“You talk like an accountant.”
“You make me crazy,” he responds walking over to the phone by the bar.
“Speaker, please” I say, following him. I have no idea what he’s going to say but I can’t wait to hear it.
He flicks the speakerphone on, pulls out his cell, gets her number, and dials it into the big phone. He puts his finger up when she answers, and I instinctively cover my mouth with my hand to show him I won’t make a sound.
“Val, it’s Mark Stone. Got a minute? It’s important, and private.”
“I’m on a deadline so hurry,” she says dryly. It’s Valerie James all right.
“Listen, Val,” Mark stalls a moment, not sure what to say. “I?I got some pictures in my office today. Looks a bit like a blackmail situation. Don’t worry, though. I can handle it. It’s just the pictures, well, they are old ones and I’m not sure how they even got taken.”
“I’m waiting for the part that has to do with me.” She’s probably editing an article while he talks to her.
“They are pictures of us, Val, in flagrante. Remember the ‘Love’s Lost Leather’ piece you wanted to do? They come from about then. Some pretty private moments, actually.”
“Oh.” She laughs genuinely with just the hint of a bitter edge. “Those moments.”
“What I don’t understand is who took these pictures and how they got to my office today.”
“Well, I can only answer one of those. I took them.”
“You did? How? I mean, you were pretty occupied at the moment from the looks of things,” he says cordially. They talk as old lovers do, but it’s also clear the feelings have long since passed.
“Oh Mark.” She sighs. “I wanted some shots for the story and no one we met in the clubs was either willing or, well, photogenic enough. So I used the old ‘purse cam’ trick, and turned the video into a couple of stills. I was going to blur our faces or shop them out. When the piece didn’t happen, I erased the video and filed the pictures in the ‘things that never happened’ folder. Haven’t seen them for years.”
“No copies, no one else? You haven’t taken them out for a spin anywhere recently?”
“I have more to do in life than drone on about the days we were paddle pals. That’s not even my thing,” she says. “Let me go check my files. I’ll call you back.”
Valerie hangs up without a goodbye, and Mark shrugs.
“Happy now?” he asks, heading into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He brought one out for me as well.
“Not happy, really. But, less sad.”
Mark goes back into the kitchen and starts pulling things out of the fridge. He cracks enough eggs for two omelets and begins chatting while he puts everything together. He doesn’t bother to ask me if I want one, but between my emotional whiplash and weary acceptance, it’s not a big leap to assume I’m famished.
“If it’s Blake or Kenneth, that’s going to mess up everything,” he muses as he cooks. “But, I don’t see who else it could be. We dated for a short time and no one really knew our business.”
“Maybe Valerie just wanted to rattle your cage?” I’m not quite ready to wrap her in the pure white flag of innocence yet.
“She has a lot more to lose from those shots than me. She’s the one who is all about power. She’s the senior editor of a national magazine for women. A photo of her on her knees before me would kill her reputation and it would just improve my career. Trust me, she’s not any happier about this than we are. She just hides things better.”
He sits my plate down and joins me for lunch.
“Maybe I should be learning from her,” I say to poke at him a bit. He just smiles patiently.
“Maybe, you should keep learning from me.” He leans over to kiss me but I move to the side and his lips fall softly on my cheek.
“I’m not—” I start a sentence not knowing what the end will be but Mark’s phone rings, cutting off the need to go on. He jumps up and runs to hit the speaker button.
“Mark, there has been a breach,” Valerie says, a clear panicked waver in her solid voice.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Val,” he says nodding to me and mouthing the words, “It’s Blake.”
“I am too, those pictures are gone along with some picture of other ‘private moments’ I would really rather not see floating around. If you find out anything about this, I’d truly appreciate a call.”
“You bet,” he says. “I’d appreciate it if you kept this quiet for a few days, especially to Blake.”
“I understand,” she replies and hangs up again.
“We’re in trouble,” he tells me grimly. “But not as much as she is.”
Chapter 18
We chat about how Blake may have found out, and what that means to our ability to get the information we need in order to file the rejoinder. Mark says the last time he got a peek inside Blake’s office, the file was still behind the books but if Blake knows about Mark and me, there’s no way Mark is going to get anywhere close to that file.
“So that’s it.” I throw my hands up. “You can’t get it. I can’t get it. Can we make a case without it?”
“Not really,” he admits. “I have some things, and Janice’s documentation might get a judge to stop the closure temporarily, but the minute it’s stopped, Blake will destroy that file. With no evidence the judge will let it go through. Blake’s only holding onto that file for sheer ego.”
“If it is Blake who sent us these,” I add. “If your ‘paddle pal’ Valerie is pulling the wool over your eyes then Blake won’t suspect you and you can get the file. Let’s face it, from the day I met her she’s been after my career. Why wouldn’t she take you from me too?”
“Because she already had me and didn’t want me, remember? Come on.” Mark stands up and holds out his hand. I take it, instinctively. He pulls me toward the couch.
“Where are we going?”
“To get back on the horse, or over the hurdle, or whatever we need to do to get this infatuation with Valerie James out of your head so we can focus on business.”
I don’t want to sit on the couch, even though I know it’s been reupholstered since their lovemaking. But, he guides and I follow. I’m not sure how that happened, but it’s just the way it is. He sits down and I sit beside him. Wrapping his arm around me from behind, he leans back and we lay like spoons. I have to admit it feels darn good.