8. Sienna
8
SIENNA
“ F irst of all, amorous activities? Really?” I ask, trying not to sound perplexed. “And, secondly, what? What are you talking about?” I continue, possibly more flustered than I’d like to admit.
“Hickey. Here.” She points at her own neck.
“Really?” I grab my throat a little shocked.
Robyn leans in closer, narrowing her eyes. “I guess not. It’s just a shadow.” She nods with a cunning smile. “I should really be wearing my glasses, but you might as well spill the beans now, since the cat is out of the bag anyway.” She gives the Chairman a wink.
Guy chimes in with a drawn out ‘Uhhh’ and rubs his hands together. Earnest couldn’t care less and begins typing on his laptop. All the while, Paige is surveilling the entrance of Whiskey Business with a pair of binoculars.
“There are no beans to spill,” I say and try to shut this down before it can become an entire thing.
“Hm,” Paige pipes up to stab me in the back without averting her gaze from the bar. “Whenever someone claims there are no beans, there’s usually an entire English breakfast hidden somewhere.”
“The best investigative journalist in the city should know!” Robyn exclaims. “So, Sienna, spill the beans, exhibit the eggs, show us the sausage!”
The slew of terrible metaphors draws even Earnest’s attention, who looks up from his laptop with raised eyebrows, shakes his head exactly four times and then goes back to typing something on the keyboard.
Damn it.
Robyn sure is a shark. I mean, it’s not that I mind talking about things like this. After all, they’re more than familiar with my lying, cheating ex, but I don’t see the point in discussing a stupid mistake like Ryker Grayson. So I try the same tactic that worked with Paul earlier.
“Actually, it’s just my job. I quit. Or rather, was made to quit.”
Earnest looks up from his laptop again. “Then you’re not eligible for unemployment benefits.”
“Right,” I answer and nod. I somehow hadn’t even thought of that yet.
“Ah, dear, what a dreadful situation. But don’t worry,” Robyn seems to have taken the bait. “Let us know if you need anything. We’ll take care of you. Besides, someone with your aptitude ought to find employment immediately.”
It’s nice to have their support, though I’d really prefer not to have to lean on it, especially since Robyn obviously has even less money than I do. None of them are swimming in money or they probably wouldn’t live at Haven to begin with.
“I did already get an offer actually,” I say without thinking and quickly backtrack. “But the… potential boss is possibly the worst person on this planet, so I don’t think I can accept. In fact, I should probably reactivate my résumé and sort through some listings while we wait for the mark .” I grab my phone from my bag, begin updating my CV and look through terrible job offer after even more terrible job offer. If push comes to shove, I could probably take a few shifts down at my favorite bar to hold me over.
“Here he comes!” Paige finally says and all of us try to catch a glimpse of Richard Dome, or Dicky, as Paige likes to call him.
He looks shorter and, despite the dim light, even paler than in the pictures online. Quickly, he disappears into the bar as his driver starts down the road.
“Alright,” Paige turns to us, “now we just need his mistress to arrive.”
“She’ll be here soon,” Earnest mumbles and turns his laptop for me to see.
He’s got the text conversation between our mark and his mistress pulled up, and it seems like she is on her way right now.
“Okey-dokey,” Guy claps into his hands cheerfully, “so let’s assume we actually manage to get a picture of them lovebirds. Are we sticking to the original game plan then?”
“You already have an entire game plan?” I ask and let Chairman Meow jump off my lap. “I think I should take it from here, if you guys don’t mind. If this gets traced back to all of us, the repercussions would be… not good… probably.”
Who knows what a crook like him is capable of?
If he is willing to evict an old lady from an apartment that she has been calling home for like half a century, then he’s capable of anything.
Would he have the resources to make all of us swim with the fishes? Probably.
Would he just take revenge by kicking all of us out of the building? Also probably.
But you never know.
“Not going to happen,” Paige chimes in with a wave of her hand. “We’re in this together. This scoundrel has been bleeding Haven dry for years now. He has pushed us around, fired hardworking employees, and now he is forcing good tenants onto the street, just so he can make more money. He’s done messing with the wrong people and it’s time someone put a stop to his…” she is searching for the right word for a moment, “…heinousness. And by someone, I mean us!”
Paige’s little speech is, of course, right on the money, even though it’s an odd thing to hear from an 83-year-old grandma. Her words have an immediate reaction on Earnest, who points approvingly in her direction. Guy squeezes her hand with an admiring smile.
“How would you even contact that lowlife without him knowing it’s you?” Earnest asks me a moment later before going back to focusing on his screen. “Your password is your birth date.”
