Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Cal’s in his office with Jordie, the Vulture’s vice president. I knock on the door’s window before letting myself in.
“Dude, you fronted the money for this place. You don’t need to knock.” Cal throws his palms up as he reprimands me.
“Bro, don’t start with that shit. You’re family. The money was meant to be a gift.” I remind him. It was Cal who wanted it to be considered an investment when I offered it to him six years ago. I refuse to take any revenue… he still deposits it into my account against my protests.
“Whatever, man.” He shakes his head and leans back into his seat. “What’s up?”
I glance over at Jordie, unsure what all he knows about my assignment. “I went over the documents you wanted me to look over.”
“Josiah’s expense report?” his right brow arches with the question. “Jordie knows.”
“Gotcha. It’s clean. I ran it through six times.” I lean my elbows to my knees, meeting his stare. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but he was very diligent.”
“Well, I can have Sam talk to Mary to find out if they're still in an open relationship.” Jordie volunteers his wife.
“Are we sure he and Isabel cheated?” I ask, concerned for Mary’s health. “I wouldn’t want to risk worrying her if we don’t know.”
“No. I suppose we don’t,” Cal huffs, sliding under his desk. “Maybe I’m just paranoid.” He clasps his fists together and leans his head over it.
I nod to Jordie with a silent, I got this. He stands up and leaves us in silence, closing the door behind him. “Cal?” I begin.
“I’m fine.” He drops his hands and meets my gaze. The look on his face gives him away. It’s so reminiscent of a night years ago. The night he found Stacy with Kane, his cousin. Seeing Stacy’s sister, Isabel, back to her orgy loving self triggered something in him.
“It’s been three years since Stacy. And Isabel has always been open about her sex-parties. And Josiah…”
“I know. I don’t know why I’m like this.” His chair hits the wall behind him as he rushes out of his seat. “Stacy fucked me up.”
The haunted stare he wears is marred by the memory of blood splattered across his face. The blood on my hands. “You’re married to Maribel now.” I fight through the images. “You’re married. To Maribel. She’s not Stacy. Nothing like her. She loves-“
“She mentioned how you and Tori like to role play… and asked if we could try it. And I don’t think I’m comfortable with it.”
“What?” That shocks the shit out of me.
“Why do you pretend to be someone else? Someone who cheats on his wife?” He steps closer and I stand wishing I could avoid this conversation.
“Tori and I have done it for years… you’ve known that.
” I lean against the desk, completely uncomfortable with the conversation.
Tori and I have been together for so long, with so many responsibilities and so much work running three businesses.
It’s nice to just pretend to be people who throw caution to the wind.
“Yeah, I’ve known but I didn’t realize you pretend to have an affair. Why? Why specifically do you pretend to cheat?” The resolve in his posture and voice begs for an answer.
“Are you asking because you’re offended? Or because you’re curious?”
“Yes.” Is all he says and I know my eyebrows are so high up my forehead with astonishment.
“We don’t mean offence. We do it to feel reckless.
To forget about our problems and pretend to be a different version of ourselves.
” I pause, searching for the right words.
Cal takes the seat I had just vacated, waiting for me to continue.
“Our love is borderline obsession. I don’t ever want anyone else and neither does she.
She fulfills every fantasy I have or need and vice versa.
So, we change our names so we don’t tarnish our commitment to one another… even in our role play.”
Cal grows less tense as he mauls over my answer. It takes him a couple of minutes before he responds. “It’s not about cheating?”
“No. If it was about cheating then you wouldn’t just role play… you’d just do it. And honestly, I don’t ever think about cheating. Tori is who I want and I have her.” I shrug.
“Huh.”
“What?”
“I was right. You and Tori are crazy,” he chuckles.
“Whatcha mean?” I push off the desk.
“There’s so many other roles to play and you pretend to be a bartender and a member of a motorcycle gang… you’re just pretending to be yourselves with different names.” He laughs and I laugh with him. Of course he’d find the humor in my sex life.
“It would be weird if I showed up in a fireman’s costume to my own business.” We both burst with loud laughter at the image. We let it die down, falling into silence as I watch Cal’s forehead scrunch up with a series of thoughts.
“Do you think Isabel suspects?” He finally shares his thoughts.
“Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know.” He leans back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face. “I guess I’m just exhausted. I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Why don’t you head home? Get some sleep and I’ll let Maribel know.” I say. Not wanting to admit that the memory of three years ago has been haunting my dreams.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
***
“Aaron, please.” Stacy begs as I stand in front of her. She’s on her knees, hunched over Kane’s battered body.
Cal only stares at his bloody hands, fighting the rage ensued by her betrayal. His head rises to meet her gaze as she continues to plea for my help.
“Please, you’re my friend too. We grew up together.” She sobs between every other word; between each reminder of who she was to me. “Don’t do this.”
My sight blurs as the tears threaten. How could she do this?
How can she do this to me? Cal is her husband, but she is like a sister to me.
Our mothers were best friends. I shake my head, ridding myself of my thoughts and fighting the heartache.
“I have to do this Stacy. You didn’t just hurt Cal… you hurt me too.”
The gun in my hands, hot with my own fury as I take my aim. A moment, a single pull of my finger and she throws herself over Kane’s body. The bullet penetrates through the back, straight to her heart, killing her instantly
I shoot upright in a seated position, sobbing and gasping. The memory vividly haunting my nightmares, it is difficult to distinguish what is or was real and the nightmare.
“My love?” Tori’s sweet voice breaks through the drumming in my ears. Her warm palm rubs my spine instantly calming my galloping heart.
“I’m alright,” I pant. I don’t when I pulled my knees to my chest, but I rest my elbows on them and shove my fingers into my sweaty, tight curls. “I’m alright, baby.”
“Baby,” she comforts me as she sits up. Her hand still rubbing circles around my back, she lays her head on my shoulder.
“I’m okay.” I breathe through the panic and focus on her humming.
“What was your nightmare about?” She asks… she always asks but she can never know what parts Cal and I played in Stacy’s death.
“You and Vinny were being attacked by zombies.” I lie, like I always do.
“Zombies?” she chuckles.
“I know. Sorry, for waking you.” I finally release my head from my hands’ grasps and face her.
“It’s okay.” She presses a kiss to my bicep.