“Wow, that’s crazy. Still, with steel prices the way they’ve been, it’s not enough to buy a new car. Can you afford a payment with the price of your rent?” She dried her hands and tossed the paper towels before leaning over the sink to check her own makeup in the mirror, pushing at the puffiness beneath her eyes.
“Well, that’s the amazing part. My boss is the one who hit me.” I chuckled. “He is so sweet. He literally felt so bad about thewhole thing that he’s buying me a new car. I get this check, and the new car too. Can you believe that?” I realized after I said it that I maybe shouldn’t have said anything. I bit the inside of my cheek and hoped she wouldn’t ask questions, but that hope was short-lived.
“Wait a second. Your boss is buying you a car because he wrecked yours? I mean, does he do that for other people? Is it charity? Does he like you? Wait…” Her eyes grew wide. “Is this the guy… the one you told me about last week?”
I smacked my forehead, leaving my hand across my face for a moment. I had told her about Parker’s visit to my home and the subsequent sex-nest we made that whole night. I hadn’t told her a name, or what precipitated his coming over, just that he was a coworker and a bit older than me. She was my best friend. I usually told her almost everything, so keeping details back from her had been difficult, and now it was coming back to bite me.
“Fuck’s sake, Haley. You fucked your boss?” She stood wide-eyed, staring at me. “You know how dumb that is? You know what people are going to say about you?”
I did know, and I didn’t know how I was going to handle that when it happened. I hoped that no one would find out. “Rachel, you can’t tell anyone.”
“But you realize how this looks? You slept with him and he’s buying you a car… Not flowers or chocolates. Not dinner. A car.”
“Look, in fairness, he said it was a bonus for working so hard. I did get a promotion too, remember? It’s not that horrible. Is it?” I grimaced, wincing at her response.
“Yes.” She hooked her arm around mine and pulled me back into the hallway, slowly advancing toward the dining room. “You can’t keep seeing him. If you do, it will be so obvious to everyone what is happening. He is playing you like a fiddle. You’ll be the talk of the office for a while, then when he’s done with you, he’llfire you and move on to the next woman he can manipulate with his money.”
I already felt so ashamed of what had happened, I didn’t need her lectures. I didn’t think he was manipulating me with his money. I was the one who had made the initial advances on him. I wanted to get to know him. I invited him to my apartment. He did not pursue me. But the music was growing louder with every step we took, and my heart was getting heavier.
“You really think he’s just using money to make me do what he wants?” I pried my arm away from hers, and she stopped and faced me.
“What billionaire wants to date a nobody, with no reputation, who can barely pay her bills?”
“Hey!” I winced at her hurtful comments.
“I’m just saying, Haley. He’s got everything he wants and needs. You struggle to pay your rent some months. And now he’s buying you a car? What will he expect from you in exchange for that pricey gift?” She sighed and offered a stern look, then pulled me in for a hug. I wanted to go home now. My good mood was spoiled.
“Look, I’m going to catch a cab now. I need to think.” I pushed her away and forced a weak smile.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I just want to be alone.”
“I’m sorry I upset you. I just care about you.” Rachel took my hand and squeezed it.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” I gave her a kiss on each cheek before slipping out of the club, past the blaring music and into the chilly night air. March was still a bit cold, but the heat from the workout made me resilient to the breeze.
By the time I got home, I was in my head. I believed my best friend over my own thoughts and intuition. I had to trust her. She watched out for me like a big sister, and if she said therewere red flags that I wasn’t seeing, then I must have been color blind because she was never wrong. I took the elevator to my floor and let myself into my empty apartment, ready to sulk and eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s while I finished a fifth of whiskey and passed out.
But the more I stewed over her comments, the more I wasn’t okay with it. I needed to call Parker because if he really was manipulating me with his money, I wasn’t having it. I had options, and some of those options would take me out of state—new job, new life. Far away from him.
I got my cell phone and dialed his number. It rang several times before I thought it was going to go to voicemail, but he finally answered. He sounded sleepy, as if I had woken him up. Of course I had. He was twenty years older than me and probably sleeping by ten p.m., and it was after midnight now.
“Haley?” he asked groggily. “Are you okay? It’s late.”
“Uh…” Upon hearing his voice, I suddenly forgot why I was calling him. I had felt so bold only moments ago, and now I wanted to crawl in a hole. “I’m okay.” His immediate concern for me hadn’t been expected. I didn’t know what I expected, but he answered like a man who cared, not like a man who was using me.
“What’s wrong, hun? I’m here.” I heard some rustling in the background and cleared my throat.
“I… well… can I ask you a question?” I couldn’t find the words. The alcohol I had drunk was affecting my inhibitions, making me bolder than normal, but also it made it harder to think straight. The passion I’d felt only a few minutes ago was gone, replaced by some inferiority complex I’d developed since having had sex with him. He was my boss, not a coworker. He was a billionaire, not some equal I could just tell off. And he was a guy I liked very, very much.
My own fear of this whole thing not being real had been the driving factor, motivating me to confront him and in doing so ensure my own safety. Only now, I felt stupid for doubting him. All because he asked if I was okay.
“Haley, you sound drunk. Do you need me to come get you? Please don’t drive.”
Fuck, there went more concern, pushing my doubts further away in my mind. “No, Parker. I’m okay. I’m at home, not driving.”
“Okay, good. So, what’s wrong? It’s so late. Are you upset?”