“No, it’s not…” I stop and navigate to the settings on my phone, “…for much longer.” They might be right. I don’t know what I am doing either and it’s not like there is a handbook called How To Extort An Evil CEO In Ten Easy Steps. So maybe their help and expertise might come in handy.
A few minutes later, Paige announces the arrival of our mistress. She is wearing a short black dress and what appears to be half a fur jacket, which is much too cold for this weather. The cab that brought her takes off and she hurries inside.
“Admit it,” Robyn says as she’s putting on dark red lipstick that matches the color of her signature heels. “We’re better as a team.” Then she opens the door, throws me a kiss and disappears into the night.
“Where the hell are you… where the hell is she going?” I ask the others, as Robyn is already out of earshot (on account of not hearing all that well anymore (though I suspect her hearing impairment to be more of a choice than a medical issue)). Nerves are tugging on my tummy. I am not usually one to get scared easily, but I do worry when people I care about are involved. Usually, it’s just me exhibiting slightly reckless behavior like this. Kind of like I might have done at the airport. I don’t like it when it’s others doing the same. Especially since they are even worse at following my rules than I am.
“There’s no need to worry, darling.” Paige tries to calm me down and then goes back to watching the entrance of the bar with her binoculars. “Robyn will be alright. She can take care of herself.”
Right, there’s no way anything could happen to her right now. She’s just another patron in a bar. Secretly taking pictures of an affair. Just business as usual.
All four of us keep our eyes glued to the swanky entrance, where nothing appears to happen. In the meantime, the Chairman has made his way onto Guy’s lap to steal some of the snacks he brought. After being lectured by Paige about what constitutes a healthy obligate carnivore diet, he returns to the back of the car and jumps onto Earnest’s lap, then lets himself roll onto the laptop that he has accurately pinpointed as the most inconvenient heat source in the vicinity. Being the gentleman that he is, Earnest accepts defeat immediately and, instead of continuing his work, pets my cat.
Another ten minutes later, the door to our car opens abruptly and Robyn climbs back inside. She hands me a half empty glass of martini, closes the door, and puts her seatbelt on. All of us look at her aghast.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” she asks. “This is commonly when people make their getaway.”
Guy stuffs the rest of a chocolate bar into his mouth, throws the large snack bag over to Paige and starts the car. Cautiously, he sets the turn signal, swivels around to check whether we are all buckled in and makes the slowest getaway in the history of getaways.
“So, uhh,” I hand her the martini back, trying not to spill anything, “did you get the pictures? Did they see you?”
“Is anyone following us?” Paige adds.
Robyn takes a sip from her drink and shakes her head. “Oh, I doubt they follow people for taking martini glasses. I have an uneven number at home, so I took the liberty of borrowing this one.” She finishes the drink with one gulp and lets the glass disappear in her handbag. “Also, no. No one noticed.” Robyn pulls her smartphone from her pocket, opens the gallery and hands it to Earnest, who passes the Chairman back to me. “It was quite simple,” she explains. “They weren’t even trying to hide it. I guess he felt a little too secure on his home turf.”
I tilt my head to see the pictures that Earnest is transferring to his laptop and, indeed, there is one picture after another of them holding hands, kissing, and a lot more groping than is appropriate in a public space.
“Oh,” Robyn adds and pulls a napkin out of her cleavage, “for you, my dear.”
I look at the squiggly numbers and the unreadable name above them: Ry… Ry-something. Electricity jolts through my body, giving me the same goosebumps I felt two days ago.
“Ryan. Cute guy at the bar,” she explains. “Said he’d like to meet my granddaughter one day. Oh, and don’t worry, I already informed him that I’d make him choke on his own cardiac organ if he hurt yours in any way.” She crosses her legs and gives me a grin. “Also, you’re officially my granddaughter now. I told him I had a granddaughter by the name of Sienna.”
Ryan. Of course, that’s what it says. Maybe I should give him a call just to purge my mind of any other unnecessary names starting with Ry?—
“Thanks,” I say and stuff the napkin in my pocket, then try to get back to the important thing at hand, “but what happened? Why didn’t you come out the front door?”
“Ah, darling,” Robyn relaxes in her seat, “there’s not much to tell. I entered, ordered a drink, had a little chat, got the pictures and left through the back door. Leaving the same way I came in simply felt a little… uninspired.” She throws her scarf around her neck and gives me a wink.
“So,” Paige takes charge in a serious tone. “I guess our plan is on track. Is everyone still on board with the rest of it? We will anonymously send him the pictures with a list of our demands. Most importantly, the demand that he will rescind any current, and abstain from any future evictions.”
