a certain way.

If she accepted his help, everyone in the world of reporting would assume that she was sleeping with him, and that was why he was helping her get noticed. If their relationship developed, or became public, it would be treated as a fact. Sh
e’
d never get herself out from under that cloud.

On the flip side of it, even if she somehow managed to rise like a meteor without anyon
e’
s help, would anyone believe it anyway? Was
n’
t that the way of the world, where all successful women were attached to men of power, in the minds of society if nowhere else? Was she just justifying the whole thing because it seemed irrationally stubborn to refuse him?

“
Le
t’
s focus on the research, for the moment
,
” she said, after a little bit
.“
And then, w
e’
ll see what happens. It may be that I turn up something you really do
n’
t want to know about
.
”

“
Thank you
,
” he said. Maybe he knew that he was
n’
t going to get anything more from her in that moment
.“
And what about us
?
”

“
Us
?
”

He nodded
.“
You and me
.
”

“I
—” Yet another question that she did
n’
t know how to answer. She hated feeling this out of her depth.

But Sophia burst into the room, barely two steps ahead of a woman. The woman was tall, and had the kind of tan that had to come out of either a bed or a bottle. It was just a little too even to have been gained naturally. Her hair was light brown, and scooped into a no nonsense twist that gave Zoey the feeling that the woman was attempting to appear older and more mature than she was. The smoothness of her skin made Zoey put the woman right around her own age, mid 20s. Her hands were fluttery, betraying the nervousness that her eyes were doing a good job of hiding.

“
Mr. Blankenship
,
” Sophia said, loud enough to overpower the woman, if she chose to speak
.“
She just burst in,
I’
ve no idea how she got up the elevator, I tried to turn her back, but she would
n’
t listen.
I’
ve paged security, the
y’
ll be up shortl
y
—”

The woman, when she spoke, kept her voice calmer, quiet enough that Alex would have to focus on her to listen. It was a good trick, one Zoey had
n’
t ever mastered herself, but sh
e’
d admired in women who could pull it off
.“
Good afternoon
.
” She had a smooth, cultured voice, that went along with the jewelry and the fabric of her suit
.“
My name is Cindy Walden
.
” She waited a moment, and when that got no attention, she continued
.“I’
m here to speak to you about what we are going to do
.
”

Security came pounding down the hallway next. They moved for the woman, but Alex held up a hand, and they paused. It was an impressive moment, actually. He did
n’
t say a word, just held up that hand. Zoey tried to make herself as small as physically possible.

Alex kept his eyes on Cindy Walden, and gave her a small nod
.“
What w
e’
re going to do about what
?
”

Her eyes did
n’
t waver. There was something about her that looked familiar. Zoey could
n’
t place it for a moment, and then, as she glanced back at Alex, it jumped out at her. The cheekbones. The brow line. The similarities. So she understood, just a moment before the woman spoke again
.“I’
m here to speak to you about our brother. And the others
.
”

Alex did
n’
t so much as blink
.“
W
e’
re fine here, gentlemen, Sophia. Thank you for your prompt response. Sophia, would you please show Ms. Walden into the living room? Zoey and I will follow shortly
.
”

Sophia looked ever so slightly irritated, but within a moment, her face had reverted to the smooth mask of professional help
.“
Of course, Mr. Blankenship
.
”

The room cleared after a moment, and it was just Zoey and Alex sitting at the small bistro table. Zoey watched as Alex sat still for a long moment, watching the place where Cindy Walden had been standing, and then turned back to his food. He took two more precise bites of omelet, threw back his coffee in one long slug, and then turned cool brown eyes on Zoey
.“
Your tablet, or your phone, I assume one of them records, for when you do interviews
?
”

“
Yes, of course
.
”