“You want to get into her pants.” Erica rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that.”
“Wha—,” Jake’s mouth fell open, then closed. He tugged on his shirt collar, leaning forward over the table. “No. I mean, yes, but we’re holding each other accountable. That means we’re friends, and you can’t do anything about it. From here on out, I’m going to be around a whole lot more.” He looked so proud as he said that, until we heard someone else speak up from beside the table.
“Is that right?” A soft and feminine voice spoke up behind my shoulder.
I closed my eyes. This was the worst timing ever.
Jake tensed and cursed under his breath.
Wanker continued to shake his head.
And Erica sat rigid for one second, and then she launched herself in the air, going over me. “You!” she screeched. “You kicked me off the story!”
Susan stepped backward, and the person who spoke was standing right next to her. It was Tara. Her face was pale, and a flash of pain flared in her eyes.
Tara and Susan weren’t alone. A whole group of friends stood behind them.
Susan was dressed to the nines.
I took in the sleek black dress that looked like it had been created just for her body. A pendant was woven into the material resting between her breasts, and her clutch matched the pendant’s turquoise color perfectly. She was the image of sophistication and wealth. Her blonde hair was swept to the side where a mass of curls rested on her shoulder.
Behind her, Tara must’ve changed from the party at Jake’s till now. She didn’t look as sleek and elegant as Susan, but she was close. She wore a flowing blue shirt that was light enough so that a black camisole could be seen underneath, and her black leather skirt had a slit up to the top of her left thigh. She stood there, looking like she was posing for a modeling shoot, with her leg pushed out so that most of it was visible to us.
I didn’t recognize the others.
Erica was up from the booth, pointing at Susan. “You’re a horrible coworker.”
Susan rolled her eyes, looking with disdain at her. “Your job was to ask him background questions. That was it, and before you get all bent out of shape, I was promoted. The senior writer wasn’t objective, so then it became my project. My. Project. You were brought on because his team requested you.” She pressed her lips together. “And we both know you went behind my back for that to get done.”
Wait…
Erica drew to her fullest height. “I had nothing to do with that. I never emailed them or called or whatever you’re accusing me of. I swear. They requested me because they must’ve done their homework and figured out how much of a vapid bitch you were.”
Erica was requested?
“Hey.” Jake stood. “Whoa.”
Susan shot him daggers instead. “We don’t need your interference, Jake. Thank you. You’ve done enough damage for the day.”
She glanced over her shoulder to Tara, who had moved back a step. Tara’s head lowered.
Susan added, “You didn’t have to invite her over, you know.” With the scathing tone, it was obvious whom she meant by ‘her.’ Me. But my head was whirling to pay attention.
Kian’s team requested my roommate for the story?
No. That couldn’t be. That doesn’t make sense.
Jake glanced at me. “I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean she’s not welcome. Jo can come over whenever she wants to see me.” He said to Tara, “We’re not together anymore. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Except for some decency,” Susan shot at him. “And I wasn’t talking about Jo. You invited Tara to your party, and then you left with her after she ditched on helping Erica with the interview, with whatever she did to help. I have no clue what that was or even why she was there.”
“Don’t attack my roommate and she was there because I needed help.” If looks could kill, Susan would be bleeding all over the floor. Erica added, “She had a panic attack.”
“She went to Jake’s party. She ditched you.”
No.
I was becoming aware of the looks coming my way. This was going to get twisted, but I was reeling. Kian had actually requested Erica. But what did that mean? I had talked to him. He said he didn’t know her.
“When?” My voice stood out from the others.
They were hot and angry but not me. I was strangely…calm.
“I did the math. The time frame from when you disappeared from the interview and showed up at Jake’s wasn’t even an hour overlap. You were dressed like that at the hotel, so I’m assuming you went straight to Jake’s.” Susan sneered, raking me up and down.
“No, no.” I needed to deal with that, too, but I couldn’t focus. I had to know. “When did they request Erica to be on the story?”
Say within the last week. Please say within the last week.
Susan snorted, rolling her eyes. “Who cares? She was requested. Yes.” She sent that last word to my roommate. “You were. I never promised you’d be on camera. You were assigned to ask him background questions, and you did.”
“From behind the camera,” Erica argued.
Susan pretended a yawn and shrugged. “My promise was fulfilled. I never said you’d be on camera. You just assumed.”
“And you didn’t correct me.”
“I didn’t have to. No one thought you’d be on camera. Why would you have been? I mean, look at you.”
I tensed. The argument was getting dirty. I felt the insult coming for Erica. Everyone did, too. They all seemed to freeze as Susan gestured up and down Erica’s form.
“You have to look good on camera. The camera has to love you. I’m not saying this to be mean, but the camera doesn’t love you.”
“Hey.” Jake stepped forward, frowning. “That was uncalled for, Susan.” He looked at Tara. “You’re going to let her outright insult someone? I didn’t think you were like that.”
Tara lifted a dainty shoulder before folding her arms over her chest. “Like you said, we’re not together. I don’t owe you anything, and I really don’t owe your new girlfriend’s roommate anything either.”
Girlfriend? We’re accountability partners.
Erica seemed paralyzed. She couldn’t look away from Susan, who was still glaring down at her. I waited, expecting some cutting remark from my roommate, but it didn’t come. I moved closer to peer at her. She was fighting back tears. A wave of fury rolled through me, and I lifted my head, ready to blast into Susan. Fuck whatever else was going on. She couldn’t talk to someone like that.
Wanker took off his glasses, drawing everyone’s attention. He was the tallest, and he straightened to his fullest height of six-three. He cleared his throat as he put his glasses back on and slid them up to the top of his nose with his middle finger. He held it there before extending his middle finger toward Susan.
“This,” he said, moving it closer to her face, “is how I feel about you right now.”
Her mouth opened. No sound came out. She closed it back up, blinking a few times.
A small grin grew on Erica’s face.
I grinned, too.
Wanker added, still holding that middle finger to her face, “You can have a work disagreement. That is fine, but you hit below the belt with your last insult. And, my dear,” He took his glasses off again and looked her up and down before putting them back on, “don’t fool yourself. You might look pleasant on camera, but you’re not in the same league as others here.”
Erica nudged me with her elbow. “He means you and Tara.”
I didn’t care who he meant.
“Looks don’t matter,” I said to Susan, “Maybe you’ll go to the top, but you’ll do it by being a horrible, ruthless person. Erica’s a better person than you any day of the week.”