He stands up, starts to come around to the front of his desk. “Thechickon the other hand. I been hearing bad things happened to her.”
Really? He’s gonna go there?
Gerald chimes in again. “Gentlemen, this is a business deal between the two of you. Let’s leave everyone else out of it.”
Jared doesn’t take the hint. “You know what I heard about these fancy magazine chicks? They all get their pussies waxed at the same place. And they get ‘em scented.”
One of the lawyers to my side giggles like a six-year-old boy. It eggs Jared on. “You believe that? Like, lavender or roses or some shit like that!” Jared sits on the edge of his desk and looks down at me. “That true, Roge? Her twat has a particular aroma, like I heard?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I turn to Gerald. “Grab the contract, please?”
Gerald snatches it off the desk and hands it to me.
“Oh, c’mon,” Jared pleads, “you’re the kiss and tell type, aren’t you? A guy like me, I never get to bed the kind of chicks you do. Throw me some details. Give me a little something for the spank bank tonight, and I swear to God I’ll sign.” He snorts another laugh.
Ignore him,I tell myself. I pull a pen out of my own blazer, and start signing and initialing the paperwork in the appropriate places.
But Jared’s like a goddamn dog with a bone. He leans in close. “Just whisper it to me, huh? Just between you and me. Her pussy taste like lavender? Or roses?”
That’s it.
In a flash, I’m out of my chair.Slam!go the contracts on the desk. Then I’ve got both of Jared’s suit jacket lapels in my hand. I yank him close to me. “Listen, you little piece of horse shit…”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the awkward stance Lawyer-Baby has taken. He’s adjusted his position, not in a way to protect his client, but to have a better view of our altercation. He’s also got his briefcase under his arm in the strangest way.
Like he’s aiming it at us. It puts me in mind of Weasel.
Jared’s eyes flick in the lawyer’s direction for just a heartbeat. Lawyer-Baby notices and hastily lowers the briefcase.
Too late, dick bags. “Gerald, check that asshole’s briefcase.”
For an old guy, Gerald moves faster than you’d expect. Over Lawyer-Baby’s protests, Gerald yanks the case out of the guy’s hands, slams it on the desk and pops it open.
He confirms my suspicions. “Camera.”
Pandemonium breaks out. Jared’s three lawyers start yelling at Gerald, who returns verbal fire at them.
Jared is grinning ear-to-smarmy-fucking-ear at the chaos. I’ve still got him by the lapels. With a shout, I pull him away from the desk and smash his back up against the huge office windows.
There’s a loud, ringingthwang!The window shimmies with the impact.
The yelling from the lawyers turns into cries of alarm and caution.
“Everybody, shut up!” I shout.
I slam Jared against the window again. It wobbles once more from the force of the blow, but it doesn’t shatter. These windows are too sturdy to shatter from just a few thumps. At least I think they are.
Jared’s finally stops smiling. “Easy, Roge,” he warns.
“What the fuck is going on, Jared?”
“C’mon, dude, don’t be naïve.”
“Tell me!”
“You think I called you back in here to do this deal?” Jared asks. That smile creeps back into his face. “You gotta do better research. 755’s been off the market for weeks.”
I shoot a look at Gerald. He gives me a helpless shrug back. If Jared’s telling the truth, Gerald was in the dark about it. My stomach drops.