“If everyone could let me know about any additional demands they would like to add, that’d be great,” Earnest says and cleans some cat hair off his keyboard. “Although I don’t think ‘put yourself in a pillory in the town square so we can throw tomatoes at your face’ is something that’s realistically going to happen.” With a stoic expression, he stares at Robyn, who just shrugs once.
This was as far as they had gotten with their plan. Collect the evidence, make a bunch of demands so he wouldn’t trace it back to us, save Robyn from her eviction and secure the living arrangements for all other inhabitants of Haven.
It’s solid. More than solid. I hope.
This wasn’t the first eviction we’ve had in our building after all. Harmony Inc. recently started handing them out to a number of inhabitants. Most evictions were unreasonable and could be fought with the help of a lawyer, but for that to work, you need to have the resources to fight in the first place. Some residents left more or less voluntarily because they were understandably afraid they couldn’t win a fight with a million dollar company. The eviction of Robyn is just a new peak on the shit mountain that is Harmony Inc. and our beloved Haven Life Community.
At least now we have what we need to help. For Dicky, it would only mean losing a little money since he won’t be able to increase rent as fast, but for the people living at Haven, it would mean not having to deal with existential threats like homelessness and poverty.
We discuss some other demands, such as pay raises for every employee at every branch, as well as donations to numerous charities, which would not only deflect any suspicion from us, but also do some good for other people. Unfortunately, proposals like the pillory or having him fight a group of starving lions don’t make the cut.
“I’ll send this out tonight then,” Earnest says.
Everyone seems to agree, though I get the feeling that the gravity of the situation has not settled in with everyone yet. Guy is happily munching on another chocolate bar. Robyn is practicing spinning her fake gun like a cowboy in a Western, and Paige, after giving Earnest her approval, picks up a paperback with what looks to be a hunky, bare-chested alien on the cover.
“It’ll all work out,” she finally says decidedly before turning to her smut. I really hope she’s right.
We pass two rats fighting over a piece of pizza, a guy dressed up as a tree running away from a Chihuahua and the street that leads to Phoenix and Olivia’s home. When I departed yesterday, they had asked me to water their plants by tomorrow the latest, so I figure I might as well use the opportunity now.
“Hey,” I call out to Guy, making sure he can hear me, “do you mind dropping me off down the street? I promised Olivia to kill her plants while she is on her honeymoon. Might as well get on that.”
The O-Team drops me off and I take the million stairs up to the lavish penthouse. When I finally make it to the top, my legs are burning, my shirt is sticky and, judging by his glance, the Chairman has been waiting for me for longer than he deems acceptable. I punch the code into the lock and take his harness off to let him roam around the penthouse. It’s almost midnight, so I just take a quick shower, and afterwards fall asleep in the guest room immediately.
When I wake the next morning, the sun is already up, my cat is nestled in between my calves and cars are honking outside. It takes me about two hours, and super-human will, before I make it out of the comfiest bed in existence. I brush my teeth, don’t bother to do anything with my hair and go to the kitchen in search of food. The fridge is pretty empty, so it’s coffee and some cereal with nothing else for breakfast. A true breakfast for champions who are totally going to find a job today. A job that they like, where they do something that’s not just personally fulfilling, but also useful for society, and one that pays a living wage with full benefits, including dental!
I laugh at my colorful imagination, plop down at the desk and get to work. The penthouse has a marvelous view of the city, which makes it a little less disheartening to send out one CV after another, being fully aware that it’ll probably rain rejection after rejection. Sure, I have a good degree, ample experience for my age, and some glowing references from former bosses that I made up, but so does every other applicant. I’m just lucky in that I have a bunch of friends who would help me out if need be, though I’d really prefer not having to call upon their help. I’ve always been self-sufficient, and I intend to keep it that way. Olivia wouldn’t hesitate a second to give me whatever money I need, but it’s a last resort that I don’t intend to use. Especially right now, that she is on her honeymoon and first vacation in forever.
A few hours and dozens of applications later, I look up from the desk and spy the hot tub outside on the giant balcony. The large glass front slides open easily. I take off the whirlpool cover and put my hand in the water. It’s warm and basically begging me to take a break from the tediousness that is job hunting.
So I pop on my headphones, turn on some ‘80s music, and go back inside. One piece of clothing after another comes off on my way to the bathroom, where I grab a towel. When I (moon)walk back towards the terrace, I bump into something. Something very solid that seems to be bolted to the middle of the room.